The Trouble with Mermaid Tails

Where the heck is my mermaid tail? Seriously! I, Sheila Nielson, am now the proud owner of a swimable mermaid tail. Or, at least, I should be. I ordered one so we could film some underwater scenes for the Forbidden Sea trailer and it's taking FOREVER to get here. With the amount of time it is taking, you'd think they had to catch and skin a real live mermaid to get me a tail. It's gold, just like Jendayi's tail and I really want it to get here already.

Okay, I'm calm again. Just had to get that out of my system. : )

Chapter Seventeen

Every once in a while an author comes up against a difficult chapter. No matter how many times they rewrite the thing--it never seems to work right. You cut things out, you add things back in, you try to cover all that needs to be covered without bogging the whole story down. But it just won't work. Chapter Seventeen in my ghost story is just such a chapter for me. I'm starting to think one of the ghosts from the story has cursed me so I can't get it right. But which ghost? I'm really holding out hope that it's the warm and friendly ghost and not the icy cold, evil one. I might have to move on to Chapter Eighteen for a while and come back to Seventeen when I have more courage. Or patience. Something I'm a little short on at the moment, my little ghosties--so behave already!

EVPs: More Than I Ever Wanted to Know About Ghostly Voices

I've been learning all about EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) this week as part of my ghost story research. That's when people record ghostly voices talking on digital recorders. Just for the record--very scary stuff. For those who are brave, I am including a link to one such recording. It's a child's voice saying,  "Mom, I love you." For those who already have trouble sleeping without a light on each night--you might want to skip this one.

Click here to see EVP video.

Click here if you want to laugh and think happy thoughts instead. : )

An Author Never Knows What They Will End Up Dealing With

Today I received an email from one of my writer's group members asking for help in trying to figure out a way to spread a deadly virus that could wipe out humanity. No she is not a mad scientist set on destroying human life--she's working on a distopian novel and got a little stuck trying to figure out logistics. But it was pretty hilarious finding an email like that in my inbox. Someone who didn't know I was a writer might think I was in cahoots to take over the world. Then again--maybe I am. : )

New Manuscript in the Works

I've finally decided which of my many projects I am going to write next. I'm extremely excited about this one because I'm going to include illustrations as an intricate part of the storyline. Many of you probably don't realize it, but I actually got my college degree in children's illustration. Being able to put those skills back to work is really exciting for me and adds something extra to my enjoyment in writing this particular story. It's a story that will appeal to boys and girls. I'm going for something a little more light-hearted and hilarious this time around. The polar opposite of the moody, creep-fest ghost story I'm working on at the same time. Should be interesting to say the least.

Forbidden Sea Sequel is Now Complete!

I did it! I actually finished writing the sequel to Forbidden Sea. I've sent it off to my agent who is checking it over and if everything is in good order she'll send it off to the publishers to see if they will consider it for publication. Now begins the waiting. I hate this part. It can take months before an author hears back from the publisher and in the end it could very well be that they decide they just want to stick with one book and not take the sequel at all. I'm so excited (and nervous) to have it all done though. Here is hoping that Scholastic will like the story enough to acquire it. : ) Keep your fingers crossed.

First Follower Gets all the Spoils

Cassandra, since you were the first official follower on the Mysterious Blog, I used your name in my ghost story as a reward. The character is a teenage girl who becomes friends with the main character while hunting for ghosts in a haunted museum. If the book ever gets published, you can buy copies for all of your friends and tell them you are now famous!

Book Research Can Take You Strange Places

Today as part of research for my ghost story, I purchased my very first tube of glow-in-the-dark lipstick with a bottle of glow-in-the-dark nail polish to match. I can't wait to experiment with them and write about the results. And what does glow-in-the-dark makeup have to do with ghosts, you might ask? You'll have to read the book and find out!

New Story Idea--I Love When That Happens

I got the best idea for a story a couple weeks ago. I get those a lot--too many, in fact. I can't write them all. But this one looks really promising. It's got magic unicorns, wicked goblins, a handsome but evil prince, and one very stubborn young princess who might just end up having to deal with all three. A story has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end to its plot before I can begin writing on it. This one has all three and much more besides. I can't wait to explore this new world further and see what happens next! I'll keep you posted.