The Things We Do For Research

If you follow me on social media, you might have seen comments about me surviving scuba diving lessons or something to that degree. I use the word surviving for a lot of reasons, but I'll get back to that. 

I have now written two books in which scuba has played an important role, and I am about to dive headfirst (see what I did there?) into a third. So I figured it's about time I stopped researching how to do it and actually learned in person.

For the record, I might not have gathered the courage to do this if my husband hadn't signed us up for this class as my Christmas gift. We have been talking about getting certified for years, and have been putting it off for various reasons (read: excuses). And we both knew that it's time. I mean really. I'm writing about mermaids now! Come on. 

Just so you know, I am slightly claustrophobic, so wearing the scuba goggles freaks me out because they cut off my peripheral vision. And wearing the BCDs (see that? I'm using scuba terms and everything!) freaks me out because the vest has lots of gadgets attached, including a super heavy tank filled with air, and I am not that heavy, but I am also filled with air, so together my tank and I don't sink so well. Not being able to stay underwater when I'm supposed to freaks me out too. And then there's the whole thing of it being unnatural for humans to be able to breathe underwater. (Like, really, are you kidding me? I'm not Emma.)

Yesterday was our first "open water" dive. (Not necessarily open, because it was in a crater, which is not all that huge, but it's like 90 feet deep.) So there are all these reasons why I sat on the edge of the platform trying not to have a panic attack. But I pushed through it, and I put on my goggles, and the ridiculously long fins that make me feel like a fish, and I stuck the regulator in my mouth and I jumped in.  

Guys, I didn't die! 

And after we figured out that I need a whole lot of weight added to my vest, I managed to sink below the surface and I kept breathing. And I swam around a bit. I practiced losing my regulator and getting water in my goggles and managed to get it out without rising to the surface. I ended up diving to 40 feet below the surface.

And it was fun. 

I'm not going to lie. It was expensive, and difficult, and ridiculously scary at first, but I pushed past all that and I am so proud of myself for being brave. Later this week, I'm going to do it again. And then I'll have a shiny pretty card with my picture on it, and it will tell the world that I know how to use all that equipment to breathe underwater. And then I will know how my characters feel as I write this next book.    

This is the kind of thing writers sometimes do to bring stories to life. But more than that, this is the kind of thing people do to overcome our fears. 

Okay, now it's your turn. What hard thing / scary fear are you facing right now? How are you facing it?

It's HERE!!!! WATER SO DEEP IS HERE!!! (And adding even more !!!!)

Guys, today's the day. Water So Deep is finally available for purchase!

Only the e-book version for now--there has been a very slight delay in the hard cover release, but I hope that will all be resolved this week, but all of you e-reader addicts, go! Buy! Enjoy! (And then hopefully review!)

I am not having an online launch party this time, but there is a blog tour happening starting Tuesday, February 3, and as soon as the hard cover issues are worked out, I will consider scheduling at least one signing.

In case you missed yesterday's teaser, here it is:

And one more, just because TODAY'S THE DAY!

Thanks for being patient with me and for supporting me as an author. I promise to start blogging about other things now. Thanks!

All theTeasers, Just in Time for Release Week

Guys! Next Monday, Water So Deep is released to the world. That is less than a week from now, and this news is just hitting me. Not because I don't pay attention to the calendar, but because I am currently being pulled in so many different directions that it only just now HIT ME.

Six. Days.

EEK!

So for today's (semi-late) post, I am going to share with you all the teasers I have posted on social media thus far. There will be more next week, I assure you. And celebrating. And some possible flash giveaways. But for now, here is your lead up.

And also, in case you haven't seen it, you can read the first chapter of Water So Deep here.

And in case you haven't taken advantage of the introductory pre-order price, you can purchase your copy in all of these places, and by pre-ordering have the book delivered directly to your device on release day.

Amazon

Kobo

iBooks

Goodreads

Nook: Pending

One more little detail. Water So Deep will also be available as a HARD COVER! I am crossing my fingers that it is also available on February 2, but there have been a few minor delays, so I will update this post if that changes. However, there is no pre-order option for that at this time. But in case you're wondering, this is what the jacket will look like.

What do you think? I can hardly wait to see this baby in person and be able to show it off. So if you are a person who loves ink and paper books that you can put on a literal shelf rather than a virtual one, stay tuned. These will be available as soon as possible. Hopefully, hopefully the same day as the ebooks go live!

Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Teaser #1:

Teaser #2:

Teaser #3:

Teaser #4:

Water So Deep: THE COVER IS HERE!

Guys. This. This is what I've had to keep to myself for the last month-ish. And let me tell you, IT WAS SO HARD! Like, so seriously hard. I can't even tell you.

But now it's here and I can show you and IAMSOEXCITED!

So...

What do you think?

And in case you haven't seen it yet, check out the cover copy.

Water So Deep

Seventeen-year-old Emma Harris is drowning on dry land.

