The MerBlog: The Blog For All Things Mermaid

Spotlight: Lucy (Daughters of the Sea #3)

2012-02-25T09:57:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! Garrett and I have been at a loss for posts lately, but we finally have a small event we can write up....

The third book in Kathryn Lasky's Daughters of the Sea series is being published on March 1, and since that is coming up soon, I'd thought I'd do a little post on it, answer a few questions people have asked me about the series ect.
Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
A choice between love and survival . . .Lucy's family is excited to spend the summer in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her minister father is pleased to preside over such a prestigious congregation, and his social-climbing wife is ecstatic at the chance to find a rich husband for her daughter.Yet Lucy wants nothing to do with the Bar Harbor social scene; she's simply excited to spend the summer by the sea, watching the waves from her favorite spot on the cliff. Despite having never gone swimming, Lucy feels an intense connection to the ocean, and meets a handsome ship-builder who shows Lucy a world she's never known, yet somehow always longed for.However, her mother will stop at nothing to keep Lucy and the ship builder apart, even if it means throwing Lucy into the arms of a wealthy man with a dangerous secret. Can Lucy break free and embrace her destiny as a daughter of the sea? Or is she doomed to waste away in a gilded cage, slowly dying of a broken heart?

Alright, sounds pretty cool right? I've actually had more than a few people inbox me on Goodreads and ask some things about this particular series, so here are some things you should know before starting the book:

1. You should read the the books before it (Hannah and May respectively). May didn't particularly depend upon Hannah as far as plot details and such, but it was good to read them together.

2. This series is decidedly more middle grade than Young Adult, which is not a bad thing. I still liked them, but the writing is descriptive yet simple and there isn't a whole lot of complexity, but they are interesting. That might change with this installment however. May leaned more towards Young Adult than Hannah (there was a love interest, some family drama, whereas Hannah was firmly set in the middle grade).

3. It''s turn of the century historical fiction, which I personally loved. Mermaid books are either urban fantasy or set back in the ancient days of the Greeks, so this is a really fresh perspective on the legends and lore. Lasky is well researched in the era, and presents it very well for young and old readers.

4. This book is the set-up for the finale' due in the fourth book. While there haven't been a lot of details released about the last DOTS book (Ha! DOTS! That's cute!) we do know that it ultimately involves the sister's going home to the sea. I'm hoping to see more of that in this book.

What are y'all's thoughts? Looking forward to it? Happy reading :)

-Randi

Katy Perry The Mermaid

2012-02-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

So, we've mentioned on the MerBlog before how Katy Perry and Lady Gaga were both donning mermaid outfits, and except for a few Twitter pics, we haven't really seen Katy Perry in all her finned glory. Now, as you can see from the picture to the right, Katy Perry's mermaid photo has finally been released into the world!
This was part of a photo shoot, not a music video as I originally thought. I really love the mixture in this picture: we have the overall pop-star diva look, mixed with the more cotton-candy aspects of mermaid lore. Love the pink hair, too!
Katy Perry makes a really awesome mermaid, I have to say. So, between Lady Gaga's Yuyi and Katy Perry's unnamed mermaid, who do you think made a better sultry sea vixen?

Between The Sea And The Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore (Review)

2012-01-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

I started my awesome Merbooks challenge this year with this book. If you haven't started yours yet, get going! It's going to be fantastic!

Here's the synopsis of the book from Goodreads before I start.

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

I had a lot of really high expectations for this book, and sad to say, a lot of them didn't come true.

1. There's no real danger in the story, besides losing their sire belt *coughcoughvirginitycoughcough*. Sure, it hurts to walk on land. But there is no driving danger for the mermaids or the winged people, which puts little drive into the plot.
2.Esmerine is hopelessly boring. And so is everyone else in the story. I connected with none of the characters and none of them even felt the slightest bit real.
3. The book wasn't intricate and felt more aimed at middle grade readers, save for a lot of sexual references (which were annoying and ugly). There was no pizzazz.
4.The Mermaids eat fish. I hate to say this, because I know a lot of fish eat other fish (insert Social Network references here) but this seemed a bit like cannibalism to me. And on a similar note, and this is a really small nitpick, but the food is all human stuff and not magical :(
5. The winged/finned romance is....well pointless. I didn't feel any sparks, and it certainly wasn't very fun to read about ALL THE TIME. This is where a lot of Young Adult authors start to lose me. They concentrate way too much on the romance of it all.
But despite a lot of flaws, I still managed to enjoy bits and pieces of the book. It referenced some of the original mermaid myths. But altogether, it's pretty skip-able.

Get Unleashed...

2012-01-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

Today the finalized cover for Tempest Unleashed, the 2012 sequel to last year's fin-tastic Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs, was officially debuted on Tracy's blog. Here's the cover:

Below is the synopsis. If you haven't read the first book yet, read at your own risk, because minor spoilers may be lurking below.
Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.
What do you guys think? Myself, I'm uber-excited! I've been waiting for this book for quite some time. Plus, I think this one's got a lot more mermaid action than the previous. As much as I love selkies, I prefer mermaids a whole lot more.
So, are you guys ready to be Unleashed?

H2O: Just Add Water Spin-Off Series In The Works?

2012-01-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

Usually, when there's rumors about things going on in the H2O world, I ignore them, because it's usually just rumors. Being that I don't even live in the country where the show is filmed, it makes it even more difficult to keep up with news. But Wikipedia now features a small tidbit of information that made me wonder if it was legit or not. Of course, Wikipedia's usually wrong, but guess what? Not this time! The Wikipedia article linked back to an actual site of upcoming Australian productions, and it turns out that the H2O spinoff is listed as one of them! Read the decription of this new show, Mako: Island of Secrets, below:

When 15-year-old Zac goes camping on Mako Island, he has no idea his every move is being monitored by real-life mermaids Sirena, Nixie and Lyla, whose job it is to ward off trespassers. When he comes into contact with the magical waters of the Moon Pool on the night of a full moon, Zac is given a taste of Mako’s powers, waking the next day to discover he
has been granted fin-like feet and the power to control water… causing all sorts of trouble for Sirena, Nixie and Lyla.

So it looks like the new show is going to feature a merman. That's an interesting change, because so far only mermaids have been featured in H2O. The show is scheduled for release in late 2012.

What do you guys think? Are you excited for a new H2O series?

Are You Up For A Challenge?

2012-01-08T15:13:00.001-08:00

It's a new year, and I'm super-excited about it. Why? Because this year is filled with mermaid books galore, and I'm ready for some heavy reading! But not only am I excited for all these mermaid books, I'm also really looking forward to the first ever MerBooks Reading Challenge.
For those aware of this blog's origins, it began as a group for mermaid-book lovers on the social networking site Goodreads. And for the first time since the group's launch, we're holding a year-long reading challenge. In a nutshell (read: seashell), you have a year to read ten mermaid books. Doesn't seem too hard, right?
If you want to join in on the fun, go here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/33768._O_MERBOOKS_The_Group_For_All_Things_Mermaid_O_
It's free to join Goodreads, and you'll be among the first to learn about upcoming mermaid books, talk with authors, and talk about all things mermaid!
Hope to see you there!

THE VICIOUS DEEP Cover Gets Revamped!

2011-12-23T23:20:00.000-08:00

And by revamped, I do not mean it's been invaded by sparkly vampires (but there are shiny mermaids and merdudes in the book, or so I've heard). It's had a complete makeover, and I am loving it! Below is the book's official new cover and the synopsis:

When an unnatural riptide sweeps lifeguard Tristan Hart out to sea for three days and then dumps him back on the shore of Coney Island, it's the start of the Sea Court claiming its own. Suddenly, Tristan's girlfriend dramas and swimming championship seem like distant worries as he discovers the truth: he's a Merman. Now Tristan must fight for his life, the lives of his friends, and his humanity (if he still wants it), while competing in a race for a throne as ancient as the gods.
Like the seductive, duplicitous faeries of Wicked Lovely, these sirens of the deep have an agenda of their own.
The first word that came to my mind when I saw this new cover was "wicked." And it is wicked, right? I love the trident, the waves, the fonts used - EVERYTHING! The book is available for pre-order on Amazon, and it's not only gotten a new cover, but the book will now be in hardcover! It just gets better and better, doesn't it? My fins are definitely flipping for the release of The Vicious Deep.
What do you guys think? Do you love the cover as much as I do? Will you pre-order the book? Let me know in the comments below!

Christmas Under The Sea!

2011-12-23T21:43:00.000-08:00

Interview With SYRENKA Trilogy Author Amber Garr

2011-12-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

I want to be a writer someday. Most people know that about me. But before I wanted to be a writer, I always wanted to be a marine biologist. I even used to have the fantasy that I could be both! Amber Garr has managed to do both, and not only that, she writes about mermaids! Could there be a more perfect job? I recently caught up with Amber for a great interview! Check out our interview below!

Where did you get the idea for the Syrenka series?
The first chapter was originally a short story I wrote last year. I had just finished a different one about a Death Warden (someone who escorts souls to the next world after they are dead) and I wanted to continue with another set of characters. Mermaids have always been a favorite of mine, and I liked the idea that they could live in the same world as us and no one would ever know. I’m a huge fan of the urban fantasy genre so my short story just took on a life of its own and turned into a three book series!

In addition to being a writer, you’re also a marine biologist (awesome!). Was your professional knowledge of the sea incorporated into the story any?
Yes! Syrenka was a take on sirenians (sea cows and manatees), and I’ve conducted a lot of research in the Florida Keys so I’m familiar with the underwater landscape there. I also had to keep the scenery true to nature…like making sure the plants and animals were in the right location (California versus Florida). It had to be correct! Plus…I used to wish that I could live underwater, and although I get to do some of that with my job, this was an opportunity for me to create the kind of life I’ve always wanted.

Did you do any research into mermaid lore to build your world's mythology? Or is it your own original mythology?
I did some basic research, but more so for the selkie side. I purposely avoided reading other books about mermaids while I was forming the series so that I could create my own world without any subconscious influences. I used some of the traditional legends and put a slightly different spin on it. My mermaids are more like shape-shifters where they can take two different forms but don’t necessarily have to choose one or the other. They are also a little bit like vampires in terms of the mind control and dominance over humans. I was drawn to the selkie folklore and how they can be stuck to a life on land if their skin is stolen. In my books, selkies have a relatively solitary life and are supposed to avoid interactions with mermaids. I also decided to include water sprites/faeries as an important group of creatures that have ties to both the mermaids and selkies.

Which character did you have the most fun writing about?
I would have to say that I enjoy Abhainn, the water sprite. It’s fun to write in a dialect and he is going to be an important part of Eviana’s life as the series progresses.

If you had to choose a side, who would it be: Mermaids or Selkies?
This is a tough one because I think it would be cool to be either! However, I am partial to the mermaids and think that’s the side I would choose.

How do you feel about this growing mermaid phenomenon?
I think it’s great! Don’t get me wrong, I love my share of vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc…but it’s nice to see an interest in a different mythology all together.

What do you hope readers will take away from Promises after reading it?
First, I hope that they are able to just sit back and enjoy travelling to another world for a while. It is the reason I read fiction every day…a chance to get away from it all. But as a YA novel, I also hope that there are some lessons learned about how to treat others, cope with what the world throws at you, and making the right choices.

And lastly, what other projects are you currently working on?
The second book of the series is complete and I will be making final edits on that over the next month. I am gearing up to write the third and final book right now. It’s all in my head so I’m excited to finally have the time to sit down and write!

Lily's Adventure Continues...

2011-12-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

Forgive My Fins and its sequel, Fins Are Forever, were among the first books to surface during the mermaid craze. Both books are light-hearted and funny, and they immerse the reader in a fully fleshed out underwater world. But will there be more books in the series? The author, Tera Lynn Childs, has said she hopes there will be more, providing sales are good. And they must be, because there is now going to be a third "Fins" book!

The third book is titled "Just For Fins," and to the right is the cover, and below is the synopsis of the book. WARNING: Read at your own risk, there are spoilers from the last book below.

When Lily Sanderson decided to remain Crown Princess Waterlily of the mermaid kingdom Thalassinia, she knew she couldn’t just coast along in the current. But since she’s spent the last couple of years on land—with gorgeous human Quince by her side—Lily’s not sure she has the fins to lead a kingdom. Even her maddeningly pretentious cousin Dosinia seems to know more about ruling than she does.
But Lily has to dive in deep to keep her promise to Tellin, her mer bond in name only, whose kingdom is suffering in the changing ocean climate. Lily knows this is a seven seas–sized problem: from sea animals dying to oil spills and threats to humans. They’ll need to create some serious waves to make the mer community aware and get it to join together to make things right. Even if that means facing one of the iciest queens in the mer kingdoms.
Just when Lily thinks her double life on land and sea can’t get any more complicated, an ancient mer law might separate Lily and Quince after all. It feels as if the pair is up against a solid tsunami wave!
In this third installment in the series that began with Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever, Lily will have to find a way to balance safety and justice for the mer people as well as for the humans she loves.

So, will you guys be checking out Just For Fins? For those who have read the first two books in the series, what did you think of them?

Underwater Love: The Fred the Mermaid Trilogy Bind-Up

2011-12-17T16:56:00.001-08:00

The Fred the Mermaid Trilogy by MaryJanice Davidson is a light and funny series about a disgruntled half-mermaid and her undersea escapades. The books are becoming harder to find now, although not as hard as some other mermaid books. But now, for those who want to be able to read the entire trilogy, you'll be able to purchase an omnibus edition that contains all three of the books in one epic volume!
It's called Underwater Love, and it features all three books: Sleeping With the Fishes, Swimming Without a Net, and Fish Out of Water. I've reviewed all three of the books in one post here on the MerBlog, so you can check that out and then preorder the book. Underwater Love by MaryJanice Davison splashes into bookstores February 7th 2012!
Are YOU going to get Underwater Love? If you've already read the Fred the Mermaid books, what did you think?

Siren's Surrender (Dark Tides #2) by Devyn Quinn Review

2011-12-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Siren's Surrender is the second installment of the Dark Tides mermaid trilogy by Devyn Quinn. This one is quite different from the first novel, due to the fact that humans discover the existence of the Mer, and the mermaid sisters must deal with the realization that their lives may not belong to them anymore.
Unlike the first book, this one did not have as much mermaid action as the first. There were only two scenes, both brief, of the girls in their mer forms. This book focused more on the discovery of the Mer, and how they dealed with the G-men who had them quarantined. Basically, it reminded me of the last half of Splash, in which Madison the mermaid is caught by scientists, and then it's a race against the clock to save her. That's kind of like what happened here.
I do have to admit that I love the villain in this series. Queen Magaera is one evil mer queen, and she doesn't care who gets hurt along the way: she wants power, and lots of it. The actions she commits at the very end make me feel like the Lonike sisters are going to brace for an epic battle in the next book. I can't wait to see how the sisters deal with the Queen for good in the final novel.
All in all, it was another great addition to the Dark Tides trilogy, and I certainly can't wait to see how everything ends with the next book, Siren's Desire, which is Addison's story, and will be released next February.

Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon Review

2011-11-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

If you've ever read the original story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, you might remember the human princess that stole the human prince's heart, as well as stole him from the little mermaid. It's a unique twist to be able to get inside her head for once and see the story from her eyes, in addition to the little mermaid's. The mermaid in this story, named Lenia, lives in a beautiful underwater kingdom ruled by her mother, the sea queen, and though contact with the human world is forbidden, Lenia dreams to explore this world and gain an immortal soul.
If you're familiar with the original story, this novel follows it fairly closely. However, this is not a children's book at all, and it does contain some adult content, especially concerning the little mermaid adapting to the differences between a human body and her mermaid body. It gets very detailed, but then again, it puts you in the fins shoes of a mermaid who is trying to get used to her new form.
There were also quite a few big changes to the story that were of the author's own imagination. For example, everyone gets a happy ending in this story, in their own way, a deviation from the original fairytale, which is darker and more heartbreaking. However, Carolyn Turgeon manages to capture the darkly beautiful essence of the original story while managing to spin her own version of the tale at the same time. Fans of the original The Little Mermaid looking for a more adult version of the tale will delight in Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale.

Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper Review

2011-11-25T04:32:00.000-08:00

Tangled Tides was one of my most anticipated books this year, and I am so glad it did not disappoint! From the opening chapter, the book jumps right into the action. Yara becomes a mermaid early on, and a whole new magical world beneath the sea is unveiled.
The mythology of this book was rich, refreshing, and a well-needed break from vampires, werewolves, and fallen angels. None of those here, but there are mermaids, selkies, sirens, and gorgons (even a water sprite or two), and learning the back stories and rules for each species, as well as how the different species interact with each other, was one the things most interesting to me about the book. And another thing - it’s difficult to choose which creature I liked the most. I loved them all!
The characters were also unique and fully fleshed out. You’ll cheer for Yara, our heroine, the girls will swoon over Treygan, and Pango will make you laugh. I loved each one of these uniquely amazing characters.
And the surprises! Filled with secrets, these characters are part of a feud that has lasted for eighteen years, and the complex web of lies and secrets that each character is a part of unravels as the novel progresses. You’ll probably gasp a time or two…I know I did.
So definitely read Tangled Tides, especially if you’re a fan of warring supernatural creatures, but you’re tired of the vampires and the werewolves. But also, give it a try if you’re looking for a great story filled with romance, adventure, and shocking twists.

Once Upon A Time's Ariel (Almost) Cast?

2011-11-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

Remember yesterday when I blogged about ABC's fairytale-themed show Once Upon a Time including Ariel as one of the characters? Well, not only are they pursuing a storyline for The Litle Mermaid, but it looks like they've got someone in mind to play the Disney heroine as well.
The casting directors appear to be chasing down Joanna Garcia to play Ariel. I've never heard of the actress before, but from her overall appearance, it looks like she would be able to capture Ariel's carefree and bubble personality quite well. Plus, she's a redhead, and we all know how much Ariel's hair is her signature trademark.
Do you think Joanna Gsrcia would be able to successfully play Ariel on Once Upon a Time?

Guess Who's Swimming to ABC's Once Upon A Time?

2011-11-22T17:51:00.001-08:00

Hey, guys! Sorry I've been gone so long, but this semester has been busy! I'm back now, with exciting news! Our favorite Disney heroine, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, might be showing up on ABC's Once Upon A Time! For those not familiar with the show, it puts well-known fairytale characters in our world, characters like Snow White, Cinderella, and various others. I've been hoping our favorite mermaid would pop up, and it looks like that's about to happen!
My only thought is whether or not the character is indeed Ariel, or another version of the little mermaid story. Other characters on the show, such as Sleeping Beauty's Malificent and the dwarves from Snow White, appear to be based on the Disney versions rather than the actual fairytales. And it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to include Ariel - after all, ABC is owned by Disney, so they could include her.
Will you guys watch the Little Mermaid in action on Once Upon a Time, as well as (hopefully) Ursula, Eric, King Triton, and all our other favorite characters from the film?

Exciting Disney News!

2011-11-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

REALLY big news for those who loved the mermaids in Pireates of the Carribean.
Disney has just confirmed that they will be adding mermaids to the Pirates ride at Disney World!

I'm a bit hesitant to publish this, but OH. MY. GOD. I'm sorry, I'm a little kid every time I've been to Disney (like twice, but roll with me here). This is going to be amazing. Looking forward to this more than you know!

What are your opinions on this new addition? Let me know in the comments.

-Randi

Interview with Vanessa Barger

2011-10-27T20:15:00.001-07:00

Thanks so much fo the interview! I always enjoy talking to people, and I hope that you get a chance to read Slack Tide and that you enjoy it!

1. How did your book come about? What was the inspiration?

Well, I'd known about selkies for awhile and thought that there were few books that featured them, and those I'd read that did didn't delve much into their mythology. After a strange dream one night, the story sort of emerged into what it is now. Starting mostly with the idea of the skin and the idea of it being able to transform something. And then it wasn't a far stretch for me to wonder if a skin could belong to more than one person.....

2. Selkies are starting to become just as trendy as merpeople. What drew you to them?

I think it was because I've always had a special interest in the UK and celtic folklore and mythology. Selkies just captured my imagination, and I figured they had so much more potential for merging my own take on them into what already exsisted.

3. I always ask this question simply because it gets some weird answers, but what did you eat while writing?

What did I eat? Hmmmm... There was probably some chocolate in there. (Isn't there always), but I do remember that on at least two occaisions, there was tea, scones, homemade strawberry jam and clotted cream. The whole nine yards.

4. If any, what music did you listen to while writing and/or inspired moments or scenes? I love book playlists.

There's a ton of songs on the playlist, but I can tell you that the ones featured most prominently were Running Up That Hill by Placebo, Moonlight Sonata, Imogen Heap, Tomanandy, Voodoo by Godsmack, and The Call by Regina Spektor, to name a few.

5. Just for fun, what was the last movie you saw and book you read?

Let's see... I just finished Fade by Lisa McMann last night, and I'm trying to start What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz. (though my overactive imagination demands that one be read in daylight!). as for movies, I watched the Vicar of Dibley Wedding Special last night. Hilarious, if you like Dawn French and/or Brit Coms!

6. Halloween is coming up. What are you doing on All Hallows Eve?

Every year we host a big Halloween party for all our friends (my roommate and I). So that's this weekend. This year we're doing a murder mystery and then heading to a flashlight corn maze. It should be fun. Each year the activities change. Sometimes its ghost tours through Williamsburg, sometimes its just hanging out around the house. This year is pretty low key, with only 15 guests, and only a few staying over. (There was one year we had about about 10 people speniding the night. Suffice to say, you had to be careful where you walked!)

On the actual night, I'll probably watch the Ghost Hunters Live event, and keep some candy, just in case any children brave the dark to get to our house out in the boonies. Its never happened yet, but its a goode excuse to buy candy!

7. What's your next writing project?

I'm in the middle of two, actually. I've got five more chapters left to write in a new thriller/mystery based very loosely on Hamlet, and I've got a romance/horror I'm outlining to use as my NANOWRIMO project.

8. Zombies or Unicorns?

oooo.... tough one. Zombie Unicorns? Think of how odd that would be!

Thanks again, and let me know if you need anything else - URLs, pics, etc.

:) Have a great night!

Vanessa

Mer Book Review: May, Daughters of the Sea #2 by Kathryn Lasky

2011-10-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

After a re-read of number two, I think I'm ready to divulge my thoughts to you all on the second Daughters of the Sea book.

After strong-starter Hannah, May answers more questions and really starts to build the story up to what is sure to be a thrilling climax in the fourth novel.

First of all, the pacing of the book was MUCH better than Hannah. May doesn't wait nearly as long to dive in as Hannah. The funniest bit is that May and Hannah's stories are entwined and May gets a little antsy when Hannah STILL hasn't found out about her tail (I see what you did there Kathryn).

The setting here is Maine, where the last half of Hannah takes place. May lives in a lighthouse with her "foster" parents Edgar and Zeeba (I don't thnk I can spell her real name right to be honest. It's an odd name). Edgar found her at sea floating in a treasure chest (remember that bit, it's prominent in the story). Zeeba is sick all the time and makes May care for her, which adds that sort of villian-y touch to the story (think someone like Gothel from Rapunzel).

However, there is a love story in this book, which I wasn't very happy with UNTIL I started actually reading the book. One of the things that made Hannah so special was that there was no love interest and that it was just a story about a maid that finds out she's a mermaid (I know, I'm punny, deal with it). It's a little overblown at times as the book progresses bit it is a very sweet love interest and I can say I enjoyed it well enough.

Again, just the fact that this is a non-modern, non-super lovey dovey mermaid book is really something cool. This one seems to be aimed a little older than Hannah, but all in all, it's a fitting seuqel not to be missed if you read the first.

Mer Book Review: Hannah, Daughters Of The Sea #1 by Kathryn Lasky

2011-10-10T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Before I begin my review of this cool book, I want to thank everyone who recently started following the blog and reading these jewls on the Internet :) It means a lot to me and Garrett for each comment and follower, and I know that I for one am thrilled. Don't be shy! I'll be happy to read comments and be total dorks with you all!

But onto the book review....

Kathryn Lasky (The Owls of Ga'Hoole series most notably, which was turned into a film last year) is writing a great quartet about mermaids called Daughters of the Sea, and I've read all the published volumes, which are Hannah, and May, which I'll review in my next post.

