TALES OF THE MER FAMILY ONYX, Excerpt here from Coney Island story

A great year for short story collections at Pelekinesis! Check out titles from Peter Cherches, Peter Wortsman, Don Skiles, Selena Chambers, Susan Weinstein, and Roberta Allen.  http://pelekinesis.com/

https://vimeo.com/231084678

Vimeo, Sara Minisquero reading from The Mermaid Parade Chapter 4, what happens when a real mermaid meets her earthly counter part at The Coney Island Parade. Very fun.

The definitive edition of thiis book has evolved for more than a decade. It began with a child's intense fascination with mermaids; beautiful creatures, between earth and sea. Many countries have Mer stories. After these, my son wanted his own. Entering a child's fantasy--under his direction-- and making it a shared world is a kind of tradition. Supposedly, Alice's request for stories led to Carroll's Wonderland, E.Nesbit dedicated her Five children and It to her son. Like those stories,Mer Family has also been appreciated by adults. Imagine being married to The King of the Seas? There's the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, through a mermaid's eyes, and the serious work containing mankind's mess. I consider it a compliment that a Coney Island gaff artist sold a Fiji Mermaid of my character Pinky Onyx, of the race of mini-mermaids. So this is a book really for children of all ages. And do come to Cornelia St. Cafe 7/9 and hear a reading of the Parade story. Should be fun.

Excerpt from Chapter 4 read at Cornelia St Cafe 7/9, do come if so inclined! 

Vimeo Note, these readings are from New Editions of Paradise Gardens & Tales of the Mer Family Onyx. These books aren't reprints. I rewrote and illustrated to make them better.

So, if you choose to

 purchase, get the good ones. On Kindle it's the same price but there's no comparison. Thanks.

" Her idea began deep under water, where she saw a piece of torn

cloth fluttering under a funny set of metal chains with great

cylinders attached."

Excerpt from Chapter 4. Sapphire’s 16th birthday at the Coney
Island Mermaid Parade

Shyly, Sapphire poked her head up from the sea and looked at the sky. Now that she was of age she could break the surface, though she had to consider the ancient warning about showing herself.
Yet what harm could there be in wanting to see land-based mermaids—kin? She would wait and they would swim by. Sapphire imagined a parade, Mer folk swimming in a line with much noise and laughter. She would join the singing, as they went from one part of the island to the other.

She found a good rock not too close to the boardwalk, though close enough to see it and the waters that must bring her folk. Sapphire took out her abalone mirror and comb of shark’s teeth. Neptune said whole eternities passed in the time it took his daughters to comb their hair.
Patience was a mermaid trait. Sapphire’s long hair was blue black and turquoise. As
she brushed, it shone like sea foam touched with sky. In the mirror, she looked to the water but on the boardwalk saw a strange assembly of sea creatures.

Almost a different species, she thought, zooming in on two mermaids with orange and yellow hair cut in a flat straight line, holding a banner. The long purplish hair of another mermaid was
filled with sea creatures of an unfathomable shiny material. They could not be living things, she thought. And what is that fearsome creature? More demon than Mer, it bared fangs at several men holding black boxes at funny angles. Suns popped from the boxes and faded. Then Sapphire noticed,
floating in the demon mermaid’s forehead, a curious eyeball.

Unseeing, she thought, in an unreal eye socket, like the rest of the creature. Were there no natural sights? She spotted a young boy with green streaky skin and dull whitish hair carrying a red trident of some inert material.

Almost a different species, she thought, zooming in on two
mermaids with orange and yellow hair cut in a flat straight line

About TALES OF THE MER FAMILY ONYX

Children's Bookwatch

MBR  The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Reviewers’ Choice

Tales of the Mer Family Onyx
Susan I. Weinstein
Pelekinesis
112 Harvard Avenue, #65, Claremont, CA 91711
www.pelekinesis.com
9781938349546, $21.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

"Tales of the Mer Family Onyx: Mermaid Stories on Land and Under the Sea" by Susan I. Weinstein is an 'all in the family' novel for young readers about Neptune, his wife, Glendora, and their pair of Mer twins: the teenagers Emerald and Sapphire, the tweens Rainbow and Bowrain, baby Ruby and Neptune's daughter of the race of mini-mermaids, Pinky. "Tales of the Mer Family Onyx" begins with Glendora's introduction of her family and Neptune's challenge to his children. In the process, the Mer Children escape their father's shadow and make themselves proud. Original, entertaining, and thoroughly 'kid friendly' from beginning to end, "Tales of the Mer Family Onyx" is unreservedly recommended, especially for family, school, and community library General Fiction collections for young readers. It should be noted that "Tales of the Mer Family Onyx" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.95).

A Modern Classic For Children
by Sonia Taitz, author of  Great With Child

"The Tales of the Mer Family Onyx are nothing short of spectacular. The author has created a beautiful and convincing alternative world—a modern-day Oz or Thousand Acre Wood. The stories of this mermaid family are engaging, imaginative, and gorgeously written and wisely resolved. Each chapter presents an adventure involving the children of the Mer Family, who rule the undersea world. From the powerful and majestic Neptune to the smallest mer baby, each character comes alive and will appeal to children of all ages, whether male or female. What a joy to find a new classic like this in our fast-paced, modern world!"

I am announcing the publication of my New Edition, which will be published on 6/25.
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade was an inspiration for these stories.The Pelekinesis New Edition will be available at  http://pelekinesis.com/catalog/susan_weinstein-mer_family_onyx.html

 https://www.facebook.com/Tales-of-the-Mer-Family-Onyx-New-Edition-1586938601331216/

https://www.facebook.com/Tales-of-the-Mer-Family-Onyx-109889199091651/

http://pelekinesis.com/catalog/susan_weinstein-mer_family_onyx.html
S.W.