Mermaid Humor

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

While fishing, three men catch a mermaid who begs to be set free in return for granting each of them a wish.

The first man shakes his head and says, “Okay, if you can really grant wishes, then double my IQ.”

The mermaid says, “Done.”

Suddenly, the man starts reciting Shakespeare flawlessly.

The second man is so amazed, he says to the mermaid, “Triple my IQ.”

The mermaid says, “Done.”

The man starts to spout out all the mathematical solutions to problems that have been stumping the scientists.

Impressed, the third man decides to one-up his friends. “Quintuple my IQ.”

The mermaid looks at him and says, “You know, I don’t usually try to change people’s minds when they make a wish, but I really wish that you would reconsider.”

The man is adamant. “No, I want you to increase my IQ times five, and if you don’t do it, I won’t set you free.”

“Please,” says the mermaid, “You don’t understand what you’re asking, it will change your entire view on the universe. Won’t you ask for something else….a million dollars, anything?”

But no matter what the mermaid said, the third man insisted on having his IQ increased by five times its usual power. So the mermaid sighed and said, “Done.”

And the third man is transformed into a woman.

A Mermaid Hoax

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

In 1842, Phineas Barnum obtained a dead mermaid from the estate of a dead sailor who had purchased it from Japanese sailors. The sailors had captured the mermaid near the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific.

Intrigued, Barnum visited a naturalist who quickly dismissed the find, claiming that “he never knew a monkey with such peculiar teeth, arms, hands nor had he knowledge of a fish with such peculiar fins.”

The following conversation took place:

Barnum: “Then why do you suppose it is manufactured?”

Naturalist: “Because I don’t believe in mermaids.”

Barnum: “That is no reason at all, and therefore I’ll believe in the mermaid and hire it.” Barnum displayed the mermaid in his Museum in New York and attracted large crowds and media attention.

The controversy continued in the New York Sun where the following review appeared:

“We’ve seen it! What? Why that Mermaid! The mischief you have! Where? What is it? It’s a twin sister to the deucedest looking thing imaginable—half fish, half flesh; and taken by and large, the most odd of all oddities earth or sea has ever produced.”

Unfortunately, the mermaid was destroyed in a fire. Many replicas of the Fiji Mermaid (also called Feejee Mermaid) were created by sewing the head and torso of a juvenile monkey to the back half of a fish. These “mermaids” were common features of sideshows.

Protagonist Interview

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

In Between Land and Sea (released in September 2013), I introduced Barbara Davies aka Isabella of the Mediterranean Kingdom. She returns in The Coming of Arabella.

Before writing my novels, I like to interview the characters. Here’s what Barbara had to say at the beginning of The Coming of Arabella.

Continue reading on Kathy Bryson’s blog.

TEDx Talk with a Mermaid

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

Fascinated by mermaids since childhood, Hannah Fraser created her first tail when she was nine years old. She now creates exquisite mermaid tails and travels the world performing underwater as a mermaid for film, television, and environmental activism.

Here is her story:

10 Interesting Facts About The Little Mermaid

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

In 1989, Walt Disney Productions released The Little Mermaid, an animated film based upon the fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. The worldwide response was an overwhelming one. The film has grossed over $200 million worldwide and has been credited with launching the Disney Renaissance, an era that breathed life back into the animated feature film genre.

Here are 10 interesting facts about this popular film:

1. In designing heroine Ariel, the animators were inspired by the body of Alyssa Milano (Who’s The Boss? star) and the hair of astronaut Sally Ride. Ariel’s underwater hair sequence was based on a video of Sally’s hair as she traveled in zero gravity.

2. To avoid confusion with Daryl Hannah’s mermaid in Splash, the animators decided to make Ariel a redhead.

3. The voice actor for Prince Eric was sixteen-year-old Christoper Daniel Barnes.

4. The villain Ursula was designed to resemble Madame Medusa from “The Rescuers” and cinema drag queen Divine, best known for his roles in Pink Flamingos and Hairspray.

5. Originally, the producer asked Bea Arthur to play Ursula, but she dropped out of the film because of “Golden Girls” conflicts. Rosanne Barr and Nancy Wilson were also considered until Elaine Stritch was cast. Unfortunately, Elaine proved incompatible and was replaced by Pat Carroll.

6. Patrick Stewart was offered the role of King Triton but had to turn it down because he was too busy with “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Kenneth Mars was cast in the role.

7. Jodi Benson recorded “Part of Your World” with the studio lights turned low to simulate the feeling of being underwater. This classic Disney tune was almost cut from the film because the director thought the song was too boring.

8. In the opening scene with King Triton, Micky Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Kermit the Frog appear in the crowd of sea-people.

9. During Eric and Ariel’s wedding scene, the Grand Duke and King from Disney’s Cinderella can be seen in the background.

10. The directors insisted that every bubble in the movie be hand-drawn, not Xeroxed. Animator Mark Dindal estimated that he and his colleagues had to draw a million bubbles.

Mermaids in Halifax

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

In an earlier post, several visitors commented that I was seeing mermaids everywhere. But I didn’t have to look too far to discover this week’s topic. Earlier this month, my local newspaper (Guelph Mercury) featured the following article: “Mermaids making a splash.”

Guelph Mercury – September 5, 2015

Here are some highlights…

Mermaid Raina a.k.a. Stephanie Brown is the co-founder of Halifax Mermaids, a company that employs mermaids to provide environmental education. Wearing realistic tails and shell hairpieces, the mermaids perform at birthday parties, sandcastle festivals, and workshops at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

In addition to entertaining their enthusiastic audiences, the mermaids teach children about the ocean food chain, microplastic pollution, and the importance of recycling. Learning about the ocean and empowering people toward change are the primary goals of this fast-growing, one-year-old company.

