10 More Fun Facts About The Mermaid's Sister

Yet more Mermaidy Trivia...

 

1. I collected the name "Scarff" from the side of an appliance company van while on a trip to Virginia. I guess there are real people named Scarff in the world. And they travel about fixing washing machines. I wonder if they ever find orphans under apple trees or tucked inside seashells.
2. Pilsner was almost named "Pilcrow," but it seemed kind of wrong to name a raven something with the word "crow" in it.
3. The Red Hedgehog Tavern was named after the tavern Johannes Brahms liked to frequent in Vienna (Zum Roten Igel). For more on the bits of Brahms in the book, see the other 10 Fun Facts list on this blog. http://www.carrienoble.com/2015/02/10-fun-facts-about-mermaids-sister.html

4. 

   Clara Schumann

   The figure in the upper left corner of the book cover is Dr. Phipps, not Scarff, as some have assumed.
5. Originally, Auntie was supposed to have a stubby-winged pet bat in addition to Osbert the wyvern. I'm kind of sad he didn't make it into the story!
6. In one version of TMS, Osbert ate Pilsner. To be fair, Pilsner was a very bad birdy in that draft!
7. Clara was named after Clara Schumann, a fellow musician and the wife of Brahms's best friend. Supposedly, Brahms loved her and took care of her after her husband died.
8. Maren's middle name is Pearl.
9. My star beta reader (i.e. person who bravely read & critiqued the manuscript in its semi-raw state and corrected historical inaccuracies) was Amanda C. Davis, author of a bazillion brilliant short stories & co-author of Wolves and Witches, a fantastic fairy tale anthology. Find that here http://tinyurl.com/npp6xvw.
10. Many of the final edits were done in my gypsy caravan. Okay, it was a rather sad, old, pop-up camper parked in my yard. Maybe someday I can write in a real caravan. You know, after the blockbuster movie comes out...

Available at Amazon.com   http://tiny.cc/np53vx