Malinda Lo

Today I’m wishing a giant happy book birthday to The Mermaid’s Mirror by L.K. Madigan, author of Flash Burnout. *cues confetti*

I got the chance to read The Mermaid’s Mirror earlier this year, and I enjoyed it so much that I blurbed it. Evidence:

Clck to enlarge and read the blurb!

Flash Burnout was a contemporary young adult novel about a 15-year-old boy. The Mermaid’s Mirror is set in the real world, but it also involves, well, mermaids! However, it is no less real, if you know what I mean. I invited L.K. Madigan to answer a few questions in honor of her new novel.

Malinda: The Mermaid’s Mirror is so different from Flash Burnout, your first novel, which was a contemporary young adult novel. How did this fantastic tale about a mermaid come about?

L.K.: Thank you! The Mermaid’s Mirror was actually written before Flash Burnout — I started writing it nine years ago. It’s easy for me to remember the date because it was right after 9/11. I think a lot of us stopped putting things off after that shocking day. We all got a big collective reminder that life is short.

I had been writing my whole life, but sporadically and self-indulgently. In the summer of 2001, I took a course in writing for children at a community college, thinking I wanted to write picture books and easy readers. My son was young, and I was reading lots of picture books at the time. But I couldn’t stop thinking about an idea I had for a novel – about a girl surfer and a mermaid. After 9/11, I didn’t want to put off writing that story any longer.

Then it only took nine years for it to hit the shelves!

Malinda: The land of mermaids — uh, merpeople? — was so detailed. Did you do any particular research to help you create that world?

L.K.: Well, I’ve always been fascinated by mermaids, so I suppose I’ve spent a lifetime picturing what that world might look like. And of course I’ve read lots of books and fairy tales by other people who have visions of underwater worlds. I knew all along I didn’t want mine to be pretty and perfect … I wanted to create a mysterious, slightly dangerous environment.

Malinda: You recently wrote a spot-on Project Runway-style blog post about the trials of trying to get published. What would you tell aspiring writers about how to keep the faith on their path to publication?

L.K.: Thanks, I love writing those Project Runway posts!

I got serious about writing in September 2001, and sold my first book in February 2008. While there are “overnight success” stories, most writing journeys more closely resemble mine. During those seven years, I wrote and revised three novels … joined a critique group … met other writers online and in person … and tried to learn as much as I could about the craft of writing. I read tons of great middle grade and young adult novels, and I wrote my “million words.” (There’s a saying by photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson: “Your first ten thousand photographs are your worst.” In writing, we say, “Your first million words are crap.”)

Laurie Halse Anderson has said that her journey to publication took almost ten years, so we have a shining example of why you should NOT GIVE UP. Dig a deep well of patience and draw from it often while you travel your path. And really, most of all … love the writing. If it doesn’t bring you joy, the journey will feel a million times longer.

Find out more about L.K. Madigan and her books at her website or her blog.