Interview With Jen Calonita, Author of Isle of Ever

Welcome to Smack Dab, Jen! Please tell us a bit about Isle of Ever.

Thanks for having me! ISLE OF EVER is Outer Banks, the TV show, crossed with Pirates of the Caribbean, with some Tuck Everlasting vibes. I've never had so much fun coming up with a story. This is an adventure-mystery that keeps you guessing. What if you were given a huge inheritance you could only collect if you found an island that didn't exist on any maps? And you only had two weeks to find it? I'm hoping readers enjoy cracking the clues. 

This book has such a fantastic blend of genres: historical fiction and fantasy is such a great mix. How did you go about balancing the two genres (and readers’ expectations)?

Thank you! I think what's really fun about this story is that we see it unfold in two ways--we have diary entries from the 1800s from Evelyn Terry, and then we have Benny Benedict, Evelyn's descendant, trying to crack this riddle and find the island in 2025. My hope was always that the reader was figuring out things along with Benny, using clues from Evelyn's diaries. There are weather charts, post-it notes, maps, newspaper clippings...it's a true treasure hunt!

 It’s so easy, as an author, to get completely lost in research. What kind of research did you do on the 1820 time period? Did it send the book in any unexpected directions?

The fun thing about this book is the story is set on Long Island's north fork, where my grandparents built a home as a child. I spend a lot of my summers out there so for this book I found myself visiting lighthouses, exploring churches, and old schoolhouses, and reading up on what the north fork was like in the early 1800s. I was constantly asking myself what I could weave in and what could help me come up with clues. 

Games are such a big part of this story. Are you a puzzle addict? How did you go about crafting the riddles Benny solves? 

I love a good game! But I think Benny is way better at cracking riddles than I am! That said, part of the fun of this book was figuring out what the clues were, and how I could craft fun ways for Benny to figure out where she had to go next. 

Time plays some fascinating roles in this book. The past weighs heavily, really, as there’s a 200-year timeframe that the book covers. But you manage to also make the book feel anything but past-tense, with the inclusion of the Blood Orange Moon deadline. How did you approach time while drafting this book? 

Thank you for saying that. I worked really hard to try to figure out a way for the reader and Benny to feel up against a deadline, while also including a story that spans a huge stretch of time. I think alternating chapters between diaries from the past, and present day chapters from Benny, really help ground the reader. I loved the idea of learning a clue in the past, that tied to what was going on in the present. 

Love the concept of an island that appears only under certain conditions. Where did that come from?         

Thank you! As a kid, my grandmother used to tell me to dig for buried treasure because Captain Kidd supposedly left some treasure behind on Long Island that had never been found. I liked to lie awake in their house at night and imagine where this treasure could be. Why would no one be able to find the treasure if it was really buried on Long Island? And that's when I started to wonder if the treasure could be hidden somewhere the rest of the world couldn't see. 

Can you tell us a bit about the exploration of home as a theme in the novel? 

Benny and her mom have been bouncing place to place the last few years, ever since Benny's grandmother passed away, and it's been hard on Benny, never being able to put down roots. What she longs for is a sense of stability and a place she can truly call home. And then out of nowhere comes this inheritance that offers her a place of her own. She, of course, wants this for her and her mom more than anything and it's her initial motivation to beat this game Evelyn created. 

Strong female characters populate both timelines. What was the process like in crafting these characters from such different times (and making them all relevant to today’s reader)?

Thank you! As Evelyn and Benny are related, I wanted the reader to feel this connection between them -- they're both strong-willed girls who will do whatever it takes to protect the ones they love. Evelyn's opportunities in 1825 are clearly different than Benny's in 2025, and yet the girls have the same wants and needs. Protecting family is foremost in both their minds. 

 I’m always fascinated by the choices an author makes. What made you choose to tell the past through journal entries rather than flashbacks? 

I actually wrote the diary chapters first and I rewrote them several times before I figured out the right direction to go. The diary felt fun because the reader could read along with Benny and learn more about the past. Then when I decided Benny would get a new clue and diary entry every time she cracked another riddle, I knew I was on the right track. 

The parent-child relationship is so important in fiction for young people. Tell us a bit about how Benny’s relationship with her mother influences her approach to solving Evelyn’s game.

It's true, isn't it? What I've learned over the years, both from being a mom myself and meeting so many young readers, are that there are many different types of families out there and so many different dynamics. I wanted Benny to have a reason to want this inheritance beyond just wanting to get rich. That's actually not Benny's motivation. Benny wants security. Her mom, unfortunately, struggles with money, and Benny feels this need to protect and care for her mother, and she decides if she can win this inheritance, this would solve all their problems. Benny is someone who carries the weight of the world on her young shoulders. 

What’s next?

I'm actually sitting in a hotel room right now doing a final edit of ISLE OF EVER 2! There are three books planned for the series, so I've spent a lot of time figuring out what parts of the mystery we will learn in books one, two, and three. It's been so much fun creating a story that continues to build and change with each new book. 

Where can we find you? 

I've got a website: www.jencalonitaonline.com -- where readers will find a few free short stories and fun information on my books. I'm also on Instagram at @jencalonita and on TikTok talking abouts as @jencalonita as well. 

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