The basic premise is this: Three mermaid (triplets as they're all the same age) sisters seperated at birth and all sent in different directions and walks of life. This book focuses on Hannah. The year is 1899 and Hannah was put in an orphan home, and quickly sent off to a job as a scullery girl in a fine Boston Home. Whacked out stuff starts happening, and by the hands of fate, Hannah finds out she is a mermaid, and that the mysterious cool artist guy currently staying with aforementioned fine Boston family might know more about her than she does herself.

My one big complaint about this book is the pacing. Hannah is super oblivious to the whole mermaid thing, and it's in the last FIFTY pages that she discovers she is a mermaid, which leaves very little time to explore all the concepts and questions that come with that tail of hers. I spent the whole book resisting the urge to just shout " GO TAKE A SWIM!"

But there was a lot of other cooler things about the book.

1. It's a historical mermaid fiction. Not a lot of these out there, except for the occasional Greek Mythology ones (Sirena for example). Not only that, but a turn of the century setting. It makes for an interesting read.

2. Except for a brief moment with the painter I mentioned up there, there is no love interest in the book, which is super refreshing with all of the mer-books that revolve around love. And I'm not dissing those books at all, in fact, I enjoy them as much as the next mer-obssessed girl, but I do get a little tired of them sometimes. That was one of the coolest things about the book. It made me like it a lot more.

3. Hannah wasn't Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill, but she wasn't a completely whimpy heroine either. She was a little plucky, but not mouthy. There was something fun about her strongwilled but demure aspects. It was a nice blend. She's like a mix of the headstrong Katniss from the Hunger Games with a big dose of Alice of Wonderland.

4. This book really sets up the sequel really well, which after reading the sequel, I like this book even better.

It's aimed at the more tween set, but I know adults who've enjoyed the series as well. You won't find the cheesy processed romance or lots of brain food, but a good period read that's unique from a lot of other mer-books.

Review of the sequel to come soon after I give it another read.

-Randi

The Little Mermaid Will Be In 3D!

2011-10-06T03:40:00.000-07:00

Most of us mermaid fans had our love begin with Ariel. Disney's The Little Mermaid is a classic movie that still has legions of fans even today, and it's one of the studio's most well-known films.
With the success of The Lion King's rerelease in theaters in 3D, Disney has decided to release other movies in the same way. And one of those movies is none other than Ariel's story!
The Little Mermaid in 3D is set for a release date of September 13, 2013. That's a long wait, but it's definitely going to be worth it! I can't wait to see Ariel and her underwater world on the big screen, even if it is in 3D! (Especially the final battle scene with Ursula - that should be epic!)
So, what do you guys think about The Little Mermaid being released in 3D? Will you go see it? Or are you content with the DVD and don't want to spend that extra few dollars on 3D glasses? Let me know in the comments below!

Interview with RANDI!

2011-10-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

And now the long awaited final chapter!

1. How long have you been interested in mermaids? How exactly did you get interested in them?

I got hooked (haha, punny!) after seeing The Thirteenth Year admittedly. The acting was bad, but the whole idea intrigued me. Then I found H20 and then I started having whacko dreams about merpeople, and then I figured I'd write some books about them. And thus began the obssession.

2. If you could be in any mer-book or movie (human or mermaid) which would it be?

Hmmm, I really liked Kathyn Lasky's Daughter's of the Sea series, but you couldn't go back and forth, so that'd be a con... I'd have to go with that one though. Or maybe The Fins series. I haven't finished it yet, but at least you can get a bit of land, a bit of sea.

3. Which merworld would you NOT live in?

Much as I loved the book, I wouldn't want to live in Lost Voices, because of all that's implied when you get a tail, that trauma that gets you there and all. Plus, they were all at each other's throats at some point in the book. I'm sort of a hippy, I can't take drama like that very well.

4. What's been your favorite post on the blog?

I really liked following the build-up to Lady Gaga's mermaid video, because I thought that video was pretty cool :) But don't get me wrong, I love posting on the blog and every little blurb is special.

5. What's your most anticipated mer-related thing of any sort to happen in 2012? (It's ok if there's more than one).

Ooooh, you know, I'm excited about the films coming up. I want to be a director when I get older and I'm excited to see some of the films that are in development. Oh, and tons of books too.

6. What do you think of the recent upsurge in mermaid popularity?

It's a little bittersweet in the sense that I thought I was being super unique writing about mermaids, but I've also found more people who are into merpeople because of it. Like this blog for example ;)

7. So you're a big music fan. What songs or bands do you think would make a great mermaid soundtrack?

I'd actually assembled a playlist for the blog, but I haven't got around to posting it yet. But for bands, Florence + the Machine wihtout a doubt. Florence herself is so like a mermaid it's hard to imagine anyone else, though if I did, I'd probably come up with Tori Amos or someone sort of like that. And for composers, Alexendre Desplat (The last two Harry Potter movies, The King's Speech) or Hans Zimmer (Pirates of the Carribean, Inception, ect).

8. What other interests do you have besides mermaids?

Well like I said, film, music, writing, books, and I'm on a quest for rainbow knee socks and Dr. Suess Chuck Taylors. I have a wizard rock project called Love Wrocks, that plays songs about Harry Potter, Doctor Who, The Hunger Games, and a bunch of other cool stuff. I'm just looking to explore all kinds of stuff to see what I like and do best.

9. We've gotten to interview a lot of authors. What's been your favorite interview?

Well I got to interview Maijia Barnett, author of Black Waters, which was cool because I really enjoyed the book, but Sarah Porter was awesome as well.

10. You've written a series of mermaid-themed books that you said you might publish on Kindle someday. How did you get the idea for the series?

Awww, now I feel bad, I should've plugged your writing too! But yes, I am writing a merpeople series. The overview name isn't decided yet, but the first book is Dancing Barefoot, the second is Bottle It Up, and the third is Falling or Flying, which I haven't finished the last one yet. All the titles are song names, and extra points as to who can guess all three in the comments, heheheh. But I got the idea from the aforementioned whacko dreams I had about merpeople, and I was really looking in to developing an underwater universe and people but incorporate the land to. It's going pretty well. But not ready for le Kindle yet!

11. Just for kicks, what was the last movie you watched?

I think it was Sucker Punch or Kill Bill. I'm on an action movie kick. I think I liked Kill Bill better though. I need to watch Sucker Punch to determine what's real or not though.

12. Do you have any other blog type things besides this one?
YES! www.distractedgenius.blogspot.com and I'm on Tublr as well under the same name.

13. So, what's YOUR favorite food?

Hmmm.... I'm a Greek food person, so baklava, but there's also this popsicle stand that sets up at our local Farmer's Market, and they make Peach And Cream popsicles that are delicious.

Interview with GARRETT!

2011-10-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Surprise! Garrett and I interviewed each other once we hit fifty followers so this is his interview! Mine will be following shortly.

1. What prompted you to found the mer-blog?
Well, I started it when this whole mermaid craze finally started kicking off. I tried creating a blog about mermaid-oriented books in the past, but in the time there wasn't much. It was when mermaids started to surface in books, music, and movies that I decided to make a blog that had all this information in one place, where mermaid fans could find out about the latest in mer pop culture.
2. If you could be in any mer-book or movie (human or merman) which would it be?
I'm not picky, I'd like to be in quite a few of them. But the most recent would probably have to be as a character in the Forgive My Fins world. Normally, I would want to be a merman, but in FMF, there's hope for land-dwellers, too, as humans can be turned mer also!
3. Which merworld would you NOT live in?
Hmmm...probably the Pirates of the Caribbean world. It'd be scary to live in a world where the mer girls eat you!
4. What's been your favorite post on the blog?
I'd have to say the interviews. I can't pick just one! I know, I know, that's cheating, but I love each and everyone. I love picking the brains of each individual author and learning more about the mermaid world they've created.
5. What's your most anticipated mer-related thing of any sort to happen in 2012? (It's ok if there's more than one)
I'd have to say all the new mermaid books! Tempest Unleashed, The Vicious Deep, Of Poseidon, Waking Storms, and, even though it's in this year, Tangled Tides!!!

6. What was your reaction to passing the fifty followers mark?
I was excited I even got one! I remember after the first week and I already had ten followers, I was beaming. This is the reason why I started the MerBlog - to spread the mermaid love to other mermaid fans!
7. Just for kicks, what was the last movie you watched?
Ummm...movie? Probably The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon. I really liked that one and its message that sometimes love can overcome all obstacles...even fate. The last thing I actually watched was Terra Nova - gotta love Spielberg and dinosaurs!
8. What do you think of the recent upsurge in mermaid popularity?
I LOVE IT!!! For years, I've been wanting new mermaid books to come out. I'd read the same ones over and over. I remember when I first saw Forgive My Fins. I has Googled "people need to write more mermaid books," and it was one of the first things to pop up. Soon after, more and more mermaid books started to show up, until I was beside myself in excitement. I hope it lasts for years and years.
9 If you could pick one band to provide the music to a mer-movie, who would it be?
Hmmm... I think it depends on the mood you're looking for. If it was for a beachy, feel-good movie, maybe Weezer, whose "Island in the Sun" is the perfect beach song and was used in Aquamarine. But I really love Florence and the Machine. Their music is truly magical, perfect for a mermaid movie.
10. So you're a guy, and you're into merpeople, and I know you've said that people think it's weird sometimes. Has that changed any since merpeople started to become trendy?
I think so. No one says anything about my mermaid interest anymore that's negative, mainly because since then I've gotten more confident in what I'm interested in and don't feel the need to hide it anymore. This is who I am, this is what I like, so why hide it? Surprisingly, a lot of people seem to respond to it rather well, probably because of the new Pirates movie. People now see mermaids as darker and more complex, rather than the traditional Disney princess.
11. So what do you do besides keeping up with our now massively popular blog?
Well, I'm a senior in high school, counting down the days till it's over. :D But I'm also a massive fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood, besides mermaids. Buffy + mermaids + Sookie = bliss.
12. The last book/book series you read?
The last book I finished was the first book in a 4-book series of Buffy novels, entitled The Lost Slayer. (Yes, I'm so obsessed with Buffy, I read the tie-in novels, too. My English teacher hated me for it, lol.)
13. Do you have any other blog type things besides this one?
I used to, but now I've basically given up on them. Some of the reviews I have on my old blog I've copied and pasted and made new blog posts on here. So, it's kind of like Blog Post Recycling.
14. We've gotten to interview a lot of authors. What's been your favorite interview?
Ooh! What a trick question! I can't answer that. Seriously! I've loved each one and getting each author's different take on mermaids, so I'd say each one has different unique qualities as to why I love them.
15. Lastly, one of my trademark questions I always end up asking anyone: What's your favorite food?
Haha, that's easy. My mom makes this special dish called Mexican Chicken that I LOVE! It's like a casserole with chicken, Velveeta Cheese, Rotel tomatoes, and it's topped with a layer of Doritos that act as a crust for the casserole. Yum! It's insanely delicious, and it's a rare thing for there to be leftovers. In fact, friends from school actually make me tell them when Mom's making it to invite them over. It's definitely a favorite among friends and family!

Interview + Giveaway With THE VICIOUS DEEP Author Zoraida Cordova

2011-09-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

Zoraida Cordova's the awesome author of The Vicious Deep, her debut novel which releases in April 2012. Below's a little snippet of Zoraida's bio:
Zoraida Córdova was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where she learned to speak English by watching Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker on repeat. Her favorite things are sparkly like merdudes, Christmas, and New York City at night. She loves getting tweets @zlikeinzorro and making funny faces on her YouTube channel ZoraidaLand.
And for those who want to know more about The Vicious Deep, here's the book's summary courtesy of Goodreads:
Set against the backdrop of a Coney Island summer comes The Vicious Deep, the story of sixteen year old Tristan Hart whose life is turned upside down when the mermaids make an unscheduled return to land in search of their new king.
When a sudden storm pulls Tristan from lifeguard duty into a deadly riptide, he discovers what he really is—a prince of the Sea Court. Turns out, his girlfriend hopping and talents as a swimmer aren’t caused by his teenage prime hormones after all.
In this modern Arthurian tale with a twist, when all a guy wants to do is get The Girl and enjoy the freak show that is a Coney Island summer, Tristan has to fight for his life, the lives of his friends, and his humanity, if he still wants it, as he’s caught in a race for a throne that is as ancient as the gods.
And now for the interview! Check it out below:

How did you get the idea for The Vicious Deep?
It starts with a boy.
I've always wanted to write a large scale story about a Sea Kingdom. In the end, I got the idea for Tristan when I saw this pensive and brooding lifeguard at the beach. I had found my merman. I already had his name picked out and the world just fell into place around him.

The Vicious Deep has a male protagonist (which I'm excited about myself). Was it challenging for you to write from the perspective of a teenage boy?
A lot of my best friends are boys so I just wrote like them. I didn't think of it as "writing" from a boy as much as "I'm writing as Tristan Hart." We all have gender stereotypes that make us wonder how a writer can pull of a gender not their own. If you look at books like WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight and GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray, you think about the voice. You think about the story. You go for the ride.

I love writing in Tristan's voice because that's someone who I'd like to know and see. I'm excited for everyone to get to know him.

Did you have a character that was most fun to write about, or that you maybe felt you could relate to most?
I love writing about the minor characters the best. Sure, everyone cheers for the hero and want to right the wrongs of the villain. But it is the little people that make the book spark. You discover the newness of Tristan's world along side him.

How do you feel about this sudden surge in popularity mermaids have gotten?IT HAS TO STOP!

Just kidding. I love it! It almost seems like there's this collective energy that happens. Like we were writing/selling our novels at the same time. It's all so very cool. I also try not to think of it as a trend as much as merfolk getting their chance in the spotlight. Vampires have become so accessible. But mermaids have always been a mystery. So I hope we can share some of that magic.

What type of research did you do on mermaids for The Vicious Deep, if any?
I feel like the world is what I want it to be. I've grown up looking at a lot of mermaid art. Online, in books, things that I paint myself. I also have some non-fiction books about mermaid sightings. My favorite is a collection of folktales from all around the world depicting mermaids. It reminds me of the stories coming out now with all of our different takes.

What do you hope readers will take away from The Vicious Deep after reading it?I hope they walk away with a desire to read book 2!
On the more serious side, I want everyone to love the world I've created. My modern New York Wonderland.

How many books will there be of Tristan's adventures?There are two sure books. The Vicious Deep and a currently untitled book 2. (There is a title, it's just not official) The outline for book 2 is wayyy long. So, we'll see.

Finally, are there any other projects you're currently working on?
I have a witchy stand alone, a YA with santeria, a vampire novel I've been working on since high school. There are going to be a lot of books!

Now onto the giveaway! Zoraida's offering up a "Mermaid Starter's Pack," which includes a hardcover copy of Siren by Tricia Rayburn, Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs, and a 5x7 art photo inspired by the novel that includes a one line excerpt. So if you want to be introduced to the mermaid world, or you're already a fan and want to win some great mermaid stuff, here's what to do.

1) Follow this blog. (If you already follow it, more power to ya!)
2) Leave a comment below, telling me who your favorite mermaid/merdude is, and also include your email address.

And that's it! The giveaway ends next Sunday, October 9th. It is only open for the US (sorry, international peeps!) Good luck guys!

WAKING STORMS (Lost Voices Book 2) Cover Reveal!

2011-09-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter is a mermaid book filled with darkness, pain, and mesmerizing beauty. It's also the first in a trilogy. I've reviewed the book - and even interviewed it's amazingly talented author, Sarah Porter - on the MerBlog before. Waking Storms is the second book in the trilogy, set for a tentative release date of July 2012. For those unaware of what the book's about, here's the summary courtesy of Goodreads:
After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But her tranquility doesn't last long: she receives news that the tribe is on the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. Anais, their cruel queen, wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary.

But when Luce and Dorian meet, they start to wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Luce's new friendship with an ancient renegade mermaid gives her hope that her kind might someday change their murderous ways. But how can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian?

Full of miraculous reunions and heart-pounding rescues, this haunting second installment in the Lost Voices Trilogy finds Luce eager to attempt reconciliation with humans—as long as war doesn't break out first.

Sounds good, huh? I'll definitely be checking this one out. Hopefully, Netgalley will have it, being that's how I read the first.

Interview With TANGLED TIDES Author Karen Amanda Hooper!

2011-09-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

Karen Amanda Hooper is the incredibly awesome author of the upcoming book, Tangled Tides, Book 1 of the Sea Monster Memoirs and which features a dazzling array of supernatural sea creatures, including mermaids! Check out my interview with Karen below!

How did you get the idea for Tangled Tides?

This may seem crazy but the idea was sparked while I was walking my dogs and came across a neighbor’s sidewalk covered with dead worms. Yup, that’s right, worms. I kept thinking how sad it was that they looked like they were trying to cross to the grass but didn’t make it. That moment combined with my childhood love of mermaids sparked the basic idea of my story: sea creatures trying to make it back to their realm before they die in ours. (And yes, I incorporated the odd worm connection through a scene in the book. I’m weird like that.)

I’ve been frequently checking out your blog for a couple of years now, it seems. And congratulations on finally getting to see the novel be published. What was the whole process of getting published like?

Thank you! And big hugs for reading my blog!
Honestly, getting published was an unexpected surprise. I queried the manuscript a couple years ago and then shelved it after I didn’t get any offers of representation from agents. I was querying a totally different project when USA Today published an article about mermaids being the next big trend. A few writer friends emailed me suggesting that I self-publish my mermaid story. I took it as a sign from the universe, asked a couple author friends about their experiences with self-publishing, and one of those friends suggested I submit it to her publisher. I did and viola! A couple months later Rhemalda offered me a contract. A perfect example of how the universe works in mysterious and unexpected ways. And that the universe knows what it’s doing because I couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.

Tangled Tides features a colorful diversity of mythological sea creatures: merfolk, selkies, sirens, and gorgons. Did you do any research to find all these creatures, or did you automatically know they would play a role in the story?

I knew they’d all play a part, I just wasn’t sure how. I don’t outline or plot ahead, so my characters and details of my stories develop and change as I write (and as my critique partners make suggestions). The merfolk and selkies were the easiest to develop. I had a pretty clear idea of what they’d be like from the start, but the sirens surprised me. They turned out more sultry and sinister than I originally intended. I researched birds quite a bit to develop their gestures and habits. My odd affinity for gorgons developed when I was a kid. I loved the original Clash of the Titans movie, but I was always felt sorry for Medusa when Perseus killed him. I hooked her up with a much better role in my story.

Which character did you have most fun writing about?

Oh, it’s so hard to choose just one. Let me think…
Okay, seriously, I vacuumed and made coffee and gave it A LOT of thought and I can’t choose just one. Please don’t make me! Yara, Treygan, and Rownan were so important they each got their own voice and POV, but I had so much fun creating Nixie, Pango, Koraline and Delmar…and Jack. And Kai. And Otabia. And Kimber. See, I love all of them.

I love the names in your story (Yara, Treygan, Rownan, etc.) And I actually looked up the meaning of Yara (it means “seagull.” How fitting!) Did you find all the names, or make some of them up on your own?

Can I just say how much I love that you looked up Yara’s name? *huge grin*
I did a lot of research on the name Yara. Yes, in some cultures it means seagull—which was so fitting, but depending on the language Yara also means: Mermaid of the river, the song of love and death, one who guides or teaches, and the line that separates the stars from the ocean. Really, she has the perfect name for her.
And Treygan. *sigh*
I put a lot of research into his name too. One of the things I found that fit him perfectly was this: the name Treygan creates the urge to be reliable and responsible, it causes an emotional intensity that is hard to control…driven with a strong inner urge to be of service in some way that would uplift humanity as a whole…a tendency to assume too heavy a burden of responsibility for others.
Once you read the book you’ll totally get it.
The rest of the names I just randomly picked and/or made up, or they’re already established characters in mythology like Medusa and her sisters.

Since sea monsters abound in Tangled Tides, what sea creature - mythical or not - is your favorite?

In real life I adore the honu (the Hawaiian sea turtle). I had experiences swimming with them in the wild in Hawaii and I totally fell in love.
Mythical, I’d want to be Yara. She’s a breed all her own. *wink wink*

How do you feel about the rise in popularity mermaids have recently gotten?

I wrote a whole post about this but I’ll try to summarize my feelings. I’ve loved merfolk since I was two years old, so I’m excited to be part of the trend, and to read all the other mermaid stories. (I waited until mine was done so I didn’t accidentally copy any ideas.) At the same time I worry that my story will get lost in the crowded sea of mer books (pun intended).

What do you hope readers will take away from Tangled Tides after reading it?

In my story there’s a reoccurring theme of love. Love of self, family, friends, soul mates, even love of knowledge and life in general. I’m a big believer in loving with everything you’ve got. I hope Tangled Tides reminds readers how important and powerful love is.

Can we expect more Sea Monster Memoirs to come in the future?

Yes indeedy. I’m working on book 2 right now.

And lastly, are there any other projects you’re currently working on?
I have a YA reincarnation manuscript that a few agents and a publisher have had since before I pulled Tangled Tides out of the drawer. Also, I started writing a few scenes for a whole different YA paranormal. All I can say about that one is that it’s much colder than any of my other stories. *mischievous smile*

Thanks so much for interviewing me, Garrett. I loved these questions. Discussing my sea peeps always makes me happy.

To find out more about Karen Amanda Hooper's debut novel Tangled Tides, swim on over to Goodreads, where you can also enter a giveaway for the book! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12047201.Tangled_Tides_The_Sea_Monster_Memoirs_1_

H2O: Just Add Water Stars: Where Are They Now?

2011-09-25T06:22:00.001-07:00

First, before I continue, let me just say that this blog post isn't strictly limited to mermaids, but about two actresses who are well-liked in the mermaid community due to their work on a mermaid-themed show. The two of them are now playing supernatural creatures on American TV shows. Phoebe Tonkin and Claire Holt, who played mermaids Cleo and Emma respectively on the hit Australian television series H2O: Just Add Water, are making a splash on the American network, the CW, playing supernatural beings on two of the channel's most popular shows, The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle.

Claire Holt played Emma Gilbert on H2O, a mermaid who was the self-appointed leader of the group. Holt left the show after its second season, moving to America to star in other shows and movies, such as The Messengers 2 and Pretty Little Liars. But now, she's going to be playing Becky, a vampire on the CW's most popular show, The Vampire Diaries. She hasn't yet made her appearance on the show, but she might be appearing in next Thursdays's episode, entitled "The End of the Affair." It'll be pretty cool to see my favorite mermaid playing a vampire on another favorite show of mine.

Now on to Phoebe Tonkin. She played shy and insecure mermaid Cleo, but now she's playing a character who is the exact opposite of Cleo - Faye, a confident and badass witch on the CW show The Secret Circle. I have seen the show, and Tonkin is the best actress on the show. She's funny but with a dark, dangerous side to her - it makes me think Faye's going to go off the deep end pretty soon. I love Phoebe Tonkin, and I hope her character Faye has a long life on The Secret Circle.
I haven't looked into any of the projects that the other former H2O stars might be doing, as I don't think any of them are doing American television. (Although Craig Horner, who played Emma's boyfriend in Season 2, was doing an American TV show called Legend of the Seeker, but it has since been cancelled.)
Well, that's it for this time around! Keep swimming by for more mermaid news!

The Fred the Mermaid Trilogy by MaryJanice Davidson

2011-09-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

MaryJanice Davidson is well-known for her Vampire Queen Betsy paranormal-romance series. But she's also written about mermaids, with the Fred the Mermaid Trilogy, consisting of three books entitled Sleeping With the Fishes, Swimming Without a Net, and Fish Out of Water, released in 2006, 2007, and 2008 respectively.
Fred is the anti-Ariel; she's cranky, ill-tempered, and she's pretty much as un-mermaidlike as you can get. Check out my reviews of all three of the books below:

Book 1: Sleeping With the Fishes
Sleeping With the Fishes is a laugh-out-loud book that turns the mermaid genre upside down. The book is filled with snide remarks toward the well-known 'Little Mermaid' and 'Splash' movies, mainly as a way to show how un-mermaidlike Fred really is. I loved all the characters in this book, and the way they interacted with each other. MaryJanice Davidson is great at coming up with snarky dialogue and one-liners that make me laugh at loud and look like a freak to anyone in the vicinity of me while I'm reading. It's a quick read, and you could probably breeze through it in a day or two. It's mostly fluff and comedic fodder, a good escapism when you're looking for something light that you don't have to analyze. Plus, if you love mermaids and want to see a different side to the mermaid myth, you'll love this book!

