Q & A with MG/YA author A.L. Janney with Giveaway!

Hello and welcome! Can you pitch Phantom of New York for readers?

A boy moves to New York City, to a hotel that is magnificent, magical, and a little haunted, and soon he learns the hotel has been expecting him.

What about the villain, and the princess, and the prophecy? All that stuff?

Let me try again. =) There is a saying, a prophecy long forgotten—when the city needs him, the Phantom will return. Peter moves suddenly to New York City, unaware the prophecy is about him.

Is the title an allusion to Phantom of the Opera?

Definitely. The main character will have complete anonymous mastery of the city, in the same way the Phantom had at the opera house.

Who will enjoy this book?

Anyone who loves Hogwarts or Redwall. If you liked Narnia or Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson, I think you’ll dig the Phantom and his home, the Crown. At least I hope you will.

Is Peter Constantine based on anyone?

He’s a little Zorro, a little Batman, a little Harry Potter, a little Katniss. He’s not Superman or Luke Skywalker, a hero yearning to do good. He is good, but also something of a reluctant hero. He responds to evil, rather than proactively looking for it.

Where’d you get the idea for Peter and the Crown, the first book in the series?

So I’ve written a handful of books, but they’re for older readers. Which means my kids don’t get to read my work yet. I won’t let them read my YA series until they’re teenagers. I wanted something for them.

Do they like the books?

Yes, though I’ve been told I need to use more pronouns. By an eight-year-old.

You read the book for the audio version. Talk about that. Is it difficult?

Extremely. I’m cooped up in my closet for hours, growling and coughing into a microphone. I have a list of the characters, and who they’re supposed to sound like. For example, the owner of the hotel is named Mr. Banks. He’s supposed to sound a little like Thurston Howell, the millionaire from Gilligans Island, a reference kids don’t understand. =)

What about Hawkins, Peter’s best friend?

He’s supposed to have something of a Brooklyn accent. I talk from the corner of my mouth and turn the ‘R’s into ‘A’s. “What ah ya tawking about, Petah?”

The second book is already out.

Yes, I released them simultaneously.

And the third?

Probably Christmas of 2018. It’s going to be a fun one!

About the novel:

‘This is a story about vigilantes and magic.
About prophecy and hope.
About a boy and his hotel.

When twelve-year-old Peter Constantine wakes up in the Crown Hotel with a new identity, life is over as he knows it. But perhaps that’s not such a bad thing…

A dangerous man Peter only knows as “The Client” is after his family, so they’ve relocated to New York City. With help from unlikely friends living at the glamorous hotel, including the ghost on the tenth floor, Peter’s new life begins. Soon, however, he learns of a plot to destroy his new home, a plot only the Phantom can foil.

Peter and the Crown is the first book in the Phantom of New York series, an adventure for readers aged ten and up. If you like smart, funny characters and “can’t put it down” escapades, then you’ll love Alan Janney’s Phantom of New York series.’

About the Author: A.L. Janney is the Winner of the 2016 National Indie Excellence Award. “You work hard.  I write adventures.  Let me entertain you.”