About the Book:
Corith Fraine is a Floodmouth—her words can control water. Yet for those born with her rare elemental ability, paths forward are few, and Corith is one of the lucky ones. She has spent most of her life in a prestigious magic institution, training to one day achieve the highest possible honor for a member of her kind: the chance to serve one of the hundred noble houses.
When Corith learns she’s secured a post working for House Shearwater, a reclusive noble family living on a wave-battered island, she thinks her hard work has paid off. Until she discovers that their previous Floodmouth—Corith’s closest friend—mysteriously died in their service. And Corith is her replacement.
To learn the truth of her best friend’s accident, Corith must unravel the dark conspiracies at the heart of Bower Island. Yet doing so will require contending with the island’s deadly tides and her enigmatic new employers—including the family’s brooding youngest son, Llir, who she finds herself equally drawn to and repelled by. With her loyalties pushed to breaking point, these treacherous waters may well pull Corith under…
Find this book on Goodreads and Bookshop.org UK (affiliate link).
About the Author:
Sadie Turner grew up on the Welsh Border and now lives in Hampshire, not far from the former home of one of her biggest inspirations: Jane Austen. She is a copywriter, mother of two, and author of gloomy, romantic, neurodiverse YA Fantasy. When she can find the time, she loves reading, cooking, and classic CRPGs, and is rarely seen without a cup of tea on hand.
Interview:
Pitch your book in 10 words!
Autistic water mage solves twisty mysteries on isolated tidal island.
The tides in this world are very extreme, leading to some of the tensest action moments in the book. What inspired you to have a tidal system like this and did you have to do any research to make it all fit together?
The first inkling of this book was its setting, inspired by a real-life tidal island, Lindisfarne, and I knew from early on that I wanted the tides to be really threatening. So I thought, since this is fantasy, why not amp up the tides the world over? The tidal system is my own creation based on the fact that Corith’s world has two moons. I did a lot of research into how two moons might affect tides — when the moons align, gravitational force is greater, resulting in a very large tidal range — and really enjoyed working it all out. Not much of this ‘behind the scenes’ info made it into the book, but there’s a very detailed system in my worldbuilding document!
Your magicians speak to their elements in order to use them, requiring a form of relationship with them. Why did you decide on framing your magic system this way? Did any aspect of it change during the process of writing and editing?
I knew from the start I wanted my main character to have power over water. Water felt integral to the story, given its setting, and I realised a water mage’s powers were bound to be useful to a noble family living on the coast. Adding powers over the other traditional elements — air, fire, earth — also felt natural. As for the speaking aspect of the gift, I wanted a slight twist on the familiar elemental magic system, but I also wanted the elements, and particularly water and the ocean, to feel like characters in their own right in the novel. Hence, giving the tides different ‘moods’, and having my mages communicate with them with their words.
Magicians in this world are referred to by unflattering terms – Floodmouth, Mudmouth – but, as the title hints at, there are older, more flattering terms for magicians. Was this always an integral part of the world? What inspired it?
Actually, the title, TIDESPEAKER, came first — I just thought it sounded snappy and attention-grabbing — and I didn’t add the older, more respectful names for the magic users until the second draft, suddenly realising I hadn’t explained the title! But I knew from the start that there was this tense, conflicted history between the magic users and the nobility, so having ‘Tidespeaker’ be the name Corith’s kind called themselves before the Great Revolt—before they lost all their political power—became a nice way to tie my snappy title to the worldbuilding!
The Shearwaters are a family of five and, other than Corith, there are four key members of staff. How did you approach making these characters – who often appear together – distinct?
Strangely, the Shearwaters appeared in my head almost fully formed. Partly, this is because they are loosely inspired by the Bertrams of Jane Austen’s MANSFIELD PARK — I’ve always been a little fascinated by that family. But they became uniquely my own in the later planning and drafting. Distinguishing them necessitated thinking deeply about how each sibling would behave and react in each scene (or at least how their behaviour would come across to Corith)—which was tricky, as, for most of the book, they’re all harbouring secrets from outsiders, and in some cases, from each other!
With the Orha servants, as soon as I’d decided on my magic system, I knew I wanted one of each type of Orha on the staff, for the very reason that it would help distinguish them. But I also gave them different demeanours: Tigo is loyal and stoic, Mawre somewhat blunt, and Rhianne friendly and (appropriately) fiery!
Corith’s search for answers about her friend’s demise – and her entanglement with the rebels – is set against a wider tale of political infighting between the nobles. What helped you find the right balance between these story elements?
I’ve always been a fan of political intrigue and Machiavellian machinations in fantasy, and I envisioned the Hundred Houses as bickering aristocrats from early on — but I (and my very patient editors!) knew too much lofty political discussion might get confusing and slow down the story. There are some chapters that are heavy on the politics and infighting, but I tried to sandwich these between action sequences and more personal, character-driven scenes. But I’m still not sure if I got the balance right!
What was your favourite moment to write between Corith and Llir?
That’s a tough one! I loved writing every interaction between them. But I think it’s got to be their fraught first meeting on the causeway leading to Bower Island.
Please recommend a UKYA book you think readers will love.
GEEK GIRL by Holly Smale*. This book has an undiagnosed neurodivergent protagonist, like my own. I think it’s so important to increase neurodivergent representation in fiction: We’re 25% of the population, but less than 4% of books in the UK feature or are written by neurodivergent and disabled folks.
Thank you, Sadie!
*Affiliate link
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