Book 2: Swimming Without a Net
The cover of this book caught my eye from its place on the shelf, and after weeks of contemplating, I decided to pick it up and read it. I'd heard of the first book in the Fred the Mermaid Trilogy, Sleeping With The Fishes, but I had never gotten around to reading it. I probably won't read it, even though this book was...well, tolerable. Okay, if this book hadn't been about a mermaid, I don't think I would have ever picked it up. It was okay, but it could have been waaay better. The novel was 304 pages, and most of that was made up because of the large font size, with few lines on each page, and almost twent-five pages of quotes, acknowlegments, title pages, and author notes. Basically, Swimming Without a Net is all fluff, no story. With only a few good descriptions of the mermaids, barely any action, and Fred's usual grumpiness running abundantly throughout, this book has its random charming moments, several attempts at humor, and one very brief sex scene.

My advice: read at your own risk. I only read it because it was about a mermaid.

Book 3: Fish Out of Water
Fish Out Of Water was A LOT better than the previous book, Swimming Without A Net. In this one, the mystery of Fred's biological father is finally solved, but he might not be as warm and caring about Fred as he first appears...
I read this novel in about a day, because it's very short, and the font size and word count for each page is very minimal. Like the second book, there was almost thirty pages of quotes, acknowledgments, author notes, a 3-sentence long prologue, and title pages galore!
Personally, I don't think it would be too hard to come up with ideas for a mermaid book. Since there's hardly any out there, you can practically write whatever you want! (I have written a few myself, a time or two.) Why the Fred the Mermaid series is lacking in plot is a mystery to me. That being said, I wish this wasn't the last book, because the series could have eventually started to get better. The reason I liked this book better was that Swimming Without A Net didn't get was because of the climax of this book. There was actually some intense action going on there! Plus, the book has to be given props for such a beautiful cover!
So, there's my review for the third and final book of the Fred the Mermaid Trilogy. Fish Out Of Water may be better than the previous novel, but it still has its own problems.

If you think the Fred the Mermaid books might be for you, definitely check them out! A warning, though, that these books are adult and do have adult content. So if you're okay with that, you die-hard mermaid fans don't want to miss these!

Mermaid Films: Part 2 of 5 Location

2011-09-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

So you have your incredibly talented cast, your suited-to-the-film director, now you need to know where to film your epic mermaid movie of awesome. We'll go by your type of movie and how you can play off your location to the best advantage of a film.

For your typical epic high fantasy sort of film (it can be one with a darker portrayal of merpeople or it can work with a lighter tone as well), you'll want to go to where most epic fantasies are filmed: New Zealand. You've got plenty of beautiful locales to do your scenes on land (if you have any, which odds are you will) and many more for the water bits. If you don't believe me, just watch the Extended versions of The Lord of the Rings a couple times.

For a dark take on an Urban fantasy, I'd go with Boston or Washington D.C. Washington is a little harder with the water scenes, but there are great bodies of water in the proximity. Boston might be a bit easier in that aspect however.

Or, if you're going in the vein of the beloved "Splash" New York of course :) Another interesting though would be Canada. I've always thought of setting some mermaids up in Canada. Maybe that's just me.

Either way, lemme know what you think guys!

Much love and sonic screwdrivers,
Rnadi

Baseball Players Dig Mermaids

2011-09-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Picture this: a baseball player tries to win the heart of a beautiful mermaid. Sounds like a romance novel waiting to happen, right? Well, this story is more fact than fiction. Philadelphia Phillies outfielder John Mayberry apparently wants to date the Albanian model and actress, Antoinette Nikprelaj, who, as some of you might know, played one of the beautiful but vicious mermaids in the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

A series of emails were leaked from Mayberry's LA-based agent, who tried to help set him up with Nikprelaj, but guess what? This mermaid's taken. She's married and has a daughter. So it looks like there's no luck for this landlubber.

But there's plenty of fish in the sea. And I'm sure there are lots of other mermaids out there looking for love with a landlocked human. I mean, there was an entire cast of Pirates mermaids, right?

The Water Trilogy by Kara Dalkey

2011-09-07T17:06:00.001-07:00

Water is a historical fantasy trilogy that was released in 2002 and is about mermaids, aliens, and Atlantis. Yeah, it may sound like these three things are an unlikely combination, but they fit so well together in a mesmerizing unique world created by author Kara Dalkey. Check out my reviews below of each of the novels in the trilogy: Ascension, Reunion, and Transformation.

Book #1: Ascension
Ascension was a great introduction to the Water Trilogy. Kara Dalkey's undersea world of mermaids, aliens, and Atlanteans was fully developed, lacking nothing. I loved the writing, and Dalkey perfectly captures Nia's uneasy feeling that her treasured underwater world is but an illusion. The final scenes of the book are filled with twists, turns, and very unexpected surprises. If you love mermaids, definitely check out this unique spin. This would also be a great introduction into high fantasy. I can't wait to check out Reunion and Transformation, the next two parts of the trilogy.

Book #2: Reunion
I'll admit, I was a bit hesitant to read this one. The beginning was very slow, as I'm not a big historical fantasy fan, and the entire first quarter of the book was the typical medieval story. But once Nia showed back up, the story got rolling and I was hooked once more. I stayed up late, knowing I had school in the morning, just to keep reading, and the next day I was still reading it every spare chance I got. While I loved the first book, Ascension, more, I loved Reunion for many different reasons.
I have to say, Nia is one of my favorite - if not already my favorite - mermaid heroines. She is brave and daring, standing up to defy even barbaric kings in a mission to save her people. I sense a budding romance between her and Corwin. I wonder where that's going to go...
All in all, it was a fantastic read, not as good as the first, but a welcome addition to the Water Trilogy. I'm definitely sinking back into the third and final book, Transformation, and I can't wait to see how all the action, twists, and turns unfold to create the book's explosive conclusion.
So definitely check out Reunion if you're a mermaid or historical fantasy fan!

Book #3: Transformation
WOW! This one was epic! I read it in just two sittings - in one day, too. Everything just builds to a huge climax, and there was action around every corner. I still love Nia. The scene in the Farworlder nursery made me cheer her on, because you can tell Nia's ready to kick some Avatar butt. I love Dalkey's writing as well; there were several lines that made me chuckle as I read. We also return to Atlantis in this one, which we didn't get to see in the second novel. I tore through this book, and now I'm sad that I've read the whole trilogy. This one was definitely bittersweet, and the very final scene of the book was a big unpredictable twist that makes you go, "Huh...never saw that one coming." (If you've read it, you know what I'm talking about.)

So definitely dive into the Water Trilogy by Kara Dalkey and immerse yourself in her breathtaking underwater world!

MerBook Review: EVERBLUE By Brenda Pandos

2011-08-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Everblue by Brenda Pandos has such an addicting, mesmerizing quality to it. I would open the book up, telling myself I would only read one - maybe two - chapters, only to look down at the page number and see I'd read over a hundred. When I put the book down, I immediately wanted to pick it up again and keep reading. That's what made Everblue a 5/5 stars book. When I book grips you so strongly to where your eyes linger on the page, that's when you know you have a great book.
The book itself flows smoothly, like...well, water, which I guess is fitting. It moves fast, too, not lingering on one scene for longer than necessary. It also had an equal balance between Fin and Ash, switching back at forth at such a reasonable pace, so as I didn't get bored from reading from the perspective of one character. The middle of the book slowed a bit for me, but not for long - soon after it was back on track and I was lost in its pages again.
I also found Everblue to be refreshing in its love story. It wasn't another one of those stories where the girl lays eyes on the "incredibly-hot-supernatural-dude" once, and she's instantaneously in love with him. Fin and Ash are next-door neighbors who have been crushing on each other since the sixth grade, and they've kept their love for each other secret all this time.
The mermaid mythology in the book was very intriguing; for example, I liked how Pandos described how mermaids can become humans, and vice versa, as well as how sunlight gives them legs. The mer world was incredibly thought out, and I think the villains were great, too, how it seemed like the mers-in-charge were in on some big conspiracy.
The book definitely leaves you hanging, I'll admit, which will be addressed in the sequel. I can't wait to see what happens next, and I will most definitely be reading the sea-quel! So, if you're a fan of mermaids or paranormal romance with a twist, check out Everblue, Book 1 of the Mer Tales!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Whoops....

2011-08-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys, I made two mistakes in posting.

One, it's Maijia Barnett, the A got cut off when I posted.
Two, the You and I video has now been officially released on VEVO and the link I poted before hand is now useless. So here's the moment we've all been waiting for....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YMU0WeBwU

Interview with Black Waters Author, Maija Barnett

2011-08-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

How did you get the idea for Black Waters?

I've always been fascinated by mermaids. It probably started back when I saw Splash. I remember really liking the underwater footage in that movie. (If you haven't seen it, they make Daryl Hannah look like an actual mermaid. As a kid, I was stunned.) Anyway, I've wanted to write a mermaid novel for a long time. I actually started one before I wrote Black Waters, but it wasn't really going anywhere, so I scrapped it and started fresh.

What do you think is the allure in mermaids?

think what's appealing about mermaids is their dark history. I remembering reading James Joyce's Ulysses in college and being assigned to present the chapter about the sirens. Let me tell you, they are evil. But what I like about mermaids is that the present day culture has, for the most part, made them good. Just think of Disney's Little Mermaid-- she doesn't seduce the prince into smashing his ship into a pile of rocks. Instead, she saves his life. (It's just like the Hans Christian Andersen tale except, of course, everything works out in the end.) So, I wanted to create an ethically torn character--one who's unclear as to whether she's good or not. Also, I love the whole transformation idea of mermaids. It's amazing to think that someone can seem human in one moment and then turn into a sea creature in the next.

The mythology in the book is really cool in the fact that the sirens are part fish as well as bird. How did you figure out how to combine the two together?

Well, technically, sirens and mermaids are different because sirens are women who are part bird and mermaids are women who are part fish. However, I think that the difference between the two has become a bit blurred, probably because both of these mythological creatures use their voices to capture their prey. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to turn mermaids and sirens into one being. I took a lot of license with the mythology surrounding the two and sort of came up with my own hybrid version complete with a new mythology to go with it.

Did you listen to any music while writing? If so, what?

You know, I've tried, but I find that I can't listen to music when I write. It's too distracting for me. I am, however, a spectacularly awful typist, so I do listen when I'm running through spell check. I don't know if that really counts, but Sarah McLachlan usually fits my mood when I'm spell checking.

What have been some of your favorite mer-books?

It's funny, but I haven't read a ton of mer-books. I was, however, really inspired by Margaret Atwood's poem, Siren Song. I've always loved that poem, and I actually read it at least twice a week while I was writing my rough draft. It really helped me get the novel's mood.

Mermaids/sirens are getting a lot of attention in the mainstream media lately? Are you surprised by this?

I am kind of surprised. It took me about three years to write Black Waters, and, believe it or not, I thought I was being unique. But then, when I decided to try and publish it, there were already a bunch of mermaid books out there, all published around the same time. That' s actually why I decided to go indie. The market seemed so saturated with mermaids that I decided it might be hard to get an agent. So I just put mine up on my own.

What did you eat while you were writing (it always has an effect on me while I write)?
I don't think food really affects my writing much, so I pretty much stuck to what I usually eat (mostly vegetarian). I did however, step up the caffeine consumption. I have two little kids, so I either have to write really early in the morning or late at night. Sometimes I need a jolt to get going.

What can we expect in the next book in the series?
Well, I don't want to give too much away, but Abby will definitely be revisiting the Shadowlands. Of course, Eleanor will be involved. Also, Brian will struggle with the possibility of transforming into a serpent, losing his identity to Hendrick, or possibly both. I'm in the rough draft stage right now, but this book is moving a lot faster than the first one did. (This probably has to do with the fact that my kids are a little older now and can entertain themselves.) So, hopefully, the second installment will be out there soon.

Thanks so much for interviewing me. Your readers can find out more about me and see my book trailer at http://maijabarnett.blogspot.com/.

Surprise!

2011-08-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga has released the music video for You And I a few days early! While it's not the official version, we've got a full music video, and yes Yuyi is featured!
Here's the link and give us some feedback!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NK02HXzcPM

Much love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi

Black Waters by Maiji Barnett

2011-08-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Black Waters was one of the better works published in the recent outbreak of mer-fiction, and I enjoyed it to the full extent of enjoyabililty.
The best part of this book was the mythology. It always kind of bothered me that sirens are always half fish and not half bird, but in Black Waters, they're both. The snakes were also a welcome addition and felt like a real breathing dangerous enemy.
Lots of good action sequences, some nice romantic tension, family drama, mystery, and some of the best mermaid mythology I've yet read made for a good read.
If there was one thing I wasn't too keen on was that between all I described above the plot dragged in places and most of the characters are fairly flat at times.
I will certainly be reading the next book :)

Much love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi

Interview With EVERBLUE Author Brenda Pandos!

2011-08-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

I recently chatted with Brenda Pandos about her new book Everblue, the first in a series called Mer Tales, and it looks and sounds amazing! Plus, look at that cover! How could you possibly resist a book with a cover like that? Here's the book's synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:

"Best friends share everything with each other. Or do they? Seventeen-year-old Ashlyn Frances Lanski is tired of her boring, single life. Spending time with her best friend Tatiana, dreaming about kissing Tatiana's twin brother Fin, and swimming competitively are her only sanctuary. The girls plan to leave their drab lakeside town far behind for college. But when Tatchi fails to return home after a family emergency, and no one knows where the family has gone, Ash chooses to do something drastic to find them.
Ashlyn is about to discover what she’d thought to be true her whole life, wasn’t, and the truth, too fantastical to imagine. Secrets lurk beneath the deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe, secrets that will change Ashlyn's life forever."

So without further ado, check out my interview below with Brenda Pandos about her new book, mermaid mythology, and what it's like to switch from vamps to merfolk.

How did you come up with the idea for Everblue? (Love that title, by the way!)

Thank you about the title. For once, the title was the easiest part. But honestly, I don’t quite remember how the plot came together exactly. I’m a panster writer (write from the seat of my pants), so ideas just come and I go with it. It’s like a big puzzle and the scenes need to be fit together. I wanted to see if I could write something from more than one POV but still 1st person. I also liked the idea merpeople could be secretly living among us. And that they don’t necessarily live in salt water either. Also, I wanted a story that has slightly differing rules and ideas. I maybe wrong, but the merworld, besides The Little Mermaid, isn’t as strictly defined as other “fantasy” things like faeries and vampires.

You’ve also written a YA series about vampires. Was it difficult for you, switching from writing about the dark aspects of vampire mythology to the less-ominous mermaid mythology?

I do like the lighter theme of mermaid lore vs. vampires. And there’s no “Eep, don’t go outside” moments in Everblue like my Talisman series, but creepy dark water with weird creatures in it can give one the shivers.

Which character did you have most fun writing about?

Fin was really fun but challenging at times. I don’t know if I’ve nailed the male POV down in any sort of the means and I asked my husband many times “is this how boys think?”

How do you feel about this rise in popularity mermaids have recently gotten?

I think it’s awesome and I really like being in the middle of the upswing. Maybe it’ll will get as popular as vampires *grin*.

What do you hope readers will take away from Everblue after reading it?

I hope they continue to care about Ash and Fin as much as I do, and want to find out how they deal with what’s about to come next, good or bad. I want teens to apply some of the principals to their own lives, like the value of telling the truth, being honest with yourself and your feelings, and how harboring secrets can hurt the ones you love.

Can we expect more Mer Tales to come in the future?

Of course… I’m planning more love, loss, betrayal, heartache, joy…

And lastly, what other projects are you currently working on?

I’m working on finishing up Onyx and then onto book #2 of Mer Tales (may that title come just as easy).

Thanks for the interview, Garrett

***

Everblue is available now, so what are you waiting for? Don't let this mermaid book be the one that got away!

Correction: TWO Mermaid Magazines Coming This Fall!

2011-08-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about a new Mermaids & Mythology Magazine coming out, and I totally had no idea that there were two mermaid magazines being released. So, thanks to Tera Lynn Childs's Facebook status, it's become clear that we fans of the finned have two 'zines filled with things about the half-fish!
Here's the synopsis of this other mer mag:

Mermaids - Over 200 pages of lush photography, renowned authors and artists, packed with information including the current revival of interest in Mermaids. Advice for aspiring mermaids! Fiction, non-fiction, aquariums and aquatic wonderland, find out what's happening under the sea! Designed to be collected and treasured for years, Mermaids will stun you with 'lore' and the 'lure'!

Sounds awesome, huh? And this one will include stories and poems by some of our favorite merbook authors! Alice Hoffman of Aquamarine fame, Carolyn Turgeon who wrote Mermaid, and Tera Lynn Childs, author of Forgive My Fins, will all be contributing.

The first issue will be available in bookstores everywhere on September 15th. But pre-order your copy today at faeriemagazine.com for a reduced price!

Merbook Review: Home to the Sea by Chester Aaron

2011-08-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

HI everyone, Randi here again. This time I'm reviewing a book and not talking about movies!

Home to the Sea is a short, little-known, children's book. I found it on Books-A-Million fairly cheap if you want to read it.
Basically, 12 year old Marian starts developing scales and talking to fish and saving sea creatures. The climax of the book is Marian going home to the sea, saving a bunch of whales, seals, ect. from death by earthquake.
This isn't the best mer-book out there. The charactesr are stiff and I feel like there wasn't too much time spent on any one thing, especially the fantastical elements. And it seems Mr. Aaron spent a bit too much time on his message of the book as well. Some of the only bits of the book with good details were the parts about rescuing marine life and how our oceans aren't safe for them and we need to go to Save the Whale rallies, a message I agree with, but it gets in the way of the story. I wanted to know the details of Marian's change and how her family and best friend felt. And some things were a bit ridiculous. Like Marian learns the complicated game of Bridge in a few hours. That has NOTHING to do with being a mermaid...
As I mentioned, the Marnie Life Rescue makes up the climax. Marian thinks working with them will help with her change, and when she goes out to the sea, it's saving everything from dying in the aftermath of an earthquake in Alaska. It compromised too much of the story for me to be interested. Half the book is spent helping seals or getting whales out to the ocean.

Something else that bothered me was the relationship she had with her families neighbor and Doctor. I know this book was originally written a long time ago (it was published in 2005, written long before that). It wasn't Pedo-bear behavior, but they were a little too honest with each other. Nothing dirty, just strange.
Despite it's flaws however, this book has a beautiful, eerie, quality about it. The best time to read it would be during rain showers when nobody's home to bother you so you can plow right through it (it's less than two hundred pages). Eerie really sums it up. There's something feral beneath the surface when Marian submerges into the water and forgets the human language and doesn't remember the names of her parents and who they are. It's a bit chilling. The imagery is quite strange, especially the bits where Marian is in Maine in her Unle's house (he supposedly turned into a merman, or at least I think so. The book is very vague on this subject particularly).
Altogether worth it for how cheap it is and will leave you with chills, but not the best. I think a sequel should be in order.

Mermaid Film Series: Part 1 of 5 (Directors)

2011-08-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hello again! So we've already cast a solid mermaid movie, now we've got to figure out the rest. Today I'll be picking some directors that could do a fantastic job bringing everything to life.

Directors is a pretty big topic to choose from. It all depends on the tone you want to set for your movie, so dividing it up into genres would be a good idea.

First, if you want to make a darker, creepier type of mer-film, you'd want to go with a director who's had some experiance in the genre. My first choice would be Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse Bride, this most recent Alice in Wonderland adaptation). He is one of my favorite directors and I think he could pull something like this off really well. Known for making the creepy relateable, the strange not so hard to understand and wonderful art direction. All of his movies are a feast to the eyes.
Other good directors would be David Fincher (The Social Network, the upcoming American remakes of the Millenium series starting with the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill), Christopher Nolan (Inception, the newest Batman reamkes) and I think I might be able to pull it off alright (I want to be a director in case you haven't ;) )
If you want a mermaid comedy type thing, you'd want to have Edgar Wright. He's done stuff like Scott Pilgrim VS. The World and Shaun of the Dead. The aforementioned films were funny, but they also had a really big heart which is essential. Another idea would be John Lassater (Pixar mermaids anyone?).
Historical mermaids are also setting trends so a few directors who would ace the subject would be people like Tom Hooper who directed The King's Speech, which won Best Picture for Oscars 2011 (The film made me laugh and made em feel all good and mushy inside). The Cohen Brotheres also do good historical stuff. They're remake of the John Wayne film True Grit was excellent, but they might go for a darker tone film.

I'll go on later this week. Give me some more ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Much love and Sonic Screwdrivers,

Randi

THE VICIOUS DEEP Cover Reveal

2011-08-01T16:22:00.001-07:00

There's a new mermaid-themed book splashing onto bookshelves next year, and I'm very excited about it! It's called The Vicious Deep (cool title, huh?), and it's written by debut author Zoraida Cordova. So, here's the cover, and below it is the synopsis:

Set against the backdrop of a Coney Island summer comes The Vicious Deep, the story of sixteen year old Tristan Hart whose life is turned upside down when the mermaids make an unscheduled return to land in search of their new king.

When a sudden storm pulls Tristan from lifeguard duty into a deadly riptide, he discovers what he really is—a prince of the Sea Court. Turns out, his girlfriend hopping and talents as a swimmer aren’t caused by his teenage prime hormones after all.

In this modern Arthurian tale with a twist, when all a guy wants to do is get The Girl and enjoy the freak show that is a Coney Island summer, Tristan has to fight for his life, the lives of his friends, and his humanity, if he still wants it, as he’s caught in a race for a throne that is as ancient as the gods.

So, what do you guys think? Sounds pretty awesome, huh?

Interview With LOST VOICES Author Sarah Porter

2011-07-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

I recently caught up with Sarah Porter to talk about Lost Voices, the first in a trilogy about girls who transform into mermaids as a result of trauma. Read on to learn more about Sarah's world, and why she chose to write about the darker side of the mermaid legend.

Where did you get the inspiration for Lost Voices?
There were a few different sources. I used to have recurring dreams where I was a mermaid swimming very fast under these gritty, industrial docks; you’ll see the influence of those dreams on the third volume of the trilogy! And there was an earlier, very strange mermaid story I wrote, where the mermaids could swim through earth as well as water. When they started burrowing near your house, you’d know they were coming to steal your daughters away. Then there was the time when I took a walk on the beach with a friend and we improvised a story about a punk mermaid who lived apart from the others. All of those ideas kind of came together in Lost Voices.

What drew you to writing about the darker aspects of mermaid lore?
Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about how fluffy and cheery the portrayal of mermaids had become. I wanted to restore some of that missing darkness and power and give my mermaids an emotional charge that went beyond just romance and escapism. Mermaids offer such an intense image of being trapped between two worlds, maybe even torn between two different personalities. They can express so much, and it seems like a shame to waste that potential by making them completely cute and bubbly.

Which character do you relate to most? Do you have a character that is most fun to write about?
Oh, definitely Luce—though of course I also love my other characters, especially Catarina, even if she tends to be difficult and temperamental. But you haven’t met the character who’s the most fun yet: that would be Nausicaa, who appears in the second volume of the trilogy, Waking Storms. I don’t want to give too much away, but she’s been around for a very long time, and she’s somewhere between wise and jaded, loving and abrasive, and since she’s way past caring what anyone thinks she’s always extremely honest.

How do you feel about this rise in popularity mermaids have recently gotten?
I’ll admit the mermaid craze took me by surprise. In some ways I would have liked it if there weren’t so many other mermaid books out there all at once, but I do think the Lost Voices Trilogy offers a pretty original take on the mythology. And then Lost Voices has received some publicity that it definitely wouldn’t have if mermaids weren’t a trend, like the photo of the cover that appeared in USA Today. And the image of the mermaid is open to so many different interpretations that there’s room for a lot of artists to explore different aspects and ideas, so bring it on!

What do you hope readers will take away from Lost Voices after reading it?
I don’t want to say what anyone else should think or feel. But I’d like it if it left some readers with an acceptance of the darkness and mystery and magic in themselves and in everyone—even if that magic is sometimes angry or frightening. The more we can feel tenderness for all the dark, wild aspects of ourselves, I think the less those aspects can control us. In a way, the parts of the mermaids that stay hidden under the water represent the parts of ourselves that are secret or strange or hard to understand. The mermaids have to come to terms with their humanity, but maybe we should come to terms with our mer-ness, too.

