But when an old enemy resurfaces and Lia is restricted to the palace for the safety of all Merkind, she and Clay are ripped apart once more.
She fears not only for Clay, but for her best friend Caspian, who seems to be swimming down a dangerous path. He has invited the conniving Melusine to the coronation ball, convinced she’s capable of change. And no matter how hard Lia fights it, showing up on Caspian’s arm is just the start of Melusine’s insidious return to her life.
With threats Below growing more ominous by the day and a powerful ancient ritual looming, soon the two girls can’t escape each other. As their fates grow increasingly intertwined, Melusine might be the only one who can help Lia find the answers she desperately needs to save everyone she loves and to achieve her happily ever after. But can Lia trust her?
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.
Lia Nautilus may be a Mermaid but she’s never lived in the ocean. Ever since the infamous Little Mermaid unleashed a curse that stripped Mer of their immortality, war has ravaged the Seven Seas. Now Lia lives in a secret community of land-dwelling Mer hidden among Malibu’s seaside mansions and attends high school with humans. To protect everyone around her, she must limit her contact with non-Mer. No exceptions. But when the new girl sets her sights on Lia's crush, she will risk exposing her deadly secret to stop Clay from falling in love with the wrong girl.
Recently, you posted on Instagram about a recent writing retreat you went to. What do you love most about writing retreats, and in what ways, if any, do they help your writing process?
I’ve gone on two writing retreats this year, and I’ve really loved both of them. Any change of environment can really help spark new ideas for me, but when you pair that with being in the company of other writers, the experience becomes even more valuable. Writing is usually so solitary, but on a writing retreat, you’re surrounded by people who understand the process and who are all choosing to take time away from their day-to-day lives with the specific goal in mind of fostering creativity. That creates a really amazing dynamic! We all worked during the days (it’s really motivating to be in a room with everyone working away on books all around you!), then spent the evenings eating dinner together and socializing. My favorite night was when we all bundled up (it was winter) and made a fire outside. We sat around it eating s’mores and each reading a chapter from our current work in progress, then discussing it. It was so immensely helpful and fun—and so different from sitting at home by myself on any given day, wondering how people will respond to what I’m writing. I feel really lucky to have shared that experience with other writers.
What a great experience! And it's true; being around other writers is one of the best forms of inspiration. In our last interview, when talking about IMMERSE, you said, "The series was always meant to be a trilogy; it’s exciting to finally get to write storylines I’ve been planning for these characters for several years." Now that IMMERSE is out, what will you miss most about writing this series?
Spending time with the characters! I already do. It’s strange, but I miss them as if they were real people who I’d spent nearly every day with for years and now don’t get to see anymore. When I first started my new book with a whole new cast of characters, every time I’d get in the mindset to start writing, I’d start picking up conversations from my Mer Chronicles characters instead—almost like I was tuned into the wrong radio frequency. Slowly but surely, I’ve transitioned to hearing my new characters, but I definitely miss Lia, Clay, Melusine, and Caspian. Sometimes, I still find myself writing scenes for them in my head as I’m falling asleep at night. I’m so excited for readers to see where these characters’ stories go in Immerse—I hope they stay with you after you’re done reading, too!
I'm sure they will! What do you think are the necessary elements of a good story?
There are so many! As a writer, details are really important to me. My favorite fictional worlds are the ones in which every detail is thought through, and some that seem insignificant end up mattering in unexpected ways. Vivid worldbuilding goes hand-in-hand with that because it’s the details that make a world feel real. I also find character arcs essential (and fascinating) because a story only matters if living through it has had an impact on the characters we care about.
Well said. If you could tell your younger writer self one thing, what would it be and why?
That’s a cool question! I’d say, “Go for it!” Writing and the road to publication can be full of self-doubt, but if you don’t go for it, you’ll never get to experience anything that comes next. You know, I should still tell myself this every day.
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
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