Intrigue. Magic. Love. And just a little bit of hope. ✨

Welcome to another Book Club Conversation, where we sit down with authors to talk about the stories, characters, worlds, and ideas behind the books that have captured our attention.

This month, we're chatting with Katy Tearle, author of Between Sky and Sea, the first book in the Black Heart Tribunal series a fantasy filled with selkies, fae, dragons, witches, werewolves, seers, sirens, political intrigue, romance, and a dangerous threat that could be hiding in plain sight.

And if you think becoming the King of All Selkies sounds like a pretty big promotion, wait until you find out what comes next for Mira. 👀

🌊 Meet Between Sky and Sea

Mira's journey begins with a new crown and quickly turns into something much more complicated. Suddenly she's dealing with assassins, supernatural factions, royal responsibilities, and the return of someone who knows her far too well.

And then there's Lukas.

Once her love, now assigned as her bodyguard, Lukas brings an entirely different kind of danger into Mira's already complicated new life. Because sometimes the hardest person to protect is the one you never stopped loving.

We asked Katy what she would say to readers who haven't discovered Between Sky and Sea yet.

If you had to describe Between Sky and Sea in three words, what would they be?

“Intrigue. Magic. Love.”

And Katy gave us a bonus word, too:

Hope. 💙

Honestly, that sounds like a pretty perfect introduction to this fantasy world.

✨ From a Teenager's “Big Fantasy Novel” to a Published Series

One of our favorite parts of talking with authors is discovering how long a story can live inside them before it finally becomes the book we get to read.

Katy first came up with the vague idea that would eventually become the Black Heart Tribunal series when she was just 14 years old.

At the time, she knew she wanted to write something big with extensive worldbuilding and magic but she didn't yet have the writing experience to bring it to life.

Years later, after writing several unrelated short stories containing elements that would eventually appear in the series, Katy remembered that original idea.

What started as her “big fantasy novel” slowly evolved into Between Sky and Sea.

Interestingly, Mira came first.

Katy discovered through her short stories that creating characters readers could connect with before building the world worked best for her. From Mira, the selkie world and surrounding characters began to take shape.

The Black Heart Tribunal, however, was the final piece of the puzzle.

And judging from what Katy has shared about them, that may have been the most dangerous piece.

👑 What Happens When the Crown Comes With Assassins?

Mira's transition from newly crowned ruler to someone dodging assassins and navigating supernatural politics happens quickly and intentionally.

Katy describes the feeling she wanted to capture as something many of us can probably relate to:

You walk into a situation thinking you've been told “it's no big deal, don't worry about it,” only to look beneath the surface and realize...

Oh. Oh no.

😂

Katy also wanted to launch readers directly into the intrigue and action, which makes Mira's new position anything but quiet.

🧜‍♀️ A Supernatural World With a Twist

Between Sky and Sea brings together an impressive lineup of supernatural beings, including selkies, dragons, witches, werewolves, seers, fae, and sirens.

But Katy wasn't interested in simply recreating familiar fantasy archetypes.

She was particularly excited to explore seers, fae, and sirens, using trope inversion and manipulation to take readers' expectations and turn them slightly or completely on their heads.

It's a reminder that sometimes the most interesting fantasy worlds aren't the ones that completely abandon familiar ideas.

They're the ones that make you look at those ideas differently.

🖤 The Black Heart Tribunal

Without giving away spoilers, we asked Katy what she could tease about the threat at the heart of the series.

Her answer?

The Black Heart Tribunal is both insidious and demonstrably dangerous.

They're capable of publicly distancing themselves from their worst crimes with alarming ease.

And perhaps most unsettling of all?

They could be anyone.

👀 We'll just let that sink in.

❤️ Former Love. Current Bodyguard. Complicated Feelings.

Mira and Lukas already have history and now he's responsible for protecting her.

Naturally, that comes with a lot of built-in tension.

