About The Mermaids of Lake Michigan
- Paperback
- Publisher: Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing (February 14, 2017)
Elise Faulkner is more at home in the waters of her beloved Lake Michigan than on land where her beauty queen mom is always on her back about her lack of a social life; her sister is dating the boy of her dreams; her favorite penpal–the one who wrote about mermaids in Ghana–has gotten married and ended their correspondence; and no one’s allowed to talk about her glamorous great-grandmother, the deep-sea wreck diver. Elise is biding her time with books until she can flee. But then crazy Chiara Hanover pops into her life, as does Miguel, a mysterious carnival worker whose dark future has been predicted by a gypsy.
“A lyrical, compelling coming-of-age story with magical elements.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Elise Faulkner drew me into her head and heart so subtly, yet with such force, that by the end I was cheering her on. Suzanne Kamata has woven an honest, aching coming-of-age story that will speak to women everywhere.” ?Kristin Bair O’Keeffe, author of The Art of Floating and Thirsty
“Suzanne Kamata has written a novel of great charm and depth, with a bit of magical realism laced with humor. Elise, its engaging narrator opens her arms and her heart to life’s complexity, including family secrets and escapades with a magnificent new bestie–the irrepressible Chiara. When an unlikely romance unfolds with a mysterious drifter/musician, Kamata steers us expertly into darker waters. A jewel of a novel, set on the shores of Lake Michigan with Kamata’s signature compassion for all of its characters.” — Margaret Willey, author of A Summer of Silk Moths
“The Mermaids of Lake Michigan is a luminous coming-of-age story about a teen struggling against social norms and her own family legacy to find her way. Elise’s journey is hardly the stuff of fairy tales, as she ends up far from home, and far from the self she meant to be. Raw, real and even a bit magical.” — Kristina Riggle, author of The Life You’ve Imagined and Vivian in Red
“Suzanne Kamata’s new novel, The Mermaids of Lake Michigan, is a beautiful story about a teenage girl who must learn to balance her idealism and belief in mermaids with the harsh realities of growing up and trying to find people to love and trust. A page-turner set in the unstable years of the 1970s, I devoured it in one sitting. It brought back memories of my own adolescence and took me beyond, in that way all good novels do, into the wonderings of circumstance and the choices we would make if faced with hard decisions. Suitable for teens and adults alike, this novel will teach readers to believe in magic even in the face of tragedy.” — Cassie Premo Steele, author of Beautiful Waters
Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
About Suzanne Kamata
Suzanne Kamata was born and raised in Grand Haven, Michigan. She is most recently from Lexington, South Carolina, and now lives in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan with her husband and two children. Her short stories, essays, articles and book reviews have appeared in over 100 publications including Real Simple, Brain, Child, Crab Orchard Review, and The Japan Times. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize five times, and received a Special Mention in 2006. She is also a two-time winner of the All Nippon Airways/ Wingspan Fiction Contest, winner of the Paris Book Festival Award, and winner of the Half the World Global Literati Award for the novel.
Connect with Suzanne
Website | Twitter
Suzanne Kamata’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Tuesday, February 14th: Kahakai Kitchen
Wednesday, February 15th: Books and Bindings
Thursday, February 16th: Bibliotica
Friday, February 17th: Books ‘n Tea
Tuesday, February 21st: Write Read Life
Wednesday, February 22nd: Reading is My Superpower
Wednesday, February 22nd: Just Commonly
Thursday, February 23rd: Ms. Nose in a Book
Friday, February 24th: Readaholic Zone
Monday, February 27th: Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, March 1st: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, March 2nd: Sweet Southern Home
Saturday, March 4th: Books a la Mode – author guest post
Monday, March 6th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Tuesday, March 7th: Dreams, Etc.
Thursday, March 9th: Art @ Home
Monday, March 13th: Wall-to-Wall Books
Wednesday, March 15th: Dreaming Big
Monday, March 20th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Wednesday, March 29th: Thoughts on This ‘n That