Accosted By Characters by Marilyn Barr

Sometimes a character jumps out at you. When I met Susie of Smoother Than Spumoni, she actually jumped out of the ocean at my family. Susie the Dolphin Shifter is inspired by the rambunctious dolphin of the same name who lives between Anna Maria Island and the mainland of Florida, USA. This dolphin’s favorite activities include knocking over rafts, smashing into the dolphin-watching tour boats, and splashing diners at the local oyster bar on the pier. Susie’s antics aren’t malicious. When you topple off your raft in the Gulf of Mexico, she swims away instead of attacking. It seems this dolphin does it all for sport.

Susie, playing at a safe distance

My family travels to Anna Maria Island every September for an end-of-summer vacation. In 2018, Red Tide was at its height and the Florida authorities were recommending tourists limit their time swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Without the beach to entertain my 8-year-old, my family was scrambling for other activities. We went on a dolphin-sighting tour with Paradise Boat Tours where we saw dolphin pups, historical buildings, and Susie’s shenanigans.

Susie, approaching the boat to splash and try to capsize us

I was brainstorming the perfect heroine for Strawberry Shifters Book 8: Water Under the Bridge. I knew I wanted to write new adult romances for all Rosie Paulino’s homeschooled boys, starting with Frank Jr. in Book 8. Frank had to step into his father’s shoes, run the family restaurant, and manage his five younger brothers at the beginning of Book 1: Bear with Me, so I wanted to give him a special heroine. Frank Jr. would go on his shifter internship in the Seagrass Island pack which I modeled after Anna Maria Island to find his aquatic shifter true love. But what creature would she be and how would her personality mesh with my workaholic, grumpy werewolf?

One of my favorite romance tropes is the ray of sunshine meets the grump. Wild dolphin Susie checked all the boxes but somehow the match didn’t seem right. I bounced the idea off my husband who doesn’t read romances but surprisingly had strong opinions on the sunshine/grumpy trope. He pointed out that true love means you fit without having to change the other person. He asked why the grump must change to deserve the sunshine. He said he would find a true “ray of sunshine” spouse annoying. I wasn’t sure how to take that—am I not sunny or annoyingly happy?

I had forgotten my workaholic, type-A, stick-in-the-mud, scientist spouse would identify with the typical grump, but he got my wheels turning… Why can’t a grump be matched with a grump, a type-A workaholic with a type-A workaholic, and a serious-stick-in-the-mud with a similarly dirty stick?

Susie, seconds before our boat was rocked.

Susie the trickster dolphin is a driven businesswoman in her human form. She has dreams and plans on building a business empire out of her parent’s small shop. The original Water Under the Bridge has her family as oyster divers, but when The Wild Rose Press announced its One Scoop or Two series, I revised the book. Susie and her family own Larkin’s Dairy Dip. Smoother Than Spumoni is the front third of Water Under the Bridge, remastered with an environmental mystery surrounding the red tide of 2018 in Florida, USA.

Celebrate the one-year book birthday of Smoother Than Spumoni by picking up your copy on sale for $0.99! (Grab your copy here for $0.99) This year, Smoother Than Spumoni was a finalist for Beach Read of 2021 by NN Light’s Book Heaven. Here’s more about Frank Jr, Susie, and Smoother Than Spumoni.

Susie Larkin is a dolphin shifter and heir to the humble Larkin’s Dairy Dip on Seagrass Island, FL. Pedaling ice cream from bicycle carts on the beach is just a stepping-stone for this future CEO of a frozen confection empire—or so she hopes.

 Frank Paulino Jr. receives his first taste of freedom from Strawberry, KY in a summer internship at Bart’s Oyster bar. His pasta creations save the restaurant when red tide poisons the fresh fish of the bay, making him the most popular werewolf on Seagrass island.

 Frank and Susie uncover a conspiracy that threatens not only the wildlife of the area but also their lives. Can these two shifters put their ambitions aside long enough to give their relationship a chance, or will Frank pay the ultimate price to protect Susie and the island she loves?