Lukas is caught between his duty to his people, his responsibility as Mira's bodyguard, and the love for her that never truly disappeared.

Mira faces her own conflict between her responsibility to her people and the possibility of something more with Lukas.

Katy also explores the idea of living and dying in service to the person you love, making their relationship about far more than simply rekindling an old romance.

We're already intrigued. 💕👀

📖 From Childhood Storytelling to Author

Katy says she's been telling stories since she could speak, and her journey toward becoming a writer began long before Between Sky and Sea.

She doesn't remember writing her very first story, but her uncle saved a copy and eventually gave it back to her.

We'll just say that Katy's literary career apparently started very early. 😂📚

Although she always wanted to be a writer, she didn't believe she could actually make it happen until she grew up, gained more experience, and became a little better at navigating the world.

And now that childhood dream has become a published fantasy series.

We love that for her. 💙

👑 Learning How to Rule

Mira isn't simply stepping into a crown.

She's stepping into a role previously held by her mother while facing an entirely different political landscape.

Katy approached their relationship almost as a cultural divide. Both Mira and her mother want what is best for the Kingdom, but they've experienced completely different circumstances.

And sometimes what a parent believes is best for their child isn't necessarily what that child needs.

At its heart, beneath all the fantasy, politics, magic, and supernatural intrigue, Mira's story is also about a parent and child trying to understand one another.

👀 And That Ending...

Finally, we had to ask the question every reader wants answered:

What does Katy hope readers feel when they close Between Sky and Sea?

Her answer may be the most relatable author response ever:

“How dare you?!”

followed immediately by:

“Where is the goddamn second book?!”

😂📚

And honestly?

We feel like that's exactly the kind of reaction a fantasy series should inspire.

💙 About Katy Tearle

Katy Tearle is the author of Between Sky and Sea, the first book in the Black Heart Tribunal series.

Her fantasy world combines supernatural creatures, political intrigue, romance, magic, and characters who are learning that power comes with considerably more complications than a crown might suggest.

📚 Read Between Sky and Sea

Purchase:
Buy Between Sky and Sea

⭐ Continue the Series

Pre-order Where the Sky Dreams of Stars:
Pre-order Where the Sky Dreams of Stars

📱 Follow Katy Tearle

Instagram:
@katytearle.author on Instagram

💕 Want the Full Conversation?

This is just a preview of our conversation with Katy Tearle!

Want to read the complete Book Club Conversation, including all nine questions and Katy's full answers?

✨ Join The First Editions to unlock the full extended conversation and discover even more about Between Sky and Sea, Mira, Lukas, the Black Heart Tribunal, Katy's writing journey, and what's ahead for this fantasy world.

Come join The First Editions and keep reading with The Page Ladies Book Club! 📚💗

📚 BOOK CLUB CONVERSATION: KATY TEARLE

Intrigue. Magic. Love. Hope. ✨🌊

What happens when a newly crowned King of All Selkies is thrown into a world of assassins, supernatural factions, political intrigue, complicated family relationships, and a former love who is now sworn to protect her?

You get Between Sky and Sea, the first book in Katy Tearle’s Black Heart Tribunal series and one seriously intriguing fantasy world.

For this month’s Book Club Conversation, we’re sitting down with author Katy Tearle to talk about Between Sky and Sea, the inspiration behind the Black Heart Tribunal, selkies and supernatural societies, Mira and Lukas, found family, complicated relationships, worldbuilding, writing advice, favorite fantasy books, and what readers can expect next.

And Katy definitely brought the bookish energy. 💗

So grab your favorite reading blanket, settle in, and let’s get into it!

🌊 BETWEEN SKY AND SEA

1. If you had to describe Between Sky and Sea in three words to a reader who hasn’t discovered it yet, what would they be?

Katy: Intrigue. Magic. Love.

Bonus word: Hope.

