Beany has had a number of books out in the last six months, and today we’re here to talk about her latest Hearts, Flowers and A Rainbow Tail.
Blurb: This Valentine’s Day Erik gets a surprise visitor, but it’s not cupid. Not unless cupid is a sexy merman in disguise.
Time has passed, but Erik is still haunted by what happened to him at the hands of Dirk at Christmas. He’s been spending less time with his best friend Calder and, in turn, the one merman he wants, but doesn’t think he’ll ever have. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching he’s already making plans to avoid the world on the day.
Aryell has been staying with Calder and Tamesis since being reunited with his friend and leader at Christmas. While he enjoys spending time with the couple, it’s Calder’s best friend Erik that he’d rather spend time with, but the man avoids him and Aryell begins to wonder if maybe it’s time to return to the water.
One day changes everything and gives Aryell hope and new information. Can he convince Erik to give him a chance this Valentine’s Day, or will he be returning to his underwater home alone?
Renae: Hearts, Flowers and A Rainbow Tail is Book Two to Christmas, Snow And… A Merman? which was released in December 2014. Obviously these two books are about mermen. Tell me, how did you get the idea to write this story?
Beany: I was letting my mind wander, as usual, and I was thinking of Charmed and all of the episodes and the one where Phoebe becomes a mermaid popped into my head for a second before the plot bunny attacked. I never stood a chance...
Beany: They’re like shifters. They can shift between their human form or their merman form, in Aryell’s case he also has a third form.
Renae: Is interacting with humans taboo for them?
Beany: No, not at all. However, not all mermen feel compelled to explore, and some accidentally come across humans.
Renae: How do they… ahh… umm… have sex? Do they need to change form for that?
Beany: Haha, they shift into human form to have sex. I cant imagine how they would have sex otherwise…
Renae: Will there be a Book Three?
Beany: Surprisingly, yes. When I finished Christmas, Snow and…a Merman? I knew there would be a sequel, but I thought that would be it. I wasn’t even going to give it a series name, but the publisher asked for it so Merman Tales was born. Towards the end of Hearts, Flowers and a Rainbow Tail the plot bunny for book 3 attacked. Now, I’ve got a WIP document for it with a very rough idea and a pairing.
Renae: Does Erik realise what he’s getting himself into, falling for a merman? What sort of allowances must a human make to have a successful relationship with a merman?
Beany: He doesn’t really think about the fact that Aryell is a merman, he falls for the man Aryell is. He’s seen Calder and Tamesis’s relationship and he knows that Calder became a merman in order to be with Tamesis, so Erik is well aware of what would happen if he and Aryell got to that point.
Renae: What would be your reaction if one day, a close friend announced to you that they were actually merfolk?
Beany: I guess it would depend on how long we’d been friends. It’d be hurt if someone I’d known for years hadn’t told me something like that, and I’d be shocked, but that wouldn’t change our friendship. Although I might pick their brain and write more underwater stories *wink*
Renae: Where can people find you?
Beany:
[email protected]
www.beanysparks.com
https://www.facebook.com/beany.sparks/
https://twitter.com/BeanySparks
Renae: Thanks for joining me today Beany! I hope to catch up with you for coffee as well, very soon.
Beany: Thanks for inviting me :-) We’ll have to catch up soon, preferably before our weekend in Melbourne.