I’m a natural redhead. It’s the first thing people notice about me. I married my first love in Mauritius, we have a son, a daughter and two cats. I’ve just returned to work from maternity leave but I still find time to write and drink copious amounts of tea.
I have wanted to be an author since before I can remember and been chasing the dream ever since. My favourite genre is YA Contemporary Fantasy/Paranormal Romance. I love making my characters everyday problems a little more complicated with a touch of magic and fantasy. I’ve also written a picture book and my short romance story was published in an anthology.
This year I have discovered the #writingcommunity on Instagram and loving it! I blog about my writing journey and share tips along the way to help my fellow writers. I also post book reviews.
My novel is Jewel of the Sea
#YA #PR #ContemporaryFantasy
TEEN WOLF but mermaids in the UK.
Love struck, misfit, redhead discovers she’s a mermaid. With her emotions connected to her dormant weather manipulation powers, falling in love is deadly dangerous!
Jewel of the Sea was inspired by Rachel Vincent’s werecat shifters series. I found myself creating my own world of shifters but aimed at a younger audience and put my own spin on things.
It would appeal to fans of The Immortal Instruments, Vampire Academy and Wolves of Mercy Falls.
A mermaid reading Jewel of Sea and loving it!
Jewel of the Sea is based in my hometown, Felixstowe, which has enabled me to recreate the coastal town in a vivid and realistic light. My husband was my first love and best friend, so a lot of the romance in this story was inspired by my personal life. Jewel of the Sea addresses many issues teenagers experience at school but the fantasy elements enable them to escape into a magical world.
The following list is a sample of what to look forward to in Jewel of the Sea:
I’ve lost count of the amount of edits and years spent working on Jewel of the Sea. I’m constantly seeking feedback from others but what I need is a professional pair of eyes. If I had the money, I would hire an editor! I truly believe they are worth their weigh of gold and imagine you can learn a lot from them about your writing. Please tell me how I can make my novel better?
Stefan talking about my manuscript.
This year, I realised I’ve been neglecting my query/pitch. I feel so stupid for not twigging sooner how important it is. I have been working hard on fixing it but have no idea what else I need to do. Please help me make my first impression irresistible?
Make them go, ‘Gimme, Gimme Gimme!”
I am sure there is so much more I need to know that I haven’t thought of because I don’t even have an inkling. What am I missing?
I typed in ‘Lost Kitten’ and got another Salvatore #feelinglucky
And, I hope this doesn’t sound sappy but after all our hard work together I would love to become lifelong friends.
Sadly, there will always be con artists looking to prey on the vulnerable. It is easy to manipulate someone if you promise you can make their dreams come true.
When I started modelling I was aware of rogue agencies that offer to build you a portfolio for a charge. They sell it as your big break and that it will open doors for you into the industry but the truth is it is just a photography package. There is nothing wrong in paying a photographer if you want photos, but don’t be fooled into thinking it will guarantee you work.
If an agency really likes you, they won’t charge you for the privilege. You should never have to pay your employer for the opportunity to work. Especially with no guarantee of any return.
Sadly, writers don’t always realise this. With so many barriers to the publishing industry they are relieved when they finally get an interested agent that sometimes they fail to check them out. They are so happy they naively agree to costs their agent tells them are necessary to start the publishing process. This is untrue. The only time you would pay up front to publish is if you wish to self-publish or if you have chosen to use a vanity publisher.
Travis Heerman
Here is a story by Travis Heerman about his early experience of the industry. He was conned out of a large sum of money in pursuit of his dream, by a scam that seemed to never end. Even worse, he was not alone. Cautionary Tales for writers – part 1.
Travis shared his story in the hopes of saving other hopeful writers from the same heartache and stress he went through.
I would like to highlight that one of the defendants (found guilty in court) of this scam was a man named Don Phelan. Why this is interesting will be raised later.
September 2018
During the September 2018 #PitMad event I got a request by Burchette and Ferguson, however, I chose not to follow up and send them my MS as I was put off by their website and here is why. They had only existed for three weeks and had no details about who worked at their company or their background.
I started drafting this article in February 2019 (screenshot below) and checked out their website again only to be greeted by the a message informing me that they are preparing for their big launch and the site had been down since October 2018!
However, I checked the site again today (almost a year later), 1 September 2019, and the site no longer exists!
