A Beautiful Surprise

One of the amazing things about the internet is that people you would have no chance of having contact with otherwise, can reach each other on the internet. Today someone sent me something so wonderful it just takes my breath away. Over in Malaysia (MALAYSIA!) there is a digital artist named Esther Kirby. I never heard of Ms. Kirby before this morning. Esther Kirby read my novel The Old Mermaid's Tale and, as she said on her post, she was so inspired by it that she made a digital painting and posted it to FLICKR.com, Google's site for artists and photographers. Look at this:

In The Old Mermaid's Tale, Clair has long red hair and she has several dreams in which she is mermaid. Esther Kirby created that painting from her interpretation of Clair's dreams. Isn't it beautiful? In the story Clair, as she is getting used to having a tail, swirls and swirls with her red hair floating around her. I think Ms. Kirby has done an amazing job of capturing a beautiful red-haired mermaid swirling around.

I can't begin to say how flattered and amazed I am that she would do such a thing! I don't know what is more astonishing --- her gorgeous illustration or the fact that a woman living in Malaysia would have gotten a copy of my novel. That just astonishes me.

According to her FLICKR profile she is new to digital art but her other illustrations, including interpretations of Vargas Girls which I have long been a fan of, are just lovely. Her husband is a photographer and his photographs of Malaysian temples are just gorgeous. Ironically, they remind me of one of the last chapters in the book when Clair's advisor returns from India bringing some temple statues with her and tells Clair a myth about how temple priestesses once rescued wounded men --- much like mermaids rescue drowning mariners.

So, I am thrilled and happy by Esther Kirby's beautiful work and her very flattering gift. I wish her many happy years as an artist and I'd love to know how a woman in Malaysia came across my book.

Thanks for reading.