Mermaid in Chelsea Creek

I love it when a book inspires a story idea, except that the timing is usually inconvenient.  I am currently in the middle of writing my first novel, as well as a book chapter for an academic collection, as well as teaching, helping to run a writing center, planning an advanced rhetoric course, and dancing every day, so I definitely don't have time to pursue any ideas right now.  But -- I added this one to the folder I have in Google Drive with the many, many projects I'd like to pick up at some point.  Anyway -- Michelle Tea's Mermaid in Chelsea Creek is about a young girl who discovers that she has special powers and ends up training with various witches from different cultures.  The part that inspired me is that I am fairly sure Tea is of Polish descent, and one of the cultures she explores is the traditional magical practices of Poland.  Well, since I am of Pennsylvania Dutch descent, my ancestors also had traditional magical practices (I mean, all of our ancestors did, I just happen to have done some research on mine) and now I really want to explore that in fiction.  So I will.  Someday.

In the meantime, I plan to finish Tea's novel today, because guess what else will arrive today?  Grey!  E.L. James's latest -- Fifty Shades from Christian's perspective.  I am pretty sure I will have this book devoured within 24 hours . . . except now I'm also catching up on Season 5 of GOT, which might mess up that plan.  Oh yeah, plus the mountain of work I have to do and my daily training, but I suppose that goes without saying.

I also ordered the sequel to Mermaid, Girl at the Bottom of the Sea, so I will read that after Grey.