Alice Kaltman

As a young girl I longed to be a mermaid. My idol sat demurely on the Chicken of the Sea tuna fish cans. I peeled labels off to save her image. Every night before bedtime I squeezed both legs in to one side of my pajama bottoms and shuffled around the house pretending I was as beautiful as the tuna fish mermaid.

To this day, I’m most at home when upside down and underwater. I’ve been swimming my entire life, and surfing for the better part of adulthood. It’s no surprise my two novels are totally ocean-centric. "Saving Grace" is about a mermaid, and "Wavehouse" is about a surfer. And I guess they’re both about me, too.

My short fiction (for adults) takes place on land, sea, and air. I’m thrilled that "Staggerwing", a collection of my favorites, is available here on Amazon and everywhere else books are sold.

These days I split my time between Brooklyn and Montauk, New York where I wear my pajamas regular style. But if too much time passes without a swim or a surf, I’m tempted to revisit my childhood shenanigans. Wouldn’t it be fun to flip-flop about like a fish out of water or a beached mermaid, restless and hungry for the incoming tide?