I remember watching the movie Splash when I was a kid and seeing the mermaid swim through the ocean, but it wasn’t magical looking, like you think it might be. I wasn’t a fan of that. We’re dealing with magic and anything is possible. So, the only way I knew how to blend the real world and the magical world together was through art and they styles of animation and realism. Everything is super vibrant and clear. Real live aquatic creatures and sea-life mingle seamlessly with the magical world. 

 

Smuggler’s Cove, located on Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands, Campbell Cove in Bodega Bay in northern California, and Prince William Sound in Alaska, are all real locations. The oil spill at Prince William Sound is also a real, devastating event, that happened on my birthday, March 24, 1989. I remember seeing the aftermath and the animals coated in oil. It was heartbreaking. It is why I wanted to include it in the novel: our environment is so special and we, humans, need to protect it and careful with it. 

 

Underwater grotto’s, and, obviously, the undersea village and castle, are a part of the magical world.