Bad Liza interrogates Anna Katmore, then Good Liza reviews her book Neverland.

Welcome to my Interrogation room. The walls are sound proof. The door is locked.

Anna: Oh my freaking Jeez, are these shackles on the chair? I thought I was invited to coffee and cookies today. Where are the cookies?

Liza: Cookies? I can’t eat cookies, so neither can you.  Please, take a seat and answer my questions. *Liza smiles.* If you are very good, I’ll give you one of my dog’s Greenies when we are done. I’ve no idea what they taste like, but Jess is addicted to them.

Anna: Okay, that sneer is quite creepy, you know… Now I’m wondering if I actually need a safeword for this interview. Know what? I think I’ll just pick one. So if you hear me yell WHIPLASH, you have to back off immediately, okay?

Liza: *rolls eyes* How many characters…or people have you killed? Specifics please.

Anna: If I tell you, it makes you my ally in crime, right? You’re sworn to secrecy—or go to jail with me!

I killed the mother.

Liza: What mother exactly did you kill? I read your book and by all the nice things you say to your parents at the first, I’m pretty sure they are alive.  Do you mean your heroine’s mom?

Anna: I did not say MY mother, did I? ;-) That would be a little gross.

Liza: Of all the characters you have written, name your favorite three.

Anna: OMG, I hate you for this question. Do you have kids? Yeah? Name your favorite. Go ahead, and I’ll name my favorites, too!

Liza: Of course I don’t have kids. They require attention and food all the time. I have a self-reliant dog who can understand what I say, but doesn’t respond. IMO: That’s a perfect relationship.

Anna: You know, I would never wish the cooties or something upon you for this, but— nah, wait. I actually do. So, my darlings would be (would be! Not are! There’s a difference!) Jamie Hook, Chris Donovan and Julian, not necessarily in this order.

    Liza: Of the three above, one is to be dropped in honey then dumped into a bed of red ants. One is to be tickled to death, and the other will be exiled to Foreverland for eternity. Choose carefully.

Warning: if you fail to choose the fate for each, I shall do so in your stead.

Anna: WHIPLASH! No one’s getting too close to my darlings. No one other than me, that is. ;-)

Liza: Via foresight (and my ability to read ahead), I know you will give up your Whiplash for a new question four. So make your choices!

Anna: I see, you’re fighting dirty. And I just don’t happen to have my killer kitty with me to fend you off. So yeah… Here we go. I’m so sorry, guys! But Julian would go to the ants. I know he likes honey, that’s why. Considering that he’s an angel, I believe he can do some magic there and get himself free. Chris would be the one being tickled to death—by me. :-) And Jamie would go from Neverland to Foreverland. Not much of a difference for him, I suppose. (Sorry, dude.)

Liza: Well, there is a difference. Now he’ll circle the island counterclockwise and it will make him seasick. Have you ever been seasick? It’s not a pretty thing…

Anna: I’ve been on a steamer when I was little. I vomited freaking green stuff on deck, so yeah, I know what it feels like to be sea-sick. :/ But a pirate will cope for sure.

Liza: Since you sold your whiplash for a different fourth question, here it is:

Where does the inspiration for your stories come from?

Anna: I've got a tiny devil sitting on my shoulder. His name is Pax and he loves whispering sweet little things in my ear. ;-)

Liza: A devil you say? That is a shock. You are so sweet my dog actually wants to share her greenie with you and while you may be hungry, seeing as how I plan to keep you for three days, I’d still advise against it. Jess refuses to brush her teeth after she licks herself.

Anna: *letting my gaze sweep the room for a backdoor…*

Liza: Sorry, you're here for three days. No way out. So let's check out your cover, it's very pretty...

“Any last words?”

“Go to hell, you freaking…filthy…godforsaken…”

Our noses almost touch as he dips his head and brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Angel, the word you’re looking for is pirate.”

Why is there a boy who doesn’t want to grow up?

How can an apple start the sweetest romance in fairytale history?

And what does a ruthless pirate have to do with it all?

Although Angelina McFarland loves reading fairytales, she never dreamed of falling right into one herself. But that’s exactly what happens when she slips on her balcony and a flying Peter Pan catches her mid-fall.

Ending up in Neverland where no one seems to age and laws of nature are out of control, Angel has no idea how to get home. Worse, the ruthless Captain Hook captures her and keeps her trapped on his ship, the Jolly Roger, where she gets caught between the lines of a timeless battle. But the more time Angel spends with the captain, the more she sees beneath his ruthless façade. The feelings she’s growing for him are as intense as shocking, and soon she can’t stop thinking about how soft his lips felt on hers when he kissed her under the stars. But Angel and a pirate? That’ll never work. Or can it?

As Angel desperately tries to find a way to return to her real life, she discovers a train ticket to London in her pocket. It won’t be any help in getting off the island, but as her memory fades away the longer she stays, this is all she has left to remind her of her former life and why she can’t give up trying.

