In Conversation with Sophie Cameron: Where the Tide Lines Lead

We were delighted to chat with Sophie Cameron about Where the Tide Lines Lead, exploring the inspiration behind the story, the ideas and themes that shaped it, and the journey of bringing the book to life. In this Q&A, Sophie shares a little more about the world of the novel, her writing process and what she hopes readers will take away from it.

You can buy the book, complete with an exclusive Where The Tide Lines Lead bookmark and activity pack, here.

Where the Tide Lines Lead combines a missing-person mystery with fantasy and selkie mythology. What inspired you to write Where the Tide Lines Lead? What made you want to blend those genres together?

The book is set on a Spanish island where tourists have cancelled their trips because so many people have vanished without trace over the course of one summer. That idea came to me at the beginning of the covid pandemic – I live in Ibiza and seeing the beaches almost deserted in July or August was so surreal. I’d intended on writing it as a contemporary novel, but as with my other books, the fantasy element quickly appeared and blended with the mystery. I was inspired by mermaid and selkie stories and also by a Scottish folktale called The Blue Men of the Minch, about sea monsters who create storms and drown sailors. The underwater people in Where the Tide Lines Lead are a lot nicer than that, though!

The sea in the book is beautiful, dangerous, and unpredictable all at once. Was it important to you that nature itself felt like a character in the story?

Yes, definitely. One of the core messages of the book is that we can and should all do something to help protect the environment, so showing the sea as the beautiful, powerful and mysterious force that it is was really important. 

If you could ask your own characters one question after the events of the book, what would you ask them?

I think I’d ask them how life had changed for them since their time in Posidonia and what elements of life on land were hardest to adapt to. I love stories about being swept away to fantastical worlds, but I’m also really fascinated about the idea of trying to get used to normal life again after having such a strange experience. 

What kind of emotional reaction did you hope readers would have during the final chapters of the novel?

The last few chapters are quite pacey, so I hope readers find them tense and exciting. I’d also love it if the book’s ending makes people think about actions they can take to help protect the environment, like Elio and Sam resolve to do. 

Were there any scenes inspired by real experiences?

Elio spends a lot of time cycling around the semi-deserted island, which was inspired by my own experience of travelling around Ibiza on my bike in the first few years of covid. The character of Gretl, who lives in a beach hut owned by the sailing club, is also inspired by a real person. 

The mystery unfolds gradually through clues and discoveries. Did you outline the plot carefully beforehand, or did parts of the mystery evolve while writing?

I’m very much a plotter. I usually begin by writing a detailed synopsis of the story from start to finish, so I knew where the plot was going when I started writing. That said, there are always lots of elements that change in the drafting and editing processes. 

If Where the Tide Lines Lead had a sequel, what part of the world or which character would you most want to explore further?

I’d love to write more about Aster, one of the leaders of the Posidonians. Their world is seen from Elio’s point of view so I think it would be really fun to write something from the perspective of from someone who has always lived in an underwater environment.