Valerie Martin's latest story collection is Sea Lovers.From her Q & A with Anita Sethi at the Guardian:
Where does your interest in exploring nature come from?--Marshal Zeringue
I grew up in a swamp in Louisiana. It’s beautiful in a scary way. It’s nature that’s really ready to take over, forceful and full of creatures that are not pleasant to be around such as large rats and alligators. It’s also very hot. As a child I was enchanted with that world.
Several stories have that interlacing of beauty and terror…
Yes, and it does come directly out of that environment, especially some of the areas outside of the city where water and earth are so interchangeable – you can’t help but notice the beauty. I’ve always had a sense of that spooky, marvellous world.
Tell me about the title, Sea Lovers…
The mermaid in the title story is the real sea lover. I’m terrified of the sea, I think with good reason, because it’s rising. When I...[read on]