So I wanted to link to Joel Stein’s great Business Week article about mermaids and MerCon, which is awesome even though he says I am running Mermaids and Mythology magazine when I am actually editing Mermaids magazine. But it MIGHT BE a semi-understandable mistake. Though we actually did have this perhaps-it’s-slightly-awkward-to-have-two-different-mermaid-magazines-with-essentially-the-same-name discussion in person at MerCon and I said that I was suggesting we change the magazine name to MERMAIDIA or something similar and he helpfully suggested the title Fuckin’ Mermaids! which, let’s face it, would be pretty awesome. Sigh. Also: the Tobey Maguire-produced little mermaid movie in development would be the one based on the book by yours truly and written and directed by the lady who wrote and directed the movie Country Strong, which was totally underrated.
Also, I would just like to mention that I am at this very minute at the Sheraton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale that used to be the fabled ship-shaped YANKEE CLIPPER hotel (pictured below) and that is home to the famous WRECK BAR where Marina MeduSirena performs with her pod of aquaticats every Friday evening at 6:30pm.
Said show is in two hours, and I am very excited. Expect many photos!
Also, I’m here with my mother and sister since tomorrow we’re heading out on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas cruise ship, upon which yours truly will be presenting two enrichment lectures. One on fairytales (I’ll be reading and discussing my books, too) on Sunday morning and one entitled: MODERN-DAY MERMAIDS: WHY WE LOVE THEM AND HOW YOU CAN BE ONE, which I’m giving next Thursday at 2:30pm. If you happen to be on this cruise, you should obviously come. It will even include an impressive PowerPoint presentation.
I know.
I am a mermaid 
Clear skies for you! Will you wear a tail?
I thought of you many times last week because I was in Norway and just so close to the Little Mermaid and it made me remember that I keep forgetting to tell you how great the Toby M. film news is! Mabrook, as we say in Abu Dhabi. It’s on the Kindle and I can’t wait to start reading. xoxo, Alia