Indigo, The Deep follows a group of people united by the strange magic that gathers around Dipitous Beach during the autumn equinox. What draws you to write for teen and young adult readers?

Coming-of-age stories are where I’ve found joy and consolation throughout my life. Teen stories are the great connectors of the generations. If we’re young, we’re living it; if we’re older, we’ve passed through it, hopefully with a few helpful lessons learned. I love writing about the sparkling energy of teens, reminding all of us to stay curious and embrace new perspectives. After all, life is a bold adventure, laced with grief and pain, but ripe with wonder-filled mysteries and happy surprises, too.

What drew you to setting the story around the autumn equinox and its sense of transformation?

Ah, the changing of the seasons is a mystical time. The shift in light, weather, and tides alters human rhythms, calling us to what we cannot comprehend. Nature smiles, taps us on the shoulder, and whispers in the wind… everything, you know, is always changing. The tide folds, the light blends, shrinking the long light-infused days of summer into the golden days of autumn. During the equinox, the scene is brilliantly set for mystery. The turning of the seasons is when the magic happens!

What did you enjoy most about writing the bond between Condi and Firth?

Condi and Firth are thrown together in an unlikely set of circumstances. When they resist their uncomfortable living situation and see one another as only annoying, a palpable tension arises. I love writing about tension and how it often leads to growth! When Triponica, the wise leader of the Beachlings, points out that Condi and Firth are very much the same, the story begins to change. Firth, fearless and reckless, dives into the deepest of the sea caverns, determined to push his limits. Condi, hoping to mend a broken heart, takes unnecessary risks with her surfing. As the story unwinds, we come to know that Triponica was right. Their bond is unmistakable.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

The next book in the series takes us back in time. What the Surf Master Knows explores life in Dipitous Beach in the seventies. Triponica, mysterious leader of the Beachlings, is a young healer. Andy Marshall, the enigmatic surf master, and Grand Ella, Condi’s insightful yoga teacher grandmother, are teens. Once again, they are swept into strange adventures, encountering the ocean’s wild and mercurial magic.

The prospective release date is the summer of 2027.

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