2. What was the very first spark for Between Sky and Sea? Did Mira, the selkie world, the Black Heart Tribunal, or something else come to you first?

Katy: I had the very vague first idea for the Black Heart Tribunal series when I was 14. I knew I wanted to write something big, something with a lot of worldbuilding, something with magic. But back then, I didn't have enough writing skill, or knowledge of anything, really. So I put the story on the backburner and tried a few more times over the years until I got to 2023.

I'd written a few completely unrelated short stories with elements that appear in the Black Heart Tribunal series. And then I remembered the Black Heart Tribunal series idea. It wasn't called that then, it was just called the big fantasy novel.

And so slowly but surely, I eased my way into writing it. Mira came first. I'd learned in writing the short stories that it was easier for me to make characters people care about before building the world. Building the selkie world and all the other characters around Mira came easier then. The Black Heart Tribunal was harder and was the final piece of the puzzle.

3. Mira goes from newly crowned King of All Selkies to dodging assassins, negotiating with supernatural factions, and building her Royal Entourage. What made you want to throw her into the deep end quite so quickly?

Katy: I feel like everyone has walked into a job where they've been handed a situation that they've been told is “no big deal, don't worry about it” and then they look past the surface and go “oh... oh no.”

And that's kind of the vibe I wanted to have for Mira.

I also really enjoy writing intrigue and action and wanted to launch directly into it.

4. Your world brings together selkies, dragons, witches, werewolves, seers, fae, and sirens. Was there a particular supernatural being you were most excited to put your own spin on?

Katy: Seers, fae, and sirens were the ones that I wanted to bring to life the most.

I love the idea of trope inversion, or trope manipulation. So I wanted to take the stereotypes of what people expect for seers, fae, and sirens in fantasy worlds and either turn them on their heads, or shift them off-center enough that it makes people take notice.

5. Without giving away spoilers, what can you tease readers about the Black Heart Tribunal and the threat it poses?

Katy: The Black Heart Tribunal is an insidious threat as well as a demonstrable threat. They have the scary ability to publicly distance themselves from their worst crimes with ease.

And they could be anyone.

6. Mira and Lukas have a history, and now he's assigned to protect her. What makes a “former love turned bodyguard” dynamic so much fun to write?

Katy: There's an inbuilt tension already there when writing a “former love turned bodyguard” storyline.

On Lukas's side there's an internal war, his duty to his people vs. his duty to his role as Mira's bodyguard vs. his love for her that never actually left.

And on Mira's side there's hints of that too her duty to her people vs. the potential of something she could have with Lukas.

And then there's the concept of living and dying in service to the person you love.

Which is such fun to explore.

7. You’ve described yourself as someone who has been telling stories since you could speak. Do you remember the first story you ever created, or the moment you realized you wanted to be a writer?

Katy: While I don't remember writing it, my uncle gave me a copy of the first story I allegedly ever wrote. I've attached a picture of the literary masterpiece.

I think I've always wanted to be a writer, but never thought I could actually pull it off until I grew up and gotten older and better at being a human in the world.

8. What do you hope readers feel when they close Between Sky and Sea for the first time?

Katy: I hope they feel a combination of “how dare you?!” followed by “where is the goddamn second book?!”

9. Mira is stepping into a position her mother held before her, but she's facing a completely different political landscape. How did you approach writing a character who is learning how to rule while simultaneously figuring out what kind of ruler she wants to become?

Katy: I wanted to approach Mira's relationship with her mother almost as a cultural divide.

They both want the best for the Kingdom, but they've been given very different circumstances surrounding their rule, so what is best for the Kingdom looks very different for each of them.

And I think, even though it's a story about a Queen and her next in line to rule, it's still ultimately a story about a parent and child not quite understanding that what the parent thinks is best is not necessarily what actually is best for the child.

10. The Black Heart Tribunal isn't simply a villainous individual it represents an organized movement with political and ideological power. What interested you about exploring that kind of antagonist?

