He has tattoos. Never in my life would I have imagined that one of the royal princes of Dubreva would have a wonderful sculpted chest with ink displaying a pattern of blacks and grays. As I peel his shirt off in the elevator of the Dubrevian palace, I can’t help but run my fingers over them. I love a tatted man. They look delicious. He looks delicious. And he’s all mine. Henry Spencer di’Vale of Dubreva. Cousin to the crown prince of Dubreva, and a billionaire playboy in his own right. I know this. And he knows that I know this. And neither of us care. After a long flight from New York to Dubreva, handling everything for Jessica Croft, my media mogul boss, and dealing with a very public party for a Formula One race, I need to let loose. It just happens to be with a really hot—and tattooed—prince in the elevator of the Dubrevian Palace. This is the stuff that romance novels are made of.

Her back is to the road, so I only get a glimpse of her profile as we drive by. Her curly dark hair that I could run my hands through. Her petite frame that I remember wrapped around me. Her luscious lips that I still fantasize about kissing.

She’s back in Dubreva.

She’s here.

And it could be my last chance to redeem myself to her.

“Stop the car!” I tell the driver.

“What?” he asks, confused.

“NOW!” I demand, opening the door.

The driver is forced to pull over to a non-parking area, half-blocking one of the lanes of traffic. I hear the angry honks of the cars behind us, but I don’t care as I undo my seatbelt and slide out. I use my cane to cover the distance as fast as possible, barely noticing the pain in my leg.

She sees me too, as the angry horns have caused her to look in my direction. Her eyes fall on me, and I see them widen in…fear? No, it can’t be fear. If anything, it should be anger. After all, I was the one who had insulted her that night.

I didn’t know what it was like to be humble.

My heart thrums in my throat as I stop ten meters away, unable to take my eyes off her.

“Hi, Catherine.”

All Tara ever wanted was to be a mermaid.

So she takes a year off between high school and college to don a fake tail and tour aquariums across the country in a professional mermaid troupe.

Everything’s great until she meets a gorgeous real-life merman named Finn. Suddenly, what she thought was a dream turns out to be a nightmare — she’s turning into a mermaid herself. For real.

Yet when she returns to the sea to seek out Finn and reverse her transformation, she finds herself in the middle of an impending war between the land and sea. Tara may have always wanted to be a mermaid, but now it’s sink or swim. In order to survive, she has to learn how to be one, too.
 

Interview:

●What is your favorite mermaid story or myth?

I’ve always loved Disney’s The Little Mermaid, but when I read the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, I fell in love with it. It’s a dark, sad tale that still gives me chills. If you haven’t read it, you should pick it up and read it! You’ll never watch the animated movie the same way ever again.

●What was the inspiration for How to be a Mermaid?

I stumbled upon the Weeki Wachee mermaids, a professional mermaid troupe based out of Florida. I wondered what would happen if one of those mermaids ever met a real-life merman and the story flourished from there.

●Cast your characters.

If How to be a Mermaid was made into a movie, who would play your main characters?

Tara: Katie McGrath is a bit older than Tara in the book, but I think she’d be perfect. I’ve seen her in comedy and I’ve seen her act, and she looks the part too! She’s been in a few things, but I imagine we’re going to see a lot more of Katie McGrath in upcoming movies

Finn: Liam Hemsworth. Sighs. Imagine him with a mer tail and that’s him!

●What was most challenging thing writing about mermaids?

The most challenging part, actually, was trying to get a behind-the-scenes perspective of professional mermaids. I went to the Georgia Aquarium to see the Weeki Wachee mermaids in action and did a backstage tour to see how the aquarium worked. After that, I was able to incorporate what I saw into the story.

●Ursula or Ariel?

Ursula. Sea witches always have more fun.

●What else should we know about How to be a Mermaid?

Pay attention to the character Jordyn – her character is getting her own story coming up!

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About the Author:

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery novel Death is but a Dream, the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average, and the Her Wolf paranormal series.

She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and she moonlights as an author. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, and now in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.

You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.

Stalker Links:

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/erinhayesbooks

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/erinhayes5399

Instagram: 

https://instagram.com/erinhayes5399/

Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5335865.Erin_Hayes

Amazon: 

http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Hayes/e/B009W8D29W

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Blitz-Wide Giveaway:

 A mermaid care package to help you be the best mermaid:

A signed copy of How to be a Mermaid

Tara's necklace

Two Mermaid Mix soaks

A mermaid mirror compact

Six starfish hairpins

A mermaid wallet

Mermaid perfume

Mermaid Tail Nail Polish

A mermaid makeup bag

Four Little Mermaid Buttons

 And one mermaid handbag to carry all your dinglehoppers

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Xpresso Book Tours