I managed to get one of those two short stories revised and sent off to a test reader. I’m really happy with how it turned out, though I doubt it’s perfect. The initial reaction was good, which is always nice.

The second story has been a bit of a different matter, though I suspect I’m part of the problem. I was tearing my hair out over it yesterday, wanting to scream, but in hindsight, I don’t think my frustration and anger were entirely caused by the story. I’m kind of glad I decided to stop and put that one on hold for a couple of days. I’ll try it again on the weekend, when I have more time and will likely be able to get my head in the right place. I might be able to do that tonight, but I also have other reasons for wanting to stick with this plan.

What other reasons, you ask? Possession.

It makes sense for me to prioritize Possession and focus on it, since that’s actually the first deadline I have to hit. I told my editor I’d have it to her by the end of next week, which is also the end of the month. But I want to just keep working on the revisions for Possession for another reason too.

I’ve fallen in love with this book again.

Seriously. I was sitting there just yesterday and realized that this is the first time I’ve so much as looked at Possession in the past year. I still remember the plot, but I forgot all the little things, the more subtle elements and details of the actual manuscript. They were lost behind several other novels and even more shot stories I’ve written since, I guess. Now I’m rediscovering them, even as I’m polishing the whole thing, not to mention acting on feedback I’ve received. I’m falling in love with Tavis and Faylanna again. This isn’t to say I stopped loving them entirely, but rather that I got so involved with Devan, Cayle, Reah and Viz that Tavis and Faylanna kind of took a backseat. Right now, though, they’re back at the front of my mind and heart.

I’m about a bit over a fifth of the way through the revisions and I’m fairly sure I can get it done in time. I don’t want to rush it, because the story deserves to be it’s best. I can do that too though. And this isn’t the last round of revision, because I know my editor will have comments I need to deal with, but I want to hand her the best work I can do. Call it professional pride. Also, this is one step closer to publication, and there aren’t many left for Possession. That means I need to try to do the ones there are well.

I’ve been thinking about how to promote Possession, the things I want to do to get you all excited about it, and maybe some new people too. There’s a plan slowly coming together, one that I think will be both fun and (hopefully) effective. I’m learning as I go with this promotion and launch stuff. It hasn’t left my mind for the past few months that I did a poor job of launching Bound, partly due to a stellar lack of planning and an abundance of impatience. All right, lesson learned. I can’t change the past, but I’m making sure I learn from it. That’s all I can do really and I hope it’s enough.

I suspect that this summer is going to pass in the blink of an eye for me. I put all my deadlines and plans in my calendar just before I started this blog entry and dear gods, is it packed. I don’t think I’ll have any downtime until October, and even that’s likely to be busy. After all, November and NaNo are just the month after that.

Yes, I’m crazy and don’t know how to turn it off. Fortunately, I like me that way.

I’ve enjoyed that though and I think I’ll get home refreshed from it, from not really writing. Don’t get me wrong, I did write some and work on writing, but not with my usual drive or volume.

I mean, I finished first drafts of the two short stories I have deadlines for. I still need to revise both though a I’m fairly sure that at least one will require me to tear it apart pretty badly to get it in proper working order. I can handle that though. The first drafts just the starting place, after all.

I’ve also begun the revision work on Possession, but again, I haven’t gotten that far yet with it, though I’ve been free to work on it since Thursday. I was just busy with family, who I only see once a year. Also, like I said, I was taking it easy while on vacation.

I know September 10th will sneak up on me faster than I can believe at the moment, but in a way, it’s good to have a break once in a while. I didn’t really when I was on my family visit last year, partly because I was too busy outlining Devan’s first book, Where The Ether Flows. I couldn’t look away from doing that for a second, I was so enthralled by my Necromancer.

When I get home though, it’s going to be full steam ahead on the revisions to all three manuscripts with a deadline. So much work to do, but you guys know I love it that way. So much better than being bored. Besides, it gives me so much to look forward to.

It’s been a nice trip, but it’ll be good to get home and back into the swing of things.

The big news today is that I’ve started what is more or less final revisions on Possession, the sequel to Bound. Yes, rejoice, it’s coming. Honest, I didn’t forget about it. I’m hoping to have this finished in the next couple of weeks so I can send it off to the editor. That means everything else is on hold except stuff that’s on a firm deadline, at least until that’s completed.

There are two of those, by the way, short stories that are for a couple of specific things. One’s a Sekrit Project that you’ll hear about in due time (June-ish). The other is for submission to a particular publication and I have to have that in by June 10th. The first draft of both stories has been completed, so I’m right about on schedule for those at least. I should be able to juggle all three things with only minor craziness on my part. And you all know by now that I have at least that much craziness in my sleep, let alone awake.

The REALLY big news is that I’ve settled on a publication date for Possession. I learned a lot from publishing Bound, and from watching some friends publish their novels and it’s changed the way I plan to release work in the future. It’s going to include advance planning of publishing dates, and leaving time for build up.

