Please Note: I received a physical review copy of Once Upon A Tide: A Mermaid’s Tale and was monetarily compensated in exchange for composing and hosting an interview with the author. This compensation in no way affected my opinions.
Title Once Upon A Tide: A Mermaid’s Tale
Author Stephanie Kate Strohm
Intended Target Audience Middle Grade
Genre Contemporary Fantasy
Publication Date September 14th 2021 by Disney-Hyperion
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon ● Chapters ● The Book Depository ● Barnes & Noble ● IndieBound
Princess Lana is the youngest ambassador ever to represent her underwater kingdom, Clarion, at the Royal Festival on land. And even though it means trading her mermaid tail for a clumsy pair of legs ― and worse, spending a week with her mother, who chose life on land over her children seven years ago ― Lana can’t wait to prove her political chops.
But once on shore, nothing goes as planned. The children of visiting dignitaries spread nasty rumors about Lana and her brother eavesdropping on humans’ thoughts just because they can communicate telepathically underwater ― never mind that their powers don’t work on land. Lana’s mom is wrapped up in the king of a neighboring kingdom, who turns out to be her new boyfriend. And despite her ambassador status, no one will let Lana near a single important negotiation or meeting.
Then an earthquake strikes Clarion, and though Lana’s desperate to rush to the aid of her people, her father insists she stay away indefinitely. As the days on land add up, nothing her parents tell her about the disaster makes sense. Soon Lana uncovers signs that more nefarious forces may be at work ― and they could spell war for her people. Can Lana uncover the truth about what happened and protect those she loves before it’s too late?
In this splashing tale, Stephanie Kate Strohm blends the fantastical fun of being a mermaid princess with the difficulty of finding your footing far away from home.
Stephanie Kate Strohm
Stephanie Kate Strohm is the author of It’s Not Me, It’s You; The Date To Save; The Taming of the Drew; Prince In Disguise; Love a la Mode; That’s Not What I Heard; Restless Hearts (Katy Keene #1) and Once Upon A Tide: A Mermaid’s Tale. After graduating with a joint major in theater and history from Middlebury College, she acted her way around the country, performing in more than 25 states.
She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her son, and a dog named Lorelei Lee.
1. Once Upon A Tide was published by Disney-Hyperion and contains a number of fun references to other Disney properties, but it’s also a fully-realized standalone story that does not require familiarity with the Disney canon to follow and enjoy. I’d love to explore how Once Upon A Tide came to be! What inspired Lana’s story? Were you given the opportunity to collaborate with Disney in regard to the subject or direction of the story? Are there any other Disney-related worlds or stories you’d like to explore in your writing in the future?
So, all of the Disney references have nothing to do with the fact that it’s published by Disney…that’s just how my brain works! I was a big Disney kid who grew up to be a Disney adult who just happens to write for Disney. The Little Mermaid was the first movie I saw in theatres and was my favorite movie my whole childhood, so when I had the opportunity to write a mermaid book, I couldn’t resist a reference or two to my favorite redhead! Lana’s story was inspired by an idea from my wonderful editor Kieran Scott that provided most of the structure of the story, but I feel like I really put my own spin on it when it came to the characterizations, particularly with leaning into how political Lana is. Right now, I’m actually working on a different series that’s even more Disney-inspired — I’m adapting a couple books from the Twisted Tales series into graphic novels! The first book will be Part Of Your World (Ariel’s story! More mermaids) followed by Straight On Till Morning (Peter Pan! Which…also has mermaids. I’m sensing a theme.)
2. Once Upon A Tide is your middle grade debut, though you have previously authored a number of beloved contemporary young adult novels before it. What were some unexpected joys and/or challenges of writing for this new target audience for the first time?
All of my young adult books are romances, and I kept accidentally writing moments that started to feel romantic into this book! I know there’s a place for relationships in the middle grade space too, but I didn’t want that to be part of this story.
