Hello, as
you may now, we have another awesome Christmas Giveaway, and an author taking
over the blog! Katie O'Sullivan! Since she's done a fantastic post, I'll get
right to it!
The Giveaway Today is:
An Ecopy of Son of a Mermaid
Like Katie O'Sullivan on Facebook
I feel like, in case you've forgotten, I should say...If you are just joining us, take a look at the Rules and Regulations Page
for more info on the contest. Or don't. It's really simple, just read the post,
scroll down to Mr. Rafflecopter and do the daily task. But wait. What if you
don't have Facebook or Twitter or can't do the other tasks before you? Have no
fear! As a contingency, on the off chance people can't do the daily task, they
can simply leave a blog comment!
This way, everyone has equal opportunity to be enter to win the tons of prizes
up for grabs! And don't forget, if you missed the previous days, you can go
back and enter those too! Just check out The Linky List. The
contest runs until December 29th, and of course, don't forget to come back
tomorrow.
I live on Cape Cod, and tend to let the
ocean influence my Holiday decorating and gift buying. As an author who writes
about mermaids, I tend to gravitate toward, you know, mermaid-inspired wall
art, decorations and ornaments. Cape Cod is a great place to find mermaid
ornaments for the tree...
I collect them from around the world as
well. I bought a few of these when we were in Mexico last year at Christmas
time…
A friend of mine just came back from
Florida with a “local” mermaid from Miami for my Christmas tree…
I also have lots of starfish and shell
ornaments, as well as mermaid ornaments we made with my daughter’s Girl Scout
troop a few years back…luckily, my daughter gave me a few for Christmas!
So, for the mermaid-lover on your list,
there are lots of fun choices. But what do you buy for your friend who’s, you
know, a *real* mermaid? That gets a bit tricker, since life underwater is
played by a whole different set of rules.
First of all, mermaids celebrate the Winter
Solstice instead of Christmas. And electric Christmas lights don’t work too
well underwater. Anything made with paper or glue is right out as well –
imagine how quickly a pile of gift wrapped boxes would turn into a soggy mess
underwater! Mermaids tend to wrap packages with sheets of seaweed and twine
instead of paper and tape for those reasons.
But mermaids do love receiving gifts, and anything shiny is always appreciated! Think of Disney’s Ariel and how she had a room filled with shiny objects that she’d collected. To make a big impression, jewelry is always a good choice, but remember it’s going to be worn in saltwater, so either choose real silver or gold, or go simple with leather cords.
In my upcoming sequel to SON OF A MERMAID,
the main character, Shea MacNamara, takes my advice about jewelry and gives a
shiny bracelet to his mermaid girl friend. As a special Holiday treat, I’ve
included an excerpt from that scene! The sequel, BLOOD OF A MERMAID, will be
released in Spring 2014 from Crescent Moon Press, but until then, enjoy this
taste.
And Happy Holidays!
“I got something for you.” He dug into his
pocket and pulled out a small box, carefully wrapped in shiny blue paper with
raffia string. “I saw it in Hyannis the other day when I was walking on Main
Street with John and Hailey. I thought of you.”
Kae stared at the package in Shea’s hand,
but didn’t reach for the gift. “Oh, it’s pretty. And so shiny blue! Like the
ocean’s surface on a sunny day. But Shea, I don’t think paper will last very
long underwater.”
Shea’s face cracked into a wide grin. “That’s
just the wrapping, silly.” He placed the box in her hand. “You need to look
inside for the gift.”
“I’ve never heard of wrapping paper,” Kae
turned the box slowly around in her hands, the shine of the paper reflecting
the light. “It’s so pretty.”
“You’re supposed to rip it off,” Shea
explained, shaking his head. Sometimes he forgot that they came from such
different worlds. He showed her how to slide the bow off, and then tore the
edge of the paper to get her started.
It was a small package, and the paper came
off fairly quickly once she started to rip it. She stared at the white box.
“Oh, it’s lovely. But Shea, cardboard is not much better than paper…”
He interrupted. “The box isn’t the present.”
She looked up at him, cocking her head to
the side. “Then why did you give it to me? Why give me shiny paper to rip and a
box that isn’t a present? I don’t understand.”
He shifted his weight uncomfortably,
feeling slightly foolish. “I don’t know. It’s how we give gifts.” He smiled
again. “Just open the box already.”
Inside was a cuff bracelet of hammered
silver, made of five thin distinct strands that rippled across like waves,
looking like the undulating surface of the ocean. Kae stared, not saying
anything.
“I saw it and thought of you, leaving on your
journey,” Shea stammered, unsure how to gauge her reaction. “You know, the five
lines of silver flowing like water, like the five oceans…” His voice trailed
off. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, her eyes
looking watery.
“It’s just a bracelet.” He reached over to
take it out of the box. “Let’s see if it fits okay.” He slipped the cuff over
her wrist and gently squeezed so that it closed snugly against her skin. He
trailed his fingers up to her elbow and leaned his forehead against hers. “It’s
so you don’t forget me while we’re apart.”
“Oh, Shea…” Her voice was still a mere
whisper. “I won’t forget you.”
~ *~ * ~ * ~
About the Author:
Katie O’Sullivan lives on Cape Cod with her
family and big dogs, drinking way too much coffee and dreaming up new excuses
not to dust. She writes YA and romantic suspense, when she isn’t busy walking
her dogs on the beach or daydreaming about mermaids. She’s excited that her
first YA, SON OF A MERMAID, made such a big splash (pun intended!) and can’t
wait for the second book to arrive next spring!
Find her online:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
20 December 2013 at 04:13
Thanks for hosting this great Holiday Giveaway! So glad to visit!
Happy Holidays!!!