Welcome on the blog, Tera Lynn Childs. Tera is the author of Oh.My.Gods and Goddess Boot Camp. Recently her newest YA novel Forgive My Fins launched. Tera is also one of the blogging authors at Books, Boys, Buzz, and today she is here for an interview about Forgive My Fins!What inspired you to write Forgive My Fins?
It was a combination of my life-long mermaid obsession and a summer spent in Florida. I was hanging out on the beach, wishing I were a mermaid, when I thought: Wouldn't it be cool if a merperson could bestow their magical powers with a kiss? Then, because I'm a writer and I need to add conflict, I wondered what would happen if a mergirl kissed the wrong boy.
What influences and experiences did you bring into the book?
When I was younger, I was a competitive swimmer. I spent countless hours in and around the pool, and the rest of the time wishing I were there. So when I had to put myself into the mind of a mergirl who grew up underwater, but was living on land for the moment, I could definitely identify.
When did you know you wanted to write professionally?
After getting a bachelors degree (in theatre) and a masters degree (in historic preservation)I finally realized I wasn't passionate enough about either field to make a full-time career of it. At the time, I was basically housesitting for my parents in the middle of nowhere. I started reading--a lot--and the more I read, the more my own creative juices salivated at the prospect. When I finally sat down and said, "I want to do this," I was about twenty-six years old.
How much of your writing is based on your own experience as a teenager?
In one respect, not a lot. My teen years were pretty boring as far as things go (definitely no mermaids or mythology). But I definitely draw a lot on the social position I held in high school (not popular, not unpopular, part-jock, part-brain) and the kinds of things I thought and worried about.
If you could have dinner with a book character, who would it be and why
It's a cliche, but I would say Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. He was my first grown-up literary crush and I would love to spend an evening (or a lifetime) with him.
What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing the book to life?
I started writing Forgive My Fins in the summer of 2006--about a month before I sold Oh. My. Gods. I had to shift my focus back to mythology and put mermaids on hold. Until... two years later my editor asked to see something new. And, ta-da, mermaids! It was a challenge to get back into those characters after two years--Quince, especially, had changed a lot. That was definitely the hardest part.
Could you tell us about your path to publication? Any sprints or stumbles along the way?
No path to publication is easy. (Yes, some stories are easier than others, but this is a hard business no matter what.) From that moment I decided I wanted to be a writer, it took me about four years to sell my first book. It was my fourth completed manuscript, and all four had seen rejection after rejection after rejection. I kept telling myself that I was waiting for just the right book, just the right agent, and just the right editor at just the right time. Things finally lined up.
What did you read as a teen?, which authors inspired you the most? And which are your favorite books and authors now?
As a teen I read mostly books for school (or rather read parts of them--I hated most of my school reading) and adult fiction. I remember going through a Michael Crichton phase when the Jurassic Park movie came out. Today I have very eclectic tastes, though I read mostly YA fiction. My current faves are: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart, and anything by Jaclyn Moriarty.
Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you love to accomplish?
Oh, there are so many dreams. They range from being a New York Times bestseller to having movies made of my books to being a brand in the same way Meg Cabot is. I even have an idea that could be one of those prize-winning books. But really, I couldn't ask for more than steady contracts and occasional fan mail. I'm getting paid to do what I love, and that's the greatest dream of all.
MANY THANKS TERA!
It was a combination of my life-long mermaid obsession and a summer spent in Florida. I was hanging out on the beach, wishing I were a mermaid, when I thought: Wouldn't it be cool if a merperson could bestow their magical powers with a kiss? Then, because I'm a writer and I need to add conflict, I wondered what would happen if a mergirl kissed the wrong boy.
What influences and experiences did you bring into the book?
When I was younger, I was a competitive swimmer. I spent countless hours in and around the pool, and the rest of the time wishing I were there. So when I had to put myself into the mind of a mergirl who grew up underwater, but was living on land for the moment, I could definitely identify.
When did you know you wanted to write professionally?
After getting a bachelors degree (in theatre) and a masters degree (in historic preservation)I finally realized I wasn't passionate enough about either field to make a full-time career of it. At the time, I was basically housesitting for my parents in the middle of nowhere. I started reading--a lot--and the more I read, the more my own creative juices salivated at the prospect. When I finally sat down and said, "I want to do this," I was about twenty-six years old.
How much of your writing is based on your own experience as a teenager?
In one respect, not a lot. My teen years were pretty boring as far as things go (definitely no mermaids or mythology). But I definitely draw a lot on the social position I held in high school (not popular, not unpopular, part-jock, part-brain) and the kinds of things I thought and worried about.
If you could have dinner with a book character, who would it be and why
It's a cliche, but I would say Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. He was my first grown-up literary crush and I would love to spend an evening (or a lifetime) with him.
What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing the book to life?
I started writing Forgive My Fins in the summer of 2006--about a month before I sold Oh. My. Gods. I had to shift my focus back to mythology and put mermaids on hold. Until... two years later my editor asked to see something new. And, ta-da, mermaids! It was a challenge to get back into those characters after two years--Quince, especially, had changed a lot. That was definitely the hardest part.
Could you tell us about your path to publication? Any sprints or stumbles along the way?No path to publication is easy. (Yes, some stories are easier than others, but this is a hard business no matter what.) From that moment I decided I wanted to be a writer, it took me about four years to sell my first book. It was my fourth completed manuscript, and all four had seen rejection after rejection after rejection. I kept telling myself that I was waiting for just the right book, just the right agent, and just the right editor at just the right time. Things finally lined up.
What did you read as a teen?, which authors inspired you the most? And which are your favorite books and authors now?
As a teen I read mostly books for school (or rather read parts of them--I hated most of my school reading) and adult fiction. I remember going through a Michael Crichton phase when the Jurassic Park movie came out. Today I have very eclectic tastes, though I read mostly YA fiction. My current faves are: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart, and anything by Jaclyn Moriarty.
Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you love to accomplish?
Oh, there are so many dreams. They range from being a New York Times bestseller to having movies made of my books to being a brand in the same way Meg Cabot is. I even have an idea that could be one of those prize-winning books. But really, I couldn't ask for more than steady contracts and occasional fan mail. I'm getting paid to do what I love, and that's the greatest dream of all.
MANY THANKS TERA!
