Breathing life into a Ladyfish

Mike Sciacca

Did you hear the story about the lady who fell under water because of

a spell cast upon her?

Well, if you haven’t, you might want to check out your local bookstore

in the near future to read up on the antics of the characters in the

charming new children’s book, “The Golden Voice of Ladyfish.”

The book is a collaboration of three Huntington Beach residents,

creator/graphic designer Darrell Bloom, writer Nooshin Zardinejad and

illustrator Drew Brophy. It tells the story of a singer who falls under

water due to a spell placed upon her, and her transformation into a

singing fish. A journey of self-discovery follows with a little help from

friends and foes that she meets under the sea as she looks to break the

spell. The lesson of her journey, ultimately, is that her faith is

stronger than any obstacle.

“This book turned out better than I ever could have hoped for. It was

a great collaboration between the three of us. One thing led to another,

and the end product is this beautiful book,” Bloom said.

Bloom and Zardinejad met by chance a little more than a year ago in

Downtown Huntington Beach. After learning of each other’s career

backgrounds, the two, with the addition of Brophy, whom Bloom worked with

previously, began the first steps of creating their book.

The project, said Zardinejad, took one year, from start to finish.

It is the fifth children’s book that Zardinejad, a 1990 Ocean View

High graduate, has written. But, it is the first one she has had

published. They ensured it would be by launching their own publishing

company, Bloom Street Books.

“We just started jotting down notes, forming and sketching our

characters and it took off from there,” said Zardinejad, whose

supernatural underwater story features such funky characters as Ladyfish,

her nemesis, Slippery Sammy Sly, and his sidekicks: Thugfish, Batter

Biscuit, Boneyfish and Chummy Chumster. “It was a wonderful feeling to

watch all three of us come together with different ideas for this story,

then to have it turn out the way it has.

It was Bloom, the creator, who brought the trio together and oversaw

the entire project. With Zardinejad handling writing chores, Brophy drew

sketches and drawings, which Bloom colored in.

The book is a beautiful blend of art and story.

Actually, Bloom based the lead character, Ladyfish, on Blues legend,

Billie Holliday.

“I wanted Ladyfish to have style and substance, and Billie Holliday

has both of those qualities and so much more,” he said. “I based this

character on her as a tribute to her work. I don’t think Billie Holliday

gets the credit she truly deserves, and this was my way of honoring her.”

Bloom said that he immediately was taken by Zardinejad’s writing

talents.

“I really liked the stories that she previously had written and I

liked her style -- there was something different about it,” he said. “She

has a way of taking you around in a story, then bringing you back to what

it is all about. The story in this book is awesome.”

Now that the book has been published, it will be distributed by one of

the nation’s top book distributors, Cogan Books. Zardinejad said

initially 2,500 copies have been ordered, which Cogan Books soon will be

distributing to major bookstores.

The trio now has four other children’s books in the makings but for

now, it’s all about “The Golden Voice of Ladyfish.” They have held two

local book signings in the past month.

“This is an exciting time for all of us,” Zardinejad concluded. “I’m a

very happy with the way this book has turned out. It’s like I’m a kid

again when I read it.”

* MIKE SCIACCA is the sports and education reporter. He can be reached

at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.