So, the name of the first book I'm working on is called Mermaid Shadows. I come across stains and splotches on the sidewalk that look to me like mermaids. I heighten the contrast a little in Photoshop Elements, and do some cropping and, viola!

I think this one looks like a seahorse, but I've decided that for my purposes, it is going to be a merbaby. After all, who knows what the form a merbaby would take. Are merfolk people? No! So why would one think a merbaby would look like a smaller version of a mermaid? Perhaps they create a cocoon and hatch as a mermaid. I don't know -- this is uncharted territory as far as I can tell!
 The images come in all colors and shapes. Here's another one. You can't see her arms, but her tail is very clear.

I'd like to find a couple more, but that's the nature of collecting these images in the wild. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I have several nice pictures of the ocean, one in Woods Hole, MA, one in Nantucket, one in Florida. If I must, I'll add some of these to fill out the book. I'll pair the images with lines of poetry or sayings. I'm excited to actually get to work on the book now. Tomorrow I'll cut and fold the the paper for the pages.