The "Rescue Sirens" anthem February 29, 2016 16:18

From Jess: 

Happy Leap Day! It's hard to believe that February's already over (and with an extra day, even!). Chris and I are still hard at work on the next stories in the "Rescue Sirens" series, and we're also going over "Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist" with a fine-toothed comb in preparation for a reprint in paperback.

For today's blog post, I'd like to share the song that I wrote for the first book. The Rescue Sirens anthem is written as though the Sirens are singing to the humans they're tasked to protect, and it's one of Pippa's favorite things in the world -- she looks for any excuse to sing it.

"Rescue Sirens" in 2016 January 25, 2016 16:11

From Jess: 

Happy 2016, everyone! Chris and I have had our heads down since the holidays, working hard on the next stories in the "Rescue Sirens" series--yes, stories, plural.  =)  "Rescue Sirens" is like a friendly hydra: we think we've tackled one story, but then three more spring up in its place! It's a good problem to have, but it does mean that we have less time to devote to social media because we're writing on multiple projects simultaneously. Thank you all for bearing with us during our occasional absences!

Our initial plan for the second book in the series was to revolve around Echo (one of my favorite characters to write), but what was supposed to be a short little story about Maris grew into something more substantial, and, due to the fact that her story comes before Echo's chronologically, Maris has temporarily stolen the spotlight. (How very like her.) Echo's book is still being written; we just realized that Maris's story was bigger than we first thought.

Authors are always talking about characters taking on a life of their own. I used to think that was an exaggeration, but writing "Rescue Sirens" has taught me otherwise: these characters absolutely go off in unexpected directions, and sometimes it feels like we're following them more than we're writing them.

At any rate, we hope to finish both stories by the end of the year, life and schedules permitting, so keep your fingers crossed that we can pull this off. We have a few other, non-novel projects that we'd like to get going, as well (like some awesome new T-shirt designs!), so we hope that 2016 is an even more exciting year for "Rescue Sirens" than 2015 was!

Siren Spotlight: biological atavism December 1, 2015 06:00

From Jess: 

The first book in the "Rescue Sirens" series is subtitled "The Search for the Atavist"... but what is an Atavist, anyway?

According to our unique mermaid mythology, merfolk existed before human beings — in fact, they represent our species' very origin. From the beginning of time, mermaids and mermen were able to "make legs" indistinguishable from our own and walk around on shore, where they bred, gave birth in special birthing coves, and simply explored the vast expanses of wild land.

There was a catch, though (isn't there always?): after more than a day away from the ocean, legged merfolk would start to feel ill, and if they went for three full days without "turning tail" and submerging in water from head to fin-tip, their specialized lungs would dry up and they would lose their ability to change from legs to tail. Forever.

In other words, they became human.

Across the globe, merfolk were trapped on land often enough — due to losing their way, natural disasters, illness or injury, and even treachery — that the resulting small bands of human beings were able to sustain and eventually grow their population (although the offspring of human/human pairings lacked from birth the capacities to "turn tail" and breathe underwater). These humans were watched over when they went near the water by the mermaids and mermen still living in the ocean, and merfolk observe that ancient vow to protect their landbound brethren to this day; that's the role of a Rescue Siren.

But sometimes, once in a very long while, a human being is born with the ability locked within them to change their legs into a tail (and back again) as well as to breathe water, just like humankind's merfolk ancestors. This genetic throwback is known amongst merfolk as an Atavist.

The concept might sound like fantasy, but it has its roots in science. Courtesy of Dictionary.com, an atavism is defined as follows:

Since humans came from merfolk, the lower body's ability to metamorphosize between a legged and tailed form as well as the specialized lungs that allow breathing above and below water are biological atavisms. If the genes governing those features get "switched on" in the womb, that person will have the potential to regain the traits of his or her merfolk ancestors. (Successfully activating those traits if they're present is another matter entirely, however; you'll have to read the book to find out how that happens!)

