tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14711968180798167252024-03-05T01:24:48.131-08:00The MerBlog: The Blog For All Things MermaidThis blog will inform readers of all the latest mermaid books coming out, as well as keep them informed on anything else mermaid-related that washes up on the shores of popular culture!Garretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02266167191337671977noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-6347245693425550872017-03-10T13:17:00.002-08:002017-03-10T13:17:44.468-08:00"A Little Mermaid" Trailer Arrives OnlineWelp, I done diddly messed up.<br />
After writing a longass post about the lack of mermaid movies out there, one appears, seemingly out of nowhere and overnight.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usl5u9ruA0U">Here</a> is the link to "A Little Mermaid", not THE little mermaid. It looks pretty interesting! Circus aesthetics, what is real/ what is not, and some pretty interesting names starring in the film.<br />
I have no idea about much with this film, and I was so excited to finally post something that I didn't hammer out any details. But this is great news!Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-82657869905508498692017-01-06T00:41:00.002-08:002017-01-06T00:41:55.871-08:00Mermaids at the Movies: Thoughts on Empires of the Deep, and the Future of Merpeeps on ScreenWay way back in the day when Garrett and I first started the blog, we were all anxiously awaiting news on the Chinese fantasy epic Empires of the Deep.It was billed as a big ole' mermaid movie, something we really haven't seen to this day. In the years since, it has become a fabled mess of development hell, boasting four director changes, a massive budget, and perhaps most disappointingly, a non-existant release date.<br />
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Produced by Jon Jiang, a billionaire Chinese real estate mogul, the film is currently shelved. It's the sort of thing that has become somewhat legendary in Hollywood circles. I won't go into the whole history, but if you want the facts, check out this amazing article (https://magazine.atavist.com/sunk). It's a long read, but well worth it.<br />
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I'm a huge fan of bad movies, and obviously mermaids, so Empires is forever fascinating to me. When we started this blog, merbooks were exploding all over the market. They were just about everywhere you turned. I believe it's slowed down a bit recently, as the paranormal romance craze in particular has calmed in favor of sci-fi dystopia and fairy tale retellings, but merpeeps are not uncommon at all.<br />
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And usually, when something gets big in the book world (particularly YA), studios scramble to capitalize on the teenage dollar. These are people who generally have enough disposable income to see a movie most weekends and have the time to do so. That's why you saw Hunger Games be adapted so fast. Mockingjay had been out for less then a year when the first film was released theatrically. That's also why you saw a million similar properties adapted in near record time as well, to varying degrees of success (Divergent, The Giver, Mortal Instruments to some extent).<br />
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What does this have to do with Empires? It may explain why the American market won't touch them with a ten foot pole. We've had plenty of fairly popular mer-series happening over the past five years, but none snapped up to the screen. Is it budget costs? There are a lot of effects involved with creating underwater life and realistic looking merpeople. Is it waning interests? Maybe. But even playing off the nostalgia for Splash and the Little Mermaid would drum up some nice business. In fact, Disney at one point was releasing a live action adaptation of Little Mermaid, with Sofia Coppola set to direct. Coppola departed the project and we haven't heard anything since (the blog also reported on that one when it was announced, as Sofia is one of my very favorite directors. I'm heartbroken that she's not attached anymore).<br />
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It's a puzzling situation. Mermaids still seem to be a popular item in the mainstream, but they just can't seem to get them to the silver screen. I've already written about the Splash remake that has been casted and announced, but that's no guarantee of anything actually seeing the light of day. And arguable the last big mermaid movie release was.....Aquamarine, a Nickelodeon produced kids film based on the middle grade novel (it's actually pretty cute and fluffy, and required viewing as one of the only mermaid movies that made it to public release). You could maybe count Ondine, the Colin Farrell led film of a vaguely Selkie persuasion. Pirates of the Caribbean's fourth installment involved merpeeps but they definitely weren't a big part of the main plotline and for the most part pretty quickly disappeared (jury is out on whether or not we'll see them again in the fifth film).<br />
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I think the audience is there. I really do. But the cautionary tail (oh man, I did that) of Empires of the Deep lives on in the minds of any Hollywood exec/producer, and indie films usually can't swing the budget. With so many projects having fallen through, and many more announced and then buried, it may be a while before filmmakers can bust out of the mold and maybe give the merpeeps a shot at silver screen stardom. Until then, we'll make do with what we have.<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-8596032471010948752016-08-01T16:33:00.002-07:002016-08-01T16:33:24.523-07:00HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS THERE'S GOING TO BE A SPLASH REMAKEWhat the hecky you guys, guess what just hit me out of left field? I know half of our readership is here due in no small part to the classic romantical film Splash, a Tom Hanks/Darryl Hanna spectacular that is weirdly inspired by An American Werewolf in London.<br />
We're going to see that story brought to the screen once again, but with a gender reversed cast!<br />
Jillian Bill will be playing the female version of Allen, and Channing Tatum will be playing a merman.<br />
While I'm not the biggest Tatum fan (although he did surprise me in the under-rated Hail Caesar!), this movie has the potential to be a lot of fun, and of course, any chance to bring merpeeps to the big screen is going to be a good time<br />
What do you guys think of this, frankly insane, news?Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-25723701939617746282016-04-04T09:07:00.003-07:002016-04-04T09:07:50.896-07:00How To Write A Mermaid Book: Every Cliche in the SeaHere at Merbooks, God knows we've seen our share of the tropes. So for all you lovely aspiring writers out there, here's some things to look out for, twist to your advantage, or avoid entirely.<br />
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1. My name is totally some low key aquatic reference, or the mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere with no explanation has a weird water name too. Huh. Wonder what the means?<br />
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2. I either have a completely irrational fear of water or I can't get enough of it. Irrational fear often involves nightmares. Bonus points for mysterious white haired mermaid (always white haired).<br />
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3. If not afraid of water, I'm probably an Olympic level swimmer. Also always has long hair and too long legs, or is somewhat ethereally beautiful.<br />
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4. Mysterious boy who randomly shows up at school or work one day is totally gorgeous in an ethereal way and doesn't get my references to modern culture. Claims to be from some far off European country to get away with it.<br />