Lost Voices is the first in a trilogy. What can we expect to come in the next installment?
It’s hard to answer that without giving away the story of the second installment, Waking Storms. But Luce finds both love and a truly close friendship for the first time, and she starts learning to open up and stand up for herself and her ideas. The mermaids have been extremely naïve in believing they can just get away with sinking ships indefinitely, and now terrible trouble is brewing—and because Luce is in love with a human, she’s caught in the middle.

And lastly, what other projects are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on the third volume in the Lost Voices Trilogy; it’s probably going to be titled The Twice Lost Army. It’s due in the fall, and it’s turning out to be quite epic, so I really can’t think about anything else until it’s finished! After that I’m dying to get back to a half-completed adult novel that I set aside a few years ago, called Boudoir. It’s dreamy and surreal and sort of horrorish—not mermaidy, though it does include a very significant swimming pool!

Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs Review

2011-07-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.
Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?
The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?
Tera Lynn Childs’s sequel to Forgive My Fins offers another tail-flicking romance with plenty of fun, sun, and underwater adventure.

Son of a swordfish! This book was pure awesome-ness, even better than the first book! In the sequel to last summer's Forgive My Fins, Lily is forced to choose between her kingdom in the sea or life on land. I actually felt for Lily as she must deal with all these choices that no teenager should have to make. The most interesting part for me in the book was how Lily has become frustrated with having to hide the secret that she is a mermaid, and her yearning to come out of the ocean and reveal her true self to humankind, though that might not be the best idea, as we all know how humans feel about anything that is different. Still, the concept of mer kingdoms joining the United Nations and assimilating into human society makes me hope this will be dealt with in future installments.
Tera Lynn Childs is one of the only authors who has managed to make me laugh and cry while reading her books. The scene in the rain with Quince and Lily (I won't say anymore, for fear of spoiling it for others) literally almost made me cry.
I'm also not sure how I feel about the new character of Tellin. I mean, I felt sorry for him, but at times I found him too pushy and invasive of Lily's privacy. Then again, if you're a teenager confronted with the possibility of your entire kindom's demise, you might act the same.
And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I totally loved Dosinia by the end of the book. She definitely matured from a snobby immature teenager by the end of the book.
I think Lily's choice at the end was perfect, and the book ended on a hopeful note. It was hinted at that there may be sequels, and I sure hope so. (I'd love to read a book about the Trio, or Dosinia, or Peri, too, a character I really love but who barely gets book time, and who I would love to read a whole book about!)
So, if you love mermaids, magic, and you're looking for the perfect summer read to take with you to the beach or even sitting by the pool, Fins Are Forever is for you. I don't think the first book needs to be read to understand this one; it's its own self-contained adventure. And if you HAVE read Forgive My Fins, then water you waiting for? (Water? Get it? Oh, forget it.) Dive into Fins Are Forever and get ready for an incredibly well-crafted underwater world filled with undersea fun, teen romance, and mermaid magic.

Mermaids Of Hollywood: 60 Celebs Trade Fame For Fins

2011-07-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Isn't it a coincidence that we recently blogged about who we would like to see as mermaids? Well, it turns out that photographer Mark Anderson took over sixty female celebrities and photographed them as mermaids. Here's what I found on the Oh No They Didn't Livejournal page:

"Chronicles of Mermaids have been told for centuries in the form of legends and fairytales. Images of this sea queen have haunted artists in their efforts to bring the beauty, sexuality and mystery of the mermaid to life. The role of mythology is ever changing in society and it is with this in mind that photographer Mark Anderson has captured contemporary images of this mythical creature as she may appear in today’s society.

We're all familiar with the playful modern mermaid of Walt Disney’s The Little Mermaid and of Darryl Hannah’s depiction of the human/animal creature in Splash. But lurking behind these light figures is the sadness and mystery of the mermaid's plight. Using over 60 female stars of the entertainment world, Photographer Mark Anderson brings us photos that weave together a never before seen perspective on what life could be like if Mermaids lived amongst us. His fantastical representations place the mermaid in often-unexplored territories to expose the roles to which we assign modern women: as sexualized beings, as temptresses, as mothers/daughters, and as creatures themselves constrained and created by myth."

Here are a few examples:
Kristin Bell (who, oddly enough, I pictured as the mermaid in one of my stories)

Charisma Carpenter (had to post this, as I LOVED her on Buffy the Vampire Slayer!)

The Kardashians (ugh, WHY?!?! They'd make better sea-witches than mermaids.)

Emmanuelle Chriqui (this is my favorite picture on the page! I love the message on the cardboard sign!)

If you want to check out other mer-celebs, read more at ONTD: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/57196403.html#ixzz1TRJgUH1y

Mermaids: The Magazine

2011-07-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's official: mermaids ARE the new vampires. And how do I know that? Because our favorite finned females now have an all-new 'zine coming out soon that's all about them. It's a quarterly magazine, which means there will only be four issues a year, but I think it's definitely worth it. I mean, an entire magazine devoted to our favorite girls of the sea? Sign me up! (Or, in this case, subscribe me.) Here's what the magazine's website says about the first issue:

We are so excited to present to you the new mermaid magazine for the world! Mermaids & Mythology, a quarterly publication full of mertastic stories, interviews, mer fashion, mer music, in fact mer everything!!! You can subscribe now and be one of the first people to received the magazine when it is officially released on 21st September on the Autumn Equinox!

About the first issue, the site says:

The debut edition is launching this September, and will be making a splash with some exciting features including Hannah Mermaid, the stunning artwork of David Delamare, and coverage of the World Mermaid Awards. Plus mermaid fashion, mythology and more…
Founder and MerFae Karen Kay says, “I have always loved mermaids and used to draw them constantly when I first moved to Cornwall. I love all things Mer, and love living by the sea, I always feel complete when I look out over the horizon and I love the feelings I get from a calm or stormy sea – unpredictable, wyld and free, a bit like me!”

“When I started FAE magazine back in 2007 there were mermaids in the first and second issues, and they always seem to find their way onto the pages of FAE! So I felt, it was about time they had their own space! A special new mermaid magazine where their watery realms could be explored and adored! And the myths of the sea, with legends and mythology, and some Pirates too!”

So, will any of you be subscribing to Mermaids & Mythology Magazine? Or, you might be able to purchase backissues online as well, in case you don't want to subscribe.

Swim on over to themermaidmagazine.com for more information!

Lady Gaga's Mermaid Music Video

2011-07-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

It seems that Lady G's mermaid altar ego Yuyi is making her debut in Gaga's latest music video for her fantastic song You and I.
Gaga and her team were shooting in Nebraska not long ago, which makes no sense on the Mermaid front, but the song is sung to a "cool Nebraska guy", but I'm sure she'll will make it work.
Apparently, Katy Perry is also planking about in a mermaid costume recently, but no more news on that.

Much love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi

Casting Merpeople Part 4: Selkies

2011-07-21T03:36:00.000-07:00

So Selkies are half-seal (or all seal depending on your myth). Here's the final bit for the casting series!

Number one choice without a doubt: ADELE!

Number two, Joss Stone a fantastic Scottish Singer who could definitly rock a pelt.
Other good choices include....
Johnny Depp
Queen Latifa
Matt Lewis
Eliza Doolittle
Zooey Deschanel
Darren Criss

That concludes our four part series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for sticking around and listening to me rant.

We Now Interupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming...

2011-07-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

To bring you more Lady Gaga mermaid news, and this time, it doesn't involve Katy Perry.

Our very own Lady Gaga preformed in a mermaid tail again, this time using a wheelchair to get around and playing some of her piano tuneage.
Things is, Bette Midler's been doing the same thing since 1980. And Bette (hilarious lady and very talented actor and singer) called her out on Twitter for it. It was actually fairly hilarious.

The two have patched it up and are probably laughing about it over some expensive alcohol as we speak.
Gaga has preformed in a tail before and plans to base a music video around the tail soon. We've written on her before when she preformed in the tail the first time and when the Little Monsters and the Katy Perry Camp got into a fight about who would make a better mermaid.
What's your opinion on all these mers in the music industry? Well, they are the muses of the olden generation.

Anyone Out There Speak Filipino?

2011-07-18T10:47:00.001-07:00

From what I can tell, mermaids must be hugely popular around the world, especially in the Philippines, from what I gather. Two different "teleseryes", or what we Americans call a soap opera, are about mermaids who come ashore to live on land as humans. The first is called Marina, and it was the first of the fantasy-oriented teleseryes and launched a new trend for Filipino pop culture.

Marina is about a young girl who is cursed by the sea deity Victoria, because Marina's father spurned the woman's romantic advances and instead fell in love with the woman who would become Marina's mother. Marina was transformed into a mermaid and eventually her parents released her to the sea, where she was found by a group of mermaids who took her in and raised her. Years later, as a young woman, Marina seeks out the good sea-witch Dugong to gain legs and become human. And of course, mermaid-y adventures ensue.

The next teleserye is Dyesebel, which from what I've researched, it is hugely popular in the Philippines. Dyesebel is part of Filipino culture and mythology, kind of like the Philippines' equivalent of Ariel. The mermaid character first appeared in a series of graphic novels written by Mars Ravello, and several movie adaptations have been made. In 2008, a television series was created based on the character.

Dyesebel's story begins when an amnesiac mermaid-turned-human falls in love with a human man and has his child, who is born with a mermaid's tail rather than legs. Dyesbel goes to live in the sea, but she receives a necklace that allows her to come ashore and grow legs. She falls in love with the human Fredo, but there's a sort of love triangle between her, Fredo, and the handsome and royal merman Erebus. But the sea is also being corrupted by the evil sea-witch Dyangga, and Dyesebel might be the only one to stop her.

Both shows are in the Filipino language, so unless you know how to speak it, you might get a little lost. But if you're just looking for some more beautiful mermaids to watch and care little for the dialogue (I'm sure you'll be able to follow anyway) you might want to check out both Marina and Dyesebel's underwater adventures.

Casting Merpeople Part 3: Sirens

2011-07-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hello hello again! I'm trying to finish this up fairly fast so I won't get any more ideas and go on and on and on and on.
So this lovely early morning here in the States, I've compiled some great talent to take over the roles of the evil seductive sirens, closer to the mermaids seen recently in Pirates of the Carribean than Ariel and Co.
My number one choice would have to be Blake Lively. She'd be a fantastic siren. It just fits her so well. You've probably seen her in Gossip Girl or The Town, and wether or not you'll admit it, the Sisterhood of the Travling Pants.
Number 2: Helena Bonham Carter. She's a personal favorite of mine and I think this role would give her something to play on as more than just an evil face. She's been seen in Harry Potter as the wicked evil Bellatrix Lestrange, the somewhat demure-in-comparison Corpse Bride, The Red Queen in this latest version of Alice in Wonderland, Queen Elizabeth in the King's Speech and so many more.
Number three on our list: Liv Tyler. Known for playing insanely beautiful women (Arwen in Lord of the Rings most noteably), she'd be spell-binding.
Other good choices include:
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone, X-Men First Class, The Hunger Games as Katniss)
Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander, a charcter in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes Sequel)
Kaya Scoldelario (Skins)

What are your thoughts? Comment below! I'd love to hear what you have to say. I'm such a movie geek and nobody ever talks to me about films and actors and camera angles :)

Much love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi

Casting Mermen: Part 2

2011-07-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Sorry it's been a long time for part 2, but I waited eight months to see another particular part 2 and that took up a lot of time :)

So today, I'm here to talk about mermen and some good choices for actors if they're ever brought to the big screen (which I hope they will be in the near future).
Anyway, so mermen bring to mind underwater vikings, old dudes with beards and tridents (again, thank you Disney) and well, hot guys.

Alexander Skarsgard. He fits the underwater viking bit.
As far as old dudes with beards and tridents, my mind is kind of drawing a blank because all the old guys in beards that I've seen recently are now all reeeeeeeeeeealy old and I don't know if they'd even be possibilities anymore.
But my mind brings up Michael Gambon in his Dumbledore-ness from Harry Potter and Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. And for some strange reason, I think Colin Firth would be fantastic in a role like this, maybe minus the beard.
On just hot guys, I'm gonna plug Doctor Who again and go with Matt Smith. I can imagine him playing a merman for sure (what is it with all the sci-fi dudes here? Trend?).
Other good choices include Michael Phelps, Michael Cera (sort of), Logan Lermen, Jesse Eisenberg (more so than Michael Cera seeing as they look a lot alike), and Elijah Wood.
See you next time for sirens!

Much love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi

FishTales: Awful Movie, Gorgeous Mermaid

2011-07-14T11:37:00.001-07:00

Mermaid movies are relatively rare, but they're out there. Splash, The Little Mermaid, and Aquamarine are probably the Big Three. But Fishtales is a film that features a beautiful mermaid named Nereid.

The film's story is about a professor who stays at the home of a colleague on the island of Spetses in Greece, accompanied by his young daughter Serena. But when Serena explores the island, she meets a beautiful mermaid named Nereid who falls in love with the professor, but she is being hunted by a fisherman named Mavros who wishes to capture her for her jewel-encrusted tail.

The movie is bad, and I mean AWFUL. I'm not exactly sure what the filmmakers were trying to achieve in making it. It's just plain bad, sometimes so awful it makes you want to cringe. The storyline is just a big, jumbled mess. For example, is the mermaid (minor spoiler alert!) the long-lost daughter of the owner of the house? I mean, there's a lot of talk about how the man's daughter disappeared into the sea, and while looking through a book of mermaids inside the house, the mermaid notices a portait of a mermaid and says, "It's someone I haven't seen for a very long time." But it's never revealed. The acting is stale, and the movie's just one big goofball. In fact, when the movie debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, the critics got up and walked out before the film had even finished. One critic said, 'This is the worst movie I've seen in a very long time... I fell asleep within the first 15 minutes.'

Despite all this, the mermaid is one of the most beautiful that has ever graced the big screen. I love the tail and its colors, as well as how incredibly long it is and the jewels embedded in it. The tail was created by Jason Baird, of H2O and Aquamarine fame, and the actress who portrays the mermaid, Kelly Brook, is beautiful and truly looks like a girl of the sea.

So, FishTales truly is one god-awful movie, and I don't recommend it, unless you want to check out the mermaid. Otherwise, this is one you can skip out on.

Lady Gaga's Not The Only Sea-lebrity Anymore...

2011-07-12T14:40:00.001-07:00

So, if you're an avid reader of this blog, you've probably seen our posts about Lady Gaga's mermaid alter ego and her upcoming mermiad-themed music video. Well, it turns out there's another celebrity out there who has donned a set of fins.

Katy Perry, known for her songs "I Kissed A Girl" and "Teenage Dream," just to name a couple, tweeted a pic of herself dressed in her mermaid garb, and it seems as if her new music video might be mermaid-themed.

Apparently, there is now a fued raging between Gaga and Perry fans, accusing Perry of stealing the mermaid idea from Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga's creative partner Laurieann Gibson tweeted, "Proud of my artist #1 in the world @Ladygaga her vision& passion. even though they try to steal a tail theres only 1 Mermaid, Swim On!!!"

In my opinion, I say the more mermaids, the merrier, no matter whose idea it originally was. Mermaids are becoming extremely popular, so it's evident they're going to show up all over the place, just like vampires did when they were the latest craze. Even Lady Gaga wasn't the first to don a mermaid tail for a music video. Does anyone remember Sade's video for "No Ordinary Love?" Gaga and Perry are just the latest celebrities to dress as a mermaid, and I'll happily welcome and watch both music videos.

What are your opinions on the Gaga/Perry mermaid feud?

Casting a Mermaid (or Randi Is A Dork) Part 1: Mermaids

2011-07-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I'm sorry i've been gone a while, I've been busy in the Harry Potter fandom.
So this is a four part series on how to cast merpeople into movies. Each post will focus on a different branch of merpeople, this one being your generic mermaid. The next mermen, after that the more evil sirens, and fourthly, selkies (you think I was gonna let that one go?).
So mermaids, we usually think of blondes or gingers (thank you Ariel) with big expressive eyes and a generally small waist.
So what comes to mind for moi?

Ellen Page. I don't particularly know why, but I think Ellen Page would make a fantastic mermaid. She has the above traits, and she's a gifted actress. It might be a bit of a departure from her normal roles (Bliss Cavender in Whip It, Juno McGuff in Juno, Ariadne in Inception).

Karen Gillian from the wonderfully addictive British sci-fi show Doctor Who would also be interesting to see with a tail. She plays a Scottish companion to the time traveling Doctor who brings wit and wonder to the mix. She's also quite ginger :)
If you've got any ideas on the subject, comment below, I'll be happy to read them!
-Randi

Yes!!! There Will Be A Sequel!!!

2011-07-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

One of my all-time favorite mermaid novels is Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs. I loved the characters, the plot, and the action. But I wasn't sure if the book would have a sequel or not. According to Tracy Deebs's Facebook page, yes! There will be a sequel! It's going to be called Tempest Unleashed, and here's what Tracy had to say about it on her Facebook page:

I am thrilled to announce that all the details are settled :) The second Tempest book, Tempest Unleashed, will hit shelves in Spring 2012. I'm finishing up Zero Day and will start work on Tempest 2 in July-- so check back for snippets :) I promise to post. And look out, because there are going to be some surprises!!!!

I'm so excited for this one!!! For those who have read Tempest Rising, what did you think about it? Are you excited for Tempest Unleashed?

Mermaid Sightings: Are They Real?

2011-07-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

If you follow this blog, more than likely you're a mermaid lover, but is there really such thing as mermaids? Most people think sailors mistook manatees for mermaids, but sailors who have been at sea for a long time have seen pretty much everything that is to see out there, and I'm positive they would have known the difference between a wrinkly, gray sea cow and a naked fish-tailed woman. Here's a few accounts of purported mermaid sightings all over the world.

The first comes from explorer Henry Hudson, and here's his account in his journal about what his crew supposedly saw:
"This evening (June 15) one of our company, looking overboard, saw a mermaid, and, calling up some of the company to see her, one more of the crew came up, and by that time she was come close to the ship's side, looking earnestly on the men. A little after the sea came and overturned her. From the navel upwards, her back and breasts were like a woman's, as they say that saw her; her body as big as one of us, her skin very white, and long hair hanging down behind, of colour black. In her doing down they saw her tail, which was like the tail of a porpoise, speckled like a mackerel. Their names that saw her were Thomas Hilles and Robert Rayner."

Another sighting hails from the Scottish Highlands, in which a mermaid supposedly washed ashore and died. The townsfolk felt so much pity for the dead creature, they ordered her a coffin and buried her in the nearby cemetery, and to this day she is supposedly still buried there atop a hill. (What do you think is actually buried there? Something that would change everything?)

Also, Captain John Smith (yes, of Pocahontas fame) was exploring the West Indies when he spied a beautiful woman in the water. He instantly felt attracted to her, but then noticed that "from the waist down the woman gave way to the fish...and her long green hair...(was) by no means unattractive."

Even Christopher Columbus, who sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and is credited with discovering America, encountered mermaids and said this about them: "Three sirens...came up very high out of the sea: but they were not as beautiful as they were painted."

But mermaid sightings have continued even into the modern day. In Kiryat Yam, a city in Israel, locals claim there is a mermaid who dives in and out of the water at sunset. The mayor of the town is so adamant that a mermaid lives in their waters that he offered a million dollar prize to anyone who could catch a photo of the elusive creature. A television crew for the show Destination Truth featured an episode where the hunted for the mermaid, and they did catch a humanoid figure on video. Was it a mermaid? The world may never know.

So, after the claims of all these respected men and entire towns of people who insist the mermaid exists, ask yourself: Do you believe in mermaids?

MerBook Review: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

2011-06-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

It's sort of a fantasy of mine to fall in love with a mermaid. But can you blame me? I mean, lots of girls these days dream about dating vampires and werewolves (aka getting bitten or dating a dog), so am I at fault for having a crush on a female with fins? :D And in Tera Lynn Childs's Forgive My Fins, mermaids (and mermen) are able to kiss humans and with their magical powers can turn them mer, too. So of course this book was the stuff of dreams for me.

I really loved plunging into Lily Sanderson's underwater world, and I didn't want to leave it behind! The mermaid mythology in this book was so incredible, and I hope we see more of the underwater kingdoms in later books.

The book reminded me of movies like Aquamarine and The Little Mermaid, both of which are two of my favorites, and the scene where Lily finally reveals to Quince that she is a mermaid and the events that follow is probably my favorite scene in the book.

It takes a rare book to make me laugh out loud, but Forgive My Fins did that. The scene after Lily returns home from the dance mad at Quince was funny, and I couldn't stop laughing.

And the imagery in this book was amazing, too. Everything was so colorful and vivid, and I so badly wanted to explore the mesmerizing undersea world Lily and the other characters live in.

I definitely can't wait to dive into the sequel, Fins Are Forever, and I hope this series lasts a long time, because it was definitely one of my favorite mermaid stories! So dive in and explore Tera Lynn Childs's magical undersea world!

Ninemia by Marilena Mexi REVIEW

2011-06-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

The ‘Antara’ had disappeared... or at least that’s how it seemed, until one night a terrible nightmare will overshadow Asteria’s dreams forever. Some lust for revenge, others hide vital secrets, demonic souls want to corrupt the Aster Island and the merfolk. Where the present unites with the past, where dreams pause to exist, the fight for survival begins. Is love strong enough to face the enemies? The infinite blue of the sea, a sweet song and an angelic soul will be their only hopes to keep their beloved ones alive. After the illustrated novel ‘Antara’, the second and final part of the story follows. A sequel which is going to move you and travel you to heavenly worlds.

I'm writing this review after just finishing NINEMIA, the second and final book in Marilena Mexi's 'Antara' series. This one was incredibly short, and darker than the original. When we come across Asteria, the adventurous mermaid queen from the first novel, she is plagued by dark visions and doesn't seem like the same brave mermaid we encountered in the first novel. But then, tragedy strikes the island of Aster again, and Asteria will have to make the ultimate sacrifice, proving just how brave and self-sacrificing she truly is.

I won't give away much, so you can enjoy the book as much as I did. I didn't know what to expect when I began, but I found myself gasping in surprise and on the verge of tears in some parts as well. I loved this one so much more than the first, and it has as many twists and turns as the original. As this is the final book in the series, the ending was bittersweet and almost me crying.

And, of course, like the first book this one has a lot of beautiful artwork done by Marilena Mexi herself. The painting of Asteria lying on the beach is GORGEOUS, and I'd so love to have a physical copy to enjoy the paintings better. The ebook doesn't do these extraordinary drawings justice!

So, if you enjoyed the first, I definitely recommend this one, although I'm fairly sure, with how the events of the story take place and how everything is described, you could possibly read this one without reading the first.

All in all, an extraordinarily beautiful book, and just as captivating and breathtaking as the original!

My Personal Favorite Mermaids on the Internet

2011-06-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all! So I'm going to take some time to show you some favorite stops on the internet that involve the mer. Lets dive in shall we? (Yes, I know lame pun)

http://www.iamamermaid.com/ - This blog is run by Carolyn Turgeon, the author of the excellent book Mermaid (It's a retelling of the little mermaid that I have not yet finished). It features anything at all to with mermaids. some of my favorite posts have been with the Mertailor, a few real life "mermaids", Weeki Wachee preformers and artists, and Carmandy from that What Not To Wear Show. It's an excellent blog that updates fairly often:
http://iamamermaid.com/
(of course I'm going to link you twice!)
Sade's No Ordinary Love video- Sade + Mermaids + Beautiful music = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WcWHZc8s2I

THe Goodreads group Merbooks- This is where this blog started. Come join the madness as we read, write, review, and talk together

Now I wanna see what you get. Leave links in the comments.

-Randi

More on Lady Gaga the Mermaid

2011-06-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! So this post is a follow up to Lady Gaga's preformance of "The Edge of Glory" with a mermaid tail. Apparently, Lady Gaga tweeted about it on twitter. I would take a screen shot for you, but it's glitching for me, so here's the exact tweet.

"A reincarnation of my birth +artistic spirit. In incubation, awaiting a human lover to save her. YUYI THE MERMAID."

Here's the preformance if you missed it!
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hVPtWER0SZU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Apparently Gaga has introduced somewhat of an alter ego mermaid thing. I'm not too sure on the whole concept yet, but I'll keep you updated for what's up.

