Get me outta here!

The Bathtub Mermaid

Tales from the Tub

Menu

Skip to content
  • MissMeliss (blog)
  • Bibliotica (book blog)
  • Privacy Policy
  • Patrons and Promos

Author Archives

Melissahttp://www.missmeliss.com
Mermaid Minute

TBM-2008.20 -Mermaid Minute: Introducing Me-Me del Mare

20 August 2020 by Melissa

Mermaid Minute

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM-2008.20-MermaidMinuteSeaOtters.mp3

Description:

#audio. #mermaidminute Introducing Me-Me del Mare

Excerpt:

We don’t have pet dogs in the sea. We have Blue Dog Sharks and Spiny Dogfish…

Links and References

  • Learn more about the Dog Days of Podcasting
  • Photo by Bruce Christianson on Unsplash

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the Auphonic iPhone app and Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid banner art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound Effects are from Freesound.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM-2008.20-MermaidMinuteSeaOtters.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03 — 1.1MB)

Dog Days of Podcasting Mermaid Minute Tales from the Tub DDoPDDOP 2020Dog Days of PodcastingMermaid Minute 1 Comment
Steaming coffee

TBM-2008.14 – (De)Caffeinated

14 August 2020 by Melissa

Steaming coffee

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM-2008.14-DeCaffeinated.mp3

Description:

#audio. #flashfiction Everyone has an evil twin.

Excerpt:

But she’ll enjoy the experience, even so, because he’ll lure her in with assurances that he’ll treat her the same, that her lips won’t know the difference.

Links and References

  • Read the text version: (De)Caffeinated
  • Learn more about the Dog Days of Podcasting
  • Learn more about The Literal Challenge
  • Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the Auphonic iPhone app and Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound Effects are from Freesound.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM-2008.14-DeCaffeinated.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:54 — 2.9MB)

Dog Days of Podcasting Tales from the Tub DDOP 2020Dog Days of PodcastingLike the ProseThe Literal Challenge
jeppe-hove-jensen-Mv0-iIwQgPc-unsplash

TBM-2008.12 – Saturday, San Francisco, 1973

12 August 2020 by Melissa

jeppe-hove-jensen-Mv0-iIwQgPc-unsplash

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM-2008.12-SaturdaySFO73.mp3

Description:

#Audio. #shortshortstory #Nostalgia. Romance, weed, and vintage San Francisco.

Excerpt:

She didn’t work that day, so they got back in his car and went to find bagels and coffee. They ended up at a café in the Haight, not far from the diner where she worked. It was a busy morning. But then, all Saturday mornings were busy in that neighborhood, unless the Dead were in town. You could always tell if the Grateful Dead were playing nearby because the Haight would be empty.

Links and References

  • Learn more about my guest reader: Clay Robeson
  • Read the text of this piece at MissMeliss.com
  • Learn more about the Dog Days of Podcasting
  • Learn more about The Literal Challenge

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the either Auphonic or  Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound Effects are from Freesound.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM-2008.12-SaturdaySFO73.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:12 — 10.6MB)

Dog Days of Podcasting Tales from the Tub Cafe VignettesClay RobesonDDOP 2020Dog Days of PodcastingFiction 2 Comments
Feather

TBM-2008.07 – Deception Betwixt ‘R’ and ‘T’

7 August 2020 by Melissa

Feather

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM2008.07-DeceptionBetwixtRandT.mp3

Description:

#Audio. #Flashfic. #Lipogram  #Fantasy A bar room magician cannot eliminate a letter from existence… can he?

Excerpt:

The food and liquor had flowed like – well, like food and liquor tend to flow in a place where the barkeep let you run a tab and the final check never actually arrived. Gourmet, all of it, or high-end where gourmet didn’t apply.

Links and References

  • Read the text of this piece here: Deception Betwixt ‘R’ and ‘T’
  • Learn more about the Dog Days of Podcasting
  • Learn more about The Literal Challenge
  • Photo by Markos Mant on Unsplash

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell,
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound effects are from Freesound.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM2008.07-DeceptionBetwixtRandT.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:34 — 4.3MB)

Dog Days of Podcasting Tales from the Tub DDoPDDOP 2020Dog Days of PodcastingFlash FictionLike the ProseThe Literal Challenge 2 Comments
Zenia's Bedraglon

TBM-2008.05 – Zenia’s Bedraglon

5 August 2020 by Melissa

Zenia's Bedraglon

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM2008.05-ZeniasBedraglon.mp3

Description:

#Audio. #Flashfic.  #Fantasy Just a story about xenobiology, a little girl, and her dra – um – bedraglon.

Excerpt:

I gave the bedraglon – I was thinking of it that way, by then – a few minutes to settle, and was relieved to see that Zenia had dropped into a cross-legged position and coaxed the great beast’s head into her lap. Then I went to work with my shears.

