Without further ado, here's my Q&A with Zoraida Córdova! My questions are in BLACK, and Zoraida's answers are in BLUE. :)
Welcome, Zoraida! Thank you so much for answering my questions, and for stopping by my blog!
I just have to say that I am a huge fan of your Vicious Deep trilogy, and I absolutely love Tristan. I also find it extremely refreshing that you have a male narrator in your trilogy! Why did you choose to have a male main character? And did you have any inspiration for the epicness that is Tristan? ;)
When I decided I wanted to write the mer-story that I wanted to read, I knew I wanted to reverse the roles and have a merman. I was at Coney Island, tanning and reading, as you do. I remember checking out the lifeguard on duty who was young and beautiful and had these crazy blue eyes. He was totally a merdude ;) But really, I started to form Tristan’s backstory. Lifeguard. Coney Island (mermaid central). Urban setting with magical creatures. The return of the sea court. A wave. It all clicked.
Along with a fantastic main character, you’ve created an elaborate world for the mermaids embedded within our own. How did you craft such a unique world, and if you had any inspiration, where did it come from?
I had a friend tell me to write the mermaid story I wanted to read. I wanted to have a monarchy structure, and I wanted there to be a quest. These are tropes that are very familiar. Plus, I grew up on Disney. Other than that, I came up with my own mythology for the creation of merpeople. Why are there so many “sightings” and stories of merfolk ALL OVER THE WORLD? Because they travel on the Sea Court’s Toliss Island, duh. When the island arrives, only the members of the sea court who are granted the ability to shift back and forth between fins and feet can go inland. The Sea King’s trident is basically what keeps merpeople from going crazy and murdering ALL THE HUMANS.
With The Vast and Brutal Sea releasing shortly, how does it feel to be finished your Vicious Deep Trilogy?
Equal parts relieved, sad, and terrified. Relived because Tristan’s journey needs to come to an end. Sad because I really do love these characters. I want to write more about them. Terrified because I want people to love the ending. I hope I did these storylines justice.
What is your writing process like? Do you listen to music, brainstorm, etc.?
I sit on my couch. Type for a long time. Go on Twitter and Facebook. Then I move down to the floor (my poor back). When I feel stuck I do listen to music. It’s a great auditory bidet. Sorry, that’s a little gross. I’d like to think that I set goals. I’m all, YEAH 5K WORDS OR BUST! And then I have a measly 400 words.
Now that we’ve learned a bit about your process, do you have any tips for other aspiring authors?
It’s okay to write a measly 400 words. Write any words. Get them down on paper. And by paper, I mean your word document because chances are you won’t be able to read your own handwriting later on.
Read everything, and write always.
As a huge booklover, I am always looking for more books to read, so do you have any recommendations?
If you haven’t read Holly Black’s Urban Fairy Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, Ironside), then do. Amerlia Atwater-Rhode’s Kiesha’ra series is great if you love shapeshifter and high fantasy.
Gretchen McNeil’s Get Even Trilogy is on my HURRY UP AND RELEASE Goodreads list for fans of horror.
Finally, now that your trilogy is finished, what do you have planned next?
Right now I’m working on an NA contemporary romance about a college drop-out and a celebrity chef set in Boston. It’s called Luck on the Line and it’ll be published by Diversion Books on 11/10/14.
As for YA, I’m dabbling in the same magical Brooklyn as The Vicious Deep, but from other magical creatures.
About the Author:
Zoraida Córdova was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where she learned to speak English by watching Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker on repeat. Her favorite things are sparkly like merdudes, Christmas, and New York City at night.
Links: Twitter | Author Facebook | Series Facebook | Website | Tumblr | Series Tumblr | YouTube | Goodreads
THE VAST AND BRUTAL SEA,the final book in The Vicious Deep Trilogy,comes out July 1st!!!
Buy links: Indie Bound | B&N | Kobo | Books of Wonder
Also, check out Zoraida's pre-order giveaway for The Vast and Brutal Sea!! :D
How the giveaway works:
All you have to do it pre-order The Vast & Brutal Sea OR order a paperback copy of The Savage Blue any time until July 8th and you’re entered into the contest! After that everything else are BONUS points. Just remember to save your receipt to claim your prize! (INTERNATIONAL).
Is anyone else super duper excited for The Vast and Brutal Sea?
Did you enjoy the Q&A with Zoraida?
And if you haven't started The Vicious Deep Trilogy yet,
did the Q&A make you want to?
did the Q&A make you want to?
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