So, without further ado, let me announce the date you’ll be able to pick up Possession:

September 10th, 2013

My intention is to have both print and ebook versions available that day. If you’re on GoodReads, you can already add Possession to your TBR shelf here

Now, as I said before, I’m hoping to not do this alone. I know a few of you mentioned being willing to help, and I appreciate that more than I could possibly tell you (I try, but it’s not enough). I’m hoping for a few more helpers now that I’m actually asking, including from some of my Twitter friends. I’m planning a cover reveal for sure, which I’d like to do simultaneously on multiple blogs. I thought interviews might also be a good idea, which could be on a number of subjects, including the specific challenges and concerns around writing the second book in what I knew from almost the beginning was a trilogy. I have also been planning some excerpts form the novel, of course, give people a taste. I’m not sure what else, but am open to suggestions about other things that we could do to drum up interest, especially if there’s something you’ve seen others do that you liked.

Now, one of the things I’m planning on doing this time is ARCs, advance reader copies for those who don’t know the term. I’ll start with eArcs, but I also intend to have at least some physical ARCs as well. These would be available to people who were helping me get the word out. I mean, I can’t very well ask you to get excited about something you’ve never read, now can I?

If you’d be interested in being part of this, or if you’re willing to do an advance review or something once those ARCs are ready, let me know. If you haven’t read Bound yet, but are interested, I think we can make an arrangement.

Really, I suppose what I’m looking for is the start of a street team for Possession. I love the story this trilogy tells as a whole, not to mention this particular volume of it, and I believe others will love them too, but I’m just one person trying to get the word out. I can only reach so far on my own. I’m hoping with the help of others, that reach can be expanded. I’d like to get Possession (and Bound by obvious extension), out in front of as many people as possible, because I write to share stories in the end.

Kelila barely managed to stop when she reached the road, but there were no lights coming. She dashed across and slid down the slight hill, onto the sand. The insides of her shoes became filled with the coarse grains as she drove herself toward the shore. She fell to her knees in the waves that flowed restlessly along the beach. Plunging her hands into the water, she said, “Great Triton, I need to speak with you. The matter is urgent.”

Around her, the water glowed again, brighter this time. His voice was edged with dismay, amplifying the ripples. “You’ve found the Mer, have you not, daughter?”

She hesitated. “I have, but are you sure we don’t need one of undiluted blood?”

There was a long silence and she wondered if he already knew what she really wanted to ask somehow. Her father had always known her mind. “The ritual will only require that their blood be present. His will suffice for our purpose. You must move, Kelila. Take him with you to Stonehenge at once. The ritual is tomorrow. There isn’t time to delay.”

It was her turn to be silent. Her father said, “Something troubles you.”

“Isn’t there another way, Father? Someone else we could use?”

The sea exploded around her with his anger, the waves pounding the shore everywhere but on top of her, and the glow grew mottled, patterns of darkness and light racing across the surface. His voice made her cringe when he spoke. “This is the time, daughter. The alliance was difficult enough to form and now we must fulfill our side of the bargain. Do you imagine for even a second that any of the Mers would hesitate to offer you or your family up for what we are about to gain?”

“They’re our family too! The Mers-”

Water crashed over her, cutting her off and when it had passed, the glow formed into a pattern in front of her. The darkness and light took on the hard planes of her father’s face. The rage in his voice shook her down to her bones and she flinched back. “I don’t care if they are my brother’s children! They’re our enemy, Kelila. For us to complete this, we require a child of the sea. It must either be a Mer or one of your own brothers and sisters, your nieces and nephews. Will you sacrifice one of them to save a single merman?”

“But he’s not like them.”

The silence that followed this was heavy with disbelief and disgust. The waves stilled, but the glow intensified and arcs of light raced around the face on the surface of the water. “This cannot be possible. You would choose him over us. You care for him more. Do you understand what you’re choosing, Kelila? A life marooned on land. I swear, if you betray me like this, you will never again be allowed the embrace of the sea.”

She stared at her father’s face in horror. She couldn’t deny she cared about Isaac, but banishment from the sea would mean her death. “Father, you can’t-”

“I can and I will. Do as you’ve agreed, as you must, and you may return. Until then, the sea will be closed to you.”

Another wave rushed toward her, bigger than the others and she was flung back onto the beach, where she lay crying until there were no more tears in her. She hardly registered her father’s continued presence.

She had no idea how long she lay there before hearing Isaac’s voice. She didn’t move, didn’t know how to choose, and then he was kneeling in the sand next to her. He pulled her into a sitting position and held her shoulders, his face full of concern.

“Why did you run off like that? What happened?”

She threw her arms around him and started weeping again. He couldn’t die, not when she had just met him. She wanted to get to know him, to share the sea with him. He began stroking her hair. “Kelila, tell me what’s wrong. Why are you crying? Are you hurt? Did I say something, or do something?”

She shook her head, unable to stop sobbing. Even if she chose him and tried to make a life for herself on land, it would never be what she wanted. There was no way for her to explain to him why she couldn’t go in the sea and share that with him, and she’d never be willing to risk telling him the truth of his own heritage. More than that, how would she explain away the trail of dead humans that would, by necessity, follow her?

“Please, talk to me. If something’s bothering you, let me help.”

She heard the plea in his voice, and the fear. He was right to be afraid. She was going to have to take him to the ritual, where he might die.

Raising her head, she stared into Isaac’s face. Her tears finally ceased. Might die? She ran through the ritual her father had taught her so she could perform her part. Of course. She’d been focusing so much on the fact that someone would die as part of it that she’d forgotten the most important part. Only one of those blooded in the ritual would be killed. It was still a risk, one she wasn’t happy about, but this chance was better than the alternative.