With Pitch Wars #PitMad (September 2019) in just a few days, I felt it was a good time to remind people that just because someone likes your pitch, doesn’t mean you have to send it to them. This company was ‘preparing for a big launch’ a month afterwards that I don’t think every happened, and vanished in less than a year.
February 2019
This year I have been connecting more with other writers on Instagram. It’s been great for motivation, support and tips. One of the connections is The Writers Advisor.
On 20 February, they posted about a Literacy Agency actively seeking submissions. Here is the post.
It wasn’t clear to me at the time that they are a Literary Agency. I thought it was a post they were sharing. I said I would check it out later.
Later on, I visited the site but could not find any details about who works there or any authors already signed or books published. So, I returned to Instagram to comment publically asking if they knew anything about which agents work there.
They responded with a private message:
It might be a coincidence and a completely different Don Phelan to the one in the publishing fraud case but with the lack of further information I decided to pass on sending him/her my manuscript.
Then Don replied to my message publicly on 23 February 2019.
His response strikes me as rather rude. I understand that when I query I am hoping the agent would like to work with me but it is a two way partnership. I always research an agent before I query to check they are a good fit for me too, otherwise I’m just wasting their time. His/her response gave me clarity that they were not someone I wanted to work with.
Do you need an agent?
If you are looking to traditionally publish then you’ll find most publishers won’t deal with writers directly. It will say no ‘unsolicited manuscripts’ meaning you’ll need an agent to approach them on your behalf.
It is important to research Literary Agents to ensure they are a good fit for your book, someone you want to work with and most of all to ensure they are authentic. Don’t fear, there are simple ways to check them out:
Agent History
For example, check the agents history. Legit agencies often have a page about the agents and the authors they’ve signed. They often promote the books they got published as their success is a reflection on them.
New literary agents often start out supporting an experienced agent, which gives them a platform to prove themselves and some assurance to writers and publishers that they either know what they are doing or are surrounded by the guidance of those that do.
You may be able to find their employment history on LinkedIn or try a website like Writer Beware to see if anyone else has raised concerns about them. You can also buy Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook by Bloomsbury Publishing (check for the latest version as it is updated annually).
Online presence
At the very least they should have a website with a profile to tell you a little about who they are and what they are in to. Check to see how the site been published. Businesses use the internet to have a presence so if they have not been around long, you need to ask why? Have they re-branded and if so who were they before. Are they just starting out and what previous experience have they got.
Not all Literary Agents use social media, however, most do and it is beneficial to discover more about them. Are they promoting books/authors they’ve represented and how well have they done? What are their interests and would they enjoy your book? See how active they are and how long they’ve had their account.
Conduct
How do they behave? Many agents are drowning in submissions. It is highly unlikely they will have time to look for you and request a submission. They only time agents will reach out to someone is for non-fiction if you’ve done something that they feel their audience would be interested in and wish to ask you to write about it.
They should be upfront about what they are able to offer you and answer your questions in a professional manner. If they start hounding you with phone calls trying to push you to spend money, then you should block them and move on.
If they are rude or do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, trust your instincts. It takes on average two years to get traditionally published! If that sounds long, it’s going to feel even longer if you don’t like them.
I wish you every success and hope this post has been helpful in what to look for when considering who to send your novel to. It is a personal decision and you have to do what feels right for you.
Sometimes in life people surprise you and this is a true story about a stranger paying it forward.
Ferry Car Park
I arrived at the Ferry Car Park for Phoebe Morgan’s talk on The Publishing Industry. I made sure I had change on me to pay for my car park ticket. But, the machine was more expensive than I anticipated. I was short by a pound.
I searched the car for any stray coins but came up empty. I tried following the instructions to pay by phone but the automated message kept asking me for a code from a fine letter. I started to contemplate whether I should risk buying a ticket knowing it would run out before the talk is over or if I should leave and return late to the talk but have a fully paid ticket.
A stranger noticed my distress and asked what what was going on? I explained my dilemma and he kindly offered me the money I was short by without expecting anything in return. He was gone before I could ask his name or how to pay him back.
Due to the car park drama, I was one of the last to take a seat in the Sailing Club conference room. As luck would have it, I found myself sitting next to my white knight. We didn’t get much opportunity to talk but I found out he is an author and he was going to The Scribblers & OWL event in the afternoon. The same event I was booked on to.
