The XO Interview: Zoraida Cordova
From The Little Mermaid to her new novel, Kiss The Girl
Zoraida Cordova doesn’t just write romance—she writes fantasy, Young Adult, magical realism and Star Wars novels as well. Her latest romance novel, Kiss the Girl, is a contemporary rewrite of one of my favorite Disney movies, The Little Mermaid, and it pairs world famous pop singer Ariel del Mar with up and coming rocker Eric Reyes on the road for the summer in a dreamy, joyful rockstar romance. We talked about inspo from telenovelas, always adding a romance subplot, Prince Eric’s personality and Ariel’s voice.
How did you first discover the romance genre? Which book was The One for you?
The real answer was telenovelas. I grew up watching them with my mom and grandmother after dinner. I didn’t like reading until I was thirteen, and even then, I started preferring when there was a love story in the tween fantasy book. Finally, when I was moving to Montana for college, I decided to get books set there and found Nora Robert’s Montana Sky.
You write a lot of different genres including fantasy, young adult, magical realism, plus the Star Wars novels...you do it all! What is special to you about romance?
I think that no matter what age group—YA or adult—or genre, I strive to add a romantic subplot. Or A plot when it’s meant to be a Romance novel. I’ve always been a romantic, and when it comes to novels, I like to think that love is something worth fighting for.
Take my Star Wars novels for example. Convergence is part of The High Republic, a time when the Star Wars galaxy is expanding. There’s a new entity that the Jedi have to face. Amid all of that is my novel, set in the far reaches of the galaxy. Two planets at war with no end in sight. Naturally, when I was brought on to this novel, my first instinct was “well, how do kingdoms unite?” And I went straight for marriage alliance of leaders/royals. A seasoned romance reader knows the shortcuts and the set up. The couple is meant to fall in love, all while outside forces are trying to tear them apart. Their love will save so many people. It will shape the future of their worlds—if they can make it last.
That is just one example of how romance is special. Not because it brings people together, but because it only works when people fight for it.
Your new book Kiss The Girl is a retelling of The Little Mermaid. Ariel del Mar and her seven sisters are a pop phenomenon but after their farewell tour, Ariel wants to go her own way even though her father, head of Atlantica Records, wants to launch her solo career. Instead she runs off with a rocker named Eric…This story has such enduring appeal. What else captivated you about the original Little Mermaid that you wanted to bring to your version?
When I was three, my grandmother, who was living in New York City at the time, sent me a VHS of Disney’s The Little Mermaid to Ecuador. Since then, mermaids have captivated me. They’re romantic and mysterious. But this version doesn’t have fantasy creatures, so the heart of it—someone searching for their voice—is the thing that I wanted to bring in.
For those of us who have watched the original movie on VHS more times than one can count, there are lots of nods to the original. As I got older, one thing that troubled me about the “VHS version” is how Ariel gives up her voice to get a guy, but you’ve made this into a story about finding her voice. Can you talk about writing your modern Ariel?
The thing about The Little Mermaid, but the Disney and the Hans Christian Andersen version, is that the mermaid gives up her voice. Maybe this is just my read on it, but it isn’t only “to get a guy.” In the Disney version, Ariel sings an “I want” song, which comes from a Broadway tradition. The character is telling us what they want out of life. It’s the introduction to their ordinary world, and how unsatisfied they are in the monotony of that world. Ariel tells us that she wants “more.” She is enamored with the human world, for some reason. When she meets Eric, he is just part of that “more” intensifying, and when she saves him from drowning, she hasn’t even considered that she can change. Not until the sea witch introduces the possibility.
In the original fairytale, the sea witch is neither good nor bad. She only gives the little mermaid a choice, and part of that choice is cutting out her tongue. The tongue is part of the ingredients of the spell. But she consents to doing it. In the Disney, Ariel knows what she’s giving up. This sea witch, Ursula, has ulterior motives because she knows what Ariel means to her father. So Ariel gives up her voice to become human, the only way she can be with Eric. Also her father just destroyed all of her stuff, so maybe it’s an impulsive choice. But it is a choice, whether it’s for legs, a guy, or both. She already told us she wants more out of life, and she goes to get that.
My human Ariel living in 2023 also wants more out of life. Eric inviting her on tour is part of that change, but he’s not all of it. In the end, she had to find out who she is without her family and without the guy she has intense feelings for. Like the former iterations, it’s still her decision.
In the original Disney Little Mermaid, Prince Eric doesn’t have much of a personality. In the recently released version, he’s an angsty Prince feeling the restrictions of his position. Your Eric is an up and coming rock n’ roll guy. What can you tell us about creating his character and the dynamic between him and Ariel in Kiss the Girl?
I would argue that Disney’s cartoon Prince Eric does have a personality. He’s a himbo, but he’s got something there. He’s the first Disney prince I liked because I couldn’t tell you a single thing about Aurora’s man or Snow White’s man LOL. Eric always stood out for me because he’s depicted as hating the pomp of royal life, loves being at sea, loves his dog, and loves to laugh. Sure, he’s sort of a himbo, but he’s not a blank slate with a sword.
My Eric Reyes has himbo tendencies. He’s had a lot of attention from women, but now he’s focused on his music. I wanted to give him some heart break in his past, but not the kind we think of right away. He’s surrounded by women—from his manager (who everyone might recognize as my Ursula), to his bandmates. And I wanted to have a man who is comfortable in female spaces and it doesn’t have to turn into a fight about who wants to be with him. Spoiler, only Ariel. Rooting him in music and community was my interpretation of Eric. He’s still a dreamer with his head in the clouds and eyes toward the horizon, but his eyes are on Ariel. And so is his heart.
How do romance novels give you joy?
Oh man, in all the ways. I love the complex lives of characters, and when a novel is really good, everything else falls away. I’m always chasing that feeling. Yes, men are better when they’re written for romance novels (sorry), but I do love them.