Book Talk: Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper

Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper (Eternal Moonshine of a Daydreaming Mind) came out last week and I read it in two sittings, which is fast for a mom with three kids! Before I go on, let me first say that my Book Talks aren't exactly book reviews, in that I don't talk very much about the plot... I mainly talk about the book the way I'd talk to friends sitting in my living room about the book. So, I won't be giving the story so many stars or happy faces or what-nots.

Let me secondly say, this book was a delight from beginning to end! I have to admit, I eagerly anticipated its release because mermaids are a secret lifelong love of mine. I re-enacted scenes from The Little Mermaid into an embarrassingly advanced age – did anyone else pretend the arm of the sofa was a massive rock as they sang the reprieve to Part of Your World? No? Just me, then... let's just forget I ever mentioned that.

As I was saying, Tangled Tides is a beautifully written story with amazing characters and a romance that left me breathless. The descriptions were elegant, everything from the ocean to Treygan’s lightning eyes and Yara’s hair floating before her. And my GOSH the tattoos (I mean, hallmarks), those were almost my favorite thing to imagine. Description is important to me; I want to be seduced into another world without even realizing it. Karen did a phenomenal job of this with Tangled Tides.

This Book Talk is turning into a Book Gush, but what can I say? The story is exactly my favorite kind to read. Magic, mystery, romance, adventure, all with a tightly woven plot and swoon-worthy description. I was in! I can't say much more without giving away the story, but I do want to mention that Tangled Tides was one of those books that's easy to slip into, and after a few pages it became impossible to put down. The action is non-stop and the world is fascinating. Not only did this story charm and delight me, but it took dark and heartbreaking turns with a message of hope and love woven throughout.

It’s a joy to find a story that so effortlessly takes my imagination to places I thought were familiar – places I enjoy immensely in their own right, with mermaids and sirens and sea monsters – and turn them into a unique and wholly new world. If you've read Tangled Tides or are thinking about it, let me know what you think.

Book trailer for Tangled Tides below, and click HERE for a link to Amazon, where you can experience the first few pages for yourself!

DNA Post: Avoiding Blogger Burnout

Today's my day at DNAwriters.com. Check out my post on avoiding blog burnout:

Avoiding Blogger Burnout: Tips and Tricks to Stay Motivated

And here's a quick update:

1. My neighbor's teeny tiny pomeranian-chihuahua mix had PUPPIES!

2. How is it almost Thanksgiving?

3. I started a new novel......I know. I've said that before, but this manuscript is THE ONE. <3

I hope everyone else is doing spectacularly amazing. Happy Saturday!

Do Come and Meet Ned!

Amalia Dillin (Good to Begin Well) wrote a funny and delightfully fun flash short which was picked up for publication by Daily Science Fiction, and her story is live now! Read "Ned Thrall" here and pass on the good news if you have the chance!

Ocean Under Stars

Two forces of beauty and power.

Silent, they regard each other.

At last, one speaks.

"I am important. Each night I become a blanket of the deepest blue. People study me, are inspired to art and poetry and music and love because of me. I am breathtaking. Cold and unfeeling. A mystery. I am deadly, for people journey across me and through me with great mechanisms, protecting their frail bodies from my harsh, lightless world and still I claim them as my own. And I am needed, for without me, they would die."

The other says:

"You? I am more important than you. Each night people stare at me with wonder. They spend their lives learning about me, exploring me, studying me and still they've learned but a fraction of my mysteries. Deadly, you? People embark on great vessels, they cover themselves in suits and still I rob them of breath if they slip within my silent world. And I am needed, for without me, they would die."

Unbeknownst to these two forces, a person had been listening. After much thought the person states, "You are both the same."

"I am water!"

"I am air!"

The person watches the endless blue, with starlight sprinkled across one surface and reflected across the other. "Both of you long to be admired, long to be needed, because I make it so. Because I am giving you this life and these voices. I choose to see your beauty. I choose to revel in your power. It's true that you can be deadly to me, and that without you I would die, but without me and others like me, you are nothing but sea and sky."