Tracey M Santos
Laughing Tracey got her name from her gregarious laugh that lets people know when she’s around. When they hear her, they often smile or laugh themselves even if they are in another room! Tracey loves the beach so much she was inspired to include her personal experiences with the sea and its creatures into the story so each page would have special meaning. Here are a few examples. She grew up in Maryland going to the beaches on the Eastern Shore (Ocean City, Rehoboth, and Bethany Beach) with her family and close friends – you will find Maryland Crabs in her story on Day 8!
On their honeymoon, Tracey and Bearin went to Tahiti where they enjoyed scuba diving with sharks and manta rays – you will find Manta Rays with Tahitian tattoos on Day 2! She also went snorkeling in Guam where she saw the most beautiful starfish – they are all over the book! She often visited her sister-in-law Gwen in San Francisco and you know they are famous for their sea lions – Day 3!
One of her favorite trips to Sea World was when Duncan was very small and we got to meet Shamu at a special breakfast near the tank but that’s not the only Orcas she’s seen – Day 9! On a grand adventure in Alaska with her sister Tammy and her mom Bonnie, they went whale watching and were lucky enough to see an amazing pod of Orcas with a baby calf!
Since she has lived in Smyrna, Georgia she has spent beach time with her friends at Hilton Head, SC, St. George Island, FL, Tybee Island, GA, and New Smyrna Beach, FL. On a Disney cruise with the Williams family, we enjoyed the “dolphin experience” and had a blast – Day 12! Her cousins in Maine (Linda, Sandra, Jay, Sue, Becky, Candace, Sarah, and Jessika) always provide lots of lobsters during visits and she shares lots of laughter…so it’s a fair trade and we all have fun – Day 6!
Tracey loves the giving spirit of Christmas and is so excited to share this Christmas tale that features three mermaids who are named after her young friends named Myah, Molly, and Marissa. The Mermaids work with their friends to give decorations to the underwater tree to prepare for Christmas festivities. Tracey's favorite Maryland family tradition is to read "The Night Before Christmas" story with all of her cousins, aunts, and uncles each year! Everyone reads one page and shows the illustration to the group...and everyone cheers for the reader! Tracey lost her dad Tom last Christmas so to make him part of this project she created Tommy the Tiny Frog that you can search and find on every page so he's always with us!
