Kelsey Impicciche has successfully carved out a name for herself within the sphere of entertainment; from becoming an impeccable producer and talent for BuzzFeed as well as the overall digital space to transforming into one of the leading women gamers in an industry often dominated by men, Impicciche has done it all. 

And now she gears up to showcase her magnificent storytelling abilities through the release of her debut fantasy YA novel, "Voice of the Ocean"- a beautiful retelling and a novel twist on 'The Little Mermaid'.

Set in a world brimming with adventures, the story follows a young siren princess- Celeste who has been tasked with the heavy-duty of assassinating the human prince as penance for defying her kingdom's orders. What follows is a journey packed with diverse magic, thrilling adventures, self-introspection, and a dash of unexpected romance.

Poised to take her storytelling craft to new levels, Impicciche recently joined us to reveal several significant insights into her debut novel, how this anticipation period is going before she can officially add the title of 'author' to her name, her writing process, favourite sequences, any challenges she faced while penning down her debut novel, and all things VOICE OF THE OCEAN. 

Hi there Kelsey. Thank you for joining us on ReVamp! How are you and how has 2025 been for you so far? 

Hello! Thank you so much for having me. So far 2025 has been a wild ride! I’m doing my best to enjoy every second of it and not let the imposter syndrome get the best of me.

First of all, huge congratulations on your debut novel! I obviously would love for you to take me back to those initial phases of your phenomenal literary debut offering "VOICE OF THE OCEAN". 

What was the original inspiration behind this impeccable fantasy novel and how did you realize this was a concept worth penning down and transforming into a book? 

Thank you again! It’s hugely life-affirming to hear that people are enjoying the book so far. I’ve been an insatiable book lover all my life. When I was younger I dreamed of writing novels. But when I got older, my life went in a different (and still very exciting) direction.  So when my workplace offered a writing workshop in 2020, I jumped at the chance to rekindle my deferred passion! I was gutted when the workshop ended. How could I stop writing now? So I began to think, if I did write a book, what would I want it to be? Who would I write it for? Retellings have a special place in my heart. I love hearing familiar stories take new and surprising forms. And since I didn’t see enough retellings of my childhood favorite fairytale, The Little Mermaid, I started there. As the idea began to take shape, I realized if I wrote the book, I’d want it to be for my younger self. A girl who struggled to relate to all the strong, heroic book heroines in YA fiction because, honestly, they did not cry even half as much as I did!

I mean you are about to add the title of "author" officially to your name but besides this, you are also an accomplished gamer, streamer, producer, YouTuber, and overall a beloved content creator with a massive fan following.  

So, what was it that made you realize this was finally the perfect moment to immerse yourself within the landscape of literature and write a book? 

Storytelling is the great passion of my life. On the outside, it’s hard to see the thread that ties my work together. But to me, it’s always been about my unavoidable desire to share and consume stories. There’s something so wonderfully human about it. When I began writing Voice of the Ocean, I did it because I simply wanted to write again. It was a hobby that I hadn’t indulged in for years that helped reignite my passion for storytelling in a different way. But as I started watching booktok take shape on social media, it struck me that maybe more people loved both reading and gaming than I thought! Maybe there were people like me in my community, who would enjoy reading my stories as much as watching them unfold online.

Kindly walk me through the writing process for this novel. 

-Are you a fan of a more flexible writing style and wrote as you went on or did you already have an established narrative and plotted arcs in your mind that you further branched out on and wrote your sequences around?

For this novel, I actually started with the world building and characters! I spent a few months nailing down the systems of government, rules of magic, locations, climates, etc. of the siren and human worlds. The documents grew to over 60 pages! Only once I felt I had a good grasp on where the story existed and who the story was about, I felt I could move on to writing. Outlining is also a huge part of my process. I prefer to write out as much as possible before so I don’t get stuck when I sit down to write. It’s sort of like paving the path first so I can run down it later. It helps me get out of my head to have a plan, and then I can deviate at whim.

Did you face any challenges while trying to write Voice of the Ocean? Perhaps a sequence that looked so fascinating during its visualization but when it came to crafting that particular scene down, you just couldn't figure it out? 

Voice of the Ocean took on many different iterations. When I first wrote it, the point of view was in first person present. And by the end I decided I preferred third person past, so it read more like a classic fairytale. I had to go back and re-write so much! But it was worth it.

And is there any favorite sequence from your book that's so memorable for you that you would absolutely love to know everyone's reaction to? 

There are so many parts that I can’t wait to talk to readers about! If I had to choose one, it would be the scene where Raiden breaks Celeste and Kiyami out of jail. It’s so much fun.

How do you as a writer immerse yourself into the mindset of your characters before actually beginning to craft the story? Do you have any rituals/ research routes that help you get into the character's voice and mannerisms? 

One of my favorite rituals before writing is crafting a playlist! It helps me narrow down themes, tone, and mood of the story and characters. Then every time I sit down to write, I queue up the the playlist to help transport me into the world.

As mentioned before, this is excitingly your debut novel and we're just less than a month away before you officially add the title of "author" to your name! 

So, how is this anticipation period going for you, knowing people are finally about to indulge themselves in this beautiful and intricate piece of work. Any nervousness or pressure you're currently feeling before the launch? 

I can not overstate how anxious I am! Not only am I trying something new, which in itself is a great and terrifying thing, but I also poured so much of myself into this book. It’s hard to be so vulnerable. But anxiety and excitement are two sides of the same coin. This is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done.

Is there any advice you'd like to give to aspiring authors on how to start writing a book, especially in a genre as complex and diverse as fantasy? 

My first piece of advice is to begin. You can’t finish if you don’t start. You can’t write your best book if you don’t write your first. Make the time and keep going. It’s the same advice I’d give for people wanting to get into content creation. My second piece of advice is to start looking at media actively. Next time you read a book, when it makes you laugh or cry or fling the thing across the room, stop to ask yourself why! What did the author do that you liked? What about it impacted you? If you didn’t like what happened, why do you think that is? Take notes! Movies, tv shows, music, poetry, and even video games can teach incredible lessons about the craft.

Ending Note:- Thank you so much for taking out the time to talk to me, Kelsey! Wishing you so much luck on the success of this book!

Lastly, I'd like to wrap up our beautiful conversation by asking what's next for you, Kelsey? As well as if there's any message you'd like to convey to your fans currently reading this interview? 

The pleasure is mine! Thank you so much for the kind words and well wishes. For me, the next thing will be to celebrate this book’s release with friends, family and readers! I am so very excited and lucky that I’ll be visiting Los Angeles, Memphis and St. Louis for the launch of Voice of the Ocean. Hopefully I’ll see some of you reading there! And to you reading, thank you so much for taking this journey with me! You have changed my life, and I can never find words big enough for my thanks.