Krystalyn Drown Tells Us Of Her Inspirations

When I first laid my eyes on Legasea, I was immediately in love with the premise. I have always loved reading about the Selkies, but I seldom find books that actually feature them. So when I saw the word Selkie in the snynopsis I went absolutely bananas. And I got even more happy when I read the book–and loved it! (my review) She also has another book called Spirit World coming out which I am very excited for!

Today I am happy to tell you all that the amazing Krystalyn Drown is stopping by Book Adoration today to tell about some of her inspirations for Legasea. One of them being Maggie Stiefvater!

*******************************************************************************

The first DVD I ever bought was The Secret of Roan Inish. In that movie, a ten-year-old girl named Fiona had a younger brother, Jamie, who was lost to the sea several years before in a cradle shaped like a boat. Fiona then learns of a local legend that says she has an ancestor who was a selkie, a seal that could remove her skin and shift into human form. After repeated sightings of a small boy running around on a deserted island, Fiona believes that her brother is still alive and is cared for by the seals. She then sets out on a quest to get her brother back and to learn the truth about her heritage.

This movie fascinated me, and a great deal of it worked its way into Legasea. Aside from the selkie story, the main love interest is named Jamie. The main character’s grandmother is named Fee, after Fiona. Although, in my story, Fee is short for Eoife (pronounced like Eva, but with an f instead of a v). My characters also have roots in Ireland, just like in Roan Inish.

I also pulled inspiration from various Scottish and Irish legends about selkies. In many of the stories, a person has to cry seven teardrops into the sea to summon a selkie. In other stories, a sailor captures a female selkie, hides her skin, and forces her to become his wife. The selkie is a loving and attentive wife until she finds her skin. She then returns to the sea, often taking their children with her. Male selkies are often portrayed as handsome, seductive creatures, that lure woman to them.

While I took some liberties with these legends, all of them make appearances in Legasea in some form or another.

As a side note, the idea was inspired by a conversation with Maggie Steifvater. At the time, she was writing The Scorpio Races, which she said was about blood and beach and kissing. Upon hearing my last name, she jokingly said I was the one who should be writing about blood and beaches and kissing.

If you wish to read more about selkie legends and their origins, visit this site: http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/index.html

*******************************************************************************

About the Author

Krystalyn has spent the past thirteen years working at Walt Disney World in a variety of roles: entertainer, talent coordinator, and character captain. Her degree in theatre as well as many, many hours spent in a dance studio, helped with her job there.

Her various other day jobs have included working at Sea World in zoology, as an elementary teacher, and currently as a support technician for a website. In the evenings,
she does mad writing challenges with her sister, who is also an author.

Krystalyn lives near Orlando, Florida with her husband, son, a were cat, and a Yorkie with a Napoleon complex.

You can find Krystalyn Drown on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, and her blog.