Some of the most compelling examples of a biological atavism come from the sea, as well, but in reverse: wild whales and dolphins have been photographed with floppy little vestigial legs! Because cetaceans' origins are thought to lie in land-dwelling creatures like Pakicetus, today’s whales and dolphins still retain small bones in their lower bodies that resemble a reduced pelvic bone and hind limbs. Most of the time, these limb structures remain internal, but, when the genetic switch for longer legs gets flipped to the "on" position, you get—well, this: 

Read the "National Geographic" article from 2006.

Crazy, right? I hope the other dolphins don’t make fun of them.

In addition to dolphins with hind legs like the one pictured above, scientists have also recorded cases of snakes with limbs and chickens with teeth, hearkening back to these animals' earlier forms as they existed millions of years ago.

You may even have heard about (or read — I haven't, yet) paleontologist Jack Horner's 2009 book, "How to Build a Dinosaur: The New Science of Reverse Evolution," in which he "predicted that scientists would someday be able to turn chickens into dinosaur-like forms" ("Reverse Engineering Birds' Beaks into Dinosaur Bones," NYTimes.com, 2015). That would involve "switching on" the genes that code for teeth and long tails, which the humble chicken possesses as relics passed down from its dinosaurian ancestors. It's an attempt at turning back the evolutionary clock that might yield very... interesting... results.

Source: LiveScience

So, there you have it: the answer to the question "What is an Atavist?" In "Rescue Sirens"' lore, the Atavist is a genetic throwback — a human with his or her "mer-gene" turned on — in the same vein as other biological atavisms, like dolphins with wee squiggly legs or hens with teeth. Oh, I love science.

"Rescue Sirens" logo T-shirts available now! November 16, 2015 13:35

From Jess: 

Ever since Chris and I debuted "Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist" at San Diego Comic-Con while wearing our snazzy "Rescue Sirens" shirts, we've been asked if we'd sell that same T-shirt design someday. Thanks to the miracle of modern technology known as direct-to-garment printing, that day has arrived!

TeePublic offers DTG-printed apparel in a variety of styles, so you can choose from short-sleeved unisex or women's tees; tank tops in either a standard cut or racerback; and even kids' tees for your little Rescue Sirens-in-training. Shirt prices start at $18.00 for Toddler or Juvenile kids' shirts, with adult tees costing $20.00-$24.00 (depending on the style selected). In the image above, I have on a women's T-shirt in size Small.

If you're not familiar with print-on-demand apparel companies, TeePublic's FAQ should answer any questions you may have. They handle order payment and processing, shirt production, and shipping.

Want to show your support as part of the "Rescue Sirens" team? Get your very own logo T-shirt here!

Genevieve Tsai at CTNX 2015 November 12, 2015 08:00

From Jess: 

Genevieve Tsai, the talented artist behind "Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist"'s seven interior illustrations, will be appearing at CTN's animation eXpo in Burbank, California from November 20th through November 22nd!

If you're in the Los Angeles area and you're in the mood for adding to your art collection and/or being incredibly inspired, drop by Table T-70 and visit Genevieve. She'll be selling new prints, including those of her work on "Rescue Sirens"! Plus, she's an all-around awesome human being and incredibly fun to talk to.

For those of you who can't make it to CTNX but still want to get your hands on "Rescue Sirens" prints by Genevieve, they're for sale right this very second in her online store (with worldwide shipping): http://genevievetsai.etsy.com

Genevieve's two collected volumes of sketches and finished artwork are also available online. Her first compilation, "For the Love of Lines," is an absolutely delight -- it's one of the reasons that we approached her about doing the illustrations for "Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist," in fact -- while her follow-up sketchbook, "For the LOLz," is every bit as good. Both books are full of beautiful artwork, but what we find equally as impressive are the sketches showing all the work that goes into a single finished piece. It's fascinating, and it illustrates just how talented and skilled an artist Genevieve really is.

If you'd like to see just how much work went into Genevieve's "Rescue Sirens" pieces, drop what you're doing and take a look at her latest blog post, which details her process from thumbnail to finished illustration. It is dizzyingly inspirational! We're pretty sure that Genevieve is magic.  =)

To follow Genevieve online, check out her website, her blog, her Facebook page, and her Tumblr. She continues to amaze us, and we can't wait to see what she does next!