Coles, Marcia Wheelan: - Marcia Wheelan Coles holds a Bachelor of Science in Fine Art and a Master of Fine Arts. She has always loved being in the water. Born in Bakersfield, California, she spent a lot of time swimming and diving, often pretending to be a mermaid or a dolphin. Marcia currently lives in San Diego, California, and now has two granddaughters who also love the water and imaging themselves as mermaids. They were Marcia's inspiration for this story. Marcia is also the author and illustrator of a series of books titled Learning to be a Healthy Kid.