But, in the meantime, I’m sitting out here in this field, waiting on labor to kick in. You know, the kind where there’s bellowing and pushing and then a baby at the end?!
Okay. Okay. It’s NOT my labor that I’m waiting on. I’m not even waiting on a human. Though, I am waiting on kids.
My goat nannies are about ready to pop.
One already did. Poker had twin girls earlier this week.
Since I’m out here waiting on the babies, I found something special to keep you busy.
How to be a Mermaid by Erin Hayes
(Falling in Deep Collection, #10)
Publication date: July 7th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
All Tara ever wanted was to be a mermaid.
So she takes a year off between high school and college to don a fake tail and tour aquariums across the country in a professional mermaid troupe.
Everything’s great until she meets a gorgeous real-life merman named Finn. Suddenly, what she thought was a dream turns out to be a nightmare — she’s turning into a mermaid herself. For real.
Yet when she returns to the sea to seek out Finn and reverse her transformation, she finds herself in the middle of an impending war between the land and sea. Tara may have always wanted to be a mermaid, but now it’s sink or swim. In order to survive, she has to learn how to be one, too.
***
Summer 2015, award-winning, and best-selling authors will bring you romantic tales of mermaids, sirens, sprites, and other creatures of the deep! Keep in touch as we reveal each title in our Falling in Deep collection!
Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery novel Death is but a Dream, the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average, and the Her Wolf paranormal series.
She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and she moonlights as an author. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, and now in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.
You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.
I met Melanie online when I joined Falling in Deep. I’ve had the opportunity to read some of her previous work, and I really enjoy her character, Lily. In preparation for Melanie’s new novella, Ink, I was able to catch her mid-run and ask a few questions.
Tell us about you. What are some of your previously published projects?
I have three series. The Harvesting Series is my dark fantasy/horror series. It is a zombie/fantasy mashup. It’s a fun series and takes the genre in a different direction. My other series is The Airship Racing Chronicles. This is my steampunk romantic adventure series. I totally adore the characters in this series. Lily, my airship pilot, is a hot mess. An opium addict, Lord Byron’s lover, and an airship racer, she’d a great character to write. I also have my Scottish series on Lady Macbeth, retelling the classic Macbeth tale from the perspective of Lady M.
When did you start writing? When did you start publishing? What is the hardest thing about writing?
I’ve written since I as a kid. Like many other authors, I’ve been to the rodeo with literary agents, had near-misses with publishing contracts, etc. In the end, I opened my own publishing imprint and got serious about my works. I invested in me. The hardest thing about writing for me is simply having time. With two small children and a full-time job, finding time to write is tough.
What has been your favorite character that you’ve written so far?
I mentioned Lily previously, and she really is my favorite character, but I also loved writing her lover George Gordon, Lord Byron. He was interesting to write because 1) he was a real person 2) I had to fictionalize this real person and 3) he is a he. I generally don’t write men very well, but there was something about Byron that was special…maybe because Byron is special. I also enjoyed writing Grandma Petrovich from The Harvesting Series. It was fun to write the bossy grandma type. Ink, my new character, was fun to write because I’ve just never even thought about the perspective of a mermaid before. It was fun to get inside her head.
Where does your inspiration come from? What do you do to break through a block?
I can barely contain all the ideas floating around in my head. It’s maddening at times. They come from anywhere and everywhere. Much of my steampunk is inspired by steampunk visual arts. My mermaid was inspired by my environment. I moved to the coast of Florida 5 years ago and the landscape just sucked me in.
Has there been a progression through genres with your writing, or do you mostly stick with one genre?
Well, I really see myself as a fantasy writer. I just write in different subgenres of fantasy. I think readers see my line tend more dark fantasy/steampunk as I go forward.
Part Two of my Interview with Melanie Karsak will post on June 2, 2015!
A mermaid princess destined to wed a handsome king…
It sounds like a fairy tale, but the reality is far murkier.
Ink, Princess of the Florida Atlantic mers, is slated to wed the ancient enemy of her tribe, the King of the Gulfs. After years of war that led to countless mer deaths, as well as the genocide of aquatic shapeshifters and the freshwater mers of Florida, Ink’s marriage will bring lasting peace.