In the afternoon, I arrived at the Orwell Hotel for the event being hosted by the local writers group Felixstowe Scriblers and Orwell League Writers. Once again, I found myself sitting next to my hero.
This time, we got the opportunity to talk and I learned that his name is David F Burrows and he has two books published. We chatted about his books and I was entertained by the Jack the Flasher book (book 2). I was taking note of the titles as I wanted to support him as he was such a wonderful man. Then, David offered to sign them for me.
I have read the first chapter of Fish Bone Alley (book 1) and flew through it. I easily could have carried on but stopped myself as I am midway through another novel at the moment. These books will hold a special place in my heart due to the kindness of the man that wrote them.
If you enjoy dark comedy go check these novels out (click here). Not only will they make you laugh (or smirk) but you will also be supporting a writer with a heart of gold. In addition, visit his website and follow his blog here.
Don’t you love it when you meet an author that is easy to talk to and a truly lovely person? Tell me about an amazing author you have met?
There was plenty of choice for kids this year with many events being free of charge and no need to get a ticket. This is great for parents with young kids who have no idea how their kids will be feeling on the day or even awake at the scheduled time. My biggest challenge was how to fit in activities for my children when there were so many events I wanted to go to for me!
Story Walk in the Woods
The first event we attended was at the Grove, out local woodlands. The event was run by Elly Crichton Stuart who led the children (or get them to lead us) through the forest and hunt out spots for story telling. During our walk she shared a total of ten stories. She was animated in her story telling which appealed to the children and often got them involved.
Sitting on a log, the first story she shared was the Grufflao that she recalled from memory. The children were all familiar with this one. Later, sitting by a large oak tree, she shared a Scottish tale about a White Stag and a girls trip to fairyland. Next, the children sat on a tree stump whilst she shared with them a fable about a pigeon and an ant. Finally, on the field she told a story about the Loneliest Giant and how the salt water shrank him. She encouraged the children to not forget the stories she shared with them and to tell them to others.
You can find out more about Elly by clicking here.
Bread Babies
I had not planned to go to this event, but whilst at an event of my own, I was told about it and when I asked my son if he would like to go, he did.
This event was run by author Richard O’Neil and took place at The Bakery which was a very fitting venue considering the story being shared. The children all sat beautifully at the back of the bakery, listening to a very imaginative tale of a Baker that decided to make bread babies for their customers but there was enough dough left over to make a life size baby. Once baked the big baby vanished only to turn up in the home of a couple that desperately wanted a baby of their own but never had such luch. Now the bread baby is alive and they adopt it.
It was a very entertaining story and Richard shared it in a way that engaged the children. I was very impressed with how Noah paid attention and even whispered “Our baby isn’t made of bread?”
At the end, the owner of the bakery kindly shared some bread babies that she had baked for all the children – there were even some little redhead (jam) ones. My compliments to the Baker – they were so delicious and didn’t make it home.
To learn more about Richard O’Neill and his books, you can follow him on Twitter or visit his website.
Author CL Walters was looking to feature writers from Instagram on her blog and I got picked. You can read her post about yours truly by clicking here.
She is the author of two novels that can be bought from Amazon.com:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvhOTJGnKw_/
Swimming Sideways by CL Walters
“What do you do when your world has fallen apart, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to put it back together? Abby Kaiāulu (Kaw ee aw oo loo) gets the chance to start over when her family relocates from Hawaii to a small town on the Oregon coast. But she’s hiding a secret. Leaving the past and the cultural lessons of her Hawaiian grandfather behind, Abby redefines who she is to hide it. There’s Good Abby – she makes and follows the rules – and there’s Bad Abby – she always questions them. But both leave Abby wondering: which one is she really? Her road of self-discovery takes her on a journey where she must discover the truth of who she is as a daughter, a sister, a woman, a Hawaiian and as a friend. But just when she thinks her world might be coming back together, it falls apart all over again. “
“ Seth Peters has been angry for a long time. Living with an abusive, alcoholic father has that effect. But when he wakes up in a hospital – outside of his body – due to an accident that he doesn’t remember, Seth is no longer angry; he’s terrified. When his memories begin to return, he is confronted with a legacy of lies he’s constructed to survive the pain of his own life. Realizing he’s no different than the man he’s loathed his whole life, Seth’s learns that his choices have set into motion far-reaching and terrible consequences for the only true friend he’s ever had, Gabe Daniels. Challenged with wallowing in the pain or confronting his fears and admitting to the ugly truth about himself, Seth must decide if facing what he fears most to save his friend’s life is worth the risk of losing his own. “
I thought Aria would never go to sleep but, finally, she did. I am super keen to make sure that week 3 goes better than week 2. To stay on track for 25k I needed to write 955 words… I managed to write 973 word! *phew*
I did get a little distracted today looking up a name for my word cutter/huntsman character. Then, I didn’t even use it!
