AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Liz Kessler

For two weeks, come celebrate mermaids, whether it’s winter or summer where you live. Splash into Summer runs from June 28th to July 12th. There will be author interviews, guest posts, giveaways, reviews, and more! Now is the time to celebrate mermaids, especially with so many new novels about them coming out.




Today, Liz Kessler has stopped by A Backwards Story to talk about her fantastic mermaid series EMILY WINDSNAP. Don’t forget to check out my review of the series!

The EMILY WINDSNAP series is now available for purchase wherever books are sold!

To find out more about Liz, please visit her website or follow her on Facebook and Twitter .



The Emily Windsnap books are so much fun. How did you initially come up with the idea of a girl who was half-human, half-mer?

Actually, I originally wrote the story as a poem. I thought it would make a nice picture book. Then someone said to try writing it as a novel instead, so I did! As to the half-human, half-mer thing -- well, I have no idea -- it's just what was there!

When I got to meet you in 2009, you had just published EMILY WINDSNAP AND THE SIREN’S SECRET in the UK. You mentioned that originally, the series was supposed to be a trilogy, but so many fans wanted more that you wrote a fourth book. Now you’re working on a fifth one. How many books do you think the series will be? Will we watch Emily grow up?

OK, I know I said it was only going to be three, and then it was definitely only going to be four, but really I am FAIRLY sure that it's going to stop at five. I think! Who knows, maybe in ten or twenty years time, I'll write a final one and we'll see what Emily and Aaron's kids get up to...

I think I love books three and four the best because you’ve infused so much of your own mythology and lore into the story at this point. Is it hard to come up with ideas such as Neptune’s ring/past love life or the weird things that happen when Emily and Aaron hold hands? Such elements really add something special to the series!

Thank you for saying this. I think I agree that the third and fourth books are stronger and perhaps a bit deeper (if you're allowed to say that about your own books!). I think the whole process can be hard at times, and I'm not really sure what makes it harder or easier. But I really wanted to go a bit deeper and get a bit more mystical. I think the fifth one might be even more like that too!

Can you share any secrets about the fifth book yet? I’m already dying for it. Each book is better than the last!

Thank you again! Well, I can't share much as it's so new -- but I can tell you that the setting is in the far north, amongst mountains and fjords and the midnight sun...

What other projects are you working on?

I've just finished a second time travel book, which will come out after the fifth EMILY book. I've also just written a book for younger readers inspired by my dog! It's called POPPY THE PIRATE DOG and comes out in the UK next spring.

Ariel gave up her voice to become a human. What would you give up if offered the opportunity to be a mermaid?

Golly, I've never been asked this before! Great question! D'you know what -- I'm so grateful for everything about my life that I don't think I would give any of it up!

If you could be a mermaid for a day, what would you do?

Swim to the parts of the ocean that no one has ever been to and find out what's going on down there! Oh, and go swimming with some dolphins!