Kevin Luong walks to the ocean’s edge with a broken heart.
Remembering a legend his mother told him, he lets seven tears fall into the
sea. “I just want one summer—one summer to be happy and in love.”Instead, he finds himself saving a mysterious boy from the Pacific—a boy who later shows up on his doorstep professing his love. What he doesn’t know is that
Morgan is a selkie, drawn to answer Kevin’s wish. As they grow close, Morgan is caught between the dangers of the human world and his legacy in the selkie community to which he must return at summer’s end.
When you are young, everything seems so much more
intense. A sixteen year old boy loves with all his heart, not yet realizing how
to tell when that love is not returned. This is how Kevin Luong finds himself
wandering the pier, crying and wishing for something so simple, someone to
love.
Morgan is a half breed, half human and half Selkie,
on the cusp of manhood as well. His soul is drawn to the pain and emotion of
Kevin’s tears, his wish, and Morgan is tasked with helping Kevin fulfill that
wish. Over the summer the two form a bond of friendship and love that is doomed
by tradition and fate.
Selkie stories have always fascinated me as they are
rooted in Gaelic culture. I really enjoyed how Lee kept the roots of the
stories and legends, while giving it her own unique and modern twist for this
tale. There was an innocence and youthfulness to this book that was evident not
only in the characters and the storyline, but in the writing itself. I found it
endearing that Kevin and Morgan fumbled their way around each other as they got
to know one another and grew closer. It was a learning experience for them both
and, as the reader, Lee wrote the story in a way that I could travel the
journey with Kevin and Morgan, see what they saw, feel their love and their
pain.
The story had so much depth and color, I was
completely engrossed throughout. The character growth and development was
pretty amazing as well. Kevin went from this shy, awkward, bullied teen in the
beginning to a confident, self-assured young man by the end. Morgan had to
learn how to be human, that being charged with “loving” someone is not the same
as “loving” someone.
While this is a YA story, I think there is something
here for readers of all ages. Emotional, in depth, fun and well written, and the
balance between reality and fantasy is a fine line that blended well. This was
my first read from CB Lee, but it definitely won’t be my last. I believe she
just became an auto buy for me.
They
wander into the house, wipe their wet feet on the welcome mat, climb up the
stairs and giggle as they pass Ann’s bedroom. She’s dancing with her headphones
on, oblivious to the open door, swaying to the beat.
In
Kevin’s bedroom, he quickly scrounges up some clean shirts and shorts. “Here,
you can wear this,” he says, handing an outfit to Morgan and then ducking into
his bathroom to change. He peels off the wetsuit and hangs it up in his shower,
then leans his surfboard carefully against the wall, eyeing the crack. He’ll
have to fix it tomorrow.
When
he returns, Morgan is holding onto the wet board shorts, wearing the outfit
Kevin gave him. He looks curiously at the rock collection prominently displayed
on Kevin’s bookshelf. “These are beautiful,” he says.
“Here,
I’ll take that,” Kevin says, holding out his hand for the bedraggled board
shorts to hang in his shower. He’s certain now that they’re the ones from the
lifeguard’s lost and found. Kevin’s starting to worry that Morgan doesn’t have
any other clothes, but he doesn’t know how to bring it up. Money can be a
touchy subject.
Morgan
holds Kevin’s favorite specimen, a piece of green olivine on basalt. Kevin once
almost convinced Ann it was an avocado roll—it certainly looks like one, bright
green speckled with sesame seeds, wrapped in dark seaweed.
“That’s
from Mexico. My family went on vacation to Baja last year, and I got that out
of an old volcano.” He tries his best to describe the sweltering heat and the
excitement of finding geodes and cracking them open with a hammer. Morgan
listens in rapt silence as Kevin talks about the find and tilts the olivine so
it catches the light. He sets it back in its spot behind its label, slowly so
as not to disturb the other specimens, and Kevin is quietly pleased with
Morgan's careful appreciation.
“I
changed my mind,” Kevin blurts out.
“About
what?”
“I
do want this to be a date. For us, to do that,” he says, blushing. “I like you.
A lot.”
Morgan’s
face breaks into a bright, happy smile.
“And
what do we do differently, for this to be a date?”
Kevin
can feel the heat on his cheeks. “We can hold hands, if you like. Um, or kiss,
if you want to. But we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’m fine
just hanging out and watching a movie with you.”
Morgan
tilts his head and steps closer. “I want to,” he says, not specifying what, but
Kevin knows immediately.
It’s
just the quickest brush of lips, but Kevin feels it all the way to his toes. A
warm curl of excitement blooms throughout his body, and Morgan’s mouth is warm
and wet against his. It’s not like any kiss he’s had, chaste and sweet and over
in a second, and yet his heart is still pounding after Morgan leans back. He’s
close enough for Kevin to be able to count the eyelashes dark against his
cheek.
Morgan
ducks his head and asks, “Was that okay?”
Kevin's
a little dazed, but he finds his voice. “Yeah. Yeah, that was great.”
Seven Tears At High Tide book trailer
Buy Links: Interlude Press | Amazon | Book Depository | Indiebound | ARe
I had the immense pleasure of meeting CB Lee at GRL just a few days ago. She is so nice and down to earth, and let me just say, her and I kick ass at Pictionary, I'm just sayin! When I told her I would be reviewing her new release for my blog, she was so excited. We took some pictures, chatted for a little while and are officially BFF's, since we follow each other on Twitter. That's how it works, right? Anywho, CB was kind enough to answer a few questions for me, so here is my Interview with CB Lee...