Friday, 16th November 2018
11:00 pm
Tonight, I have been blogging and researching content for my blog.
This week I have also been meeting with companies to discuss at home business opportunities as I am looking into ways to bring in a little income without compromising my commitment to my children. I’ve got some serious thinking to do and it has been quite distracting.
Saturday, 17th November 2018
11:00 pm
I didn’t feel motivated to write this evening as I feel stuck in my story and I’m still beating myself up about how poorly I did last week and that I didn’t write last night.
I’m so glad that I put my butt in the seat because I managed to write 1,352 words tonight and once I got into the chapter, I really enjoyed writing it. I wrote in third person tonight which isn’t my usual style (I’m a die hard first person POV write) but I was writing from another characters perspective and I think using a different style helped me get past the point I am stuck.
I’ve no idea where the story will take me tomorrow. I didn’t have much time to plan an outline for this one and I have no idea where the story is going just an idea of what I want it to achieve. The vagueness is now causing me problems. I used to be a pantser but with my limited writing time available, these days I really do need a plan.
My 25k goal is still doable but there is no chance I will achieve 50k. I’m glad I set a more realistic goal for myself.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqTBFrQFY1d/
Sunday, 18th November 2018
10:30 pm
Do you ever feel like everything is working against you? I thought today might be tricky to write as it was also my son’s joint birthday party.
Unfortunately, my son woke up and was sick. As it was a joint party it still went ahead but without him. I ran around town making sure that my contribution (money, food, etc) was still made available to the other mums. The whole point of a joint party was to share the costs.
Once I got both little ones to bed I went to my PC, only to find that my cat had made herself comfortable on my chair. She had that look on her face that told me she would not be moving. After, coaxing her off the chair I logged onto the PC. By then, my husband and his friend were watching a new TV series on Netflix – it looked pretty good and kept distracting me.
However, I am pleased to say I did manage to write, even if it was only 607 words.
Monday, 19th November 2018
9:00 pm
Noah had to be kept off school due to the 48h rule to prevent him passing on his tummy bug, however, he has been absolutely fine all day which meant he wanted entertaining. There was no opportunity to sneak in a few extra words for my manuscript. I made him do homework every time he said “I’m hungry,” before giving him a snack. Which if you know any 4 year olds, that is a lot of homework.
Now, both the little ones are in bed it it my time. But, I am struggling to focus on my project when I can feel Christmas fast approaching and all the Black Friday sales have started early! I’m always looking for ways to save money so I’m finding it hard to resist temptation to shop.
10:30 pm
I managed to write 1,022 words before being called away mid sentence by a hungry baby. I just felt like I was getting back into it too. It is too late to go back downstairs and I’m tired, so, sweet dreams all. Tomorrow, I’m going to try and double my daily word count.
Tuesday, 20th November 2018
10:10 pm
Noah was well enough to go to school today. Today was Stay and Play at school so I was there for the afternoon.
Tonight, neither of the little ones wanted to go to sleep. The oldest one kept claiming to need the loo and needs reminding about hand washing. And, the little one seemed to know when I left the room, despite my expert ginger ninga skills and would start crying.
So, despite challenging conditions, I have managed to write 927 words. To get back on track, I currently need to be doing 1,029 words per day. I am behind target but I’m no quitter!
Wednesday, 21st November 2018
3:15pm
I’m so pleased that this afternoon I got to write. Noah is at school and Aria is asleep. But, now it’s time to go and pick him up so I’m going to end there with my 359 words and hope I get a chance to add some more this evening.
10:15pm
I’m glad I got to write earlier as Aria has been difficult to settle tonight. She is teething and experiencing her first cold, bless her, so really struggled to fall asleep – it could be a long night.