Katy: It felt more relatable and more complex to try and write and explore something systemic and organized as a “bad guy” rather than have one villainous individual.

If you have one villainous individual trying to ruin everything, and then they're killed or taken down, the story is over.

But what happens when the “bad guy” is entrenched in the system?

That's what I wanted to explore with the Black Heart Tribunal series.

11. Your story involves multiple supernatural communities with their own identities, interests, and power structures. How did you approach making each group feel distinct rather than simply being different versions of the same fantasy archetype?

Katy: I focus hard on making everyone an individual person first and foremost.

So, for example, Mira is Mira first. Then she's a selkie. Then she's the King of All Selkies.

That's how I build her and by default all of the other characters out.

What makes Mira, Mira? Then what parts of her are that way because she's a selkie? What mannerisms does she have because she's a selkie? Then what changes because she's the King?

Rinse and repeat for everyone else.

🖤 FOUND FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS & CHARACTERS

14. Found family and unlikely alliances seem to be an important part of Mira's journey. What is it about putting very different characters together that makes a story more interesting?

Katy: I think having a very different, very unlikely band of people fighting for the same cause is always a fascinating story because everyone understands why they would fight for a particular cause.

And they can maybe work out why someone similar to them would fight for the same cause.

But putting someone completely different, completely unintended, someone who seemingly should not fit in the group always throws everyone for a loop, because it gives both the reader and all of the other characters perspective that they never had of an issue that they thought only affected them.

16. When you're writing a relationship with complicated history, do you find it easier to know exactly where the characters stand, or do they tend to surprise you along the way?

Katy: Is it easier to know exactly where the characters stand? Yes.

Do I always know where the characters stand? Absolutely not.

Mira and Lukas surprised me at least a dozen times throughout the course of writing this trilogy.

17. What makes a character compelling enough for you to want to spend an entire book or series with them?

Katy: Emotional connection whether positive or negative.

I write a lot of multi-POV. If I'm going to spend more than a few chapters with a character, I can't be ambivalent towards them.

I have to either love them most often the case or I have to hate them.

18. Your characters have to navigate assassins, political factions, supernatural powers, personal relationships, and potentially world-changing consequences. When you're plotting, do you start with the characters and let their choices create the chaos, or do you build the larger plot first?

Katy: Characters first 100%.

The plot can be changed easily. But if the reader doesn't care about the people who are going through all of these troubles and consequences, then, in my opinion, it doesn't matter how good the plot is.

Good character building can make people love, hate, or want a character and then they'll care about what happens to them.

19. Was there a character in Between Sky and Sea who surprised you while you were writing them?

Katy: Wyatt.

He was only supposed to be a small character with a bit part. But I showed some of his sections to one of my writer friends and they loved him.

And I did too.

So he ended up taking over.

21. Were there any scenes, characters, or relationships that changed significantly from your original idea to the finished book?

Katy: The relationship between Mira and her mother grew and changed very dramatically from the first draft to the final draft.

The character of Mira changed as well. She was originally written more aloof and colder, more Ice Queen-esque.

22. How much of your own background in linguistics influences the way you approach language, dialogue, names, cultures, or worldbuilding?

Katy: Thank you for asking this question! Now I finally have something I can point to and show people that I'm actually using my Masters in Applied Linguistics. 😂

But yes, my background is in both sociology and linguistics the study of essentially the combination of people and language: how it's formed, how history shapes it, etc.

And it's definitely shaped the way I've chosen names, the way I've adjusted dialogue and syntax to fit certain characters and cultures, etc.

23. What part of creating the world of Between Sky and Sea was the most fun for you?

Katy: Creating the different magic systems and the different ways in which magic has shown up in the world was the most fun.

I love trying to find the different ways that I can describe magic and make it fit the world.