Or is staying in Neverland forever the better choice after all?

Grab a happy thought and follow Angel on an adventure that will keep you breathless and smiling long after you read the last page…

Excited, I walk faster, my eyes almost popping out with wonder. Jamie, who matches my stride, chuckles next to me. When we reach the plateau closest to the ship, I hesitate and crane my neck to stare up, taking in all of it. He pokes me gently in the ribs with his elbow. “It’s a mighty fine ship, eh?”

“Stunning,” I breathe.

“Then what are you waiting for? Come on.” With one hand placed on my back, he leads me around to the long narrow gangplank and has me step on it first. Watching my feet, I warily make my way toward the main deck. The farther I walk, the more the wooden board wobbles under my weight. I can hear Jamie’s footsteps right behind me, which gives me a little comfort.

With a quick glance, I assure myself that we’re already closer to the ship than to land. But at the same time I catch a glimpse of a very dirty sailor on deck. He wears a torn shirt and a black bandana. A real saber is attached to his belt and a black patch covers his left eye. I stop dead.

Jamie bounces into my back at my sudden halt. His hands come to my waist and keep me steady. “What’s up?” he asks into my ear.

I turn my head just slightly, not letting the man out of my sight, and whisper, “Are you sure this is the ship you talked about?”

“Of course.”

“Did you see what they’re wearing? I think these men are pirates.”

“Don’t worry,” he replies with a chilled laugh. I do worry, though. Goosebumps rise on my skin. I want to get off this gangplank and back on land, but Jamie pushes me forward.

A few more steps and I stand on the wide deck, earning the greedy looks of more men dressed in shabby clothes. One of them flashes a gold-toothed smile at me.

“Jamie?” I croak, my knees turning to rubber. “I think we are on the wrong ship.”

“Relax, Angel.” He makes my name sound like a mocking endearment. The tip of his finger glides down the back of my neck in an uncomfortable caress. “We’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, I spin around. Jamie pulls off his brocade coat with now obvious disgust for the cloak and tosses it over the railing. “Ah. Much better!” He flexes his shoulders and releases a deep sigh.

He’s only wearing a plain off-white linen shirt now with long sleeves and a laced collar. Jeez, how could I have missed before that this was totally out of character with the fine purple coat? “You—you’re one of them,” I hoarsely state the obvious. “You’re a pirate.”

Amusement glistens in his eyes. He gives me a taunting half-smile that freezes the breath in my lungs. “And the ugliest, meanest and scariest of them, too, I was told.”

The man with the gold tooth steps up to Jamie and hands him a wide black hat with a single black feather, then he cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Get up, ye mangy dogs! The cap’n is on deck!”

“Hook,” I breathe.

Jamie rakes a hand through his hair and puts the hat on his head, gazing at me with a wicked gleam in his eyes. His smile turns into a dangerous promise. “Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger.”

Neverland is a fabulous delight for children of all ages. It’s absolutely enchanting, beautifully written and well-conceived.  And yes, it’s a spin-off from Peter Pan (made into a novel in 1911), but it is fabulously unique and well worth reading.

My only issue (this occurred because I had my robot read it to me) is that both the heroine and hero had first person POV’s. Thus, when either of them began a section, it would take me a few paragraphs to grasp who was talking.  Had I read the book, instead having Robot David read it to me, I would not have been confused, since James Hook is printed clearly before each of his POVs. Unfortunately, it was in a font my robot could not read so I didn’t get the heads up verbally. But even with this stumble I enjoyed the book thoroughly, although I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book with two first person POV’s before. 

Determining the speaker is harder with “I”, which does not declare gender, than a third person POV “he” or “she”. Still, it worked well for this story and kudos to the author for trying something different!

Actually, there was a great deal different about this book and its plot, but I don’t want to ruin the surprises for you. So I’m not discussing details.

While I loved the book, I wasn’t as happy with the resolution at the end. Thus, I was most relieved when a new opportunity is opened at the very end to be continued in a future book. That’s just what I needed to be happy with the current ending. 

I give this 5 stars.

Neverland
AMAZON

Pan's Revenge
Amazon

Anna Katmore's Author Page

The nitty-gritty:

I’m an Austrian lass—totally uncomplicated and up to anything fun.

I grew up in Vienna, not by free will but because my parents decided to move there when I was only 4 years old. I. Hated. The. City. Everything about it. So right after graduation I moved back to Upper Austria, where I settled down with a nice husband and an awesome laptop.

I’ve been a storyteller all my life. Already in kindergarten, I came up with the most exotic fantasies and tales. My teacher would call me a liar. I call it the cornerstone of my writing career.

People always told me you can’t make a living with being an author. So when my first novella PLAY WITH ME came out and shot straight to the stars within the first week, I was totally dumbstruck. Took me a while to realize what was happening, LOL.