More That Got Away

Today, I received To Catch a Mermaid by Suzanne Selfors in the mail, and I realized that I have not yet announced it. It came out on September first, and is aimed for ages 9-12. Here is the blurb:

Boom Broom thinks his life can't get any worse. Ever since his mother was swept away by a twister, his father has been locked in the attic, leaving twelve-year old Boom to care for his little sister Mertyle. Low on money, Boom brings home a feisty, seaweed-covered fish from the reject seafood bucket by the docks. But when the seaweed parts, Boom and Mertyle find that their supper is actually a foul-tempered merbaby.

Boom wants to use the creature to get rich, but Mertyle won't hear of it. She loves the mud-scented baby and wants to keep it for herself. But when strange things begin to happen, Boom is afraid they might be cursed! With the help of their Viking housekeeper, Halvor, and his secret society, Boom and his sister set off to find the home of the merfolk, in search of a cure. To Catch a Mermaid is a whimsical fantasy adventure reminiscent of Eva Ibbotson and Roald Dahl.

Among the links I found for this title was her Class of 2K7 page and reviews at The Washington Post and The Kitsap Sun. I also found an enthusiastic post by a member of her writer's group, and it has been nominated for a Cybil Award, which is an award where the public nominates their favorite children's books and a group of bloggers read them and pick the winners.

Carole McDonnell wrote to me of Cimmerian City by Rae Lindley. Amazon shows its release date as October 10th.

Greed can turn a good man’s heart to stone. This is especially true in the age of commerce and large corporations. No new pill can be taken without a laundry list of side effects that the patient may have to endure. But what if the side effects are more dangerous than the pills are helpful? What if the side effect causes the patient to be immune from standard dangers, such as firearms, the climate, etc., but causes them to change into otherworldly beings?

It is seen through the eyes of a young woman named Raven Blackheart. It is a future where corporations rule the world and political parties have been dismissed. An Earth that is recovering from a global war that has divided two races: Humans and Dracins, quick, tough skinned creatures that are children of the side effects from 20th century pharmaceuticals. Raven awakens in this world as a product of both races and nurtured by the vice president of the main corporation in the world as a symbol of the union of races. With her help, Vice President Tyler Deamond’s corporation can take both beings off Earth, which is quickly becoming a waste planet, and to a new terraformed planet. But, as Raven learns, nothing is as it seems, especially concerning humans.

The author appears to have been quite busy promoting her book, and I found scads of links, including a spotlight at Dark Parables (Carole's original shout-out), an interview at Conversations with Writers, the author's "Coffee Corner", a review of the original ebook at WildChild, another review at Love Vampires, a book trailer, SciFiChick's review, and a review at Leicester Review of Books.