Grab your copy here for $0.99

Bring Your Inner Huntress by Marilyn Barr

 In the Northern hemisphere, we are one week from the Huntress Full Moon on 10/20/2021, nestled between Mabon and Samhain. While most of us are focused on getting our pumpkin spice fix, this period has a spiritual meaning in the witch’s community. The Anglo-Saxons considered this moon as their indication it was time to start preserving the meat they hunted for winter. During last month’s Harvest Moon, the tall grain crops were cut down and the landscape was revealed. Wild game can no longer hide within the stalks (of corn in my area of the world). The gatherers become the hunters and the whole tribe would focus on meat.

 (Harvest Moon from my cabin in Gatlinburg, TN, November 2020)

 

What does this have to do with the modern world? While most of my neighbors are excited about deer hunting season, I’m a vegetarian. I hunt a different animal – my goals. Witches are still hunting their dreams (feminine energy) and turning them into goals (masculine energy) to achieve balance which is the hallmark of Libra season. They aren’t scouting the countryside with slingshots…well, most of them. They prepare for the transformation to occur over the winter months with different weapons - vision boards, to-do lists, goal schedules, and planners. In ancient times, the transformation was whether the colony would starve or thrive. What will it mean for you? Who do you want to be when the snow thaws? It is time to dream….

 

      (Orange butterfly resting on my 2021 Harvest Moon Ritual Altar)

Last year, I posted on Instagram my “footstack of dreams” on the modern new year’s day but I actually made it for the witch’s new year – Samhain. Samhain is commonly known for symbolizing death with the thinning of the veil, “dumb supper”, and ghostly visitors, but what about the death of your old self and following rebirth? I challenged myself to advance the eight manuscripts in my head (at various stages of production on my chaotic desktop) into published books. I wanted my author career to transform from a one-hit-wonder to a profitable business. As the year progressed, I posted progress reports and found over 1000 supportive friends to cheer me on.

(2021 “Footstack of Dreams” and 9-month progress report)

As we head into these winter months, I challenge you to transform something in your life. While you may not have made a leaf chain of dreams like traditional witches on Mabon, you can still make a list of dreams to turn into plans. Like the deer who loses their antlers in the fall to grow a bigger set in the spring, do you dare to transform? I celebrate the bugs going dormant for the winter, but will they emerge as a spring plague? Let’s be as prolific as though pests and create a plague of books, art, and dreams coming true. Here’s the “book stack in my head” for 2022. The books on the side of the stack are with my editor while the stack itself is new or incomplete projects.

(2022 "Book Stack of Dreams" for 2022 vision board)

While you are embracing your inner witch to carve Jack-o-lanterns, why not invest in your future? It never hurts to dream….

(Cat is Tzatziki, age 3)

Sample a book from my 2021 footstack of dreams in the FREE novella of The Spy Who Was Out Cold (https://dl.bookfunnel.com/n2qqgi0ecy), the first half of The Spiritual Spy Duology. Follow Sergei Checkov to his happily-ever-after with the help of Katya the Telepath, Theresa, and Cassie the Spiritual Healer. This series is not for the faint of heart and explores the dark world of recovery after escaping child trafficking. (no child abuse on the page).

 

Curious? Here’s the back of the book blurb:

Three teens destroy a child trafficking ring and cage fighter circuit. Sergei dedicates the next fifteen years to saving kids like them. Ito takes over the drug and firearm pipelines to rise to a mob boss. Katya is a telepath caught in the middle who follows Ito’s promises of love…to her own destruction.

But Fate brings them together one last time as adults. Katya can choose the noble path with Sergei, but at what cost to Ito? Will she have the strength to leave him, or will her wicked programming jeopardize the mission? Despite his guardian angels looking down on them, this will be Sergei’s last mission – whether he retires to a quiet town or a quieter coffin.

