Author Name: Robin Alvarez

Book Title: When Oceans Rise

Book Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Publisher: Creative James Media

Welcome, Robin! How would you describe When Oceans Rise?

Gods, monsters, and a curse: Malaya trades her voice to a sea witch to escape a toxic relationship, but the sea witch uses her voice to unleash Filipino mythological creatures on the worlds. Now she must get her voice back to save both worlds.

What sparked the idea for this book?

When I was seventeen, I went surfing during a hurricane and almost died. Of course, I wasn’t surfing the day of the actual storm. If you live near a beach, you probably know that the storm will feed the ocean in the days before a hurricane. Those swells are incredibly fun and insanely dangerous, and I ran to them.

I always told people I went out there because I was seventeen and reckless, and that’s just what you did at that age, but it was a surface truth. The darker truth was that I was miserably drowning in an abusive relationship, and on that day, struggling to pull out of a rip tide that wanted to take me out to sea, I wondered if it would be easier to let go.

That was the moment I wanted to write about, and I based When Oceans Rise around that scene.  

How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?

I wrote When Oceans Rise in 30 days. It was quick because it was based a lot on my experiences being in an abusive relationship. However, I did do a lot of research on Filipino mythology about gods and monsters.

What drew you to writing YA fiction?

I love firsts! I love the newest that comes with YA, and the depth of teenager’s feelings. But despite my love for YA, there were gaps in representation. I want to fill whatever gaps I can, and I try to do that with my multiracial perspective.

What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?

My favorite part about writing is when a plot really comes together. Sometimes, it takes a while for all the puzzles pieces to fit, but when they do, it’s the best feeling. My favorite part about being an author is when people reach out to me to tell me that my book meant something to them. I’ve been lucky to experience this!

Something I find challenging about being a writer is managing to write a book within my attention span. I write books in about 20-30 days because I tend to lose focus if I don’t complete the book within that time. If I step away from an unfinished book because I’ve lost focus, it’s tough for me to complete the project. Sometimes, I have to reread a project several times before I get a sense of what I was trying to do again.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I want people to see the warning signs of gaslighting and abuse! I wrote this book to show people what gaslighting can look like—at least one of the many ways. I want people to recognize it before their power is stripped. I’ll never be able to reach most people, to speak to them, but I’m hoping my character gives people the voice that they might otherwise lose in those situations. I also hope that people with my shared experience find peace.

What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?
The friendships made! I’d always thought of writing as a very solitary thing, but I’ve made more friends through writing and publishing than in any other space in my life. We have this insane drive to tell a story and really commit, and this beautiful need to give our thoughts to the world and hope they feel something! It’s easy to connect with other authors in this sense.

Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?
My career was 14 years in the making, and if I could tell my pre-published self anything, it would be to let it go! I spent too much time on my first book, worried about making it perfect, and it just isn’t publishable. I could have been working on other projects, getting better, but I was too precious about that piece. I love it, but it now collects dust (metaphorically because it’s on a hard drive).

What are your interests outside of writing and reading?

I’m a hobby hobbyist! I’m kidding, but truly I like to learn new things. I have so many hobbies that aren’t really hobbies because I don’t consistently do them. They are just a collection of things I know how to do, like painting, skateboarding, quilting, etc. I just wanted to know I could do those things.

Where can readers find you?

I am working on a novel about soul families called Starseed! It’s based on the idea that we all come to Earth to experience growth as souls, and we do that by signing contracts about the experiences on Earth we will endure that will help us grow.

But these two sisters, who are twin flames and love each other very much in the soul realm, actually betray and kill each other in every human life to the point of near obliteration. They have to figure out how to navigate their next human life cycle or risk their own destruction. Readers can find me on my favorite social media: TikTok @robiiehood or on my website at robinalvarez.com

Thank you, Robin! When Oceans Rise is available for pre-order!

When Oceans Rise