To keep up with demand, the founders applied for and obtained a $10,000 small business grant. This extra funding will be used to hire more mermaids and book more events. They also plan to purchase a mobile tank that will allow them to travel across Canada.

About Stephanie…

In 2007, Stephanie decided to combine her education in child and youth development and her love of mermaids and launch a career as an independent mermaid. An excellent choice that has enabled Stephanie to keep in shape and manage her chronic illness and pain.

Having experienced a difficult childhood and benefitted from such programs as Make-A-Wish, Stephanie pays it forward by visiting sick children in hospitals. During these visits, she wears her tail and uses a wheelchair to make her rounds.

Mermaid Humor

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

Release Day – The Coming of Arabella

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

The Coming of Arabella is officially available today!

Blurb

On the day of her engagement party, an ex-mermaid’s life is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of another mermaid—a sister she has never known. Under normal circumstances, Barbara Davies would be overjoyed, but her special day is already wrought with tension. While Barbara is not the first mermaid from the Mediterranean kingdom to settle in small town Ontario, she has yet to reveal her origins to her fiancé. So when Arabella, the gorgeous sister whose disturbing black eyes banished her to the island of Crete, saunters into her life, clutching the arm of Barbara’s discarded lover, a powder keg of emotion is released.

Relationships falter and careers stall as envy stirs in the hearts of the sisters. On the verge of meltdown after her fiancé leaves Canada for a teaching job in Vermont, Barbara flees to Arizona hoping for a reprieve. There, she finds solace at a retreat for ex-mermaids and a second chance at love with a charismatic preacher. As she contemplates a new life in the desert paradise of Sedona, shocking secrets emerge and tragedy strikes. A stronger and wiser Barbara rises up to face these new challenges and embrace the best parts of her mermaid heritage.

Buy Links

Amazon (Canada) | Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (Australia)

To celebrate, I’m offering a $10 Starbucks gift card.

Enter the giveaway here.

The Starbucks Siren

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

Whenever I chat about the mermaids in my novels, I’m not too surprised when the children in my circle mention The Little Mermaid. But I was taken aback when one eight-year-old boy pointed to a Starbucks coffee cup and asked: “Does your mermaid look like that?”

With over 20,000 Starbucks in 65 different countries and more than 5 billion in sales, the trademark coffee cup is one of the most recognizable containers in the world.

And the cup has a history!

In 1971, Starbucks was a fledgling coffee shop on the Seattle waterfront. Hoping to garner more interest, the three founders hired consultant Terry Heckler to create an eye-catching logo. After spending days pouring over old marine books, he came up with a logo based on an old 16th-century Norse woodcut: a two-tailed mermaid. The mermaid was also topless.

Despite some initial complaints, the partners approved the logo. Howard Schultz explains: “Bare breasted and Ruebenesque, the mermaid was supposed to be as seductive as the coffee itself.” But the partners had to revisit their decision when it came time to put the logo on delivery trucks. Enlarging the logo created an unexpected problem: the mermaid breasts were huge. Back to the drawing board…Starbucks restyled the mermaid’s hairdo so it draped over her breasts.

When Schultz bought out his partners, he modified the logo by placing the mermaid in the center of a green circle.

More changes followed as the company grew. In 2011, Starbucks celebrated their 40th anniversary by removing the outer circle. “Throughout the last four decades, the Siren has been there through it all. And now, we’ve given her a small but meaningful update to ensure that the Starbucks brand continues to embrace our heritage in ways that are true to our core values and that also ensure we remain relevant and poised for future growth.”

To celebrate the upcoming release of The Coming of Arabella, I’m offering a $10 Starbucks gift card.

Enter the giveaway here.

The Coming of Arabella – Now Available for Pre-order!

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

Blurb

Excerpt

Arabella’s eyes blazed like burning embers of coal. “You don’t know or what to know what I capable of.” She snapped her fingers. “I can discredit you just like that.”

Barbara laughed. “Discredit me without discrediting yourself? I’d like to see you try that.”

As Arabella got closer, Barbara could smell that flowery scent she had always associated with Belinda. It did not suit Arabella in the least. The younger woman needed a muskier scent, one that would blend in better with her predatory nature.

“You’ve already lost Graham and Gwen. Mama and Paul are on my side. Do you want to lose Sharon as well?”

“There’s nothing you can do or say that will turn Sharon or anyone else in this office against me,” Barbara said. “So, don’t waste your breath.” While she maintained a tight smile and spoke in an even tone, Barbara could hear her pulse pounding as tremors of anger shot through her limbs. She wanted desperately to sit down but would not give Arabella any more physical advantages.

Arabella smiled smugly. “Sharon doesn’t like secrets or people who keep them. I wonder how she would react if I told her about your . . . our origins.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

Arabella shrugged. “I don’t care one way or another. Stewart is encouraging me to write about our lives. He thinks it has the makings of a bestseller.” She laughed. “In addition to the erotica, of course.”

She’s bluffing. Barbara ignored the intrusive thought as memories of Stewart rushed back. He was the consummate businessman and enjoyed being on the cusp of the latest trend. His artist clients produced edgy and controversial art that had been rejected by more conservative agents. Vast stores of family money allowed Stewart to be more daring and sometimes even provocative. What could be more daring and provocative than a mermaid wife?

Buy Links

Amazon (Canada) | Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (Australia)

To celebrate the upcoming release of The Coming of Arabella, I’m offering a Rafflecopter giveaway for 5 free eBooks.

Enter here.