No one knows what’s happening to her, and she’d like to keep her evolution from human to mermaid a secret, but the truth is getting harder and harder to hide. From her adoptive family, from her friends, and especially from the irresistible James Phelps.

Her time in the ocean is spent dodging a possessive merman, while her time on land is split between caring for her special-needs brother and squeezing in every last possible moment of human life. She soon realizes falling for James is unavoidable when he constantly comes to Emma’s rescue and somehow manages to see through her carefully constructed icy facade to the vulnerability she lives with every day. Everything about James makes Emma yearn for a life on land she just can't have.

When Emma’s brother disappears on her watch, James is the only person she trusts to help her save him. But even if they can save her brother, nothing can prevent her return to the sea. Whether she likes it or not, Emma is changing—unable to breathe without yielding to the tide—and it's only a matter of time before she's forced to surrender forever.

And also, guess what else? You can pre-order this book for your kindle already. CLICK HERE to purchase your advance copy of the Water So Deep e-book and get it at the pre-order special price of $2.99.

Guys, thanks for letting me be excited. I can't wait to share this whole book with you.

Something Everyone Can Be

The final address at the Teen BookCon was given by author Sharon Draper. This was the speech I most needed to hear that day. I’ve never met Sharon, nor heard her speak, and the awesome thing is that she was speaking to teenagers, about teenagers—teens who write, and teens who don’t. And I just happened to be pretending to be a teen, so it worked out.

Author problem #347: I have zero experience in talking to teens.  (This is one of the reasons I crashed Teen Book Con.)

Besides being an author, Sharon has taught school for 30 years, and her vocal skills show that experience. She was engaging and funny. She read out loud several pages from her books—segments that absolutely hooked the audience. But more importantly, she was profound.

She said something like (I’m totally paraphrasing): Some people are born with a natural talent for writing. Others work very, very hard to learn how to write because they love it and it’s what they want to do. But not everyone is meant to be a writer, and that’s okay. Everyone has something they are either good at, or something they love enough to work hard on, and that is a good place to focus. Not everyone needs to be a writer.

But everyone, EVERYONE can be a reader. Besides novels, there is nonfiction, and magazines and short stories and biographies, and a million other types of books to choose from. Those people who don’t think they’re readers just simply haven’t found the right books or the right materials.

Shannon’s words made me think of my fifteen-year-old daughter. For years, she has insisted that she is not a reader. That she doesn’t like reading at all. But, um, right before The Hunger Games movie came out, she read through the entire series in ONE WEEK. (Not a reader? WHATEVER!) Yeah. I agree with Sharon. Everyone can be a reader.   

Isn’t everyone in the world just looking for a good story? What do you think?

Newsflash: All YA Books are Disturbing.

On Wednesday, I questioned whether or not my son’s teacher had the right to give low marks to a short story based on the fact that she found the premise disturbing.

Doc’s question to me was, “Mom, aren’t teachers supposed to read real books?”

Here’s the thing. They should. They really should. But that doesn’t mean they do.

If my son’s teacher is smart, she would have read, I don’t know, maybe, The Hunger Games. Or, To Kill a Mockingbird, or The Scarlett Letter, Lord of the Flies, Shakespeare, or any number of the current popular Vampire/werewolf/paranormal/fantasy/dystopian books. But maybe she’s not a fan of the fantastical. Maybe she prefers YA issue books. Still.

Here’s the thing: ALL those books are disturbing in one way or another. Heck, being a teenager is disturbing. They read about post apocalyptic societies in which children are forced to fight to the death. About deadly creatures who roam earth, right under the noses of the clueless public. They read about addiction, abuse, neglect, cruelty, and all manner of emotional trauma. They read about *gasp* the kind of true love that makes you do stupid things—like ask to become a vampire. Or a faery.

Show me a YA book that isn’t disturbing in one way or another, and I’ll show you a YA book only being read by adults. And not by many.

Is it really a shocker to discover that these teen readers write similar stories?

But then, I say that assuming the teacher in question has read any of these books. Because, as mentioned above, just because she should doesn’t mean she has. Or does. Or will. However, if she hasn’t, how is she able to fairly grade papers written by the kids who are her students?The ones who read disturbing books?

As mentioned earlier, I respect that teacher’s ability to grade papers based on opinion. Even when the technical aspects have been efficiently handled. But I am also troubled by her choice to discourage any kid from expressing their creativity in the best way they know by downgrading their paper for being disturbing.

I believe kids have a hundred times more power than adults behind their creative instincts, because they have not yet learned to care what others think of their work. They write, dance, create, play, and dream just because they can. It is only as they become adults and have numerous people working to convince them that they aren’t good enough, that they actually start to believe it’s true.

Again, I ask you. Does an adult—especially a teacher—have the right to begin the cycle of “I’m not good enough” for a child? Even if that child is on the verge of adulthood?

Something to think about I guess.