 Get your free copy here - https://dl.bookfunnel.com/n2qqgi0ecy

Watch the series trailer here - https://youtu.be/ejbN9DJA69M

 

                                     

The Red Tides are Coming! by Marilyn Barr

            I love the beach. Collecting shells, riding the waves, and watching the weather change over the seas are some of my favorite things to do. My husband is a fervent animal rights activist, so our vacations are dependent on different threatened animal populations. An ocean animal shifter novel was an inevitability. Every September, my family travels to Anna Maria Island, Fl, to help the sea turtles make their journey from the nest to the deep waters.

            In 2018, our trip was delayed by algae bloom overgrowth. The coast of Florida was ravaged by a natural phenomenon called “Red Tide”. From the Florida keys to the top of the panhandle, the ocean was tinged with red. There were warnings to stay out of the water due to respiratory distress symptoms from swimmers. Instead of ushering baby turtles to the ocean, my family was cleaning up piles of dead fish. What was going on?

(Family photos, same boy on the same beach. 2018 pictures taken in October one month after the Red Tide effects were declared clean.)

Karenia brevis is a microscopic, red algae species, native to Florida. When you learned about filter feeders from sponges to whales who live on phytoplankton in elementary school, Karena brevis is part of the phytoplankton population. More specifically, it is a dinoflagellate, so it is shaped like a sandwich cookie with multiple tails. Usually, it whirls within the microscopic populations of phytoplankton unnoticed. It eats ammonia and releases oxygen, so to villainize the algae isn’t accurate. Most algae species produce toxins as byproducts of oxygen production too and we take the good with the bad to keep the ecosystem in balance. In 2018, the population exploded.

(NOAA US Navy satellite photo from khou.com )

Karenia brevis lives in larger quantities in the rivers and eats run-off agricultural waste. As the colonies grow larger, pieces break off and float downstream to Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. In 2018, a perfect storm of increased agricultural activities, climate change, and minerals uncovered by erosion made a feast for the algae. Colonies grew to clog the rivers and washed into the bay in giant mats. The mats released large quantities of toxins which were ingested by the herbivores of the bay. As the herbivores were eaten by the predators, they were dosed with large amounts of toxins. In a few weeks, large animals and small ones were washing up on the beach.

(WSPA Local News, Whale Shark succumbed to Red Tide)

The above picture was my inspiration for Bart the Oyster bar owner in my next book, Smoother Than Spumoni. I wanted to give pizzeria heir, Frank Paulino from the Strawberry Shifters, a summer internship which brings him to Florida. Bart the whale shark shifter gives Frank his big break. Being the owner of an oyster bar when fresh oysters are contaminated due to Red Tide, Bart nearly loses his business until Frank saves the day. Frank has been rolling pasta every day since he was old enough to do it. He can turn one piece of rock shrimp into a risotto to feed two people and its shells into a soup.

While Bart’s menu problems seem to be solved, another one takes its place. Red Tide toxins stink. Dead fish stinks. It is a well-known fact that no one vacations on stinky beaches and no tourists means no customers for Bart and the rest of the pack. Not only is the oyster bar struggling but so are the souvenir shops, and Larkin’s Dairy Dip. Larkin’s depends on not only store sales, but sales on the beach from their pedal carts. Not only are their businesses on the line but so is their health. From dolphins to crabs, the Seagrass Shifter pack members are aquatic animals who need time in the water.

Red Tide can be a natural phenomenon but the impact and duration of it on Seagrass Island raises suspicions. They are confirmed by Susie Larkin when she breaks the rules and goes for a swim with her bestie, Jean. Here’s a snippet from Smoother Than Spumoni:

They move quickly, efficiently, and silently, only stopping to check over their shoulders every few minutes. When the exchange is complete, the truck starts again. Even though it is dark, without headlights they navigate unerringly through the native swamp.

“That was weird. You thought it was weird right?”

“Yeah, I want to know what is in those barrels.”

“Let’s leave it alone. We have been gone for months and have no idea how this area has changed. Let’s go home and ask our parents or Wilson.”

“Why? When one look at the label will answer all our questions? Besides, the truck has already left.”

“They could return.”

