20 May 2012
by Pintipin Giveaway, Interview, mermaids Tags: Beth Miller, Writers House
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the lagoon these last couple days! Beth and I had so much fun chatting with all of you, and I hope you had a good time, too.
The ten winners (chosen from a random number generator) are as follows:
Megan Connors
Laurie Sanchez
Cindy Skaggs
Mary Jo Burke
Stephanie Buchanan
Marnee Bailey
Orly Konig-Lopez
amber
Kimberly MacCarron
Tara Lynn Mosby
Congratulations to all of you!
Remember, even if you did not win, you should still feel free to query Beth. Thanks again and best of luck in your writing careers! I can’t wait to read all of your books!
Directions from Beth on how to submit:
For anyone who would like to query, please feel free to do so by emailing me a query letter and the first five or so pages of your ms pasted into the body of an email. Please mention this blog. Send to bmiller(at)writershouse(dot)com.
For those who win the chance to send your partial, please send the first 3 chapters as an email attachment, in .doc or .docx format, double-spaced, along with your query, as well as a synopsis if you have one.
18 May 2012
by Pintipin Giveaway, Interview, mermaids Tags: Beth Miller, Writers House
I am thrilled to welcome the fabulous Beth Miller of Writers House to the lagoon today. And even more excited to tell you that Beth will be requesting a partial manuscript from ten lucky commenters. That’s right – I said TEN. No pitch necessary. All you have to do is leave a comment, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to receive a partial request from Beth.
Even if you have no need for representation, please feel free to say “hi” or ask Beth a question. (Just be sure to let me know you’re not interested in the drawing!) We would love to hear from you!
This contest ends Saturday, May 19, at 11:59 pm, EST. The ten lucky winners will be posted on Sunday, May 20.
Take it away, Beth!
1. There are stories of agents getting manuscripts shoved at them under the bathroom stall door. Has anything like that ever happened to you?
No, but I have definitely heard of that happening, especially at the larger conferences like RWA National. This is actually not a great way to approach agents! You don’t want to be remembered as “that lady who shoved papers at me under the bathroom stall door.” It’s a little creepy. We definitely prefer a face-to-face pitch or a query.
2. If your life story were turned into a movie (face it, “agent” is the perfect job for the lead in a romantic comedy), who would play you and the male lead?
Oh, if only my life was that interesting! May I request Gerard Butler for the male lead? Not sure how much of a role he’d have, to be honest, but it would be fun. And if so, can I play myself?
3. What is your guilty reading pleasure?
Lately, I’ve just been in love with YA fiction, so I’ve been reading more and more (and more) of it. My guilty reading pleasure is more of a confession that I re-read Anne Bishop’s BLACK JEWELS series about three times a year.
4. You have an unusual background for a literary agent. Can you tell us a little about that background and what made you decide to switch careers?
I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology (it started out as a Marine Biology degree, because I wanted to hug whales, but then I switched over in my junior year), and spent several years working in a research lab on Long Island. While I was there, I knew I wanted to go back to school (read: my folks were bugging me to get a Master’s) and I really didn’t want to go for a PhD; neither did I really want to stay in science.
I had always loved reading and writing, and had taken quite a few undergraduate literature classes, so I decided to go for a Master’s in Literature. While I was doing that degree, I was also doing some writing. All of that led me to join a local writers group, which in turn helped me find out about “how to get a job reading manuscripts, because that sounds awesome!” And that led me to the job listing for an assistant to Robin Rue at Writers House, and the rest, as they say, is history.
I have never looked back! Though I do try to go whale watching whenever I can…
5. What would your friends and family be surprised to learn about Beth Miller, the literary agent?
Well, I’m fairly certain my friends and family won’t be surprised by anything about me—I’m a pretty open book. Maybe you guys would be surprised to learn that I’ve been a certified scuba diver since I was 14 years old and absolutely love being immersed in a warm, tropical sea, surrounded by colorful fish and peace and quiet. Or that I used to be big-time into hair bands (Poison, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Firehouse, etc.). If there was a long-haired, leather-pants-clad eyeliner-wearing dude shrieking into a microphone, I probably happily shrieked along to it. I also have a stuffed llama named Sebastian (obviously after Sebastian Bach, Hair Band Singer Extraordinaire).
