Animal Planet's Mermaids




Last weekend I was lucky enough to see this enchanting and mesmerizing documentary tale about mermaids. The work was so well done I found myself actually believing it might be possible that such creatures do exist. Parts of the 2 hour special were obviously fiction where they depicted the mermaids swimming around but the parts where they show body parts, S. African raid footage, various "specialists" in the fields speaking about what they had found were so convincing, I started to wonder if this was truly real. The creator of this movie, Charlie Foley, added some very real facts from scientists and historians to blend in with the fictional scenes.

In TV Blog's Q & A interview with Charlie Foley:

Q: What do you want people to take away from watching this?

A: [I’d like them to] wonder about what else is out there. What is possible? If this were real how would it have come into being. Here’s one of our oldest myths, I hope, imagined in a way that hasn't been done before and as a member of our own family tree. And is that possible and is that done more compellingly and credibly because it’s drawing upon real-world phenomena, real science. First and foremost, I want to entertain people. And I do hope they wonder at it and have moments of wonder."

Well, it worked on me like no movie has done in a very long time. I really enjoyed this Animal Planet movie and hope to buy it one day for my video collection. Outstanding footage, computer graphics and animation and videos. Love it!

Read more: TV BLOG

Why am I posting something about mermaids on my Tiaera blog?  Simple. Tiaera has sirens in its world that appear like the mythical mermaids you see in other folklore stories. I am also currently working on a new story that may become an ebook or novella. It's mostly about Tiaeran sirens and pirates. This excellent movie was both inspiring and informative for my research. I will keep you posted about what will become of this new story. Currently its working title is Sirens of Swansong.

Till then, enjoy some of these videos I can share, courtesy of Animal Planet:



More videos:

Introducing: Tiaeran Bookmarkers!

Inspired by the Realmwalkers novel I co-wrote with my friend, Jack Shepherd, I got the idea to make something I saw at one of the fairs I participated in. I have never tried beadworking before but when I saw some samples made I decided it would be a perfect side item to sell at my next booksigning event. I call them Tiaeran Bookmarkers and when I choose the beads, I try to use shiny, multicolored, iridescent beads that make me think of magic and fantasy. Since the Realmwalkers story has a rather pirate theme because of the voyage that takes place, I bought some charms like the anchor you see in this photo. I only made eight so far as a marketing test for the upcoming KABAM event. If they sell, I may have to seriously consider making more. We will see how they do. I am also thinking of selling them at Dragonling.com also as part of my Dragonling Treasures craft items. If you see anything here you are interested in buying for yourself, email me at EVmedina@dragonling.com for more info.




2012 Kingman Authors Panel Album

Hello again!

I just got some photos from the Kingman Authors Panel I participated in last month. It was a good event and we had about fifty people in the audience. The authors all brought copies of their book and each of us were given seven minutes to talk. After we all spoke about our writing and books we opened up the panel for questions from the audience.  And there were a lot of questions! At the end, we raffled off free book copies and mini posters of  our book covers.  It went very well and lasted about two hours. Afterwards, we were all invited to meet at the Wine Cellar in town for drinks and signing books.

Hope you enjoy the album!

2012 Kingman Authors Panel

For those fellow writers and authors who have books to promote and sell, I offer this information regarding a site I have discovered.  As I am always looking for ways to publicize and promote for FREE, this may be a good place to look into and join. This is the Welcome Email I received.
_________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to AuthorsDen.com!

If used right, you will get more traffic, new readers and sales through your AuthorsDen site than all your other online efforts combined. AuthorsDen has been growing and listening to authors and readers since 1999.

Over 1.4 million readers visit each month.

AuthorsDen provides the latest and best information on authors of all types covering the full range of topics. This is the first place to look when searching for an expert in any field. Useful for authors and journalists and to provide an excellent way for the public to learn more about the people behind the books.
_________________________________________________________________________

I have my Profile set up and will let you know if this place really does what it claims. In the meantime, it seems very busy and popular from what I have seen.  It has lot of tools for sharing your writings and promoting your eBooks, and books you or your publisher made available at popular online stores such as Barnes & Nobles, Amazon, Smashwords, etc...

I am discovering other online stores that sell Realmwalkers. This probably due to Createspace's distribution service:

Books a Million


Alibris

Barnes & Nobles

Indiebound

But with Hastings, it has been very disappointing. Realmwalkers is not available in either printed nor ebook form and when I have tried to call their customer service all I get is a voice machine. I have left three messages but no one calls me back. I have even called their corporate office, but still no luck. I can only sell on consignment here at the local stores here in Lake Havasu and Kingman. If anybody knows what the magic word or key to getting your book available at Hastings, do reply to this post or at Facebook. I would really appreciate it. Take care.

Promotional Websites for Writers

I have started writing a little at Triond and at MyLot again. Both places are good for sharing short stories, poetry and articles. While there, I often peruse the various categories and I found a few that I think some of you writers out there may be interested in. I know that while I am in the process of trying to promote Realmwalkers on a shoe-string marketing budget, such articles and sites may help. Any website that offers FREE Promo ideas and services is only going to help you make others aware about your book. I know I am going to look into such places like Jacket Flap and Authors Den to promote Realmwalkers. See what you think.

Jacket Flap and Authors Den

Writinghood

Bookstove

Submitting Books to Reviewers and Bloggers

Six Tips for writing a Fantasy Novel

The Savvy Book Marketer

And if you are curious about some of my articles, poetry and stories at Triond...
http://www.triond.com/users/Leafygreens

If anyone knows of any other good places for promoting your book and stories, please leave a comment. In the meantime, keep on writing.