📚 A Bookish Chat with 'Floating Underwater' Tracy Shawn | Author Interview | @tracyshawn #AuthorInterview #BlogTour #Interview

Today we welcome Tracy Shawn to The Writer's Life e-Magazine! Tracy is the author of the women's fiction, Floating Underwater. This interview is part of her Floating Underwater Blog Tour by Pump Up Your Book. Enjoy!

Award-Winning Author Tracy Shawn lives and writes on the Central Coast of California. Her debut novel, The Grace of Crows, won several indie book awards. Floating Underwater is her second novel. Tracy Shawn’s short stories have appeared in Literary Brushstrokes, Psychology Tomorrow Magazine, and Steel House Review Literary Journal. She’s written numerous articles for print and online publications and is currently working on her third novel.

You can visit her website at https://www.tracyshawn.com/ or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

TWL: Welcome to The Writer's Life! How did you come up with the idea to write your book?

Tracy Shawn: The idea for my second novel, Floating Underwater, came to me from personal history, past work experience (when I was younger, I interned at a psychiatric center), and from my late grandfather’s interest in the metaphysical. I then set out to write about a protagonist, Paloma, who is dealing with a history of loss and grief while also grappling with symptoms that could either be signs of looming schizophrenia or manifestations of a spiritual awakening.

TWL: Can you give us a short excerpt?

Tracy: Paloma smiled at Reed as she clenched the sides of her chair. They sat at their usual spot—a small table outside their favorite deli. Pedestrians slogged by through an unseasonably humid June. A heat wave had intruded on the small town of Sunflower Beach; even the window-box geraniums were wilting in defeat. Paloma doubted they’d survive the summer.

She directed her attention back to her husband. She had to tell him. But she kept her mouth shut as she caught sight of a small bird flitting by and out of view so quickly it could have been her imagination. She swallowed down the murky taste of dread. Maybe it would be better for Reed not to get his hopes up. But he had a right to know—and besides, she wanted him to know.

He cocked his head, grinning. “What is it?”

“I’ve got some good news.” She reached over and held his hand, knowing he had already guessed.

“We’re pregnant,” he said.

She laughed and nodded in confirmation.

“Honey, that’s great.” He squeezed her hand and smiled as if loss were never an issue. “This time will be different. I just know it.” He got up to hug her.

She stood and received his embrace, the glow of his positivity radiating through her body. “I hope so.” She sat back down, wishing she could catch sight of the bird again. She didn’t tell him how two days earlier, as she was mindlessly driving to work, one of her visions had struck. With both hands fixed on the steering wheel, she had managed to pull off the road. She’d tried to will the image away, yet it grew even more vivid. A corpse of a baby sparrow floated down a creek. With its thumb-sized frame and bruised eyelids, it looked like it had plummeted to its death before it even had a chance to breathe. She waded in and scooped it out of the water, but its translucent form had slipped through her cupped hands. She watched, paralyzed, as it tumbled toward the waiting mouth of the ocean—lifeless, distant, gone.

TWL: What part of the book was the most fun to write?

Tracy: I loved writing about Paloma’s interactions with a character named Serena, an unhinged woman who believes her real mother is a mermaid. Paloma and Serena have a deep connection, and it was fun to weave Paloma’s journey alongside Serena’s seemingly random—yet meaningful—declarations.

TWL: What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

Tracy: Floating Underwater went through so many rewrites and revisions that it took over nine years to complete.

TWL: What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

Tracy: I’m currently working on my third novel about a repressed woman who sets out on a whirlwind adventure—which I hope to complete more quickly than Floating Underwater!

TWL: Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

Tracy: I hope that Floating Underwater shows how people can embrace a far different future than they had expected. It’s an acceptance and celebration of people’s gifts how and how one can learn to connect to something bigger than themselves.

TWL: Do you have any final words?

Tracy: I hope that readers will enjoy this story about a woman’s journey through the extraordinary and, ultimately, to her own self-actualization—and that it also helps people feel as if everything in this crazy, upside-down world—and beyond—will somehow, someday be okay.

Title: FLOATING UNDERWATER
Author: Tracy Shawn
Publisher: Turbulent Muse Publishing
Genre: Women’s Fiction / Magical Realism / Psychological Fiction

BOOK BLURB:

Part psychological fiction and part mystical fiction with a dash of magical realism, Floating Underwater follows a woman’s astonishing journey through the extraordinary and, ultimately, to her self-actualization and power.

Fearful that her lifelong premonitions not only predict the future but can also change its very course, Paloma Leary is devastated when her latest vision foretelling a third miscarriage comes true.

Falling into a mystifying world of increasingly bizarre phenomena, including a psychic connection with her mysterious neighbor, out-of-body experiences, and visits from her long-dead mother, Paloma grows desperate for answers. She is also desperate to start a family. But when a life-changing vision reveals a tragic secret from the past, Paloma learns to accept her gifts and embraces a far different future than she ever could have imagined.

“One woman’s mystical journey to move forward while confronting a troubled, mysterious past. Beautifully written; an ethereal, eloquent pleasure.” ~~Marlene Adelstein, author of USA Today bestseller Sophie Last Seen

“Mystical and magical realism permeates this women’s novel, and Amy Harmon fans would embrace Shawn’s adept storytelling. The author delivers spot-on dialogue, believable and enchanting characters, and surprising twists. It’s easy to imagine the novel as a talked-about book club selection (in fact, there’s a list of questions at the book’s conclusion). Poignant and beautiful, Floating Underwater leaves readers yearning for a sequel and another look at these captivating characters.” ~~Starred Review by Patricia Moosbrugger for BlueInk Review

“The writing is stunning…Paloma’s journey toward friendship, love in her marriage, and the realization that her fears have kept her eyes closed to everything happening around her is a journey worth following. This book will remind you to listen to the wind when it speaks and to look for what’s floating beneath the surface of the water.”~~Reviewed by Jenna Swartz for San Francisco Book Review

“A mystical journey that will take its readers on a whirlwind tour of beautiful imagery and meaningful life adventures, Floating Underwater is the story about a woman named Paloma Leary who learns that she has some very special gifts to share with the world…This book is wonderfully written in a lovely beach setting…Floating Underwater is the perfect book for someone looking for a bit of fantasy thrown into a realistic setting with realistic characters. Written with special attention to little details, this book is relatable, yet very special and is a one-of-a-kind read.” ~~Reviewed by Kristi Elizabeth for Manhattan Book Review

Book Information

Release Date: September 8, 2021

Publisher: Turbulent Muse Publishing

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1736664902; 312 pages; $10.99; E-Book, $3.99

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GrO5TV

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/3qA2EA3