“Do you trust me,” she whispered to him, her arms still wrapped around his chest.

Surprised and confused, he said, “Yes. It’s stupid, I know. We just met, but… I feel like I know you already and I don’t know why.”

She nodded and stood up, using his hands to draw him up to his feet with her. She led him out into the surf until the water reached her chest. Though she could feel her father all around her, he didn’t try to stop her. She thought he was waiting to see what she would do.

Kelila turned back to Isaac, who looked even more perplexed and slipped her arms around his neck. She leaned in until her lips were right by his ear.

“I know why you love the sea so much. I can tell you why your hands are different, why you can dive so much deeper than others. You can hold your breathe under water longer than anyone you know, and swim faster and further and I know why.”

He tried to pull back, but she held him fast. His voice was hoarse. “How do you know any of that? How can you explain things my own father couldn’t?”

Drawing her courage up, she whispered back, “Because I know what you are, Isaac. I know what your father was, and his father, going back to a young man who left the sea for his love of a human woman.”

“This isn’t possible. I’ve never shared the old story my father told me, not with anyone. It’s ancient family history and I’ve never really believed it. How could you know-”

“Because it’s my family history too. You’re different from humans because you’re descended from a merman. The sea is part of you, and it’s where you belong. That’s why you love it so much, why you feel at home there.”

She waited, holding her breath. When he spoke, she could hardly hear him. “It’s just a myth. There’s no such thing. Science has never found-”

“Some of the things humans name legend are real, Isaac. Science doesn’t know all the secrets of the world. Your people are no more legend than I am. Water nymphs are real too. You’re holding one now.”

He pulled back gently then and stared into her eyes, the skepticism she’d expected absent. “You came looking for me.”

She nodded and stretched onto her toes to kiss him. Surrounded by the sea, there was no thirst to ignore, so she savored the feel of his lips and the way he kissed her back hungrily. His arms tightened around her, holding her close. When she broke the kiss, she knew she’d never be able to let him die. There was hope, and she was going to do everything in her power to keep him safe. She prayed it would be enough. The water around them grew more violent, and she knew it was her father’s fury as he tried to pull them apart. He must have realized her intent, or at least enough of it to be worried.

“Think of the water becoming calm, Isaac. It will happen. Trust me,” she whispered, even though she knew this would enrage her father more.

Though he looked confused, he closed his eyes rather than question her. He frowned in concentration, and the waves calmed. She pulled him into another kiss and drew him under the surface with her lips.

For a few minutes, he only kissed her and his trust excited her in a way she’d never felt before. When he tried to pull back, she let his lips part from hers just far enough to speak. “Breathe, Isaac. I know you can.”

His eyes widened in shock and it was enough to distract him. She felt water pass into his lungs as his body took over such an unconscious thing as breathing. He panicked, a reaction she’d expected, but she held him there with her arms around his neck and her eyes on his. Another breath of water and he calmed down, wonder flooding his expression as he stared at her. “How is this-” He stopped, surprised at the sound of his own voice, the clarity of it in the water. “This shouldn’t be possible.”

She smiled. “And yet it is. I told you, you’re a merman, Isaac.”

He held up one of his hands, staring at the webbing that had expanded almost to the second joint of his fingers. Then he looked down at himself and she felt the arm he had around her waist stiffen. She knew the cause without needing to see, though she did look. His legs were fusing and lengthening. The diving suit he’d been wearing split and drifted to the sandy bottom. Scales in rippling shades of green rapidly formed over the fish-like tale his legs were becoming. For the first time in her life, the sight was beautiful, and the scent of a Mer in the water made her smile.

“We have to go now. There’s something we need to do and you have to trust me.”

He looked back up at her with such faith that she knew she’d do anything to protect him. Once the ritual was over, once he came through it alive, then they could roam the ocean together. All the places and things she wanted to show him raced through her mind. She wondered if his father would realize where Isaac had gone when he never came back. She was sure Isaac wouldn’t want to return to the land, that he’d never wish to leave the sea. And her, she hoped. Her own father’s rage at this would be enough to deal with after the ritual. She just had to get them both through that, and prayed she wasn’t making a mistake to put him so at risk. Kelila grasped his hand, then tapped the current of the ocean to spirit them away toward Stonehenge.

The End

***Thank you very much for joining me. I hope you’ve enjoyed this short story

Kelila and Isaac retraced their steps, then she led him back toward the beach. Curiosity getting the best of her, she said, “Do you do this often, find a girl and go for a walk in the dark with her?”

He shook his head. “First time. I mean, I’ve met women in a lot of places before, but never really got involved. Usually it’s just me and the ocean.”

She heard the wistful tone and was intrigued. “Why?”

“It’s just that I’m rarely home. I mean it. Sometimes I think I should tell people I live on the ocean, rather than in Vancouver. I spend a lot of time out there, because that’s where my work is. I’m a marine biologist, and I prefer to study things where they belong. It’s never quite the same in the lab, and a lot of the more fascinating creatures don’t survive well there anyway. I want to know about them, not kill them, so I go where they are as much as possible.”

She was surprised by his attitude and something else she sensed from his words. “You love it. The sea, I mean.”