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5. Ethereal boyfriend might be a surfer. If not, he is also irrationally sensitive about water.<br />
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6. Ethereal boyfriend must always have blue or green eyes.<br />
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7. I'm definitely adopted, or live with aunt/uncle, some familial relation that is not the parents. If adopted, nobody has a clue who my biological parents are.<br />
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8. Ethereal boyfriend will randomly show up at workplace, house, places where I am. No explanation, although it is kind of creepy.<br />
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9. Concerned best friend can never ever realize that I'm a mermaid. It would ruin everything.<br />
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10. Joke about The Little Mermaid. Hardy har har, never heard that one before.<br />
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11. Hair might magically get longer when mermaid transformation happens.<br />
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12. Shocker, ethereal boyfriend is totally also a merman and has been assigned by magical undersea kingdom to be a bodyguard because I'm actually a princess. Or he's there to reveal to me all the mermaid secrets.<br />
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13. Naturally, our love will be completely forbidden by "Da Rules".<br />
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14. But even that ain't gonna stop me dragging his ass to prom.<br />
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15. Naturally, the big bad will attack at prom.<br />
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16. I will discover my totally off the wall crazy strong mermaid powers at that exact moment no matter how much previous practice I have had with them.<br />
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17. Have to make heartbreaking decision about whether to live in ocean, or stay and finish high school/whatever, invariably finds a way to make both work.<br />
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18. There is going to be one of a few classical quotes somewhere in this book form Shakespeare's Tempest, Some Tennyson, some Yeats, a Radiohead song, or Hans Christian Anderson.<br />
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Bonus Rounds!<br />
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Based on the Little Mermaid<br />
Protag has red hair<br />
English teacher foreshadows this entire process<br />
Secluded beachside town in Maine or Washington<br />
Prophetic dreams that involve lost mermaid parents<br />
People give things to the protag for free because she's so pretty<br />
Being a mermaid/merman comes with transformation into a totally gorgeous seductive being, even if they're a teenager.<br />
Impossible anatomy<br />
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-Randi<br />
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<br />Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-33978808769580253562015-02-18T20:46:00.003-08:002015-02-18T20:46:48.326-08:00The Triumphant Return of Randi!Hey everyone! I know it has been a ridculously long time since I have posted anything to here, but the good news is that updates are going to be coming more regularly to the blog now that I've finally got the time to update it. Stay tuned!<br />
-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-45735213268145310792014-05-24T17:36:00.000-07:002014-05-24T17:36:15.212-07:00Interview with Aaron Galvin, author of SaltedSorry this took so long to put up, I had to sort through finals and such this wee, but here is our interview with Aaron Galvin! And if you haven't read Salted yet, definitely go for it. But I've already talked about that. So without further adieu, go forth and read!<br /><br />1. How did you get the idea to create a darker interpretation of undersea life, especially in contrast to the sunnier YA books that have recently become popular? <br /><br /> <br /><br />I’ve always been drawn to darker storylines. That’s probably due in part to being raised in the 80’s. There were so many cool, dark tales back then. I grew up watching The Dark Crystal, Legend, The Neverending Story, and Labyrinth almost daily.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Also, I don’t believe endings are always sunny and everyone lives happily ever after. That’s great for those who do, but what makes good fiction is struggle. Characters who we can identify with and watch some of them fail miserably while others do go on to achieve.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Harry Potter is one of my favorite series of all-time, but what’s the view from Ron’s angle? Why can’t we read The Hunger Games from Rue’s POV, or better, Cato’s? Those are the stories that intrigue me. The kind of story where you know the main character might not live at the end. It makes you fear for them even more and bonds you to them. <br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />2. There's a pretty big ensemble cast of characters, are any of them inspired by real people?<br /><br /> <br /><br />Yes, and his name is me. All of them have some of me in them. Garrett is basically the guy I was in high school. I’ve become more like Lenny in recent years in that I don’t hold my tongue as much I should and I like to act tougher than I really am.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Chidi is more a collective spirit of the bravest and toughest individuals I’ve ever met. My wife’s passion is bringing awareness to sex trafficking in the hopes of slowing/stopping it. I had no idea that slavery still existed until I met her, yet it’s happening here and now throughout the world.<br /><br /> <br /><br />We went on a mission trip to Cambodia after I had already begun drafting Salted. Naturally, I was nervous these girls (and I do mean girls, some of them being only 3 years old), would be afraid of me. You have to remember these girls have seen the worst in men: beaten, raped, and sold into prostitution-sometimes by their own families. As a man, my natural instinct was to protect them, to find the perpetrators and beat them to death with my bare hands.<br /><br /> <br /><br />My error was thinking of the girls as victims instead of survivors.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Upon meeting them, I quickly learned my earlier fears couldn’t have been further from the truth. They were just kids who wanted to play games. Run around. Laugh. They’ve been through a hell that would break most grown men’s spirits, myself included. That kind of resiliency is awe-inspiring.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I couldn’t get Chidi out of my head after returning from that trip. I try my best to emulate their collective spirit through her. <br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />3. If Salted were to be made into a movie (and one can only hope), who would you cast?<br /><br /> <br /><br />The great thing about Salted is I feel like it would be a great opportunity to find hidden talent for two of the main roles. I can’t think of a teenaged little person actor to play Lenny, no more than I can a teen actor with vitiligo to play Garrett. I love the idea of using virtually unknown actors because then the audience can’t picture them as anything but that character.<br /><br /> <br /><br />However, I understand the importance of bolstering a cast with recognizable faces as well. So for those cases, I would love to see Lupita Nyong’o play either Chidi or Marisa Bourgeois. She’s amazing. For Henry, I think Gustaf Skarsgård, (Floki from the History Channel’s show Vikings) would be brilliant. Kellen I picture similar to Alexander Ludwig (also on Vikings, or more commonly known as Cato in The Hunger Games).