Lisa Jensen's Blog, page 8
September 25, 2015
Alias Hook Sails On!
This just in from Entertainment Weekly: a round-up of eight modern fairy tale-inspired books for fans of the TV hit series Once Upon a Time. Alias Hook is number 1!
Read the whole article at http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/25/...
Read the whole article at http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/25/...
August 20, 2015
4 Jacks and a Jamie
"You can't spit on board a ship and not hit eight fellows called 'Jack.'"
So says the pirate hero of my first swashbuckling novel Witch from the Sea My Jack chooses the name for anonymity in his dubious trade, as he explains to my heroine, runaway and accidental pirate-in-training Tory Lightfoot.
In swashbuckling fiction, on land as well as sea, characters named Jack seem to have all the fun. (Unless they're named James, like my other pirate hero, James Hook in Alias Hook.) I'm partial to my Jack, of course, but since it's summer reading season, here are some of my other favorite literary rakes and rogues named Jack, with one more Jamie thrown in. Enjoy!
http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2015/...
So says the pirate hero of my first swashbuckling novel Witch from the Sea My Jack chooses the name for anonymity in his dubious trade, as he explains to my heroine, runaway and accidental pirate-in-training Tory Lightfoot.
In swashbuckling fiction, on land as well as sea, characters named Jack seem to have all the fun. (Unless they're named James, like my other pirate hero, James Hook in Alias Hook.) I'm partial to my Jack, of course, but since it's summer reading season, here are some of my other favorite literary rakes and rogues named Jack, with one more Jamie thrown in. Enjoy!
http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2015/...
June 29, 2015
Before Beast
Big thanks to everyone who's added my next novel, Beast: A Love Story, to their TBR pile!
This take on Beauty and the Beast — with a twist, of course — will be published by the fine folks at Candlewick early in 2017. But in the meantime, you can visit Beast's world right now at: https://www.pinterest.com/ljensenauth...
This take on Beauty and the Beast — with a twist, of course — will be published by the fine folks at Candlewick early in 2017. But in the meantime, you can visit Beast's world right now at: https://www.pinterest.com/ljensenauth...
May 5, 2015
Celebrate!
Hey folks, the paperback edition of Alias Hook is available today at fine book emporiums and online portals everywhere.
Same story—a view of the Neverland and "that infernal, eternal boy" from the viewpoint of Captain James Hook. After years cursed to play villain to a band of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends, Hook is finally given one last chance to escape.
Same fabulous cover, from the good folks at Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, designed by Lisa Marie Pompilio.
New, easy, lightweight portable size!
Read all about it at http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2015/...
Same story—a view of the Neverland and "that infernal, eternal boy" from the viewpoint of Captain James Hook. After years cursed to play villain to a band of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends, Hook is finally given one last chance to escape.
Same fabulous cover, from the good folks at Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, designed by Lisa Marie Pompilio.
New, easy, lightweight portable size!
Read all about it at http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2015/...
April 18, 2015
Becoming Beast
It's my pleasure to announce that an offer has been made for my new novel, Beast: A Love Story, by Kaylan Adair at Candlewick Press.
Set in Renaissance France, it's an origin story from which future Beauty and the Beast tales might have evolved. In my story, "happily ever after" depends on perspective as Beast struggles to conquer his treacherous inner prince and emerge as the true hero of his own tale.
Publication is set for Spring, 2017, which gives you an idea of the time, care, and attention Candlewick lavishes on its books. And you can be sure I'll keep you posted as the process unfolds! For details, visit http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2015/....
Set in Renaissance France, it's an origin story from which future Beauty and the Beast tales might have evolved. In my story, "happily ever after" depends on perspective as Beast struggles to conquer his treacherous inner prince and emerge as the true hero of his own tale.
Publication is set for Spring, 2017, which gives you an idea of the time, care, and attention Candlewick lavishes on its books. And you can be sure I'll keep you posted as the process unfolds! For details, visit http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2015/....
March 26, 2015
Bard Bingeing
Looks like I'm Shakespeare-bingeing this month. I just finished The Serpent of Venice Christopher Moore's fabulous follow-up to Fool (pardon me while I alliterate), which gleefully mashes up plots and characters from "King Lear", "Othello" and "The Merchant Of Venice."