“Yeah, always have. I guess it’s in my blood. My father and his father were the same . My father told me once it goes back a long way, that my family’s always worked the ocean in some fashion. A lot of sailors and fisherman in our history, I guess.”

“Which was he, your father, I mean?”

“Neither, actually. He designed sailboats. Wasn’t even from here. Mom met him when she went on vacation to France. She was young, but they fell in love and he followed her here.” Isaac laughed. “He says it’s the best of both worlds, having a beautiful woman at home and the ocean on his doorstep.”

So that was why, she thought, remembering her father’s confusion when Isaac’s father had suddenly turned up in what the humans called North America. “And you didn’t want to do that, the designing?”

He shrugged. “Dad wanted me to, but I wasn’t any good at it. Besides, I’m more interested in diving and the things that live in the ocean. I’m happiest when the sun’s a faint, watery glimmer above me. You have no idea how beautiful it is down there, Kelila, the amazing variety of life that’s evolved deep under the surface. In a way, I’m lucky. I don’t know why, but I can dive deeper than anyone else. When I go out with new team members, I always have to warn them not to try to go all the way down with me. People having gotten sick at some of the depths I hit, but not me, not ever. Maybe it’s because I’ve been diving since I was a kid. All I know is that it lets me observe some of the most fantastic creatures in their natural habitat. I wish you could see it.”

She had, though she couldn’t tell him without giving everything away before it was time. The enthusiasm in his voice made her smile. She’d never expected to find anyone on land who truly loved the sea. Humans were too busy polluting and destroying it, killing everything they could get their greedy hands on. Yet here he was, the opposite of everything she’d expected. She wondered if it was just because he was a merman, then realized it didn’t matter. She took his hand and froze. So did he, but when he tried to take his hand back, she tightened her grip. They both stopped on the sidewalk, though he seemed reluctant. She turned his hand over and inspected it. The webbing between his fingers extended further up his fingers than she’d expected, halfway to the first joint. She ran a finger over one of them and he tried again to pull out of her grip. This time, she let him. When she looked up, she found he wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“That’s the other reason I don’t date much. I’m a bit of a-”

He didn’t finish, but she could imagine many of the words he was thinking, the ones he would have heard as a child, maybe even more recently. She knew enough of humans to know how hurtful they could be to those who were different. She tried to imagine how hard it must have been for him, growing up with that, and never knowing why he wasn’t like everyone else. She reached out and touched his cheek with her fingertips. “I like them, Isaac. I’ll bet it makes swimming easier.”

He finally looked at her and his smile had a defenseless quality to it. “You could say that. I won every swim competition I was in as a kid, and later, in high school. It was almost always by a good margin too.”

She giggled. Yes, being a merman would give him an entirely unfair advantage. It was fortunate for him that humans refused to admit such creatures existed. No one would have guessed his secret. The one he didn’t yet know himself. For the first time, she thought about what would happen to him in the ritual, his role as a sacrifice, and wondered if she was doing the right thing. Disquieted by her doubts, she started walking again. He was at her side and she couldn’t quite convince herself to let go of his hand. She didn’t bother telling herself it was so he’d do as she wanted.

She asked him another question about the sea, wanting him to talk, to be at ease, but she was only half listening. She had to do this. She had to take him to Stonehenge, or she’d never be allowed home. It didn’t matter that he seemed as much a part of the sea as she was. He was a merman, and they were her enemy. Yet every time she tried to think of the horrible things the Mers had done to her people, those she knew who had been hurt by them, she thought instead of how sweet Isaac was. He had no more love of what humans did to the sea than she did, she was sure of it. She stole a glance at him, at his handsome profile. He was smiling again, and their eyes met briefly before she looked away.

“Are we going for a walk in Stanley Park?” he asked.

She looked up and saw the large forest that she’d noticed from the beach. An idea struck her then and she nodded. “Yes, please. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“You’ve never been to Stanley Park?”

She shook her head. “I’m not from here, remember?”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but shrugged instead. They walked into the woods, and she led him deeper in among the trees, counting on the scent of the sea to help her find her way back to it.

Kelila forced herself to let go of his hand and was startled by how strong the urge to take it up again was. When she saw a tree in the path ahead, she knew it was her best chance. He went around on one side and she started to walk around the other. The moment he was out of sight, she started running back the way they’d come. She expected to hear him shout behind her. She listened for the sound of him following her as she pushed herself to run faster. She needed to get to the beach before he could catch her. She had to talk to her father before she did anything else.

Smelling the sea close by, she veered off the path and wove through the trees, no longer caring about how much noise she was making or the trail she was leaving for Isaac to follow. She wanted him to find her, but only after she tried to convince her father he was wrong. She had to make him change his mind.

(To be continued…)

“I’m sure you’ve heard this from every guy you’ve ever met, Kelila,” Isaac said, “but that’s a pretty name. Where’s it from?”

She smiled. “A long way away. Not a place you’d have heard of.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe. I’m pretty well-travelled. Try me.”

“Does it matter, Isaac? I’m here now.” She swallowed against the dryness in the back of her throat and realized her skin was itching. Not just one patch, but everywhere. Even her hair was drying out. Everyone smelled of that dark, copper-laced water scent and it was growing stronger by the second. Even Isaac was smelling more of that to her than the usually more noticeable stormy mer-scent. The thought of draining Isaac crossed her mind, and she was horrified to have even considered it. To her surprise, the punishment her father would impose for such an act wasn’t the only reason she felt that way.