Or so it seems.
Mere hours before she’s supposed to leave the ocean for her customary year as a drywalker, Ink meets Hal, an alligator shifter who warns her that a storm is brewing. There is malicious intent behind Ink’s marriage—and worse, meeting Hal has also caused a storm to rage in Ink’s heart. Nevertheless, loyal to her tribe, Ink will put aside her feelings and journey to Miami to marry the decadent King Manx.
Ink soon learns that her only hope of surviving the crashing force swelling around her is to tap into a power deep inside—a forbidden power that might destroy them all.
Aaaah! Love this Mermaid (:
About the author:Melanie Karsak is the author of the Amazon best-selling The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, and The Saga of Lady Macbeth. She grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and earned a Master’s degree in English from Gannon University. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, and zombie whisperer, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.
Love mermaids? Looking for a great beach read? The Falling in Deep Collection, a collection of 15 unique tales of creatures of the deep, is rolling out the first novella in their collection at the end of May.
From mermaids to sirens, Miami to Athens, dark paranormal romance to contemporary stories with steam, the fifteen award-winning and best-selling authors of the Falling in Deep Collection are bringing you mermaid tales like you’ve never seen before.
Every week beginning May 26th, 2015, we’ll be releasing one unique, never-before-published novella! Each novella will feature our favorite creature of the deep: mermaids.
The Falling in Deep Collection (May – September Releases)
I met Pauline Creeden earlier this year, and she graciously agreed to an interview. Pauline’s release, Scales, a mermaid novella, is a part of the Falling in Deep collection and is available TODAY. (Be sure to enter the giveaway!) Wooo!
I usually choose 2 or 3 songs by Red and play them on loop. If you’ve never heard of Red. Here’s a sampler.
Where is your favorite place to find inspiration?
While I’m working – like mucking horse stalls – it’s quiet and takes little thought, so my mind wonders and creates worlds.
What was your inspiration for Scales? Tell me about your heroine.
The 80’s movie Splash starring Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah was my inspiration once the Blazing Indies decided to do a summer mermaid novella. So Verona uses television to help her understand humans better. She is a beautiful, smart young woman who was told she’s ugly and stupid. So she has to overcome these issues and find herself.
Does Scales lead into another novella? When will Salt be out?
Salt was my original story for the Falling In Deep Collection, but it’s turned into not one novel – but two and a prequel novella. I’m hoping to finish the first draft of Salt this month – so that it can be released before the end of summer.
Any advice for new writers (like me)?
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and the journey of a seventy-thousand word novel begins with one word. Keep typing and get your stories on paper. Don’t worry about what you can sell, and what will even make it to market. Everything is a learning experience, even when the editor makes your manuscript bleed red.
TO KEEP FROM SCREAMING, I bite hard on my lip. The copper mixture of blood and saltwater mingles on my tongue. Mer claws rake against my back. The barnacles on the post to which I’m tied stab me in the chest. Pain sets my body on fire. Everything burns. I squeeze my eyes shut tight and keep my silence.
“Ugly.”
“Repugnant.”
“Unsightly.”
“Ignorant.”
“Bottom Feeder.”
Each word cuts as deep in my flesh as the physical wounds my clan inflicts. It can’t last long. I can endure this. As soon as the sharks catch scent of my blood they will come, and the Mer will scatter.
The world spins around me like a whirlpool. My breaths come quick and shallow, my heart pounds faster in my ears. Each second is an eternity, until I realize fresh wounds are not adding to the burning in my skin.
The elder’s sharp tongue whispers in my ear. “Now you will be measured.”
My wrists fall free of the post as he cuts the ties.
Exile. My Reckoning has begun.
Seriously… Look at this gorgeousness!
I was able to get my hands on an ARC copy – you’re going to love it!
About the Author:
Pauline Creeden is an award-winning author, horse trainer, and overall book ninja. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Gold Award for First Place YA Horror Novel.