6. What is your favorite part about being an agent? What is your least favorite part?
My favorite part is finding something fantastic in the submissions. My least favorite part is receiving a pass from an editor on a project that I love and then having to pass that along to the author. That never gets easier.
7. What makes a writer a good choice for you?
Other than that unputdownable manuscript, it’s the sense that the author has a promising career—with more than just this one manuscript. It’s also the sense that the author and I are in sync with what each of us brings to the table.
8. Chemistry is an important component in the author/agent relationship. Is there any possible way for you to judge that through a query letter?
I think that it’s possible to get a sense of the writer’s personality through his/her letter, but I think it’s more likely to get that sense from how that writer interacts via email, and especially by phone. I want to work with someone who wants to work with me, so that’s one thing I’m hoping to determine from those initial communications.
9. Do you have any thoughts on contests as a means of writers reaching out to agents? What value do you place on contest submissions?
I think contests can be a great way of getting some feedback, as well as getting the attention of the judging agents or editors. But we also know that the entries are generally just a few chapters. Most people really work on those first few chapters, but what about the rest of the manuscript? So if I’m judging a contest, and those few chapters are amazing, then I will most certainly want to see more, and we’d go from there. I also think that while there is certainly a value to having contest wins under your belt, it isn’t necessarily a determining factor for me when I evaluate a query. So that may have been a vague answer, but it’s one of those judgment calls. I’d suggest entering ones where you are guaranteed feedback, and not overdoing it. The costs can really add up!
10. Any advice you’d like to give to writers hoping to catch your attention?
I would say that you should do your research. There is so much info out there on the internet about how to write a query letter and what not to do when querying. Your query should be personalized (I don’t mean you should make reference to my love for Damon on The Vampire Diaries, but you should direct your letter to me (and not Dear Agent, etc.). You should give a concise summary of your story, and a little bit about you, including, of course, your publishing history, if you have one (which is not required if you don’t!).
Beyond that, just send me something fabulous! I am looking for new talent, for something that makes me stay up until my eyes cross from reading, or makes me watch my subway stop fly by out the window, or makes me ignore the world outside for days!
Thanks so much, Beth! It’s been an absolute pleasure having you here in the lagoon!
Beth Miller is a junior agent at Writers House, where she has worked with Robin Rue since 2007. She has the pleasure of working with a long list of talented and fabulous authors in a beautiful old brownstone with many, many steps.
In her other life, Beth was a DNA sequencing technician at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island. She much prefers books to E. coli, and enjoys scuba diving and road trips in her spare time. She also has a fascination for all things Scottish (including, but not limited to, men in kilts).
Beth is looking for romance and YA, though she would be happy to look at an action-packed thriller (think Clive Cussler or Vince Flynn) or a fantasy (think Anne Bishop or Juliet Marillier). She does not represent inspirational or religious fiction.
17 May 2012
by Diana Belchasein A Writer's Life Tags: determination, success, waiting
Some days I feel as if I just can’t win.
I guess today was one of them. My manuscript sits with my agent, and I wonder if this round of revisions will be right? Will she love it? Will my book be finally good enough to sell?
So many other people seem to be getting deals. They talk about their editors and publication timelines, and all the hard work it takes to bring a book to market. From this end, their worries seem so much easier than mine. Their books have sold, and will be on bookshelves — whether real or in cyberspace — and their stories will finally be read.
It is wonderful hearing about friends getting their books published, garnering three book deals, going on tours. I wish them luck, really, really I do. I love them, and I know how hard they worked, and how much they deserve it.
I just want to be one of them. <sigh>
Will I ever get there? Should I keep pounding my head on the wall, revising, rewriting, evaluating every period and comma and wondering what it will take to get this book launched?
I’m not alone. Every writer goes through this, even the ones on the NYT Best seller’s list — even after they have multiple books in print. I know, because we all talk about it constantly. It’s like a haunting refrain that wraps its melancholy melody around our hearts and brains. Will we ever be good enough?