I am not going to write tonight, however, I did chat with a friend about my project which helped generate some fresh ideas to work on. I also drew a picture earlier today of one of the villains in the story.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqdVerMFNvK/
Reflecting on week 3
Obviously, I hadn’t anticipated a sick boy or a restless baby but despite these challenges, I feel week 3 has gone better than week 2. But, I still want to do better!
Not writing an outline for my novel or doing any preparation is really taking its toll now. I’m struggling to know what direction to take the story in and every time a new character is introduced I have to come up with a name and think about what makes them who they are.
Plus, ‘Black Friday’ sales are cropping up everywhere and reminding me that it is Christmas next month and although we don’t go overboard… I haven’t done anything.
My motto for this week’s NaNoWriMo is “If you take time to plan, you save time in the long run.” Are you doing NaNoWriMo? How are you getting on?
The little one had me up bright and early but thankfully has breast fed. I probably should have tried making a start on NaNo even if it was just writing on my phone, instead I played Dragon Mania. There is still plenty more time today after the school run and house work… We’ll see…
10:22pm
Day one and I typed 939 words (daily goal is 834 words). I didn’t get to work on my manuscript until the kids were in bed. Plus, the hubby was out tonight so it was first time since Aria was born that I’ve I done it without help.
As I never found time to prepare, I also crammed in some character development and outlined the first three chapters. I wish I had a full novel outline but something is better than nothing.
I’m pretty impressed with myself. Today has been a good day.
Friday, 2nd November 2018
11:00pm
My husband was put this evening so I bathed and got the little ones ready for bed before I could make a start on my writing at 9:30pm. I’m pleased with the progress I made as I beat my daily goal of 830, with 1,326 words.
I am really enjoying writing it and could keep going if I didn’t have responsibilities. I need my sleep so I can keep up with the little ones tomorrow so that’s me done for today but I’m looking forward to writing more tomorrow.
Saturday, 3rd November 2018
10:00pm
Today has been a busy day. We visited family in the morning. Then, in the afternoon I got Aria to sleep and was able to support Noah with his homework (researching India and the Festival of Light). Then we visited more family and returned home late.
Aria has only just gone to sleep and I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m frustrated I did not get to write today but we did a lot of family stuff today which is good for the soul.
Sunday, 4th November 2018
10:00pm
Today has been a great day. Not only did I get some time to write this afternoon but I also got to write more this evening. I managed to add 2,276 words to my manuscript.
Not only that, but we also watched the fireworks together as a family. It’s been a great day!
Monday, 5th November 2018
11:57am
I’ve had a busy morning with Aria. We went to a group and I got her weighed. She is now nodding off so I can get some lunch. I’m hoping to beat my word count from yesterday so if I get a chance to write before the school run, I will.
9:00pm
Famous last words… After, I typed the above, Aria woke up and went on a mad feeding frenzy where she kept emptying her bottles and crying for more. How could I say no when I’ve been desperate for her to get an appetite.
Now, she has finally fallen asleep, I can barely keep my eyes open. It’s an early night for me – sorry NaNo.
Tuesday, 6th November 2018
10:08pm
Today, has been nonstop but since my husband returned from work I have managed to have a bath and add 1,141 words to my project.
Wednesday, 7th November 2018 (My birthday)
1:00pm
It’s my birthday, although I’m not really celebrating it. This morning, I managed to hit my daily word count before lunch.
9:40pm
After my husband cooking me one of my favourite meals, eating cake and opening presents, we got the kids to bed and now I am back to writing and what a great way to end week one with 2,003 words.
Reflecting on week 1
7 days in and I’ve already written a total of 7,790 words. I am really pleased with the start I have made towards my target of 25,000. If I continue like this, I can easily achieve my goal.
In fact, I am only 3,876 words behind in achieving the NaNo goal of 50,000 words. To achieve that I need to write 1,759 words per day which I’ve proven I can do…
If you like this post, then you might like this one about the project I am working on for NaNoWriMo November 2018 or my NaNoWriMo diary post for Week Two.
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. You set yourself a word count goal and attempt to write often (ideally daily).
I thought NaNoWriMo was only in November. November is full of birthdays and we often take a family vacation which means I get very little time to write that month. It turns out there are now more months throughout the year to take the challenge and July is one of those.
