I’m not giving away jellyfish, but there is a Goodreads giveaway going on now for signed paperback copies of Ocean Echoes. If you live in the U.S., click here to enter.
Ocean Echoes is about a marine biologist who gives up on love to study jellyfish at a Cape Cod research facility.
Here are a few jellyfish details to celebrate the giveaway:
Jellyfish have roamed the world’s oceans for at least 500 million years. They were here before dinosaurs and long before humans.
More people are killed or injured each year by jellyfish than by sharks.
Jellyfish are 95 percent water and they live without a heart or a brain.
A group of jellyfish can be called a swarm or a smack.
Jellyfish can sting when they’re no longer alive. In 2010, about 150 swimmers at a park in New Hampshire were stung by the 40-pound carcass of a lion’s mane jellyfish.
The giveaway ends March 8 – here’s another chance to enter (U.S. only for this one because I’m too cheap to pay for extreme postage these days).
What do you think of jellyfish? Do you think they’re beautiful, scary, or otherworldly?
Sheila Hurst 
I love watching jellyfish and find them fascinating but I wouldn’t like to find myself surrounded by them in the sea!
Hahah – same here! If they didn’t sting at all though, it might be fun to swim around with them. They put me in a trance whenever I watch them so swimming with the harmless kind might be kind of calming.
Yes!
I think jellyfish are amazing creatures, but I don’t want to ever encounter one unless it’s behind a glass enclosure. Thanks for the interesting facts. Fascinating.
They’ve always amazed me too. They’re so beautiful and hypnotizing. But they probably don’t seem so beautiful when they’re stinging you. 🙂
A friend of my daughter’s is vacationing in Mexico this week, and she was stung by a jellyfish! My daughter said, “At least she wasn’t bitten by a shark!” I guess–not sure if a jellyfish sting hurts more or less than a shark bite, but I suppose no one has ever lost an appendage to a jellyfish sting!
Love the facts. Of course, I’m super curious about the “park in New Hampshire” …? 🙂
Hahah – that’s true – I’ll take a jellyfish sting over a shark bite any time! I hope she’s doing ok now. I was stung by one once as a teenager and they’ve fascinated me ever since. The name of the NH park to avoid is Wallis Sands State Park. 🙂
I love watching the jellyfish when I visit an aquarium. So pretty and so unique.
They can be pretty calming to watch – it’s too bad we can’t see them all the time – they’d probably help with our stress levels (as long as they stay in the aquarium)! Thanks so much for the Twitter share – happy weekend!
I am definitely entering this giveaway! 🙂 I love all ocean creatures, especially sea turtles! I can’t wait to read this book.
Thank you! Sea turtles make an appearance in the book, but jellyfish appear more often. I’m happy to find more ocean lovers out there and I’m looking forward to your sea turtle book!
You’re welcome, Sheila. That’s great! And of course I am sure there are many more jellyfish since that is what the book is about! I have so much going on right now that I have no clue as to where to start about even trying to get anything published. It may be short enough to just publish a little at a time on my blog. Would you recommend that or not?
I guess that depends – if you wanted to traditionally publish it, it might be harder to do that once it’s been published on the blog. Some places that publish short stories don’t want to publish them if they’ve already been on a blog. But if you’re thinking of self publishing, then it’s probably a good way to generate some interest along the way. Either way, I’m excited to see it!
It sounds perfect for the blog as a way of getting some feedback. I’ll look forward to your sea turtle adventures!
Jelly fish are lovely to watch….from a distance.
Hahah – that’s true! They’re beautiful, but they’re just trying to fool you until you get too close. 🙂
I’ve always loved to watch jellyfish on the Discovery Channel and other nature programs. Having been stung by one as a child, I’m not a fan live and in person.
It is safer watching them on the Discovery Channel. I was stung by one too and ended up having to go to the hospital. For some reason, they became even more fascinating after that.
I was stung by a jellyfish as a child but I still think they are beautiful, hehe! It was one of those that aren’t too painful (although.. ouch!).
Same here – so that’s another thing we have in common! My neck started to swell up and I had to go to the hospital for it, but they’ve been fascinating ever since. I hope you’ll have a fun weekend – it seems like it’ll be a good one for reading under a few blankets (or a dog)!
That’s good that your encounter with the jellyfish didn’t create a lifetime fear of them!
Yes, looks like it will be a cold weekend (it’s been an odd end of winter with these wild temperature changes!). Curling up with a good book sounds perfect – hope you will do the same!
Yes, we tried to go for a walk yesterday and almost got frostbite (high winds here too)! So I’ll have to get some reading in today instead.
I think jellyfish are otherworldly. 🙂
Definitely! They really seem like aliens to me. And who knows – maybe they are. 🙂
I knew nothing about jellyfish until I read your wonderful novel…so thanks for that!
Thanks so much for reading it! I didn’t know much about them either, but they’re fun to research. I hope you’re finding some warmth and lots of great books to read this winter!
I shall put my name down for this as soon as I remember my log in for Goodreads. Jellyfish live without a heart or brain…I may have met some that took human form,
Hahah – thank you but I’m too cheap to pay for the postage so it’s just for the U.S. for now. The next one will have to be for everyone though. I recently sent it to Serbia and a couple other countries and I’m still recovering from that postage. That’s funny – jellyfish taking human form might explain a few things! That’s something to think about for a possible sequel. 🙂
I think jellyfish are otherworldedly. At an aquarium they’re so mellow and floaty to watch move around. Kind of weird in real life though. Not keen on them there.
They are really relaxing to watch but that’s how they lure you in. They’re filled with contradictions in a way – just like us silly humans. 🙂
I think jellyfish are scary because we have the most poisonous ones in the world where I live – no swimming for me 🙂
That’s true – make sure to stay away from those snakes and spiders too! I hope you’re having fun with all the nicer creatures. 🙂
Great facts Sheila – I don’t often come across jellyfish, but I think I may have been stung by one some years ago now in Turkey – I didn’t see anything in the water, but felt the sting on my leg – fortunately not too bad a sting! Good luck with the giveaway 🙂
Thanks Andrea! Those jellyfish can be pretty sneaky while blending in with the water. I’m glad your encounter wasn’t too bad!
Great question – I’ve always thought jellyfish are to be avoided and now I know why!
Hahah – they’re so mesmerizing that it’s easy to be drawn in by them, but that’s probably a good idea to avoid them – unless you’re at an aquarium, then you can let yourself be mesmerized for a while. 🙂 After seeing your beautiful photos, I’m looking forward to being mesmerized by spring!
I think jellyfish are beautiful and scary. I love swimming in the ocean, but I fear the sting. I saw jellyfish at the Monterey Aquarium a few years back and they were simply stunning. Missed your giveaway but I have your ebook in my Want To Read pile.
Thanks Kourtney! I love watching jellyfish too – they’re so mesmerizing but I guess that’s how they draw you in. I’m glad you’re feeling better and I hope you’re looking forward to swimming in the ocean now. 🙂