<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />4. Was there any particular inspiration for setting so many of your scenes in aquariums (besides the proximity of water)?<br /><br /> <br /><br />It seemed fitting to use both the Indianapolis Zoo and Shedd Aquarium as backdrops because I grew up near Indianapolis and lived in Chicago for a few years. There’s also a key reason for the Midwest setting, but I can’t divulge that yet. It’s a spoiler. ;)<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />5. So in your little author's bio, it says you've done movies as well! What is the biggest difference between writing a script and writing a book, and did one help the other?<br /><br /> <br /><br />Huge differences. With screenplays, you have to account for budgeting. The Salt series as a whole would require a massive film budget moving forward due to all the required special effects. As an author, there’s no limitation in that regard.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Brevity is another example. With screenplays, you plan for about a minute of screen time per page, which means you’re often shooting for a final page count of less than 120 pages, (under 2 hours). Again, budgetary constraints are a big reason for that, as well as time one feasibly expects an audience to sit through the film.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I think writing screenplays first was highly beneficial. One of the things I’ve read in comments about Salted is the fast pacing of the story. That all goes back to screenwriting where you don’t have the time or money to waste. Every shot, every page, every word has to count.<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />6. While we're on the subject of movies, what do you think of Sofia Coppola's upcoming retelling of the Little Mermaid?<br /><br /> <br /><br />First, I think Disney’s recent interest in mermaids, (Pirates of the Caribbean, Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly, and now this adaptation), proves the view mermaids as trending.<br /><br /> <br /><br />That said, I find the choice of Coppola for the director chair a bit odd. To me, her films don’t reflect Disney’s most recent adaptations of classic animated films to live-action, (Maleficent, and Snow White & The Huntsman). Both films contain a lot of action sequences and special effects to cross-promote/intrigue male audiences. They did this with Rapunzel as well—changing the title to Tangled and adding more action sequences via Flynn Rider.<br /><br /> <br /><br />It’ll be interesting to see how it all pans out. I’m a bit skeptical, but keeping my fingers crossed because it’s such a fantastic story.<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />7. Last question: What's next for these characters?<br /><br /> <br /><br />Things are about to become even darker. I don’t want to give away spoilers for those who haven’t read the book yet, but I will say fans should be nervous for these characters. Some are venturing into uncharted waters (forgive the pun) while others know what awaits them and will need to scramble if they hope to survive.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I can also promise you answers teased in the first book are coming and that the sequel occurs almost exclusively in the Salt. I’m about a third of the way through and hope to release the sequel before the end of this year. I can’t wait to continue this story with all of you! JRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-27262947163517171382014-05-12T16:37:00.001-07:002014-05-12T16:37:32.761-07:00Salted by Aaron GalvinOh man, you guys, I've got a treat for you.<div>
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We've been in a bit of a rut in the merbook business lately. Waiting for sequels, reading some filler in the time between, trying to earn money/find job to acquire said sequels (My Yogurt Mountain application does not need to make me question my purpose in life).</div>
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And then Salted waltzes in, and it blew my mind.</div>
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A largely romance free thriller and drama, Salted creates a fresh new mythology with a great ensemble cast of characters. </div>
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I don't want to give too much away of the story, but it starts off as a deceptively simple cat and mouse game. Lenny and co., selkies caught in a slave infrastructure are on a mission to find an elusive target. Garrett is a highschool student under fire from bullies, and after a near-drowning experience, his story and that of the selkies is irrevocably intertwined. </div>
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Salted leaves off on somewhat of a cliffhanger, leaving a lot of questions un-answered, but it also feels pretty complete by itself, something that a lot of novels these days don't accomplish. Some storylines are resolved but there is PLENTY of material for a sequel, and it's well warranted. It feels like there's a lot of life in this story and these characters, and a lot of places left to explore in the world Galvin has created.Salted gives the perfect taste of what I certainly hope is to come. The writing itself is fast paced, descriptive, and compliments the story perfectly.</div>
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My favorite two storylines were Garrett and Chidi, but I enjoyed everyone's contributions. Having so many perspectives can usually get a little tricky, but everyone's personalities are so distinct that it's pretty easy to keep up.</div>
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If I can nitpick, the book can be a little overwhelming what with all the info-dumping. While the approach works with the breakneck intensity of the book, learning a whole new mythology just by osmosis can be pretty tough. </div>
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As far as target audience, I'm gonna say older teens/adults, because Salted is a bit of a downer. It deals with a lot of pretty dark stuff like slavery, bullying, morality.and deals pretty deeply with choices we make and how they affect ourselves and others. </div>
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Anyway, it's a totally fresh take on selkies and merpeople, and definitely one of the best of the newer crop of mer-novels released. Go read it!</div>
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-Randi </div>
Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-38570159357923237442014-05-08T19:13:00.001-07:002014-05-08T19:13:31.312-07:00Funny or Die's Parody of Sofia Coppola's Little Mermaid ProjectAs we probably didn't post here on the blog, acclaimed director Sofia Coppola's proposed next project is an adaptation of the only and only Little Mermaid.<br />
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Now, this is a dream come true for me. Coppola is one of my favorite directors, and Lost in Translation is one of my all time favorites. Although that will not keep me from saying that this seems like a pretty odd choice.<br />
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Anyway, Funny Or Die wasted no time in preparing this parody only a few months after the news broke out. Here's a link: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/517f6607ea/sofia-coppola-s-little-mermaid<br />
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The fake-trailer copies some of the director's most famous shots and music, and I'd still go see it.<br />