And now I've segued into Kate Danley's Queen Mab: A Tale Entwined with William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, a fantasy woven in and out of "Romeo and Juliet". Danley had me at the first hint of turning Mercutio — one of the most lamented of all the Bard's untimely deaths — into the hero of her tale. So far, so good, a third of the way into the book, so stay tuned…
Btw, Danley has been writing for four years, maintains three ongoing, multi-volume fantasy series and several stand-alones, and is entirely self-published. The formatting in "Queen Mab" can be a bit wonky from page to page, and the print seems enormous, but the cover is gorgeous and her storytelling skills are highly accomplished.
And now I've segued into Kate Danley's Queen Mab: A Tale Entwined with William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, a fantasy woven in and out of "Romeo and Juliet". Danley had me at the first hint of turning Mercutio — one of the most lamented of all the Bard's untimely deaths — into the hero of her tale. So far, so good, a third of the way into the book, so stay tuned…
Btw, Danley has been writing for four years, maintains three ongoing, multi-volume fantasy series and several stand-alones, and is entirely self-published. The formatting in "Queen Mab" can be a bit wonky from page to page, and the print seems enormous, but the cover is gorgeous and her storytelling skills are highly accomplished.
March 13, 2015
Paper or Plastic?
It's like saying goodbye to an illicit lover. You knew going in that it couldn't last forever, knew you'd have exactly so much time together, and no more. You try to draw it out, postpone the inevitable, but sooner or later, you need that climax more than anything. And then it's all over.
Yeah, reading a great book is like that.
When I read, I want the full monty—to touch the paper, smell the ink, hear the rustle of pages, in all ways savor the strangeness and exotica of the world I'm holding in my hands. Logomania, they call it: a sensual obsession with books.
And it looks like I'm not alone. According to a popularly-shared recent study in the Washington Post, the new generation of millennials—particularly those in the 18-29 age range—prefer reading for pleasure on real, old-fashioned paper-and-ink books.
Who knew? They claim reading is a more immersive experience while holding a real book in their hands. They also say they're much less distracted by the urge to multitask—check their email or Twitter feed—than when they are reading something digitally.
Read more at http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2015/...
Yeah, reading a great book is like that.
When I read, I want the full monty—to touch the paper, smell the ink, hear the rustle of pages, in all ways savor the strangeness and exotica of the world I'm holding in my hands. Logomania, they call it: a sensual obsession with books.
And it looks like I'm not alone. According to a popularly-shared recent study in the Washington Post, the new generation of millennials—particularly those in the 18-29 age range—prefer reading for pleasure on real, old-fashioned paper-and-ink books.
Who knew? They claim reading is a more immersive experience while holding a real book in their hands. They also say they're much less distracted by the urge to multitask—check their email or Twitter feed—than when they are reading something digitally.
Read more at http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2015/...
February 2, 2015
Magic of Books
Hey readers, I just discovered this thoroughly ebullient review of Alias Hook on You Tube! It was posted on December 15 by the reviewer calling herself MagicOfBooks, who says she "freakin' loves" the book!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS394...
What a great way to start my Monday...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS394...
What a great way to start my Monday...
January 13, 2015
New Review!
Very nice review today on Blogging For a Good Book: "If you’re interested in a story that recasts the hero in an awful light and turns the two-dimensional villain into a grievously abused victim with a tiny chance at redemption, Alias Hook is a terrific place to go.
Jensen leads us on a trip through Neverland, a rich and mythical place where wisdom and adulthood are held at bay by the mercurial boy. Hook must forge his own destiny and find a way to escape Pan’s world; but how? The answer is as simple and as mythical as it is emotionally rewarding."
Jensen leads us on a trip through Neverland, a rich and mythical place where wisdom and adulthood are held at bay by the mercurial boy. Hook must forge his own destiny and find a way to escape Pan’s world; but how? The answer is as simple and as mythical as it is emotionally rewarding."
December 8, 2014
Dueling Hooks
Is Captain Hook making a comeback in pop culture? Okay, he's never really been gone, but 110 years after his creation, he's currently having a kind of mini-Renaissance. I posted a blog about Colin O'Donoghue, Garrett Hedlund (upcoming in the new Pan movie) and Christopher Walken in the role, at http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/2014/...
None of these stalwart fellows is exactly my idea of James Hook. What do you think?
None of these stalwart fellows is exactly my idea of James Hook. What do you think?
