Dr. Data tries to keep track of the search terms that lead visitors to The Parsons’ Rant and he has noticed a significant uptick in visitors looking for a review of Tempest Revealed by Tracy Deebs. Dr. Data would love to find a copy so he could write a review but he has had no luck and herein begins the mystery.
Earlier this month, Dr. Data received a notice from GoodReads.com announcing that Tempest Revealed was released on June 4th, 2013. There were some pretty positive reviews for those who had been fortunate enough to obtain an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of this book but no word from those who had actually purchased a copy. A visit to Amazon.com revealed that:
- There is no product page for the Kindle edition
- There is no product page for the paperback edition
- There is a product page for the hardcover edition but the book is not yet available, The publication date is listed as October 21, 2014
Amazon is not alone in this; Barnes and Noble has no knowledge concerning Tempest Revealed. A visit to the author’s website shows that the last comment concerning the book was made way back in March of this year. To be fair, it must be noted that Ms Deebs is not the most prolific blogger out there.
Apparently, there has been some hold-up along the way. Rest assured that Dr. Data will read and review Tempest Revealed just as soon he can get his mitts on an electronic copy.
Please see Tempest Revealed is no longer M.I.A. for the latest update.
The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ merrows{{1}} gang aft agley
– with apologies to Bro. Robert Burns
Sometimes, things just go wrong and you can’t follow through on a promise. Back in January, my post entitled “Sequel City” listed seven mer-fiction sequels that were due to be published this year. Already, two of the sequels have missed their target release date. Actually, that would be three but Adrianna Steptiano was able to conquer her technical issues and release her next installment in the Memoirs of a Mermaid series – When, At Last, She Could See – only two days behind schedule.
Paige Blue’s LivEternal was targeted for release on Feb., 14th but has fallen behind due to a very hectic schedule. A new release date has yet to be announced.
The third book in the Mer Tales series, Everlost, by Brenda Pandos will not release on Feb. 28th as originally planned. There were a good number of last-minute edits to be done and no hope of doing a proper job in the time remaining so Brenda has re-scheduled the release for March 14th. She had briefly considered releasing on The Ides of March – Anyone remember the early 70’s band of the same name? – but feared a mob of angry fans bearing pitch-forks and torches if she delayed it a day longer.
Whilst waiting for Brenda to wrap up work on Everlost, yours truly will have the time to slip in one or two books that would have otherwise had to wait until after he was done with his review of that book. Meanwhile, a review of Fish Eyes: A Stranded Mermaid Adventure by Linda Pohring and Anne Dewberry will be posted here on this very blog site on or before March 1st.
That’s it for this edition of Book News. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get going on that review.
[[1]] “Merrow” is the Celtic name for merfolk. Dr. Data was attempting to make a (very) wee joke here.[[1]]
Gazebo Books Publishing, a micro/boutique publishing house in the Seattle area, has recently undergone an internal restructuring and is now Gazebo Gardens Publishing with three imprints:
Dream Garden Publications — books for children and families
Castle Garden Publications — books for tween and young adults
- [intlink id=”5263″ type=”post” target=”_blank”]All The Mermaids In The Sea[/intlink]
- [intlink id=”5711″ type=”post” target=”_blank”]A Mermaid Christmas[/intlink]
Gazebo and author Robert Cabell have gone their separate ways due to creative differences. How this parting will affect Bob Cabell’s next installments in his Mermaid Kingdom series remains to be seen.
Everlost Book Cover
The countdown has begun for the third installment in the Mer Tales series by Brenda Pandos. The release date is set for the last day in February – the 28th – and fans of the series are thankful that this is not a leap year. At this point in time, the book is not quite ready for pre-order on Amazon but we plan to add links to purchase both the Kindle and print editions as soon as Amazon begins taking orders.
[boxify box_spacing = “10” padding = “10” background_color = “#F0F8FF” background_opacity = “80” border_width = “3” border_color = “#000080” border_radius = “8” border_style = “solid” height = “100” position=”right”]Want to catch up on the Mer Tales series? Read our reviews:
- [intlink id=”120″ type=”page”]Everblue[/intlink]
- [intlink id=”951″ type=”page”]Evergreen[/intlink]
[/boxify]
To celebrate the pending release, Brenda is holding a give-away on Rafflecopter. You can learn all the necessary details on Brenda’s website.