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What do you guys think?Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-65705350446824365332014-04-28T18:31:00.000-07:002014-04-28T18:31:21.464-07:00Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly (Waterfire Saga #1)Thanks to the Bailey Cove Library for my ARC copy of the book! I'm gonna keep this review pretty vague because the book isn't out yet and I'm sworn to secrecy (by my own moral code), but I'll tell you what I reasonably can.<br />
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So apparently, Deep Blue has been under literary construction for a while. Disney's publishing company Hyperion, the people behind this book, included a small little note in my ARC discussing how they went over the details of their mermaid mythology until a well thought out universe came together.<br />
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And for the most part, they do a pretty wonderful job. There's a distinct world flavor to Deep Blue, the first in a proposed series. The cultures and societies and the whatnot are well thought. But there are some flaws in logic. Why do mermaids sleep in beds if gravity isn't under the sea? How would they have books if paper can't survive underwater? Boxes of candy underwater? For being well thought out, the details are awfully weird. <br />
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That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book though. Deep Blue shoots for Game of Thrones level world building, even though it doesn't always land there (and certainly doesn't contain the controversial elements), and is consistently entertaining. The word play might take some time to get used to (think the puns in Tera Lynn Child's Fins series), but once you get used to it, the blend of seriousness and humor works.<br />
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The characters are all well built. Sera is a princess of the modern world, willing to do what is right for the people, but also yearning to eschew the tradition that has plagued her all of her life. The story mainly revolves around her, however, the supporting characters are all awesome. The ensemble cast of characters are endearing, smart, and so much fun to spend time with. It's going to be a treat to see what will happen next if only to see them interact with each other more.<br />
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Deep Blue is an endearing, well-imagined, and sometimes thought provoking start to the series. It's good from middle grade upwards and I'm looking forward to future installments,Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-49792307592341468332014-02-17T19:35:00.001-08:002014-02-17T19:35:44.248-08:00Cool Merbooks Coming Out In 2014!Happy New Year readers! (And Valentines day. We're not gonna talk about how late this post is).<br />
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Since I'm feeling so bad about neglecting you lovely people, and not so sure how many posts I'm gonna be able to make in the coming months, let's do a nice little comprehensive, round-up thing, of some cool mer-books coming out this year. We've got a lot of great series that are finishing up this year, and maybe a surprise or two! Take a look!<br />
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The Vast and Brutal Sea by Zoraida Cordova<br />
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17933160-the-vast-and-brutal-sea<br />
I literally cannot tell you enough about how much I love love love this series. The Savage Blue is not just one of my favorite mer-books, it's one of my favorite books in general, along with it's predecessor, The Vicious Deep. There is no mer-series on shelves right now that is so funny, perfectly paced, full of mythology, or as flat out fun as these books. And with the last chapter of The Savage Blue promising more greatness to come, I can only expect this book will be pretty much the greatest thing ever.<br />
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Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly.<br />
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18601430-deep-blue<br />
A lot of crazy stuff has been happening around this series. Hollywood records comissioned a song for the book trailer (which is very fancy by the way) and Disney's publisher, Hyperion, is the one distributing it. Could this mean a movie is on the way already? Who knows, but Donnelly wrote a wonderful book with Revolution, and although I have not read any of her other work, I'm excited to see what she can do with what looks to be a well developed and fresh mythology.<br />
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Promise Bound by Anne Greenwood Brown (It's out, by the way).<br />
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17693477-promise-bound?bf=1000&from_search=true<br />
The concluding book in the Lies Beneath series looks to be full of revelations and twists. The dark atmosphere created in these books is unlike any other and it'll be exciting to see the Calder and Lily's romance finally reach a conclusion (I mean that in I hope they stay together for ever and ever).<br />
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Of Neptune by Anna Banks<br />
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18525702-of-neptune<br />
I have not yet read the sequel to Of Poseidon, so I really can't say much about this series, but I know a lot of our readers are pretty into it, so I thought it was worth a mention. Anna has been a lovely person on our Goodreads group and I'm pretty sure this is the penultimate book in her series (lots of endings this year!)<br />
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Captivate by Vanessa Garden (This one is already out as well!)<br />
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18683518-captivate<br />
Here's the goodreads descrip for this one, since I literally just found out about it. The reviews on Goodreads right now are all excellent though!<br />
<br /><br />For the past twelve months since her parents’ death, seventeen-year-old Miranda Sun has harboured a dark secret — a secret that has strained the close relationship she once shared with her older sister, Lauren. In an effort to repair this broken bond, Miranda’s grandparents whisk the siblings away on a secluded beach holiday. Except before Miranda gets a chance to confess her life-changing secret, she’s dragged underwater by a mysterious stranger while taking a midnight swim.<br /><br />Awakening days later, Miranda discovers that she’s being held captive in a glittering underwater city by an arrogant young man named Marko...the King of this underwater civilisation.<br /><br />Nineteen-year-old Marko intends to marry Miranda in order to keep his crown from falling into the sinister clutches of his half-brother, Damir. There’s only one problem. Miranda is desperate to return home to right things with her sister and she wants nothing to do with Marko. Trying to secure her freedom, Miranda quickly forms an alliance with Robbie — Marko’s personal guard. However, she soon discovers that even underwater, people are hiding dangerous secrets...<br />
Side note: There's a new film adaptation of Peter Pan coming out this year, directed by Joe Wright of Atonement and Pride and Prejudice. This of course has caused speculation about mermaids, because, well, you know. Not to mention the next Pirates of the Carribean is expected to film this year, which brings questions as to whether the mermaid crew will be back. Just a small note.<br />
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Thanks so much for sticking around with us! Sticking with me updating around holidays, I'll try to get some of these books read so you can have some cool reviews by St. Patrick's Day!<br />
Love you guys!<br />
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-Randi<br />
