Wishing for Warm Waters!

It is Christmas eve in the town where I own a house (I'd call this place home, but it just doesn't feel right). Finally, the cold rain has been replaced with some snow. I have thoughts of my past winter breaks from teaching; I always sought out a beach and warm weather. Last year it was Zanzibar. Other years it was Costa Rica and various locations in Mexico. My favorite was the beach near Tulum (blue-green waters and white sands with Mayan ruins on the cliffs overhead). I wish for a beach right now. I'm feeling a bit chilled, but hope next Christmas to be swimming in warm waters again! Happy holidays! Joe

Churning Waters

It feels like I'm sitting next to dark waters and they're beginning to churn. You never know what will pop out of the deeps!

Patience, Grasshopper, patience...

Aknowledgments, Dedications and Bio

Today my blogging is going to be short and sweet. I've some pieces to pull together for my first merworld novel. I've had no word from my editor...but should hear from her soon.

Edits In!

I've been editing all week. BNB is back in the hands of editor Kim. I am hoping all is as it should be! I'm hoping it will be well received. I need to relax and find an open beach to swim in...I've earned it!

Merworld Edits and Other Ideas

Hey, it's no fun being unemployed. Still it gives me time to edit and come up with ideas. The manuscript for BNB is ready to be printed out and read aloud (I'll get started on it this weekend). I am in serious need of some income. While I've applied to various humbling possibilities in Wellsboro (subbing, dish washing, etc.), I've gotten no response from my efforts. I'm thinking I may have to be more creative in creating some income. Maybe t-shirts for merworld.com. Maybe some other basement creations.

Letting the Waters Settle

I've been editing a ton and hope to have my manuscript back to Kim the editor by Thanksgiving. I am, of course, hoping it will be well received.I'll have to take some time off today and relax. Plenty going on in life generally. The waters can settle.

BNB is Coming!!

I am deep into the editing of Beul Nam Beinn Mouth in the Hill. My version of the Merworld is about to unfold. I hope some of you (at least the two Followers I have)are as excited as I am. Stay tuned!

Finding My Voice Again

I've been 100% healthy since my return from Africa (and long before I suppose). I am taking some new remedies and am getting better at listening to others on these matters. It can be a struggle to quiet the ego at time, but it is always worthwhile.

I am back in hometown (sort of) for the school year. The house definitely needed me to be here. I did get to the writers' meeting at the local library and am impressed with the efforts of the group. I have been wanting to renew my commitment to daily writing, and think once my desk is set up it'll happen.

I'd like to get the Merworld novel completed and revised as needed. I'd also like to get rolling on some other cool projects. I love it when I get into the writing swing. It's about to happen! I will find my voice again!

How Do We Clean Up the Sea?

I saw an online story about twenty million tons of debris from the Japanese tsunami heading towards the western coast of the US. I've also seen news pieces on a swirling mass of trash as big as the continental US in the South Pacific. The B. P. oil volcano and follow up toxins continue to cause death and health issues in the Gulf region. It seems we have this illusion of somehow our garbage magically disappearing once we send it off in a barge or toss it into the waters. We are a messy species.

So, how do we clean up our mess? It's a good question. I guess it would have to start with educating followed by strict international laws and finally getting our butts in gear and coming up with specific ways to clean up. We owe it to the sea and ourselves. In the end the Merworld will thank us.

Water, Water Everywhere

I've been admittedly feeling like I'm circling a landing strip waiting for the okay to fly down and settle in. My editor has had plenty of challenges and I feel may be overwhelmed (which is both good and bad). I'm looking forward to getting her edits for BNB. I know she's finished the first half (and shared she didn't make many edits) and I hope to hear soon the whole manuscript is ready for my final revision. Editing, writing, publishing and all is not the easiest process. Of course my main pleasure comes from hearing about readers enjoying the product. It'll happen. Patience Little Grasshopper...patience.

How Would Living Under the Sea Be?

I've thought about this often...especially if you are half human/ half fish. What would the sensations of life undersea be? Sound carries differently and further (for whales thousands of miles I'm told). Communication would be immensely different. Taste and smell are connected and seem to also carry far under the waves (a shark can smell from a very far distance). Seeing would have limitations not found above water. It is distorted by wave action as well as depth (it gets darker and bluer as you go down). Touch has a uniqueness to it. Certainly direct touch would differ, but also to consider is the lateral lines found on a fish body; this allows rhythms and vibrations in water to be sensed from a great distance. I have tried my best to get into character as a merman under water. I find the notion of understanding sensations as a Mer to be key in creating an understanding of how life undersea would be.