We have lined up Brenda for a Twenty Questions Interview. She’s tied up in the last minute details of a book release but she has our questions in hand and we hope to publish the interview sometime immediately before or after Feb. 28, 2013.
If you’re as interested in Ash and Fin as we are, you won’t want to miss Everlost. It’s number 3 in our Review Queue and will be number one by the time the release date rolls around.
We’re back with Part II of our interview. We’ve been speaking with Robert W. Cabell, playwright and author, about his Mermaid Kingdom series. When we were setting up this interview with his publisher, Gazebo Books, Bob chimed in: “Now I can’t wait for my 20 questions,
or do I get 40 or maybe just 30?” Well, we gave him 32! Bob was a good sport about it and yesterday, we published the first 16 questions and today, we wrap up with the remaining 16.
[stextbox id=”Question” float=”true” width=”250″]If you haven’t read Part I of this interview, [intlink id=”6131″ type=”post”]go ahead and read it first[/intlink]. Don’t worry. We’ll wait for you.[/stextbox]
When we took a break from the first part of our interview, we were discussing one of the main characters, Perl, who will be the focus of her own spin-off series in the coming months. Today, we’ll learn a bit more about her as well as some of the other characters in Robert Cabell’s stories. Let’s pick up where we left off in the interview.
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In her own way, Pearl rescues her Grandmother, Helmi, from petrification. Is there, perhaps, some greater purpose to this in the story? |
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Yes, turning the old gods turning to stone thru apathy and sorrow is an ongoing part of the books and series. That tends to happen in our lives, as we get older. Apathy or fear sets in and we sit back and let the world pass us by. That is a mistake for everyone. |
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Perl comes in to her birthright with as much aplomb as anyone who suddenly has gills & a tail can. Why do you think that is? |
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Growing up, Pearl was “different” and to her, the dreams and fantasies she surrounded herself with were her real world. Also I have known several adopted people, and they all grow up fantasizing who their “real parents” are, no matter how great their adopted parents, or “Mom & Dad” are. |
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Miranda is featured prominently in All the Mermaids and is the Heroine of Mermaid Christmas What can you tell us about her? |
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Miranda is a fearless and as beautiful as the sea. Which kind of sums up my oldest niece. |
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Your stories span millennia. In what way will Perl’s life be different from both her mother’s and grandmother’s. |
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Pearl has to deal with the world of man, even more than her mother Miranda did. Also thru the transformation of Pearl, we also finally realize the prophecy of the creation of the new race of mer-folk. So Pearl will act as both a future ruler of that race, and an ambassador to the world of two-leggers, or humans above. And she will deal specifically with pollution of the oceans. |
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Finally, there is Poseidon’s youngest daughter, Helmi. What can you say about her character? |
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Helmi is more shy and retiring than her daughter or granddaughter, because she spent so much time alone, away from the company of others in her early centuries. But she has the wisdom and the concept of time far beyond that of either Miranda and Pearl. In the sequel/ prequel The Mermaid King of Krakatau which starts at the birth of Miranda, and ends at the explosion of Krakatau. |
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Perl and Mark seem to develop a mutual crush during the brief voyage through the Panama Canal. Does Mark feature in Perl’s future |
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Yes, but not until the second book in the series Pearl, A Modern Day Mermaid. |
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Love and friendship are two of the main themes in both books. Are there any others? |
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Each series has its focus.
