Blog Tour- Tempest Rising by Tracey Deebs Review + Interview

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
"Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her-and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance."- summary from Amazon

I really enjoy reading about mermaids, so it's always nice to find a novel that uses them. This was such a compelling read and I loved how Deebs put together the mythology of it all as well as mixing it in with realistic emotions and situations. Tempest is a wonderful main character and her story was fun but also heart-wrenching to read at times. Her emotions regarding her mother's absence, becoming a mermaid, and so much more just made sense and Deebs did a great job with her voice.

The romance was very steamy but also handled realistically since Tempest already has a boyfriend. Kai was so great and I loved reading their scenes together. I also liked how Deebs brought in another mythological creature too. The world building was done very well.

Overall, this is just a wonderful book and a refreshing break from the abundance of other paranormal creatures. I also would like to use a lame pun now- it's fin-tastic! :D


1) How did you get the idea for Tempest Rising?

I love mermaids. Love, love, love mermaids. When I was very young (about three or so) my father brought home a VHS tape of Hans Christian Andersen’s version of The Little Mermaid (long before Disney made a version). Though it was really dark and ended with the little mermaid becoming sea foam instead of living HEA with her prince, I fell in love with the story the first time I saw it. From then on, I was all about mermaids. I watched the movie every day (and I mean every day) for three years. My mom swears to this day that she can recite the dialogue word for word. While I eventually outgrew my obsession with mermaids, when I sat down to write my first YA and was still undecided about what paranormal creature I wanted to tackle, my agent asked, “How do you feel about mermaids?” Instantly, I was right back where I started all those years ago and knew I wasn’t going to be happy writing about anything else.


2) Tell us about The Call/The Email for publication! Where were you when you got it? Did you do anything to celebrate?

I had actually missed my agent’s call earlier in the day and hadn’t called her back because it was late when I got home and I didn’t realize what it was she was calling about. She called back around nine-thirty (I love my agent) to tell me the good news and I was so excited that I spun in circles around my living room. Seriously. As for celebrating, my husband took me out for dinner and dancing. It was a blast. :)


3) What is your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor (or flavors, if you're so inclined)?

Cinnamon and Green Apple. Yum!


4) What book(s) are you reading now, or are about to start?

I just finished Divergent (so, so good) and am about to start Bite Club (I love Rachel Caine!).


FTC: Received ARC from publisher for blog tour. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.