Mermay Day 20: Emily and Jake Windsnap from The Tail of Emily Windsnap (2003)
Emily Windsnap is one of the books that I feel like I should have read earlier, or at least finished sooner. I remember the first time I read it and encountered the concept of "pockets" in a mermaid's tail being a breaking point for me. Having read a few more books now, I think my biggest takeaway is that this series constantly hamstrings itself, exchanging a good exploration of themes or life in a non traditional family with quick magical adventures that don't actually resolve anything.
That said, I do think the books have a certain charm to them that I wanted to do justice to. Emily's tail being described as different from other mermaids due to her human heritage was inspired, but I could not include it in this setting. Instead, my main problem was giving her green accents without making her look like Barney. I think I succeeded. Jake was fun too, especially since purple is my favorite color, and I decided to give him a distinctly soft body to fit his role as an artsy type (I will never forgive the author for not letting him make more jewelry for his wife and daughter).