Merworld- What Should it Include?

Here I am once again asking for input from my two followers and occasional cyber-lost folk. While my version of the online Merworld has not yet taken full form, I wonder what you who are interested in the Merworld would like to see? I will definitely include access to Merworld literature. I'd like to provide links to good organizations supporting the sea all all of its life. I may also try to see about Mer related merchandise. Those are my thoughts. Let's hear yours!

Grey and Chilly

I'm house/cat/chicken sitting for some friends. The day is overcast, gray and dull. I'm one who loves the green and the woods, but I also love the sunshine. On days like this I remind myself to have green you have to have humidity.

The rain also reminds me of Scotland and Ireland. I think of the crashing waves of the sea and the mist and the seals barking down below a twisted cliff. There is beauty in rain.

What would the Mer think of gray rainy days? Of course they're not likely to care about it being wet. I wonder though if they would value the light? Would they seek out the rays of sunlight and rippling bubbles of a bright day?

Merworld Edits Coming Soon!

My editor, Kim of T.M.P., has sent me word she would be reviewing Beul Nam Beinn this week. It makes me anxious but also hopeful. I would like to see this project come to its completion. It has been a long journey. Of course I am also hoping to see the website Merworld.com up and running soon. It is all pretty exciting and lends much to the imagination. Wouldn't it be great to have a successful and marketable creation!

I'll plan to shift a bunch with blog content once the book is finalized along with the website. I'd like the concept of Merworld to take hold and benefit from group input. We've all got imaginations and we might as well use them.

Not at all related but important is my most recent publication. The medical journal Explore! has just published my article/ theory related to Morgellons Disease. Sometimes it feels like I'm wearing way more hats than the typical couch surfer!

Swimming in the Cyberworld

Very shortly I'll be skyping with my friend Liz. She's a wiz at all things of the computer world. The next time this is viewed, I'm hoping it will be deep in the Merworld. It's amazing how all of this works, eh?!

Ancient Mer Images

I have been trying to figure out how I might make use of a site dedicated to all things of the sea. I'd like merworld.com to keep a certain degree of class with a sincere interest in better understanding the phenomena (whether real or fiction) of the Mer. In considering how this web site might appear, I came across an excellent source of ancient Mer images. Please take a look, I think you'll enjoy them. They are found at: http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/mermaids/13.html .

Any ideas or thoughts on Merworld.com are welcome!

Merworld and Being Near Water

I'm currently in New York City cat sitting for a friend. The apartment I'm at is about two blocks from the bay with a visible opening to the wide sea. The Statue of Liberty looks out on the waters with eagle eyes. I wonder what is underneath the waves. This wonder which has always been with me lends itself to good fiction.

I remember traveling in the Yucatan some seven years ago. I was with a friend, German, who wanted to swim in the local ceynote (a deep well like hole filled with crystal clear water and blind fish I'm told). Anyhow, as I swam across I got this terrifying feeling of what lay deep in the waters. It is freaky!

Deep waters are enough to get the mind imagining, but add to it murky and you've got a winner. So, as I look into the deep and murky waters off the coast of Manhattan I get anxious wondering if the drain was suddenly pulled on these waters...what would be seen?

The Endless Sea of Merworld Fans

Okay...I'm being sarcastic. I think I've had more dates than blog hits since I've started this merworld blog (not too many in other words). Maybe I'm stuck in a whirlpool or stagnant water? No. I prefer to think I'm in a navigable eddy. With some paddle work I'll be back in the current soon! Keep on reading and believing. The Merworld is waiting for us all to dive in.

Why a Merworld Blog

So, I've made a bunch of pretty lame entries on this Merworld blog. I must admit I haven't been concerned because I only have one follower (one of my sisters) and I get hardly any hits. Okay. So, in some ways I'm just writing this for myself. Could this state of bloghood change?

The answer is yes. This past week I had some activity on this crazy Merworld blog. It wasn't outrageous, but it was enough to start thinking I might actually get some readers. I do think the topic and all it could potentially cover is huge. Hey, mermaids are big right now...or so the media says. So, if you are asking "Why a Merworld blog?", my answer must be "Why not!"

