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

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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