“Are you all right?”

He was frowning at her and she knew what he must be seeing. Her whole body was drying up, she could feel it. Her cheeks must be growing more hollow by the second, her lips ready to crack open. And her hair had now moved beyond being parched, becoming fragile and dull. She tried to clear her throat, then almost panicked when she couldn’t. “I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t wait for his response. She couldn’t stay in his presence another minute. Shoving her way through the crowd, she tried to get as far away from him as she could. It wouldn’t do for him to see what she was about to do. She thought about grabbing someone from among the dancers then dismissed the idea. Isaac had sounded so concerned and she was worried he might decide to come after her if she took too long. She’d never been forced into this type of situation before and had no idea how much time she’d need to complete the deed.

She made it through the crowd, then tripped over a step and stumbled into the wall. Before she could straighten, someone was behind her. There were hands on her shoulders, pushing her into the wall. A long, lean body pressed into her back as a voice spoke in her ear, dark and angry. “I don’t like being teased, you know. And whatever you let that overgrown boy scout think, I know you want it. And you’re going to get it too.”

The pale human from before nipped at her neck and she could feel the prick of his fake fangs. Kelila smiled into the wall. Too perfect for him to chose that moment, but she couldn’t drink him there. Isaac might still see, and that would only make her task harder.

Letting her need for this man’s water bleed into her voice, she said, “You’re right. He shouldn’t have stepped in. I want you, but not here where everyone can see. He might try to interfere again.”

His hands squeezed harder on her shoulders, causing a hint of pain, but she could feel his lips curve into a smile against her neck. “I knew it. But then, sometimes I like a slut who plays hard to get at first. Makes catching you more exciting. Come on.”

He dragged her with him to a room with narrow stalls, then shut the door and turned the bolt as she looked around. The scent of water, dank and yet leading eventually to the sea helped her realize what the room was. A bathroom. The pale man grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the wall, her hands above her head. He kissed her neck and nipped again at the skin there. “Oh, I can’t wait to get in you. You’re going to like this. You can tell yourself later that you didn’t, but you all like it when I take you.”

He was grinning at her now, and she knew he was about to make his biggest mistake. She smiled at him and let her thirst rage. Remay had taught her about this too, how to drink a human so she could survive longer on land. He hadn’t been able to explain why their water worked when nothing else did and at that moment, she didn’t care. The fake vampire fastened his lips onto hers. She parted them, still smiling. He followed her cue, but before he could do anything more, she called to the water in his body, tapped and commanded it to flow up and into her.

His body jerked and his hands released her wrists. She grabbed his face before he could try to back away. The water flooded into her mouth and down her throat. Salty, with a heavy metallic tang of copper and other minerals, the liquid flooded across her tongue. Only the sea was more delicious than this. Only that water could have soothed her better than this. She commanded more to flow and it did, a river of soothing moisture filling every bit of her. She felt the itch depart and her skin grow damp and lustrous. Her hair sprung up back into its usual healthy, wet waves. As the flow tapered off, so did the pale human’s struggles. Once she’d gotten the last drop she could hope for, she released him. He fell to the floor with a crack, the husk of skin and bones he’d become breaking on the hard floor.

She took a deep breathe, grateful it was possible again. She turned to the door, unbolted it and left. Moving quickly away from the door, she scanned the crowd for Isaac. She circled the dancing mass of humans trying to find him again with no success. She was about to make another circuit when she saw him come around the edge of the dance floor from the other direction. The instant he saw her, his frown dissolved.

“Where did you go? I couldn’t find you and I was worried,” Isaac said when he reached her. He looked first at one shoulder, then the other. She remembered the way the false vampire had pinned her against the wall. “I knew it. I knew I should have followed you. Was it another creep or the same one? Are you okay?”

She smiled even as she silently cursed. She couldn’t wash away the bruising now that he’d seen it. “Same creep, but I’m fine. I made him go away.”

He glanced around, frowning again and she put a hand on his arm. He looked at her. “Isaac, I’m fine. But I think I’m going to leave now. I don’t think I like it here after all.”

“I’m not that big on this place myself. Maybe we can go for a walk?”

She nodded, trying to keep her urge to smile at her triumph in check as they left the club together. The mist outside was still thick but the rain had stopped. Isaac pulled out his shirt and put it on. Kelila wished he hadn’t. She enjoyed the sight, though she knew she shouldn’t. He was a Mer, whatever his background. It didn’t matter how many of his ancestors had been human. The scent told the real story. His heritage had bred true. He didn’t know, and it was the only reason he could enter the water without changing. She didn’t understand the reason for that, but knew it was true. Before long, she was going to have to change that. He had to know to be of any use to her.

He captured her hand as she turned to lead him back toward the beach. “Before we go far, I have one place I want to take you.

“Why? What’s there,” she asked, trying to keep her tone light.

“It’s a surprise, but, well, I have to. Please?”

She looked into his blue eyes and nodded, letting him lead her further from the beach. They went a few streets over before he took her into a small structure. A shop, she thought as she stared around at the racks of clothing and remembered her brother telling her about them. She turned to Isaac, who was smiling in a shy manner she didn’t understand.