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<br />Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-86422816647489395372014-02-03T17:03:00.000-08:002014-02-03T17:03:38.300-08:00Artist Spotlight: Donato GiancolaHi everyone! Been a while, I know. But I went out to my local art museum today because the aforementioned Donato Giancola's works were on display. Anyway, along with some other pretty amazing stuff (which I'll post), there were three mermaid paintings that were completely beautiful. Just thought you should know, and check out this guy's work if you get a chance. There's sci-fi, superheroes, space, and (most excitingly) Middle Earth.<br />
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Check it out!<br />
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(Content Note: There are boobs.)<br />
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<img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/42e9d5c8c61653fa4afc4a2b77ecb246/tumblr_mztx0kPzrf1t1o78po1_500.jpg" /><br />
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<img src="https://24.media.tumblr.com/cff5b214b0fab21052c9b1a6667df83a/tumblr_mjxevmGBBF1rkllq0o3_500.jpg" /><br />
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<img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m142aqFg0I1qhttpto2_500.jpg" /><br />
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(The above three are the ones that were in the particular gallery I saw, but here's some other cool stuff by the artist!)<br />
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<img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m142lz4MtQ1qhttpto2_500.jpg" /><br />
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<img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/d9e58b51703efaf405054184c6f7e7d9/tumblr_mszsole7cL1s3bfv5o1_500.jpg" /><br />
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<img src="https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ls5k1uOk2g1qhttpto1_r1_500.jpg" /><br />
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<img src="https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbg56tWUlN1r102r6o1_500.jpg" /><br />
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<img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me1mn6IAsX1qfg4oyo1_500.jpg" /><br />
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Anyway, just thought you guys would think it was cool. I'll be posting some review and such in the forthcoming weeks.<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-24692721486649855432014-01-15T06:48:00.000-08:002014-01-15T06:48:30.790-08:00We're Still HereSo I realize it's been a solid couple months since anyone's posted to the blog here, but I can assure it's because we're all super busy. I will however have some round-up posts launching in the next couple days so keep an eye out!<br />
-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-21917246490575981792013-09-12T21:24:00.000-07:002013-09-12T21:24:12.531-07:00New Harry Potter Movie Could Mean MermaidsIn case you haven't heard, the one and only J.K. Rowling today that she will be writing the script for a screen version of her spin-off Harry Potter book "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them".<br />
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Nothing much has been confirmed about the movie, but as a fan of the book(s), I can make an educated guess that mermaids will be featured in the film.<br />
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Rowling's mermaids are dark and scary AND I'M FREAKING OUT BECAUSE NEW HARRY POTTER STUFF!<br />
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Let's face it, this is so much better than Pottermore.<br />
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Anyway, what do you think of this tremendous news? Let us know!<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-41798978113104290932013-08-16T19:46:00.002-07:002013-08-16T19:46:50.631-07:00Summer Post Round Up!So I realize that we haven't posted since the breaking Ariel news from Comic Con, so I thought I'd give you a nice post round up before I head back to another sure to be awful year of school.<br />
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1. The Savage Blue is AMAHZING. Zoraida Cordova strikes again with a sequel that almost overcomes it's predecessor in terms of action, characters, witty dialog, and a sweet romance. I love all the new characters, and our returning favorites are back and better than ever. This book will drop some bombs and make you laugh, cheer, and want to take the next train to Coney Island. Highly recommended and be sure to look for out little blurb for the Vicious Deep in the front of the book!<br />
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2. The last book in the Lost Voices trilogy, The Twice Lost, is a beautiful, if mildly disappointing end to a stellar series. I was really disappointed with the ending of the novel, but the entire rest of it is absolutely beautiful and astounding. Again, we get a new cast of characters that add their own unique flavor to the book and make it even better than the last. The action and pacing are also big pluses, and this time, a lot of the conflict takes place on land, with (SPOILER ALERT DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS) Luce's father, Dorian, and even some of the relatives and friends of the mermaids. The Twice Lost would be the greatest book in the trilogy were it not for the ending, which feels like such a let down compared to the beautiful rest of the book.<br />
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3. We hope you guys are enjoying the new Mako Mermaids series, and the latter half of season 1 will be on Netflix in September.<br />
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4. There are rumors of development on Joe Wright's long awaited mermaid film, but nothing is clear as of yet. Keep an eye on it!<br />
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Here's hoping that you all have a great rest of summer, work hard in school, and keep us updated on any news this post might have missed. Catch you around!<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-66773697495009269652013-07-24T20:01:00.002-07:002013-07-24T20:01:21.302-07:00Ariel WILL Be Joining Once Upon A Time For Season 3!We can FINALLY confirm that the beloved little mermaid will be making her appearance on ABC's Once Upon A Time this upcoming season!<br />
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The character's entrance has been in development for some time. We even were lead to believe her entrance would be in season 2, however it was not so.<br />
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Here's a link to the official panel from Comic Con, where season 3 is discussed in depth. Unfortuately, Comic Con attendees weren't allowed to film any extra footage shown. While Ariel does not come into discussion much, it does give fans a good idea of what to expect for season 3.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e99KIZc5Cjs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e99KIZc5Cjs</a><br />
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Do you have any predictions for Ariel's character and arc for season 3 of Once Upon A Time? Leave them in the comments!<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-28602765441917179402013-06-19T14:14:00.002-07:002013-06-19T14:14:22.341-07:00Watch a Russian Production of the Little Mermaid On Youtube for Free!Most of you are probably here because of Disney's red-haired iconic Ariel, but there have been dozens if not HUNDREDS of other versions of the classic Hans Christian Anderson tale. One, a Russian version (subtitled) and from around the 60's, has resurfaced on youtube.<br />
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Here's a link to part 1 of 12: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvupnpGelCE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvupnpGelCE</a><br />