All The Mermaids In The Sea sequels /prequels to are The Mermaid King of Krakatau and Pearls of Wisdom. They deal heavily with Greek Mythology and the Titans, and spins of the other series of books I have coming out all about the Titans and the “creator gods” of Greek Mythology and how Media became the hag. Pearl, A Modern Day Mermaid focuses on environmental issues, young romance, and the complications of interracial species. The Magical Adventures of Princess Miranda focuses on great moments in history, and will have its own – “Aurthinian – Merlin” book next. The Aquatic Adventures of Alex and Alexandra will be more “Potterish in that is creates the alternate world of Oceanus, a city created by Poseidon that houses all the great treasures of the gods, and the adventures of young twin merfolk. |
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The Sea Hag – a.k.a. Media – and her surrogate represents the force of evil in your story. Can we expect any other baddies to appear? |
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Cronos, the Hag, the scarz and the Greek family will continue to plague the mermaids with a few new creature twists. |
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Miranda meets an untimely end. Will she somehow return as did Helmi’s mate or will she remain a shade? |
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That is the focal point of Pearls of Wisdom and the answer is “yes and no”. |
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You have planned several series of books stemming from “All the Mermaids”. How many books in all do you envision? |
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As many as I can write before I die. |
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How have All the Mermaids and Mermaid Christmas been received by both readers and critics? |
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So far it has all been 4 and 5 stars or – “one of my favorite books of this genre” which is a gift from god to any writer. You can’t help but break out into tears when people decide to validate your work with any kind of praise. We write because we have to get this story down that is clawing it’s way out of our brain. Not for money or fame. The validation form readers is the true gold for a writer. And when they go to websites like Goodreads or Amazon or Barnes and Nobles and post reviews, it is the greatest gift they can give to help a book take off and have a life. |
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What other books have you authored? |
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I did a book on humor called The Encyclopedia of Laugher with Joey Adams. The Hair-Raising Adventures of Jayms Blonde Blonde Jokes, Jayms Blonde Jokes a photo joke book about blondes and life in general All The Mermaids In The Sea A Mermaid Christmas Volume One of The Magical Adventures of Princess Miranda Pearl, A Modern Day Mermaid Volume One: Attack of the Atomic Vampire Lamprey The Atomic Adventures of Alex and Alexandra Volume One: What’s A Kraken? The Little Dyslexic Angel an illustrated children’s book The First Superstar about the life and times of the French Actress Sarah Bernhardt, which is coming out this summer. The Clone Whores of Atlantis, 2048 coming out next fall. Chaos And The Titans coming out for Christmas of 2013 |
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You are a playwright as well. How does the creative process for the stage compare with that for All the Mermaids? |
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Every format you write in has some kind of “restrictions” except – novels. There you have total freedom to write what you want. In a play you have to think about cast size, production costs. In a play it is all about dialogue and interaction. You can’t really give the “history” in a narrative except in very rare occasions. There is no lush description of the surroundings or complex action or locations. It is limited to live dialogue and unless you have a huge Broadway budget, a fairly limited set.
My musicals are very different. Z – The Masked Musical of Zorro which has two productions in Germany this coming summer, is a heroic epic. My Off-Broadway Musical Pretty Faces is about a beauty pagent for plus size women. Act One is the week of rehearsals for the pageant, and Act Two is the Pageant, on and off stage. Both of these have albums available on i-Tunes. I have a series of plays about Sarah Bernhardt and Oscar Wilde, and those are all about dialogue. |
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You seem to be a creative Renaissance man. Is there anything else that you’d like to be able to do? |
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Well, I like to say I have been paid for everything and arrested for nothing. If I hadn’t gone into theater, I would have become a marine biologist, which explains my passion for the sea. But – I’ve been in the “Entertainment Industry” for over 40 years, and that gives you the time and opportunity to do anything you want. And I wanted to do it all. One by one, but try doing everything I could, and over the years I have. I’ve directed, choreographed, designed and produced theater both regionally and in NY. I’ve also acted and sung professionally for years, and I’ve produced albums, documentaries and short films, as wells as worked as a director, an editor and a director of photography, been the singer for a band, and soloist for orchestras.. I’ve also worked as an illustrator, created fragrances, sold paintings in galleries, been an avid gardener As a journalist I have written for the NY Post and other papers and magazines, been a NY theater critic, worked in marketing and syndication for Television with companies like HBO and Spelling. Basically, every time I get a chance to try something new – I take it. I’ve been successful with most things, and failed at a few, but I have loved every chance to try something new and hope I get more and more chances as life goes on. I am not a very savvy internet person, but the phrase “google me” works. If you google “Robert W. Cabell” it gives you a little idea of the different things I have done. |
