Tera Lynn Childs is the awesome author of the very popular book Forgive My Fins, as well as its upcoming sea-quel, Fins Are Forever. Check out the interview I did with Tera where we talk about all kinds of mermaid-y goodness!
What inspired you to write Forgive My Fins? Did you always know it was going to be more than one book?
Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mermaid. When I was in Florida for the summer in 2006, I was sitting on the beach thinking, "Wouldn't it be cool if a merperson could walk out of the ocean and bestow their magical powers with a kiss?" I knew immediately it was a great idea for a book, especially if I added the conflict of a mergirl accidentally kissing the wrong boy. I never thought there would be more Lily books, but I did come up with two companion ideas, stories about other mer girls. One of them was about Lily's bratty cousin Dosinia who gets herself exiled onto land. When my editor wanted a sequel, I decided to tell that story from Lily's point of view.
Which character do you relate to most?
There are definitely pieces of teen me in all the girl characters (the nice ones, anyway). As a teen, I was quiet and reserved like Peri. Like Shannen, my freshman art teacher tried all year to get me to make softer, sketchier lines. And, most notably, like Lily, I was boy-crazy with blinders on. But I was never clumsy and awkward like her, and I didn't have secret fears or hidden ambitions like Peri, so I was probably most like brainiac Shannen.
Can you tell us any hints about Fins Are Forever, the sequel to FMF?
In Fins Are Forever, Lily's cousin Dosinia does something really awful that gets her exiled onto land. She is sent to live with Lily, who is charged with teaching her to get over her hate for humans. There is an earthquake, a magical kiss, an SAT test, a handsome mer prince, and a birthday ball. To tell you any more would be a big spoiler.
How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media lately?
I love it, of course! Besides the fact that I love mermaids and want to see as many of them in the world as possible, it doesn't hurt my book sales either. And if book sales are good, there will be more books. It's always exciting to be part of a trend, especially when you're near the front instead of trying to catch up from behind.
If you were a mermaid, what color tail/magical powers would you like to have?
My tail would have to be turquoise, one of my favorite colors. And just to have the ordinary mer powers (to breath underwater and to regulate the water temperature around me so I wouldn't freeze to death) would be awesome. I've always been a water baby and was a competitive swimmer growing up, so I would love to be able to spend even more time under water without drowning or wearing loads of heavy equipment.
What do you hope readers will take away from FMF and FAF after reading them?
Besides having a fun, enjoyable time, I hope the Fins readers will see that you should always listen to your heart. In both books, Lily is faced with decisions that are conflicts between what her brain thinks she wants and what her heart yearns for. As a Virgo, I have a hard time turning off my brain, but things always turn out better when I listen to my heart instead. Lily listens to her heart, and I hope readers will too.
Lily, the protagonist, is a mermaid princess. Would you rather be a mermaid or princess? Or both, as in Lily's case?
Being a princess comes with a lot of responsibilities. That's a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, a lot of people relying on you. If I got to live under the sea, I wouldn't want a whole bunch of pressure to make my time there stressful. So I think I'd like to be just a mermaid. (Ha, just a mermaid.)
You've said your publishers are currently deciding if there will be more books in the series. How many more books could you see in the series if it is allowed to continue?
Oh gosh. Well, the end of Fins Are Forever kind of opens the door to a whole new level of the mer world. I already have the other companion story idea that would easily work in as a third book. From there... the possibilities are as endless as the deep blue sea.
Finally, what other projects are you currently working on?
I just turned in the second book in my new trilogy about triplet monster-hunting descendants of Medusa. The first book, Sweet Venom, will be out September 6th.
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