Author of The Mermaid and the Pearl.
Joining me today is another of my co-conspirators from the Realm of Darkness boxset. I am chatting with Fantasy author, Rosalyn about her contribution to the boxset, The Mermaid & the Pearl, which releases on October 4th, 2022 and is currently available on preorder.
Helen: Welcome Rosalyn, I am so excited to chat with you about The Mermaid and the Pearl. I was fortunate enough to beta read your book, and I can’t wait for it to be released. Tell us a little about your book.
Rosalyn: The Mermaid & the Pearl is a sapphic retelling of “The Little Mermaid.” It has an underwater circus setting and a “Corpse Bride” twist. It is atmospheric and delightfully creepy.
Helen: Such a great idea to have an underwater circus, gives you lots of enteratining ideas to play with. Your cover is gorgeous, tell us who is on the front cover.
Rosalyn: The cover shows the main character Muriel swimming in front of a circus tent to show the unusual setting. It also shows Muriel holding her magic pearl necklace which is what she uses to make skeletons dance for the circus.
Helen: Sounds suitably creepy! I imagine your title is quite descriptive of your story and as a retelling you got straight to the point.
Rosalyn: I chose The Mermaid & the Pearl because I wanted readers to know right away that this was a book about mermaids. Pearls are important to the book because they contain the souls of the dead and my character uses a pearl necklace to make skeletons dance with the magic in her voice.
Helen: What made you write a novel for an anthology?
Rosalyn: A writer friend told me about the set and that they were still accepting authors, and I just decided to go for it! It was a lot of work to come up with an idea and write an entire novel so quickly, but I am so thankful for this opportunity. I knew I could write another fairy tale retelling in the same world as my book A Sea of Pearls & Leaves, so a Little Mermaid retelling was an easy choice!
Helen: I loved A Sea of Pearls and Leaves. Readers can find my book review here. What else have you written?
Rosalyn: My first book, The Crown of Bones, is a dark fantasy adventure with deadly obstacles based on the Grimm’s fairy tales. A Sea of Pearls & Leaves is a whimsical and atmospheric retelling of “The Three Snake-Leaves” and is set in the same world as The Mermaid & the Pearl. I also have a novel coming out in April with Quill & Crow Publishing House called Her Dark Enchantments, a witchy and magical villain origin story about the Wicked Fairy from Sleeping Beauty.
Helen: When writing, do you enjoy creating villains or heroes?
Rosalyn: I really love writing villains because I think they are so much fun. I suppose that is why my next book is a villain origin story!
Helen: Do you prefer silence or music when you write?
Rosalyn: I only listen to instrumental music because I cannot focus on writing if there are lyrics. I really enjoy witchy or fairy tale-esque playlists on YouTube.
Helen: I know you have a young famiy, so, how do you fit in writing around your daily life?
Rosalyn: I find it important to follow a writing routine, so I wake up at 5 AM every day to write. It really sets the tone for the day for me and puts me in a better mood.
Helen: I couldn’t do it. I am a night owl. You won’t get a sensible word out of me at 5am in the morning! If you didn’t write Fairytale retellings, what genre would you like to try?
Rosalyn: I absolutely love reading thrillers and would love to try writing in that genre someday. I actually have a storyline, setting, and notes for a thriller that I hope to work on within the next few years.
Helen: Most authors are great readers, who is your favorite author?
Rosalyn: I will read anything by Shea Earnshaw. I think she has the most beautiful and lyrical prose.
Helen: Thank you for joining me today Rosalyn, it’s been great chatting with you. Just to finish, what advice would you give aspiring writers?
Rosalyn: I would tell new writers to never give up and write what they love. Also, I would say to share your work with reliable critique partners and beta readers to make your writing even better.
Helen: Thank you, Roslayn. I am so excited to be part of this anthology, it has been a great experience, and I can’t believe the launch is only a month or so away. It has come around so quickly! You can preorder the anthology here for the insane price of 99c/79p!
Make sure you can check out some of my other posts as I spotlight the authors as they reveal their covers!
About the Author:
Rosalyn Briar a former teacher, a mother to two fearless daughters, and a wife to her soul mate. She loves reading, traveling, and playing board games. More importantly, she believes in fairy tales. When she is not reading or writing, you might find her playing dress-up or gleaning through the woods for wildflowers with her princesses.
For all the latest news:
Other books by Rosalyn Briar
A Sea of Pearls & Leaves
Link to ebook on Amazon UK | Amazon US
Link to paperback on Amazon UK | Amazon US
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If you enjoy fantasy romance books then you will love my new release SoulBreather, part of the Realm of Darkness Anthology, and my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
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Helen Garraway 