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Is your move to Seattle – one of the primary locales in All The Mermaids – a permanent one? |
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As I said, I wrote the book seven years ago, I have no children, like my brother and sister do, so I promised my parents when they reached the age that they needed someone to take care of them, I would come home. I’ve got that “care-giver gene”. I have taken care of many of my friends since the 80’s as their health failed. From Aids, to Cancer, to ALS. Caring for someone is more than just feeding and dressing and bathing them. You need to give them as much love and laughter as you can so when they wake up every morning, they know the day will still hold some joy for them. So when my mom and dad called me in New York last year and asked if I would move back to care for them, I did. I lived in Manhattan for 34 years, and now, I live in the Seattle area. I will live here as long as my parents are with me, and when they pass, after that, I don’t know…Berlin…Hong Kong…Vancouver? |
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Before we wrap up, Is there anything else you’d like to mention? |
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Just that if anyone likes the book, please tell their friends and post a comment on whatever community they are part of. Facebook, kindle, Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing all of them are really helpful to authors. |
[boxify box_spacing = “10” padding = “8” background_color = “#F0F8FF” background_opacity = “80” border_width = “3” border_color = “#000080” border_radius = “10” border_style = “solid” height = “150” position=”right”]Interested in what I have to say about Robert Cabell’s mermaid books? See the reviews for:
- [intlink id=”5328″ type=”page”]All The Mermaids In The Sea[/intlink]
- [intlink id=”5743″ type=”page”]A Mermaid Christmas[/intlink]
[/boxify]Bob, thank you so much for taking the time play 20 32 Questions. It has been a pleasure and I hope that our readers enjoyed the interview as well. From the sound of it, I’ll be reviewing your books for some time to come.
On a personal note, I must commend you for all the time and love that you have dedicated to Care-Giving. My wife and I have spent the past 4 years looking after our elderly mothers and, therefore, we can understand the calling and the sacrifices one must make to do this sort of thing. Our best wishes go to you and your family.
I wanted to give a bit of advance notice to those of you who like Mer-fiction and Young Adult fantasy. Tomorrow, February 4th, 2012, I will release Part I of an interview with Robert W. Cabell, author of All The Mermaids In The Sea and A Mermaid Christmas. This is my most ambitious interview to date and I’ll play 20 Questions – 33, actually – with an extremely talented and fascinating writer. Part II will be released on February 5th. This is definitely an interview to read!
Now that the Christmas decorations have been stowed away and all that remains of the season is an extra inch around the waist and credit card bills, it’s time to consider what to read in the coming months. If you’re a fan of Mer-Fiction, rest assured that there will be plenty of books to choose from. For starters, many of the authors reviewed and interviewed here on The Parsons’ Rant are hard at work on a sequel or two. Lets begin with a story that has already been released:
M.W. Rowe has released the second book in his Mermaid Memoirs series, Queen of the Ocean. The story extends beyond Macy who has become more comfortable with her true self. Jeal, the little sister of Macy’s best friend under the waves, Anya, seems to be suffering from some sort of mer-megalomania as she wants to take over the oceans and put the humans in their proper place. We have an interview with M.W. Rowe that was done before the end of last year and will – I promise – be released later this week. [intlink id=”4619″ type=”page”]Meanwhile, have a look at our review of the first book in this series.[/intlink]
Adrianna Stepiano is quite busy these days putting the finishing touches on the second book in her Memoir of a Mermaid series, When, At Last, She Could See. Adrianna is aiming for a release date of January 29, 2013 for the e-book version and she has promised this reviewer an advance copy. I’m clearing the decks so that I may focus my attention on reading this new book and cobbling a review in time for the release date. Have a look at our review of her first book in the series, [intlink id=”903″ type=”page”” target=”_blank”]When, At Last, He Found Me[/intlink] as well as [intlink id=”6219″ type=”post” target=”_blank”]When, At Last, She Could See[/intlink].
