CUSTOM DESIGNED HANDMADE MERMAID SOAP
And a note about running out of ink
Welcome to Monday Mermaid Musings where I talk about my new book The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, March 19, 2024) and how much of the story was created. I hope you enjoy these tidbits as I hope to extend the conversation around the book beyond the mythology, lovely as that is most of the time.
This site may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive minimal compensation.
29 April 2024
“Custom Designed Handmade Mermaid Soap”
When I was searching for a unique promotional item to offer around the release of my new book The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024,) I remembered that a dear friend makes handmade soap. Louise McGinnis and I attended Seton Hill University together in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program. We were friends and critique partners. I learned about her business Otherworldly Soap through another program cohort.
I bought several beautiful soaps from Louise that included some wonderful colors and creative scents. And they were a pleasure to use. One bar of soap was mermaid themed and called “Ocean Siren.” At the time, I had already come across that infamous tweet about the legend of the mermaid riots. As you may recall, the idea for my book had to simmer for several years before I had the time to write it. I kept that bar of mermaid soap on my desk for inspiration while writing The Mermaid Riot. It also gave me the idea to commission her to create a custom handmade soap for my promotions.
She asked me about colors and scents and took it from there. I think the result is fantastic. Here is the scent description from Louise:
Serena’s Ocean is a refreshing blend that evokes the feeling of tranquil walks on the beach while capturing the essence of a captivating ocean tide rolling along the shoreline. This customized scent blends the earthy aroma of black seaweed accord with the crispness of cucumber water. While ozonic ocean air mingles with citrus notes to create an invigorating sensation. It brings a sense of calm as the sweetness of Galia melon, delicate green lily blossoms, mix with the elegance of jasmine and violet petals to form a special floral depth for your senses. As we bring you home, let us leave you with warm notes of powdered musk that mingle with the freshness of dewy rose and soothing aroma of tea leaves. It anchors you to the beach with the woody scent of cedar leaf providing you with a sensory journey to the seaside.
She chose a wonderful set of colors for the soap that included the blues of the sky and water and the tans of the sand on the beach. Then she made me very happy by naming the custom soap after one of my characters from the book: “Serena’s Ocean.” The soap includes an adorable mermaid tail that is also made of soap.
I couldn’t be happier with the soap. I highly recommend that you visit her Etsy site. Working with Louise was dreamy from start to finish. You will be pleased and fascinated by the variety of scents and designs she creates. I love the results of our collaboration because she is a true creator and professional. She puts heart, soul, and creativity into every item.
I like mermaids because they make waves.
Stay tuned for more background, how I twisted the so-called facts of the “mermaid incident” to suit the story, and how I applied literary license to write a fantasy novel about learning to believe what you’re told and when to question it.
~JEH
The Mermaid Riot is a work of fiction inspired by a true event that happened in Charleston, South Carolina in 1867 which became known as the mermaid riots. Names, dates, and locations have been fabricated to accommodate the plot.
The Mermaid Riot by Joy E. Held is available in ebook and print form from online retailers. Read a sample and purchase here
https://www.fireandiceya.com/authors/joyeheld/mermaid.html
IN OTHER NEWS
Running out of ink is no fun. Whether it’s my printer or my favorite journaling pen, I am regularly frustrated and always surprised when the ink well runs dry. That experience is one of the reasons I include at least one writing tool in every edition of My WriteDay subscription box. My idea of hell is having paper but nothing to write with. At least MWD subscribers know the convenience and can count on getting a new pen or pencil in every box. Whew.
JOY E. HELD is an author, educator, editor, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
She writes spicy historical fiction under a pen name.
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.
Love the soap!!