Love mermaids? Looking for a great beach read? The Falling in Deep Collection, a collection of 15 unique tales of creatures of the deep, is rolling out the first novella in their collection at the end of May.
From mermaids to sirens, Miami to Athens, dark paranormal romance to contemporary stories with steam, the fifteen award-winning and best-selling authors of the Falling in Deep Collection are bringing you mermaid tales like you’ve never seen before.
Every week beginning May 26th, 2015, we’ll be releasing one unique, never-before-published novella! Each novella will feature our favorite creature of the deep: mermaids.
I met Pauline Creeden earlier this year, and I recently had the opportunity to interview her. Pauline’s upcoming release, Scales, a mermaid novella, is a part of the Falling in Deep collection and will be available on Tuesday. (Be sure to enter the giveaway!)
Available May 26, 2015
Tell me about you. What do you write?
I’m a work-from-home mother of one fourteen-year-old boy, horse trainer, blogger, and author. I write hopeful fiction from a dark prospective. My characters go through hard times but always come out stronger in the end.
When did you start writing? When did you start publishing?
My father gave me a typewriter for Christmas when I was about 9 years old, because I wanted to be a writer. I wrote several short stories for classes in Creative Writing, a few of which were published in e-zines and newsletters. My first novel was written in 2011, and that’s when I also started my self-publishing career. It wasn’t until after I started self-publishing that I also began submitting works to publishers and presses. That first novel I wrote in 2011 wasn’t the first one I published, but it was published by Prism Book Group in 2014.
Has there been a progression through genres in your writing?
Whatever story hits me hardest is the one that I write. It’s easier for me that way. I don’t limit myself to reading one genre, and though my editor tells me I need to stick with one, I can’t write in one, either.
What authors do you like to read?
Tommie Lyn, Sheila Hollinghead, Susan Ee, Amy Bartol, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, C. S. Lewis – my tastes are pretty eclectic.
You have something coming later this month. Tell me about that.
Scales is coming out later this month. It’s a mermaid fantasy story from the Falling In Deep Collection. The mermaids in the story are written from a more realistic marine biology prospective – with claws – and have Vulcan-like personalities. I originally was writing a different story for the Falling In Deep Collection, but it turned into a novel – so Scales is actually a prequel story for the novel.
Part Two of my interview with Pauline Creeden will post on May 26, 2015.
Here is an excerpt from Scales:
TO KEEP FROM SCREAMING, I bite hard on my lip. The copper mixture of blood and saltwater mingles on my tongue. Mer claws rake against my back. The barnacles on the post to which I’m tied stab me in the chest. Pain sets my body on fire. Everything burns. I squeeze my eyes shut tight and keep my silence.
“Ugly.”
“Repugnant.”
“Unsightly.”
“Ignorant.”
“Bottom Feeder.”
Each word cuts as deep in my flesh as the physical wounds my clan inflicts. It can’t last long. I can endure this. As soon as the sharks catch scent of my blood they will come, and the Mer will scatter.
The world spins around me like a whirlpool. My breaths come quick and shallow, my heart pounds faster in my ears. Each second is an eternity, until I realize fresh wounds are not adding to the burning in my skin.
The elder’s sharp tongue whispers in my ear. “Now you will be measured.”
My wrists fall free of the post as he cuts the ties.
I was able to get my hands on an ARC copy – you’re going to love it!
About the Author:
Pauline Creeden is an award-winning author, horse trainer, and overall book ninja. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Gold Award for First Place YA Horror Novel.
Get up-to-date news and information on Pauline’s latest releases!
Love mermaids? Looking for a great beach read? The Falling in Deep Collection, a collection of 15 unique tales of creatures of the deep, is rolling out the first novella in their collection at the end of May.
From mermaids to sirens, Miami to Athens, dark paranormal romance to contemporary stories with steam, the fifteen award-winning and best-selling authors of the Falling in Deep Collection are bringing you mermaid tales like you’ve never seen before.
Every week beginning May 26th, 2015, we’ll be releasing one unique, never-before-published novella! Each novella will feature our favorite creature of the deep: mermaids.
The Falling in Deep Collection (May – September Releases)
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