E.S. Ivy's Blog, page 3

A new cover coming soon for Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret

So I've been a bit busy lately working on a bunch of technical details to move my author website and blog to a new site, esivy.com. If you're interested in crafts and other things that occupy my mind, hop on over and check it out.

But we've also been busy with a whole new cover design for Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret! I still love the old cover, but when we were trying to come up with a cover for Book 2, Miri Attwater and All that Glitters, things just weren't working. Among other things, we wanted to make the books look friendlier and more colorful.

This, of course, has the drawback that it's slowing down the release of All that Glitters. So in the meantime I thought I'd show you some progress on the new covers.

TechnoTim started by drawing a bunch of different sketches for Miri using pencil and paper. I critiqued them and he tweaked them. Here's the one we finally decided looks just like Miri.


Let me know what you think. Does the drawing look like Miri to you?

Hannah, age 9, gives Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret 5 stars (and 22 exclamation marks)

For kid's books, there's nothing better than a book review by kids. Here's what Hannah, age 9, over at BookCubs had to say about Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret.


If you like funny fantasy books you’ll love this. It is fantastic. If you do not think it is great, you are crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And as a writer, there's nothing better than a kid's review like that. :) And yes, all those exclamation points are her's. I didn't add any.

Her favorite part was Miri's dinner with the Queen. That makes me happy, because I had fun writing it. (Sneak Peek - there'll be more fancy dinners with funny dishes in Book 2.)

Before I wrote about Miri's first meal in Kai Kaona, I ate some seaweed salad! It wasn't too bad. A little rubbery. :) Some of the rest came from memories I have - like when someone advised me to order "seafood" noodles in Japan and it turned out to be "seaweed" noodles. 

And the time at a fancy restaurant in New Orleans that my grandmother was served a baked fish with its head still on.  She was a proper Southern lady, a phenomenal cook, and had cleaned a few fish from my grandfather's catch in her day. She would never have served a fish head at her table. She sent that fish right back to the kitchen to be properly prepared!

What about you - what's the strangest, most adventurous, thing you've ever eaten? Leave a comment and tell us about it! 

Miri Attwater - Book 1 on Wattpad and Book 2 progress

It's been a while since I made a new post, I know!

And have you signed up for my Newsletter? Because I've definitely made good on my promise not to fill up your inbox. :) I've sent exactly, um, zero newsletters so far.

It's not that I don't love my Newsletter subscribers! In fact there will be special offers soon, I promise. It's just that it's another thing with a learning curve. I spent a lot of time figuring out how to set up a sign up list. But how, exactly, do I send out a newsletter in the correct form? That's something I've got to figure out, and for now I've been trying to focus all my time on...

Completing Book 2!

(Okay, that and I may have snuck in a trip to Disney World. But hey, I was thinking of you and Miri! There are lots of mermaids at Disney. There'll be some related posts later.)

But yes, Miri Attwater and All that Glitters is starting the editing process!



Which means I already have some things that need some changes. :( But hang tight, Book 2 will be better for it, and ready soon!

Meanwhile, I've started posting Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret over on Wattpad. I post a chapter or so a week. So, if you haven't read the Ocean's Secret yet and you can be patient for the next installment, hop on over to Wattpad and say hello.

Happy Reading!

miriattwatersworld.blogspot.com is now miriattwater.com

To make things simpler, this blog will now be found at miriattwater.com.

So you still have to learn how to spell Miri Attwater. :) I know, I hear you, I'm spelling impaired to. But the domain names mermaidprincess and oceansecret were already taken. Surprise, surprise, right? I did look around a bit because while I still love the name Phyta Publishing, I'm finding out that spelling out my email address for everyone - esivy@phytapublishing.com - is taking a lo-o-ong time!

For now, anyone who reads the book should be able to remember miriattwater.com. (I hope.) I did consider the name mirimermaid. Hmm... maybe mermaidmiri would sound better. Chime in if you think I should have used that one/add that one for readers.

Happy Reading!

Enter for your chance to win "a mermaid story like no other"!

I'm so excited to be a part of my first give-away! To celebrate Children's Book Week, May 13-19, I'm taking part in a blog hop through Mother Daughter Book Reviews. Renee linked me up with the lovely Tina at Amanda's Books and More.

This week, we'll be giving away FIVE free ebooks of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret!