Links and References

  • Learn about today’s guest reader, Nuchtchas of Nutty Bites
  • Read the text of this piece here: Zenia’s Bedraglon
  • Learn more about the Dog Days of Podcasting
  • Art by: Rasmus Berggreen – http://conceptartworld.com/artists/rasmus-berggreen/

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the BossJock iPad app and Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Music used for the opening and closing is a mix of Chris Zabriskie’s “The Oceans Continue to Rise” from the Free Music Archive and Kevoy’s clip of whales off the coast of French Polynesia from Freesound.
  • Chris Zabriskie’s song is also used under some readings.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM2008.05-ZeniasBedraglon.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:25 — 7.8MB)

Tales from the Tub DDoPDDOP 2020Flash FictionFlash PromptNuchtchas 1 Comment
Image by Leandro De Carvalho from Pixabay

TBM2008.04 – Mermaid Meditations 001 – The Reef

5 August 2020 by Melissa

Image by Leandro De Carvalho from Pixabay

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM2008.04-MermaidMeditation001-TheReef.mp3

Description:

#audio #flashfic #ddop A mermaid family pays respects to a coral reef.

Excerpt:

“That color really isn’t her best look, though,” my mother adds, and she’s right, because where once our dearly departed was rosy pink and bright orange with streaks of green and blue, now she’s a dismal, ashy grey.

Links and References

  • Read the text version here: The Reef
  • Image by Leandro De Carvalho from Pixabay

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the Auphonic iPhone app and Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound Effects are from Freesound.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/TBM2008.04-MermaidMeditation001-TheReef.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:39 — 3.6MB)

Dog Days of Podcasting Tales from the Tub DDoPDDOP 2020FlashficMermaid Meditations 2 Comments

TBM-2007.13 – Sonnet #5 (Happy Birthday Patrick Stewart)

13 July 2020 by Melissa

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TBM-2007.13-Sonnet-5-Happy-Birthday-Patrick-Stewart.mp3

Description:

#audio #shakespeare The Bathtub Mermaid and Friends interpret Shakespeare’s Sonnet #5

Excerpt:

But flowers distilled, though they with winter meet,
Leese but their show; their substance still lives sweet.

Links and References

  • Learn more about Thomas Jancis
  • Learn more about Charlotte Riddle Kennedy
  • Learn more about Clay Robeson

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the Auphonic iPhone app and Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound Effects are from Freesound.
  • Music for this episode is Cello Duet #1 by Chief Boima.
  • Special thanks to Clay Robeson for producing this episode,

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TBM-2007.13-Sonnet-5-Happy-Birthday-Patrick-Stewart.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:04 — 3.6MB)

Tales from the Tub Charlotte KennedyClay RobesonShakespeareSonnetsThomas Jancis 2 Comments
0921-StarMaid

TBM-2006.05 – Swing on A Star

5 June 2020 by Melissa

0921-StarMaid

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/TBM-2006.05-SwingonaStar.mp3

Description:

#audio. #flashfiction Space mermaids are a thing. Sort of.

Excerpt:

And we do. Swing from one astral body to another. Play hide and seek inside nebulae. Have incredible games of follow-the-leader through asteroid fields. Surf on solar flares. Like humans, and saltwater mermaids, we are made of stardust, but we are a bit more of the star than the dust.

Also like our cousins on that big, blue and green marble, we love to dance.

Our cousins – sisters, really – dance on sand or stone, under constructed roofs, or under the moon. They dance with partners, sometimes just for fun, sometimes as a precursor to another, more private sort of dance.

Links and References

  • Read the text version: Swing on a Star
  • Visit the folks participating in DDOQ (Dog Days of Quarantine)
  • Check out Master Piece Audio Theater on Facebook
  • Visit The Literal Challenge

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the Auphonic iPhone app and Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound Effects are from Freesound.
  • “Swinging on a Star” was composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/TBM-2006.05-SwingonaStar.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:16 — 5.9MB)

DDOQ Dog Days of Podcasting Tales from the Tub DDOQFlash FictionFlash PromptLike the Prose
0746 - Blood and Bone

TBM-2005.19 – Blood and Bone

19 May 2020 by Melissa

0746 - Blood and Bone

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TBM-2005.19-BloodAndBone.mp3

Description:

#audio. #flashfiction Eliza muses while stitching a quilt.

Excerpt:

But before… before all the mass production that took the soul out of handwork we used needles made from bone. Oh, you modern stitchers will wrinkle your noses and call it disgusting, but those bone needles had a bit of a curve to them, made the sewing go smoother, and their points were sharper than what you know.

Links and References

  • Read the text version: Blood and Bone
  • Visit the folks participating in DDOQ (Dog Days of Quarantine)
  • Check out Karen Bing on Twitter
  • Visit The Literal Challenge

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the Auphonic iPhone app and Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound Effects are from Freesound.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TBM-2005.19-BloodAndBone.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:02 — 3.3MB)

DDOQ Dog Days of Podcasting Tales from the Tub 28 Plays Later29 Plays LaterBlood and BoneDDOQFlash FictionKaren BingMonologue
Orchard House

TBM-2005.12 – Hope and Keep Busy

12 May 2020 by Melissa

Orchard House

https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TBM-2005.12-HopeAndKeepBusy.mp3

Description:

#audio. #essay The Alcott family in reality and the March family in Little Women

Excerpt:

The presentation I watched was low tech, but heartfelt. Jan Turnquist sat in a chair and spoke about the way the Alcotts – in reality – and the March family – in the novel – faced times of trouble and tribulation. “Hope and keep busy.”