What a mass of contradictions. While we “know” we are in line with the experience of others, we still “feel” isolated, unworthy, unable, untalented — the list of “un’s” goes on and on. And not one of them is an Un Cola — light and lemony — no, they are all pretty bitter and hard to swallow — and yet, we do.
In our discordant Greek Chorus, we are like specters on a stage moving in and out of the light, all singing the same tune, yet in our hearts, convinced we sing alone. We do not need to summon evil spirits, we haunt ourselves with our worries, hidden hurts, and rejections.
Sometimes, I want to shout, come into the light, we are together, we are the same, but this is a profession where misery doesn’t love company, where we cheer our luckier and more talented sisters forward as they sparkle for their time. We do not grasp at their moment, we do not pull them down, we dance for a moment in the shadow of the joy of their success — even while our own fears eat at our guts like the vilest parasites and rejection gnaws at our bones.
That is what makes it so special to be a mermaid. To be bolstered by this bevy of smart, quirky women. We share our joys and our fears, making sure all heads are above water as we swim in the pond.
We are sisters, dancing in the shadows, waiting for our turn in the light.
So, I ask you, dear reader, what is it that keeps you going when you feel as if you can’t go another step? What keeps you from drowning in your fears? (The comment button is up top at the left of my photo)
I send you my love, and my wishes that all your dreams come true and that your burdens ease. Remember, I’m here, dancing for you, too — whether in the darkness or in the light.
Diana Belchase
XO XO
16 May 2012
by Susan Andrewsin A Writer's Life, Fun Stuff, Inspiration, mermaids, Motivation, Writing, Writing Community, Writing Craft, Writing Method
Two Thursdays ago, I fell down the stairs. Really! There I was, happily carrying a discipline slip to the Deans on the first floor (yes, filling out those blue cards does fill me with a sense of justice). I was wearing my favorite orange heels from Talbots. Dressed impeccably (bien sur!), I was sure of winning Best Dressed Teacher for the day at school. It was a wonderful day, beautiful weather. And, I’d just received a note from an editor, asking for more!
Yes, it was a lovely day. Until my heel went out from under me on Step #1. It hit Step #2, slipped again and then (oh, misery!) slipped on #3. At which time my butt hit Step #1 and I threw my hands out, flailing against the cascade of events that was Ruining My Day. 
No dice. I slid down three more stairs and ended up with one leg folded under me on the stairs (the trailing foot couldn’t catch up). That foot curled into a strange question mark in its oh-so-pretty shoe. One hand was strained from trying to stop the “A is for Alice, who fell down the stairs” moment. Nah, Richard Scary. That girl’s name is Susan.
When it was over, I had a sprained finger and (this makes me feel so small) sprained Big Toe. Today, nearly three weeks, later, I am in a pair of normal shoes. My toe still hurts. So does my finger. But I am better, and I am on my way back to the healthy, snarky Mermaid we all know and love.
So, you ask, why am I telling this story? Because, when it’s all over, Keep Your Chin Up. Yes, it’s been hard to wear sneakers at work. It was hard to creep to and from the train, up and down the stairs at work and home, to depend on other people. It was hard to get a rejection after I’d made the re-submit and was waiting for the contract I was positive would be in the mail the next day. How could I miss? How could I miss that step?
And how does one go about recovering, both from a missed step and a rejection? My plan for my foot is to keep moving carefully, and in sensible shoes! Oh, that is a hard one to swallow, but it must be done. My plan for my manuscript is a careful re-read, tweaking to address the flaws that seemed to stop this editor cold, and resubmit.
Which brings me to the question: How do YOU handle those speed bumps in life? Your illness or injury, or that of someone you love? The surprise rejection of a manuscript you believe in? What does it take to get you back on your feet or, in Mermaid-speak, back in the lagoon? 
15 May 2012
by Robin Covingtonin Anniversary Celebration, Fun Stuff, Giveaway, mermaids
Hi Mer-friends! I want to thank all of you for participating in the Anniversary Celebration last week. it was an absolute blast and I will announce the prize winners in just a few . . .
For me, today marks the 30-day countdown to the publication of my debut novel, A NIGHT OF SOUTHERN COMFORT, with the Indulgence Line at Entangled Publishing. I am beyond excited and I know that if you like a hot, sexy, funny book with a delicious hero and brave heroine – this is the book for you!