Much love
Randi

Antara by Marilena Mexi - Review + Giveaway

2011-06-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

**CONTEST CLOSED-Michelle & Rogier Will Both Receive Copies of ANTARA**

This review should have been written quite some time ago. So, I rushed to finish the book, and I skimmed in some places so I could get through faster, as I really needed to get finished, but let me tell you, that didn't keep me from enjoying the book! It was amazing!!!

Antara reads like a fairytale, sort of like a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but not quite. The mythology was very interesting, and I loved the descriptions of the mermaids and the merworld.

The story talks about how everyone deserves a second chance, as King Orestis is given when he falls for Asteria, the mermaid queen. Their romance was beautiful, and they had some of the most tender scenes in the book.

And the twists! I didn't expect for there to be so many surprises! Many of the characters aren't who they seem, and each one is layered and three-dimensional.

As for the writing itself, there were many quotes I really liked in the book. Here's an example: "The pain of dying will surely be nothing, for the pain of love is so much stronger and agonizing." The book has some grammatical errors, but they can easily be overlooked and do not detract from the amazing story.

Also, the art - the art in this book is beautiful and breathtaking. The paintings help add an ethereal beautiful quality to Marilena's descriptions of the underwater world.

So, all in all, Marilena Mexi has created a beautiful, hypnotic world that reads like an old-fashioned fairytale, and it's a story that ends on a hopeful note that there will be more in the future...

Okay, now for the giveaway! If you would like the chance to win an ebook version of Antara by Marilena Mexi, just leave a comment below with your email address and that also states why YOU love mermaids. The contest is open internationally, so anyone can comment! Let's have the contest run until Sunday, June 26th.

Lady Gaga...The Mermaid?

2011-06-17T17:57:00.001-07:00

Yep, you read that right. Lady Gaga performed her song "Edge of Glory" on Le Grand Journal, where she was dressed as a mermaid for the most part. The tail looked really fake, I have to admit, the way it was all wrinkly. Plus, the whole ensemble didn't work well with the tail.

I mean, Lady Gaga is known for being weird and wacky. Not many people could pull off wearing a meat dress or showing up at an awards ceremony inside a giant egg. So you might think she would be able to pull off the mermaid concept better. She could have done a whole under-the-sea thing and worn an outfit similar to the costume Sierra Boggess wore when the portayed Ariel in The Little Mermaid on Broadway, rather than how Lady Gaga did it, since she was sitting there most of the time.

Lady Gaga and mermaids might still be involved in the future, at least I hope so, because she could make one awesome mermaid video! Until then, a better choice would be Sade's mermaid-themed music video for "No Ordinary Love."

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade

2011-06-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

Every year, people from all around the world dress up in mermaid costumes and stride around Coney Island. And it's starting this weekend, too! I've always wanted to go to Coney Island during this time, and someday I might. Paying homage to this annual event, here's a history of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade! Source is Wikipedia (hey, it's reliable sometimes!)

The tradition of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade began in 1983 when the concept was established and organized by Dick Zigun, the founder of the non-profit arts group Coney Island USA. The Mermaid Parade is held in celebration of the beginning of the summer season, and so it traditionally takes place on the Saturday closest to the calendar start of summer, regardless of the weather. The event sometimes attracts a couple of thousand actual participants, along with hundreds of thousands of spectators, some of whom have traveled to Coney Island's beach primarily to escape the heat which often marks the beginning of summer.

The Mermaid parade is well-known for extraordinary marine costumes, and for the occasional partial nudity. (This is not as surprising as it may sound, because it is legal in New York State for women to be topless in public, except as part of a business venture.) The parade is however very much a family event; it is quite common for at least one little girl's birthday party to march as part of the parade. There are sections in the parade for vehicles of all kinds, for floats, for groups, and for individuals. Mermaids and sea creatures of every shape and size are represented, and the audience is festive and appreciative.
Each year the Mermaid Parade features a merman and mermaid King and Queen. In 2005 the King was David Johansen (Buster Poindexter) and the Queen was Karmen Guy (Mad Juana). In other years, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Adam Savage, Harvey Keitel, and Moby have filled the royal seats. In the 2010 parade, the King was Lou Reed and the Queen Laurie Anderson.

Coney Island and mermaids themselves are the subject of Zoraida Cordova's upcoming debut novel, The Vicious Deep, in which the mermaids return to Coney Island to search for their new king.

Sounds great, huh? I'd love to go someday and see all the mermaids and sea creatures parading down the streets. Will any of you be attending the parade?

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure Ride Now Open In Disneyland California!

2011-06-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

All you Little Mermaid fans out there can now experience Ariel's underwater world for yourself! The ride has now been opened in DisneyLand California. It's taken 22 years in the making, and I hope someday I can experience it! A similar ride will be opened in DisneyWorld's Magical Kingdom sometime in the next year or so.

The Origins of the Selkies

2011-06-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

Alright, I have a good understanding of the original selkies tail now (PUN!), so here it is!

Long ago, there lived a beautiful woman named Britta. She was taller than most men and more beautiful than the stars in the sky. She was the most sought after woman in all of the Orkneys, and had suitors calling day and night. But she did not love any who called. And she would not have someone who she could not love.
As her father was the ruler of the island, he had to produce and heir to keep his line in power, and Britta was his only child. So he selected a man named Ronald a seal hunter with blood red hair* who was handsome enough, but Britta still did not love him.
Her wedding was a solemn affair, where Britta was sullen and silent.
On the fifth and the last night of the wedding celebration where everyone became very durnk, she ran to the seal caves at Nettle Gee She sobbed, crying seven tears into the sea until a chocolate brown seal came to her.
"How can I serve you, O Lovely One?" he asked her.
And Britta cried through her tears "Seal in the sea, Seal in the sea, come forth from the tides and salvage me!"
The seal hauled outon the rocks near the crying girl, the veil fell to her feet, and he saw the purple and yellow bruises that spotted her fair face and caused her to frown.
Dane, for that was the seals name, caressed Britta's face.
"Return here on the seventh tide of the seventh tide," Dane replied and slipped into the sea.
Britta did as she was told. She bore her cruel life with Ronald until the seventh tide of the seventh tide, and early that morning, lighthearted with hope, she made her way to the cave at Nettle Gee ti wait for her savior, but the sea remained quiet. And Soon she lost all hope as the minutes became hours and there was no sign of him.
Then, when the sun was at its highest peek, and BIrtta had shed her woolen cload to enjoy it's warmth on her bare arms, she saw the sleek body of a seal swimming into the shore.
"Join me in the sea and we will make a life the likes of which has never known by human or animal We will have as wide as the two oceans and as high as the hawks that fly up to the sun."
Although Britta was terrifed aof the sea, like all the island folk, she fixed her eyes on his and believed the promise blazing there, she removed her wedding ring and threw it as far as she could into the sea. Dropping her gown onto the rocks, she walked naked to the water, into Dane's embrace, and together they dived deep into the sea and down, down into the waters below.
And during their journey, a miracle transformed them both. Britta bame part seal, and Dane became part human each sharing half of the other, so that they understood the other's narture as none ever could.
Britta loved her mate with her whole self, and when they touched, it was with a tenderness that healed all she had deared at the hands of her human husband. Britta bore her chosen husband many children, each as lovely as a sea anemones. Then, in the secenth year of their union, Britta's skin becan to grow thick and rough. Her fur fell in patches and she grew listeless and disinterested in feasting. Healers were brought together at the ebb of the tide, the time of the greatest portent and they prescribed that Britta must return to the land.
At first, Dane refused to let her go. For he frated that if she returned to the land, he would lose her forever. But the healer said that was the only way she could be saved. If she remained in the sea, she would die.
So Dane took his wife and propelled them moth up to the surface swimming to the csve at Nettle Gee where they had first met. Their children paddled hopefully behind. Carrying her limp body on his back, Dane hauled out on the beack and laid Britta fently on the sand. The moment her sofy underbelly touched the land, Britta shuddered once, then transformed before her husband's eyes into the elegant woman she had been so long ago. A great moan escaped Dane as he thought she was lost. But as soon as he and their children came to land, they too shed their pelts and joined Britta on the shore, dancing and leaping.
Far above the famliy, a fisherman saw the family and alerted Ronald he had seen Britta on the beack with seals, and Ronald was filled with rage. He rushed to the beach with a club, ready to kill them all.
But Dane stood on his human legs and took the a piece of driftwood and struck Ronald on the head, killing him. Britta and her children cheared, freed of a hunter.
So the family wrapped their shed pelts around their shoulders and transformed as they stepped into the sea to live happily for years.

Kind of dark, huh? This was paraphrased from Laurie Brook's Selkie Girl that I mentioned in the other post. She tells it much better than me. I hope you enjoyed!

Much love,
Randi

Selkies: What You Need to Know (or Read)

2011-06-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

So, we all know all about mermaids if you've stuck around long enough (although I suspect there is much more to learn) and sirens, but one thing you're missing in your sea education is Selkies.
Selkies originated in Ireland/Scotland (some people say specifically the Orkney Islands) and are either half seal and half human or all seal when in water, but when they step out, they shed their seal pelt. To re-enter the sea you must wrap your pelt around you and you can transfrom back and forth.
Some lengends say Selkies can only come on land on Midsummer's eve at the seventh tide of the seventh tide or if you cry seven tears into the sea. But either way, the most disinguishing thing is half seal.
I admit that I was really surprised on the origin of these creatures. The story is always the same. But I'll write that one up later.
Selkies seem to have been forgotten by most in pop culture, as I've only been able to find two books around on the fantastic creatures.

Selkie Girl by Laurie Brooks is a fantastic tale set it, you guesed it, The Orkney Isles about a girl who is half selkies half human and discovers a lot of hertiage and does brave things. It's very good, and very compelling. It's kind of hard to find, so you might have to scour your favorite bookstore's website (I got it from Books-A-Million).

The second isn't an entire book, but a short story my Wicked Lovely author Melissa Marr in the Love Is Hell compilation. She writes of a selkie falling in love with a human, and seeing as I love Melissa Marr, I flipped out a little bit. That's also a nice little piece on selkies.
I'm sure I can uncover more information on selkies later, and I'll be posting the origin story as soon as possible.

Much love,
Randi

Hello everyone!

2011-06-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone :) My name is Randi, and I'm going to blogging a bit here from time to time.
I love merpeople and I'm really happy to be here! I'm writing a series of mernovels and I come here a lot to do research and the Goodreads companion group for feedback.
I have another blog as well, (distractedgenius.com) where I write about nerdy things and I've just done an interview with Ashley Knight, who's been interviewed here as well.
So again, I'm really happy to conribute, and I'll try to bring up some interesting stuff.

Thanks everyone!

Randi

Interview With FORGIVE MY FINS Author Tera Lynn Childs!

2011-06-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Tera Lynn Childs is the awesome author of the very popular book Forgive My Fins, as well as its upcoming sea-quel, Fins Are Forever. Check out the interview I did with Tera where we talk about all kinds of mermaid-y goodness!

What inspired you to write Forgive My Fins? Did you always know it was going to be more than one book?
Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mermaid. When I was in Florida for the summer in 2006, I was sitting on the beach thinking, "Wouldn't it be cool if a merperson could walk out of the ocean and bestow their magical powers with a kiss?" I knew immediately it was a great idea for a book, especially if I added the conflict of a mergirl accidentally kissing the wrong boy. I never thought there would be more Lily books, but I did come up with two companion ideas, stories about other mer girls. One of them was about Lily's bratty cousin Dosinia who gets herself exiled onto land. When my editor wanted a sequel, I decided to tell that story from Lily's point of view.

Which character do you relate to most?
There are definitely pieces of teen me in all the girl characters (the nice ones, anyway). As a teen, I was quiet and reserved like Peri. Like Shannen, my freshman art teacher tried all year to get me to make softer, sketchier lines. And, most notably, like Lily, I was boy-crazy with blinders on. But I was never clumsy and awkward like her, and I didn't have secret fears or hidden ambitions like Peri, so I was probably most like brainiac Shannen.

Can you tell us any hints about Fins Are Forever, the sequel to FMF?
In Fins Are Forever, Lily's cousin Dosinia does something really awful that gets her exiled onto land. She is sent to live with Lily, who is charged with teaching her to get over her hate for humans. There is an earthquake, a magical kiss, an SAT test, a handsome mer prince, and a birthday ball. To tell you any more would be a big spoiler.

How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media lately?
I love it, of course! Besides the fact that I love mermaids and want to see as many of them in the world as possible, it doesn't hurt my book sales either. And if book sales are good, there will be more books. It's always exciting to be part of a trend, especially when you're near the front instead of trying to catch up from behind.

If you were a mermaid, what color tail/magical powers would you like to have?
My tail would have to be turquoise, one of my favorite colors. And just to have the ordinary mer powers (to breath underwater and to regulate the water temperature around me so I wouldn't freeze to death) would be awesome. I've always been a water baby and was a competitive swimmer growing up, so I would love to be able to spend even more time under water without drowning or wearing loads of heavy equipment.

What do you hope readers will take away from FMF and FAF after reading them?
Besides having a fun, enjoyable time, I hope the Fins readers will see that you should always listen to your heart. In both books, Lily is faced with decisions that are conflicts between what her brain thinks she wants and what her heart yearns for. As a Virgo, I have a hard time turning off my brain, but things always turn out better when I listen to my heart instead. Lily listens to her heart, and I hope readers will too.

Lily, the protagonist, is a mermaid princess. Would you rather be a mermaid or princess? Or both, as in Lily's case?
Being a princess comes with a lot of responsibilities. That's a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, a lot of people relying on you. If I got to live under the sea, I wouldn't want a whole bunch of pressure to make my time there stressful. So I think I'd like to be just a mermaid. (Ha, just a mermaid.)

You've said your publishers are currently deciding if there will be more books in the series. How many more books could you see in the series if it is allowed to continue?
Oh gosh. Well, the end of Fins Are Forever kind of opens the door to a whole new level of the mer world. I already have the other companion story idea that would easily work in as a third book. From there... the possibilities are as endless as the deep blue sea.

Finally, what other projects are you currently working on?
I just turned in the second book in my new trilogy about triplet monster-hunting descendants of Medusa. The first book, Sweet Venom, will be out September 6th.

MerBook Review: Fathom (Fins Trilogy, #2) by Ashley L. Knight

2011-06-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Fathom puts a darker, edgier twist on Ashley Knight’s mermaid “tails” that began with the magical Fins. As the story unfolds, Morgan and her merman fiancé Thayde are living in New York City about to start college. But there’s trouble brewing. Morgan’s powers appear to be taking a dark turn, and Thayde is succumbing to an illness that only one person will be able to reverse. That person just happens to be Limus, Morgan and Thayde’s sworn enemy.

Unlike Fins, the characters have definitely grown up and matured in Fathom. Throughout the novel, Morgan and Thayde are forced to deal with adult issues, which can be tough for a mermaid who has just started college. Morgan contemplates her future with Thayde: will she ever get married, have a child, and be with the one person who shares half her soul?

But Fathom also deals with issues that most YA novels tend to shy away from. For example, this novel deals with the Big One: religion. Do angels really exist? Is there a God? I found it interesting that Knight manages to bring magic and religion together. As Morgan finds out more about the existence of a higher power and her own inner spirituality, one might think this book would veer off into Christian fiction territory, but not at all. Morgan doesn’t start preaching her beliefs to the reader, but instead she wonders if killing her enemy to protect the mermaid world is immoral and against her faith.
The romance in Fathom was much more developed as well. Morgan and Thayde deal with the problems of any other couple--sex, break-ups, etc.-- which adds more realism and depth than the “love at first sight” relationship they had in Fins. And there are definitely Morgan/Thayde moments in Fathom that are probably going to get the girls swooning!

I loved slipping back into Ashley Knight’s wonderful, mesmerizing undersea world and reuniting with my favorite characters, as well as meeting some new ones. I definitely can’t wait to immerse myself in Forever, the third installment of the series, because there are still some loose ends to be tied up that I can’t wait to see how they are resolved.

So, dive into the second book of the Fins Trilogy and experience the magic and wonder that first began with Fins and is taken up a gigantic notch with Fathom!

Mermaid Movie Mania Splashes Hollywood!

2011-05-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

It seems mermaids aren't just swimming onto bookshelves everywhere, but they're the next big thing in movies, too! The novel Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon has been optioned by actor Tobey Maguire (of Spiderman fame) and is being written and directed by "Country Strong" filmmaker Shana Feste. The novel is based upon "The Little Mermaid," the story of a human princess who befriends a young woman who is actually a mermaid princess in love with the prince of a warring kingdom.

But that's not the only mermaid-themed movie coming out! There's another remake of The Little Mermaid in the works, directed by "Atonement" director Joe Wright. Wow! Two mermaid movies at one time!

So, while both are about Hans Christian Anderson's famed sea-princess, which one are you going to go see? Will you see both? (I know I will! And the novel Mermaid is high on my to-read list!)

MerBook Review: Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

2011-05-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

Tempest Rising is the story of a teenage girl who discovers she is destined to become a great and powerful mermaid. Being obsessed with all things Mer-related for all my life, I'm picky when it comes to books about the merfolk. But I can now strongly attest that Tempest Rising is my favorite mermaid book of all time!
I really loved the main character of Tempest. She felt very human, despite being half mermaid. She knows from the book's opening that she is a mermaid and destined to become one. However, Tempest doesn't want to be a mermaid. She's got her younger brothers to look after, aspirations to become an artist, and, well, she's also got surfing, a boyfriend, and good friends she doesn't want to leave behind. All this made Tempest complex and meaningful, not just another cardboard cut-out of a character. Her dreams and aspirations were known, and the reader can't help but feel sorry for her.

Something else I loved about the novel was Tempest's refusal to become like her mother. She doesn't want to make the same choices her parent did, and for most of the book Tempest resents her mother for those choices. Watching Tempest grow and develop made the reader develop along with her.

Another thing about this book that was a refreshing change: in a world where paranormal romances
usually feature half-naked heroines slaying evil creatures without blinking an eye, Tempest actually feels guilt when she has to kill someone in self-defense. And she doesn't just get over that guilt; it still plagues her even after the book comes to a close.

As for the writing, Deebs has a lyrical, almost poetic, style. Some passages were lyrical, like they were part of a song, which is only fitting, being that the novel is about mermaids, the "sirens" of song.

I also loved the villain - or should I say villains - in the novel. Tempest has one bad Big Bad to fight off, and from the evil sea witch to her sea monster minions, there was just so much Tempest has yet to conquer, and I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of those beasties.

Mermaids, selkies, sea witches, and various other fantastical sea life swim through the pages of the book, creating a rich mythology that I couldn't get enough of. In fact, most of the mythology is rooted in actual folklore, such as Tiamat and the Lusca, and so I actually looked up myths and legends surrounding these creatures and was surprised at some of the stuff I found. Thumbs up to Ms. Deebs for her myth-weaving!

All in all, I loved this book, as you can probably tell, and as much as I knew I needed to at times, I couldn't stop reading it no matter what. Deebs's writing was flawless, Tempest was refreshingly human, and the mermaid mythology was intriguing and mesmerizing. I've heard this is supposed to be a trilogy, presuming sales are good, and I really hope so! There is so much left to be explored, and I hope to immerse myself in the depths of Tempest's mermaid world again someday soon!

A Mermaid "Tail": Glaucus & Scylla

2011-05-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is a myth from ancient Greece, and it's literally a love triangle between a merman, a sea monster, and an enchantress. Yeah, really. So, read on and enjoy!

In Greek mythology Scylla was a beautiful sea nymph who became a sea monster because of her lover Glaucus. This is one of the classic Greek love myths.
The story starts with Glaucus who was a fisherman. One day while he was drying his nets he placed the fish he had caught on some unusual grass. No birds or bees or other animals would go near it. The fish, when they touched it, came to life and flopped about until they fell back into the sea. Glaucus felt that the grass had some special power and tasted it. Immediately, he had a mad desire to jump into the water. He could not stop himself, and had in fact no wish to. Once in the sea the sea gods welcomed him and made him an immortal like themselves. He turned blue, with long, green hair and a long, green beard. He had become a merman with a scaly tail. There after, he would swim about the Aegean Sea, visiting the various islands and making prophecies.

One day Scylla was walking on the beach. According to Greek mythology Scylla was a beautiful sea nymph who never seemed to have time for men. She had been playing with the other nymphs but when they had left for deeper water she decided to remain at the shore. She looked very pretty strolling on the beach with just her feet in the water. When Glaucus saw her he instantly lost his heart. He tried to talk to her but she was frightened by the strange green man. He said the foolish things that lovers always say, he said whatever he could think of to make her stay, but she ran away.

Sad, but not despairing, Glaucus swam to the island of sorceress Circe. There he begged Circe to use her magic to make Scylla love him. Unfortunately, Circe had instantly fallen in love with Glaucus. According to Greek mythology, Circe had offended the goddess Venus, who took revenge by giving her usually strong sexual desires. She asked him to remain with her, forget about Scylla, and be her lover. Glaucus did not listen to her words. He told her that he could only love Scylla. When Circe realized how love-struck he was she grew extremely angry. Her first thought was to hurt Glaucus, but being in love with him she decided to go after Scylla instead. Circe made a special brew of magical herbs and flew with it to Scylla's island. There she put them into a pool where Scylla liked to bathe and said many incantations over them. When Scylla entered the water she became a horrible monster with six heads and twelve feet. Glaucus, when he saw this, wept and swam away from Circe forever. Scylla came to live in a cave over a strait across from another monster called Charybdis. When ships tried to avoid Charybdis, Scylla used her long necks to take the sailors from the deck, six at a time, and eat them. According to Greek mythology Scylla later attacked the ship of Odysseus even though Circe had warned him about her. In all of Greek mythology Scylla has one of the saddest stories. After all of this, she was turned to stone.

Here's the link where I copied the story from: http://www.beautiful-mermaid-art.com/greek-mythology-scylla.html The site also has other awesome mermaid stories, too!

So what did you think?

Empires of the Deep: Another Mermaid Movie (?)

2011-05-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

For a while now, rumors of a Chinese-American production entitled Empires of the Deep have swum around the web. Supposedly, the movie is an epic fantasy, kind of like "Star Wars under the sea.". Here's what IMDb says about it:

Set in a mythical world, the story of an unlikely love story between a young human and a mermaid.

Production photos abound on the web, but there doesn't seem to be an official release date. Here's a couple images of the film's conceptual art for the mermaids.

There's also apparently a leaked trailer on the Web, but for some reason I'm just not convinced. I've seen it, but it looks like it was just a test trailer and not the final product.

The actresses they've set to play the mermaids are beautiful (but of course they'd be - aren't all mermaids beautiful?) and though high fantasy really isn't my thing, for mermaids I'll definitely make an exception.

POTC'S Mermaid Queen Tamara: Fins, Fangs, & All

2011-05-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent screencap from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides that features the mermaid Queen Tamara about to munch on some unsuspecting sailor. While newcomers to the mermaid legend might think she's a vampire of the seas, mermaids in nautical folklore weren't very sweet and docile, either. I'm really liking how they're portraying mermaids in this movie: animals while under the water, but human on the surface. And look at those fangs! I wouldn't want to be the pirate she set her sights on!

Also, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 comes out next Friday on the 20th, and I can't wait! Will any of you be going to its opening night to see its fish-tailed cast members?

A Mermaid "Tail": The Beautiful Girl & The Fish

2011-05-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

This tale is from Yoruba, and rather than being about a mermaid falling in love with a human, this one is about a human girl falling in love with a merman. Enjoy!

In the far-off days when there was great magic everywhere, there lived a beautiful girl. Many young man of her town wished to marry her, but she had refused all offers, saying that her husband must be the most handsome man in all the land. One day, as she was busy in the marketplace, she saw a very handsome man and immediately fell in love with him. Going up to him, she told him how attracted she was by his looks, and that she wished to become his wife.

"I should very much like to have you as my wife, but unfortunately I am not a man, and am not of your people, for I come from the river at Idunmaibo. You see, I am a fish, and when I am not living in the water, the gods have given me the power to turn myself into a young man, but my home is the river and to the river I must return," replied the stranger.

"It matters not," replied the girl. "You may be fish or man, but I still love you. If you promise to come forth from the water from time to time, and see me as you are now, I will gladly marry you."

"So be it then," replied the fish-man, and he led the girl to Idunmaibo and they went to a certain place on the riverbank. "Here is my home," said the fish-man. "Whenever you want me, come to this place and sing the magic song I will teach you." Then the young fish-man sang:

O beautiful fish of the river,

May I look through the flowing waters?

Through the surface of the river I will see you.

