An Interview with Andrea Jones
Tended by the green thumb of Andrea Jones, the Neverland grows ever more gripping. Like Mr. and Mrs. Darling, Mrs. Jones raised three children. Author of the Hook & Jill Saga – a series of literary Neverland novels intended for adult readers – Jones is also the editor of a classics restoration program. In tribute to J.M. Barrie, she returned the story that will never grow old to its 1911 origins in Peter and Wendy: The Restored Text (Reginetta Press). Jones studied literature at the University of Illinois and worked in television production at CBS and PBS affiliates. With her additional training in theatre, Jones garners a rich harvest as a storyteller extraordinaire.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
The specific inspiration for Hook & Jill was my realization that the fairy tale of Peter Pan is the perfect canvas on which to illustrate my real-life story – that of a young woman struggling toward independence, while directed by those in authority to hold fast to the shelter and dependence of childhood.
A reader of classics all my life, I was fortunate to be schooled by dedicated and knowledgeable English literature teachers. They taught me to read, to write, and to think, so that when the inspiration for Hook & Jill struck, I was prepared to compose a layered, meaningful work of literature, employing traditional literary devices and lyrical language.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
My first career was in television production, working in studios as a camera, lighting, and audio operator, then as studio manager. I rose to become producer-director of TV programs and finally managed a national non-profit entity’s television department. I’ve also worked at my local public library, where I learned of the abundance of information available to all people, for free, in our own communities.
Because my books can be edgy, sexy, and heretical, my readers might not guess that after my television career I was fortunate to become a full-time homemaker. A woman at home is generally undervalued in our modern society, and you can call me old-fashioned if you dare. I followed in my mother’s footsteps in dedicating myself to bringing up the next generation of citizens. We each found a voice in our attempts, as mothers and as writers, to make the world a better environment for our children.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Because Hook & Jill is a serious parody of the original Peter Pan story by J.M. Barrie ─ Peter and Wendy ─ the title clearly had to be a variation on that title. We replace ‘Peter’ with ‘Hook,’ and change ‘Wendy’…well, you’ll have to read the story to discover who ‘Jill’ might be.
What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?
My first author event took place at The Book Cellar in Chicago, presenting me and other authors reading from our works. A gentleman introduced himself to me as a J.M. Barrie scholar and a fellow Neverland author. He said he attended the event especially to seek me out. He subsequently reviewed and endorsed my work. About the same time, Hook & Jill was awarded the Gold Medallion for Adult Fiction and Literature from the Mom’s Choice Awards®, and these honors made me feel I had truly succeeded.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
Popular music doesn’t get any closer than The Monkees’ I’m a Believer. The lyrics reference fairy tales, and I clearly hear Captain Hook’s thoughts with, “Disappointment haunted all my dreams…Then I saw her face…” When you read Hook & Jill, you’ll divine the deeper connection.
Of course, I have to laugh when hearing Wendy by the Beach Boys. Peter Pan himself couldn’t express his disappointment better: “I can’t picture you with him, the future looks awful dim…Wendy, Wendy left me alone.” Humor aside, the desolation of solitude resonates within Barrie’s original story, and I echo that emotion in Hook & Jill.
The difference between these popular pieces and my novel are that the songs are about love, where my story deals with power. Innocently at first, Wendy holds power; both Captain Hook and Peter Pan require it.
Then there’s Behind Blue Eyes by The Who. J.M. Barrie makes much of Captain Hook’s deceptively beautiful forget-me-not blue eyes. Clearly Hook is speaking in this music: “No one knows what it’s like to be the bad man…behind blue eyes.” The song moves further into harmony with my theme with the line, “My love is vengeance.” Exactly: Hook seeks revenge. What else will he win along with it?
The subsequent novels in the Hook & Jill Saga contain scenes inspired by classical and folk music tracks, some of which are employed in the movie Master and Commander. This Patrick O’Brian seafaring series was my primary research source for the saga’s setting in the days of sail. I recommend the movie, the music, and the books.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
Intended to make readers rethink assumptions we’ve held for generations, Hook & Jill presents the question: Shall you do as your parents, priests, and politicians ordain, or shall you make up your own mind what is right and what is wrong? The following books in the Hook & Jill Saga continue this theme of self-discovery and self-empowerment.
What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?
The story reflects, in metaphor, my own real-life experiences. Once I set the drama down in print, I was able to ‘close the book’ on some of the trials of my past.
What creative projects are you currently working on?
I’m composing The Ever-After End, the fifth and closing novel in the Hook & Jill Saga. While the timeless tale J.M. Barrie began more than one hundred and twenty years ago will never end, I’ll sew up the fates and fortunes of the protagonists and antagonists and, in Barrie’s tradition, allow our readers more scope for their imaginations to embroider these beloved characters’ future ventures. My parting words: Welcome back to Neverland!
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