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BAM! Your boring afternoon is cured.<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-58415406043255069512013-05-08T18:18:00.002-07:002013-05-08T18:18:47.779-07:00Friendly Reminder That...Zoraida Cordova's THE SAVAGE BLUE came out yesterday! The Merblog is featured in the praise section for predecessor THE VICIOUS DEEP! Also, the story is awesome anyway, so you should go read it because of that too.<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-34657406694984267312013-03-30T16:39:00.001-07:002013-03-30T16:39:39.201-07:00Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown Reviewed!Lies Beneath, the predecessor to Deep Betrayal, was one of my more favorite mer-books from recent years. It was one of the few narrated from a male perspective, it was a darker imagining of mermaids than what most us were used to, and it had excellent characters and romance. Deep Betrayal was just as good if not better.<br />
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Oh yeah, spoilers. Don't read this if you haven't read Deep Betrayal.<br />
<br />I really liked the direction Anne took with Lily's dad. The book begins with Calder and Lily revealing that he is in fact a merman, which is the catalyst for most of the events in the book. It was interesting to see where that took his psyche and the effects it had on his family.<br />
And to further that, the inevitable build up towards Lily's transformation was incredibly suspenseful and perfectly done. I couldn't stop reading.<br />
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Lily's narration is also awesome. It's different from Calder's, but ties in very well. It's like peanut butter and jelly. Props to Anne on that one. I loved all the Tennyson in here as well, it all tied in so great with the story and the tone. <br />
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A lot of romances don't seem to click with me, but Calder and Lily are excellent together and you can really feel that when reading the book. It doesn't feel forced, cheesy, or unnecessary at all.<br />
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You definitely need to read Lies Beneath first, just to understand what's up, but this book definitely has it's own merits. It's different enough from the first to keep it interesting, but consistent enough from the tone of the first novel.<br />
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Easily one of the best mermaid oriented books on the market right now. The characters and places were all I could think about for days afterwards. Read this book.Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-3901878312194118052013-03-24T16:14:00.000-07:002013-03-30T15:40:38.146-07:00Review for The Scales of Six by Rosean MileSorry this took so long, like got in the way. But I hope this review finds all of you wonderful followers either on Spring Break like me and enjoying it, or just enjoying your life in general.<br />
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Anyway, The Scales of Six is an unsettling little book that spans the spectrum of human emotion in all the best ways.<br />
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There are Hitchcock-like moments of suspense and horror, a little bit of romance, and some excellent courtroom drama. I really liked the mix of genres and how the novel doesn't try to pigeonhole itself into one little niche.<br />
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The characters were all wonderful. Kathy, the main subject of the novels events, is memorable even when her character is rendered mute. Gail and Frances are both wonderful, spunky, and excellent narrators, both different enough to differentiate who's narrating, but enough to keep a good consistent tone for the novel. All the side characters also had excellent characterization for their short time in the novel. These characters feel like people we'd know in real life, and in this case, that's not a bad thing.<br />
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I also really enjoyed all the hopping around to different places. It made the book really easy to escape into. The sequences in Jakarta and Sumatra were a lovely stark contrast to the urban places like New York, or the small town in Maine. You get a little bit of everything here.<br />
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As an older young adult and a reader who doesn't usually read horror, I can say that I really enjoyed the book and that a lot of you here on the blog will probably like it. The horror elements of the novel are more of the give-you-goosebumps sort than gore. A lot of the horror elements could even be put into the hard-core sci-fi category really.<br />
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I tore through this book in a day and really enjoyed it. It's like nothing I've ever read before, and it would adapt very well to cinema. It's got something for everyone. Highly recommended.<br />
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The Scales of Six is available on Kindle and paperback on Amazon.com<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-87211368215572459672013-03-04T18:59:00.002-08:002013-03-04T18:59:40.647-08:00Interview with Rosean Mile, Author of The Scales of Six<br />
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Hi everyone! So I just recently finished Ms. Mile's excellent debut, The Scales of Six, and liked it a lot. So I got in touch with Rosean and thus here is an interview with her about her book! The review for the book itself will be up in the coming days.<br />
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1. Your book, “The Scales of Six,” is definitely not the typical mermaid book because A) it's not young adult, B) it's got a lot of horror and more hardcore sci-fi elements and C) it's a courtroom drama on top of all that! How did you get the idea to write such a genre mash-up?<br />
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Actually, I never intended for “The Scales of Six” to be a genre-specific novel. I just let the ideas flow and went for it!<br />
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2. Your mermaid mythology is more horrifying than fluffy, as seen in a lot of the books we review here. What motivated you to take it in that direction?<br />
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The idea of writing a horror story about a mermaid was ignited by a series of unexpected things that happened in my life that were beyond my control. I literally felt underwater. I wanted to explore in my characters different approaches to dealing with a challenging situation. On some level, perhaps the mermaid approach I took is symbolic of adaptation, determination and self-will.<br />
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3. Were there any movies or books that helped you find ideas and write? <br />
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Definitely. First off, Simon Winchester’s “Krakatoa” informed my writing about that incredible volcanic explosion, and Redmond O’Hanlon’s “Into the Heart of Borneo” inspired my writing about the Sumatran jungle. O’Hanlon’s is a firsthand account of his experience in the untouched Borneo jungle (a wild and at times hilarious read!). I also perused Alfred Russel Wallace’s books on evolution (“Infinite Tropics” and “The Malay Archipelago”). Another great treasure was finding the 1914 book “Java and Her Neighbors” by Arthur S. Walcott and a letter from “Hooker’s Journal of Botany,” written in 1855. Both provide rich accounts of unspoiled Sumatra, and they really got me loving the whole historical angle. The Peabody Museum provides great stuff about the late 18th-century pepper trade between Salem, Mass., and Sumatra, Indonesia. For a glimpse at the inner workings of the cosmetics industry, I attempted “Beauty Imagined” by Geoffrey Jones and “A Year Inside the Perfume Industry” by Chandler Burr. The seeds-in-the-trunk idea came from a couple of different news stories. One was about an old chest found at an Arlington, Va., antiques store that had some of Wallace’s original specimens in it (!). The other was about the finding of 200-year-old seeds in England that were successfully germinated. There was also a fantastic discovery, reported in The Washington Post, of 2,000-year-old (!) herbal medicines in a shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany. I surfed around for news and research articles on other topics, including some criminal cases in Maine, and found a couple academic papers about development in Sumatra, and one about Dukons in Sumatra.<br />