O Lovely River that looks like silver and gems

With palace beneath, more lovely

Than the palace of kings of men.

Then the fish-man plunged into the water and was lost from sight. Every day the girl prepared some sweetmeats for her lover and taking them to Idunmaibo, she sang the magic song and the fish came to the surface. He changed into a man, climbed the bank and spent some time with his wife. He used to bring with him coral and many gems from the river and supply her with all she needed. They were very happy together and loved each other very much.

One day, the girl’s parents asked her if there was anybody she wished to marry. She replied that she had a husband, but that she could not disclose his identity at present. They were very puzzled with this answer and watched her as she prepared her husband’s food and carried it away. Her small brother had asked her several times if he could accompany her and carry the food, but she told him she must go alone and nobody must follow her. This answer only aroused the boy’s curiosity, and he made up his mind to follow her and see where she went and what she did with the food. By means of magic, he turned himself into a fly and followed his sister to Idunmaibo and the banks of the river.

Here he heard her sing the magic song and sow the fish come out of the river and turn into a man. And so he learned the words of the magic song. When they had eaten their food, the fish-man said good-bye to his wife and jumped back into the water. The little boy then flew home, and changing into a boy, he went straight to his parents and told them what he had witnessed, and that his sister had married a fish.

The girl’s father and mother were very angry when they heard the boy’s story. But they decided not to say anything about the matter to their daughter on her return. Instead it was arranged that she should be sent to her father’s people for a couple of days while they decided what to do. So the girl was sent away, much to her grief, for her father’s people dwelled far away and she would not be able to visit her husband during her absence.

When the girl had departed, her father told the boy to lead him to Idunmaibo and sing the magic song on the riverbank. When they reached the spot, the boy, imitating his sister’s voice, sang the song and the fish came out of the water. The father was waiting close by and as the fish man climbed the bank the father killed him with his hatchet and threw him into the water. As the fish- man died he turned back slowly into a fish.

"I will punish my daughter for this wicked deed," shouted the father and he ordered his son to pull out the dead fish and carry it home. The fish was then dried and kept for the girl’s return. Two days later she returned, happy to be back close to the river and her husband again. She was anxious to leave her father’s compound and visit the river, only her father ordered her to sit down and eat some food before she left.

"Your mother has prepared some fish for you," ha said.

"I am not hungry, Father, and I do not wish to eat fish," the girl replied.

"You will do as I order you, girl. Sit down and eat," said her father.

So the girl sat down with a sigh and ate the fish. As she ate, she was started to hear her small brother singing softly to himself. Before he had finished the words of his song, the bowl of food had dropped from the girl’s hands and she sat quietly staring in front of her. The boy repeated his song:

How wretched it is for women to eat their husband’s flesh,

When they have taken their husbands as their most beloved,

For during their absence their husbands have been taken out

As a fine fish from the river for the family’s food.

The girl, on hearing this terrible song, ran out of her father’s compound and going quickly to the riverbank, she sang the magic song, but her husband did not come.

Then the girl sang:

Oluweri, Oluweri, Goddess of the River,

I have now returned with eyes of silver and hair like stairs.

Oh, if it be that my husband is dead,

Let the face of the river run blood red,

Or if my husband yet lives, let him come to the surface,

There he will behold his loved one they sent cruelly away.

At this instant, the surface of the water turned blood red and the girl knew then that her parents had killed her husband. She jumped into the river, and instead of being drowned, she sank down into the river waters and became an onijegi, a mermaid. And people say that even today an onijegi can sometimes be heard singing softly at Idunmaibo.So, what did you think?

A Mermaid Movie Review: Mermaids (2003)

2011-05-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't the movie with Cher, just the titles are the same. This wasn't actually a film, but the two-hour pilot to a television series that never got picked up. (I don't know why, but it would have been awesome!)

Mermaids follows the lives of three very different sisters who gave grown apart over the years. Diana is the eldest, a kick-butt fighter armed with a mean-looking trident; Venus is the middle sister, promiscuous and a siren; and then there's June, the youngest sister who is just like Andersen's little mermaid in that she is in love with a human, a man named Randy, that loves another, and she desires to have a human soul.

The mermaid sisters must come back together when their merman father is killed by fishermen. The nastier of the fishermen is a cruel man named Mallick, who has the body of their father and plans on exploiting it for cash. Diana wants vengeance by killing him, but June protests, and soon the sisters join together to bring their father's killer to justice.

While the acting is hokey, the mermaids are so beautiful, and their tails are just gorgeous! The mermaids' tails look so realistic; they even blend with their skin at the waist, so it's hard to tell they're wearing a costume.

Diana's definitely my favorite sister (gotta love kick-butt heroines!), but I also like Venus and her hilarious attempts at reeling in the human. June was...eh, she was okay, but her story's been told so many times, it was just bland. Mermaid saves human, mermaid falls in love with human, human doesn't love mermaid back. But there were some sweet moments with her, and I couldn't help but sympathize with her as she watched her human love from afar, always on the outside looking in. And yes, there's definitely a sweet moment between June and Randy, but I'm not going to say what happens next! You'll just have to watch the film!

The mythology was also interesting. Some of it wasn't original, like the whole thing about a human loving a mermaid means the mermaid gets a soul, but the part where a mermaid is given a magical artifact at birth that gives a human control over them if stolen was also a nice touch, as it hearkens back to what happens if a human steals a selkie's sealskin or a merrow's red cap. Nice add-in of mythology there! The mermaids also have individual powers, which were nice to see, especially how each power affected their personalities (i.e. Diana & superstrength = hot-tempered; Venus & siren powers = sultriness).

The movie is very difficult to find. Occasionally, one pops up on eBay, so you'll have to act fast to get it, but you might be able to find it on some online DVD vendor. I have a copy, because I couldn't resist! Besides The Little Mermaid, it's easily my favorite mermaid movie! The mermaids are just...you'll just have to watch it!

I also know YouTube has the entire movie posted. So, go check it out and see what I mean!

A Mermaid "Tail": The Lady of Gollerus

2011-05-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is a tale from Ireland. Hope you enjoy!

On the shore of Smerwick harbour, one fine summer’s morning, just at daybreak, stood Dick Fitzgerald "shoghing the duedeen", which may be translated, smoking his pipe. The sun was gradually rising behind the lofty Brandon, the dark sea was getting green in the light, and the mists clearing away out of the valleys went rolling and curling like the smoke from the corner of Dick’s mouth.

"'Tis just the pattern of a pretty morning," said Dick, taking the pipe from between his lips, and looking towards the distant ocean, which lay as still and tranquil as a tomb of polished marble. "Well, to be sure," continued he, after a pause, "'tis mighty lonesome to be talking to one’s self by way of company, and not to have another soul to answer one -nothing but the chill of one’s voice, the echo! I know this, that if I had the luck, or may be the misfortune," said Dick, with a melancholy smile, "to have the woman it would not be this way with me! And what in the wide world is a man without a wife?

He’s no more surely than a bottle without a drop of drink in it, or dancing without music, or the left leg of a scissors, or a fishing-line without a hook, or any other matter that is no ways complete. Is it not so?" said Dick Fitzgerald, casting his eyes towards a rock upon the strand, which, though it could not speak, stood up as firm and looked as a bold as ever Kerry witness did.

But what was his astonishment at beholding, just at the foot of that rock, a beautiful young creature combing her hair, which was of a sea-green colour; and now the salt water shining on it appeared, in the morning light, like the melted butter upon cabbage.

Dick guessed at once that she was a Merrow, although he had never seen one before, for he spied the cohuleen driuth, or little enchanted cap, which the sea people use for diving down into the ocean, lying upon the strand near her; and he had heard that, if once he could possess himself of the cap she would lose the power of going away into the water. So he seized it with all speed, and she, hearing the noise, turned her head about as natural as any Christian.

When the Merrow saw that her little diving-cap was gone, the salt tears -double salt, no doubt from her- came trickling down her cheeks, and she began a low mournful cry with just the tender voice of a new-born infant. Dick, although he knew well enough what she was crying for, determined to keep the cohuleen driuth, let her cry never so much, to see what luck would come out of it.

Yet he could not help pitying her; and when the dumb thing looked up in his face, with her cheeks all moist with fear, "'twas enough to make anyone feel, let alone Dick, who had ever and always, like most of his countrymen, a mighty tender heart of his own.

"Don’t cry my darling," said Dick Fitzgerald; but the Merrow, like any bold child, only cried the more for that.

Dick sat himself down by her side, and took hold of her hand by way of comforting her. 'Twas in no particular an ugly hand only there was a small web between the fingers, as there is in a duck’s foot; but 'twas as thin and as white as the skin between egg and shell.

"What’s your name, my darling? Says Dick, thinking to make her conversant with him; but he got no answer; and he was certain sure now, either that she could not speak, or did not understand him: he had of talking to her. It’s the universal language; and where's not a woman in the world, be she fish or lady, that does not understand it.

The merrow did not seem much displeased at this mode of conversation; and making an end of her whining all at once, "Man," says she, looking up in Dick Fitzgerald's face; "man, will you eat me?"

"By all the red petticoats and check aprons between Dingle and Tralee," cried Dick, jumping up in amazement, "I'd as soon eat myself, my jewel! Is it I eat you, my pet? Now, 'twas some ugly ill-looking thief of a fish put that notion into tour own pretty head, with the nice green hair down upon it, that is so cleanly combed out this morning!"

"Man," said the Merrow, "what will you do with me if you won’t eat me?"

Dick’s thoughts were running on a wife: he saw, at the first glimpse, that she was handsome; but since she spoke, and spoke too like any real woman, he was fairly in love with her. 'Twas the neat way she called him man that settled the matter entirely.

"Fish," says he, "here’s my word, fresh and fasting, for you this blessed morning, that I'll make you Mistress Fitzgerald before all the world, and that’s what I'll do."

"Never say the world twice," says she; "I’m ready and willing to be yours, Mister Fitzgerald; but stop, if you please, till I twist up my hair."

It was some time before she had settled it entirely to her liking; for she guessed, I suppose, that she was going among strangers, where she would be looked at. When that was done, the merrow put the comb in her pocket, and then bent down her head and whispered some words to the water that was close to the foot of the rock.

Dick saw the murmur of the words upon the top of the sea, going out towards the wide ocean, just like a breath of wind rippling along, and, says he in the greatest wonder, "Is it speaking you are, my darling, to the salt water?"

"It’s nothing else," says she, quite carelessly; "I’m just sending word home to my father not to be waiting breakfast for me; just to keep him from being uneasy in his mind."

"And who’s your father, my duck?" said Dick.

"What!" said the Merrow. "Did you never hear of my father? He’s the king of the waves to be sure!"

"And yourself, then, is a real king daughter? Said Dick opening his two eyes to take a true and full survey of his wife that was to be. "Oh, I’m nothing else but a made man with you and a king your father; to be sure he has all the money that’s down at the bottom of the sea!"

"Money," repeated the merrow, "What’s money?"

"'Tis no bad thing to have when one wants it," replied Dick "and may be now the fishes have the understanding to bring up whatever you bid them?"

"Oh yes," said the merrow "they bring me what I want."

"To speak the truth then." Said Dick, "'tis a straw bed I have at home before you, and that, I’m thinking, is no way fitting for a king` daughter; so if 'twould not be displeasing you, just to mention a nice feather bed, with a pair of new blankets -but what am I talking about? May be you have not such things as beds down under the water?"

"By all means," said she, "Mr. Fitzgerald -plenty of beds at your service. I’ve fourteen oyster-beds of my own, not to mention one just planting for the rearing of young ones."

"You have?" says Dick, scratching his head and looking a little puzzled. "'Tis a feather bed I was speaking of; but, clearly yours is the very cut of a decent plan to have bed and supper so handy to each other, that a person when they’d have the one need never ask for the other."

However, bed or no bed, money or no money, Dick Fitzgerald determined to marry the merrow, and the merrow had given her consent. Away they went therefore, across the strand, from Gollerus to Ballinrunning, where father Fitzgibbon happened to be that morning.

"There are two words to this bargain, Dick Fitzgerald," said his Reverence, looking mighty gloom. "And is it a fishy woman you’d marry? The Lord preserve us! Send the scaly creature home to her own people; that’s my advice to you, wherever she came from."

Dick had the cohuleen driuth in his hand, and was about to give it back to the merrow, who looked covetously at it, but he thought for a moment, and then says he,

"Please your Reverence, she’s a King daughter."

"If she was the daughter of fifty kings," said father Fitzgibbon, "I'll tell you, you can’t marry her, she being a fish."

"Please your Reverence," said Dick again, in an undertone, "she is as mild and as beautiful as the moon."

"If she was as mild and beautiful as the sun, moon and stars, all put together, I'll tell you Dick Fitzgerald," said the Priest, stamping his right foot, "you can’t marry her, she being a fish."

"But she has all the gold that’s down in the sea only for the asking, and I’m a made man if I marry her: and," said Dick, looking up slyly, "I can make it worth any one’s while to do the job."

"Oh! That alters the case entirely, "replied the Priest: "why there’s some reason now in what you say: why didn’t you tell me this before? Marry her by all means, if she was ten time a fish. Money you know, is not to be refused in these bad times, and I may as well have the handle of it as another, that may be would not take half the pains in counseling you that I have done."

So father Fitzgibbon married Dick Fitzgerald to the merrow, and like any loving couple they returned to Gollerus well pleased with each other. Everything prospered with Dick -he was at the sunny side of the world: the merrow made the best of wives, and they lived together in the greatest contentment.

It was wonderful to see, considering where she had been brought up, how she would busy herself about the house, and how well she nursed the children; for, at the end of three years there were as many young Fitzgerald -two boys and a girl.

In short, Dick was a happy man, and so he might have been to the end of his days if he only had the sense of take care of what he had got; many another man, however, beside Dick has not had wit enough to do that.

One day when Dick was obliged to go to Tralee, he left the wife minding the children at home after him, and thinking she had plenty to do without disturbing his fishing tackle.

Dick was no sooner gone than Mrs. Fitzgerald sat about cleaning up the house, and chancing to pull down a fishing-net, what should she find behind it in a hole in the wall but her own cohuleen driuth. She took it out and looked at it, and then she thought of her father the king, and her mother the queen and her brothers and sisters, and she felt a longing to go back to them.

She sat down on a little stool and thought over the happy days she had spent under the sea; then she looked at her children, and thought on the love and affection of poor Dick, and how it would break his heart to lose her. "But," says she, "he won’t lose me entirely, for I’ll come back to him again, and who can blame me for going to see my father and my mother after being so long away from them?"

She got up and went towards the door, but came back again to look once more at the child that was sleeping in the cradle. She kissed it gently, and as she kissed it a tear trembled for an instant in her eye and then fell on its rosy cheek. She wiped away the tear, and turning to the eldest little girl, told her to take care of her brothers, and to be a good child herself until she came back.

The Merrow then went down the strand. The sea was lying calm and smooth, just heaving and glittering in the sun, and she thought she hears a faint sweet singing, inviting her to come down. All her old ideas and feelings came flooding over her mind. Dick and her children were at the instant forgotten, and placing the cohuleen driuth on her head she plunged in.

Dick came home in the evening, and missing his wife he asked Kathleen, his little girl, what had become of her mother, but she could not tell him. He then inquired of the neighbours, and he learned that she was seen going towards the strand with a strange-looking thing like a cocked hat in her head. He returned to his cabin to search for the cohuleen driuth. It was gone, and the truth now flashed upon him.

Year after year did Dick Fitzgerald wait expecting the return of his wife, but he never saw her more. Dick never married again, always thinking that the Merrow would sooner or later return to him, and nothing could ever persuade him that her father the king kept her below by main force; "for," said Dick "she surely would not of herself give up her husband and her children."

While she was with him she was so good a wife in every respect that to this day she is spoken of in the tradition of the country as the pattern of one, under the name of THE LADY OF GOLLERUS.

This was excerpted from the book Fairy and Folk tales of Ireland by W.B. Yeats. What did you think?

A Mermaid "Tail": Menana of the Waterfall

2011-05-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

This story is a North American Indian legend, more specifically from the Ottowa tribe. Enjoy!

Long, long ago a warrior of the nation of the Ottawas found a strange little figure at his door. Her face and breast were those of a woman, but her hands and arms were covered with scales and in place of legs she had twin fishtails.

Her story was as extraordinary as her appearance. Once, she told the wondering Indian, she was a mortal, but she longed so passionately to roam the starry heavens that the Great Spirit granted her prayers and permitted her to leave the earth. But in the time she grew tired of her celestial wanderings and was allowed to return to earth, though in a form ‘neither mortal nor immortal, neither man nor beast’ — the mermaid shape in which the warrior beheld her.

In this guise she became the adopted daughter of the Spirits of the Flood, but would be enabled to resume her original human form if she found one who should love her.

Moved by her story, the Indian brought her up as his daughter, and gradually the mermaid began to resemble more and more a mortal maiden. The scales fell from her arms and hands, and her twin tails turned into shapely legs, but, though she was now indistinguishable from a normal Indian maiden, she still loved to sport in the cataract and in the lakes and rivers as she had done when a mermaid.

About this time the Ottawas and the Adirondacks quarreled, and a deputation of the latter tribe came to the village of the Ottawas where lived Menanna, the former mermaid. A Young Adirondack, Piskaret, son of the chief, fell in love with Menanna. As she smiled upon him, tears came into her eyes, and she realized with joy that they meant she had acquired a human soul.

The love story of Piskaret and Menanna was not to have a happy ending. The proud Adirondacks refused the marriage of the son of their chief with one who was of the blood of the Spirits of the Flood. Deaf to the impassioned pleas of Piskaret, they drove Menanna from his arms and carried him away from the Ottawa village. Menanna, bereft of her lover, pined with grief until the Great Spirit, in compassion, bade her join the Spirits of the Flood in the cataract.

The broken-hearted girl bade farewell to the Ottawas and made her way to the cataract. When she reached the torrent, the Spirits welcomed her, and vowed vengeance on the Adirondacks who had brought such unhappiness upon their cherished daughter.

Soon afterwards the Spirits of the Flood attacked the canoes of the Adirondacks, leaving few of the tribe alive. Piskaret was caught and shielded in the arms of Menanna, who drew him from his canoe and sank with him beneath the waters.

There no "happy hunting grounds" for the spirits of the Adirondacks: the Great Spirit turned them into eagles and they were forced to dwell on a little rocky island below the Falls of St. Anthony. Since the hearing of an eagle is acutely sensitive, they suffered torture from the insistent roar of the cataract: the revenge of the water-spirits was complete.

This story was copied from the book Sea Enchantress by Gwen Bernwell and Arthur Waugh. What did you think?

Annie Leibovitz's "Dreamy" Mermaid Photos

2011-05-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Twice now the talented photographer Annie Leibovitz has captured celebrities as characters from Disney's The Little Mermaid. First, it was actress Julianne Moore as Ariel and the Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps as a merman. Now, it's Queen Latifah as Ursula, the evil sea witch. Here's behind-the-scenes photos and the final picture of Moore and Phelps.

Here's the more recent photo (and behind-the-scenes stuff) as Queen Latifah as Ursula.

I'm surprised she was actually inside a full-blown octopus suit! What do you guys think of the photos?

A Mermaid "Tail": The Mermaid's Twin Sister

2011-05-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from the book The Mermaid's Twin Sister by Lynn Joseph. Each chapter is a different story from Trinidad, and they're all so wonderfully creepy! This one is about a mermaid and her human twin sister, and it will definitely leave goosebumps!

Every Sunday, after Mama, Daddy, and me come back from church and eat lunch, we pack up the car and go to Maracas Beach. At the beach we find a good spot between two coconut trees and lay out the towels. Then Mama sits and reads a book and daddy and me carry the rubber raft down to the water and pretend we are sailing for a new island.

But one Sunday of the year we never ever go to the beach, and that is Easter Sunday. In fact, nobody I know goes to the beach on that Sunday. We go to church and then come back home and eat a big lunch, but we don’t go anything else for the rest of the day. All we do is sit on the porch and watch the sun set. Every Easter I asked Mama why we can’t go to the beach like other Sundays. But she would only shake her head and say, "Because I say so."

Then this Easter she told me why. She said, "Amber, if you swim in de sea on Easter, you go turn into a mermaid and you go never come back." I could see from her face that she wasn’t joking.

When I asked Tantie about it later, she nodded her head. "Your mama didn’t tell you before, cause she ’fraid you go want to try it and see yourself. But is true, and those mermaids never come back from de sea."

"But Tantie, who all yuh know went swimming and turn into a mermaid?"

Tantie gave me a look that say, "You go doubt me?" I glanced away. But I was feeling doubtful. I mean it wasn’t like I ever hear Tantie or Mama say they saw a mermaid. And I sure never did see one. But I didn’t say another word. And Tantie went on inside the house to talk to Mama, leaving me outside watching the sun go down and wondering what would really happen if I went swimming on Easter Sunday.

A few days later, Tantie came over and brought a friend with her: Her eyes were gray and quiet like the early morning mists that rise off the sea in the rainy season. And her skin was smooth and bright like polished stones. She had long, black hair that wrapped around her shoulders like a pair of arms.

"Amber," said Tantie, "this is my good friend, Miss Pascal. We known each other since we both younger than you." I smiled at Miss Pascal and kissed her cheek. But I was wondering if I had heard right. This woman couldn’t have grown up with Tantie. She was much younger than my mama. But when she said hallo, her voice was crackly like dried coconut tree branches.

Tantie and Miss Pascal stayed for the whole afternoon. Mama brought out a tray with tall glasses of mauby and a plate of currant rolls and sipping the spicy coldness. Then the sun starter going down and the crickets began singing. Tantie and Miss Pascal were talking about old times. Mama picked up some sewing from her basket. And I sat there watching as people passed by on the street.

Then I heard Miss Pascal say softly to Tantie, "I don’t know how long Tilly go stay with them mermaids. Been over fifty years now." Well, I didn’t understand that at all. I kept real quite and wished those crickets would hush up so I could hear.

"You know," Miss Pascal went on, "I always wonder what she doing with those mermaids all day long. Delphine, you think they having a good time down there?"

Well, I could feel, more than see, Tantie shrug her shoulders. "I don’t know, Jill. But Tilly always loved de sea more than all of us, so she bound to be happy there."

Well, I couldn’t take it no more. I turned around so that Tantie could see I was listening to Them. I was doping she would tell me who Tilly and the mermaids were before I burst from not knowing. Tantie looked at me real seriously and said, "You want to know what happen?"

I nodded my head and sat down fast between their chairs before she could change her mind. I waited for Tantie to tell the story, but it was Miss Pascal who starter to speck. "I was there," she said, "when my twin sister Tilly turn into a mermaid."

"What?" I shouted. "Your sister is a mermaid?"

Tantie put a hand on my shoulder. I sat back and tried to control the trembling that was taking over my body.

Miss Pascal started her story again. "Fifty years ago, me and my twin sister Tilly were twenty years old." But I gasped out loud. Something terrible was happening here. Miss Pascal was a young woman! "Miss Pascal, you not seventy years old," I wailed. Tantie patted my arm and kept her hand there. I got quite. "Me and Tilly were exactly alike," said Miss Pascal. "We looked de same. We walked de same, and we dressed de same. We even liked de same things. More than anything else, we loved de sea. Every day when we were little girls, we would go down to de sea and count shells or make rafts from fallen tree branches and seaweed ropes. When we got older, we would go to the sea after work and swim. We swam like fish far, far out in the sea."

Miss Pascal stopped and took a deep breath. Tantie handed her the glass of mauby. I was going to ask a question, but Tantie pressed on my arm, so I kept quiet. Then Miss Pascal went on. "I think Tilly began liking de sea even more than me. She never wanted to do anything else but float over the waves or dive deep down and touch de bottom. I started liking other things besides the sea. And sometimes I just wanted to read a book instead of going to de sea. But Tilly went every day.

Then one Easter Sunday, when no one goes swimming ever, Tilly decided she would go. "Tilly" I begged, "don’t go today. You know no one supposed to go swimming on Easter." But she didn’t listen to me. She went down to San Souci, which right next to where we lived in Toco, and she waded far, far out. I followed Tilly to san Souci and stood on a rock to watch her because I did not know what else to do. De tide was out and for a long way de water only came to Tilly’s knees. Then she was so far out that I could barely see her. I watched her tiny body dancing with de waves. I was hoping she would see she was swimming on Easter.

