Romantic Scholar To start, would you mind giving a brief summary of Sea Change?

Aimee Friedman Miranda Merchant, sixteen and levelheaded, is spending the summer on a small, mist-shrouded island off the coast of Georgia. The island's history is full of legend and lore, particularly regarding people who come from the sea and live on land as humans. Miranda dismisses these legends as the stuff of fairy-tales...until she meets Leo. A green-eyed, handsome, mysterious local boy, Leo challenges everything Miranda thinks she knows about boys, love, friendship...and reality.


RS What inspired you to write such a different genre from your other books?

AF I'd had the idea for Sea Change for a long time. I love The Little Mermaid story, and I love the movie "Splash," and I'd always wanted to write a story where the roles were reversed: it's the boy who comes from the sea and the girl who is the human in love with him. So this idea was percolating while I wrote some of my other books, and then, when all the YA supernatural romance novels started to explode, my editor felt it was the right time for me to publish my "merman" story. It was fun and challenging and exciting to depart a little bit from the very realistic YA fiction I'd been writing.


RS Miranda is such an independent and unique character. Is she based off of you or someone you know?

AF In many ways, Miranda is like me, but also a much more rational, logical, calm version of me! Like Miranda, I went to the Bronx High School of Science, but I was never that great at science--I always preferred English, writing, history, languages. And unlike Miranda, I tended--and still tend--to be a little on the dramatic side. I gave Miranda all the "steady" qualities I often wish I had...but then of course all those qualities get turned upside down when she falls in love.


RS Do you find it easy to come up with your characters and storylines?

AF I almost always have lots of different, half-formed, little snippets and seeds of ideas brewing in my head, and it's just a matter of sitting down and tethering those ideas to a real narrative. Sometimes it's just a line or a phrase that I'd like to follow into a larger story, sometimes it's a "what-if?" scenario, sometimes it's a character. Often my characters are inspired by someone I've known or met at some point in my life, but the character I write is never quite like that real-life person. Like the little seedling ideas, the character inspirations are just jumping-off points. The process can be rich and rewarding, but it's certainly never easy.


RS Do you have any favorite characters?

AF In SEA CHANGE, I'd have to say my favorite character (aside from Miranda and Leo, of course) is Isadora. Though we never meet her, she's such a strong presence in the story that she's almost like a ghost. And of course there's her own romantic history, her fabulous clothes, her fierce spirit. I'd love to write a story just about Isadora herself..


RS Can we look forward to seeing a sequel to this story?

AF I do have a sequel in mind, but I'm working on something new right now, so I haven't had a chance to work on it. But stay tuned!


RS What inspired you to write?

AF I've written every since I can remember--probably ever since I COULD write. It's simply my favorite thing to do, the one thing in life I can't imagine NOT doing. I think I'm a born daydreamer, so writing, in many ways, is like daydreaming on paper. Only a little bit harder.


RS Do you have any favorite authors?

AF So many! My tastes are very varied, too. I love Charlotte Bronte, Meg Cabot, Michael Chabon, Emily Giffin, Tracy Chevalier...and on and on.


RS Are you looking forward to any upcoming releases?

AF SEA CHANGE will be out in paperback in June 2010--be on the look-out!


RS Are you working on anything new right now?

AF Yes, I'm working on something for younger readers, which has been a refreshing change of direction for me. I love to mix up the kind of writing I do to keep myself creatively energized!


RS Where is your favorite place to write?

AF A small cafe right near my house that has the best vanilla iced lattes, muffins, comfy seats, and--most importantly--lots of people around me, also working on their laptops. I pretty much need to be around other people who are being productive in order to be productive myself.


RS Do you like to listen to music while you write? If so, what do you like to listen to?

My Overall Rating:
5/5
Age Recommendation:
I would recommend an age of 16 for this book. There are sexual themes and underage alcohol references and usage.
Cover Art:
I just love the cover for this book. It is so so so pretty and it completely ties in with the story. It is the main character and her mystery man. I like the intimate pose that they have in the cover, I think it really adds to the relationship that the two have.

Summary:
After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, 16-year-old Miranda Merchant is happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island. There, Miranda finds a place with a mysterious, mystical history, and Leo, who challenges everything she thinks she knows about boys--and reality.
My Review:
First off, this book was absolutely AMAZING. I loved it. It is by far one of my most favorite books ever. It is such a sweet tale of romance and finding yourself. This is Aimee's first time writing in the fantasy genre, and for a first timer, well, I certainly couldn't tell. Her writing style is so solid, it seems as though she has been writing in this style all along.

You follow Miranda, a young teen, on a summer trip to an island vacation home. There she finds out about herself. Who she really is, and what in life really is important to her. She had been hurt, but the island had changed everything. She finds friendship, a new relationship with her mom, and the love of a very special person.

You really get to know Miranda, and it doesn't take the whole book. You learn so much about her. It's almost as if you are her. You feel the pain of her past and present. And the yearning to understanding the mystery guy who may be the only one who can help her find herself.

So, on Saturday I went to the Decatur Book Festival. It was a blast to meet the authors and get books signed. :) Sadly, I was unable to attend the Blogger/Author Breakfast that Vania over at Reverie Book Reviews set up, but I did meet up with everyone later at Aimee Friedman(Sea Change and The Year My Sister Got Lucky) and Jackson Pearce's(As You Wish) event on supernatural romance. I was so excited to meet Aimee Friedman. She is so sweet and really cute. And I got my copy of Sea Change signed!!! That totally made my day. I love that book, and for that to be her first time writing in the supernatural genre, she did an amazing job. Jackson Pearce is adorable too, I just wish that I could have gotten her book signed, but the book store took their copies for sale before I could get one, so maybe I can catch her another time. :)

The second signing I attended was the event for Richelle Mead(Vampire Academy series) and Maggie Stiefvater(Shiver and Lament). This event was a Vampires and Werewolves smack-down. It was really cute to watch them both defend sides. During this event, I was able to purchase both of the books that these authors were there for. So now, I have a signed copy of Shiver and Vampire Academy! Both of these women are amazing, and so sweet. Oh, and super cute. It was so great to meet both of them and get my books signed.



Another author that I got to meet was Jennifer Jabaley. She was just attending the festival and the Blogger/Author Breakfast. I haven't read her book yet, but I am really looking forward to getting Lipstick Apology. Jennifer is such a sweetheart and I wish I had gotten a picture with her, but I guess I'll just have to wait until I get another opportunity. It was so much fun getting to meet these authors and getting my books signed. I'm so glad to have met all of them! I'll definitely be attending next year. :)

Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading. This weeks teaser is from Sea Change by Aimee Friedman.

Ok, so this is really late. I totally didn't mean to do this haha. Anyways, In My Mailbox is brought to us by The Story Siren.

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.


After Hudson Savage betrayed her, Dana Cardwell hoped never to lay eyes on the seductive cowboy again. Until a bunch of old bones showed up on her family ranch. Suddenly her former lover was back in her life in a big way-to investigate a decades-old crime.

Five years ago, Hud left town with a heart load of regrets. But now, as acting interim marshal, he had a job to do. And this time he wasn't walking away. Because now Dana's life was on the line-as the unsuspecting target of a killer who still walked the canyon. Hud would do whatever it took to keep Dana close. Even if it meant risking his own heart for a second chance for both of them....