Would you believe it if I told you I was a former theater kid? Well, I didn't make it to Broadway, but I did take some acting skills away that eventually led to the creation of my first character.
I came up with Hazel when I was about 19, fresh out of high school and in between life's milestones, and somewhere in between pursuing a career in writing, marine bio, or acting.
So then, I decided to combine all three of those things.
Funny enough, this is an instance where an impulsive decision led to one of my greatest career moves. I had been eyeing up the fancy custom mermaid tails of Finfolk Productions, when I came across a blueish green tail that was love at first sight. The inner child in me said buy it, and I did. After saving up a bit, I bought the Sea Sapphire tail, and thus Hazel was born!
Well... maybe not quite then. I had bought the tail and had sat with it for a bit, trying to think what character could possibly come out of this, and then I had remembered my high school English teacher, who had an equally whimsical personality (and who would've totally encouraged me to buy the mermaid tail just for the hell of it). One of the biggest influences she had on me was her kindness and creativity that inspired me to pursue writing in the first place, so I figured my first book character should have somewhat of a nod to her influence.
Mermaid Hazel ended up becoming a combination of my edge and whimsy, alongside the mentorship of kindness and inspiration that my 9th grade English teacher gave me. I wanted her to be this fantastic yet attainable character that children could not only look up to, but become themselves.
In addition to this, Hazel's story is a little different from your traditional mermaid stories. When I was a kid, I always related more to the sort of 'mysterious' characters, but all the stories I grew up with portrayed these characters that had a sort of witchyness to them as evil and I never understood why.
And don't even get me started on sharks. Sharks are almost always the bad guy, and while this might be a stretch, from an environmental concern this could create issues. So why not make one the super cool sidekick instead of a monster for once?
Hazel is a kindness-spreading witch that had a shark sidekick. She's a sea witch, and while this might conjure up images of the classic villain Ursula, Hazel is what a real pagan witch would be. She cares for the environment, uses her magic for good, and is deeply understanding of every living thing, even if they may seem frightening. Hazel advocates for all things good and teaches us that the term 'witch,' is not a negative term, but a label for someone who is powerful in the way that they use their personal sense of magic to spread kindness and help others. I wanted her to be an 'accessible superhero,' one that children regardless of background, identity, and ability could see themselves as. While she has magic, most of her power comes from her compassion, which is a power I believe all children have.
So with this, I proudly share with you the official creation story of Mermaid Hazel; I hope you can join her on some of her upcoming adventures!
Comments