Inspiration

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  It's a mermaid thing...

  Maybe it was the movie Splash that did it. Or maybe it was the sea princess doll I was given for my 9th birthday. Or perhaps I just liked to look into the ocean, the river, even the swimming pool ... and look for mermaids.
  
  Whatever it was, my fascination with the finned creatures evolved into a story. And now, I'm half way through the Beyond the Reef trilogy, and loving every minute of my precious time under the sea.

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  The setting

  In my last year of high school, I went on a Biology camp to one of the most amazing places in the world. In the midst of the Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island is surrounded by crystal clear water, coral gardens, turtles, sharks and the occasional whale. The coral cay captivated me so much, it was the inspiration for the fictional Neptune Island in my manuscript Beyond the Reef.
  

  Fourteen years later, I revisited with my husband to find that time had not romanticised the memory. Heron Island truly is a unique, natural and serene place to visit.
  
  And you never know ... you might just spot a mermaid beyond the reef.

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  Myths and Legends

  From ancient times to present day, mermaids have fascinated humans around the globe. When I started researching, I found it amazing just how many cultures, including ancient Greek, Arabian, British, Norwegian and Japanese, are enriched with stories and artworks about merfolk. There are countless historical records of ‘sightings’, and descriptions range from alluring sea beauties through to hideous horned beasts. And the mermaid is still part of our culture today – in movies, on Starbucks coffee cups ... and in storybooks.