Isola di Squalo is the first book in The Delmar Shark Chronicles series which centers around the royal family of the Mediterranean island of Isola di Squalo. The Delmar family is bound to protect the island and its people by a centuries old promise made by ancestor Merrick Delmar to a great sea beast. If the Delmars break their promise, the beast, a giant shark, returns to the island to punish them.

In this story, American teenager Dylan Murphy, meets Princess Terra Delmar while interning with a world-renowned shark expert on the island. Their tense first meeting lands Dylan with the unsavory task of mending the already strained relationship between the Delmars and the shark study institute, and he learns that Princess Terra has problems she desperately wants to solve but keep hidden. But when a giant shark targets her younger brother during a routine swim, Dylan makes a decision that will change his future as well as that of the Delmars and the island itself.

What genre is this?
This book is YA with a hint of contemporary fiction, romance, fantasy, and science fiction. What more could you ask for?

Exactly. Complete this sentence for us: if you like _________________, you’ll love my book.
If you like ice cream, you’ll love my book! No, just kidding. Well, maybe you will, but I don’t think that’s the point of this question.

OK, if you like unlikely pairs, sharks, tropical paradises, and a mischievous bad guy, you’ll love my book!

You mentioned a Dylan.
Dylan is a good All-American kid. He knows what he wants to do with his life, and he knows how to achieve it. His best friend Casper is the goof-off, but Dylan is the serious one. He has set goals for himself and has followed all the right steps to reach them. But meeting Princess Terra changes everything. He just can’t decide if the change is for the better or worse.

Terra is all about duty – duty to her family, duty to her people, duty to her island home. Her father’s tragic illness brings her to the throne at a much younger age than she anticipated. She has trained all her life to be Queen, but there is one duty she just cannot fulfill, and Dylan Murphy may just be her ticket out.

You mentioned that this is a series.
The second book in The Delmar Shark Chronicles series, Delphine, is also available. It follows the story of Terra’s younger sister, Princess Delphine, and her quest to find true love.

The third book in the series is still a work in progress. In the end, there will be five books in all.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am first and foremost a wife and a mom which means I wear many hats. With two young sons, there is never a lack of activity in our house. I am a chauffer, a tutor, a teacher, a coach, a cheerleader, a nurse, a counselor, a shoe-finder, tooth-brusher, teddy bear-washer, snack-maker, and so much more. Before I had my boys, I taught middle school and high school history for eight years and am currently getting my feet wet in the schools again as a substitute and tutor. I am married to my best friend and sweetheart, and I had a ton of fun telling our love story in the second book of The Delmar Shark Chronicles.

That’s sweet. We’ll bear it in mind while reading it.
Do you have a website?
Absolutely! Come check me out at http://heidipeltier.wix.com/squalo

On Facebook, I’m better known as Heidi Peltier – Author Page. Isn’t that a clever name?

And on Twitter, I’m @HeidiPeltier1 because, you know, I wanted to be #1.

What’s next?
I’ve set a goal for myself to finish Book 3 in The Delmar Shark Chronicles series by September. I already have books 4 and 5 in my head. If I could only find the time to write them!

How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words – Man, Woman, Mexico, Future – can you give us a brief storyline?
Sometimes they just pop into my head, like the one that was inspired by my steam mop.

Oddly, the random words you gave me fit right into a story that’s been churning in my head for about a year now. But I’m not giving anything away!