Wishing I was at the Sea

I've been land locked way too long. I haven't been in the ocean since Christmas and Paje Beach in Zanzibar. I'm missing the water, waves and maids. As I say this, I know I will have some time before I'm back at a beach. My current job hunt is looking at an extended return to the desert. I don't mind the desert for my home as long as I can look forward to a beach break not too far into the future.

Under the Sea

You ever feel like you're under the sea. I do at times. Right now it's a little like that. Kinda like I'm tangled in life's mysteries. I'm back at a summer camp I used to work at. I actually came to get away from my Mom's place (where I've had an unexpected mid-life extended stay...it hasn't been much fun). Anyhow, I keep getting caught in thoughts of the potential of this setting. I'm think of a healing place. A place for those who have gone through issues of toxicity (whether from a traumatic childhood or exposure to toxins or both). The camp lake is too low to keep any of the Mer too happy. As for myself, I have rekindled memories and old friendships which are likely to stay for a lifetime.

So, it may be I'm under the sea, but I seem to always bob up to the surface.

Chasing Mermaids: The Process of Writing a Novel

You may be happy to hear, I actually ventured into public presentation of my merworld related writing yesterday. Actually, I had my arm twisted just a little. Jessie, the head librarian for the public library in Frankinville, NY (where I have had an unplanned and less than ideal extended stay), asked if I would be interested in doing a presentation on writing; "It'd be a way to help promote your writing," she suggested.

So I did it. Overall folks seemed happy with it (or at least my two sisters and mom said that I did a good job). I guess it was okay. I tried to share how the process might go. I let them know up front the process for my merworld fantasy was anything but complete. I also tried my best to make it useful to those who would like to take themselves on a similar adventure.

In the end, no mermaids were caught. Sometimes life isn't about the product though...sometimes it is all about the process. Swim deep, Joe

Chasing Mermaids: A Presentation

The local library in Franklinville will host a presentation I'll be doing next Saturday at 10am. I titled it "Chasing Mermaids: The Process of Writing a Novel". I haven't started thinking about what I'll say yet. I guess I am figuring it will mostly be winging it. The story of how the novel evolved is pretty rich. I guess I'd say it isn't typical...so I need to keep in mind what would be useful to those wanting to pursue writing a book.

The Merworld Reality

I am speaking with a friend in France at the moment. She loves the sea as much as I do...maybe more. I thought I'd make this short entry while she finishes a phone call over her way. It amazes me that the signal of my voices and images are traveling completely over the Atlantic Ocean. I am liking to hear her conversation in French and wonder what lies in the waters between us.

Stressing Over the Merworld

The manuscript for my Merworld fantasy was sent off to my publisher/editor/friend over 1 ½ weeks ago. I’ve not heard word one from her and I am hoping I didn’t completely alienate myself with my creation.

I have to be honest. I suck at packaging. I know I should have taken the publisher’s guidelines completely serious, but somehow I didn’t. Is it ego? Ignorance? Brain damage? All of the above? I’m not certain. So, it may be I made too many mistakes in presentation, grammar and wording. At this point, I am uncertain.

The other possibility is that the content goes against the wishes of my publisher. As a writer I am anything but meek. I push the envelope and present some controversial materials. I’m wondering if the woman merman relationship is too close to being bestiality. Or is cannibalism beyond? Or it may be it reads as just too damn violent. In the end it’s my story. I’d like to create some safe kind of story, but I just can’t.

In the end, I won’t be upset if my publisher rejects the idea of taking on BNB. I do hope to keep my friendship and continue to write the YA fantasy series for them. I guess it is all at a just wait and see point.

Manuscript off and I'm Hoping I'm Not

I sent my several times reworked manuscript of my merworld fantasy off. My editor I am hoping will find it is decent form. I did not follow the guidelines for submission (I realized after sending)...I can be a complete idiot at times. It is easy to be hard on yourself. I trust she will continue to work with me, though I wouldn't blame her if she didn't.

So, now it is time to move onto other possible pieces of writing. There is the third in the Cliff Huggins series (underway already), I also have a Sherlock Holmes piece I'd like to revisit and I have a William Latham story (YA historic fiction involving the Pilgrims).

Of course above all things, I am trying to recover from my African experience. I think it may turn out to be all about parasites. I also am trying my best to find a job for the coming school year (tough times to look).

