Blog Tour (Interview/Review) Second on the Right by Elizabeth Los + Scavenger Hunt & Giveaway.

     Today I am happy to be taking part with day 11 of the blog tour for Second on the Right, hosted by Bit'N Tours. Don't forget to look for the clue for the scavenger hunt.
    

Synopsis:

  Spawned from an ancient promise, treachery and intrigue follow the protagonists through our world and one lost to the waves. Bound by an invisible bond, they are thrust into a fantastical world of pirates and demons. James Benedict is a just man haunted by evil. Pushed to the edge, everything stripped from him, a new man arises . . . a man whose name strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear it: "Captain Hook".

  Eileen Davis was a timid woman. Through a fateful cruise she finds herself in the company of the Captain of the Mistral Thief. With his guidance, and the meddling of the local barista, she eventually finds her inner strength. Will the two of them unite through time to fulfill the promise of their ancestors or will tempers ignite leading all to failure?

  Click Here for the Audio Excerpt

Book Links:
ISBN-10: 1492340480
ISBN-13: 978-1492340485
eBook ISBN-13: 978-1310988455
Createspace /  Smashwords / Goodreads / Amazon / iTunes /  B&N

  To start things off I did an interview with Elizabeth Los and asked her a few questions about her novel.


1. What gave you the idea to reinvent such a notorious character such as Captain Hook?

  Notorious?! I’ll have you know Captain James Hook was merely misunderstood. He’s a family man, a loving husband and father, and a savvy businessman. James had everything he wanted. If it hadn’t been for Pan, James would have lived out his life extremely happy.

2. I loved your take on Peter Pan. What made you decided on the kind of split personality/ evil possession thing?

  It started with the idea of a changeling. Barrie had described how the lost boys came to be on the island, that they were taken from their nurseries after falling from their cribs. In one myth, I read of how the fairy becomes a changeling and takes the place of the child. My demented imagination just took it one step further. The idea of a split personality Pan came from the idea of the soul trap. What if the soul was captured and later released? What would happen to that individual? The scene on the yacht was inspired by one where Gollum was arguing with his inner (Smeagol) self. It all boiled down to one thought: Would a young boy be capable of cutting off a man’s hand?

3. Were James and Eileen aware of their similarities to the classic tale of Peter Pan?

  Funny you should bring that up. I actually wanted to do a full circle, but not in so obvious a way. Their son, Robbie, was actually writing out the original tale by J.M. Barrie. In fact, Robbie’s lost boy nickname was “Beary”. I imagined the story would have been written, then lost, only later to be found by Barrie and published. It would be the sensationalized version of the story, rather than the true facts. Basically, it was my answer to why Hook seemed so weak in the original story.

4. What would you say Daria's role in the story was?

  Forgive me for saying this, but women can be master manipulators. That’s our superpower. Daria was merely doing what she did best, guiding the actions of those around her to suit her needs. In that respect, she’s no better than Captain Robert Benedict. So who’s fault was it that Pan did want he did with James and on Neverland? Was it truly Robert Benedict’s for releasing him? Or was it Daria’s for not following through to finish the task of dispatching Pan?

5. I really enjoyed Captain Benedict's pirate dialect. How did you become so savvy with the pirate talk?

  Thanks! I am grateful for the compliment. I had several sources online that I frequented to help with my pirate dialect. I also had one voice in mind every time I “heard” Benedict speak: Geoffrey Rush. I think of all the pirates I’ve seen on screen, for me his was the best portrayal.

Thank you Elizabeth for your wonderful answers. I really enjoyed reading them.

 I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

     When I was first asked to review Second on the Right I was immediately intrigued by the story and it only took a moment to decide that it was a keeper. Captain James Hook has always been an interest for me since I first saw Dustin Hoffman take on the role in the movie Hook. Elizabeth Los' version of Captain Hook is more or less the story of a man that fights hard for the people he loves and will go to any lengths to keep his family together.

 This story follows the lives of Eileen, James and Captain Benedict, who happens to be James' ancestor. Yup, that means there is a little time traveling involved. Always a great way to perk up a story as far as I'm concerned. I loved all of the characters and I especially had a soft spot for Captain Benedict, I think because I felt his character to be authentic and I loved hearing his pirate dialect in my head. I was happy to learn for the author interview that Geoffrey Rush was a big inspiration for his character because that is exactly who I was hearing in my head, so bravo Elizabeth.

     A new twist on an old tale, Second on the Right is a fast paced and entertaining read. This reader never found a boring moment and was constantly wrapped up in the mystery that was sensationally weaved into the entire story.

I give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ 

About the Author:

Elizabeth uses writing as therapy, her release from everyday stress. At night, after work and once the children are finally tucked in bed, for the fifth time, she sits at her laptop and lets her imagination flow. Elizabeth has produced short stories, one of which will be published in an anthology. She’s had fun writing a Sherlock Holmes fan fiction story, A Case of Need, based on the BBC’s Sherlock.

By July 2011, her first novel, Second on the Right, had been completed. She spent several years polishing the story in order to provide a high quality product to the public. Second on the Right is her first professional novel.



Connect with Elizabeth here:
Twitter / Smashwords /  Blog / Facebook / Goodreads

Ebook giveaway:
Swagbag giveaway:

Scavenger Hunt Rules:

  Everyone loves a scavenger hunt so jump aboard and collect the clues to form a hidden message pertaining to Second On The Right. Visit all the blogs touring and look for the word in RED in each scavenger hunt graphic. It is a contest after all, so the first person to email the MESSAGE to bitnbooktours@gmail.com wins!

For a full schedule of all the blogs participating go here: http://bitnbooktours.wix.com/bitn#!second-on-the-right-by-elizabeth-los/c1y0z