The new cover for Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret now avaible on Amazon for Kindle

The new cover for Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is up! Check it out on Amazon.

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret Cover Redesign, part 5

Now that we had Miri all done for the covers of the Miri Attwater series, the first book needed a background. We did a version of the original cover, a glimpse the castle in the mermaid colony of Kai Kaona.

It's a little simpler than before, but it should show up better in ebook form than the original cover.

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret cover design, part 4

Last week we looked at some changes to the color version of Miri, giving her hands and modifying things like her hair a little bit. But for the new covers for the Miri Attwater series, we didn't want it to just be a flat drawing.

The next step was to add some shading. We decorated her swimsuit a bit. And we corrected finally corrected that color mistake.

Did you figure that out the color mistake yet? Take a look the version in last week's post if you need a hint!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret Cover Redesign, Part 3

In past posts I've showed you the original pencil sketch of Miri and the first colored version of her face. Or course, for the new cover of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret, we needed Miri to be more than just a floating head.

The hair changed a bit too. It's shorter and the curls are a bit softer. But, there's still the same mistake from last week. Have you spotted it yet?

New Cover for Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret, Part 2

Last week I showed you the first step in the new book cover design for the Miri Attwater series. Of course Miri can't stay black and white. :) Next step, color!

Oops! Something is wrong with this picture... do you know what it is? I didn't even catch it. One of my girls pointed it out.

Hint - one of the colors is wrong.

A new cover coming soon for Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret

So I've been a bit busy lately working on a bunch of technical details to move my author website and blog to a new site, esivy.com. If you're interested in crafts and other things that occupy my mind, hop on over and check it out.

But we've also been busy with a whole new cover design for Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret! I still love the old cover, but when we were trying to come up with a cover for Book 2, Miri Attwater and All that Glitters, things just weren't working. Among other things, we wanted to make the books look friendlier and more colorful.

This, of course, has the drawback that it's slowing down the release of All that Glitters. So in the meantime I thought I'd show you some progress on the new covers.

TechnoTim started by drawing a bunch of different sketches for Miri using pencil and paper. I critiqued them and he tweaked them. Here's the one we finally decided looks just like Miri.

Let me know what you think. Does the drawing look like Miri to you?

Hannah, age 9, gives Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret 5 stars (and 22 exclamation marks)

For kid's books, there's nothing better than a book review by kids.

Here's what Hannah, age 9, over at BookCubs had to say about Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret.


If you like funny fantasy books you’ll love this. It is fantastic. If you do not think it is great, you are crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And as a writer, there's nothing better than a kid's review like that. :) And yes, all those exclamation points are her's. I didn't add any.

Her favorite part was Miri's dinner with the Queen. That makes me happy, because I had fun writing it. (Sneak Peek - there'll be more fancy dinners with funny dishes in Book 2.)

Before I wrote about Miri's first meal in Kai Kaona, I ate some seaweed salad! It wasn't too bad. A little rubbery. :) Some of the rest came from memories I have - like when someone advised me to order "seafood" noodles in Japan and it turned out to be "seaweed" noodles. 

And the time at a fancy restaurant in New Orleans that my grandmother was served a baked fish with its head still on.  She was a proper Southern lady, a phenomenal cook, and had cleaned a few fish from my grandfather's catch in her day. She would never have served a fish head at her table. She sent that fish right back to the kitchen to be properly prepared!

What about you - what's the strangest, most adventurous, thing you've ever eaten? Leave a comment and tell us about it! 

Miri Attwater - Book 1 on Wattpad and Book 2 progress

It's been a while since I made a new post, I know!

And have you signed up for my Newsletter? Because I've definitely made good on my promise not to fill up your inbox. :) I've sent exactly, um, zero newsletters so far.

It's not that I don't love my Newsletter subscribers! In fact there will be special offers soon, I promise. It's just that it's another thing with a learning curve. I spent a lot of time figuring out how to set up a sign up list. But how, exactly, do I send out a newsletter in the correct form? That's something I've got to figure out, and for now I've been trying to focus all my time on...

Completing Book 2!

(Okay, that and I may have snuck in a trip to Disney World. But hey, I was thinking of you and Miri! There are lots of mermaids at Disney. There'll be some related posts later.)

But yes, Miri Attwater and All that Glitters is starting the editing process!



Which means I already have some things that need some changes. :( But hang tight, Book 2 will be better for it, and ready soon!

