Mermaids in Brazil, Nassau, Florida…

So mermaid photographer extraordinaire Chris Crumley posted this gorgeous photo a month or so ago on Facebook, and mentioned it was being used for a new mermaidly book cover, and as I shared this photo on my own wall I was secretly very jealous.

Isn’t it beautiful? This is model Christina Macfarlane offshore in Cozumel, Mexico.

Then a few days later I was google alerted to an announcement of my own novel Mermaid, which is about to come out in Brazil. And here it is:

I KNOW! So I was secretly jealous of… myself, and my very own book translated into Portuguese. And no, sadly no one is flying me down to Brazil, which is very ungracious of them I think.

Speaking of wondrous mermaid book covers shot by Chris Crumley, here is the cover for Sarah Porter‘s new novel, the second in her Lost Voices trilogy, Waking Storms (with cover quote from yours truly!), which comes out next month:

This cover was also shot with model Christina Macfarlane, but in an inland lake in Palau, Micronesia. According to Chris, “the lake, Jellyfish Lake, has thousands of jellyfish that over time with no natural predators, have lost their sting.” Can you imagine? I just got scuba certified in November in Nicaragua (after years of avoiding the ocean… but when you talk to mermaids all the time, you get infected!), and when I entered the water for my first dive I was surrounded by these little translucent ghosts, which at first I thought were a trick of the light, and then realized were actual creatures. By the time I thought to be scared I realized they would have already stung me if they were going to. Turns out they were medusas, strange and magical. I can only imagine what it’s like to swim in a lake surrounded by stingless jellyfish…!

Speaking of SCUBA and Chris Crumley, I will ALSO mention that this AUGUST yours truly will be joining him and Malena Sharkey (co-proprietor of Chesapeake Bay Diving Center) and mermaid Iara Mandyn and several others on a 7-day mermaid diving trip out of Nassau. Lots of diving every day, including shark dives, night dives, and mermaid shoots. See what happens when you become a mermaid expert? Later this month, Chris and Malena will be hosting a special workshop on mermaid photography, also out of Nassau. I’ll post more about both those trips later.

The August trip will happen at the very same time that MER-PALOOZA is happening, which is this year’s MerCon. Mer-Palooza is happening August 10-12 at the International Palms Resort in Orlando, Florida, just down the road from Disney World. I’ll try to post photos from the event so that if you are, like me, unfortunate enough not to be attending, you might be there in voyeurly spirit.

Another awesome event happening this summer (which I also tragically cannot attend, due to teaching duties in Alaska) is WEEKI WACHEE‘s 65th anniversary. To celebrate, Weeki is inviting ALL the mermaids who have performed at the park since 1947 to one jam-packed-with-glamour reunion on July 13, 14 & 15. There will be special performances starring the current mermaids and former performing mermaids, and there will be lots and lots of vendors and, well, a gazillion mermaids.