Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release you’re eagerly anticipating!

Witch’s apprentice Bridey Corkill has hated the ocean ever since she watched her granddad dive in and drown with a smile on his face. So when a dead girl rolls in with the tide in the summer of 1913, sixteen-year-old Bridey suspects that whatever compelled her granddad to leap into the sea has made its return to the Isle of Man.
Soon, villagers are vanishing in the night, but no one shares Bridey’s suspicions about the sea. No one but the island’s witch, who isn’t as frightening as she first appears, and the handsome dark-haired lad Bridey rescues from a grim and watery fate. The cause of the deep gashes in Fynn’s stomach and his lost memories are, like the recent disappearances, a mystery well-guarded by the sea. In exchange for saving his life, Fynn teaches Bridey to master her fear of the water — stealing her heart in the process.
Now, Bridey must work with the Isle’s eccentric witch and the boy she isn’t sure she can trust — because if she can’t uncover the truth about the ancient evil in the water, everyone she loves will walk into the sea, never to return.

 Why we’re waiting

In my teens, I took creative writing classes at my high school, but where my love of writing really blossomed was on Elendor, a Lord of the Rings text-based role playing game! Maybe that sounds crazy, or silly, or what-have-you, but…writing collaborative stories in Tolkien’s world taught me so, so much about establishing setting and creating conflict and multi-dimensional characters. I don’t think I’d be a strong writer if not for the countless hours I spent on Elendor.

My big push to pursue publication, though, actually came from my husband. I was complaining to him about my office job one night when he turned to me and said, “So quit. Write a book. That’s what you should be doing anyway. You’re an amazing writer.” And I did leave that awful job. And I wrote many books. And I don’t ever want to stop chasing the dream of a writing career!

B:Have you written stories before? 

SM: I have a couple of other YA novels written besides Fear the Drowning Deep; all are YA fantasies except one, which is a ghost story! I also write picture books!

B:How did you come up with the title of your book? Was it difficult?

SM: The title for FEAR actually popped into my head one night! I thought it was too good to be true, and was sure I’d heard it in a poem or that it was a movie/book title already–I did some extensive Googling to reassure myself that yes indeed, my brain had created that title! I love it to pieces. 

B:Which character are you most excited for us to read about? 

SM: I’m pretty excited for everyone to meet Morag, the village outcast/witch. She lives in a crumbling cottage deep in the forest. She’s feared by the villagers, but let’s just say there’s so much more to her than meets the eye. And the things that come out of her mouth are sometimes cutting, something hilarious, and always wise. I hope she wins readers’ hearts!

B:Was it difficult for you to create the names of your characters? 

SM: Not for FEAR; the process was actually really fun! I used traditional Manx names, which are beautiful because they’re a lot like English names but with different spelling, ie: “Grayse” for Grace, “Catriona” for Catrina, “Artur” for Arthur, and so on! I looked at common surnames from Isle of Man census data to come up with last names as well–so everything is authentic! I loved all the names I saw, so the most difficult part was narrowing down my choices! 

B:Which words would describe your book perfectly?

SM: Romance, Sea Monsters, Folk Magic 

B:We cannot wait to meet Fynn!! What could you tell us about him? 

SM: And Fynn cannot wait to meet all of you! I adore him. Fynn has dark hair and deep blue eyes, and he’s quite the mystery! He arrives in the Isle of Man by way of the sea–the ocean spits him out on the beach, half dead, and that’s where Bridey finds him! He can’t remember anything about his past, not even his name, so Bridey comes up with ‘Fynn’ for him. Despite almost dying at sea, he loves the water and encourages Bridey to overcome her fear of it. He’s sweet and loves to spend time with Bridey’s family–but he’s also got a bit of a temper when it comes to the curious villagers who are quick to make rumors and assumptions about him! 

B:If you could travel to another century, where would you want to go ? why?

SM: I’d like to travel to the 14th century to hang out with my many-times-great grandmother, Queen Isabella of France! I’ve been reading about her life lately, and she was called “The She-Wolf of France” because she hated her husband King Edward and actually went home to France to get a mercenary army, then returned to overthrow the king! …I feel like she and I would’ve been great friends. We could’ve taken over some of Europe, Game of Thrones-style 😉 

B:What other genres would you want to write in the future?

SM: I’d love to write a sci-fi someday! A lot of people don’t know this about me, but I was a sci-fi fan even before I developed my love of fantasy! There’s just something about the stars and the possibilities in the vast unknown…I’m a Browncoat (a devoted Firefly fan!) among other things, and I think it would be so fun to write a YA sci-fi sometime! I might even have an idea or two already…  

B:Do you have a routine for when you write?

SM: I write during the day; I’m most focused in the mornings, but I also write through most of the afternoon! I’m also someone who needs to limit distractions when I write–meaning no TV or music! But, I like to listen to music before I write to set a certain mood!

B:What’s your favorite place to write? 

SM: I sometimes write in my office upstairs, surrounded by my favorite books, signed posters, and random nerdy things like my Lord of the Rings and Sailor Moon action figures; other times, I write in our sunny living room while sharing the sofa with a couple of cuddly greyhounds! 

B:Who are your favorite writers?

SM: Tolkien; J.K. Rowling; Patricia McKillip; Neil Gaiman; Charles de Lint; Tamora Pierce — to name a few! 

B:Are you working on anything new?

SM: I am! I’m always a bit shy about sharing early on, but… my new project is a dark YA epic fantasy that I like to describe as “SABRIEL meets GRACELING.” Think necromancers + LGBT romance + a super cool magic system! 

B: Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity to interview you, Sarah. We can’t wait to read it!

XOXO

SM: And thank YOU!!!

Please don’t forget to visit this amazing author, the links are available below.

About this author:

Sarah Glenn Marsh writes young adult fantasy novels full of danger, mythology, and kissing. Sometimes she writes children’s picture books, too.
She lives, writes, and paints things in Virginia, supported by her husband and four senior greyhounds.
If she could, she’d adopt ALL THE ANIMALS.
Oh, and she’d love to be your friend on Goodreads, or over on Twitter

Twitter – Goodreads – Website

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