When I saw the cover and premise for NEVERLAND by Shari Arnold, I knew I had to feature it. And as luck has it, the book released yesterday! Have a look:
It’s been four months since seventeen-year-old Livy Cloud lost her younger sister, but she isn’t quite ready to move on with her life — not even close. She’d rather spend her time at the Seattle Children’s hospital, reading to the patients and holding onto memories of the sister who was everything to her and more.
But when she meets the mysterious and illusive Meyer she is drawn into a world of adventure, a world where questions abound.
Is she ready to live life without her sister? Or more importantly, is she brave enough to love again? In this modern reimagining of Peter Pan, will Livy lose herself to Neverland or will she find what she’s been searching for?
Shari was also kind enough to answer some interview questions!
According to your blog, Daily Distractions, when the idea for NEVERLAND came to you, it wouldn’t leave. How did you gauge this new idea with the deadline you had, and can you tell us more about juggling multiple projects?
I try to stay on one project at a time but occasionally something will creep in. I keep an idea journal for those occasions. I write ideas down ALL THE TIME. If I don’t they disappear completely. Texting myself in the middle of the night also works if I’m feeling lazy.
Yep, that’s why I leave my phone by the bed. Sometimes ideas will come and I can’t go back to sleep until I record them.
Meyer, NEVERLAND’s male protagonist, is really compelling. What about Meyer do you think readers will love the most?
Meyer has that boyish-charm thing going for him and his air of mystery completely drives Livy crazy. He approaches life as though it is an adventure and helps her break free of her sorrow. His accent doesn’t hurt either. =)
Ooh, I love a good accent. You also wrote a YA Paranormal novel called KATE TRIUMPH. How did the idea come to you, and what do you want readers to take away when they’ve finished the story?
KATE came to me one night when I was trying to sleep. Her name was the very first thing to arrive. I knew immediately she was going to be a strong, determined character with amazing possibilities. She continues to change and grow into something I never could have predicted at the time. I hope readers can relate to my characters, but mostly I want them to take the journey with me. I love setting my books in reality with just a hint of magic. One should always believe in magic.
So true. And speaking of magic, I love the design of your Daily Distractions blog. What advice, if any, do you have for authors wanting to build an online platform?
I do my best to read about the authors I love (I think I’m not alone in that) so I think it’s important to have a website. I’ve always had a blog because before I was published I read and reviewed books like crazy. It’s also important to have a presence on Twitter and Facebook. The best thing I ever did was join a group of YA authors on Facebook. Those women are my support team.
Supportive online communities are definitely worth keeping! What are some of your current projects?
I am currently working on the sequel to KATE TRIUMPH and getting my third YA novel, MYSTIQUE, ready for its release in Fall/2015. Oops. I guess I do work on more than one project at a time…
And we appreciate it! Thanks, Shari, for a great interview!
To snag Shari’s books for yourself, click the pictures below:
Great Interview, and intriguing books. I'll have to put them on my to read list. Near the top so they don't get buried. 🙂
Stopping by from Janet Reid's blog — JEN Garrett
Thanks, Jenn! I've enjoyed your FB posts for the “Sub it Club” too.
Nice to see you on the interwebs!