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I can’t think of any particular movies that influenced my ideas, but I’m sure films provided lots of visual and emotional cues that informed me indirectly.<br />
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4. What music did you listen to while writing?<br />
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I write to the sounds of my fingers clicking on the keyboard!<br />
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5. “The Scales of Six” takes place in a LOT of locations, some exotic, some urban. Have you been to all the places in the book?<br />
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Yes, I’ve been to all except Rakata and the fictitious Sumatran jungle (sadly, Sumatra’s jungles are being deforested at a prodigious rate). The University of Jakarta isn’t real either, but it’s based on an actual university in Jakarta.<br />
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6. Mermaids have been growing steadily in popularity over the past few years. What is your opinion on this trend?<br />
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I think it’s a long time coming, and I’d love to see more books explore the genre outside its norm.<br />
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7. What do you hope readers will take away from “The Scales of Six?”<br />
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I hope the book proves to be one that folks can escape into and will approach as though they’re riding a roller coaster, knowing that at times it will be unsettling but also entertaining. And, hey, my characters go through some scary stuff, but they tough it out.<br />
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And now for some fun stuff.<br />
1. What was the last movie you watched?<br />
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“Safe Haven” (good date movie)<br />
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2. What did you eat while writing your book? <br />
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Warmed leftovers. Occasionally chocolate chip cookies with milk or Nutella on crackers. <br />
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3. Who are some of your favorite authors and books, mermaid or not? <br />
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Hmm, there are so many great ones, and you’re reminding me I need to populate my GR shelves. In the horror genre, Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis,” Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” are my all-time favorites for their originality. On the subject of people toughing things out (and that’s putting it mildly), current faves are “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand and “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls. For humorous and entertaining reads, I enjoy Carl Hiaasen, Tom Wolfe and John Irving. Ken Follett is terrific for historical fiction. In current popular fiction, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn is fabulous. With the ebook market bringing independent and self-published books to us, there are lots of opportunities for finding new and exciting reads. The trick is knowing how to discover them. It seems Goodreads is a great start.<br />
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4. Anything you just wanna say? <br />
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Make no mistake, “The Scales of Six” by Rosean Mile is not a traditional mermaid story, nor is it specifically a mermaid novel, and it isn’t a YA read (but I believe some older YAs will like it). It combines horror, suspense (including courtroom drama), sci-fi and romance. If you’re looking for a new twist to the mermaid theme or are in the mood to get lost in something different, try this one for scale. Thanks for reading!<br />
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Thanks so much to Rosean for the interview and her lovely book, and thanks to you for reading :) Like I said, review will be up in the coming days.<br />
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-Randi Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-61952434701618573982013-02-19T09:37:00.000-08:002013-02-19T09:37:03.451-08:00In Which Randi Reviews Tempest UnleashedI know it's been a while since there has been any actual book reviewing going on here at le blog, so I'm here to finally put the book back in merbooks blog.<br />
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I just finished Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs. This is the sequel to Tempest Rising as you probably already know.<br />
I wasn't the biggest fan of Rising, although I liked it pretty well. I thought it was too focused on romance and didn't spend enough time in the ocean to be considered urban fantasy.<br />
Tempest Unleashed certainly surpasses it's prequel in terms of general awesome.<br />
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I really enjoyed the character development, and again, the best thing about these books is Tempest's surprising humanity. Usually when a character kills a something, be it bad or good, they don't think about it too much, which is illogical especially in teens. But Tempest's compassion for others and human vulnerabilities are amazing in such an un-human world. But here we see Tempest less selfish and bratty, and more willing to take on the roles required of her if she is to be queen. It's fantastic.<br />
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I also ended up liking Mark a lot more than I ever did in Tempest Rising. Again, Deeb's excellent character development kicks in and we finally understand any sort of initial fascination these two had for each other.<br />
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On the other hand, Kona is less of a favorite after this book. He becomes clingy and aggressive, not without ground to do so, but still, it's annoying.<br />
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The story is wonderful, exciting, and keeps moving after the slow start in Tempest. It's very fast and makes the four hundred ish pages go by really fast. The new characters introduced or further worked upon are interesting.<br />
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There's a very grand sweeping scale of an epic fantasy, and it's beautifully written. This is a story that I have loved getting lost in.<br />
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-Randi <br />
<br />Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-41530192658812125432013-02-13T08:19:00.000-08:002013-02-13T08:19:10.925-08:00We're On (The Back) Of A Book!!!!Hey y'all! Long time, I know, things are busy.<br />
But guess what? The lovely and talented Zoraida Cordova has just told us that there will be a blurb from the MerBooks blog on the back of the forthcoming sequel the The Vicious Deep, which is called The Savage Blue. No word yet on what blurb it'll be, or which review they'll use (Garrett and I both wrote one for the blog), but that's still REALLY EXCITING!<br />