Sadly, I did not achieve my goal of 25k. It was rather ambitious considering I’ve had a lot on this month with:
Noah finishing at both his nurseries (2 x sports day, graduation and leaver parties)
Taster days at his new school including homework
Continuing to work up to 39 weeks pregnant was exhausting most evenings I just wanted to sleep
Hypnobirthing classes were so relaxing, afterwards I was too chilled to write
Increase in midwife appointments as my due date nears
Things I hadn’t anticipated affecting my goal:
Noah catching a sick bug
My husband getting Labyrinths (swelling inside the ear drums)
Myself catching a cold and I can’t take any meds (a week on and it is almost gone now)
Referral on my last CIPD assignment so I had to work on resubmitting that
The opportunity to write for Ginger Parrot!
As I’ve not done this challenge before I had no idea what was a realistic goal. I decided on 25k as I felt that would be achievable and yet also challenging. Perhaps, ordinarily that would have been true but I hadn’t anticipated the germs about to invade my home or how tired pregnancy and keeping up with work and a 4 year old would make me.
Putting that aside, I am super impressed with what I have achieved *pats myself on the back*. I’ve also identified from my daily word counts that certain days I am more productive and other days I don’t write at all. It could be that these are the days that I am working on my blog posts.
At points, I fell back in love with my story and was excited and proud about scenes I created. Other times, it was a struggle and I know I’ll need to return to fix some parts lacking in lustre. I also discovered I don’t have to write my novel in chapter order, I can skip ahead and return to parts later and this sometimes makes things more clearer.
I also managed to keep up with my blog posts (just about), however, I have drafted a new schedule to reduce posting as I think blogging will be more challenging with a newborn. I’ve also agreed to keep writing for Ginger Parrot and they’ve added me to their team page – this is a big achievement for me and I don’t want to let them down.
Novel writing is my first love and I’m hoping that in the coming months I will find a way to make more time for this. I don’t quite know how yet but perhaps setting myself monthly word count goals would be a good start. I think I’ll start low and try to beat it each month…
*****
Did you do the NaNoWriMo challenge? How do you manage to juggle life and your writing goals? I would love to hear how you got on.
When I attempted NaNoWriMo back in November 2017 I blogged 5 tips to help you achieve. The only thing I’m doing different this time is my goal is 25k words and I’m going to use Google Docs so I can write anywhere! If you’d like to read my tips, please click here.
What I learnt from failing
Well November 2017 was a very challenging month for me and I didn’t achieve NaNoWriMo despite my top tips. November is always busy month for me but last year’s November was awful!
I don’t think you should see failure as a reason to give up. It’s a chance to learn and grow and become even better. If you’d like to learn from my mistakes, please click here.
This is my YA Fantasy Romance on Wattpad. I am currently querying agents to try and get it published the traditional route. Today, I thought I would share with you a chapter that I really enjoyed writing and inspired my NaPoWriMo poem for Day 8.
Blurb
Would you kiss your rival, if they promised to help you get the guy you fancy? Mariah is crushing on her BFF, Jace. She’s heartbroken when he starts dating Kiara but with an unusual offer from Murray she has the chance to ruin the blossoming romance. The price? Just a kiss.
Little does she know that this kiss will awaken her storm summoning powers and with no idea she’s a mermaid, strange things begin to happen. Can she gain control of her powers before someone gets hurt or worse?
In this ‘fishy tail’, Mariah’s complicated love life is just the ‘spark’ of her problems!
Dear reader, the song is “All of me” by John Legend. Thanks, Ally
As if waiting for me, the moment I hit the concrete slabs, the sky opened up and rain poured from the sky. It was hard and cold, possibly even sleet. It was heavy and I knew the field would be soaked before my feet even touched the muddy grass. No longer caring for my own well being, I belted across the slippery field leaving a trail of deep wet pools in my wake. I could feel the mud sucking around my feet and oozing between my toes but I ran away from the hall as fast as I could. Who would care if I slipped and fell? I certainly didn’t! Getting as far away as possible was the only thing I could think of.
I arrived at the pool house. The door was locked but there was a sensor light in the porch that came on. Turning the doorway into my little lit sanctuary, I sunk down. The silky dress stuck to my body like a second skin, soaked to my bitter bones. The shoes were ruined, caked in wet mud.
From cold and fear, I shivered, knowing I needed to inspect my hands. I lifted them up in front of me and slowly unfolded my fists, palms up. As I stared down, I instantly saw the tell tale blue tinge and quickly snapped my hands shut.
