SPOILER WARNING: The interview below gives away many important plot points (and even the ending) of Forbidden Sea, the novel. Do not read the interview that follows unless you have read the book. You have been fairly warned.
Seriously . . .
I mean it . . .
Are you still here? Okay then.
Author's Note: I recently wrote a letter to Adrianne Keynnman and asked her if she would be willing to answer a few questions for me and her fans. She was amazed to learn how many people had read her story and become interested in what happened to her after her experience with the merfolk. Adrianne was a little reluctant at first but eventually I persuaded her to do the interview. I sent the questions to her in a letter and she wrote back her answers. I’m posting those answers here for everyone to see.
Why didn’t Denn know you were the right girl for him from the start?
Because like all the boys on Windwaithe Island, Denn, can sometimes be a complete and utter idiot from time to time. I say that with only the greatest of respect for my dear friend, I assure you.
Did you and Denn fall in love after you returned to Windwaithe Island?
What kind of hair-brained question is that to ask a person you’ve only just met? My feelings for Denn are my own business and nobody else’s! For your information, Miss Nielson, Denn was nosing about my personal things the other day and almost discovered your most impertinent question. I had to wrestle your letter away from him and tear it to pieces before he had the chance to see. If Denn were to get wind of such nonsense I’d never hear the end of it! So, no more silly questions about my private feelings for a certain dashingly handsome young man with red hair and freckles, if you please.
(I really hope Denn doesn't see that last part before I have a chance to send this letter off to you. I’ll hold you personally responsible, Miss Nielson, if he does.)
What happened to Auntie Minnah after you went back to Windwaithe?
Not long after my return Auntie Minnah packed up all her things and left us to go live with her friend, Laura Mills. While I must admit I like not having to deal with her griping every day—I do regret having her leave before I had a chance to try and repair our relationship in some small way first.
What happened between Cora Lynn and Denn after you returned to the island of Windwaithe?
Once Cora Lynn realized that Denn was not going to come around and make up his argument with her, she changed her tune and started hounding him. She flirts shamelessly with him at every opportunity, trying to regain his interest. He tries to avoid her whenever possible and will often hide if he sees her coming. Denn frequently stops over to visit my family’s cottage at odd hours during the day in order to escape from Cora Lynn’s clutches. She refuses to come anywhere near me or my family (especially in pursuit of Denn) which is just fine by me.
“I’m going to pay for my mistake with Cora Lynn for the rest of my life, aren’t I?” Denn once moaned to me after ducking out on the poor girl for the third time in one day.
“Very likely,” I said with an unsympathetic grin.
He has no one but himself to blame for it.
Is there going to be a movie made of Forbidden Sea?
Miss Nielson has tried to explain to me what exactly a movie is—and failed miserably in the attempt. She said it is something that hasn’t been invented in my time, thank heaven for small favors. I got a headache just trying to imagine how such a thing would work. It sounds like something mermaids might conjure up with their magic. I’ve given up trying to understand THEM, so I think I’ll pass on this question and try answering the next one.
Did you ever tell your mother and Cecily about your trip to the Mercity after you returned home?
Mama would have worried herself sick if she had ever found out the truth so I never told her about what happened to me the night I left Windwaithe. I was able to sneak back into the house without getting caught the next morning. Mama never suspected a thing about what I’d been up to. As for Cecily—I didn’t tell her what happened at first. For a long time she suspected I was hiding something from her and Mama but didn’t press me about it. One day Cecily accidentally discovered where I’d hidden the blue dress the mermaids gave me and demanded the full story from me right there and then. I told her everything and she promised never to say a word to anyone about it. My sister has faithfully kept that promise.
Do you get to see Dartemore anymore?
Since I’m the only one that can safely ride Dartemore, he has become my number one responsibility while working up at the manor stables. It is my job to exercise him every day. Denn comes along to help me sometimes. We take the horses out for long rides together. Denn is determined to ride Dartemore someday. Personally, I think he has a better chance of getting his thick skull cracked open than he does of ever convincing that horse to let him ride on his back.
Do you regret not meeting the Sea Prince?
I’ve thought about this question quite a lot since coming back from the mercity. Jendayi told me the Sea Prince would eventually fall in love with me but she never said I would fall in love with him—probably for good reason. It would have been nice at first, having my every want and wish fulfilled, but eventually I think it would have driven me mad with boredom. I would have missed my family and (truth be told) Denn something fierce. I don’t think even the devastatingly handsome Sea Prince himself could have made up for the emptiness that would have been left inside me by the absence of those most dear to me.
No, I do not regret my choice and I’m pretty certain I never will.
Did Jendayi ever come back?
Jendayi said I would never see her again—and she is rarely wrong. However, Miss Nielson says that the day might come when Jendayi will once again be an important influence in my life. Sometimes I wonder if Miss Nielson might have a touch of mermaid foresight herself. I guess we will have to see.
Author’s note: Just for the record, I think Adrianne has answered our second question without meaning to. If you will reread her answers you will see that she and Denn seem to be spending an awful lot of time together these days—don’t you think? : )
