News

30
May

Thrice Interview + Giveaway: THE NEPTUNE PROJECT

Hi! Today we’re celebrating the release of Polly Holyoke’s THE NEPTUNE PROJECT, which came out last Tuesday!

They say:  

neptune projectNere has never understood why she feels so much more comfortable and confident in water than on land, but everything falls into place when Nere learns that she is one of a group of kids who-unbeknownst to them-have been genetically altered to survive in the ocean. These products of “The Neptune Project” will be able to build a better future under the sea, safe from the barren country’s famine, wars, and harsh laws. 

But there are some very big problems: no one asked Nere if she wanted to be a science experiment, the other Neptune kids aren’t exactly the friendliest bunch, and in order to reach the safe haven of the Neptune colony, Nere and her fellow mutates must swim through hundreds of miles of dangerous waters, relying only on their wits, dolphins, and each other to evade terrifying undersea creatures and a government that will stop at nothing to capture the Neptune kids…dead or alive.

Fierce battles and daring escapes abound as Nere and her friends race to safety in this action-packed aquatic adventure.

I say:

I’m halfway through reading THE NEPTUNE PROJECT and I’m really, really enjoying it. It’s incredibly fast-paced without sacrificing character. I feel so sympathetic toward Nere, who’s forced to give up the life she’s known on land for a dangerous one beneath the sea, dodging Marine Guard divers and sharks alike. I’m super-curious to learn more about the other Neptune Project kids in the second half of the book. I’ve never read an underwater adventure story before, and that setting is a big part of what sets this book apart for me. Nere is a telepath – which is totally fascinating – but she can communicate not only with other humans but with her dolphin friends! The dynamics of the dolphin pod and the other underwater creatures is totally fascinating!

Now for our interview with Polly:​

1. Describe your main character in 3 adjectives + a noun.

Nere is a stubborn, brave, and resourceful introvert.

2. Describe your book in 3 adjectives + a noun.

THE NEPTUNE PROJECT is an action-packed, vivid, undersea adventure. (JS: I love this!)

3. Describe yourself in 3 adjectives + a noun.

I am a short, cheerful, hardworking writer.

4. If you could travel to any 3 countries, what would they be?

Nepal, Australia, and Switzerland

5. If you could take any 3 non-writing-related classes, what would they be?

​Voice, digital photography, film-making

6. If you could have any 3 alternate careers, what would they be?

Broadway actress, teacher, graphic designer

7. What are your 3 favorite flowers?

​Columbine, wild roses, delphinium  

8. What are your 3 favorite foods?

Chocolate, cake pops, and more chocolate (JS: I love cakepops! Starbucks’ pink birthday-cake cakepops are so good!)  

9. What are your 3 favorite books?

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, ARCHANGEL, and CROSSING TO SAFETY

You can find out more about Polly at her website or follow her on Twitter.

Polly is generously giving away a signed copy of THE NEPTUNE PROJECT (open internationally!) along with a dolphin necklace/bookmark. To enter, please leave a comment below telling me what your favorite sea creature is! (I vote manatee.) Contest is open until noon EST next Friday, June 7!

18 Responses

  1. That sounds like such an interesting book! I'm definitely going to have to buy a copy. Such an interesting and unique premise. 🙂 Though I like manatees, (they're so sweet and gentle-looking) I think my favorite sea animal would have to be a sea turtle. Crush in Finding Nemo did it for me, and all I can think of when I see one is that movie! 🙂

    1. Hi Julie,
      I'm actually in Hawaii right now, and we've been seeing LOTS of sea turtles every time we go snorkeling. I have one poor green sea turtle get caught in a net in my story, but now I'm thinking I have to figure out a way to work more sea turtles into my later books!

  2. Mary Preston

    For me it has to be whale sharks. They are massive, but not aggressive. They are filter feeders & can grow up to 60 feet (18 meters). Incredibly beautiful & graceful.

  3. This is a hard question as I love the sea and all of its creatures! But I'd have to give it to the leatherback sea turtle. I also love and pity them as they're usually caught as bycatch and it breaks my heart. I'd love to read The Neptune Project and I'm sure I'll enjoy it because anyone with a passion for the sea would. Wonderful interview as well. Thanks for the giveaway, Jessica and Polly! 😀

  4. Hi Joy,

    Your comment cracks me up. I've started asking kids when I sign their books if they dolphins or sharks. Boys almost always say "sharks" and girls almost always say "dolphins!"

  5. Guinevere

    Very interesting premise! I'll have to read this.

    My favorite would have to be dolphins. I was lucky enough to go swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas for a week as part of a research trip. We'd track the dolphins and jump in the water to swim with them. So very cool to see them up close and to experience their curiosity about humans firsthand.

  6. Krystal M.

    My favorite sea creature would have to be the beluga whale. I always loved the color of the whales & the song abouy Baby Beluga (from kindergarten). They're also my favorite animals to visit at aquariums/seaworld.

    1. Have you seen the video about the Beluga mimicking human speech? It's really fascinating. At one of the major aquariums researchers kept hearing a voice near one of the tanks, and they finally realized a Beluga was emulating human speech. Cool stuff!

  7. My favorite would have to be the kraken, for obvious reasons – oh wait, the answer can't be fictional? XD Then I'd have to say, the nautilus. I love them because they look creepy yet beautiful at the same time, and also because the badass submarine in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (one of my fave books) by Jules Verne is named after it! <3

  8. Lea

    Oh, this book sounds really interesting!
    I love sea horses, especially the way they move, and I'd love to see a whale at least once in my life, too!

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