Links and References

  • Read the text version: Hope and Keep Busy
  • Visit the folks participating in DDOQ (Dog Days of Quarantine)
  • Check out Orchard House

Credits:

  • The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the Auphonic iPhone app and Audacity.
  • Bathtub Mermaid album art was created by Rebecca Moran of Moran Media
  • Sound Effects are from Freesound.

Contact:

  • Twitter: @Melysse
  • Facebook: MissMelysse
  • Instagram: @Melysse
  • Email: missmelysse@gmail.com
  • Or, leave a comment on this page.
https://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TBM-2005.12-HopeAndKeepBusy.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:44 — 12.0MB)

DDOQ Dog Days of Podcasting Tales from the Tub DDOQEssayLouisa May AlcottOrchard HousePersonal Essay

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →

Search!

Support the Bathtub Mermaid

Become a member!

Connect with MissMeliss

Find Me on Mastodon

<

The Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub © 2013 by Melissa A. Bartell is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Dailies

May 2026
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
« Apr    

Subscribe to The Bathtub Mermaid

Apple PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

The Bathtub Mermaid is on Stitcher!

Visit me on Stitcher: The Bathtub Mermaid

bathtubmermaidtales

I said…

  • 2604.05 – Mermaid Minute: Happy Easter 5 April 2026
  • TBM-260315-Salt, Coffee, Showtime 14 March 2026
  • TBM-2512.24 – Dog Days of Advent: Midnight 24 December 2025
  • TBM-2512.23 – Dog Days of Advent: Sled 23 December 2025
  • TBM-2512.23 – Dog Days of Advent: Gift and Train 23 December 2025
  • TBM-2512.22 – Dog Days of Advent: Ritual, Thread, and Magic 22 December 2025
  • TBM-2512.17 – Dog Days of Advent: Candle 17 December 2025
  • TBM-2512.16 – Dog Days of Advent: Icicle 16 December 2025
  • TBM-2512.15 – Dog Days of Advent: Flare 15 December 2025
  • TBM-2512.14 – Dog Days of Advent: Harbor 14 December 2025

By Category

  • 12 Days of Podcasing
  • Covid's Metamorphosis
  • DDOP Advent
  • DDOQ
  • Dog Days of Podcasting
  • Felices Fiestas
  • HorrorDailies
  • In the Tub With…
  • Like the Prose
  • Mermaid Carols
  • Mermaid Minute
  • Mermaid Monday
  • MermaidAdvent
  • Mirror Mirror
  • Sunday Brunch
  • Tales from the (Holiday) Tub
  • Tales from the Cauldron
  • Tales from the Tub

What I’m Writing: MissMeliss.com

15 Minutes to Showtime

15 Minutes to Showtime

There’s a superstition in our band: no one says the word good before we go on. You can say loud, tight, let’s try not to break anything expensive, but never good. That’s jinx bait.

FictionAdvent 24: Midnight

FictionAdvent 24: Midnight

Jean—called Grandma Love by strangers more often than family—felt that familiar tilt in the air. The almost-midnight tilt. Midnight wasn’t a time so much as a mood, a soft doorway between one thing and the next. She’d always been good with doorways.

FictionAdvent 23: Sled

FictionAdvent 23: Sled

She dragged it through the fresh snow to the small hill behind the apartment complex. The cold bit at her cheeks. The air smelled like minerals and ice—Earth winter, not Mars. He’d always said he missed winters most. 

She set the sled down.  Ran her glove over the wooden slats.  Felt her heartbeat double-tap behind her ribs.

Then she climbed on.

What I’m Reading: Bibliotica

Book Review: No More Tomorrows by Olivia Lockhart & Hal Lambert

Book Review: No More Tomorrows by Olivia Lockhart & Hal Lambert

If you enjoy romance that asks bigger questions—about time, identity, and what it means to choose a life—this is a satisfying and emotionally layered read that lingers well beyond the final page.

Book Blast: The Last Fairy Witch, by Jean M. Roberts

Book Blast: The Last Fairy Witch, by Jean M. Roberts

Hannah Heronstone appears to have everything—a devoted husband, a beloved child, and a thriving business built on ancient herbal knowledge.

Book Review: Hidden Truth, by C.D. Steele

Book Review: Hidden Truth, by C.D. Steele

Steele clearly knows how to weave together complex story lines, and the dialogue throughout the book felt rich and convincing. He also demonstrates a willingness to tackle difficult subject matter without shying away from it, which I respect.

Previously

  • April 2026
  • March 2026
  • December 2025
  • October 2025
  • September 2025
  • August 2025
  • July 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • August 2024
  • December 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • May 2023
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • August 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • December 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • December 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • October 2013
  • August 2013

Admin

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Something Fishy by Caroline Moore.