Octopus Vs. Shark

A reader got to wondering about who would win in a fight, a shark or a puma? I did tons of research on sharks for the Miri Attwater series, but I don't remember coming across that particular information. But I can't resist a good research topic.

I couldn't find anything about shark vs. puma or even shark vs. lion. But I did find that a lion lost to a crocodile. And one unfortunate bull shark found that he shouldn't have tried to take on a hippo. Given that the encounter would have to happen at the edge of water or in water, I think the outcome would likely be similar to crocodile vs. lion. My money would be on the shark.

The most impressive to me, though, was something I remembered from my original research. Given our last topic was octopus it seems appropriate. Who would win in shark vs. octopus? Check out the video below, Shark vs. Octopus below. The winner might surprise you.

 

To check out that amazing octopus camouflage they mentioned, see my post: Octopus camouflage, science behind the magical mermaids of Miri Attwater. 

To learn more about real spiny dogfish sharks and the Giant Pacific octopus, try the following sites:
Giant Pacific Octopus on NationalGeographic.com
Spiny dogfish shark on Discovery.com

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!

Enter for your chance to win "a mermaid story like no other"!

I'm so excited to be a part of my first give-away! To celebrate Children's Book Week, May 13-19, I'm taking part in a blog hop through Mother Daughter Book Reviews. Renee linked me up with the lovely Tina at Amanda's Books and More.

This week, we'll be giving away FIVE free ebooks of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret!

Here's what Tina had to say about the book:
"[Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is] a really neat mermaid story like no other for girls ages 6 - 12. I read the first book in the series and got really caught up in the story. I wanted to read more!"

So, don't wait! Hop on over to Amanda's Books and More and enter the Rafflecopter give-away now! (Contest closes 5/19/2013.)

Then look up the other blogs on the hop to enter for even more prizes!

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 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.