Also, I am debuting my brand-new website today. My genius web designer, the wonderful Walter, just made my vision come to life. Stop on by, take a look around, sign up for my newsletter, and stayed tuned for more details on my book release! Here is the link:
Robin Covington Romance
And, finally . . . the winners of our Anniversary celebration are:
Winner of “A Night of Southern Comfort”: Laura McComas
Winner of Enchanted prize pack: Vanessa Barneveld
Winner of Avery Flynn prize pack: Jennifer Bock
Winner of Fair Game by Susan Andrews: Kimberly Kincaid
Winner of $130 Visa gift card: Jennifer Bock!
(many thanks to Randompicker.com for helping me run this contest)
Please email me at robin@robincovingtonromance.com to coordinate delivery of the prizes.
Fishy kisses,
Robin
14 May 2012
by Pintipin A Writer's Life, Inspiration, mermaids, Proscrastination
A very wise and extremely lovely mermaid recently told me about a trick she sometimes uses when she is feeling down: every night, before going to bed, write down Five Things you love about your life.
I immediately peppered her with questions. Can I cheat and just write down my kids and husband?
Answer: Yes, but the answers should be specific. Instead of writing my son’s name, for example, I should say I love how my son nicknamed himself “Jackhammer” and bounces all over the house impersonating a jackhammer (true story).
Can I repeat the answers from the day before?
Answer: If I want to. I’m not going to be judged or graded; this exercise is for me. I should do whatever works best for ME.
Then it hit me. Like so much of the writing process and life in general, there are no rules. There are just guidelines and structures that I can and should bend to accommodate my own particular circumstances. This might be obvious to most of you, but to me, it was a bit of an eye-opener. And it made me think of another Five Things I learned about, a long time ago.
In this list, a woman achieved balance and happiness in her life by doing the same Five Things, every day:
1) something physical
2) something mental
3) something that needs to be done
4) something for herself
5) something for someone else
I’d always admired the simplicity and practicality of this list, but I never felt like it applied well to my life. I was “cheating,” I thought, because I could cross off #3 and #5 immediately every day, by virtue of having kids. I don’t think a day goes by without #2 automatically happening, with all the demands of life. I always try to exercise every day, with or without a list, so that left #4 — doing something for myself. A worthy pursuit, to be sure, but now I don’t have much of a list, do I?
With my eye-opening realization, I decided to revise the list in order to challenge myself a little more.
Here’s what I came up. Pintip’s Five Things to do every day:
1) something outside
2) something productive with my writing
(writing itself, revising, editing, brainstorming, etc.)
3) something that needs to be done that I don’t want to do
This qualification takes out the routine things I have to do for my kids (feed them, bathe them, take them to school, etc.). Instead, it challenges me to do household stuff on which I continually procrastinate, such as pay bills, make doctor’s appointments, sift through my mail, etc.
4) something for myself
5) something enriching with my children
Again, this qualification eliminates all the routine things I would do anyways. It challenges me to carve out time to work on math with my daughter or writing with my son.
So this is my new list! Five Things I challenge myself to do every single day. #4 remains the same, while I have revised the other items to better accommodate my life.
What are your Five Things?
13 May 2012
by Aletheain A Writer's Life Tags: blogging, mom kontis, mothers, mothers day
For Mothers’ Day, I asked my beautiful mother to write a guest post for me on my blog. I thought it would be something cute and fun for everyone, and it wouldn’t take up too much of her time.
I had no idea what a big deal this would be.
I mean, I’ve been blogging for almost a decade. It’s like riding a bike. But while Mom’s an avid reader and frequent commenter, she reminded me that it’s a completely different situation when you’re on the other end of that post.
*************************************
Write a guest blog? Sure. How hard can that be?
Now, what shall I write about?
Since nothing immediately popped into my head I decided to consider some of the suggestions made by others. Hmmmm, “35 things” you do not know about me? Interesting – since everyone knows that my special number is “35”. (Well, maybe you don’t know. I use that number as often as possible. You see, I’ve told you at least “35” times!)
