Why mermaids? Why fantasy?

Mermaids and fantasy often go hand in hand. One can’t existwithout the other. As much as the Discovery Channel may try to convince usotherwise, mermaids are creatures of legend, of myth, as captivating andmystifying as the waters they call home. Before writing this blog post, Istruggled to remember where the idea for Into the Deep even came from. TheLittle Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies, always has been, but likeso many of those stories, Ariel’s motivations were all rooted in romance, truelove. I didn’t want to do anything like that. I wanted a true coming of agestory, a glimpse at a girl who has a legitimate reason to fear the sea and toexperience the realization that it can make her whole again. Of course there’sa boy, as well as complications. He hates humans, despises what they’ve done tothe ocean.

That’s another subject I wanted to bring to the surface…nopun intended…humankind’s constant, uncaring neglect on the thing that gives uslife. Whether unintentional or not, no one can deny what we’ve done. Whaleshunted to the brink of extinction, fish populations decimated by overfishing,poisoned fish finding their way onto our dinner plates. Fukisima, in Japan, thenuclear reactor affected by the tsunami and earthquake, is dumping tons ofradioactive water into the sea every day. Who knows what effect that will haveon us in future generations? But I’m NOT going to get preachy! I promise. Mypoint here is what if the ocean one day decides to rise against us? What if thecreatures we’ve harmed decide to turn against us? And what if the only one whocan save both worlds is a brand new mermaid princess?

So why fantasy? Why do I enjoy writing about things andplaces that don’t exist? The same reason I like reading about them…escapism. Notto mention, I find it easier to set my stories in a made up land. To date, Ihave five completed novels—all young/new adult and every single one of themeither fantasy or paranormal or science fiction. For some reason, every time Isit down to try and finish one of my contemporary romances or women’s fiction,I fail. Writing about the real world? Not as exciting! Diving into apost-apocalyptic world where demons rule? Yes please! I don’t think I’m alone either.Why else have vampires and werewolves, fairy tale retellings, become sopopular?

I have a trick I learned from a writing partner of mine.Look at your plot. What can you do to make it unique, different from everyother fantasy/vampire/mermaid book out there? See. That’s the best part ofwriting fantasy. It’s okay to go a little overboard. You cares if you mess witha typical myth, give it tweaks to fit your story. Fantasy gives a writer truecreative flexibility. When I first started thinking I might probably give thisauthor thing a shot, I saw fantasy as this unattainable genre. So I stuck towhat I knew, the real world. I thought I’d never be able to write aboutgoblins, demons, aliens, or mermaid princesses. The first young adult novel Iwrote was published earlier this year. It’s about a girl who’s a sensitive, whosees ghosts, and has some terrifying encounters with them, kind of a ghostversion of Cinderella. That book was the test, dipping my toes into genres thatI’d never considered. And guess what? It worked! Into the Deep will always holda special place in my heart because it was the first book I ever coloredoutside the lines with, the first of many.

Now I say, “Lines? Who needs lines?”