Mysterious Fortunes, Missing Islands, & Ancient Curses: Jen Calonita Spills ISLE OF EVER Secrets

Finding out you’re the heir to a massive fortune sounds like a dream come true, right? But what if, in order to collect it, you had to participate in a high-stakes scavenger hunt, break a centuries-old pirate curse, and find a missing island, and you only had two weeks to do it before the chance was gone forever? That’s the situation Everly “Benny” Benedict finds herself dealing with in Isle of Ever, the first in a brand new mystery adventure series from literary legend Jen Calonita.

A few days after her twelfth birthday, Benny discovers some big news. Life-changing, actually. She’s the sole heir to an enormous fortune left by Evelyn Terry, her great-great-great-great-great grandmother who lived during the 1800s. However, accessing her inheritance isn’t as simple as signing documents or proving her identity. In order to claim the money, she’ll have to follow clues from Evelyn’s old diary and participate in a scavenger hunt leading her to a mysterious island that only appears every two hundred years. If she succeeds, she’ll get the fortune and break an ancient curse.

Did we mention that the clock is ticking? Benny only has two weeks to solve the riddles, unravel the mystery, and find the island. Otherwise, the chance will be gone forever. But Benny isn’t the only one trying to find the island, and danger, secrets, and thrilling adventure await in this twisty, mysterious tale!

Author Jen Calonita may be a rockstar of an author who’s penned an absolutely epic catalog of iconic books (Fairy Tale Reform School, 12 to 22, Lost Legends, and even an upcoming Taylor Swift-inspired book about Swifites who become besties), but Isle of Ever is one of her most personal yet. The entire concept of the story is based on a combination of her own family lore, stories of pirates and buried treasure her grandmother would share with her, and her fascination with real Long Island history. This story is fiction, but it’s steeped in reality, and she was kind enough to take our readers beyond the pages with a little insight into her inspo behind this thrilling new series.

Author Jen Calonita Shares 7 Fun Facts About Isle of Ever:

LONG ISLAND LORE

In Isle of Ever, Benny must find a mysterious island that doesn’t exist on any maps, and she has only two weeks to find it.

This island I created in my book isn’t a real island, but I based it on a real place—Gardiners Island, which is a tiny privately owned island in-between Long Island, New York’s two forks that has a long history that includes pirates!

PIRATE INSPO

Speaking of pirates, a mysterious pirate named Captain Jonas Kimble plays a huge role in Isle of Ever. When I was trying to find the perfect pirate to base Kimble on, there were a few film/TV characters that came to mind. I watched clips with them over and over again. Those characters were:

Captain Killian ‘Hook’ Jones from Once Upon a Time (One of my favorite shows and my favorite interpretations of a young Captain Hook.)

Garrett Hedlund as ‘Hook’ in Pan (I loved his attitude and swagger, which is what I wanted for Kimble.)

And Han Solo! I felt like Kimble needed to be this cool cowboy, and Han Solo is the ultimate space cowboy! (And Star Wars has always been a favorite of mine.)

LONG TIME COMING

This story idea is one I’ve been thinking about since I was around eight years old! My grandparents had a home near the beach on Long Island, and when I’d get bored, they’d tell me to go down to the beach and dig for buried treasure. That’s because Captain Kidd was rumored to have buried some treasure near their home that was never found. I never found any treasure, sadly, but I still always look when I visit!

LIGHTHOUSE GHOST DOGS

Even though Isle of Ever is a fictional story, I spent a lot of time researching lighthouses and visiting Greenport, New York, where the story is set. My favorite lighthouse tour was of Long Beach Bar Light House off the coast of Greenport and my favorite story from that tour was about the ghost dog, Brownie, who according to lore, still hangs around the lighthouse today!

FAMILY TIES

Authors are often asked where they get their character names from. Many of mine in Isle of Ever are taken from my family history. Both of my grandmothers played a huge part in my life growing up and I wanted to honor their memory with this story. Evelyn Terry, and Benny’s mom, Evelyn Frances, are named after my grandmother and my mom—both Evelyn’s! That’s where the idea for a long line of Evelyns came from. The Terry and Rudd last names are ancestorial names. Both families were some of the earliest families to settle on the east end of Long Island.

WANNABE MERMAID

If you read my author bio for Isle of Ever, you’ll see that I list myself as a “wannabe” mermaid. That’s because I love to spend time in the pool! My greatest invention would be a waterproof laptop so that I could write from the pool 24/7.

While Isle of Ever doesn’t have any actual mermaids in the story, a mermaid is part of one of the puzzles Benny must solve. I won’t say more or I’ll give it away!

PUZZLES & RIDDLES

Puzzles and riddles are at the heart of this adventure-mystery, and when creating the character of Benny, I wanted a girl who paid attention to details, who loved mind-bending puzzles and was great at playing games.

Benny is excellent at Scrabble, but if I had to pick a game I was good at, I’d say Trouble, Life, or Uno, three of my favorite games growing up.

📚READING CHALLENGE: Looking to level up your reading? Our YAYOMG! Reading Challenge features 24 prompts to help you crush your reading goals – and Isle of Ever fits a handful of prompts!