Another Florida getaway

by Cate Masters

Once again, thanks for having me at DIK. There’s nothing better than an escape from the Dog Days of Summer! If you can’t visit in person, a book is the next best thing. :)

Someday I hope to visit Weeki Wachee, Florida, the setting for my contemporary fantasy, Surfacing, just released this month from Whiskey Creek Press.

It’s another gorgeous Florida town, although I’d never heard of it before researching mermaids. Weeki Wachee Springs is home to the world-famous mermaid show, where women have performed underwater since 1947. Almost as amazing as the wreckers, these performers must train at a mermaid camp for these physically rigorous shows. I’m not a particularly strong swimmer, so the idea of being so deep underwater, with only an air hose nearby for oxygen, makes me nervous just thinking about it!

According to my research, the Weeki Wachee Spring is so deep, no one’s ever found the bottom. The spring’s underwater current is so strong, it can loosen a scuba diver’s mask. And yet these women perform synchronized ballet moves, and shows like The Little Mermaid (of course!)

But Surfacing isn’t about a Weeki Wachee mermaid. Not of the human variety, at least. The tiny town and its unusual residents came up in my research, and I thought it would be a fun place to have a real mermaid surface. Because mermaids love handsome guys who can sing, this particular mermaid is drawn to a down-and-out indie rock musician who comes to Weeki Wachee, where his grandfather lives. Because the hero’s a musician, the story allowed me to include some references to music I find inspiring, or amazing. Interestingly, Weeki Wachee’s history has musical ties, too – Elvis visited back in the day. He has a voice to make any mermaid fall in love.

Weeki Wachee Springs not only has the amazing mermaid show, but a full amusement park, where peacocks roam free. The park is complete with a Disneyesque Wilderness Cruise. On these river cruises, people see all sorts of creatures – pelicans, giant turtles, the occasional manatee, and alligators. Maybe even a real mermaid. :)

Another really fun story to write, Surfacing introduced me to the widespread lore of mermaids. Countries from all over the world have their own legends, from ancient times to supposed sightings as late as the 1950s. So it’s easy to see how some might become obsessed with the mers. Especially a disgruntled Weeki Wachee employee who wants to find an authentic mermaid to make a fortune.

Here’s the story blurb:
AJ Dillon is trouble. The former lead singer of an indie band has no home, no money and no future. His grandfather is the only relative willing to take another chance on him. AJ arrives in Weeki Wachee, Florida, with his guitar, a few clothes and a bad attitude. The only good thing about Weeki Wachee is the ocean -- the one place AJ feels at home.
Grandpa lines up a job for AJ at Weeki Wachee Springs, where beautiful women perform as mermaids. Grandpa says real mermaids exist, but AJ doesn’t believe – until he meets Cassiopeia. She helps his passion for music resurfaces. But greedy Chaz finds out about her, and threatens to kill them if AJ doesn't go along with his plan to make a fortune with a real mermaid show. Can AJ save Cassie, even if it means losing her?

An excerpt is on my web site at http://www.catemasters.com/surfacing.html You can read the first chapter at Whiskey Creek Press: http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/chapters/Surfacing_CateMasters.shtml



Does Weeki Wachee Springs pique your interest as it did mine? I’ll give away a print copy of Surfacing to a commenter. Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Mermaids In Romance?

I'm not hallucinating about pirate ships today, (lol) but while laying on the beach I started staring at a rocky knoll peeking up from the ocean and got to thinking it would be a nice spot for a mermaid to surface and sun herself. Mermaids have always held a certain fascination for me, maybe it is their link with mysticism and magic and who really knows what sort of creatures hide undiscovered in the ocean's depths?

My initial exposure to mermaids in literature was as a child reading the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”, first published in 1837. The fable tells the story of a young mermaid who lives in an underwater kingdom with her father, the sea king; her grandmother; and her five elder sisters. The Little Mermaid is allowed to swim to the surface to observe the world above when she turns 15 and falls in love with her prince when she sees him aboard a ship. She then saves him from near drowning when he is thrown into the sea during a storm. The Little Mermaid’s grandmother offers her a potion that gives her legs in exchange for her voice that is like a sirens song. It is a sad tale with no HEA for The Little Mermaid but has provided the foundation for many stories in romance.

Years later I became enthralled with Greek mythology and read Homer’s “Iliad and The Odyssey”, which in part tells the story of Ulysses and the Sirens who were three dangerous bird women that lured nearby sailors with their enchanting, seductive songs to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. The Sirens of Greek mythology have evolved over time and are occasionally portrayed as fully aquatic mermaid like creatures.

Mythical mermaids in today's erotic paranormal, and in paranormal romance, are characterized as sensual, beautiful and willowy creatures who can change to human form on land. In many stories they can only exist for a short period of time before having to return to the sea. Relating back to the sirens of Greek mythology, they often have beautiful lyrical voices when speaking, and singing. The heroes of romance stories are inexorably drawn to a mermaid’s inherent sensuality and grace and I think these mystical creatures make for great characters in romance, scribed by a good author’s imaginative pen. Certainly there is plenty of conflict to work with. How would a human and a mermaid coexist in our world and build a relationship?

I did some digging with respect to “mermaids in romance”, and found, that many of the stories are about human women posing as mermaids, not about an actual human/mermaid or merman relationship. However, more recently Joey W. Hill has written a series of novels, “The Daughters of Arianne”, which includes “A Mermaid’s Kiss”, “A Witch’s Beauty”, and “A Mermaid’s Ransom.” Hill creates a world of protagonist mermaids and angels and antagonist ‘dark ones’ integrating a sub-plot of a never ending war in her signature unusual romances. Joey W. Hill is known for her rich prose and BDSM themes and her mermaid series is no exception. I’ve read the first two stories in this series and found the relationships she crafts between the angelic warrior heroes and mermaid heroines quite spellbinding.

Some readers express difficulty with explicit sexual intimacy regarding mermaids, and certainly many of us have “walls” in erotic literature. Admittedly there is something about ‘fish sex’ that might cause a reader’s "squee-o-meter" to hit the red zone. However if you are comfortable with a light BDSM theme in erotic romance, IMHO it is fitting within the context of Joey W. Hill’s series, considering the H&H are mythical paranormal creatures. In addition, I felt, Hill crafted the intimate scenes extremely well.

In August 2010, Devyn Quinn’s first novel in her “Dark Tides”, series will be released entitled “Siren’s Call”. Quinn builds a world where mermaids as a species are on the verge of extinction and the few that are left are assimilating with humans, having learned early to hide their abilities from the world’s probing eyes. Coupled with their anonymity mermaids have lost memories of their culture and ability to wield considerable magic. The feisty mermaid heroine of "Siren's Call", rescues a human who is bent on his own destruction from the certain death in the sea. This brings about a series of surprising events, and sets the stage for the future books in the series. Devyn Quinn’s prose and graphic imagery is lush and beautifully crafted.

What about you? Do you like mermaid stories in romance? If yes, any particularly memorable ones that come to mind? What about mermen, any stories that you have read and enjoyed? How about a m/m romance with mermen?

References used for this post: Siren - Monster of the week by Chris Disario.
Romance Novels - Mermaid Page
Wikipedia: Sirens

Tori and I are back for the last day of our visit to DIK tomorrow and if you have a moment stop by for a peek at what for me was a fun post. ;)

Have a great day everyone! I’m enjoying an excellent read and a cold drink with a little umbrella stuck in it. What are those umbrellas for anyway?