Bad Mermaids

Look out for fishy kidnappings, evil piranhas, a talking seahorse - and fabulous mermaids in SIBEAL POUNDER's new book, BAD MERMAIDS (Bloomsbury).

When mermaids Beattie, Mimi and Zelda return to their underwater home after a summer on land, they discover that bad mermaids are on the loose - and their way of life is under threat. Can piranha-print nail polish, a clam car and a talking seahorse help them to set things to right? We asked author SIBEAL POUNDER - the author of Witch Wars - to tell us more about BAD MERMAIDS: Q: Why did you decide to write about mermaids? A: I like the idea of taking something that's very well known messing with it. Bad Mermaids plays with the idea of mermaids sitting on rocks and combing their hair. I also love the idea that it's a completely separate world, another reality. The sea is such a massive, unexplored place. Q: Have you ever wanted to be a mermaid? A: I have a confession - I am probably the most seasick person that ever existed... so, no. Q: How did you plan the mermaid world? A: I normally map out the world to begin with. The start was Swirlyshell, the ancient capital, and is pretty much what you'd expect from a mermaid town - including its periwinkle castle. There's also a dangerously cool city, Hammerhead Heights (I was fascinated by sharks as a child), the very diverse area of Lobstertown, and Oysterdale which has fancy sand castles. Then I build up the different characters who live in each area; how they think and behave. But there are also details you need to think about like what your characters will eat if they can't cook using fire; what they wear; and what materials they would use to build with. Q: The story follows three mermaid friends - Beattie, Mimi and Zelda. How did they develop? A: Zelda and Mimi are sisters, but they are so different from each other. They are flawed and messy characters, but that gives you more scope to play with them. There's a big cast of girl and women characters in the story, so there are all sorts of characters who do all sorts of different things. There are also boy characters. I'm always keen for boys to try out these books - I see the stories as comedies with female characters. Q: Who are your favourite supporting characters? A: Steve, the talking seahorse, became much more important as a character in his own right than I had expected. He started out as a little pet but he's a lot stronger than I had intended him to be, but he kind of wrote himself. He is obsessed by the idea of being a character in a cartoon - even though he's not a cartoon character. I also enjoyed the villain Ommy and his sidekick, Nom the piranha. On the surface Ommy seems like he's not very challenging - he sings songs to his piranha! - but he is quietly manipulative.... Q: What do you think of the illustrations in Bad Mermaids? A: The book is illustrated by Jason Cockcroft and I think it's no small task to depict a crazy underwater world. He has made it a unique thing. There's an image I love where the piranha pack is chasing the mermaids but all the fish have different expressions and the detail is incredible. Q: If you found yourself in this world, where would you want to visit? A: Hammerhead Heights is one of my favourite places - although it's probably a bit too 'edgy' for me to visit - but I would want to visit the shark restaurant, Jawella's. That would be different and it moves around, which is fun. If I was going shopping? Probably to the department store, Sandburys. Q: What's your favourite place to visit in the real world? A: My family is from Dublin and I love the madness of the place, it's also very cool. But the most inspiring place I've been to is Japan, its just so different, and the food is amazing. It helped inspire some of the dishes in Bad Mermaids.... Q: What would be your dream writing shed for writing Bad Mermaids? A: I think it would have to be shaped like a boat, or maybe one that has been upcycled by some mermaids from shipping containers... Q: Where are you planning to take the mermaids next? A: At the moment there are three Bad Mermaid books planned and in book two, they will be heading into the upper realms of the human ocean, where it's rumoured there might be other mermaids to find....