Here's what Tina had to say about the book:
"[Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is] a really neat mermaid story like no other for girls ages 6 - 12. I read the first book in the series and got really caught up in the story. I wanted to read more!"

So, don't wait! Hop on over to Amanda's Books and More and enter the Rafflecopter give-away now! (Contest closes 5/19/2013.)

Then look up the other blogs on the hop to enter for even more prizes!

Books, Babies, and Bows reviews the children's fantasy Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret

What does an octopus have to do with mermaids? Read Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret and find out!
When I came up with the idea to write a book about a girl who didn't know she was a mermaid, my intention was to write a book that was pure fantasy.

But I discovered something about myself.

If I'm creating the magical world, it won't ring true to me unless it follows the principals of science. I guess that by the time you get a PhD in biology, science is too deeply ingrained in your DNA to deny it.

While I had lots of fun researching and imagining all the fantasy science in Miri's world, there was always that nagging fear in the back of my mind. Is all this fantasy science going to be believable to other scientists?

Yes, even someone with a PhD has a fear of looking stupid. :)

So I am thrilled about the review just posted at Books, Babies, and Bows! Jenny is a scientist and she gets it! She really gets it! (And she doesn't think I'm stupid or anything.)

From her five star review posted on her blog, Amazon, and Goodreads:
What I absolutely love about this book is how the author uses scientific facts to create a rule system for this "magical" world. You learn about how a mermaid changes from legs to fins in a way that makes it believable and magical all in the same breath. 

Read the rest of Jenny's review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret at Books, Babies, and Bows. And while you're there, check out her lovely series on 30 books of Kindness.

Don't forget, you can now buy an ebook copy Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret at all of these major retailers.

Amazon          Kobo          Barnes & Noble          itunes/ibooks        Sony                    diesel
Happy Reading!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret now available on Nook at Barnes & Noble!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is now available on Nook at Barnes & Noble!

Miri always knew she was adopted, liked her food extra salty, and could hold her breath an unbelievably long time, but she never would have guessed that it meant she was a mermaid.

Mermaids aren't real. 

Or are they? 

It took some doing to get it up, but it's finally there. Unfortunately, it's not showing up under Nook Kids new releases. I would guess that's because it shows a publication date of December 2012 - which is how long I have been trying to get it to show up in their store. Grrr!

I really want Barnes & Noble to succeed. I love how they use the epub format, which is a universal book format, as opposed to the Kindle mobi format that can only be read on the Kindle and Kindle reading apps. But it's hard to sell your book when it's virtually invisible! New releases at least would put the book in front of a few readers.

But you can find it - either by typing the title in Barnes & Noble's search bar, or clicking on the handy dandy link I'm going to provide right here:

Buy Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret for Nook
Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret  is still available, of course, at Amazon and Kobo. And through the magic of Smashwords it is also available on ibooks, Sony, and diesel.
So you can buy it anywhere, anytime!
If you've already bought a copy and feel inclined to hop over to any of the sites and leave a review, that would be a wonderful boost to the book's visibility on the different sites!

Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret named one of Reads4Tweens best books of 2012!

I'm a bit late announcing this on the blog, but I was so thrilled when Reads4Tweens came out with a best books of 2012 list during the holidays. Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret made the list!

Reads4Tweens says Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is ... "a wonderful book for young readers who love mermaids and princesses. It’s in a modern setting, so it’s easy for them to put themselves in Miri’s shoes (fins?)."

Reads4Tweens is a fantastic book review resource aimed specifically at parents and teachers trying to find books for kids to read. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should check it out! The logo pretty much says it all, "because you want to know what they're reading." The reviews cover anything and everything you might be concerned about or want to discuss with your child.

Reads4Tweens was started by a mom trying to find good books for her kids. But she also happens to be very qualified to talk about children's books. She has a degree in children's literature, she's taught literature in middle school and high school, and she's currently a freelance editor. Needless to say, a great review from this caliber of reviewer was especially gratifying. You can see her full review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret here.

Ms. Ivy's Guide to Table Manners

As I mentioned in the last post, You are Hereby Cordially Invited to Dinner with the Queen - Don't Panic! has been getting a lot of interest! Apparently there are people getting dinner invitations that are a lot more exciting than the ones I get. Who's been invited to dinner at the White House? Come on, spill! I want to hear all about it!

