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Melissahttp://www.missmeliss.com

Holidailies 2014 #08: Getting Ready

13 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies08.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

But something wonderful has been happening as I’ve been reading my friend’s published words. I’ve been feeling, to use my own word, really writey. In fact, instead of reading her book straight through, the way I typically read EVERYTHING, I’m having to stop, and walk away and dash out notes or phrases or write a paragraph…

Links:

MissMeliss: (Getting Ready)
Becca Rowan (Becca Rowan: Reflections on Life in General
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

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.

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The standard opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The standard closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom. Additional music used for the Holidailies project is “A Podcast Christmas Theme” by Tom Shad, and “Village Song” composed by David Popper and performed by Cello Journey.

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies08.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:56 — 7.3MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014AdventBooksHolidailieswriting

Holidailies 2014 #07: I Wish I’d Learned to Play Guitar

12 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies07.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

The reality is that while our family Christmases are always warm and cozy, none of us actually plays the guitar, and my mother sings with great enthusiasm and a love of music, but absolutely zero sense of pitch.

Links:

MissMeliss: (I Wish I’d Learned to Play Guitar)
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

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.

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The standard opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The standard closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom. Additional music used for the Holidailies project is “A Podcast Christmas Theme” by Tom Shad, and “Village Song” composed by David Popper and performed by Cello Journey.

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies07.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:20 — 6.7MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014HolidailiesMusicWishful Thinking

Holidailies 2014 #06: Traces of Tinsel

11 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies06.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

I’ve decided to embrace my 2005 philosophy about them, and, instead of wondering exactly where these silvery strings are coming from, interpret them as fond messages from my uncle, my grandparents, my friend the WarriorPoet.

Links:

MissMeliss: (Traces of Tinsel)
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

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.

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The standard opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The standard closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom. Additional music used for the Holidailies project is “A Podcast Christmas Theme” by Tom Shad, and “Village Song” composed by David Popper and performed by Cello Journey.

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies06.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:08 — 5.6MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014HolidailiesSlice of LifeTraces of Tinsel

Holidailies 2014 #05: Dude (Looks Like a Lady), or: Why Peter Pan is Played by a Woman

7 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies05.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

Pantomime got it’s real start in the early 1800s, when there was already a theatrical tradition for women to play “breeches” or “trouser” roles – women were cast as the romantic male leads – partly because it gave actresses a break from being stuffed into skirts and crammed into corsets, but mostly because even in Victorian England, sex sells, and a woman showing off not just her ankles, but her calves was a big draw.

Links:

MissMeliss: Dude (Looks Like a Lady), or: Why Peter Pan is Played by a Woman (full transcript) (Dude (Looks Like a Lady), or: Why Peter Pan is Played by a Woman )
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

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.

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The standard opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The standard closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom. Additional music used for the Holidailies project is “A Podcast Christmas Theme” by Tom Shad, and “Village Song” composed by David Popper and performed by Cello Journey.

Questions or comments? Use the comment form at the bottom of each entry. You can also follow me on twitter: @Melysse

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies05.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:03 — 8.3MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014GeekeryHolidailiesTheatre

Holidailies 2014 #04: I Hate Blank Books

6 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies04.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

Sometimes they have lines in them, or grid squares, but even when the insides are completely blank, they all have one thing in common: they have been presented to me with the expectation that I will fill them.

Links:

MissMeliss: I Hate Blank Books (full transcript) (I Hate Blank Books)
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

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.

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The standard opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The standard closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom. Additional music used for the Holidailies project is “A Podcast Christmas Theme” by Tom Shad, and “Village Song” composed by David Popper and performed by Cello Journey.

Questions or comments? Use the comment form at the bottom of each entry. You can also follow me on twitter: @Melysse

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies04.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:41 — 7.0MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014HolidailiesPersonal Essay

Holidailies 2014 #03: The (Nutcracker) Prince & Me

5 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies03.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

But even if we don’t make it to a live performance, I’m looking forward to having a few dates with my Nutcracker Prince over the weeks between now and Christmas. He’ll bring the great music and muscular thighs, and I’ll bring coffee, Danish butter cookies, and my appreciation of the arts.

Links:

MissMeliss: The (Nutcracker) Prince and Me (full transcript) (Happy Holidailies)
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

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.

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The standard opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The standard closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom. Additional music used for the Holidailies project is “A Podcast Christmas Theme” by Tom Shad, and “Village Song” composed by David Popper and performed by Cello Journey.

Questions or comments? Use the comment form at the bottom of each entry. You can also follow me on twitter: @Melysse

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies03.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:27 — 10.5MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014AddictionBalletHolidailiesNutcracker 1 Comment

Holidailies 2014 #02: Music and Coffee

3 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies02.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

Something about either the imagery (my story) or the cadence (my mother’s story) of the “clouds in my coffee” refrain stuck in my toddler-brain. Perhaps this means Ms. Simon is to blame for my coffee habit. After all, until I was a teenager, my mother drank instant. (Yeah, I know, the thought is truly frightening.)

Links:

MissMeliss: Music and Coffee (and more music) (full transcript) (Happy Holidailies)
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

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.

