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Bookworms, be sure to also check out my review of EMERGE by Tobie Easton! It deals with descendants of The Little Mermaid, whose decision in the original Hans Christian Andersen version has created a curse that lasts to this very day! It's so good!!
An Interview With
TOBIE EASTON
AUTHOR BIO:
 Tobie Easton was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she’s grown from a little girl who dreamed about magic to a twenty-something who writes about it. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California, Tobie hosts book clubs for tweens and teens. She and her very kissable husband enjoy traveling the globe and fostering packs of rescue puppies. Learn more about Tobie and her upcoming books at www.TobieEaston.com. |
Your first book, EMERGE, takes the beloved tale of The Little Mermaid and twists it into a very real curse still affecting mer today. I loved that unique spin and was wondering how you developed and put it together?
Thank you so much! The central question that made me want to write EMERGE was, “What if Mermaids lived on land?”
If the entire series was going to revolve around mermaids living in secret among humans, then that meant something—something truly epic—needed to have driven the Mer out of their natural ocean home. I knew the root cause would be magical, because every good fairy tale needs a healthy dose of magic. So, it was clear early on that there would be a curse, but what could it be? I just couldn’t figure it out! Then I was rereading the original version of The Little Mermaid, and it clicked! I took one crucial decision that the Little Mermaid makes at the end of that story and made it the same moment that she unleashed a curse on all Merkind. Her actions lay the framework for the magic that fuels the Mer Chronicles series.
When it comes to fantasy, I care a lot about the details of magical systems and understanding how each facet of the magic works. It was really important to me that as each component of the curse was revealed to readers, it really snapped into place and made perfect sense, so I spent more time brainstorming the curse than any other part of Book 1. And I’m really glad I did because it becomes even more important in some unexpected ways in Books 2 and 3 (shh…you didn’t hear that from me).
What do fans of EMERGE have to look forward to when the sequel, SUBMERGE, releases this month?
SUBMERGE picks up where EMERGE left off: with Melusine and her father’s trial. The events of the trial throw all of the characters—especially Lia and Clay—into uncharted waters (see what I did there?). Readers will get to know the characters from Book 1 on a much deeper level and will also get to know new characters as they explore more hidden corners of the Mer world. I can promise more adventure, more romance, and more heart-wrenching emotion than ever before.
Would you want to be a mer living in the world you created? What would your feelings on the curse be?
Absolutely! I couldn’t resist having my own jewel-tone tail and swimming through secret, shimmering grottos hidden beneath Malibu beach estates. As we move into Book 2, I’d get to frolic under waterfalls in breathtaking island lagoons. And in Book 3? Well, let’s just say I might get to give that underwater coral castle a closer look.
As for the curse, my feelings would depend on where I’d grown up. If I’d grown up in the human world like Lia, I would probably be used to the idea of only living a human lifespan. But if I’d grown up Below, only among Merkind, I’d feel cursed—robbed of the immortality I was always meant to have. I still wouldn’t pass up the chance to be a Mermaid, though ^.~
What are your favorite fairy tales and/or myths? Why are you drawn to them?
Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite because she loves to read and, unlike in a lot of traditional fairytales, she’s the one who does the saving (first she saves her father, then the beast). I also have always loved Snow White, probably because I was a little girl with dark hair and pale skin. I also LOVED the idea of a cottage tucked away in a forest glen. As for myths, Greek mythology is a long-standing love affair, from second grade to college to now.
If you could be any mythical creature, which one would you be and why?
You mean besides a mermaid? If I had to choose something else, I would be a unicorn that could fly. Oh! Or a woodland fairy, like in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. So many good options to choose from!
Would you rather be locked up in a tower or a dungeon?
A tower, definitely. That way, I’d have a view, which I could use to get a lay of the land and plan my escape.
If you turned your life into a fairytale story, what would the title of it be?
The Glittering Kiss.
What are, in your opinion, the most overrated fairy tales?
I have always found Sleeping Beauty pretty eye-roll-worthy. As a little girl I used to complain over and over to my mom, “I don’t understand! Why don’t her parents just tell her about the curse? Then she’d know not to go near the spinning wheel.” It also never made sense to six-year-old me why she’d even want to touch a needle that was clearly very sharp. Of course, the older I got, the more I didn’t like the fact that she slept through most of the story. For all my critiques though, I still watched and read every version I could get my hands on multiple times. I love fairy tales too much not to!
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O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: EMERGE
Author: Tobie Easton
Author: Tobie Easton
Release Date: April 19, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
Received: For Review
Received: For Review
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.
So Lia has grown up in a secret community of land-dwelling Mer hidden among Malibu’s seaside mansions. Her biggest problems are surviving P.E. and keeping her feelings for Clay Ericson in check. Sure, he’s gorgeous in that cocky, leather jacket sort of way and makes her feel like there’s a school of fish swimming in her stomach, but getting involved with a human could put Lia's entire community at risk. So it’s for the best that he’s dating that new girl, right?
That is, until Lia finds out she isn't the only one at school keeping a potentially deadly secret. And this new girl? Her eyes are dead set on Clay, who doesn't realize the danger he's in. If Lia hopes to save him, she’ll have to get closer to Clay than ever. Lia’s parents would totally flip if they found out she was falling for a human boy, but the more time she spends with Clay, the harder it is for Lia to deny her feelings. After making a horrible mistake, Lia will risk everything to stop Clay from falling in love with the wrong girl.
Title: SUBEMERGE
Author: Tobie Easton
Author: Tobie Easton
Release Date: Sept. 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.
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