Gold Coast stars in tale from deep
GOLD Coast waterways and surf lifesavers are central to a story of murder, mayhem and science fiction mystery in a new book described by its author as “The Little Mermaid meets Creature From The Black Lagoon’’.
Entertainment writer, blogger and now full-time author Maria Lewis, well known at Supernova festivals on the Gold Coast for her Who’s Afraid fantasy series and the “Wolfpack’’ following she has developed, is about to make her Young Adult debut with an eBook to be distributed globally, It Came From The Deep.
Lewis, a former Gold Coast clubbie herself, has had some of lifesaving’s top ironwomen acting as advisers as she has developed the story.
Set among the picturesque waterways of the Gold Coast, the book will plunge readers into the world of surf life saving – something Lewis was involved in when she grew up on the Gold Coast, where she worked as a journalist before heading south to carve out a career in entertainment reporting, writing about pop culture, screenwriting and as a television presenter.
The story revolves around the murder of an elderly professor, leaving a puzzling crime scene for police to unravel as well as a laboratory housing all kinds of marine life. The focus is also on high school graduate Kaia Craig, whose career as an ironwoman is in jeopardy after an incident in which she nearly drowns in a lake – and afterwards is convinced she saw “something’’ in the depths that she believes chose to spare her.
“I’m a massive fan and consumer of Young Adult fiction and have always wanted to write something in that world, but I’ve just been waiting for the right story,” Lewis said from Sydney yesterday.
“It Came From The Deep is that story and my twist on The Little Mermaid meets Creature From The Black Lagoon. Much of the action (in the new book) takes place within the surf life saving community, which was obviously informed by my experiences as an athlete on that circuit.
“It has actually been really interesting as the Hancock sisters (ironwomen Courtney, Bonnie and India Hancock) have been reading the book for years as it has developed over time and given me notes and feedback, so it has been a tricky balance of trying to describe that world for readers, who have no experience in it, but not dumb things down simultaneously.
“It Came From The Deep also comes at the start of what I believe is going to be an upswing in ‘merpeople’ stories, with Aquaman currently filming on the Gold Coast and Netflix Australia’s new original series Tidelands rumoured to be filming there next year.
“The Gold Coast has a legacy of these kind of tales given hits H20: Just Add Water and Mako Mermaids were both shot there for years.’’
Her eBook will be launched on October 31.