When
I first started writing How to
be a Mermaid, I knew next to
nothing about professional mermaiding. I looked online, watched
videos, and kept an eye on forums, but I didn’t think I’d get a
chance to see a mermaid in real life. And if it wasn’t for the
Georgia Aquarium’s Festival of the SEAson, I probably still
wouldn’t have been able to.
As
part of the Georgia Aquarium’s Christmas celebrations, the famous
Weeki Wachee Mermaids did a special performance at the aquarium. I
went to a meet and greet with one of the mermaids and watched them do
a live show.
It
was one of those defining moments in my life. Watching these mermaids
perform was like watching fantasies come true. Up until that point,
mermaids were a thing of myth.
The
mermaids of Weeki Wachee brought them to life for me.
While
I was there, I also did a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium. My
wonderful guide took me to areas where a lot of aquarium goers don’t
venture. I got to see my favorite animals, the whale sharks, from a
whole new perspective. I learned that they ship in food everyday from
New Zealand for a particular animal’s diet. And I saw the inner
workings of one of the world’s biggest aquariums.
The
mermaids were enchanting, but I found that the living, breathing
aquarium was just as magical. There are far too many things on this
earth that we take for granted. The beauty of the sea is one of them.
The
entire experience was eye-opening. A lot of conservation efforts are
going on taking care of the animals and our oceans.
If
we don’t take care of our environment, there will be less
opportunities for future generations to see the beautiful ocean and
its creatures.
Finn,
Tara, King Oceanus, and King Leviathan may take care of the oceans in
this book, but it is our responsibility to do more.
We
have a fantastical, magical world around us. We need to take care of
it, too.
How to be a Mermaid by Erin Hayes
(Falling in Deep Collection, #10)Publication date: July 7th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
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 collection!
“What
is this?” a rough, intense voice demanded.
I
swam out of unconsciousness, an uncomfortable experience that
revealed my entire body aching, my head most of all. It was so dark,
and a strange feeling had overtaken my body. Like I was floating. I
tried touching a hand to my head, only to find that I couldn't.
What
the-?
My
hands were tied behind my back with what felt like...kelp?
The
realization hit me and I thrashed about trying to free myself, and I
finally opened my eyes.
I
paused for a moment, unable to grasp exactly where I was.
I
was...underwater?
Air
bubbles popped out of my mouth in a flurry when a scream escaped my
throat. A thousand thoughts filled my head, none of them making sense
except for the overwhelming dread that I was somehow underwater with
my hands tied behind my back. From what I could tell, there was no
way I could get air to breathe. I'd lost a lot of air when I
screamed.
Oh
my god, I was going to drown.
My
mermaid necklace was thrust in front of my vision, momentarily
disorienting me.
“What
is this? I demand you to tell me now!”
“What?”
I asked out loud. A sharp pain zigzagged across my head from where
I'd hit it on the rock. I was trapped underwater and this man wanted
to know...what exactly? What my necklace was?
The
necklace came even closer to my face, so much that I'd have to go
cross-eyed in order to focus on it.
“Where
did you get this? What is it?” the man demanded.
“It's
my...” I was unsure and still terrified of my situation. “It's my
necklace.”
How to be a Mermaid Soundtrack:
Below
is a list of songs that I listened to while writing How to be a
Mermaid. Each of these songs helped to get me into the right mindset
in order to pretend that I was a mermaid!
-
Go – Grimes featuring Blood Diamonds
-
Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
-
Never Let Me Go – Florence and the Machine
-
What the Water Gave Me – Florence and the Machine
-
Start a Riot – Jetta
-
Believe – Mumford and Sons
-
I Will Wait – Mumford and Sons
-
Dirty Paws – Of Monsters and Men
-
Anything Could Happen – Ellie Goulding
-
Part of Your World – Jodi Benson from The Little Mermaid No mermaid soundtrack would be complete without that song!
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.
Author links:
The aquarium is as close as I'll ever get to sea life because I refuse to swim underwater in the ocean. I'm a little jealous that you got to go behind the scenes, lol. That sounds like a great adventure to me.
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun!
DeleteThanks so much for being a part of blitz, Jessica! Hope it was fun for you! xxErin Hayes
ReplyDelete