But Tilly just kept on dancing with de waves, waving her arms in de air like a water fairy. I shaded my eyes from de sun and watched as hard as I could. But then I couldn’t see her anymore. I took off my Sunday dress and waded in."

"Miss Pascal" I interrupted, "you went swimming on Easter Sunday too? And you not a mermaid!" I gave Tantie a look as if to say, "See?"

"Miss Pascal not finish, Amber," said Tantie.

Miss Pascal took another sip of mauby. I could see she was having a hard time telling this story, so I reached up and put my hand on her knee. "Is okay. You don’t have to finish de story," I said. Although I was dying to find out what happen next.

Miss Pascal shook her head. "NO, de rest of de story is de most important.

I swam out to where Tilly had been. But she was gone. I dove beneath de waves and looked for her. I shouted her name. I swam up and down and all around for a long time until I was so tired, I didn’t think I could ever swim back in. I turned on my back to float and rest and think what to do. And that’s when I saw her.

"Tilly?" I called softly. "Is that you, Tilly? I was whispering because my voice was hoarse from shouting. But she didn’t answer. She swam in front of me, pulling my long hair gently so I drifted behind her. She was heading toward the shore. And she swam quick like a fish, slicing through de water even smoother than she ever had before.

And when we got to the shallows, she let go my hair and whispered in a voice that sounded like a cloud floating on the sea. "They don’t know it’s two of us. So go now and be my earth self, and I’ll be your water self." Before I could answer, she turned fast and swam away. And all I could see was a long, beautiful fish slicing de waves."

Miss Pascal stopped talking and picked up her mauby glass again. I sat on the floor and not a word could come out my mouth. Tantie and Mama didn’t say anything either.

Then far off in the clear evening air, I heard the happy notes of a steel band playing. We sat and listened until it stopped. The stars had come out bright in the dark sky, and Miss Pascal sat glowing in starlight.

"Till never came back," she said softly, looking right at me. "And I never grow old."

Daddy came home soon after that and drove Miss Pascal home. I stayed outside on the Porch with Tantie, feeling the night’s sweet coolness all around me.

"Amber," Tantie said in a soft voice, "Miss Pascal is de same way for the past fifty years. She look de same now as when she and Tilly went swimming on that Easter Sunday. And she say de only reason she didn’t turn into a mermaid was because de sea was confused. It didn’t know was two of them. So Miss Pascal got away. But she knows the truth of swimming on Easter Sunday, and she wanted to tell you herself."

"But how she could look the same after all these years, Tantie?" I asked.

Tantie shrugged. "I en know, chile, but it have something to do with her twin sister, Tilly."

"Maybe she want to stay the same so Tilly would recognize her if she came back from the sea" I suggested

"Maybe," said Tantie. And both of us got quiet with our own thoughts. I know I go never ask to go swimming on Easter Sunday again.

So, what did you guys think?

Interview With FORBIDDEN SEA Author Sheila A. Nielson!

2011-05-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

I recently caught up with author Sheila A. Nielson to talk about her debut novel The Forbidden Sea which is about...wait for it...mermaids! Check out the interview below and don't forget to add Forbidden Sea to your to-read pile!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm a children's librarian, a published author and an illustrator. I never could make up my mind which one I wanted to be so I'm all three! Besides those things I also love to horseback ride, create jewelry, and collected anything miniature, such as dolls and dollhouses.

What inspired you to write The Forbidden Sea?
As a librarian I noticed that we had a lot of kids coming in and asking for mermaid chapter books but there were so few available for them to check out at that time. These kids had read everything we had and would ask me if we had anything new. I felt awful every time I had to tell them no. I thought to myself one day, someone needs to write more mermaid stories. Why couldn't that someone be me? I loved mermaids when I was young. I made up so many stories in my mind as a child about what merfolk would be like and how they looked. When it came time to create the merfolk in my book, I found myself going back to those early imaginings--which was a lot of fun.

Which character do you relate to most?
That's a tough question, because usually when you think of relating to someone, it's supposed to be a character most like yourself. The truth is, the character I came to understand the most as I wrote Forbidden Sea, is the one I liked the least. Auntie Minnah was a difficult character write. Getting into her skin was not a pleasant experience. Because of that, she is the one I really came to know and understand the best. I had to explore why someone would become such a bitter, cranky, and unhappy creature who is determined to bring down everyone around them. What personal choices lead someone down that kind of path? What kind of pain does a person like that carry around inside them where no one can see? Auntie Minnah taught me to see beyond the surface when I look at people. Because of that, I feel she was the character I came to relate to the most.

How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media?
I say, it's about time! As a child I always felt there were never enough mermaid books and movies to satisfy me. I'm glad we are finally getting a chance to explore and enjoy the fantastical merworld thanks to the media! I hope there is plenty more to come in the future.

Will we see more adventures set in the Forbidden Sea world?

I actually have a sequel to Forbidden Sea completed. But my publisher wants to see how Forbidden Sea does in sales before making a decision about whether or not to publish the second book. So if you liked Forbidden Sea go out and tell all your friends about it and spread the word so we can get that sequel published someday. For those of you who desperately wanted to know more about the elusive Sea Prince in Forbidden Sea--the sequel is full of him! In the second book we also get to meet, the frighteningly powerful Sea Queen herself.

What do you hope readers will take away from your story after reading it?
When I read books as a child, I looked for stories that pulled me into a new world, utterly and completely, and made me feel like I knew the characters so well they had become my friends by the end of the novel. I want readers to come away from Forbidden Sea with a whole bunch of new best friends that they can carry in their heart wherever they go.

Finally, what other projects are you working on?

Now that the sequel to Forbidden Sea is complete I've been working hard on my next book, which is a YA ghost story--very moody and creepy. *shiver*

The First Annual Mermaid Awards

2011-05-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

Imagine...mermaids from all over the world gathering in one city for a night of unforgettable memories. Picture an enormous swimming pool teeming with hundreds of mermaids, all with differently colored tails splashing and playing and laughing.

MerCon, as the event is dubbed, is being held this summer at the Mirage Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Some notable faces that will be there are Hannah Fraser, Carolyn Turgeon, and Tera Lynn Childs. There's also going to be performances from Marina the Fire-Eating Mermaid!

At the end of the convention, there will be an awards ceremony to award the best the mermaid world has to offer!

There's also going to be an enormous pool where guests strap into their mermaid tails, swim with others of their kind, and watch the entire ceremonies unfold from the poolside!

I so wish I could go, but sadly I won't be able to. What about you guys? Will you guys go? Would you like to go?

A Mermaid "Tail": Melusine

2011-05-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Mermaids and humans just can't seem to stop falling in love with each other, can they? Here's a tale about what happens when a mermaid/human relationship doesn't end so happily-ever-after. Melusine is a popular European legend still widely-known today. Read further for her story.

Long ago, there was a count who was out hunting one day when he encountered a beautiful woman in the forest near a babbling stream. The woman's name was Melusine, and he became quite taken with her. He asked her to return with him to his kingdom and become his bride, and Melusine only offered one condition in their marriage: she was to be left alone one day of every week. The count agreed, and they were married.

Time passed, and Melusine bore the count many children, but each child had genetic anomalies. One son had differently-colored eyes: one eye green, the other red. Another son had the tusks like a wild boar. The count questioned why this was so, and became deeply suspicious of his wife. Nevertheless, he still allowed her to have one day of the week free to do whatever it was she did in that time.

The count's suspicions grew. Did she have a secret lover? What was it that Melusine did during this time? Eventually, the count's curiosity grew too much to handle, and he waited for Melusine to sneak away one day into the castle's bathing chambers and stood behind the locked door. He peered into the keyhole to see his wife bathing and became astonished when he noticed the long, scaly tail of a fish peeking out of the water. She was no woman! She was a mermaid!

The count gasped in surprise, and Melusine overheard him and noticed he was spying on her. She let out a terrifying scream and then, sprouting wings, she flew away from the castle, never to be seen again.

However, there would still be the occasional maid who swore she saw the figure of a winged woman with a fish's tail cradling the youngest child of the countess Melusina.

So, what did you think of it? Kind of creepy, huh? This is only one such version of Melusina's tale. There are countless others!

Interview With THE SECRET OF THE EMERALD SEA Author Heather Matthews!

2011-05-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

I recently caught up with Heather Matthews, an author whose latest novel, The Secret of the Emerald Sea is about a favorite subject of ours: mermaids! Here's an interview I did with Heather where you'll learn more about herself, her work, as well as plenty of mermaid-y goodness!

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Heather Matthews. I live in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. I work full-time as a freelance writer. Many of my most popular articles, such as Top Ten Tortured Artists and Top Ten Cults, appear at www.toptenz.net. I also do plenty of corporate writing to pay the bills! I write novels in my free time. I have a son named Jeremy – he’s amazing. I love motherhood, poetry, alternative rock music, and art.

What can you tell us about The Secret of the Emerald Sea?
This mermaid novel tells the story of Jane…she’s a young girl with a secret lineage – one that even she isn’t aware of. Her urge to visit the sea (which she has been forbidden to go to) and to sink into its depths begins to take over her life. One night, she can no longer resist. When she enters the glimmering waters of the Emerald Sea, she begins a magical adventure that moves to the land - and sky. Certain characters from Roman mythology make an appearance to spice things up!

Where did you get the idea for The Secret of the Emerald Sea?

I was working full-time in an office while I wrote this book. I would work on it during my lunch hour – I typed up at least half of the novel on my office PC! I suppose the book was inspired by all of the novels I loved to read as a girl – Alice in Wonderland and The Mists Of Avalon are a couple of beloved favorites.

I’m a Pisces, so I’m drawn to the water – I think it’s beautiful. It made sense for me to set the story there and to describe all the wonders of the underwater world. I had always read mythology, as well as novels, and I used to marvel at the rash and capricious acts of the gods and goddesses. I thought it would be fun to put a new spin on the classic tales of Roman mythology.

My characters became very real to me while I was writing the book – I even dreamed about one character - a mysterious little cherub named Cupid. He is probably my favorite character.

Have you always loved mermaids?

I grew up in the 80’s, when movies like Splash were very popular. That wonderful film was probably a catalyst for my interest in mermaids – in a subconscious way. To be honest, the story sort of wrote itself – apparently mermaids were a part of my imagination – an element I hadn’t really explored in depth until I wrote the novel.

Which character do you identify most with?
As is the case with most of my novels, I identify with the heroines and villains. I know that I am good and bad. There can be valuable self-examination when you’re creating characters, because they are a part of you. So I would say I identify the most with Jane, the heroine, and her nemesis – an old crone named Liesel.

How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media lately?
I think it’s wonderful. Mythology and symbolism are important parts of our culture. The beauty of fantasy - and pretending – should not be underestimated. I think there is a part of all of us that longs for some element of otherworldliness…some deeper meaning or magic. People are very complex, and seeking out fantasy characters from mythology can be an excellent way to fuel a person’s imagination. For centuries, mermaids have inspired art, poetry, music…they are classic symbols that will always have power in the modern world.

If you were a mermaid, what color tail/magical powers would you like to have?
I would go for an aquamarine and emerald green design – just like my heroine Jane’s mermaid tail. Swimming as one with the creatures of the sea would be magical enough for me – I wouldn’t need the tail to have any extra powers.

What do you hope readers will take away from The Secret of the Emerald Sea after reading it?
This book has romantic elements – there is a love story, or love triangle, that drives three of the characters. My heroine is becoming a woman, and she is overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions and the turmoil that they bring. In the end, she does make a choice – a romantic one – one that is right for her. I would like readers to enjoy this sense of innocent romance. I want them to feel the emotions of my characters.

Finally, what other projects --if you're at liberty to say--are you currently working on?
I’ve been researching Celtic mythology for some time – I’m working on a project set in the early middle ages, in Ireland. I don’t want to say too much more about it right now ;)

Thank you SO much for agreeing to do this interview, Heather! I deeply appreciate it! :)

I really enjoyed it, and I hope readers enjoy the novel, too. Thanks :)

A Mermaid "Tail": Sirena of the South Seas

2011-05-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

This mermaid tale comes from the Tropics, and it's a sweet, but also sad, story, unlike the darker one posted earlier. Here's the story of Sirena.

Sirena was a lovely young girl who lived with her mother and godmother in a small hut near the water's edge on a tropical island paradise. Sirena's life wasn't easy. Her father died when she was small, and her mother was to weak to keep up with the housework. Therefore, Sirena had to do all the chores by herself. The only solace she found was the moonlit swim she took every night with her godmother Nina.

Sirena's mother was angered by her daughter's nightly swims, accusing Sirena of choosing to swim rather than help her mother do chores. When Sirena quarreled with her mother, she would retreat into the waves with Nina, and Nina would comb Sirena's long, silken hair while they sat on a rock in the moonlight.

Finally, one afternoon came that was hotter than ever before. To escape the unrelenting heat, Sirena retreated from doing chores to take a swim. Nina was there, too, and the two let the currents carry them out to sea. Back at the hut, Sirena's mother was impatient for her lunch, but when her daughter never showed up, she went to sea looking for her.

When she found her daughter, Sirena's mother declared, "Your love for the ocean is greater than your love for me!" Then she pointed a finger at her daughter and shouted, "You shall be doomed to swim in it forever!"

Nina, Sirena's godmother, knew that words that carried such ferocity and anger could carry a curse. She wrapped Sirena in her arms to protect her with love from the curse.

Unfortunately, Nina's grasp only covered Sirena's arms and torso. While Sirena's upper body remained the same, her legs turned into a mermaid's tail.

Sirena's mother was horrified at what she'd done to her daughter. She tried to take the words back, but she could no undo what she had already done. Sirena was a mermaid forever.

Nina sobbed as she lowered her goddaughter into the sea. She told Sirena to visit her when the moon was full, and they would swim together again.

Sirena promised and with a flick of her tail but also a saddened smile, she dove under the sea to explore her new world.

Each month, when the moon was full, Sirena returned to play with Nina in the surf. When they were done swimming, the beautiful mermaid would climb upon a rock and let Nina comb her long silken hair in the moonlight.

Apparently, this is a widely popular story in the Tropics. Some say that, to this day, Sirena's hut still sits there by the water's edge. Maybe a mermaid still lives around there, too? You never know....

Atargatis, Goddess of the Mermaids

2011-05-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

All of you who follow this blog love mermaids, right? Well, did you know our favorite fishy-tailed females actually have a goddess? Yep, that's right! Atargatis, or Derceto/Derketo as the Greeks called her, is an ancient Syrian goddess who has also been called the "Lady Goddess of the Sea."

Atargatis supposedly has a fish-bodied appearance, and her followers abstained from eating fish and often mutilated themselves. Atargatis was depicted as having long, flowing hair like the water, and some of her symbols are a lion, a crescent moon, and two fish confronting one another. Her consort was the storm and rain god Hadad. She has also been seen with a veil atop her head. Temples devoted to Atargatis often had ponds on the outside, which were filled with sacred fish that only the priests could touch. Even to this day there are still sacred ponds of fish in Lebanon that are not to be touched. Can you imagine? Despite the legend of Atargatis being thousands of years old, people still worship and honor the mermaid even into modern times!

The legend of Atargatis states that she was once a powerful priestess who fell in love with a beautiful shepherd-boy. and she became impregnanted. Intent on ending this unwanted pregnancy, Atargatis fled into the sea to drown herself, but instead she became a mermaid. Not only did she become a mermaid, but a goddess of the seas.

If you'd be interested in learning more about Atargatis, the mermaids of Devyn Quinn's Dark Tides series worship the Syrian goddess. There are also essays written about the cult of Atargatis and books about myths and legends that tell her story. Who would have known, our mermaid we see in movies, books, and TV used to be a goddess? Maybe that gives the mermaid legend a whole new perspective.

Interview With Siren's Call Author Devyn Quinn!

2011-05-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Devyn Quinn lives in the scenic Southwest, though she has called several other states home. She is a huge fan of dark gothic music & shoot-’em-up action movies. But reading is her first love and Devyn spends too much time with history books, as well as feeding her addiction for celebrity biographies. She especially enjoys reading books on Hollywood before the 1960′s and is crazy about Marilyn Monroe, her legend and her myth.

I recently caught up with Devyn Quinn to talk about her new Dark Tides series, which is about three mermaid sisters who discover they are the lost heiresses to a mermaid kingdom. I asked her a few questions about herself, her work, and her upcoming projects. Here's what she had to say.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

DQ: Not much to tell, really! I was born in an unremarkable location, grew up living an unremarkable life and it's been that way for the last 40 years or so.

How did you get the idea for the Dark Tides series?
DQ: Editor Lindsay Nouis, formerly of NAL, was looking for paranormal romance with a darker side. She specifically asked for mermaid themed ideas. My agent contacted me and asked if I was interested since I am known for edgier characters.
I said sure, and wrote a proposal. It was rejected, along with the admonition that I couldn't use the tried and true aspects of mermaid lore, including Poseidon, Atlantis, or spin off Anderson's Little Mermaid because other authors has already touched on those themes in ongoing series. With that in mind, I did a little more research and came upon the lore of the Assyrian mermaid, which I then began to use to create an alternate world for the mermaid, including their origins as a war-like species.

Which Lonike sister do you relate to most?
DQ: I would have to say I like Addison. If I had such terrific powers I would certainly want to take advantage of it, just like she wants to.

The mermaids in the Dark Tides series are covered in tribal tattoos that denote them as something other than human. Do you have a love for tattoos that maybe inspired this aspect of the mermaids’ mythology?

DQ: I actually have tattoos myself, and do like my characters to have them when applicable. Creating a scale pattern for my mermaids was inspired when I actually saw a drawing of a mermiad with such markings on her tail. I decided to expand the pattern to cover the entire upper torso as well.

Which of the male love interests is your favorite?

DQ: I'd have to say I like all the men equally well. Kenneth may not be best looking, but he's loyal and loves Tessa, tail and all. Blake's not exactly sure what he's getting into with Gwen, but he's willing to give it a try. As for Mason McKenzie, he's going to learn what it's like to let a woman take the lead.

How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media?
DQ: I honestly have not seen a lot of media attention on mermaids. I know that the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean movie has some mermaid characters, but aside from that I'm not aware of any surge in their popularity.

Dark Tides is meant to be a trilogy. Could you see yourself writing more books about your fish-tailed characters?
DQ: Although I had the chance to continue with the series, I declined the chance to go with more books. I felt three sisters, three books were quite enough. Anything more would have been jumping the shark, LOL

What do you hope readers will take away from your books after reading them?
DQ: That they had an enjoyable time visiting my alternate reality.

Finally, what other projects are you currently working on?

DQ: I am presently writing on the second book in the Vampire Armageddon series, Darkness Awakening, as well as working with my agent to sell a new series to NAL. Nothing firm yet, but we're talking.

You can visit Devyn at her website http://www.devynquinn.com/ or on Goodreads. Siren's Call and Siren's Surrender are available now, and Siren's Desire, the third book in the series, will be released in February 2012.

Mermaid Movie: Splash (1984)

2011-05-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

For many, Splash is the quintessential mermaid movie. Daryl Hannah’s long golden locks, intense gaze, and long, fiery-orange tail sparked something in girls all over the world. They dived into the pool, bound their feet together, and pretended to be mermaids swimming in the ocean. Not only that, but the movie is considered to be a classic in its own right, and no self-proclaimed mermaid fan can go without seeing this awesome movie.

The film centres around a thirty-something bachelor named Allen Bauer who is convinced he can’t find love. However, after a boating accident in Cape Cod, Allen is rescued by the woman of his dreams: a mermaid! It turns out that years ago, when Allen was just a young boy, he was saved by this same mermaid after falling off a ferryboat. When the mermaid comes ashore as the beautiful young woman Madison, Allen begins to fall in love with her, but he will eventually have to choose between land and sea and the love he has been waiting for his entire life.

Splash was the second mermaid movie I came across, the first being Disney’s The Little Mermaid. At times it’s cheesy and fluffy - for example, how they fall madly in love in only about six days - but at its heart it is the story of two very different people who have to fight against odds to be with each other. Whether those odds are a set of fins and scales or a deranged scientist intent on capturing Madison and dissecting her, Allen and Madison don’t have it easy.

The movie also has its few moments of strong language, mainly on the part of Allen’s brother Freddie, and there a couple brief moments of nudity on Madison’s part, but as a small child watching this, I didn’t pay much attention.

So if you haven’t watched Splash, definitely check it out! The underwater scenes are breathtaking, and the ease and grace with which Daryl Hannah swims in her mermaid tail will make you wonder if maybe Daryl Hannah really is a mermaid!

What are you waiting for? Drive on out to your local video rental place and check out Splash, because if you’re a diehard mermaid buff, you definitely won’t want this movie to be the one that got away!

A Mermaid "Tail": The Mermaid's Vengeance

2011-04-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have decided to begin posting various myths and legends about mermaids from different cultures all over the world. That way, blog readers will also get a glimpse of how mermaids have been portrayed in mythology, rather than just recently published books.And believe me, the mermaid of legend is often dark and frightening, the exact opposite of Ariel or Darryl Hannah. This first "tail" is entitled "The Mermaid's Vengeance" and is from English folklore.

When Selina was only a small child, her mother took her bathing in a small pool near the rugged coast of Perran. While playing in the water, Selina's mother accidentally dropped her, and Selina disappeared from sight. After returning to the surface a few moments later, she was changed - her face was brighter and more beautiful than ever. Selina's mother was heartbroken, for she knew the mermaids had claimed her daughter.

As Selina grew older, she had a deep fascination for the ocean. She loved to play in the waves and swim like a seal, and she loved to take long walks on the beach. The locals whispered that Selina was a changeling, a mermaid or fairy. But as the years passed, Selina never bore any characteristics of being an otherworldy creature, and these mermaid accusations were eventually forgotten.

Selina grew to become a beautiful young women, at the ripe old age of eighteen, the nephew of the local squire, a boy named Walter, became quite taken with her. He would accompany her on her beach walks, and soon their friendship deepened into something more.

Walter was a scoundrel, however. He drank and cavorted with women, and he eventually grew tired of Selina, retreating to the big city. Selina was devastated, and she finally died of a broken heart.

Years passed, and Walter returned to the village. He was staying at a seaside cottage with some of his friends, drinking and partying the night away. Sometime during the night, Walter stepped outside to get some fresh air and wandered down to the water where he came across a beautiful young woman on the beach. With a shock, he realized she looked a great deal like Selina! She sang a sad song about lost love to Walter before vanishing.

Walter became obsessed with finding this girl. Weeks later, he returned to the shore and heard her ethereal melody filling the night. He followed her voice into a cave near the water's edge. There he found the woman, who beckoned him closer. He came nearer and embraced her, and she kissed him. She told him, "The kiss of a sea-child is forever. You are mine till death."

"Death!" Walter cried out in horror.

The mermaid held him tightly and continued to kiss him as the cave filled with water. When the cave was deep enough, she took him into the open water, where the other mermaids tossed him back and forth until he died. This the mermaid's vengeance for the death of her adopted daughter.

So, what do you guys think? Creepy and dark, huh? This is one of my favorite mermaid tales, and I hope you enjoyed it. I paraphrased this from the website http://www.beautiful-mermaid-art.com/.

What Could Have Been....

2011-04-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

Back in early 2005, the executive producers of the hit TV show Charmed, about three sisters who happened to be witches, began working on a pilot about a - yep, you guessed it - mermaid! The name of the pilot? Well, it's simple really. Mermaid! Here's information about the pilot as found on Wikipedia:

The series plot is centred on a mermaid, Nikki, who is rescued by a young man when she washes ashore in Miami. Her savior, Matt Johnson, is a lawyer living with a roommate and engaged to the daughter of his boss. Initially, he is in utter disbelief of Nikki's nature, until it is proven true. According to the series mythology, mermaids are a race of creatures whose evolution took place underwater. The mermaids originate from a sunken city and have supernatural abilities, including superhuman strength and agility, as well as being able to see in the dark, read emotions and have a connection with other sea creatures. However, another race of creatures who began their existence underwater, but have since adapted onto dry land, include Luger who is hunting Nikki. Nikki, meanwhile, attempts to enact a normal life by working as a waitress at a local restaurant while living with Matt and his roommate. She begins assisting Matt in his attempts to help people: as the villainous Luger assesses, mermaids are drawn to protecting the innocent, it's "in their blood".

