L.E. Richmond was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest by an American writing teacher and a German bookseller. Her childhood consisted in a large part of imagining stories for her PLAYMOBIL characters and checking out as many books from the library as would fit on six library cards. Now she spends her time chasing two blonde baby boys, reading aloud to the hazel-eyed young man who has her heart, and attempting to transfer the stories in her head into words for others. Her passion is for words and stories that thrill the soul, and she is endlessly amazed by the One who not only used words to bring this world into being but also crafted the most epic story of all time.
In this interview, L.E. talks with is about the first book in her new Chronicles of the Undersea Realm Series, The Mermaid’s Tale.
FF: What inspired the story in your book?
The short answer is that The Mermaid’s Tale is a spinoff of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid exploring the question of what would have happened if the original Little Mermaid double-crossed the Sea Witch. The long answer is that I was looking at an agent’s wish list and she said that she wanted a book about a Mermaid. I started thinking about how to make a unique Mermaid story and got the inspiration to flip the idea of a Mermaid wanting legs on its head.
FF: What can you tell us about the main characters in your book?
Locklyn is an embodiment of the struggle each one of us goes through to accept the way that God made us. I think that there are truly sins or struggles that are the result of living in a broken world, but there are also plenty of physical qualities or character traits which we have that are God-given, but we just don’t like them. As a Christian, I believe that part of becoming an effective ambassador for Jesus in this world is choosing to surrender ourselves to God as He made us and say, “You’re a good Creator—please show me how you can use this quality that I don’t particularly like for your glory and others’ good.”
Darin is someone who needs to learn how to risk and release control. He is a protector by nature and longs to keep those he loves from harm, but that can lead him to step into situations where he ought to allow someone else to try their own strength and risk failure. In his own life, his failure to risk rejection by telling his best friend how he really feels about her results in heartache for them both.
FF: Which character surprised you the most?
Probably Arledge, but I can’t say why without spoiling book two.
FF: Why do you think storytelling is such a powerful way to share truth?
Firstly, I believe that God is a storyteller. The Gospel itself is the most beautiful love story of all time (with an incredible plot twist in the Resurrection). And secondly, stories touch the heart in a way that lecturing never can. Emotion leads people to act on truth rather than simply accept it as an intellectual construct.
FF: What can readers expect from the rest of this series?
Without giving too much away I’ll say that you can expect a legendary monster, a duel to the death, tiny smiths who live in fire rivers, sibling relationships, an encounter with the Wave Master, unexpected betrayal, and the hardest choice—between what is good and what is best.
FF: What kind of research did you do for this book?
I have learned more than I ever thought I would know about random sea creatures and plants. I took some creative license and did not strictly stick to the exact locations where they would be found in the real world, but before writing the Chronicles of the Undersea Realm, I did not know that such things as posidonia, fringeheads, blobfish, and ctenophora existed.
FF: What do you want readers to take away after reading your book?
Like so many Christians before me, I will take refuge in a C.S. Lewis quote. “The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing to find the place where all the beauty came from.” In my own life, so much of that Sehnsucht—that inconsolable longing for the One I was created by and for—has come through good books. That is what I want my readers to experience.
FF: What are the biggest challenges for you as an author writing in your specific genre?
I love characters. My tendency is to focus on developing lovable, memorable characters and forget to develop the world in which they reside. In the fantasy genre, world-building is a huge component, and I’ve been working on improving my skills in that area. I’ve heard authors speak of training themselves to see the unique world they created as a separate character, which I think can be helpful for writers who are less naturally inclined towards world-building.
FF: What authors or books have inspired you as an author?
There are too many to name them all. C.S. Lewis inspires me as a devoted Christian who told such a good story that he is beloved by even by those who would not normally read Christian fiction. Elizabeth Marie Pope, Gail Carson Levine, and Regina Doman have all contributed to my love of fairy tale retellings. J.K. Rowling, Cathy McCrumb, Jennifer Nielsen, and Eloise Jarvis McGraw have shown me that it is possible to create characters that will live in readers’
FF: How has your faith or world view impacted the way you tell stories?
Psalm 29:2 (NKJV) says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” I want my stories to help people see that the morals prescribed in the Bible—forgiveness of those who have wronged us, sacrifice of our own desires, fighting against evil, protection of the weak, self-control within healthy romantic relationships, value for all human life—are not just a list of stuffy rules that are meant to stifle us. True holiness is beautiful, and it is the only way to have abundant life.
The Mermaid’s Tale
Chronicles of the Undersea Realm Series #1
L.E. Richmond
Enclave Escape
Genres: YA/Teen Fantasy, Sci-Fi/Fairy Tale
Release Date: October 10, 2023
ASIN: B0C1FKCF1X
ISBN-13: 979-8886050707
Book Summary:
A Tail Could Tell a Tale
Locklyn Adair has never fit in. The legs she inherited as a result of her great-great-grandmother’s curse make it impossible for her to belong under the sea. When her niece is also born without a tail, Locklyn is determined to save her from similar rejection by sending her to the only place in the Undersea Realm where legs are acceptable—the Lost Island of Atlantis.
Darin Aalto would do anything to protect his family, even spearheading an impossible quest to find treasure that has been lost for over a hundred years. But when his best friend, Locklyn, joins his crew, his ability to keep her safe—and his shot at winning her heart—comes perilously close to being swept away.
A family curse, lost treasure, unrequited love, and a race against time intertwine as Locklyn and Darin seek to save their family, their kingdom, and eventually the entire Undersea Realm without losing each other.
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