Hi there, thank you so much for interviewing me today, I'm happy to be here. My name is C.B. and I grew up in California. I'm a bisexual writer who is very passionate about writing, hiking, and traveling. As a first generation Asian American and I'm excited about introducing some characters with similar backgrounds and identities to my own in Seven Tears at High Tide. The story follows Kevin and Morgan, who meet because of Kevin's magical wish for a summer love and then have to deal with some complex choices when summer is over.
Hi there, thank you so much for interviewing me today, I'm happy to be here. My name is C.B. and I grew up in California. I'm a bisexual writer who is very passionate about writing, hiking, and traveling. As a first generation Asian American and I'm excited about introducing some characters with similar backgrounds and identities to my own in Seven Tears at High Tide. The story follows Kevin and Morgan, who meet because of Kevin's magical wish for a summer love and then have to deal with some complex choices when summer is over.
What genres do you enjoy writing in?
Young adult,
most definitely. I think these stories bridge an amazing time, full of so much
potential, where youth are learning about themselves, being
exploratory, figuring out who they want to be. I find the challenges addressed
in these works have so much meaning, and I think there's definitely a need for
more LGBTQIA+ protagonists for teens to see themselves in. And then looking at broader (or subgenres?),
my favorite thing is adding elements of fantasy or science fiction to a story,
because I love the creative potential in adding a bit of magic to a story,
whether it comes from science or the supernatural.
What was the hardest part about writing
this book?
When I first
started, a good chunk of the story was entirely in Kevin's point of view, but
there was a point when I realize this wasn't just Kevin's story, it was his and
Morgan's, together, so I decided to rewrite in favor of two alternating points
of views. This changed the story structure dramatically, and I had to be
careful about not overlapping perspectives on the same event too much, to make
sure it made sense chronologically. It was difficult because I already had so
much written at that point, and some of it got scrapped, which made me a little
sad because that was time and effort, but in the end I think the results were
worth it.
What did you enjoy most about writing
your book?
Bringing a whole
world to life, honestly. Going from an idea to making it a story that can be
shared is kind of mind-boggling. It was a great learning experience too, I
learned a lot while I was researching the science I would use to make the
magical systems, and also about the area and I learned a lot about my own
productivity. Particularly how much caffeine is needed to write a chapter!
What cultural value do you see in writing?
Writing is such
a creative endeavor; I think people create stories to tell others to make
understanding of their own experiences as well as dream up incredible possibilities
for the future. I especially think that my genre especially— young adult
literature— tends to be disregarded in terms of cultural value. It's a bit of a
sad trend, to take something young people enjoy and disregard it simply because
it's for that age group, like "oh, it's not serious, it's for
children," like there can't be value in it. But there is so much value in
this medium; teenagers finding
themselves and reading stories about other teenagers and wanting and hoping for
stories of their own, finding joy in these characters and drawing parallels
from them, experiencing wonderful and fantastic things.
What is your favorite positive saying?
This is a quote
from Erin Bow that is about writing, but I think it applies to life, so, so
much.
"No writing
is wasted. Did you know that sourdough from San Francisco is leavened partly by
a bacteria called lactobacillus sanfrancisensis? It is native to the soil
there, and does not do well elsewhere. But any kitchen can become an ecosystem.
If you bake a lot, your kitchen will become a happy home to wild yeasts, and
all your bread will taste better. Even a failed loaf is not wasted. Likewise,
cheese makers wash the dairy floor with whey. Tomato gardeners compost with
rotten tomatoes. No writing is wasted: the words you can’t put in your book can
wash the floor, live in the soil, lurk around in the air. They will make the
next words better."
I think this
quote is so reassuring, about how no efforts are wasted, and in writing there's
often a lot of work that goes unseen, unrecognized, drafts that are torn apart
and put back together, chapters thrown out, paragraphs rewritten. It's so easy
to get disheartened when you write, but everything you do, it's part of the
learning process and just adds to your overall skill and ability as a writer.
I love the quote
and think on it a lot as not just for writing, but for life efforts, in the
experiences that you have and it's easy to look back and think that something
might have been a waste of time, but it contributed to who you are and where
you are now, and that's important.
Great interview CB, and thank you for stopping by the blog today to share this story with us. I laughed, and a cried, then I laughed while I cried and I just have to say; laughter through tears is one of my favorite emotions, so thank you for invoking them in me.
Great interview CB, and thank you for stopping by the blog today to share this story with us. I laughed, and a cried, then I laughed while I cried and I just have to say; laughter through tears is one of my favorite emotions, so thank you for invoking them in me.
C. B. Lee is a bisexual writer, rock climber and pinniped
enthusiast based in California. Lee enjoys reading, hiking and other outdoor
pursuits. Seven Tears At High Tide is a first novel.>>>>> Me and CB Lee at GRL 2015 >>>>>>>
Tour Dates &
Stops:
15-Oct: Prism Book Alliance, Happily Ever
Chapter, Velvet
Panic, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My,
$25
Interlude Press Gift Card to one grand prize winner plus copies of the Seven
Tears at High Tide multi-format eBook to five winners.
What a great interview! I can attest to Ms. Lee's skills at "Pictionary"!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading her book. Thanks for your article!