Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Emerge by Tobie Easton (Author Interview + Giveaway)

Hi guys! I've been catching up on reading during the long weekend. I hope you're enjoying so far! Today, I'm featuring the only mermaid book in the group: Emerge by Tobie Easton. Some of my favorite novels revolve around mermaids. I'm particularly interested in finding out about the twist in the mermaid mythology that authors use in their books. Hope you enjoy the interview - and stick around for a giveaway!

The Little Mermaid is mentioned in the premise of the book. Could you tell us a little about this?
Absolutely. The Little Mermaid is the ancestor of my main character, Lia. Two hundred years ago, the Little Mermaid accidentally unleashed a curse on all the Mermaids and Merman. I don’t want to give too much away, but that curse changed the lives of the Mer and prompted some of them—including Lia and her family—to live on land, hiding their true identities from humans.

What is your twist in the mermaid mythology?
There are several twists on Mermaid mythology sprinkled throughout the book that I’m excited for readers to discover. One of the major ones (and one of my favorites) involves how Mermaids and Mermen manage to have legs while they’re on land, but you’ll have to read the book to find that one out ;)

Could you tell us a bit about the Mer people living in Malibu? How do they co-exist and remain hidden among humanity?
Great question! The Mer in this story have an entire community in place on land that helps them assimilate into the human world without detection. They’ve build grottos—glittering underground caves and tunnels flowing with water—underneath their beachside mansions. They also have some pretty incredible swimming pools! Still, when Lia is at school, surrounded by human classmates, keeping her true self hidden is definitely a challenge.

Did you encounter challenges while writing Emerge? Could you tell us about them?
When you’re writing a story that you love so much, a little voice inside your head wonders if anyone else will love it, too—if anyone will want to read it. It’s easy to have those doubts while you’re writing, but these characters and their secret world became so real to me that I just had to tell their story. That’s why the outpouring of support for the book from the blogging community and from fans who have heard about it early via social media has meant so much to me.

How different is the original version of Emerge (first draft) from the final version? Do you have deleted scenes that are close to your heart?
Actually, the final draft of Emerge is surprisingly similar to the first draft! The writing is cleaner now that I’ve polished it up, but scene by scene, it’s very close to my original outline and to the first draft. My editor suggested I add a scene showing how Lia and Clay (the human boy she has feelings for) first met. She was absolutely right; I love that scene, and I’m so happy readers will have it in the final version.

What is your writing ritual/style?
I mainly write at home on my laptop next to a steaming cup of green tea, but I also often write longhand in a notebook at cafés and coffee shops. Whole stretches of Emerge were written on weekends spent at beaches up and down the California coast. I have a secret, though: I do long brainstorming sessions in the bathtub!

Thank you, Tobie!

About the Author:

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 is a private writing instructor and hosts book clubs for tweens and teens (so she’s lucky enough to spend her days gabbing about books).

She and her very kissable husband enjoy traveling the globe and fostering packs of rescue puppies. Tobie loves chocolate chip cookies and Oxford commas. Tobie is a member of SCBWI and YARWA, the Young Adult chapter of RWA.

Find Tobie: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

Book Description:

Paperback, 300 pages
Expected publication: April 19th 2016 by Month9Books, LLC

Lia Nautilus may be a Mermaid but she’s never lived in the ocean. War has ravaged the seven seas ever since the infamous Little Mermaid unleashed a curse that stripped Mer of their immortality. 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. Lia’s parents would totally flip if they found out she was falling for a human boy, but the more time she spends with him, the harder it is for her to deny her feelings. After making a horrible mistake, Lia will risk everything to stop Clay from falling in love with the wrong girl.

Giveaway

Thanks to Tobie for this giveaway!
What's up for grabs: Ebook of Emerge
Scope: International


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!