3. Once Upon A Tide’s protagonist, fourteen-year-old Lana, is a mermaid and Princess of Clarion, an underwater kingdom currently being ruled by her father. As such she will one day become a leader of Clarion herself. Lana takes her responsibilities as the future leader of Clarion very seriously and feels a great deal of pressure to project an image of perfection while privately dealing with a number of burdens and issues that threaten this. Is this something you’ve experienced in your own life? How can you free yourself from the burden of other people’s expectations and perception?
I care way, way too much about what other people think about me — far more than Lana does, certainly — and like Lana, I have a hard time asking for help when I’m struggling. I feel like I need to do everything myself! But one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older is that you really, truly cannot control what other people think about you. I try to focus on my own expectations — making sure the things are do are things I can be proud of — but it’s certainly hard work! Trying not to care so much about other people’s perceptions is probably something I’ll be working on for my whole life, but I’ll keep working on it!
4. Speaking of Lana’s responsibilities, it was wonderful to see a young heroine who’s so informed and passionate about civic and political engagement! How can young readers who are interested in advocating for change in their communities get involved? How can teachers and guardians better support and encourage activism amongst this age group?
When I was about Lana’s age, I wrote a letter to the president about saving the environment, and although I did receive a reply, you probably won’t be surprised to know that it didn’t change climate policy. Something I wish I had known when I was younger was that engaging with a cause you believe in can happen at the local level, and you often make the most change in your own community. Teachers and librarians are fantastic resources for learning about ways to get involved and make a difference.
5. In the novel, Lana travels to the Royal Festival, a political convention held at her mother’s kingdom on land. She’s tasked with being an official ambassador for Clarion but isn’t taken seriously by her peers. This eventually causes Lana to doubt her own abilities and we see her struggle with imposter syndrome, which is something that I think readers of all ages will be able to recognize and relate to. Do you have any advice for readers struggling to recognize their accomplishments and/or feel confident in their abilities?
Sometimes I think I have the opposite of imposter syndrome, in that I approach everything with way too much confidence and am later shocked when things don’t work out perfectly! (One time, for example, I told some friends I could play the bass in their band, despite having zero experience. Guess what? I could not play the bass.) The important thing to remember about feeling like an imposter is that everyone is an imposter on some level. Confidence only means someone has confidence, not that they are inherently more skilled or capable than someone who struggles to recognize their accomplishments. I hope that by seeing how talented and capable Lana is, even when she doubts herself, readers will see the same things about themselves, too.
6. Lana is initially reluctant to spend time on land because she struggles to enjoy it, claiming it’s too hot, too itchy, too complicated, etc. She eventually realizes that there are certain things she does love, like ice cream and her grandmother’s flower gardens, and that land isn’t so awful after all. Is there anything in your own life that you learned to like or appreciate that you initially had reservations about?
I moved to LA from Chicago about a year ago, and it’s been a bit of a tough adjustment — like Lana, I hate being hot. But the more I’ve been able to explore the city, the more I find things to appreciate. I’ve lived a lot of different places in my life, and everywhere I’ve been, I’ve always been able to find something that makes it feel like home — even if it sometimes takes a little bit of searching.
7. Lana eventually gains the ability to read other people’s thoughts. This power seems incredibly bittersweet, as it allows her to better connect with and understand those she previously couldn’t, but also causes resentment in those who don’t share the same power and potentially violates their trust and privacy. If given the chance, would you want the ability to read the thoughts of others? Why or why not?
Absolutely not! No way. I already care too much what people think about me, so I would not handle this well.
8. Lana must make a number of difficult choices in the novel that test her personal relationships and obligations to her kingdom but are necessary for the greater good, and she notes that doing the right thing isn’t always easy. Can you speak to this aspect of the story?
My sister is a fifth grade teacher, and one thing she always tells her students is that if you have a big problem, you need to tell an adult. That was something I tried to reinforce in this story, and I’m a big believer in that no matter how old you are, problems should be shared. Trying to fix something difficult or handle a hard situation all on your own almost always ends up making things more difficult. Doing the right thing can be hard. Asking for help can be hard. But I hope readers come away from this story with a newfound appreciation of how important it is.
