PSF Interview & Giveaway: Tera Lynn Childs “Forgive My Fins”

**Visit Tynga’s Reviews today for her PSF Interview & Giveaway with Kasey Mackenzie author of RED HOT FURY & another giveaway for FORGIVE MY FINS**

Tera Lynn Childs is author of the delightful new mermaid tale FORGIVE MY FINS, which I called ‘a sparkling splash of a story full of crush worthy guys, adolescent teen angst, and magical romance.’  Tera is here today to answer a few questions and giveaway a couple copies of FORGIVE MY FINS!  Details below.

Tera Lynn Childs (Authora neo) is a newly discovered species of authorfish who always dreamed of being a mermaid but never got closer than a career as a competitive swimmer. She loves to spend as much time as possible in and around water (until her fingertips turn all pruny) in the vain hope that one day her legs will magically turn into fins. When stuck on land, Authora neo can be found writing in coffee shops across the country, prowling for cool mermaid gear on Etsy, and spending way too much time online.

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Interview

ATUF: I loved how you mixed in mythology and controversial sites from antiquity like The Bimini Road in creating Thalassinian. Are those areas that have always interested you, or did you discover them while researching FORGIVE MY FINS?

TLC: I have always been interested in everything mythological and mystical. I think it's a combination of loving learning about ancient cultures--which are the foundation of so much of our modern culture--and the challenge of solving a giant mystery, like The Bimini Road. Since childhood, I've dreamed of being the one to find the lost city of Atlantis or figuring out the real purpose of the Nazca lines or proving that the JFK assassination was a government conspiracy. I might not be able to do those things in real life, but in fictional worlds of my creation I can answer them however I like.

ATUF: How much fun did you have inventing the sea slang that Lily uses, and can you give us your favorite sea slang filled sentence?

TLC: My favorite Lily sea slang is son of a swordfish, I think because it's something I could totally use in real life. I had a blast coming up with fishy alternatives to things we say, like when Lily curses she says damselfish and froggin' instead of actual swear words. I really wanted to the go the extra step to make Lily seem as real as possible, and tweaking her speech to use sea-themed phrases made her mermaid self more credible.

ATUF: My favorite scene in FORGIVE MY FINS has to be when Lily and Quince hide out in the bathroom. That's when both Lily and I started looking at Quince with new eyes. Can you tell us about your favorite scene?

TLC: Do I have to choose a different scene? Okay, okay. I really love (and loved writing) the scene in the blue hole, when the fishermen show up. I don't want to spoil too much for the readers who haven't gotten to Forgive My Fins yet, but it's in that scene that Lily first ignores what she thinks she wants, what she thinks she's always wanted, and just ... feels. Total fear has a way of putting things in perspective. My heart raced as I wrote it, and I hope readers feel the same way.

ATUF: If FORGIVE MY FINS were ever made into a movie, who would your dream or, to keep things interesting, nightmare cast be?

TLC: My dream cast... That's tough, because I have a very particular image of my characters in my head. I make character collages, and the key image for Lily was a picture of Shakira, only Lily is pale with lighter blonde hair. I don't think Shakira can act, either. My image of Quince is Eric Dane (McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy) but he's definitely too old. And my mental image of Brody is Brody Jenner (hence the name) and, well, I know he's a reality TV actor, but I don't know if he's a real TV actor. So, at the same time that's my dream cast and my nightmare cast, because I don't think any of them would be right for those roles.

ATUF: What are some of your favorite titles/authors in the paranormal genres?

TLC: My first paranormal loves were romance authors like Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karen Marie Moning, and Kresley Cole. Now that I'm a YA junkie, I devour books by Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Meg Cabot (especially the 1-800-Where-R-You series) and Lisa McMann. They all give me the best kind of shivers.

ATUF: I love the title FORGIVE MY FINS, it screams mermaid book. Did you have a difficult time choosing it? Can you share any rejected titles?

TLC: Sorry, no failed titles to share on this one. It's been called Forgive My Fins from the very beginning, back in 2006. I had the title before I had most of the story. I'm not sure how or why I chose the title, maybe I just liked the alliteration, but it really turned out to have a significant double meaning for the story. It couldn't have had another title.

ATUF: The cover art for FORGIVE MY FINS captured my interest long before I was able to read it. What can you tell us about the cover art for FORGIVE MY FINS? Do you know who the artist is?

TLC: Isn't it gorgeous? The very first draft I saw wasn't quite as beautiful--Lily had a kind of underwater texture on her skin that made it look like it was falling off. Ew. In the end, though, Designer Amy turned it into an absolutely breathtaking cover. And just wait until you see the cover for the sequel. Even. Better.

ATUF: The epilogue of FORGIVE MY FINS sets up another book in this series. Do you have plans to write more about Lily?

TLC: I feel like I was a little cruel to leave such a cliffhanger in the epilogue, but because the story of Forgive My Fins wraps up into such a neat conclusion, my editor and I decided we should add something that would tell everyone there's more to come. The sequel, Fins Are Forever, will be out in summer 2011. After that? Well, we'll just have to wait and see if there is more Lily swimming our way.

ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?

TLC: Right now I'm polishing the first book in a new trilogy about triplets descendants of Medusa who discover it's their destiny to guard the door between the world of monsters and the world of man. Neither the series nor the books have titles yet. The first book is set to release in fall 2011, with the others to follow each fall. Other than that, I've got a few uncontracted ideas I'm working on, but nothing that's ready to share.

ATUF: If FORGIVE MY FINS was a Frankenstein book compiled from elements of other books, what would some of those other books be?

TLC: Hmmm..... Let's take one part Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot, one part Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and one part Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman.

ATUF: In honor of Paranormal Summer Fest, can you describe your perfect Paranormal Summer read? And where would you love to be vacationing while reading it?

TLC: My perfect paranormal summer read would have to be heavy on the romance (well, that's my perfect read in general), with a beachy or tropical setting, and maybe a little magic under the moonlight. And I'd love to be reading it on the beach, either in Miami, San Diego, or some tropical locale I've never visited--Bora Bora comes to mind. Long, balmy days filled with nothing but warm surf, frozen drinks, and hour upon hour of reading. Paradise.

ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Tera.  Come back anytime!

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Visit Tera online:

• Website
• Blog
• Facebook
• Twitter

Want to read more from Tera Lynn Childs?

Oh. My. Gods.
1. Oh. My. Gods.
2. Goddess Boot Camp

Fins
1. Forgive My Fins (read my Review)
2. Fins Are Forever (releasing summer 2011)

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Tera Lynn Childs

Two (2) signed copies of FORGIVE MY FINS by Tera Lynn Childs

 

Book Description

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Click HERE to read an excerpt of FORGIVE MY FINS

GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES

1. Open Internationally for 1 copy & US/CA for 1 copy
2. Fill out the form below
3. Entries for all Paranormal Summer Fest giveaways must be received by Midnight MST on July 4th.  All the giveaways winners will be announced on July 6th.

I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks.  And please say hi to Tera. Thanks!

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