A story about me? Sorry, that would be just BORING! And besides, what Alethea doesn’t know, someone else knows.
Hmmmm, a story about our “favorite cousin.” Of course, we all know who recommended that one – the favorite cousin! Wait, that would be Alethea and Soteria’s favorite cousin — my nephew.
Who’s writing this blog? How hard can it be?
It’s Mother’s Day! Should I write about Mothers? About what it’s like being a mother? That subject is so over done.
Maybe I should write about my mother or maybe her mother or about my daughters being mothers?
How hard can it be?
How long does this blog have to be? I wonder if I could write and write and not really say anything special. Maybe I did just that! What do you think? Were you interested enough to even read this blog?
This is really hard. My hat is off to all the wonderful people who write all those wonderful blogs that the rest of us can just relax and enjoy reading.
*************************************
Mom ultimately decided to go the “35 Things About Me” route…pop on over to my blog today to see what she came up with. Comments are appreciated and definitely encouraged.
Happy Mothers’ Day to you all!
11 May 2012
by Robin Covingtonin Anniversary Celebration, Fun Stuff, Giveaway, mermaids Tags: Giveaway, Kerri Carpenter, Mermaid Anniversary Celebration, robin covington
It’s our one-year anniversary! The Waterworld Mermaids have dyed the lagoon hot pink, added glitter and cranked up the dance music for our weeklong anniversary celebration. Each day we’ll be hosting a mermaid scavenger hunt. At the bottom of each day’s post you’ll find three questions about the mermaids who blogged that day, the answers to which can be found on this site. Answer the questions and be entered to win that day’s prize. Plus, on Friday we’ll be giving away a $130 Visa gift card. To increase your odds of winning the gift card, answer each day’s scavenger hunt questions. Every entry you make Monday through Thursday will give you an additional entry in the big Friday giveaway of a $130 gift card. So jump in the lagoon and get swimming with your lucky fin!
Have you had fun this week? We have had a blast hanging out in the lagoon meeting all of you and celebrating our awesome Mermaidey-ess! For our last hurrah we are featuring our own little cheer – crafted by the lovely and talented Kerri Mermaid:
M – is for May 2011, when we started this group blog.
E – is for Each one of us. We all have our own personal styles and write different things. Some are published and and some are pre-published. We have sweet, steamy and silly Mermaids. Even with our differences, we’ve come together to celebrate each and every one of us.
R – is for Reads. In October we did free garden reads, showcasing our different styles and talents.
M – is for Mayhem. With a dynamic group of talented, out-spoken Mermaids, we’ve been known to get a little crazy from time-to-time.
A – is for Author Interviews. We love having writers visit our site and we’ve been so lucky to have some of the best around.
I – is for Inspiring. Thirteen strong and very different women have achieved great things.
D – is for our Devoted followers. Whether you’ve visited our lagoon once or every day, we appreciate every single one of you.
S – is for success. Success is measured differently by everyone. Many of us crave to be published. Some want to finish their WIP. Others want to make their families proud. No matter how, where or when, it’s safe to say that one area where we’ve all succeeded is here in the Mermaid Lagoon. We’ve come together to create a special, safe and magical place.
Job well done and Happy Anniversary, Waterworld Mermaids!
Fishy kisses!
Two questions to answer today:
1. What contest did Kerri Mermaid win?
2. What is your favorite romance novel?
Hint: The answer to #1 can be found in Kerri’s profile.
Giveaway:
Thanks for joining us in the Waterworld Mermaid lagoon! Answer today’s questions in the comments below to be entered to win our big Friday giveaway of a $130 gift card. Only one entry per day. Be sure to leave your e-mail address in your comment. You can also go back through the previous posts and leave a comment (one per day!) and answers for the drawing. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST May 13 to leave your answers. Contest open to U.S. residents only.
