Author Guest Post & Giveaway: Hélène Boudreau (Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings)

Hélène Boudreau

Books (Young Adult):

• Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings (2010)

Hélène Boudreau:
Hélène Boudreau grew up on an island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean but now writes fiction and non-fiction for kids from her land-locked home in Ontario, Canada.

She has never time-travelled or saved an endangered bird, nor has she ever spotted a mermaid in the wild, but she believes mermaids are just as plausible as sea horses, flying fish, or electric eels.

Real Mermaids Don't Wear To Rings:

First zit. First crush. First…mermaid’s tail?

If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?

Most. Embarassing. Moment. Ever.

Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But this revelation raises a serious question: if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?

Jade is determined to find out. But how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic, mer-girl go about doing that, exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend Cori, and her crush, Luke?

This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…
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Real zombies, real vampires, real MERMAIDS?

Do mermaids lurk deep beneath the ocean’s surface? Do zombies really exist? Are there vampires among us? Maybe…maybe not…

Stories of mythical creatures can grow from real life.

It has always fascinated me how stories of mythical creatures evolve. Sometimes, these creatures are inspired by real-life sightings of unusual creatures.

Unicorn tales, for example, may have started with a sighting of a single-horned deer. These deer aren’t ‘magical’ but they’re definitely unusual. They are genetic mutations and are born with only one horn.

But, like a game of telephone-tag, a story like this can get out of hand. Before you know it—a mythical creature is born.

But is truth stranger than fiction?

Creatures in the wild can seem just as weird and freaky as the mythical ones you read about or see on screen. Here are just a few ‘stranger than fiction’ actual-factual mythical-like creatures.

REAL VAMPIRES:

The payara or vampire fish from the Amazon River has vampire-like teeth. They are so long; its upper jaw has built-in holes for its teeth to slip into so it can close its mouth!

And from the blackest part of the ocean…the vampire squid. It might only be six inches long but the vampire squid’s eyes are as big as a large dog’s!

These large eyes help it see at ocean depths of up to 3,000 feet. Vampire squid feed off crustaceans or fish and live in complete darkness. Vampire squid also have photophores (light producing organs) which they can turn off and on to confuse predators or attract prey. Oh…sparkly!

REAL ZOMBIES:

The Komodo dragon is the biggest known lizard in the world. This fierce reptile is a top-of-the-food-chain predator. It will eat almost anything, including its own young. Its saliva contains dozens of smelly bacteria, which make its breath stink.

Talk about dragon-breath!

REAL MERMAIDS:

Do these exist? Well, ch’yeah! Was there ever any doubt? ;-)

But seriously…you just never know!

Who would have believed that a monstrous 24-foot long giant squid with ten-inch wide eyes, like the one captured in Japan in December, 2006 could actually exist?


Imagining ‘what if’ is one of the most important factors in scientific discovery AND fiction writing.

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It's your turn! Share your proof (real or imagined) that mermaids actually do exist and you'll be entered to win a copy of Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings!!

Thanks to Sourcebooks for providing the prize!!

Official Information:

• to enter, fill out the form below
• entrants must be 13 years of age or older
• February 13 is the deadline
• only open to U.S. residents
• book is being shipped straight from publisher

contest closed.