Tera Lynn Childs’s Just for Fins

As it happens, Tera was also at MerCon last year and participated in two cool mermaidly readings with Timothy Schaffert, Matthea Harvey, and yours truly, including one at the Vegas Barnes & Noble featuring not only our literary efforts but Hannah Fraser and Kylee Troche being carried out of the bathroom in tails by studly young bookstore employees and other if-this-doesn’t-make-you-want-to-read-books-then-I-don’t-know-what-will delights.
Here’s the lot of us being mermaidly and literary, which is clearly the best combination possible:

from left to right: Timothy, Tera, Kylee, Hannah, Matthea, Carolyn

Below, I talk to Tera about Just for Fins, the mermaid world, hottie biker boy honeys, and what’s coming next for her, mermaid-related and otherwise:

So your third mermaid novel, Just for Fins, just came out. Can you tell me a little bit about it?
In this third installment, my main character—Princess Waterlily Sanderson of Thalassinia—steps into her role as crown princess and tackles some deeper issues affecting her world. There is a big focus on the environment and specifically the effects of humans and climate change on the oceans. She has to venture beyond her kingdom—which lies off the Atlantic coast of Florida—to visit the rulers of mer kingdoms from Brazil to the Arctic. A lot more adventure and, of course, a test of her relationship with her hottie biker boy honey.

Is this it for you and mermaids, or will there be more mermaid books for you?
Oh the eternal question. This decision isn’t entirely in my hands—publishers and editors and agents have to weigh in too—so we’ll have to wait and see. But I would like to think that Lily and Quince have more stories to share.

I know you’ve participated in at least some mermaidly real-world events—like MerCon…! What are your impressions of the mermaid/mermaid-fan world out there?
I never knew there was such a mermaid sub-culture! I mean, I knew I loved mermaids, but I couldn’t have imagined how widespread the mer love is. I think it’s wonderful and I wish I had time to participate more.

Can you tell me a bit about your experience at MerCon?

the blue-tailed baby boy in question

Have people responded to your mermaid books differently than they have to your other ones?
Definitely. Readers love mythology and how it is adapted for the modern world in my Oh. My. Gods. and Sweet Venom books. But there is a special love that readers—girls especially—have for mermaids. And because Forgive My Fins is the most romance-y of all my books, the love interest—Quince—gets lots of attention. Most of my mermaid fan mail is about wanting to read more Quince!

Do you have any favorite mermaid novels/stories/films yourself?
My favorite mermaid movie of all time is Splash. That’s where my mermaid love—obsession—really began. And as for mermaid books, I really loved Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs. It’s a great dark, dangerous teen novel with plenty of hot boys—I mean, yummy romance.

I know you have a lot of other non-mermaidly things, and books and book tours!, going on. Can you talk a little about that?
Oh my goodness, so much life stuff happening! Everything took a sideways turn last year when my dad passed, and now my mom and I have moved to Las Vegas. We’re getting settled in just in time for me to head out for the release of Sweet Shadows, the second book in the Sweet Venom trilogy. I’ll be signing in Texas (Houston, Austin, and Dallas) after a quick birthday trip to Miami for a little relaxation first. That’s about as far ahead as I have planned right now.