Meanwhile, I've started posting Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret over on Wattpad. I post a chapter or so a week. So, if you haven't read the Ocean's Secret yet and you can be patient for the next installment, hop on over to Wattpad and say hello.

Happy Reading!

Books, Babies, and Bows reviews the children's fantasy Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret

What does an octopus have to do with mermaids? Read Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret and find out!

When I came up with the idea to write a book about a girl who didn't know she was a mermaid, my intention was to write a book that was pure fantasy.

But I discovered something about myself.

If I'm creating the magical world, it won't ring true to me unless it follows the principals of science. I guess that by the time you get a PhD in biology, science is too deeply ingrained in your DNA to deny it.

While I had lots of fun researching and imagining all the fantasy science in Miri's world, there was always that nagging fear in the back of my mind. Is all this fantasy science going to be believable to other scientists?

Yes, even someone with a PhD has a fear of looking stupid. :)

So I am thrilled about the review just posted at Books, Babies, and Bows! Jenny is a scientist and she gets it! She really gets it! (And she doesn't think I'm stupid or anything.)

From her five star review posted on her blog, Amazon, and Goodreads:
What I absolutely love about this book is how the author uses scientific facts to create a rule system for this "magical" world. You learn about how a mermaid changes from legs to fins in a way that makes it believable and magical all in the same breath. 

Read the rest of Jenny's review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret at Books, Babies, and Bows. And while you're there, check out her lovely series on 30 books of Kindness.

Don't forget, you can now buy an ebook copy Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret at all of these major retailers.

Amazon          Kobo          Barnes & Noble          itunes/ibooks        Sony                    diesel

Happy Reading!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret now available on Nook at Barnes & Noble!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is now available on Nook at Barnes & Noble!

Miri always knew she was adopted, liked her food extra salty, and could hold her breath an unbelievably long time, but she never would have guessed that it meant she was a mermaid.

Mermaids aren't real. 

Or are they? 

It took some doing to get it up, but it's finally there. Unfortunately, it's not showing up under Nook Kids new releases. I would guess that's because it shows a publication date of December 2012 - which is how long I have been trying to get it to show up in their store. Grrr!

I really want Barnes & Noble to succeed. I love how they use the epub format, which is a universal book format, as opposed to the Kindle mobi format that can only be read on the Kindle and Kindle reading apps. But it's hard to sell your book when it's virtually invisible! New releases at least would put the book in front of a few readers.

But you can find it - either by typing the title in Barnes & Noble's search bar, or clicking on the handy dandy link I'm going to provide right here:

Buy Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret for Nook

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is still available, of course, at Amazon and Kobo. And through the magic of Smashwords it is also available on ibooks, Sony, and diesel.

So you can buy it anywhere, anytime!

If you've already bought a copy and feel inclined to hop over to any of the sites and leave a review, that would be a wonderful boost to the book's visibility on the different sites!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret named one of Reads4Tweens best books of 2012!

I'm a bit late announcing this on the blog, but I was so thrilled when Reads4Tweens came out with a best books of 2012 list during the holidays. Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret made the list!

Reads4Tweens says Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is ... "a wonderful book for young readers who love mermaids and princesses. It’s in a modern setting, so it’s easy for them to put themselves in Miri’s shoes (fins?)."

Reads4Tweens is a fantastic book review resource aimed specifically at parents and teachers trying to find books for kids to read. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should check it out! The logo pretty much says it all, "because you want to know what they're reading." The reviews cover anything and everything you might be concerned about or want to discuss with your child.

Reads4Tweens was started by a mom trying to find good books for her kids. But she also happens to be very qualified to talk about children's books. She has a degree in children's literature, she's taught literature in middle school and high school, and she's currently a freelance editor. Needless to say, a great review from this caliber of reviewer was especially gratifying. You can see her full review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret here.

A kid's review of Miri Attwater the the Ocean's Secret

This review is special to me because it's my first official kid's review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret!

Holly is in 3rd grade. She says, "I like mermaids and I loved the bubble world in the book."

I am so glad you enjoyed that part, Holly, because I really had fun dreaming up the underwater world of Kai Kaona. When I decided that mermaids were going to be mammals it created an obvious problem. If they were going to be hiding at the bottom of the ocean, how were they going to breathe?

