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    • Guest Post: Sharing Mermaid Wisdom by Joanne Guidoccio

    Hello friends! Today you’re in for a treat. We’re joined by my Sisters in Crime friend and author Joanne Guidoccio! Years ago she invited me onto her blog to share a guest post on how to interact with people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and today I get to return the favor.
    Joanne is celebrating the release of a new holiday mermaid short story that follows a former mermaid navigating secrets, betrayal, and second chances on land. If Daryl Hannah or Ariel was the last time you dipped a toe into mermaid lore, get ready. Joanne’s mermaids swim in deeper, more magical waters. Her story blends fantasy, myth, and women’s fiction with a dash of holiday sparkle. Welcome, Joanne!

    Sharing Mermaid Wisdom

    by Joanne Guidoccio

    Collecting quotations has always been one of my favorite hobbies. Back in the pre-computer days, I used to jot them down on little slips of paper and toss them into a desk drawer. Once a month, I would type them up and file them in a special folder. These days, I use Pinterest and Goodreads to save my favorite quotations, but the feeling is the same: there’s something satisfying about capturing words that say exactly what I’ve been thinking or feeling.

    Here are ten “mermaid” inspired quotations that have resonated with me:

    “A mermaid’s heart is the most fragile thing in the sea. You’ve somehow managed to keep yours beating. The shield doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re a survivor.” Emm Cole

    “Darwin may have been quite correct in his theory that man descended from the apes of the forest, but surely woman rose from the frothy sea, as resplendent as Aphrodite on her scalloped chariot.” Margot Datz   

    “Rainbows and mermaids are proof that imagination and beauty go hand in hand.” Brandi Fitzgerald

    “There is something different about women who were born by the sea, baptized in salt water, and raised by the tides. We were mermaids, adapting to the temperamental whims of storms that brewed beyond the shores.”  Victoria Benton Frank

    Where there’s water, we find mermaids. Maybe it’s time we started asking ourselves exactly why that is.”  Mira Grant

    “Be a mermaid who doesn’t settle for making a small splash. Be a mermaid who doesn’t stop until she makes tidal waves. Be a mermaid who knows to stop before she devastates the world with her tsunamis.”  Amanda Lovelace 

    “I must be a mermaid. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”  Anaïs Nin

    “She was a mermaid, but she didn’t want you to save her. She wanted you to see her for who she truly was.” J.M. Storm

    “She is a mermaid, beautiful and fierce, with the power to captivate hearts and stir the depths of souls.” Unknown

    “She is a mermaid on dry land, and the world is her ocean. Her mind swims at a depth most would drown in.” J. Iron Word

    Now that you’re in mermaid mode, I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you about my latest release: Hippie Mermaid.
    Hippie Mermaid book cover
    Blurb

    From sea to shore, betrayal follows her wherever she goes.

    On Christmas Eve, psychic Kendra Adams reveals the secret she’s hidden for decades—she was once Rosina, a mermaid torn between sea and shore. Betrayed in her ocean kingdom and desperate to escape banishment, she persuades a politician to smuggle her into the human world. But freedom on land comes at a cost, as she soon finds herself ensnared in another web, this one spun by the politician’s power-hungry sister.

    Excerpt

    The human laughter startled me. It sounded so foreign, unlike anything I had ever heard before. I followed the sounds and turned my gaze toward four large humans approaching us. Up close, they were frightening, almost menacing, in their dark garments. I took note of their varying appearances. Two had light brown hair and blue eyes, while the other pair sported dark hair and dark eyes. Intent on observing the darker pair, I didn’t notice the other two men eyeing me.

    “Hippie mermaid!” yelled one of the men with light-colored features.

    All the men glanced in my direction. I felt myself reddening as I met their liquid eyes and wide smiles. There was interest there, and some other emotion or feeling I had never seen before. For a split second, I was flattered by their attention. And then I recalled what Mama had said. I must let Annabella choose first.

    Annabella did not give me a chance to react. She beckoned to the man who had spoken, and he reluctantly turned away from me. Rosetta claimed the other light-haired man, and Lisetta chose one of the dark-haired men. I watched as they moved to separate rocks along the shore.

    The remaining man approached. As his features came into closer focus, I realized he was older than the others. Not by much, but there were white hairs sprinkled in the darkness, and his face crinkled as he smiled. “I guess I won this mermaid lottery.”

    My eyes widened in surprise.

    He laughed and shook his head. “You could have had any of us. You didn’t have to end up with me.”

    “But I’m not a Bella or an Etta. I’m an Ina.” There was no point in hiding my rank. I had never been embarrassed by it, and after hearing about Aunt Lina’s punishment, I knew my place.

    “Honey, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re the prettiest of the group. You just don’t know it yet.”

    About the Author

    Joanne Guidoccio enjoyed a rewarding career teaching mathematics, business, and co-operative education courses before retiring to pursue writing. A member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, she writes paranormal romances, cozy mysteries, and inspirational stories from her home base of Guelph, Ontario. Find her at https://joanneguidoccio.com.

    Thank you, Joanne, for sharing your mermaid wisdom and a glimpse into Hippie Mermaid. If you’d like to dive deeper into Rosina’s world, you can find the story and all of Joanne’s links below. Give her a follow, send her some holiday cheer, and let her know which quote resonated with you most!

    Get Hippie Mermaid from Amazon

    Follow Joanne on any of her Social Media Links:

    Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 17 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.

    In 2025, two of her children’s books were selected for the CBC Favorites Award Lists, honored by teachers and librarians nationwide for excellence in children’s literature. Parents, kids, and educators love the Duke the Deaf Dog books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through engaging stories.

    And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project thrown together the night before it’s due.

    A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.

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