“As shady as they were acting, they aren’t coming back. Come on—”

“No way, Susie Q. We are going home.” Her voice shakes as she lays down her ultimatum. She can’t abandon me here in case I succumb to Red Tide on the swim home. However, tears have already started rolling down her cheeks. My bestie is terrified.

“You are right. Let’s go ask,” I say calmly. Why upset her more when I can bring a braver companion tomorrow? Surely a demon-slaying werewolf won’t be scared of a few barrels?

 

Will Frank and Susie get to the heart of the conspiracy behind Red Tide or pay the ultimate price? Pre-order Smoother Than Spumoni (on sale for $1.99) and find out on 8/23/2021.

 Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097CLMBTM/

iTunes - https://books.apple.com/us/book/smoother-than-spumoni/id1573010468

Pink Dolphin, You Are the Father! by Marilyn Barr

 

Many believe the concept of animal shifters was first documented in The Hobbit when J.R.R. Tolkien wrote about bear shifters, but this is not the case. In ancient Amazon river mythology lives a pink dolphin by day and man by night – Boto Encantado. From the Portuguese word for “enchanted”, Boto Encantado was as sexy as the shirtless shifters on today’s paranormal romance novels. Here’s a snippet from my next paranormal romance release, Smoother Than Spumoni where Susie Larkin describes the legend of Encantado:

“Seagrass Island shifters need water like humans need air. Not just my family but almost every member of the Seagrass shifter pack can be traced back to one ancestor: Boto Encantado the Dolphin Shifter. Our pack’s greatest achievement is burying him in South American mythology with no records of his descendants. We are hidden in plain view.

Boto lived in the Amazon river basin as an outcast from a native tribe for his ability to shift into a dolphin. He had various lovers due to his irresistible looks and charm, one of which migrated to Seagrass Island Florida, birthing our pack. The shifter genes are dominant in every offspring so every pack member linked genetically to him can shift into a dolphin, including my family and Jean.”

(pre-order sale for $1.99 on Amazon and iTunes for release on 8/23/2021)

While the descendants in Smoother Than Spumoni have emigrated to Seagrass Island (modeled after Anna Maria Island FL) to live in saltwater Tampa Bay, the original Encantado myth describes an underwater kingdom of dolphin shifters. On certain nights, the male shifters would be in human form and join festivals, parties, or unsuspecting women on the riverbanks. Oozing charm, sensuality, and musical talent, their victims were easily seduced and impregnated. When the offspring reached maturity, they would be kidnapped by the shifters to be tested. If they had the magical abilities of an Encantado shifter, they were taken to live in the underground city. (by the gods dot net)

How was a woman to ensure her date wasn’t Encantado? Legend has it his blowhole was present in both forms. He is always shown wearing a hat to cover it. She must check under his hat before he suspects she’s onto him because telepathy and hypnosis are some of his magical powers. Yikes!

(Photo from Mermaid Wiki, Artist Unknown)

I know you are hoping I don’t show you a frightening cave drawing of a pink dolphin, but these river dolphins exist today. They not only live in the Amazon river but can also be found in its tributaries, flooded forests, and lakes of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Peru. They are unique because they bite and chew their food as we do. They are grey at birth and turn pinker as they mature. (US dot whales dot org)

(Photo from us.whales.org)

Since Boto Encantado’s descendants undergo at least a thousand year’s evolution before Smoother Than Spumoni, I blended the pink river dolphin with the bottle-nosed dolphins of Tampa Bay FL. In Smoother Than Spumoni, the dolphins hear by sensing waves with their jaws, check for other animals by sending electromagnetic pulses, survive in saltwater, and are a blush color of grey like the dolphins of Florida. However, they have telepathy abilities in dolphin form but only with each other as Susie finds out when she tries to link with Frank. Here’s another snippet from Smoother Than Spumoni:

“I send out pulses to check for predators. Relieved to find only the manatees and the singular hammerhead shark, I redirect my energy to connecting with Frank. I try to link our thoughts.

No signature.

I try again pushing my hardest to find his frequency.

Nothing.