So, for now, the Merworld will have to wait on several other pieces of my life to fall into order.

The Merworld is Being Discovered!

Follow this link. The Merworld is becoming very popular!


http://www.facebook.com/l/e27bd95_f_p7BNHfe3w_0T9ZTmg/www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2011-05-12-mermaids-make-splash_n.htm

Mermaids and Dolphins

I traveled to San Francisco a year ago this past fall. I went for a Green Business Conference (another story entirely). I had some time to myself and, as I often to relax, I sought out some thrift/junk stores. One posh antique furniture store had a self of odd sales items. I found a deck of Magical Mermaid and Dolphins Oracle Cards (created by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D.).

This deck has become a source of inspiration. Actually, the cards all have a positive angle to them and always give some self-help guidance. I don’t know whether I am using them correctly. I simply shuffle and pick out three cards. Today’s cards were of the W variety; they include Worthiness, Waves of Prosperity, and Wait. A book along with the deck give a more in-depth review of the cards’ meanings. Although I confess the illustrations and insights have a feminine angle, I find the exercise worthwhile.

I’m not certain whether these cards are still available. I’m guessing some variation of them is. Maybe online? Anyhow, I recommend them to the Merworld fanatic as well as those who simply like tool for positive living.

Health Issues, but Still Writing

I've not been feeling very well. I am still waiting to hear about Merworld revisions; they'll be here soon enough. In the meantime, I have started working more on my third book in my Cliff Huggins series. Stay tuned!

Swimming to the Editor

I've been working on my Merworld piece for almost two years on and off. I'm trying to get some final edits done before sending it off to my editor at Turquoise Morning Press. It'll still need some work, but I hoping she'll see it as nearly complete and ready to be released soon. I'll wait and see.

One of my concerns at this point is the overall look and feel of the volume. At around 300 pages, it isn't the longest book ever written. It appears there is a wave or ripple of interest in the Merworld lately. I guess I'm hoping the book will read well and entertain whether released at the right time or not.

Anyhow, I will let you know as soon as th release does in fact happen. It'd be nice to do a release party. I'll have to see if it might be a possibility somewhere very cool.

Searching for Mermaids

Two summers back I went to Scotland in search of all things related to the historic mermaid documented in Carmina Gadelica (1900). I spent several days in Edinburgh at the National Archives looking through documents from the associated time period. I found no mention of a mermaid or mermaid burial (logic makes me think it would have been newsworthy).

I did in my travels however find mermaids along the way. The one I share is from a shop window in London. I think is was a fashion shop and suspect no real mermaid would concern themselves with such matters.

A Nun Sitting in Front of Bran Castle

I felt like putting a photo on my mer-discussion today. I figured if ever there was a challenge it would be in pulling a nun into the Merworld. Let's see if she can swim.

Researching to write is one of my life's greatest joys. I love it! I love going into places with the idea of creating a story. Such was the case in Romania and such is the case with the Merworld.

I was one of a dozen international writers invited to Romania on an "Art and Cultural Exchange Program" designed by the Alviogut Foundation. The foundation itself turned out to be a scam. However, I made some wonderful connections in the world of writing. Anyhow, on this exchange we too a field trip to Bran Castle which is often thought of as Dracula's Castle.

Notebook in hand, I visited the castle with some questions in mind. What was Dracula's connection to the castle? Was there a torture chamber? What was the connection to vampires? And so on.

It ends up the castle was only visited by Vlad The Impaler (Dracula). The idea to build an escape tunnel in the castle located near Brasov, nicely fit into a story I was working on.

Locations with history connected to a story provide a wealth of information. Such was the case at Bran. So, how does this connect to the Merworld?

One of the key difficulties I am having as a writer on the undersea world is my limited time under the waves. I do understand the typical reader will probably have had even less than myself. I am hopeful of building the needed details to create this fine form of entertainment.

Can the nun swim? I guess the only way to know would be to ask her.

Questions, observations, notations and speculations may be the best way for me to build my story's Merworld.

Sea Cadence

Sometimes
wild and rhythmic
crashing against the shore
in the heartbeat of deep waters
and shouts against the sky and earth

Sometimes
still and domesticated
a canoe navigates the lake mirror

The sea
and the lakes
and the rivers
speak in the language of flow and balance

Cloud
cousins
in the sky

Water reincarnates-
from sea, to cloud, to life

Yes
life
depends on water

But
sometimes
life forgets

Sometimes
too much is given-

To power
and symbols
and walking on hard ground

Sometimes
we forget
we are the sea.

