Read Part One
I met Melanie Karsak when I joined Falling in Deep. I’ve read the first two books in the Airship Racing Chronicles, and I really love the depth to her character Lily. Melanie’s new novella, Ink, is available TODAY!
Happy release day, Melanie!
W
hat authors do you like to read? Favorite saying about writing?
I’m a really eclectic reader. I read A LOT of nonfiction, probably a book a week. I’m always trying to learn something new. Some of my favorite steampunk authors include AW Exley and Elizabeth Watasin. In terms of the dark stuff, I love Margo Bond Collins’ vampires and Peggy Sue Martinez’s zombies. But I like romance too. Staci Hart is one of my favorite romance/erotica authors.
Favorite writing music? Does it change from project to project?
My writing music definitely changes from book to book. My mermaid book required a lot of weird instrumental music as I figured out how it would be to exist underwater. My zombie stuff is usually dark. My steampunk books take me all over the place!
Tell us about Ink: A Mermaid Romance
As I mentioned, I moved to Florida about five years ago, and I was really inspired by all the sights on the coast. We’ve taken trips to Miami on a few occasions. I enjoy the architecture, but dislike the vibe of the city. It’s the same vibe Ink feels when she is there (sorry, Miami). I live on the Space Coast, not far from NASA, and I love this area. We are close to Cocoa Beach which has the feel of a “once-happening” place. There is a quaint charm to its faded, sea-side glory. I adore Cocoa Village, a quaint downtown area. There are lovely little shops and old oak trees with Spanish moss. It was the perfect setting for Ink’s eventual rendezvous with a good friend.
I think looking at the water every day made me really feel the vibe of the ocean—and yes, go ahead and imagine I’ve said that in the most hippie way possible. It probably doesn’t hurt that my daughter had me watch The Little Mermaid about 1000 times on summer. Watching Ariel turn herself inside out for a life on land made me really wonder: was it all it was cracked up to be? What if mers were more like vampires, dark and hedonistic on land…no Prince Eric’s here. Then what would a poor mermaid do? I think I played with that idea in Ink.
Do you have any advice for new writers (like me)?
Keep your expectations realistic. Study what successful authors are doing. Don’t give up. You will make mistakes, and you will learn from those mistakes (I say as I sit here realizing I need to recover and rebrand my Lady Macbeth line). Expect things to go wrong: bad reviews, slow sales, typos that slip through. These things happen. Don’t let them discourage you. Fix whatever is wrong and move on. Remind yourself you are in this for the long haul. Write.
READ PART ONE of my interview with Melanie Karsak
A bit about Ink:
A mermaid princess destined to wed a handsome king…
It sounds like a fairy tale, but the reality is far murkier.
Ink, Princess of the Florida Atlantic mers, is slated to wed the ancient enemy of her tribe, the King of the Gulfs. After years of war that led to countless mer deaths, as well as the genocide of aquatic shapeshifters and the freshwater mers of Florida, Ink’s marriage will bring lasting peace.
Or so it seems.
Mere hours before she’s supposed to leave the ocean for her customary year as a drywalker, Ink meets Hal, an alligator shifter who warns her that a storm is brewing. There is malicious intent behind Ink’s marriage—and worse, meeting Hal has also caused a storm to rage in Ink’s heart. Nevertheless, loyal to her tribe, Ink will put aside her feelings and journey to Miami to marry the decadent King Manx.
Ink soon learns that her only hope of surviving the crashing force swelling around her is to tap into a power deep inside—a forbidden power that might destroy them all.
About the author: Melanie Karsak is the author of the Amazon best-selling The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, and The Saga of Lady Macbeth. She grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and earned a Master’s degree in English from Gannon University. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, and zombie whisperer, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.
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Make your library happy: order INK here
Love mermaids? Looking for a great beach read? The Falling in Deep Collection, a collection of 15 unique tales of creatures of the deep, is rolling out the first novella in their collection at the end of May.
From mermaids to sirens, Miami to Athens, dark paranormal romance to contemporary stories with steam, the fifteen award-winning and best-selling authors of the Falling in Deep Collection are bringing you mermaid tales like you’ve never seen before.
Every week beginning May 26th, 2015, we’ll be releasing one unique, never-before-published novella! Each novella will feature our favorite creature of the deep: mermaids.
The Falling in Deep Collection (May – September Releases)
Ink: A Mermaid Romance by Melanie Karsak
Of Ocean and Ash by A. R. Draeger
Deep Breath by J. M. Miller
At the Heart of the Deep by Carrie Wells
The Mermaid’s Den by Ella Malone
How to be a Mermaid by Erin Hayes
The Glass Mermaid by Poppy Lawless
An Officer & a Mermaid by Blaire Edens
The Water is Sweeter by Eli Constant
Cold Water Bridegroom by B. Brumley
A Beyond the Sea Prequel by Emily Goodwin
Immersed by Katie Hayoz
Siren’s Kiss by Margo Bond Collins
To Each His Own by Anna Albergucci
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{Bokerah} 
Thanks for having me!
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Thank you for visiting, Melanie!
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