24. And which part made you stare at your manuscript and wonder why you had decided to create such a complicated world in the first place? 😂

Katy: Writing a multi-POV world with so many characters and so many cultures, I often spent a bunch of time staring blankly into space when I realized exactly how big the world was.

🧙‍♀️ BOOK LOVER QUESTIONS

25. What kind of reader were you growing up, and what books or authors helped shape your love of fantasy?

Katy: As a kid, I read all the time. I practically lived at my local library and whenever I could, I asked for vouchers for bookstores or money for books for birthdays and Christmas presents.

Books were my escape and my favorite activity. I read everything I could get my hands on.

But I had a few favorites that I read over and over again:

📚 Garth Nix — The Abhorsen Series
📚 J.R.R. Tolkien — The Lord of the Rings
📚 Philip Pullman — His Dark Materials Trilogy
📚 Susanna Clarke — Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
📚 Tamora Pierce — Circle Opens Series and Protector of the Small Series

26. Is there a fantasy book you wish you could erase from your memory just so you could experience reading it for the first time again?

Katy: If I could go back and read Garth Nix's The Abhorsen Series and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy for the first time again or better yet, delete them from my memories and read them again as an adult I would 100% do it.

28. If you could spend one day in your own supernatural world, which group would you want to spend it with and which group would you politely avoid? 😂

Katy: I would spend it in the Selkie Manor House.

There are so many different characters and people there that I would love to meet.

And on the flip side I would politely avoid the dragons minus Lukas.

Not for any other reason other than that they very intense.

29. If you could choose one supernatural ability from your own world to have in real life, what would you pick?

Katy: Fae marbles.

A power source of magic that can be used for a bunch of things at once.

30. Which would you rather have: a selkie skin, a witch's magic, a siren's voice, a seer's visions, or the ability to turn into a dragon?

Katy: A witch's magic, for sure.

All of the others have too many drawbacks for me.

A selkie skin—I’d forget where I left it, then boom, I'm trapped by some random person.

A siren's voice—I like to blend in for the most part. It would be almost impossible to do that as a siren.

A seer's visions—I don't want to know the future, that sounds terrible.

And the ability to turn into a dragon—I have enough trouble with legs and arms, I would have a hell of a time if I added wings and a tail to that.

31. Do you have a favorite character you've written so far, or is choosing between fictional children basically impossible?

Katy: I'd love to say that choosing between fictional children is impossible, but it's not.

Jon.

Jon is hands down my favorite in Between Sky and Sea.

34. Are you a “read one book at a time” person, or do you have several books going at once?

Katy: Even though I'm a “write several books at a time” person, I only ever read one book at a time.

35. What does your ideal reading day look like?

Katy: A stack of books from my TBR pile.

Raining or snowing outside.

Warm and cozy inside.

A cup of tea.

A blanket over my lap.

My cat.

And silence while I read all my books.

Honestly? We approve. 📚☕🐈

✍️ THE AUTHOR LIFE

36. When you're not writing, what are you most likely to be doing?

Katy: Knitting. Working at my day job. Watching baseball and hockey.

But even while I'm doing those, I'm always likely to be scribbling plots and ideas in notebooks and on my phone.

38. Are you a plotter, a pantser, or somewhere delightfully chaotic in between?

Katy: I am the delightfully chaotic in between.

I write by the seat of my pants until I write myself into a corner. Then I work with my beta reader and we plot out what comes next together.

39. What's the best piece of writing advice you've ever received?

Katy: The best piece of writing advice I've ever received is: Write badly.

It seems very counter-intuitive, but it works very well.

Learning to write badly and be okay with that means you're focusing on getting the words out of your head and onto the page.

Everything else, like editing, prettying it up, etc., that can wait until the words are on a page.

40. What's one piece of writing advice you wish you could go back and give your younger self?

Katy: Don't stop. And don't listen.

I stopped writing for a long time because I listened to people who told me that I wasn't a good writer.

And that made me hesitant to start up again, and hesitant to put my work out there.