10 May 2012
by Susan Andrewsin Anniversary Celebration, Fun Stuff, Giveaway, mermaids
It’s our one-year anniversary! The Waterworld Mermaids have dyed the lagoon hot pink, added glitter and cranked up the dance music for our weeklong anniversary celebration. Each day we’ll be hosting a mermaid scavenger hunt. At the bottom of each day’s post you’ll find three questions about the mermaids who blogged that day, the answers to which can be found on this site. Answer the questions and be entered to win that day’s prize. Plus, on Friday we’ll be giving away a $130 Visa gift card. To increase your odds of winning the gift card, answer each day’s scavenger hunt questions. Every entry you make Monday through Thursday will give you an additional entry in the big Friday giveaway of a $130 gift card. So jump in the lagoon and get swimming with your lucky fin!
Susan: Flash back to 1975: me deep into Europe on $10 a Day, convinced I could make a trip like that and survive. I even applied for a passport! Sadly, without traveling companions, my dreams had to wait. Even though I insisted it was possible to go by myself, nobody was in favor of my wild proposals, and my always-vivid imagination kept me quite safely at home. But I could dream…
Flash forward twenty-eight years, and I am on a plane to Paris. At last! Dear One is meeting me there, having flown in from a business trip in Singapore. Imagine me exiting Customs and seeing him on the other side of the glass. How romantic! We celebrate our Silver Anniversary in the City of Light. We see the Bastille Day fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. We have dinner with friends. Really! In Paris! We get slammin’ service and free drinks! We walk twice around the Arc de Triomphe because we’re too drunk to find our street! (boy howdy, was Dear One perturbed over that!)
When I come home, I have been deeply entrenched in the French language for a week. I have apparently talked in French in my sleep. For a few moments after returning home, I can’t read English. On a shopping trip with SweetPea, I start to cry. Why? Because there aren’t any sidewalk cafes in upstate New York that will let you sit down and order a glass of wine. I’m back in America. I’m stuck.
This is my fantasy: Let me do it all again before I die.
Masha – my dream vacation was and still is a cruise through Europe. One of the stops along the way was the Island of Capri. So far, that has to be the most gorgeous place on earth. I was only able to spend a day, but the views were magnificent. Perched off the coast of Italy, its windy cliff roads are peppered with beautiful white villas capped with red clay roofs. The cobblestone streets weave around quaint stores, but it’s the Blue Grotto that is a taste of heaven. In my wild imagination, I take a rickety taxi all the way to the top, pick an out of the way café, nestled amidst bright azalea bushes, and stare down to the blue Mediterranean as I pluck out my latest novel. I imagine my family is along for the ride (although the kids are older.. as cute as they are, toddlers and neckbreaking mountainside drops into the ocean don’t mix), but every day I get a few slices of time to do my own thing before joining them on whatever adventure they cook up for the day. But alas, for now, it’s back to the grind.
Loni: I’m in a cottage in the quaint lake front town of Petoskey, Michigan one of the towns I grew up in. The cottage is vintage Victorian but not overly done. There is a wide front porch with a bench swing painted white, two large oaks out front and the breeze is gently blowing the sheer curtains into my Shabby-Chic, decorated bedroom. I wake to a breakfast of fresh strawberries and cream with banana nut muffins and hot, English Breakfast tea and orange juice out on the back screened in porch facing the English-style gardens.
My day is spent with my beloved (who is catering to my every whim) checking out the local shops along the lake front. There are antique stores and craft stores, local artisans selling their wares and even a farmer’s market. We pick up a loaf of fresh bread, olive oil, some deli cheese, meats and fresh fruits to make a picnic along with a bottle of a semi-sweet wine that will compliment the small picnic. We spread out a blanket on the rich green lawn of the local park in front of the Stafford’s Perry Hotel under a shade tree and enjoy just talking and feeding each other bits of cheese and grapes.
We would take a walk along the lake front and let the breeze off of Lake Michigan carry our cares away. It would be perfect because the following day, he would take me to Mackinac Island via ferry where we would continue my fantasy vacation at the Grand Hotel where I would revel in sitting in a white whicker chair on the worlds largest front porch, taking in the view of gorgous Lake Huron/Lake Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge and the boats out on the water, while the scent of fresh lilacs waft around me.
That would be my fantasy vacation: to live the dream I’ve had since I was a little girl in northern Michigan.