“Anything you like. It’s not fancy, and it’s all second hand, but it was close and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to walk around in just a shirt like that. It’s all ripped up and it looks like you’re not wearing anything under it. Did you forget to put bottoms on or something? You know, shorts, or, well, anything?”

She opened her mouth to respond, but realized there was no way she could explain without telling him the entire truth. She turned to the closest rack, surprised by the heat in her cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over it at him. He looked dismayed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean- I was just making a joke, Kelila. It wasn’t supposed to be serious. Anyway, you really should pick something out. They have some nice things.”

She nodded and turned back to the rack, running her fingers over the contents. The wealth of colors amazed her and each item felt different under her fingers. Then she saw something a few feet down the long rack. She raced to it and pulled it out. The feel of the material on her fingers and the colors set off a deep longing in her. It was so like the sea. The sleeves of the shirt were loose and she could only imagine how they’d feel on her skin.

“You can’t just wear that, but it’s a good start. It matches your hair, really,” Isaac said from just behind her.

She turned to argue that she’d wear whatever she liked, but the sweet smile he wore stole the words from her and she smiled back instead. He went over to shelf of more clothes, dug through and handed her a white top with no sleeves. Another shelf yielded black pants, then he ushered her to a small booth. Once inside, she pulled on the clothes, needing a moment to concentrate on not leaking through her skin. The shirt felt as wonderful as she’d expected and she shivered with delight. When she came out, his smile was broader still and he nodded in approval. He handed her small shoes that were similar to what he wore, then handed bits of paper to a woman at the counter. This confused her, but then she remembered Remay warning her that humans didn’t barter and that she wouldn’t be able to acquire anything without something he’d called money.

As they left the shop, he smiled at her. “Now you can lead me wherever you wanted.”

(To be continued…)

“No, I can’t do this. I don’t belong here,” she wailed as she charged back into the surf. A large wave rapidly rose and crashed into her, throwing her back onto the beach. Before she could pick herself up, the water along the sand began to glow, then trembled with her father’s quiet, inescapable voice.

“You must retrieve him, Kelila. I will not allow you to return until you’ve fulfilled the task I have entrusted to you.”

She stared out at the sea trying to find some argument he would listen to. She no longer cared about their need, not even that she’d agreed to do this. She only wanted to go home, to slip under the waves where she belonged. After a long moment, she hung her head, then dragged herself to her feet. Nothing would persuade him, and she knew he’d meant what he said. Only success would allow her to return to the sea.

When she turned around, she noticed that a heavy fog had risen and offered silent thanks to her father. He was at least doing what he could to make this easier for her. The moisture-laden air soothed her skin as much as anything in this world could. Before she could go anywhere though, she realized she needed to find human clothing. Her seaweed gown had already dried significantly and was starting to fall apart. She glanced around the beach and saw something white fluttering from a bush in the fitful breeze. WIt was a long shirt, one with no sleeves. After another check to see if anyone was watching, she tore off the remains of her dress. The shirt was damp from the rain that continued to fall, but still felt rough on her skin when she pulled it over her head. She was just grateful that it fell almost to her knees. She doubted it was what human women wore these days, but decided it would be good enough for this trip. She wanted to get her errand done with.

Kelila stopped at the edge of the road between the forest and the beach, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, searching. Her father had said it would be easy to pick up the trail. The Mer she sought had stopped at this beach only the day before. There it was, the heavy aroma of storms and salt tang. The power of the smell was stronger than she’d expected, then she remembered the fog. The moisture from it must have intensified the scent. Again, her father helping.

All right then, she thought, hoping it would all be so easy. She only had to hunt down one half-merman and drag him all the way to that island the humans called Britain. Easy enough if she could get him to the ocean. She checked for cars before crossing the road to the far sidewalk. One of her brothers, Remay, had told her to be careful once she was off the beach, that their vehicles could kill her if she got in their way. He had once gone further than the beach. It hadn’t been in this city, but to her, all human cities were the same. Remay would never talk about what had happened to him, except to share what he had learned of humans. All she knew for sure was that he hadn’t been the same since, nor had he left the depths since his return.

As she walked past cars stopped for a glaring red light ahead, she heard something that made her stop and listen.

“…strange weather patterns occurring around Sherwood Forest that meteorologists are at a loss to explain. More on this after the break but first, another bloodless body has been found in New Orleans. Is someone trying to invoke the fictional heritage of the city to make murder look like the work of look like the work of vampires?”

She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised that the others were already on the move, but it made her anxious to get this part of her task done. She needed to get to Stonehenge, but first she had to find the merman. She crossed with the light as Remay had explained, following the trail in the air.

As she went further into the city, she realized that everyone around her wore strange garb. While they weren’t in the place where she normally observed them, she didn’t think that was the cause. She considered what she was seeing, then remembered. The next day was what they called Halloween, when they would all dress as the very creatures they refused to believe shared the planet with them. From the look of it, many were celebrating early.

She tried to concentrate on the scent, not wanting to become angry and failing miserably. The arrogance of the humans never ceased to irritate her, the way they assumed all their old stories were nothing more than that. They seemed to believe that if they couldn’t see it, then it didn’t exist. Tomorrow, she thought, trying to keep from lashing out at the closest human. Yes, after the ritual at Stonehenge, there would be a new world order and the humans would learn the error of their ways. Once more, they would fear the denizens of the sea. She’d make sure of that herself if she had to.

