What is it about me? Where did my infatuation with mermaids come from? Does it seem odd that I would devote my enjoyment of mermaids on a site that promotes my adult suspense thriller novels? I agree. I guess that makes me intriguing.
My Infatuation with Mermaids
Where did my infatuation with mermaids come from?
I do not know. What I can say is that sea life has always fascinated me. Just as I have a belief in Animism, I believe in creatures yet undiscovered at the ocean’s depths. These creatures do not want to be found and take great pains to hide from the surface world. After all, humans rule the surface world and we haven’t been kind to the Earth’s oceans.
From childhood until my mid-fifties, I satisfied this curiosity by maintaining many large fish tanks, raising beta’s and creating communities of various fish species. I created various underwater scenes filed with plant life, rocks, bubblers, and various animated structures. One that I was always on the lookout for were mermaids, sirens, and divers. Perhaps that was the start.
My vision of mermaids
Of course, there can’t be mermaids without mermen to mate and produce offspring. Together, I refer to both sexes as merfolk. To prevent inbreeding, they will occasionally entice human males to follow them into the sea, mate with the mermaids, all the while the mermaids keep them from drowning until they’ve taken their seed, discarding the male to drown.
I also believe they live in the oceans like other underwater creatures. Mermaids are mammalian amphibians, meaning they can breathe air and water and nurse their young with mother’s milk. They hunt only to feed, and not on each other or for sport. They may occasionally adorn their bodies with ornamentation that falls from the surface, but never with clothing. Beyond that, I don’t rightly know what else to believe, except they are beautiful and a necessary part of Gaia’s biosphere.
Incorporating Mermaids in my Creativity
Mermaids in my Paintings and Drawings
For most of my life, I’ve doodled mermaids whenever the mood took me. Creating scenes and images in my artwork took on a whole new emphasis after my divorce and the rediscovered my artistic talents.
I resumed sketching, drawing, and painting at the turn of the 21st century, favoring the female nude and has produced many compositions in graphite, charcoal, oil paint, and watercolors. His gallery of works grew year after year. He exhibits them on his online gallery, which you can find at maggicalExpressions.
Below is a sampling of my mermaid art. My favorite is ‘Today’s Challenge’ and an example of my artistry. It earned a Fan Favorite award at the Rochester Erotic Festival some years ago. There are plenty more in my gallery on this site.
Using Mermaids in my Writing
Mona Bendarova Series
I also write stories that tickle my interest. I included mermaid stories in ‘The Taste of Honey’ and ‘Lucky Bitch,’ both are books in the Mona Bendarova Series. In the first title, it was a dream sequence by the leading lady character, Honey. In the latter, it was a MerHunt competition among the various houses in the community. Think of it as a fishing competition and the winner was the mermaid that avoided capture. Read the Mona books to truly appreciate the competition.
Consortium Series
I also wrote a mermaid sequence in ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ where the leading lady, Avril, daydreamed while doing fifty laps in a pool. Although a strong swimmer, she preferred running long distance marathons over swimming. Alas, because of current circumstances, running on a treadmill was all she could do. Swimming was the next best thing.
Swimming laps in an Olympic sized pool, she got lost in her daydream of being a mermaid. When she came out of the fugue state, she realized she had almost doubled the number of laps she intended. It surprised her to find out she wasn’t tired or winded at all. Over the following years, she tried to repeat the experience of daydreaming of being a mermaid, but they rarely came to her. But, I keep it back in my mind for future stories.
A Mermaid’s Irresistible Curiosity
I also wrote ‘A Mermaid’s Irresistible Curiosity,’ a Mermaid Novella, available on this website, back in 2007. It was the only story I wrote long before I began publishing my stories that survived the passing of time. It took another ten years before I published my first book.
Oblivion, a mermaid of the deep, found it impossible to resist the surface world above her. One day, her curiosity got the best of her and she swam to the surface to see what that oblong shape on the surface was doing. Trying to stay out of sight, she failed to notice a net approaching her position. If you think you can guess the rest, you’d be wrong.
Click the image to read the story to find out what really happened.
Jigsaw Puzzles featuring Mermaids
I have dozens of Jigsaw puzzles of Mermaids. I started buying and assembling them during the pandemic. Being stuck at home all day, I split my day between writing and doing puzzles. My live-in partner, Janet, gave me the first one to me as a Christmas present. I put it together and caught the jigsaw puzzle bug. Before I knew it, I was ordering online as many mermaid puzzles I could find.
As I completed each one, I’d photograph it and add it to my online gallery of puzzles. I even created a portfolio of my experiences with each one, along with a review of the puzzle.
In time I looked for more and more complicated puzzles. Eventually, I exhausted the marketplace for puzzles featuring mermaids. That’s when I found Chinese puzzles printed on wood. Overall, they disappointed me in that as one they printed cheat codes on the underside of the puzzle, and two, the wood comprised thin sheets of plywood, which weren’t well glued together. I had to re-glue dozens of pieces as I assembled them. I gave up on them.
Since the pandemic ended, I haven’t worked on any of the still unopened boxes. I have dozens of them and I’ll get back to them in time.
Other Art featuring Mermaids
I also have purchased mermaid art and art prints. I especially like Olivia De Berardinis’s work, having purchased two of her limited prints signed by both the artist and the model. The image shown here is a poor copy of the print I have hanging over my bedroom headboard. This image does not do justice to the translucent tail or the webbing between her fingers.
I also have a second signed limited edition print from Olivia De Berardinis. Although not a mermaid, this one is just as beautiful and hangs in my home office behind my desk. I love looking at both. You’ll forgive me if this is not strictly a mermaid, won’t you?
Other artwork I own includes two by Andy’s Dames. You can find his beautiful works at patreon.com/andysdames and subscribestar.com/andysdames. You can also purchase prints, etc. at http://www.andysdames.bigcartel.com
I have several other mermaids hanging on the walls of my office, and a curio cabinet filled with dozens of ‘December Diamonds Mermaids’. Anna is just one in the curio cabinet. I have a framed print of ‘Mermaid Martini’ hanging near my top shelf liquor cabinet. And, before you ask, I don’t know how many other everyday items with a mermaid theme. You get the idea. I’m infatuated with them, yet I don’t know why, I just am.
Header artwork by Heraip whose gallery is found on Deviant Art.