Okay Merworld Fans!

I've finished the Cliff Huggins manuscript and boy does it feel great! I think it reads well too (but I'll wait for word from my editor). So, what does this means for you the Merworld fans? It means grab your snorkel and fins,we're going for a dive! Yahoo!

Mer History- Where's it At?

In writing my Merworld Fantasy, I wanted to incorporate observations found in historic sightings and encounters (other than stories related to the Benbecula mermaid burial). After surfing the net and looking through book stores, I've found relatively little.

Again, I call upon the six who have happened upon this blog. If you have historically documented Mer sightings or such, let me know. I will likely shift much more effort into the Merworld after next month. In the meantime, I'm stuck in Wayville and the Yucatan along with Cliff Huggins.

Thanks for listening. Swim back any time- Joe

Share Your Merworld Ideas

I have put a couple hours into writing this morning already. I am working on the second novel in my Cliff Huggins series (cliffhuggins.com). It is coming together nicely, and necessarily need to take priority over my Merworld fantasy. I hope to have this manuscirpt in good shape by the end of April and then take a dive into the Merworld again (as I plan to complete it for release in July).

In the meantime, if you are one of the five who have hit upon this blog and would like to give input on a Merworld fantasy...here's your chance. Any suggestions will be considered. It is meant to be written for an adult audience, so any/all adult topics are welcome (as long as they are in good taste).

Thanks for stopping by, Joe

Mer Sensations

I've been working on my first Merworld fantasy for over 1 1/2 years. My attempts to write first person as a merman have been challenging. How would it be to be Mer?

I have taken the approach of truly considering Mer as half fish half man. Questions surface in this perspective. what would a Mer man or maid have on their mind? How do Mer sense and how can this be translated to the written word?

I find the best approach is to swim and pretend to be Mer. Thoughts and considerations ripple in my direction. Swimming around, I discover my inner Mer.

My brother Chris is a fish biologists. I've asked him about fish sensations. He described what is called a lateral line along the sides of any fish. Fish use this line to sense movement in water. It is pretty cool!It all adds to the story.

Mer sensations may be viewed in ways I've not considered. I'm open to suggestions. Since I've noted zero blog hits so far, I may just rely on myself.

Surf's up, let's frug!

Beginning the Merworld

It began with an email from a cryptozoologist. Key words included: mermaid, burial, Benbecula, Scotland, and exhume. "With your background in archaeology, maybe you could help with the excavation?" it suggested.

Could I resist? No. Could I afford the trip? On the cheap I could.

But excaving such a find was not what I had in mind. I wanted a story. I wanted good fiction. I wanted a Merworld fantasy!

That was the beginning. I did go to Scotland, after a week in an isolated cabin on the wrong side of Genesee River Canyon at Letchworth State Park. Porcupines, deer, mosquitoes and relatives the only distractions (I'll admit after several days of isolation even family was welcomed).

So, the pencil hit the paper and the story began (I always write a story longhand before I start slapping the keyboard). It wasn't much at first, but then it grew. A visit to Dublin, then to Edinburgh, then to Stornoway--the town of towns on the Outer Hebrides.

I took the long haul down the spine of the Hebrides to Benbecula. I stayed one night. The owner of the B&B's father-in-law sat with me in the sun and spoke of the story passed down to him from his grandmother and her mother before her. It was a fine match of the historically documented mermaid burial said to be on Benbecula. I loved it!

Of course, the day was not only story telling. I'd gone down to the beach in Nunton. I felt the waters. I smelt the sea. I snapped photos of marooned jelly fish. I went to the old church graveyard and took down names.

Since then I've traveled and written more. The draft was chiseled in several locations: Letchworth (as mentioned), Stornoway (you might figure), Benebecula (of course), London (as I also drafted a Sherlock Holmes piece), Wellsboro, PA (my home...I think), Arusha, Tanzania (my location to teach and feel the true nature of stress), Zanzibar (nice!), and various relatives homes back in the Southern Tier of New York State. I've considered an island off Greece for the final whittle, and still may go that way.

I've more than the Merworld on my mind at the moment. These are other stories being shared in other circles.

For now, let us hope the currents continue to carry us.