Paige Blue is hot on Adrianna’s heels with the second installment in her Amerin Chronicles series, LivEternal. The first book was a real page-turner that left this reviewer hungry for more. Finding Summerland is one of a – very – small group of Mer-fiction books that are told from a guy’s point of view. Here’s a sample of what to expect from LivEternal:
. . . I was too far gone to consider looking back. Olivia crept in as I recalled all we’d been through, wondering if she would understand what was happening to me, or if I had become the anomaly. Regret crossed my mind as I thought about how close I’d come to sealing myself to her forever. I’d chosen to miss the opportunity. Now, I wondered if when I found her, she’d even want me. I thought I heard her voice calling out my name, but I didn’t trust it. I knew there was something lingering, probably some sick trick, or game my mind was playing on me. I fell deeper to sleep, relinquishing my control to rationalize, and discount the random thoughts swirling around inside. I was gone now. Left to the powers that be to play with as they chose. Fair game for the moment…
LivEternal is expected to release on Feb. 14th. Take a look at our review of Finding Summerland. Before we move on, you should know that Paige Bleu has a fan page on Facebook that is quite entertaining.
Fans of the Mer Tales series by Brenda Pandos will have a red-letter day on Feb. 28th as that is when Brenda Pandos will publish Everlost. This book, the third in the series, will continue the story of Ash and Fin and considering the surprises in the second installment, Evergreen, this reviewer can’t wait to learn what happens. If you’re late to the table for this series, use [intlink id=”120″ type=”page”]our review of Everblue[/intlink] and [intlink id=”951″ type=”page”]our review of Evergreen[/intlink] to catch yourself up.
Emm Cole, author of Merminia and the subject of [intlink id=”5412″ type=”page”]the first interview here on The Parsons\’ Rant[/intlink], is shooting for a release date in April or May for – the working title – Merminia: The Tide’s Reach. Emm says that
as Ulric takes over Dencur, Selinne and Aramis set out to stop him from using the ring. A ten-year old boy named Walter gets swept up in their dangerous mission. Elves, witches, dragons, and unicorns are some of the mythical creatures that appear throughout the story. Selinne has a few scenes in mermaid form, but the majority of the book is set on land.
The Tide’s Reach promises to be an interesting sequel. So until April or May gets here, you catch yourself up by reading [intlink id=”4956″ type=”page”]our review of Merminia[/intlink]
Also scheduled for that time-frame – May 1st to be exact – is Zoradia Cordova‘s The Savage Blue, the second book in her series and another example of a story in which the main character, Tristan, is male. According to Zoradia,
In the quest for the Sea Throne, Tristan has already watched one good friend die. Now he must lead the rest on a dangerous voyage to the infamous port of the Vanishing Cove in search of the trident that will make him king. . . .Tristan needs his friends’ support. But they each have their secrets, and a betrayal will force Tristan to choose between loyalty and ambition, friendship and love. In the race for a throne, all’s fair in the savage blue.
Zoradia is definitely one author we want to interview. [intlink id=”5863″ type=”page”]Read our review of The Vicious Deep[/intlink].
Finally, to round out this roundup of Mer-fiction sequels, Mayda Schaefer has targeted October of this year as the publication date for Chasing Destiny. Mayda’s forthcoming story
. . . begins 3 years later, with Kincade trying to fulfill his promise to meet Destiny on her 16th Birthday. Unfortunately, there are “other” menacing forces at play and Kincade ends up Shanghai’d, working on a ship, (using legs no less) with no recollection of whom he is or where he is going. Meanwhile, in Enchanted Cove, Shellen is making up for lost time, by trying to do “motherly” things, like packing peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches in Destiny’s lunch and paying for groceries with gold doubloons.
Awaiting Destiny is a sweet and touching story with an ample helping of humour. Needless to say, Chasing Destiny promises to make the end of Summer something to look forward to. See [intlink id=”5655″ type=”page”]our review of Chasing Destiny[/intlink].
So, there you have it; seven sequels guaranteed to make 2013 even more interesting. Drop by The Parsons’ Rant to read the reviews and interviews.
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