Forbidden Sea, Author Interview and Giveaway!

So, here is the interview Sheila Nielson gave me a few months ago - reposted now that interviews and arcs, etc. are all out there now. (For the reviews by both Trackgeek and I, click here.)
Please note all photos, drawings, etc. are copyright Sheila A. Nielson 2009. Please contact her for permission before using any of them.

What was your inspiration for this book - how long did you have the idea before writing it down?
Two little sisters came into the library one day asking for mermaid books. I took them around the shelves pulling everything we had (which wasn't much). They went away a little disappointed that I didn't have more to give them. This had happened to me many times before this, but their disappointment really stayed with me. Someone needed to write more mermaid stories. Why couldn't that someone be me? That's when the mermaid character came to me fully formed. What she looked like and what her personality would be like. Unfortunately, I did not have a story plot for my mermaid to inhabit, so I put her in the back of my mind for another day.

I always have lots of story ideas simmering in the back of my mind, but I don't start writing on them until they are fully formed with a beginning middle and end. I also have to be extremely excited about the story. It can take a year or more to finish a manuscript and unless I'm completely in love with the characters and plot in every way, I'll grow tired of the manuscript and it will never get finished. I had one story idea that came to me, but I couldn't make the thing work right. Something was missing. That something, it turned out, was a mermaid. I took my fully formed mermaid character, who still had no plot to star in and plugged her into the tale. The story wrote itself after that. I have never written a rough draft of a story as fast as I did FORBIDDEN SEA. It took years to get to that point though.

The best part of writing the story was imagining what the world of merfolk would be like. As a very young child, I had loved the idea of mermaids but didn't like the way they were portrayed in mythology. I imagined all sorts of things about what I thought mermaids SHOULD be like. I ended up returning to these childhood ideas to create the merfolk in my story.

What was the inspiration for your characters?

How many of us know someone who is truly amazing, but they have no idea how wonderful they are. Often these people think very little of themselves because the world can not see what those of us who know them best do. I wanted my main character to be this kind of person. An ordinary girl who finds greatness within herself, when she is called to face difficult circumstances. I have a very dear friend who happens to be just such a person. I found myself using her as my inspiration for Adrianne, the protagonist in my story. You will notice that Adrianne has unfashionably short hair in the book. This was my way of paying tribute to this good friend who always made short hair look fabulous.

As for Adrianne's love interest, I admit I've always had a thing for good boys. I'd take Gilbert Blythe over Draco Malfoy any day. Adrianne's true love is sweet, gentlemanly and full of mischief, what's not to love?

Sheila is also an amazing artist - she has a BFA in Illustration, for crying out loud. She drew her characters here, and it was always fun to look at them while reading the story:
(From left to right; Adrianne (the main character), Cecily (her sister), Denn (love interest), The Mermaid, who I must confess I like more than the cover's version, but I think it's because it was the first version I saw.)




















In the book, Adrianne is amazing with horses - why this side plot?

I have always loved horses. I worked for years on a ranch as a trail guide when I was a teenager. My work with horses taught me many things over the years, especially about myself and my own strengths, fears and weaknesses. I wanted my character, Adrianne, to have something like that in her life.

My grandfather owned lots of horses as well. I used to ride with him when I was just a little girl and he would teach me all about how to tell what a horse was thinking by reading their body language. These early memories of my grandfather are some of the very sweetest I have--especially now that he is gone.

My grandfather had a horse exactly like the one in the story--a beautiful dark bay. That horse loved my grandfather like a dog loves its master. If it could have slept at the end of his bed at night it would have. When it came to anyone else, this horse wanted nothing to do with us. It was more than a little insulting to me as a girl when this horse would doing everything in his power to throw me off his back when I rode him, and then prance around proudly lifting his feet high, sweet as an angel, whenever my grandfather got on his back. At the same time, it was also extremely touching to see this horse's devotion to the one man he loved.

Is a sequel planned?

Yes. In fact, the manuscript is almost complete. But my editor says they will only consider publishing it if the first book does well. So whether or not anyone gets to read it depend on how well FORBIDDEN SEA is received.

What other writing projects are in the works?

I am currently working on a contemporary ghost story with a little paranormal romance and mystery thrown in. I have also started a fantasy novel involving centaurs (another creature there are very few books about), but this manuscript still has a ways to go yet. Both are young adult novels.

And a little help for all of us out there who enjoy writing:
What do you do when you have writer's block?

Sometimes it takes time for the creative juices to get moving, but I try not to let it stop my ability to write. I either move on to write a different scene in the same book or move to another story completely while waiting for the answers to come to me. I find that my best ideas often come either in the middle of the night or while I'm commuting to work in the morning.

When is your favorite time to write and what is your inspiration?

Working full time as a librarian keeps me pretty busy so I write whenever I possibly can find the time. I use my hour for lunch to write everyday and my days off as much as possible. I am also guilty of writing on my laptop in bed late at night when I should be sleeping.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Working in a children's library provides me with all sorts of inspiration. I visited a sixth grade class for my job one day and got more material than I ever would have imagined possible in just a two hour period. I also use music as inspiration while I'm writing. I will often create a soundtrack for my books, so I can get the right feelings and emotions during key scenes. As an illustrator, drawing my characters also helps me get a better feel for their personalities and what they look like.

Any advice to budding authors out there with regard to getting their work published?

If you want to write books you first have to read them. Read everything and anything you can get your hands on.

Get a writer's group. No one can judge their own work properly. It takes an outside person to see your mistakes and help you become a better writer. You'll be amazed at how quickly your writing improves when you have feedback.

But most of all--just write. Even if you feel your writing is awful, keep doing it as much as possible. It's like practicing the scales on the piano. The more you write, the better your writing will become. Someday all that work will pay off! Just don't give up.

Thank you so much, Sheila! For more information or just to see what she's up to, check out her book blog, here.



Giveaway! Sheila is giving away an ARC of her book, Forbidden Sea, on her blog - HERE. Also, spread the word, so that it does well, so that the sequel can be published. I've been reading chunks of the sequel and it's amazing so far!

Summary for Forbidden Sea:
When, one stormy night, a mermaid comes to take Adrianne Keynnman's sister, Cecily, down into the depths of the sea, Adrianne knows she must fight with every ounce of her strength to protect her little sister. On land, Adrianne toils away, trying to eke out a living for her mother, sister, and aunt, after a tragic accident stole her father. Now, life takes a strange and frightening turn as Adrianne's dreams are filled with the mermaid's singing . . .