Anna Banks: Of Poseidon Q&A

We have a belated addition to our June Book of the Month feature — our “better late then never” interview with Of Poseidon author Anna Banks! Thanks, Anna, for stopping by!

I love how you’ve re-imagined the mermaid mythology! What inspired your version of mermaids?

Every culture on the planet, every continent, has depictions of mermaids in their ancient history. I decided to take a scientific approach, and assuming they were real, how would they have survived without ever really getting caught? That’s how I came up with the Blending aspect of them. They can Blend with their surroundings, much like an octopus can. And what are they supposed to do with those fancy frilly tails you always see mermaids with? They need something built for speed to survive. So I gave them shark tails.

A couple years ago, we had the pleasure of working with the late L.K. Madigan for a similar month-long feature of her mermaid book, The Mermaid’s Mirror. During our Q&A with her, we asked her about mermaid sex. How it works. That sort of thing. You’ve addressed it rather clearly in OF POSEIDON. Since we asked L.K. about mermaid sex, we’ll ask you, too … how DO mermaids have sex?

Many marine animals come on shore to mate. So do my Syrena. They change into human form, find a small private island, and uh, you know…

Any favorite mermaid stories/movies/books, etc.? (Mine is Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which inspired my current shade of hair color.)

Mine is Disney’s too. I don’t like the darker version of The Little Mermaid. But I do what Ariel would do when she developed cellulite…

All of the Syrena have such beautiful, unique names. Are there any specific origins for their names? If not, how did you come up with their names?

I used the system of giving the females an “a” on the end, like you see with Russian and Spanish cultures. Other than that, I have no intelligent answer. 

Some mobster business is mentioned briefly in OF POSEIDON in relation to one particular character. Any chance you’d ever tackle a mob story? I’m fully convinced we need more mob stories in YA.

I love mob stories. One of my favorites is Rage of Roses by Sydney Sheldon. WOW. But as for a mob YA story…I don’t know if I’m qualified to write that. Hmmm….now you’ve got my wheels turning….

The end of OF POSEIDON damn near killed me. Cruel cliffhanger! So. To prevent me from, you know, dying … could you maybe, pretty please, share a teensy sneak peek at the next book with us? Just a little tid-bit? (This is where I beg, plead, make sad panda face, etc.)

The next book is called OF TRITON, and as you can guess, the Gift of Triton makes an appearance in a big way. Also, there’s a kidnapping. That’s all I can say.

OF POSEIDON features a truly brilliant combination of paranormal romance, serious issues, and light-hearted humor. I often found myself chuckling at passages, in between moments of more consequence. How do you so carefully balance the humor with the serious?

Trust me when I say (and don’t hate me for saying it) I don’t do it on purpose. I think that’s how I live my life, all bi-polarish and stuff. So that reflects on the page. Can you imagine a light-hearted/serious YA Mob story???

FLASH QUESTIONS:

Private concert: who’s playing?

Adele

Pizza toppings?

Taco pizza, no meat! (I’m not a vegetarian, I just don’t like meat on my Taco Pizza).

Book you can’t stop re-reading?

Fire by Kristen Cashore

Living or dead, who would you like to have dinner with?

Edgar Allen Poe to see how creepy he really is/was.

Perfect vacation?

Cruise ship and my Kindle.

Look at your desk right now. Name five things within reach.

1. iPhone
2. Water
3. Clorox cleanup wipes
4. Coffee cup that says “I’m not fat, I’m just short for my weight”
5. My sanity

Thanks again, Anna, for stopping by!