I decided I needed some way to get oxygen from the ocean water. And, if I could have the building walls themselves collecting oxygen, I could have lots of area to do it with. Somewhere in there my imagination landed on the idea of giant bubbles! (In the book, Fisk explains a little about how the bubbles work.)

Also, I wanted the mermaid world to be beautiful.

Link to a gorgeous commemorative pop-up book

When I was about the same age as Holly, I started reading all of the Wizard of Oz books. (Okay, I think I was actually older than Holly when I started doing that. I was not an early reader.) I was hoping that Dorothy would visit another place just as beautiful as the Emerald City. She never did. I think the only thing that came close was maybe where Glinda the good witch lived? But in any case the description was not any where detailed enough for me.

Another favorite of the books from the school library that I read over and over was Witches, Ghosts, and Goblins: A Spooky Search for Miranda's Cat. Oh, how I loved this book. Let me assure you, if I loved it, it was not scary, in spite of its title. Aside from all the color pictures (remember, I said I wasn't an early reader!) I loved the description of the gem caverns that they traveled through. I loved this book so much I located a copy for my own kids and I was surprised to see that the description was only one or two lines! My imagination did a lot with those two lines.

So, all that to say, when I started dreaming up Kai Kaona, I wanted to make it the beautiful mystical world I longed to visit in books when I was a kid.

You can read the rest of Holly's review at V.K. Finnish's blog where V.K. posts a regular feature "Reviewed by Kids."

Thanks Holly!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret Now Available on Kobo

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is now on sale in the Kobo Store!

Buy it now for your kobo reader!

So Kobo won in the race with Barnes & Noble to see who gets an ebook up first. Have a nook? Don't fret. It should be in the cue. But if you just can't wait, did you know that you can download kobo books to your nook? Both kobo and nook accept epubs. Yeah for versatility!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret Special Price Ending 1/8/13

Don't miss out! Pick up your copy in the Kindle Store of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret for the special 99 cent price!

Coming soon! If you've been waiting on other ebook formats, Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is now uploaded to Kobo and Barnes and Noble nook awaiting their approval. Which one is the fastest at book approval? We'll see! I'm currently working on a Smashwords upload as well.

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret has moved up to #26 on the Top 100 Kindle Children's Greek and Roman Myths List!

 ...

Not only that, it made it onto the Top 100 Best Seller's in Children's Greek and Roman Books. That's all books, not just Kindle ebooks, debuting at #54!

...

And that's not all! It debuted on that list above two Percy Jackson books.

Okay, okay, quit pointing out to me that both of those books are old releases. And in hardcover. And quit telling me to look at my sales numbers which are laughably small. In the spirit of Christmas, let me have my fun. :)

Besides, they're big for me! And every sale represents a potential fan!

And now I think I will go eat some left over sweet potato pie. Or maybe some hot rolls. Decisions, decisions.

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Seret on Amazon Top 100 Paid Best Sellers in Children's Greek & Roman Myths!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is on an Amazon's Top 100 list! It's #33 on Amazon's Top 100 Paid Best Sellers in Children's Greek & Roman Myths!

....

The mermaids in Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret are based on the mermaids of Greek and Roman mythology. Miri's last name is Poseidon and several of the other names used in the book are from mermaids of myth. As far as the actual myths go, though, I turned all of them on their heads.

Do mermaids truly sing to lure sailors to their death? Not in Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret!

Find out what the mermaids are really doing when they sing. Click on the following link to pick up your Kindle copy of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret now at the special holiday price of 99 cents!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret Review

V.K. Finnish over at www.vkfinnish.com gave Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret a lovely review and would read it again!

V.K. said "I read Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret with my 3rd grade daughter, and it was a big hit!...The story was ... dotted with witty puns to go with the water theme. ...[the character] Miri ... had such a great spread of silliness about her, original humor, and fun, child-like way of looking at the events around her."

You can read the full review over at V.K. Finnish's blog or on V.K.'s Goodreads page.

Thank you V.K. I'm so glad you liked it! And I'm almost finished with Book 2, so that fans can follow Miri's adventures in the underwater mermaid colony of Kai Kaona! 

Special promotional price of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret for the holidays

Santa says his elves have been busy filling orders! Lots of kids are going to be getting ereaders for Christmas or Hannakuh. Are you looking for fun books to load up your kids' Kindle? Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret, a middle grade adventure, is at a special promotional price of just 99 cents on Amazon's Kindle for the holidays!