1. What is Loni’s publishing status?
2. What is Susan’s sign?
3. What superpower does Masha want to have?
Thanks for joining us in the Waterworld Mermaid lagoon! Leave a comment with the answers to the following three questions (hint: answers found in the mermaid profiles) and be entered to win today’s prize—a signed print copy of our very own Susan Andrews vintage 1987 Harlequin American release, Fair Game. A mint condition, unread and very rare copy of her Golden Heart winning story!
09 May 2012
by Carlene Love Floresin Anniversary Celebration, mermaids
It’s our one-year anniversary! The Waterworld Mermaids have dyed the lagoon hot pink, added glitter and cranked up the dance music for our weeklong anniversary celebration. Each day we’ll be hosting a mermaid scavenger hunt. At the bottom of each day’s post you’ll find three questions about the mermaids who blogged that day, the answers to which can be found on this site. Answer the questions and be entered to win that day’s prize. Plus, on Friday we’ll be giving away a $130 Visa gift card. To increase your odds of winning the gift card, answer each day’s scavenger hunt questions. Every entry you make Monday through Thursday will give you an additional entry in the big Friday giveaway of a $130 gift card. So jump in the lagoon and get swimming with your lucky fin!
Happy Day 3! Proudly brought to you by the Avery, Carlene, Diana contingent of the Waterworld Mermaids! Today we’re pulling out all the stops—Giving away signed print copies of Avery’s Temptation Creek and Seduction Creek books to one daily winner and running the pond Expose style. Please enjoy the following tidbits about the Mermaids:
Did you know—?
-Today is Carlene’s favorite singer’s birthday! Join with me everyone…”Happy Birthday dear Dave Gahan, awesome god rock singer of the most awesome band Depeche Mode….Happy Birthday to you!”
-Kim’s scariest moment (and this is saying a lot considering she’s had five kids in five and a half years with no multiples-whew!) was at the top of Chichen Itza? Yep, she’s afraid of heights!
-Before becoming a writer, Denny was a professional dancer and actress—Ooh La La!
-Kerri is such a diehard Steelers fan that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a story she wrote about it and she got fan mail from all over the world!
-Robin…the men all pause when she walks into the room…and sings. Yep, she’s in a band!
-Loni has two cures for being painfully shy—just do like she did and promote a travelling male review show or join the Navy! She’s done them both!
-Dana may be one of the littlest mermaids, but she is a former rescue EMT! And therefore I’ve appointed her this week’s official glittery pink pond lifeguard!
-Susan once fooled Parisian waiters into thinking she was a food critic and got slammin’ service and free drinks as a result!
-Alethea celebrated her 1-1-11 birthday last year, sparking a tiara-wearing frenzy across the nation!
-Avery once locked herself out of the house while wearing only – wait for it – a robe!
-Pintip is a hardcore foodie and has a Top 5 Dining Experiences list spanning the country!
-Diana used to sing and perform Gilbert and Sullivan light operas and other musicals onstage!
-Masha used to be a TV weather gal, but those tapes are secured at Fort Knox!
Whew, now that we’ve gotten that all out…we have one more confession to make…yes…one final secret to unleash…we all have Spice Girl Names! Because every girl needs one…we’d love to hear yours so feel free to share in the comments section
Alethea- Princess Spice
Avery- Sarcastic Spice
Carlene-Lucky Spice
Dana-Sassy Spice
Denny-Sultry Urban Spice
Diana-Secret Spice
Kerri- Glitter Spice
Kimberly-Mama Spice
Loni- Sailor Spice
Masha-Sea Spice
Pintip- Bubbly Spice
Robin- Sexy Spice
Susan-Heart Spice
Thanks for joining us in the Waterworld Mermaid lagoon! Leave a comment with the answers to the following three questions (hint: answers found in the mermaid profiles) and be entered to win today’s prize—signed print copies of our very own Avery Flynn’s Temptation Creek and Seduction Creek books—and in our big Friday giveaway of a $130 gift card. Only one entry per day. Be sure to leave your e-mail address in your comment. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST May 13 to leave your answers. Contest open to U.S. residents only.
1. What book is Avery Flynn working on right now?
2. What is the coolest thing Carlene Love Flores has ever done?
3. What unclaimed superpower did Diana Belchase think Wonder Woman should get credit for?