41. What's something about the writing or publishing process that surprised you once you became an author?

Katy: As an indie author, one thing that surprised me.and I think it surprises every indie author is how much marketing you have to do, and how much time it takes.

It is worth it, obviously!

But at the same time, I'd much rather be writing!!

42. You've had short stories published in anthologies as well as writing novels. How does writing a short story compare with building a full-length fantasy world?

Katy: Honestly, writing a short story is a lot harder for me.

You have to convey so much more worldbuilding and character building in far fewer words.

Whereas in a full-length novel, I have all the time in the world to build characters, create the world, introduce new characters, anything I like.

43. What's something you wish more readers knew about what goes into creating a book?

Katy: I wish more readers knew about the time involved in creating a book from start to finish.

I think a lot of readers understand the effort or at least I hope they do.

But the time, I think, is something that I'm not sure people quite get.

The Black Heart Tribunal Series all three books took me 2.5 years to write, from starting the first draft of book 1 to finishing the final draft of book 3.

44. What is one thing you hope readers take away from Between Sky and Sea whether that's a feeling, a character, a question, or something they continue thinking about long after they've finished the book?

Katy: I hope that people leave Between Sky and Sea wanting more of the world and the people in it whatever that looks like for them.

45. And finally, what can you tease readers about what's ahead for the Black Heart Tribunal series without giving away any spoilers?

Katy: Everything gets so much worse before it gets better.

And honestly, after that tease, we're going to need book two immediately. 😂

📚 A FEW MORE BOOKISH DETAILS ABOUT KATY

Katy's love of books started early. She describes herself as a child who practically lived at her local library, with books serving as both an escape and a favorite activity.

Her fantasy influences include Garth Nix, J.R.R. Tolkien, Philip Pullman, Susanna Clarke, and Tamora Pierce.

When she's not writing, Katy can usually be found knitting, working her day job, watching baseball or hockey, or.as authors apparently do scribbling new plot ideas into notebooks and her phone.

Her writing process is “delightfully chaotic,” and her best advice is refreshingly simple:

Write badly.

Get the words out first. The editing and polishing can come later.

And perhaps the most important advice she would give her younger self?

Don't stop. And don't listen.

🌊 READ BETWEEN SKY AND SEA

Ready to dive into the world of selkies, supernatural factions, magic, political intrigue, found family, and complicated romance?

You can purchase Between Sky and Sea here:

Purchase Between Sky and Sea

And if you're already looking ahead to the next installment, you can preorder Where the Sky Dreams of Stars here:

Pre-order Where the Sky Dreams of Stars

You can also follow Katy on Instagram:

Katy Tearle on Instagram

Katy also shared two book covers and a photo of the very first story she allegedly ever wrote for us to include with the feature.

💗 THANK YOU, KATY!

Katy, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with The Page Ladies Book Club and share the stories, inspiration, bookish influences, writing advice, and behind-the-scenes details that helped shape Between Sky and Sea and the Black Heart Tribunal series.

We loved getting a peek behind the pages and we're definitely keeping that “everything gets so much worse before it gets better” tease in the back of our minds. 👀📚

Thank you for letting us be part of your bookish world!

📣 AUTHORS, READERS & BOOK LOVERS

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📚 READERS: Tell us in the comments: If you could spend one day inside a fictional supernatural world, which world would you choose and which character would you want as your guide? 👇

#ThePageLadiesBookClub #KatyTearle #BetweenSkyAndSea #BlackHeartTribunal #FantasyBooks

Our contributors have been busy reading some awesome titles this week!

Marlena is reading Mamey by Anny Caba.

Renee is reading Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Jordy is reading Mothsblood by Lynn D. Jung.

Rah is reading Tomie by Junji Ito.

Mhairie is reading Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft.

Jackie is reading The Lafferty Girl by Rebecca Lafferty.

What book(s) have you been reading this week?! Share in the comments below so we can discuss!