Hesperia author's book 'From Mormon to Mermaid' garners top prize

Hesperia author Lorelei Kay’s “Mermaid book” garnered first place in the Winning Writers' eighth annual North Street Book Competition.

“I am thrilled almost beyond belief with this award, which is the fourth, but the most prestigious, award my memoir has earned,” said Kay, who penned “From Mormon to Mermaid: One Woman’s Voyage from Oppression to Freedom.”

Kay’s top prize was in the creative nonfiction and memoir category, one of Winning Writers' most competitive, with 368 entries received, according to writers President Adam Cohen.

The award included $1,000, a free marketing consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, and the publication of an excerpt of From Mormon to Mermaid atwinningwriters.com.

A marathon labor of love

Kay told the Daily Press that her 246-page memoir, which includes her transition out of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was published nearly seven years ago and was a “marathon” labor of love that took almost a decade to complete.

Published by Dog Ear Publishing, the book previously garnered an Award of Literary Excellence from the publisher.

After discovering she'd won, she felt like someone handed her a glass of cool water after a long marathon.

“It was exhilarating,” Kay said. “Since this is a book about my life and 50 years inside the Mormon Church, I take extra pride in recognizing a job well done.”

A Winning Writers’ critique said of the book, “This educational and inspiring memoir would be a great pick for a women’s book club--although the men in leadership are the ones who need Lorelei’s prophetic word!”

Their critique also applauded Kay for including an appendix, which is unusual for a memoir.

“When I shared my memoir with a good friend who had been an active Mormon, he said, ‘No one is going to believe the doctrines you share about the Mormon Church—unless you give them proof.’"

Her friend suggested footnotes, which she tried at one point. But the text looked too scholarly, not friendly enough. So I moved them all to the back under the title of the appendix, Kay said.

“That way, no one can say I misunderstood, my family misinterpreted doctrine, or my bishop didn’t explain things correctly,” Kay explained. “I quote Mormon scripture and prophets. I give references. There can be no question about my claims about the doctrines espoused by the Mormon Church. I back up every claim I make.”

Why a mermaid?

Kay said her father, a soldier in Italy during World War II, named his firstborn "Lorelei" after he heard the story of the German mermaid of the River Rhine.

The German legend describes Lorelei as a beautiful maiden who threw herself into the Rhine River in despair over a faithless lover and was transformed into a siren who lures fishermen to destruction.

A bronze statue of Lorelei sits atop a rock formation on a narrow strip of land in the river in the Rhine Valley.

Kay said the book’s aquatic-themed title comes by way of suggestion from a stranger who heard her tale of how a devout girl who lived in Salt Lake City and attended Brigham Young University swam away from her religion as a “transcendent mermaid.”

A glorious heritage

Kay shared how her parents stressed education and that her first poem was written with the help of her father, who she said had the most significant influence on her decision to become a writer.

“When I was in third grade, my father sat me down and helped me with my first poem,” she said. “I was hooked. I also saw my father’s dedication to writing his book about the Book of Mormon and writing family history.”

Since her father couldn’t find any room in the family’s small home for writing, he carved out a place in the crawl space under the house.

“He made a desk using an old door sitting on cinder blocks and set his Royal manual typewriter on top,” Kay said. “And he wrote. I have inherited a glorious heritage of commitment to writing.”

Church life

Kay said her life with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “revolved around Mormonism” as she devoted endless time to teaching and serving in her church.

Kay was baptized in the tabernacle in front of Temple Square. She performed baptisms for the dead in the Salt Lake City Temple and attended BYU.

After leaving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2002, Kay said she feels no bitterness and wants her readers and those interested to know that one of her editors said her book was penned with “humor, affection, irony, and grace.”

She joked that after giving her life to the church for 50 years, the next five decades would be for her.

“My search is for value and truth, which is the crux of my memoir,” Kay said. "It's been a very interesting journey."

When asked what her definition of happiness is, Kay replied, "Living a life at peace with internal beliefs and being able to explore new, fun adventures. For me, writing is always an adventure."

Other books by Kay include “Oh! The Places We’ve Been!" "A Soldier & his Redhead," "Nasty Women’s Almanac," and "Nasty Women’s Almanac Poetry Edition."

Her upcoming book is dubbed "Real Women Wear Fig Leaves, a collection of her poetry showcasing real women in real life.

Lorelei’s memoir "From Mormon to Mermaid" and her other books are available on Amazon.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Hesperia author's book"From Mormon to Mermaid" garners top prize