Some people seem to be finding that post when they go in search of guides on manners. So what do you do when you get a nice dinner invitation. How do you act? Maybe I can make a little series of posts out of this.

First, let's start with some basic table manners. You know, the ones I'm trying to teach my own kids with various levels of success.

I try to scare table manners into them with a tale from my dating days. I was on a first date with a guy and we went to the local eatery  and got fried chicken. My date picked up a piece and tore into it like a hyena. Then he talked with huge pieces of meat hanging out both sides of his mouth. Not attractive.

Perhaps it was shallow, but I quickly had not desire for a second date!

You might not be trying to get a date, but at the very least I'm sure you would rather not turn the stomach of the other people at the table. And so, I give you...
Ms. Ivy's Guide to Basic Table Manners 1. Sit up straight. Don't put your elbows on the table.
You are sitting at the table, not lounging at the table.

2. Put your napkin in your lap. This will catch any crumbs that happen to fall in your lap and you can pick it up and discreetly wipe your mouth if you need to.
But you really shouldn't need to much. Chocolate stains napkins, so try to eat without chocolate drooling out of your mouth. Believe it or not I made this comment just last night, and my kid's aren't little! <sigh>

3. Wait for your hostess to pick up her fork before you take a bite.
There is nothing more frustrating to a hostess than serving the last plate (their own) and sitting down to the table just as everyone else is done and ready to leave the table.

4. Put a reasonable sized bite on your fork.
If you have to turn your fork sideways to get the bite in your mouth or open you mouth so wide that you're in danger of unhinging your jaw - then there's a good chance it qualifies as too big.

5. Chew one bite and swallow before putting another bite in your mouth.
Your fork is not a shovel and your mouth is not a dump truck. And for goodness sakes, don't lean over your plate like you are trying to guard your food and shovel repeatedly without a breath. I understand that is considered fine etiquette for chopsticks and rice, but that's not what we're talking about here.

6. Don't talk with your mouth full.
This can be a tough one. Some dinner companions make it almost impossible to follow this rule. Either they give you very little chance to jump into the conversation, or they give only short responses so you don't have time to eat your bite before they ask you another question. But, if you are taking small bites it will be easier to try to do this discreetly and not show the whole table your mouthful of half-chewed steak.

7. If you're having trouble getting something on your fork, like the last pieces of corn, don't use your fingers to push them on. Use another utensil, like the back of a spoon or your knife.
Okay, I admit to being guilty of that occassionally. If I don't need the spoon or knife for something else I hate to get another piece of silverware dirty. But, for goodness sake, if you cheat on this wipe your fingers discreetly on the napkin in your lap. Don't lick them!

8. Don't pick up your dessert plate to lick it clean.
Even if it was the best chocolate cake you have ever had. Don't Do This. It is not a compliment to the chef. It's just the impersonation of a dog. (And what is it with people letting their dogs lick their plates clean anyway? Eew.) In fact, you're not even supposed to try to get it squeaky clean with your fork, but if you try hard enough you can do a pretty good job and I doubt many people will know that particular manners rule.

So there's a basic list. I'm sure Miss Manner's could find something I have left out.  But this should get your through a meal without scaring off the rest of the diners!

So what did I leave out? Any dining manners pet peeves? Leave a comment!

I may seem idle here but I've been busy over at my author blog...

I have to apologize for neglecting this blog. I'll leave it at that because, really, who wants to read a post that's just a bunch of excuses? I usually wish the blogger would get over the apology and on with it already!

Even though I've been neglectful here, I have been posting over at my author blog, E.S. Ivy. At this blog, Miri Attwater's World, I only post things directly related (at least remotely) to the Miri Attwater books. At my author blog, E.S. Ivy, I blog about that and also anything else that strikes my fancy, including crafts and entertaining ideas.

Recent posts include:

Heart Shaped Thin and Crispy Pizzas
Make your Own Valentine Fortune Teller


Making two blogs seemed like a good idea at the time! Maybe one day I'll combine them, maybe not, but meanwhile... I'll try to do better with this blog.

The post You are Hereby Cordially Invited to Dinner with the Queen - Don't Panic! has been getting a lot of interest! Coming soon: Ms Ivy's Guide to Table Manners. That is, as soon as I can figure out why Blogger is taking me to Google Docs when I try to upload new images from my computer. It seems to have something to do with a change in my pop-up blocker. I just love technology! Not.