BRUNSWICK — Local author Josephine Cameron’s debut novel, “Maybe a Mermaid,” will release through Macmillan/Farrar, Straus & Giroux Books for Young Readers on Tuesday, March 26.

Gulf of Maine Books will host a launch party at Curtis Memorial Library from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 31. Print Bookstore in Portland will celebrate at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 7, with a discussion between Josephine Cameron and Ann Braden, author of the highly acclaimed novel “The Benefits of Being an Octopus.” Both events are open to the public.

In “Maybe a Mermaid,” 11-year-old Anthoni has always wanted a True Blue Friend. This summer at the Showboat Resort, she has a foolproof checklist for finding one. But as she grows entangled in rumors about the local Boulay Mermaid, Anthoni must decide if she’ll “stick to the plan” like always, or dive into a summer full of extraordinary possibilities.

Cameron said she remembers how tough elementary school friendships can be. “Anthoni has to define for herself what a True Blue Friend really is. More importantly, she has to learn how to be one. When I was a kid, those were tough lessons. I remember vividly every time I failed,” Cameron said. “I remember realizing that my true friends were always the ones who helped me become a better person.”

The location of “Maybe a Mermaid” is loosely based on a boat-shaped lounge that used to exist near Cameron’s hometown in northern Wisconsin. “Ex-vaudeville stars performed there — even Bob Hope! But by the time I was a kid, it was deserted and run down. That place always got my imagination going.”

 

Cameron received her undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College and her MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame. She lives in Maine, where she writes, sings and teaches music to kids. For more information, go to www.josephinecameron.com.