I guess having two different origins makes us as different from each other as we are from humans. Perhaps we can connect if he shifts into his wolf form. Sure, I can teach him how to swim and drag him through the ocean as I am now, but you can either link minds or you cannot. Can I bond with someone who doesn’t have this capability, or will I feel incomplete?”

 Susie and Frank have more than their inability to speak in each other’s minds. A mysterious Red Tide is killing the wildlife and destroying the bay. Then there’s the pesky shifter smell test sending female members of the Seagrass pack into Frank’s path to be sniffed. Susie doesn’t want anything to do with either phenomenon, just a relaxing summer before she returns inland for graduate school. She has her whole life planned until a werewolf on the beach proves to be…Smoother Than Spumoni. 

Smoother Than Spumoni is on pre-order sale for $1.99 on Amazon and iTunes for release on 8/23/2021 as part of The Wild Rose Press’s One Scoop Or Two book series. ($3.99 on Barnes & noble)

Here’s the back of the Book Blurb:

Susie Larkin is a dolphin shifter and heir to the humble Larkin’s Dairy Dip on Seagrass Island, FL. Pedaling ice cream from bicycle carts on the beach is just a stepping-stone for this future CEO of a frozen confection empire—or so she hopes.

 Frank Paulino Jr. receives his first taste of freedom from Strawberry, KY in a summer internship at Bart’s Oyster bar. His pasta creations save the restaurant when red tide poisons the fresh fish of the bay, making him the most popular werewolf on Seagrass island.

 Frank and Susie uncover a conspiracy that threatens not only the wildlife of the area but also their lives. Can these two shifters put their ambitions aside long enough to give their relationship a chance, or will Frank pay the ultimate price to protect Susie and the island she loves?

Why are Strawberries so Romantic? by Marilyn Barr

 Is it because they are red, heart-shaped, or a Roman remedy for halitosis?

The Romans were the first to give newlyweds strawberries as wedding presents to help…ahem…with fertility. While their aphrodisiac claims have not been scientifically verified by the US FDA, the Romans were on the right track. Without the aid of modern technology such as a mass spectrophotometer, they correctly identified the berry best consumed when expanding your family. Strawberries are high in folic acid, a B vitamin vital for a healthy pregnancy. Not only are they heart-shaped, but they are also high in Anthocyanins, potassium, and Kaempferol which keep your heart healthy. (plentifulearth.com).

This tradition is still carried on by the French who serve a cold strawberry soup at weddings.  The Romans declared the strawberry as a symbol of Venus and wrote poems about its beauty.  Even Ovid and Virgil wrote poetry about the gentle, sweet fruit.  However, in Roman times, strawberries weren’t considered snacking food.  They were weeds harvested for medicinal purposes or for decorating altars to goddesses such as Venus. (Source University of Illinois “Strawberry Lore”.)

Strawberries are valued in eastern medicine as well. As early as 2600 BC, Chinese royalty drank diluted strawberry leaf tea as an anti-aging tonic. (practicalherbalist.com) Strawberries are associated with the root chakra and increase a person’s ability to love by strengthening their sense of self. This is why I chose the Strawberry to name my fictional Kentucky town in the Strawberry Shifters series. In each book, the main characters find love, not because of a prophesized soulmate test, but because they go on a healing journey to become a stronger version of themselves. Here’s a snippet from Book 2: Round of Applause where Aurora decides she’s ready to take charge of her life.

“Thanks. I took control, made a decision, and followed through for the first time in my life. I wasn’t being herded around like in school or my group of friends. I want to own this. You know?”

“I get it. Your disability will show your story like a tattoo, only greater because your will to live had to be greater.”

“Exactly,” I say.   

Find out what happened to Aurora and how she ended up in a Louisville, Kentucky emergency room when she was headed to Asia in Strawberry Shifters Book 2: Round of Applause. For the Valentine’s Day holiday, this eBook installment of the Strawberry Shifters series is on sale for $1.99. Grab your copy and celebrate strawberries, modern love, unconventional family, and the ability to love growing from learning to love yourself first. Round of Applause on Amazon