We chat with co-editors Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker about their latest anthology Mermaids Never Drown, which features beloved authors like Darcie Little Badger, Kalynn Bayron, Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Coffindaffer, Julie C. Dao, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Adriana Herrera, June Hur, Katherine Locke, Kerri Maniscalco, Julie Murphy, Gretchen Schreiber, and Julian Winters.
Hi, Zoraida and Natalie! Welcome back! How have the last few years been since we last spoke for Vampires Never Get Old?
Z: I can’t believe how long ago it’s actually been! Post Vampires we got to see one of the stories “First Kill” by V.E. Schwab get adapted into a Netflix show. We sold two more installments featuring two more of our favorite cryptids/magical beings. We’ve kept busy, kept writing, and now we’re ready for more. Plus! Vampires Never Get Old is finally in paperback just in time for Spooky Season.
N: Like Zoraida says, we’ve been busy! Z has branched into writing adult fiction as well as Star Wars, while I’ve been writing middle grade and young adult, and we’ve both been working with our friend and powerhouse human, Dhonielle Clayton, to launch her new business, Electric Postcard Entertainment. In addition to all of that we’ve been working on this collection and the third in the series and are so excited to be launching our mercreatures into the world!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
N: I grew up in a family of storytellers. My parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents always had a story to share, about their childhood or a story that had been shared with them or about something spooky that happened once upon a time. And I think I came to associate stories and telling stories with family and connection.
Z: In 9th grade I was given an assignment to write a short story for extra credit. I had fictionalized a friend’s break up and made it extra. There were evil twins and someone dies by getting stabbed with a scissor. It was incredibly dramatic. After that, I was hooked. Though, I stick to fiction.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
N: First book: The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. We had an old, illustrated copy and I loved that the princess shared my grandmother’s name.
The book that made me want to be an author: I can’t pin this to a single book so…every SFF book I read as a kid.
Book I can’t stop thinking about: Jade City by Fonda Lee! It’s incredible. Please read it.
Z: First book: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The book that made me want to be an author: So many of the books I read at 13, but mainly In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater Rhodes.
Book I can’t stop thinking about: Natalie stole my answer! So I’d say My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.
Mermaids Never Drown is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Z: Splashy, romantic, creative, moving, mer-tastic.
N: Scales! Tails! Gales! And sales! (no whales, tho)
What can readers expect?
N: We have such a beautiful collection of stories in Mermaids Never Drown and I hope that readers come ready to sink into the journey. They can expect to see traditional tropes woven through mermaid mythologies in ways that are both unexpected and also familiar. That said, I think the best thing about collections like this is the opportunity to experience new stories and new voices without bringing too many expectations to the table.
Z: You know how people say “there’s plenty of fish in the sea”? That’s what we’ve got. Something for everyone.
You mentioned Vampires came to be after a writing retreat. What led to mermaids being the next creature to explore?
N: Oh, that’s easy. It’s because Zoraida is actually a mermaid and she demanded it.
Z: It’s true. The instant we had a casual conversation of what we’d do next, the titles plopped into my brain noodles. We started our dream author list that day.
What a stellar list of contributors! Can you tell us a bit about how these authors came aboard?
N: Pulling together a list of contributors is sometimes the most exciting and difficult part of the anthology process. We always start by asking ourselves what voices are missing from mermaid retellings/ stories and we build from that point. Once we have a list of names, things get really exciting–asking authors to join your latest venture can be daunting and tense–but Zoraida and I have been exceptionally lucky.
Z: I often read books and keep a running list of authors I think could write a killer short story, especially if they haven’t published one before. I’m always happy to be right.
What was your favourite part of the entire process around the anthology? And what was the hardest?
Z: I love diving into the edits and really see the story take shape.
N: My favorite part is always reading the stories for the first time. I never know what to expect and I love that feeling. It reminds me that stories are limitless and a single prompt can inspire wildly different and robust creations. It’s a kind of magic.
N: The hardest is deciding what order they should go in! Seriously, we agonize over placement. Every. Single. Time.
Z: Agreed!
Is there a story featured that you wish had read something like it when you were younger?
N: I’m definitely going to cheat and say ALL OF THEM. There are stories about intergenerational struggle like Julie Dao’s Six Thousand Miles and Gretchen Schreiber’s The Story of a Knife, stories about legacy and self-discovery like Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s Shark Week, Rebecca Coffindaffer’s Storm Song, and Julie Murphy’s The First and Last Kiss, and intimate, magical tales like June Hur’s Jinju’s Pearls and Darcie Little Badger’s Deepwater Vandal. Ah! Zoraida, help!
Z: I’ve got you. We also have stories that are epic and filled with adventure like Kerri Maniscalco’s The Nightingale’s Lament and Adrianna Herrera’s Sea Wolf in Prince’s Clothing, stories about taking risks and trying something new like Katherine Locke’s Nor-Easter and Preeti Chhibbr’s The Dark Calls, and stories about identity and love like Julian Winters’s We’ll Always Have June, Kalynn Bayron’s Return to the Sea, and our story The Merrow. It’s full of stories we wish we’d had when we were younger.
What’s next for you both?
Z: I’m working on my next adult book. It’s tentatively titled The Fall of Rebel Angels and is a love story between a woman suspected of murdering her former lover and a fallen angel who is cursed to search for his wings on Earth every one hundred years.
N: I am just about to announce two new projects that will be released in 2024 and 2025. The first is my first young adult horror novel, which has been a dream of mine for ten million years, and the second is a project I pitched as John Wick meets Adventures in Babysitting. Full details, titles, and covers will be released VERY soon.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
N: I love recommending books! For something sweeping and glorious, I highly recommend Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights duology, which I just finished and adored. For something dark and tantalizing, I urge you to read Ryan La Sala’s The Honeys or Tiffany Jackson’s The Weight of Blood. For something thrilling, you can’t beat Gretchen McNeil’s Three Drops of Blood. Or, if magic and monsters are your jam, go for Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland.
Z: I think all of our authors have incredible novels that everyone should read ASAP!