The trail led her to what her brother had called a club. The people lined up outside fit the description he’d given her, as did the pair of large, muscular men guarding the door. She watched two women approach, saw the way they were admitted without needing to stand in the line and decided to try it herself.

One of guards looked her over and frowned. “And what are you supposed to be?”

Realizing that a costume was expected, she decided to tell the truth. “A water nymph.”

Both men smiled at her, which she returned, and one held up a hand, his thumb out and pointed upward. She wanted to laugh but held it in. The one who had spoken held the door open for her and she slipped inside.

The noise they called music assaulted her ears before she got more than two steps past the door. It made her head throb and she had to restrain the urge to use her hands to muffle the sound. She made her way down the hall and the air grew drier, moistened only by the sweat of a large group of humans. She could taste all of their odors in that moisture, some foul and some sickly sweet. The need to retch grew as she walked into a large room full of undulating bodies, and she struggled to maintain control of herself. For so many reasons, she didn’t dare draw that sort of attention to herself. There was no way she could explain away the water and seafruit that would come up. More than that though, she was already so dried out that she couldn’t afford the loss of fluids. If that happened, she’d lose control at the first whiff of water and they all stank of it. The most delicious stink ever, she thought as she stopped at the edge of the crowded dance floor.

Kelila stood there with her eyes closed, trying to block out all the scents but the one she needed. It was there, but she thought this must be a place he came to frequently, because there were so many layers to it. Before she could locate the freshest one, she heard a male voice behind her.

“I know. You’re here looking for me, aren’t you, lovely lady with the mermaid hair?”

She turned around, both infuriated and hopeful. Then there was only rage as she realized the man with the impressive physique and tiny wings peeking over his shoulders couldn’t be the merman. The only smell on him was the overly pungent aroma they loved to spray themselves with. She took a step back, her urge to vomit nearly overpowering her this time. She shook her head, unwilling to open her mouth.

“Let me buy you a drink. Maybe I’m better than whoever you came to meet,” he suggested but she shook her head again and walked away through the crowd, hoping to lose him. Behind her, he called, “Come on, everybody loves Cupid!”

Still too angry at being named a mermaid, she continued to stalk away, shoving people from her path as she went. By the time she reached the other side of the crowd though, she’d calmed down somewhat. Humans didn’t even believe in mermaids, so she shouldn’t have taken it so personally. Shaking her head to clear it, she tried again to figure out where the Mer was in this nightmare. She didn’t want to resort to sniffing each one of these people. They wouldn’t take kindly to it and the thought alone brought bile into the back of her throat.

A hand touched her, caressing her ass before squeezing. Shocked, she spun and found a pale man of slight build, made up to look even paler and sporting obviously fake fangs. He was standing almost right on top of her. His black hair hung in disheveled hanks around his face and she suspected his open vest and weathered black pants were meant to make him look like a creature out of time. Any real vampire would have laughed, then drained him of blood for the insult. His grin widened and he leaned closer still. She refused to back down.

“You wouldn’t have shown up dressed like that if you didn’t want it.”

He grabbed her shoulders, but before she could react, another male voice, this one deeper, spoke behind her.

“Actually, I think she was trying to get away from your hands.”

“Piss off. This isn’t your business,” the pale man snarled.

“If you don’t let her go, I’ll have to call one of the bouncers in. They’ll kick you out and I’m sure you don’t want that. The party’s just getting started and there’s lots of other girls here who’d probably love your hands on them,” the newcomer said.

Kelila wasn’t paying attention to the exchange. It was him. She knew without turning around that her would-be rescuer was the merman she was seeking. Feeling the hands gripping her loosen in surprise, she twisted her shoulders out of his grasp and backed away from him.

He grimaced at her. “Fine, she’s all yours. Probably a frigid bitch anyway, not just a tease.”

The fake vampire left and was lost almost at once in the crowd. She turned to the merman and stopped, staring at him. He was nothing like she’d expected. Unlike most Mers, who had dark hair, his was blond and just long enough for slight curls to form. The result was a casual mess that glinted in the lights of the club. His face was clear of any sort of hair, another difference from his kinsmen, who usually wore short beards. His blue eyes echoed the frown he wore as he stared at where the pale man had disappeared. Her eyes continued to roam his body, bared to the waist by the diver’s suit he was wearing. His bronzed chest was muscular, as were his folded arms. There was a white shirt tucked into the waist of his suit, but she found herself hoping he wouldn’t use it. Wanting to distract him, she spoke.

“Thank you. I’m not sure what might have happened if you hadn’t stepped in.”

He turned to her and his frown relaxed, but the way he stared at her made her wonder if he knew what she was. Ridiculous, she told herself, there’s no way he could. Her father had said he didn’t even know the truth about himself. At last he smiled and she answered with one of hers without thinking. ”I’ve seen his type before. They don’t really hear it when a woman says no.”

“Then I guess that makes you my rescuer.”

He shrugged. “I suppose so. I’m Isaac.”

“Kelila.”

(To be continued…)

Scent of a Mer is a short story I wrote for a project earlier this year. Sadly, it didn’t find a home in that project in the end (though another piece of mine did), and I’ve been trying to decide what to do with this short story since then.