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The standard opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The standard closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom. Additional music used for the Holidailies project is “A Podcast Christmas Theme” by Tom Shad, and “Village Song” composed by David Popper and performed by Cello Journey.

Questions or comments? Use the comment form at the bottom of each entry. You can also follow me on twitter: @Melysse

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies02.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:22 — 7.7MB)

Tales from the Tub #MusicAdvent2014coffeeHolidailiesMusicnostalgia

Holidailies 2014 #01: Happy Holidailies

2 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies01.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

It’s become more than a meme, more than yet another project added to the ton of things going on in December. It’s become a sort of annual reunion where I reconnect, not just with a daily writing practice, but also with the other people who also participate every year. It’s like getting a holiday newsletter that I actually want to read.

Links:

MissMeliss: Happy Holidailies (full transcript) (Happy Holidailies)
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

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.

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The standard opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The  standard closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom. Additional music used for the Holidailies project is “A Podcast Christmas Theme” by Tom Shad, and “Village Song” composed by David Popper and performed by Cello Journey.

Questions or comments? Use the comment form at the bottom of each entry. You can also follow me on twitter: @Melysse

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies01.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:14 — 6.6MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014Holidailiesnostalgia 1 Comment

Holidailies 2014 #00: School Figures

1 December 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies00.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

But daily blogging, in many ways, was my version of skating school figures. They’re not particularly pretty to the uninformed, but they teach discipline, help you hone technique, give you stamina…and sometimes you do something when practicing a basic figure that informs or inspires a larger piece – leads you to your long program.

Special Thanks To

All Things Girl (School Figures)
Holidailies (http://www.holidailies.org/)

Credits:

The Bathtub Mermaid, Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the BossJock

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom.

Questions or comments? Use the comment form at the bottom of each entry. You can also follow me on twitter: @Melysse

Subscribe

iTunes | BluBrry

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/14Holidailies00.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:41 — 8.9MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014HolidailiesSunday Brunchwriting 1 Comment

20140921 – Sunday Brunch: Welcome Autumn

21 September 2014 by Melissa
http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/TBM20140921.mp3

Excerpt from Today’s Show:

The summer wreath on my front door will be replaced by something involving dried leaves, multicolored corn, and brilliantly-colored sunflowers. The dining table will play host to a bowl of knotty, knobby gourds. I will change out the placemats, and gradually bring my autumn and Halloween pieces into the house – a pumpkin here, a votive holder shaped like a haunted forest there.

Special Thanks To

All Things Girl (http://www.allthingsgirl.org/2014/09/sunday-brunch-welcome-autumn/)
Gypsy Audio (The Doctor Chronicles) (http://www.gypsyaudio.org/show/the-doctor-chronicls/)

Credits:

The Bathtub Mermaid, Tales from the Tub is written and produced by Melissa A. Bartell, and is recorded and produced using the BossJock

Music for The Bathtub Mermaid is provided by Mevio’s Music Alley, a great resource for podsafe music. The opening song is “Soap in a Bathtub,” by Stoney. The closing song is “You Can Use My Bathtub, by Little Thom.

Questions or comments? Use the comment form at the bottom of each entry. You can also follow me on twitter: @Melysse

Subscribe

iTunes | BluBrry

http://www.bathtubmermaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/TBM20140921.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:09 — 7.5MB)

Tales from the Tub 2014All Things GirlPersonal EssaySlice of LifeSunday Brunch 1 Comment

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  • 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
  • TBM-2512.13 – Dog Days of Advent: Storm 13 December 2025
  • TBM-2512.12 – Dog Days of Advent: Bells 12 December 2025

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What I’m Writing: MissMeliss.com

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.

FictionAdvent 22: Train

FictionAdvent 22: Train

“Welcome,” they said, their voice resonant in a way that felt felt rather than heard. “You’re right on time.”

A woman near the front let out a short laugh. “Time for what?”

“For the Interstice,” the being replied easily. “The pause between departures.”

What I’m Reading: Bibliotica

Book Review: The Regression Strain by Kevin Hwang

Book Review: The Regression Strain by Kevin Hwang

  About the book: The Regression Strain  Genre: Medical Thriller Publisher: Normal Range Press Publication Date: May 26, 2025 Scroll down for Giveaway Dr. Peter Palma joins the medical team of the Paradise to treat passengers for minor ailments as the cruise ship sails across the Atlantic. But he soon discovers that something foul is […]

Book Spotlight: FRANTIC by Brent Bradley

Book Spotlight: FRANTIC by Brent Bradley

A delusional prison patient warns Dr. Brian Heiser, Marriage and Family Therapist, of enormous impending disaster. Dr. Heiser and his best friend, a lauded Forensic Psychologist, find themselves entangled in a 72-hour deadly race to stop an AI bill being fast-tracked through the Texas state legislature.

Book Review: Under Vixens Mere by Kit Fielding

Book Review: Under Vixens Mere by Kit Fielding

Under Vixen’s Mere is one of those novels that quietly gets under your skin and then refuses to leave. 

From the opening pages, the prose immediately stood out to me. It’s spare without ever feeling sparse—clean, confident, and quietly assured. Dialogue and description are held in careful balance, each doing its work without calling attention to itself. Nothing strains for effect, and that sense of restraint builds trust early on, inviting the reader to settle in and follow where the story leads. 

Previously

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