Submerge (Mer Chronicles, #2)
by Tobie Easton
Publication Date:
September 12, 2017
Publisher:
Month9Books
Now that Lia and Clay’s love has broken the Little Mermaid’s
curse, everything has changed. Will Lia’s family remain on land, leading the
only life she and her sisters have ever known, or will they move below the
waves, to the sparkling new capital city? Lia is adamant about staying on land
with Clay for her senior year. But at Melusine and her father’s trial, new
revelations threaten what Lia holds most dear.
The verdict will shake Lia’s whole world, calling into
question her future with Clay, her feelings for Caspian, and the fate of all
Merkind. As she wonders who to trust, Lia sets out on a treacherous path that
will lead her away from her sheltered Malibu home to a remote and mysterious
school for Mermaids—Mermaids who may hold the secret to ancient magic Lia can
use to either get back all she’s lost or to embark on a thrilling and dangerous
journey.
~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Tobie Easton~
1)
What gave you the inspiration for the
storyline?
The
idea for Emerge came to me while I was swimming laps (seriously!). As a kid, every time I went swimming, I
pretended to be a mermaid. I was
remembering that while I was swimming laps, and I started to wonder what life
would be like for mermaids who lived on land.
That’s when my brain started spinning the story for what would become Emerge, and eventually, the rest of the Mer Chronicles series.
Once I had decided to tell that story
of mermaids on land, I couldn’t help thinking about the original version of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian
Andersen, particularly the part that’s generally left out of more modern
versions—that the Little Mermaid chose to die at the end instead of killing the
prince and saving herself (yep, it’s a dark story!). I began to imagine what the consequences of
that action might have been for modern mermaids.
2) Are there any hidden themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?
I
want each reader to make up their own mind about what the themes of the story
are to them. I will say, one important
element of the book is its moral ambiguity, which is something we all have to
learn to cope with more as we grow older.
Also, Book 1 was very much about learning when to break rules, and Book
2, as an extension of that, focuses more on the personal consequences of
breaking those rules and how your sense of yourself evolves as you grow up. Book 3, which I’m writing now, is about
making your own rules. Anything deeper
is entirely up to the reader.
3) Are any
of the characters based on real people you know?
All
my characters have at least some small piece of me (which I think is how I
connect to each one of them and find their voices). Lia, the protagonist, is a lot like I was in
high school in terms of the way she thinks and how she expresses herself. Her oldest sister Emeraldine is a lot like I
am now. Both consider love
invaluable. I also really relate to
Caspian’s love of learning. And I wish I
were as cool and witty as Lia’s twin sisters, Lapis and Lazuli. The only character who is very similar to
someone in real life is Lia’s dad, who is a lot like mine.
4) Who has influenced you most as a writer?
Most
definitely my mom. She’s the one who
instilled in me a deep love of words.
She also gave me the confidence in myself that you need as a writer
because the publishing industry can be hard and entails a lot of rejection. My mom’s influence is very present throughout
the series because she raised me to question fairy tales as well as to love
them.
5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
Wow. What a fantastic question! My answer definitely involves Professor Snape
and a game of Pretty Pretty Princess!
You know, the one where you have to put on all the plastic jewellery in
the same color to win? I loved that game
as a kid, and I can just picture Snape glowering in one of those colourful
plastic necklaces with matching earrings.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Giveaway Details:
· One (1) winner will receive a Kindle Fire
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