I’ve been asked that most basic question by a number of people over my life since discovering I’m a writer. Why do I write? There are many answers I could offer to this question. One of the reasons though is that I write to share stories with others. I love to have people read my work, even if it’s nerve-wracking.

To my mind, that’s one of the chief reasons for stories in the first place, for them to be shared and enjoyed by others. With that in mind, I’ve decided to share Scent of a Mer here on my blog rather than let it languish. I hope you’ll all enjoy it.

A couple of notes about this little experiment before we get started.

First, Scent of a Mer is very definitely Urban Fantasy. I mean, it takes place in present-day Vancouver. Those of you who’ve read Bound and are familiar in any way with my many other written manuscripts, both short and long, will know that I usually write secondary-world fantasy (made-up worlds). The urban nature of this piece has some to do with project it was written for, but it was more than that. Sometimes I want to push myself, to try something else. Also, I have a few novel ideas that are UF, and this seemed like a way to get my feet wet with that sub-genre. I’m hoping it went well. You’ll have to let me know, which I hope you will do.

Second, as the whole story is a bit over 7,000 words, I didn’t want to put it in a single blog post. It’s a bit long for that. Besides, I thought it might be fun to stretch this out a bit into more digestible pieces. So I’ve broken the story up into four parts, not including this one. The posts will appear every other day, unless life and/or technology intervenes. Please feel free to comment, and share the link if you enjoy the instalment of  story.

So, now that I’ve whetted your appetite, we’ll start the story with the next post. I can’t wait for you all to meet Kelila.

So I’ve made a plan and I’m implementing it. Yes, I’m being vague on purpose. It’s called being crafty, dammit!

But the short version, as much as I’m ready to share at the moment, is that I am putting something in place to go on here on my blog that will hopefully keep everyone entertained and happy in my likely absence. You’ll all learn about it shortly (stay tuned for my next blog post, which will fill you in on all the information), but I think it’s going to be fun.

Beyond that, my plans for myself during this vacation are to edit my little heart out while I’m gone. That’s what I did last year (remember, I’m a writeaholic, even says so on my Twitter bio). So I’m turning everything I have into pdf’s and loading them up into the iPad. This way I can edit at the airport, and anywhere else I might be going, and I don’t have to worry about running out of stuff to work on for mark-ups.

I’m already about halfway through Second Thoughts at this point. It needs a fair bit of revising, but it’s the first draft, so that’s expected. Besides, I hadn’t actually planned to write it when I did. It bit me. And then I wrote it in like five days I think. It was crazy. Also, remember what I said about learning to catch some of my more basic problems as a writer that I wasn’t seeing? Well, I’m seeing it a lot. It’s frustrating, but at least I can see them now, which also means I can fix them. I suppose that’s progress, right?

The nice thing about this trip is that I can take my laptop with me this time, and this is good because I’m basically expecting revision notes on three different manuscripts at the moment (not sure when they’ll come in though) and I’ll want to get to work revising those the moment I get them. Trust me on that. Two of them will likely go off to my new editor when I get through with them, because I’d like to get them both out the door fairly quickly. One of them is most definitely anticipated by many.

And, of course, the thought of having those two out the door leads me inevitably to other thoughts. Like covers. I have fond memories of getting the cover done for Bound. I’m looking forward to doing that again.

I’m also thinking of enlisting the aid of some friends with blogs for cover releases. I’m not asking now, but if that’s something you’d be interested in helping me with, please keep an eye out here, as I’ll be asking for at least expressions of interest, and possibly commitments, when I know I’m closer to being ready for that. If you’re considering it, please know that I’d be endlessly grateful. I mean it.

The more I’ve been watching other self-pub authors on Twitter, the more I realize that I can’t do this alone, that I need to ask for help, and that I need to perhaps be a little less stoic about this whole thing. Mb help me with that a bit? As I said, it would be tremendously appreciated. <3

It’s just making note of the problems in a first draft, you see, not even trying to fix them unless a fix pops into my head at the time. That comes later. Right now, I just want to know what the problems are and get my brain thinking about them in the background.

Doing notes instead of trying to fix it directly on the screen has been my first step with first drafts for a while. It allows me to be more objective and to see the big picture, rather than just getting caught up in that sentence, which is what tends to happen when I’m making actual changes. Also, I can do markup on my iPad while I’m on my way to other things, or on lunch at the day job. I can’t do revisions that way, since I can’t edit a Scrivener document on my iPad. Maybe when they get that version of the software done. I find this system works well for me, especially since I can load up my iPad for a trip with multiple manuscripts and then enter changes later, giving me essentially a second pass.

I did want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that this is the last day of the $0.99 sale for Bound. Tomorrow, the price goes back up. If you haven’t picked it up but would like to, this is the time to do it. Also, if you haven’t checked out the first chapter here, there’s no time like the present. I hope you enjoy it. Also, to everyone who has read and enjoyed Bound, please consider writing a review or rating it, if you haven’t don’t so already. It helps more than you know. Thank you.

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To everyone who has been so incredibly supportive during this sale (and since Bound launched), I just want to say thank you. You guys are the best and you make me smile so often, even on the rough days. Self-publishing isn’t a picnic, and it hasn’t been easy in many respects. I’m lucky to have some very supportive friends all over the place. I appreciate that more than I have words to say. Thank you. A million times, thank you. I don’t think I could do this without you.