That was close!
Despair turned to relief. Any longer and who knew what might have happened. The rain fell like a curtain at the edge of the porch, thumping an urgent drum overhead, but my hiding place was reassuringly safe and dry as I clutched my knees to me. The storm could rage around me but here I couldn’t be touched. I shivered in the little wet flimsy dress as calm gently claimed me.
“Goldie!” I heard. In the darkness, I knew it was Murray. I couldn’t see him but under the light he could see me. I got to my feet and considered running.
Murray came into view, flustered and mad. He stood looking wild and… rather sexy in front of me. There was something captivating about him I had never noticed before. Perhaps the rain was good for him. He ripped his shirt open showing the toned body I had become familiar with at the swimming club and moved closer, coming under my shelter. I backed up, confused and frightened by his strange behaviour. Then I saw it. There above each peck were four dark round circles.
I squinted, “Did you get a tattoo?”
“You did this!” He said angrily. “What did you do to me?”
Shaking I leaned in to inspect the marks. They were fresh, his skin was red as if his flesh had been scolded, “You’re burnt!” I couldn’t understand how this could have happened. Only minutes ago we had been dancing. I looked accusingly at my hands and backed up even more. “Stay away! I’m dangerous!”
I felt sick as the realisation that I had harmed Murray, scared his body, became a reality.
Murray made an angry growl of a noise and I stepped back further. As his hand thrust forward a strange thing happened. It was as if time froze, making the rain pause, suspended in mid flow. But time was moving, it was moving very quickly but so much was happening my mind was stretching it out deliberately allowing me to take in as much detail as possible causing the longest seconds of my life. Murray’s hand reached forward for me and I dodged out of his way. As he pushed past the rain drops, they froze frost white and collected in his hands, clinking like marbles in the unnatural slowness. Then as his arm stretched forward, the hail stones flew from his palm. They shot forward like icy bullets, smashing into the door to the pool house and shattering its glass panel.
He was as shocked as me. He glanced down at his right hand to see hoarfrost was building, covering his fingers in delicate little white needles. He crunched his fingers to his palm and watched the ice break and fall away. Unlike the shards of glass by the door, these icy fragments melted and joined the puddles caused by the rain. He opened his hands and the frost began to build again. The ice cast a strange blue glow across his features that made him look dark and twisted, as if he was possessed.
“Stop it Murray!” I begged. “If anyone sees you…” I didn’t know what would happen but I imagined that it wouldn’t be good.
We’d become lab rats for scientists to make sense of the phenomen. My unknown family would be in danger as they hunted more of us. I could be forced to harm more people or locked up to get everyone safe.
I knew what had happened to Murray was my fault. Somehow, I had transferred my storm summoning into him. Had I cured myself of the retched ability; passed on the curse?
Murray clenched hisjaw, fear caught in his eye. He didn’t understand what was happening and neither did I. I had to take care of him, “Come on.”
I reached through the smashed glass to unlock the door. We hurried into the reception. My plan was that once inside no-one could see what was going on and I’d have some time to calm Murray down.
The Reception felt wide and open and I realised we couldn’t stay there; anyone walking past would see us. Out of sight was where we needed to be, but the next room was the changing rooms. Despite breaking and entering there was something wrong about having a guy in the girls changing room and I didn’t feel I was allowed in the men’s. So, I ended up leading him all the way through to the pool side. I sat him down on one of the brick islands.
His fingers were blue and he now tossed an icy cloud between his hands. It was similar to juggling, except the ball was made of vapour and moved slowly. He was still shaking as he watched his hands; his expression a mixture of fear and fascination. The room was dark but I had no intention of looking for the main light switch. The lamps under the water that lit up the pool were providing enough light for us both. It reflected and danced across the top of the pool invitingly.
“You need to get calm.” I told him.
He jumped to his feet. He was restless and wouldn’t stay still. “What’s happening to me?”
“Calm…” I repeated seriously. I pressed down on the air around me with my palms for emphasis.
“I can’t!” He paced the side of the pool. The mist snaked between his fingers, leaving trails of smoke that ran over the floor and pool.
I got up and gripped hold of his forearms.
“Please Murray. You need to calm down.” I begged.