The insanely gorgeous Australian actress Nathalie Kelley, as pictured to the left, was to portray Nikki in the pilot. While there are no photos of her in mermaid costume, here's what she probably would have looked like, as Alyssa Milano also portrayed a mermaid in an episode of Charmed and who is pictured to the right.

According to Wikipedia, due to budget restraints and the emergence of the CW Network, the show was passed on, but it would have been amazing if it had actually been made!

Would you guys have watched it? Do you think, with the recent onslaught of mermaids in the media, there might be a slight chance of this show reappearing? (Remember: this was six years ago, so I highly doubt it.)

NEW Pirates of the Caribbean Mermaid Posters!!!

2011-04-29T20:17:00.001-07:00

So, Disney has released more posters from the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, and I'm loving the first one featuring Syrena alone more than the previous mermaids' poster. These posters feature Syrena, the mermaid who temporarily assumes human form and joins Jack Sparrow's crew. In the other picture is Syrena with Phillip, a young missionary and Blackbeard's slave, who falls in love with the timid young mermaid. I think they make a great couple, and I think they'll be the Will and Elizabeth of the fourth film!

What do you guys think of these beautiful new posters?

Selkies & Sirens: Mermaid's Kin?

2011-04-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Mermaids aren't the only fantastical sea creature lurking in the ocean's depths of mythology and folklore. There are countless other finned beings that populate the legends of cultures from all over the world. Here, I am only going to mention two of the more popular ones: the selkies and the sirens.

Selkies are shape-shifting seal people found in Scottish and Irish folklore. They're kind of like werewolves, minus the full moon and that they transform into seals rather than wolves. Selkies are mainly featured in romantic tragedies, usually having to do with a selkie who sheds their sealskin and falls in love with a mortal, only to later find their skin and being forced to return to the sea. If a mortal wishes to summon a selkie to them, they must shed seven tears into the sea. Selkies are seductive and beautiful in their human form, but they find it difficult to maintain an intimate relationship with human beings. Selkies aren't as popular in today's culture, but there's been a few books written about them.

Sirens are also gaining popularity these days. Contrary to popular belief, sirens are not actually mermaids. Or, well, they didn't always used to be. They used to be terrifyingly seductive creatures with the upper bodies of young women and the grotesqely disfigured lower body of a bird. Like mermaids, they lured sailors to a watery grave. Somewhere along the way, these bird-women evolved into the finned version we've all come to know and love to this day. With books like Siren by Tricia Rayburn and the upcoming book that sounds just as creepy as it sounds good, Siren's Storm by Lisa Papademetriou, sirens are everywhere these days. And, to me, that's a good thing.

So, have any of YOU read any selkie/siren books?

Interview With ANTARA Author Marilena Mexi!

2011-04-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

Marilena Mexi was born and lived in Athens, Greece in 1986. She studied graphic design and illustration in “Akto of Middlesex University - Athens, and she has been working as an illustrator for the past few years for book publishers – magazines and fantasy board and card games. She is also an awarded illustrator from various CG community sites, and she has been featured in a few magazines from around the world. Her artwork reflects her own personality; it is emotional, romantic and dreamy, and it can touch the viewer’s soul.In her spare time she likes reading books and listening to symphonic music.
Her love for books led her write her own which she illustrated, too. This process has been very time-consuming and difficult, but it also was a journey to the land of dreams. ‘Antara’ is her first illustrated novel, and it includes 26 illustrations. At the writing of this article, she is preparing the sequel and the final part of the story.

I have gotten to know Marilena Mexi through Goodreads, where she is promoting her debut fantasy novel Antara! Antara is different from other fantasy novels these days as it is illustrated with 26 beautiful illustrations done by Marilena herself! Here's a summary of the book:

Peace and tranquility on the island of Aster, home to both humans and 'merfolk', has long been broken by a devastating phenomenon, recurring every five years. A storm including gusting winds and huge waves mysteriously appeared and eradicated much of the population. The misunderstandings, suspicion and hate born of this disaster have torn the two races apart, and the peace loving merfolk are now in a never-ending struggle to prove their innocence and restore peace to the island.
On the human side, things are even worse; under the tyranny of cruel king Orestis, the people suffer and all their king cares for is vengeance against the “fish”, as he spitefully calls them, executing merfolk after merfolk for just being near his lands.
Secrets, intense emotions and strange phenomena will upset their lives forever.

I have also included some pictures of the beautiful artwork featured in Antara that I have used with the author's permisson. Now, here's an interview I did with Marilena where she talks about herself, her work, and the beautiful realm of Antara!

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
First of all, thank you for giving me the chance to say a few things for myself and Antara. I live and work in Greece, I'm a professional illustrator and I mostly work with publishers / writers. I make book illustrations, game cards, I'm an awarded artist from various cg sites, and my work has been published in various magazines.

What can you tell us about your illustrated novel Antara?
Antara is an illustrated fantasy romance for young adults, and its target audience is mostly women/girls. Of course, it was illustrated by me. A couple of years ago, I've written a short story on a paper and then I started making illustrations based on this story. Afterwards, I decided to sit down and write it from scratch, creating a full novel, where the reader could also see the concept art of the story. Back then I haven't thought of publishing it, until my sisters encouraged me to try it. In the process, however, I faced a lot of problems. I have written the book in Greek, so I had to find a good translator in order to translate it in English, and after a log time I found one and I'm really grateful to him. Then I started sending queries to literary agents, hoping that I'll find one to represent me in order to find a publisher too. Unfortunately, I found out that there weren't any agents specialized in my book's category. Those who who look for author / illustrators, are actually looking for picture books and graphic novels, which is completely different from Antara. But I didn't let down and I decided to publish it on my own. With the help of some friends I tried to achieve the best possible result.

What inspired you to write Antara?
I come from Greece and Greek mythology has inspired me, along with symphonic metal music. Also, my grandfather was a fisherman, and many times he's been telling me stories with mermaids when I was a child, and I adored them. So, my first story couldn't have been anything else.

Which character do you relate to most in Antara?
I think that I mostly relate to Urania. She's a character from the side of humans; low profile, caring, calm and shows understanding and patience.

How do you feel about all this sudden attention mermaids are getting in the media?
Indeed, recently there's been some particular interest in books with mermaids. I think that a few years ago everyone were writing stories with fairies and wizards, then stories with vampires and werewolves, then zombies, and now it's the mermaid season. I believe that this is going to be the summer of the merbooks.

Antara is not only a novel, but also features your own beautiful artwork. How long have you been drawing and painting?
The illustrations of Antara took me about 2 years. There were some illustrations that I have been working on them for about a month. The process was very tedious and time-consuming, and I really gave everything I got to get a good result. I would like to make the viewer travel to a magical world, and forget all the drudgeries of everyday life.

Will we see more adventures set in the world of Antara?
Of course, I'm working on the second and last part of Antara. Many people ask me why it is not a trilogy. I understand that trilogies are common nowadays, but I don't feel that Antara should end in a third book. I'm going to publish that in a few months too, hopefully during the summer.

What do you hope readers will take away from your novel after reading it?
I want the readers to feel like they've read a fairy tale, like they entered a land different and magical, where time and everyday problems don't exist. My book is a fantasy romance, but for me it's purely symbolic. The merfolk represent a different society of people, ideal, without hatred or cunning. A paradise I would like to exist in our world. I want the readers to feel hope in their heart, and every one of us can become better if we really want to.

Finally, what other projects --if you’re at liberty to say -- are you currently working on?
After the sequel of Antara I would like to take break from the typical fantasy setting. I have thought of a new concept much different than Antara. Probably I'm going to start writing this during the summer.

Thanks again to Marilena Mexi for agreeing to do this interview! Check her out on Goodreads or her own website at http://www.marilenamexi.eu/ where you can learn more about her and the magical world of Antara!

You can buy a paperback copy of the book here: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/antara/15202347
You can buy an ebook version here: http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/antara/15206378
Soon, Antara will be available on the websites Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ebay.

Mermaid Movie: Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989)

2011-04-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

When most people think of mermaids, the first image they think of is redhaired Ariel sitting on a rock, singing about wanting to become human and walk on land. I have always and will forever love The Little Mermaid. It's virtually impossible not to love it. I mean, it's a Disney classic, right?

Maybe the reason I loved the film and specifically Ariel was because I found her very relatable. No, not because I also have fins and sing and dance with talking sea creatures, but because I have always wanted to experience more. I've always wanted to venture out into the world and experience new things for myself. Plus, we're both redheads. Gingers need to stick together; there's so very few of us out there!

Ariel definitely was a "fish out of water," no pun intended. She wanted to explore the human world and was always looked strangely at because of her interest in the world above the sea. I think teenagers would be able to relate to Ariel well because of her clashing relationship with her father. Sometimes, teens feel like parents just don't understand, and Ariel definitely conveys this emotion throughout the movie, right up to when she finally mends things with her father as she sails off into the sunset.

Unlike other Disney princesses, Ariel is a strong and winning heroine. When she wants something, she doesn't just swoon and prance around, hoping her prince comes to her rescue. She goes out and gets it herself. In fact, she's the one who rescues the prince, not the other way around! Eric does save Ariel's life at the end, so they reciprocate. The movie doesn't have the usual sexist approach where the macho hero saves the damsel in distress. Ariel and Eric are equals, Ariel maybe moreso due to her superhuman nature.

Ursula is also the best villain of all time, hands down. She knows what she wants, and she doesn't waste time bumbling around like other villains. She devices a plan, uses her manipulative and vindictive skills, and she takes charge. This film definitely has a cast of take-charge female characters, which is one reason I like it so much.

All the side characters are wonderful, too. I love both Flounder and Sebastian, especially Flounder (he's just so cuddy-looking, even for a fish!), and Sebastian might come across as strict and demanding, but he's actually loving and caring.

Disney is timeless and ageless. Seventeen years after first watching The Little Mermaid, I can still watch it and fall back into the happy, carefree mood I always feel when watching it, all the way up to my favorite scene when King Triton finally realizes how much Ariel loves Eric and that while he will miss his youngest daughter, he knows it is for the best. With a wave of his magical trident, King Triton transforms Ariel's tail into a pair of legs, finally making her human and letting her sail off into the sunset with the prince of her dreams.

I will always have a special place in my heart for The Little Mermaid, and no matter how old I get, I can always turn back and smile on Ariel and all her underwater friends.

MerBook Review: Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman

2011-04-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hailey and Claire are spending their last summer together when they discover something at the bottom of the murky pool at the Capri Beach Club. There in the depths is a mysterious and beautiful creature with a sharp tongue and a broken heart: a mermaid named Aquamarine who has left her six sisters to search for love on land. Now, as this mythological yet very real being starts to fade in the burning August sun, a rescue is begun.
On the edge of growing up, during a summer that is the hottest on record, Hailey and Claire are discovering that life on land can take an unpredictable course, friendship is forever, and magic can be found in the most unexpected places.

I believe this is the first mermaid novel I have ever read. Or, really, it is more of a novella, since it only has 112 pages. I have seen the movie that came out in 2005 and was based upon the book, but it was completely different. That was a shame, because it took away some of the magical qualities in the novel.

This book is basically the story of two best friends, Hailey and Claire, who are about to be separated at the end of summer. Claire and her grandparents are moving to Florida, which both girls aren't happy about. They find one morning, after a terrible storm one night, a mermaid lurking in the swimming pool of the Capri Beach Club. Her name is Aquamarine, and she has fallen in love with Raymond, an employee at the Capri. The two girls try to help Aquamarine, but they soon realize she is fading away in the chlorinated water, and if she is not returned to the sea in seven days, she will die.

That's pretty much it. Like I said, it's a short book. I give it 3 out of 5, but what it lacks in page length, it makes up for in magic. There's just something about the book, its prose, the shades of blue that color the pages throughout, or the story itself, that makes you truly believe in friendship, true love, and most importantly, mermaids.

MerBook Review: Teenage Mermaid by Ellen Schreiber

2011-04-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

Spencer almost drowns in a surfing accident when a sparkling, golden girl saves him with a kiss of life before she suddenly disappears. Where did this dream girl come from, and will she return?

Lilly rescues a boy from nearly drowning and dangerously steps out of her own watery world. Curious to explore this forbidden land, she's gotta find her handsome Earthdude.

A silver heart locket is their only clue.

Ellen Schreiber revamps a classic favorite with a funky magical romance that shows what transpires when boy meets girl, but discovers girl is really a...

I first read this novel at around the same time I read Sirena (about four years ago), and I recently purchased it through Amazon.com. It's getting difficult to find in decent condition at a low price, so it's better just to buy it used.

Teenage Mermaid is the story of fifteen-year-old Spencer Stone. While surfing early one morning, he almost drowns but is rescued (and kissed) by a "sparkling, golden girl." In the struggle he pulls a heart-shaped locket off her neck, and it crosses his mind that he might have been saved by a...mermaid.

Waterlilly, or "Lilly," for short, lives in the underwater community of Pacific Reefs. Unlike the other merpeople, Lilly is bored with life under the sea. When she loses her family heirloom, the heart necklace, she must convince her mermaid best friend Waverly to help her become human and go ashore to get it - as well as meet the boy she rescued.

I gave this book 4 out of 5. This novel was a humorous, modern-day twist on The Little Mermaid, and it's a fairly short read at only 160 pages. While the romance isn't very realistic (for example, Spencer grows obsessed with Lilly and believes he's truly in love with her even though the period of the novel takes place over two days), it was still a fast, lighthearted read that ends with a magical twist only a true fairy tale could ever pull off.

The Mermaids of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

2011-04-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

Recently, Disney released a batch of new promotional images of the mermaids that will be featured in the new film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Unlike the 2005 remake of Peter Pan, in which mermaids only played a minor role, the new Pirates movie is all about our favorite fish-tailed girls! Mermaids are the key to finding the Fountain of Youth, which Jack Sparrow and his merry band of pirates on searching for. Australian supermodel Gemma Ward has been cast as the Mermaid Queen, Tamara, and French actress Astrid Berges-Frisbey is set to play the mermaid Sirena, who is captured by Captain Blackbeard and is supposed to be used to find the Fountain of Youth. Here's the images released by Disney, featuring all the beautiful actresses who have been cast to play these underwater beauties!

And here is the final concept art of the mermaids in their underwater forms. They look creepy, but still beautiful, and I like the crafty way they camouflage to look like kelp or seaweed.

Also, here's a poster for the movie that features only the mermaids, which I was so excited to find. The mermaids are so important, they got their own poster! Now, if only I could find this somewhere to put up in my bedroom...

The film releases on May 20th, so don't forget to go see the mermaids when they splash on the big screen!

MerBook Review: Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli

2011-04-26T13:25:00.000-07:00

Sirena is cursed. She will not become immortal unless she is loved by a human man. The siren song she sings with her mermaid sisters makes men adore her - yet it leads them to their deaths.

That is why she hides when she finds an adandoned young soldier. He wants to know her, though she should not let him near her or allow him to hear her sing. But how can she fight a love she has been waiting for all her life - a love that will make her live forever?

Since I have always had a major fetish for mermaids, the first review I will be doing is on Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli. I think this book is out of print, so you might have to buy a used copy on Amazon.com. (That's what I did.)

Sirena is a retelling of the Greek myth about sirens. Napoli imagines the sirens as ten mermaid sisters who are cursed: they cannot receive immortality unless a mortal man falls in love with them. Luring sailors to their island with their songs, the mermaids usually fail, since their songs often result in death. Those who live see the mermaids as half-fish, half-woman monsters.

I won't give away too much, but let's just say tragedy strikes the mermaid sisters, which results in Sirena swimming away to live by herself in the waters around the island of Lemnos. There she finds a handsome Greek soldier named Philoctetes who is abandoned by his crew because of his festering snakebite wound. Sirena tends to him while he lies unconscious due to the infection, and she becomes infatuated with this human man.

Sirena soon finds herself in a situation that results in her having to use her siren song, which causes bad things to happen between her and Philoctetes. Does he really love her, or is it only because of the magical influence he is under? Sirena's story is one of love and loss, immortality and sacrifice.

I gave this book 5 out of 5. I read this novel four years ago when in the sixth grade. Ever since then, I have still been mesmerized by it. The cover, too, is extraordinarily beautiful, and I found myself distracted by it while trying to read. I wanted to savor every page of this glorious novel; so much, in fact, that sometimes I would read only a page, then quit because I never wanted it to end. But, after two weeks, I knew it was time to stop savoring and just finish it already! At 226 pages, it is a short read, which was the only disappointment. I wanted more! I loved, loved, loved this book - all the way up to its bittersweet and tearjerking ending, one of the saddest endings to a book I have ever read. Sirena describes her ocean world with such beauty, and I couldn't help but wish I could be part of it.

Everything about this book (from its lyrical prose, to its sad ending, even its beautiful cover) was absolutely perfect!

Interview With FINS Author Ashley Knight!

2011-04-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Two events of significance occurred during of the birth of Ashley L. Knight in 1977. One was the VC10 jet flight time record from London to Bahrain was smashed by her father in his determination to be by her side and the appearance of brilliant meteor showers over the desert island that was witnessed by her godmother. Raised in Bahrain, the legendary kingdom of Dilmun, Ashley grew up on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, white haired and blue-eyed, swimming in the warm tidal shallows with her mother at seven days old as all baby mermaids are raised.
Moving away from the gathering war storms of the Middle East conflict, her family settled in mountainous Idaho, USA, to the seasonal rhythms of ranch life. Ashley's love of horses and riding skills found her representing major rodeos as an elegant Rodeo Queen and striking spokesperson.
By 15 years Ashley was already enrolled in university in Idaho where she majored in English/ Writing Emphasis, with a minor in Biology. Her English language skills resulted in a coaching job from her professor for new writers at university. College summers were spent with her younger sister at the ranch riding by the Little Salmon River or at Disney World as an intern in their summer program. Talented in poetry and lyric writing, Ashley began to compose and perform her own songs at an early age, taking formal voice training at college and competing in singing talent shows. Currently, she is the lead vocalist of a rock band in Boise known as Pile of Bones.
A chance meeting in downtown Boise brought love's destiny to her life. Greg and Ashley were married in McCall by the glacial blue waters of the lake. Inseparable, they now have two small children of their own.
Ashley continues her love of water legacy with release of her first published novel 'Fins' in 2010 and has completed the sequel 'Fathom' due for release in 2011. Ashley lives in Idaho and is currently writing the third story of the mermaid trilogy.

I met Ashley on Goodreads where I helped promote her insanely awesome FINS trilogy. Trust me, these books are unlike anything you've ever read before! I've read both FINS and the upcoming sequel FATHOM, both of which are fin-tastic reads, and I can't wait to read the third and final book, FOREVER. Recently, Ashley agreed to participate in an interview, and here's what she had to say!

What inspired you to write FINS?
A picture of a mermaid & a merman entwined in a kiss. I was a bit bored one day & typed in "pictures of mermaids" on Google & began sorting through the pages upon pages of irritating junk that came up. Once in a while some really beautiful pictures came up but then I saw it & it was as if a computer download hit me. The whole tale smacked me upside the head. I grabbed a pen & wrote as much as I could. I'll send you the picture.

When did you realize FINS was going to be a trilogy?
Immediately. I told my publisher right away what I wanted to do & she agreed it was the only way to go. She even hinted at furthering it - making it a series, but I'm not sure I have the stamina for say, 10 FINS books. I don't want it to get old.

Which character do you identify most with?
This'll make you laugh - Élan actually. Morgan's dialogue is how I think, but I am a mother & I always saw myself more as her. Funny huh? I think most authors identify with the main character. Élan is a healer & has The Love -I was going to be a doctor - studied medical books since I was 6. I love that she is a doctor without going to school. That'd be really nice!

If a producer decided to pick up FINS, would you rather see a film version or a television series? Do any actors/actresses resemble any of your characters?
Great question! I'd be honored to have FINS on film at all. My big fear would be to have it cheapenedso I would be very concerned with the who, what, when, where, etc... would be dealing with it. The worst thing would be to have your heart/art/work crushed by someone who just couldn't care less. As far as the characters, my fans on Facebook all wanted to know who the characters resembled, so I finally gave in & tried to pick people who I thought were as close to how I imagined the characters. For instance: I think actress Robin Wright Penn resembles Élan. Brandon Routh resembles Tammer. Michael Pare from the 1980's movie Eddie & the Cruisers resembles Thayde & (Garrett you'll have to put that girls name in here since I don't remember her name!!) resembles Morgan. Troen looks like Chong from the 80's movies Cheech & Chong. If your readers type in "FINS Trilogy" on Facebook & like the page, they can see all the pictures of actors & singers, models, etc I chose that resemble my characters.

How do you feel about all this attention mermaids are suddenly getting in the media?
I'm a little bummed actually. What with vampires getting all the attention, I was thinking "Oh! I'm going to be the sole writer who'll being mermaids forward!" What a joke! Great minds must think alike. I must see the silver lining... hmmm... It means that should FINS shine through, it truly is a great book. :-)

In FINS, your mermaids have a dazzling array of magical powers, and the color of their tails is directly related to the power they wield. What powers/tail color would you want to have if you were a mermaid?

I'd want Morgan's tail as she ends up being "special". It'd be great to have her powers, don't you think?

What do you hope readers will take away from your novel after reading it?
I hope that with FINS, they will simply fall in love with the book - that they'll think "wow! That was different!" With FATHOM, I truly hope that there will be at least a few teenagers that will think "I feel like that every day. There IS a way I can get through this, that I can feel better?" I went through a lot when I was a teenager & didn't have an outlet that I felt was supportive & helpful enough for me. I'm surprised I'm alive today. Though the book is a bit darker, it is filled with hope & better answers & I hope that if it helps even one person, it will have been completely worth all those hours writing it.

Finally, what other projects - if you’re at liberty to say - are you working on besides the FINS trilogy?
I am working on three books at the moment! Talk about overload, but it gives me things to jump to when one subject gets old. FATHOM is set to be released in May & is the stepping stone to FOREVER which I'm hoping to finish next year.
My second book I'm muddling around with is another YA book called Falwyn - a tale about a very strong minded princess that falls in love with a commoner who is accused of murder. But, he's not human - he's a Falwyn - half human, half fairy!
The third is an adult book about a Navy Seal returning from war in Afghanistan to his regular machining job. But this time he's dealing with PTSD. How can he hope to return to regular life & function normally?

Go to ashleylknight.com to learn more about Ashley and her amazing books! Ashley said her website is going under construction during the month of May to get ready for the publication of FATHOM, and she apologizes for any problems you may experience while checking it out.

So, immerse yourself in FINS and FATHOM. FINS is out now and FATHOM will be released the last week of May!

Lost Voices (Lost Voices #1) by Sarah Porter

2011-04-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

What happens to the girls nobody sees—the ones who are ignored, mistreated, hidden away? The girls nobody hears when they cry for help?
Fourteen-year-old Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in a storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks.
Luce’s own talent at singing captures the attention of the tribe’s queen, the fierce and elegant Catarina, and Luce soon finds herself pressured to join in committing mass murder. Luce’s struggle to retain her inner humanity puts her at odds with her friends; even worse, Catarina seems to regard Luce as a potential rival. But the appearance of a devious new mermaid brings a real threat to Catarina’s leadership and endangers the very existence of the tribe. Can Luce find the courage to challenge the newcomer, even at the risk of becoming rejected and alone once again?
Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

Lost Voices was dark, magical, but also beautiful. These mermaids believe that becoming these magical, otherworldly beings makes them better than humans and incapable of feeling pain and loss, but they're still very much able to feel hurt and loss, and some of this book's most powerful moments are when the mermaids realize they are not different than humann beings and must deal with the grief and suffering they all face.
Most of the mermaids are generally unlikeable, but it makes sense that they would feel resentment towards the humans who wronged them. However, Luce realizes the mermaids are no better than the humans they drown, but nevertheless the other mermaids view her as an outsider.
Catarina was another interesting character. In one moment, I felt sorry for her from the heartaching past she endured, but then her mood swings were so frequent and so disorienting, I didn't know whether to feel sorry for her or to dislike her.
Sarah Porter has a beautiful, lyrical style of writing. She paints with her words a beautiful dark outlook on the Alaskan coast. Her descriptions of the mermaids and their underwater world is stunning, breathtaking, and mesmerizing.
All in all, I found this to be an excellent book - filled with deep emotion, hypnotic beauty, and the painful realization of what it means to be human. I hope Lost Voices is indeed the first in a series, because the story ended in a way that suggests Luce still has so many more adventures to tell. so many more adventures to tell.
I received this ARC from Netgalley.com.