Illustrator: Jaclyn Sinquett; Designer: Mina Chung; Publishing Company: Starry Forest; Editor: Allison Hill

I’m so happy this story is finally coming out!

The earliest notes I can find on this mermaid are from April of 2012. That’s more than a decade ago! And the first line, apparently a possible premise, cracks me up–[The danger of having a pet who would like to eat you….] Oh my. That’s a little dark.

Further on, after I was playing with the story possibilities, I wrote–[theme: something about getting along with another who is supposed to be your enemy]. That didn’t end up being one of the themes. Because who could call an adorable kitten one’s enemy? A closer theme to the finished book is “Pay attention to the blessing that’s right below your nose.” A practical reality theme is that not all pets fit in with all life styles.

There were many revisions of this manuscript over the years. Some major. Some minor. Some from suggestions from editors who showed interest. Some from grit and brainstorming. The last revisions were from working with wonderful Allison H. Hill at Starry Forest as she helped form the story into the final text. Some changes came from too much happening on one page. One favorite moment that had to be cut was Cadence’s daily routine of photo-bombing scuba divers.

Perhaps that will be put to use another time.

Meanwhile, I can’t wait to share this book with you all, beginning August 30, 2022. It’s available for pre-order now at the indie link, Bookshop; at B&N; and on Amazon. Crabcakes! I forgot to say that Jaclyn Sinquett did such an amazing, gorgeous job with the illustrations! You are in for a treat.