What’s with the Mermaids?

I released two novels on the same day that include a mermaid theme; Codename Mermaid and Believed. What’s going on? Did my childhood love of the Disney movie finally catch up to me?

Not exactly. It all goes back to a particular friendship and a conversation I had with a critique partner. I had an idea for a tragically sad story involving an old sea captain embarking on a voyage to find the mermaid he once loved. I won’t share the details of that here, but elements of the story worked their way into my historical thriller, Codename Mermaid.

I wasn’t yet thinking about my next novel after finishing that one, but inspiration struck. What if mermaids lived among us on land because they had to leave the oceans? It was a random question, but I kept thinking about it. I realized it was a premise I HAD to write. At the same time, I wanted to lend my voice as an author to survivors of sexual assault—to those who don’t speak out, or can’t. That issue had become very important to me because of my friendship with a survivor. I wanted to help in some way.

A mermaid seemed like the perfect character to tell the story I wanted to share. She is human, but not. Relatable, but foreign. She’s a stand-in for survivors with a different form but a heart that is the same.

So here we are with two books on the mermaid theme. They were written back-to-back, edited and revised together, and released on the same date. There are unmistakable similarities that connect them, though they are very different stories.