So keep your eyes peeled, because there will be much fangirling.Randi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-44361783244294283132013-02-12T17:09:00.002-08:002013-02-12T17:09:45.241-08:00Review and InterviewJust popping in to let all you mer-fans know about a couple of recent happenings over at <a href="http://howardparsons.info/" target="_blank">The Parsons' Rant</a>:<br />
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<li>There is a two-part interview with Robert W. Cabell - author of <i style="font-weight: bold;">All The Mermaids In The Sea</i> and <i style="font-weight: bold;">A Mermaid Christmas</i>. Both of these books were part of our Christmas Give-away. The first part of the interview is at <a href="http://howardparsons.info/interview-robert-w-cabell-part-i" target="_blank">howardparsons.info/interview-robert-w-cabell-part-i</a> and the second part of the interview is at <a href="http://howardparsons.info/interview-robert-w-cabell-part-ii" target="_blank">howardparsons.info/interview-robert-w-cabell-part-ii</a>.</li>
<li>There is a review of the second installment of Adrianna Stepiano's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Memoir of a Mermaid</i> series - <i style="font-weight: bold;">When, At Last, She Could See</i>. Go read it at <a href="http://howardparsons.info/review-when-at-last-she-could-see" target="_blank">howardparsons.info/review-when-at-last-she-could-see</a>.</li>
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Finally, we still have a number of books remaining from the Christmas Give-Away. These books are looking for good homes and are absolutely free - including shipping. Swim on over to the <a href="http://wp.me/p2mqnJ-1vG" target="_blank">Merry Mermaid Christmas Clearance Centre</a> to claim a copy as your very own.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13727946848442629903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-18881832068808205292013-01-05T21:22:00.001-08:002013-01-05T21:22:57.952-08:00Revised Mermaid Playlist!Sidenote: HAPPY NEW YEAR! May your 2013 go swimmingly :)<br />
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Anyway, a while back here on our illustrious blog, Garrett and I both posted a playlist we had worked on featuring songs that we had used to help with writing our mer-novels. Well, it's been a good year and a half, if not two so I'll post a couple songs released in that time that have helped me tremendously.<br />
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1. Never Let Me Go by Florence + The Machine. I even posted here on the blog when the video came out. Seriously, there is nothing more evocative of the sea than this Florence song in particular, even though all of them have a sort of ocean tinged feel. The percussion sounds like the tides rushing in and out, and the lyrics are sort of a romanticized overwhelming experience that no other artist has replicated for us.<br />
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2. Year of the Tiger by St. Vincent. St. Vincent, a.k.a. Annie Clark, has been doing cool music for quite a while now. While this one is not explicitly related to an oceanic quality, it has this really weird floating feel to it that helped me out when writing my current mer-novel. There's a really magic quality to Annie's voice, so a lot of her songs could be considered helpful in this area. Another good one for your writing is Dilettante, both of which are featured on St. Vincent's third album, Strange Mercy. For even further listening, try Rosalyn, which was a team up between Annie and Bon Iver.<br />
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3. SHERlocked by David Arnold and Michael Price, from the Sherlock Series 2 Soundtrack. Admittedly, I'm a very big fan of pretty much most British TV. Doctor Who, Downton Abbey, The Hour, Wallander, you name it, I probably watch it. Anyway, Sherlock is a stand-out modern adaptation of, surprise, Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective stories. Anyway, this theme from the soundtrack is for "A Scandal in Belgravia", which is based on the original "Scandal in Bohemia". The theme is used for dominatrix Irene Adler, professionally known as "The Woman". It's very moving and romantic. It's very mournful and has that sea-like quality to it. I also like writing to soundtrack because I'll get less distracted with singing along. So two birds with one stone here.<br />
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4. Supernaturally by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Chance are that you have probably not heard of this super awesome rock/soul/punkish/goth band. That can be fixed. If you have heard of them, than you probably did so when their song "O Children" was featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, as the song Harry and Hermione dance to in the film. Supernaturally is a rocking, poetic, dark, and beguiling tune that is anthem-esque, loud, brash, and utterly perfect for a story with any sort of supernatural resonance. Especially good for chase scenes.<br />
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5. Lover of the Light by Mumford and Sons. This song finally found a home on the band's sophomore effort, Babel, after often being performed live. It's a beautiful song, with lots of catharsis and build up, tension and release. I used this song to write a very big even in one of my novels and it's one of my favorite chunks of writing I have written thus far. Seriously, not to be missed. Also, this whole album is what got me through this first semester of freshman year. Their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" is another good writing tune.<br />
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6.Skyfall by Adele. I know, I know, we'll not discuss my love for British secret agents (and their sometimes ridiculously cute quartermasters) here, but this song is great for writing. Very mysterious, and very fun to listen to. Also, if like me you enjoy writing noir secret agent mermaid stories, this is right up your alley. AND on top of that, go see Skyfall if you haven't, it lives up to the hype.<br />
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Well, that's it so far. I'm sure we'll update it again next year around this time. Music is such a big part of writing for me, and I hope this helps out a couple of you. I'd love to see other suggestions in the comments!<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471196818079816725.post-81273660405704963922012-12-25T16:01:00.000-08:002012-12-25T16:01:01.949-08:00Merry Christmas From All Of Us!Well it's been quite the year, huh? I just want to speak for all of us here who run the blog and say we are so thankful for each and every one of you guys. Every comment feels like a victory and it's really cool that so many people share in the same weird obsession as we do.<br />
So whatever you're celebrating today, Merry Christmas, and I hope that you all call your families, eat lots of sweets, and watch a good movie, Christmas or not (I'm just about to go downstairs and start watching Doctor Who with my family). Thank you for being such cool followers, and I hope you got one of Howard's cool books from his giveaway.<br />
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So because I, unlike Howard, do not have a multitude of books to give away yet (seriously guys, go get some!) and it's nice and stormy over here in Alabama, and I just watched the film a couple days ago, here's part of the soundtrack from Julie Taymor's adaptation of The Tempest, where the lovely Ben Whishaw sings a passage regularly quoted in mermaid literature.<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYiNHot6Z3s<br />
Merry Christmas everyone!<br />
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-RandiRandi Redvineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02965221648056309464noreply@blogger.com0