This event takes place in person at Charis and on Crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. This event is free, but registration is required for virtual attendance. Please read the in-person event guidelines at the bottom of this page to be sure you can participate in the event. 

Charis welcomes L. D. Lewis in conversation with Mia Tsai in celebration of Year of the Mer, a dark and bloody epic fantasy reimagining of The Little Mermaid.

The fairy tale mermaid Arielle might have gotten her happily-ever-after, but her granddaughter Yemi is having a much harder time. Her father, the king of Ixia, was assassinated years ago, her mother is slowly dying of a poisoned wound, and she faces whispers and slights from her own people. Yemi has been raised as the shield of the kingdom and is soon to inherit the throne, but she cannot shake her fury at how Ixia has treated her family after all they’ve sacrificed. Only her patient mother and steadfast personal bodyguard (and fiancée), Nova, help Yemi rein in that fury...most of the time.

When the kingdom’s discontented rumblings reach a fever pitch, a coup erupts and Yemi’s throne is usurped, stripping her of her family and forcing her into exile. Now, only one being has the power to help her: Ursla.

Like her grandmother before her, Yemi is tempted by a deal with the sea-witch. With powerful and ancient magic behind her, Yemi could avenge her family, take back her throne, and protect the love of her life. But she should know more than anyone that there is always a price. As much as Yemi wants vengeance, Ursla has been waiting a very, very long time for her own—and it may take more fortune than Yemi possesses to keep her from losing everything all over again.

L. D. Lewis is an editor, publisher, and Shirley Jackson Award–nominated writer of speculative fiction. She is the author of the novel Year of the Mer and the novellas A Ruin of Shadows and The Dead Withheld. Her published short fiction and poetry has appeared in several Neon Hemlock anthologies, numerous online publications, and Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming. Past lives include roles as a founding creator and project manager for the World Fantasy and Hugo Award–winning FIYAH Literary Magazine, the director of FIYAHCON, and researcher for the LeVar Burton Reads podcast. She pays the bills as a literary nonprofit administrator. She lives in Georgia on perpetual deadline with her partner, two cats, and an impressive LEGO build collection.

Mia Tsai is a Taiwanese American author of speculative fiction, including Bitter Medicine and The Memory Hunters. An editor at GigaNotoSaurus, a 2024 Hugo Finalist for Best Semi-pro Zine, she is also a musician, teacher, and erstwhile photographer who attended Carnegie Mellon University and Georgia State University. She lives in the Atlanta area with her family, and, when not writing, is a hype woman for her orchids and devoted cat gopher. She can be found online at MiaTsai.com, itsamia.bsky.social on BlueSky, and @mia.tsai.books on Instagram and Tiktok.

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Donate on Crowdcast or via our website: www.chariscircle.org/donate or in person at the event.

Charis Books is a fully wheelchair accessible space with on site van accessible parking, two ramps, and additional overflow accessible parking nearby. Additional accessibility information can be found on the Accessibility page of our website. 

In-person event guidelines:

All attendees must wear a face mask during the event.

We will begin seating people at 7:00 PM ET.

This event will be live-streamed via Crowdcast. 

As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event.

If you have any questions regarding these guidelines or to request specific accessibility accommodations, please contact info@charisbooksandmore.com or call the store at 404-524-0304.

Please contact us at info@chariscircle.org or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event. If you would like to watch the event with live AI captions, you may do so by watching it in Google Chrome and enabling captions: Instructions here. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org.

By attending our event, you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Unsolicited sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to Charis staff immediately or email info@chariscircle.org.

Year of the Mer -- L. D. Lewis in conversation with Mia Tsai