How Inspiration for the book happened

I painted a piece called "The Last Mermaid" that depicts a mermaid on a dying ocean floor. When I used to display it in a public studio, people would often glance at it with disinterest. That's when I started insisting on sharing her story before their "zombie eyes" could wander off.

"This is the last living mermaid in a dead ocean," I'd begin. "She's surrounded by fish skeletons, and every so often, she strings them onto a bottle filled with air, letting them float so she can pretend life is back to how it once was." I'd also explain how she's a crafty mermaid, just like me, collecting straws and bottle caps to fashion her own necklaces and earrings. By then, people would often say, "Please stop, you're going to make me cry." Many suggested I write a book, a sentiment echoed by a friend who wisely noted, "What's better than writing a children's book, preparing and educating them for the future?"