His body shook with fear. His eyes looked wildly around the room desperately seeking an escape from this madness. He was all over the place. He felt icy cold but I could see beads of sweat on his forehead. He clearly wasn’t going to calm down anytime soon.
“Hello? Is anyone in here?” An unfamiliar voice called from Reception.
Someone had found the smashed door. I worried who it might be; the police. They were probably looking for the person responsible for the broken door. If were caught, I’d no idea how to explain it. They would never believe the truth. We’d have to lie… I couldn’t think of any lie that could explain what Murray was doing.
My heart was a ticking clock, not long and they’d find us. The panic flashed on Murray’s face. The intruder wasn’t helping things at all. I had to get Murray calm. Fast!
27. Revelations
I had to calm Murray. Fast! I bit my lip. In my panic only one solution came to mind. I grabbed his face and pressed my lips against his. His skin was ice cold against mine as I transferred my warmth into his body.
My solution took him by surprise. He was startled, took a step back and with his weight we toppled into the pool together. The water wasn’t heated and the cool wrapped us in a chilly embrace. His hand slid up my back, holding me against him. I felt a tingle of electricity ripple between our bodies, reaching from our kiss down to my toes; an amazing sensation. My legs wrapped around his to pull him closer. We became a tangled octopus of lust.
I felt his body warm against mine, the cold dispersed. I didn’t want to stop kissing him but I could feel the intensity of his feelings as if they were my own. We were connected in a way I had never felt before, two heartbeats pumping in unison.
Even with my eyes shut, I sensed the light to the pool room being switched on. The glow shone through my eyelids, invading our privacy and caused me to break away. I had forgotten about the voice and realised that someone was checking the room.
I put a finger to my lips. Murray nodded and copied me to show he understood. We gripped hold of the vent in the pool to keep us under the water. At least we were both good at holding our breath. We just had to stay still so not to cause any more ripples.
I hoped Murray had enough air; neither of us had expected to be in the water so we hadn’t taken a lungful. I grinned as I recalled the big kiss instead.
There was a cut on Murray’s neck, just below his jaw. My hand reached forward to inspect it and I realised it wasn’t a cut but… it was impossible, it was a gill, an actual gill! My hand reached for my own neck and as my hair floated back I felt a strange flap of skin in the same place. Murray saw and his head jutted forward to inspect. He slowly went through the same motions as I had. It was as if we were communicating underwater without words. Was this physical abnormality a part of being a merallo? If it was, did that mean Murray was one too? Did that make Kiara one too?
Our eyes met; our look deep and intense speaking a language that has no words. Then I saw his eyes had changed. The pupils were stretched into long thin slits like frog eyes – like how Annie had described my eyes the day Mr Griffen had offered me a place on the team. Now I knew, this was why mum insisted on me wearing goggles. Under the water his silver eyes shone and I could only dream that my eyes could look as beautiful as his. Bright and glowing like two large full moons.
The light went off and we were alone again. The lamps from the pool lit up our underwater world. It felt magical and a million miles from the drama of my life. Murray took off his shirt and the light cotton material floated away. My heart raced as I saw the glistening marks upon his chest. Under the water they didn’t look like burns, they were silver. The tips of my fingers rested upon the indents, a perfect match like a key to a lock.
His hands slipped around my waist and I felt myself being pulled close for another kiss. My body succumbed to his will. It was futile to resist but somehow with all my strength I pushed away and kicked out at the water. He clung to me as we rose to the top. We broke the surface and I saw his face was flushed with colour and his eyes sparkled with anticipation of another around.
“We have to get out of here!” I told him.
He shook his head but I ignored him and gripped hold of the side. I lifted myself up out of the water and was about to climb out onto the side when I felt him grip hold of my legs pulling me back. My knee slammed down hard and scraped against the hard concrete as he pulled me back towards the water. I twisted round so I could see what he was doing, my butt now resting on the edge.
I had no idea what he was playing at but I was terrified. I snapped my legs back from his grip and with two quick cycle kicks I hit one foot into his chest and the other into his jaw. I used the momentum to project myself away from him and the pool and safely onto the side. Quickly, I wriggled to my feet and backed away from the water’s edge.
Murray gripped his jaw and sucked his lip. It seemed my kick had caused him to bite down and now blood ran from his mouth and down his chin. I didn’t feel guilty. He had to get his emotions under control otherwise who knew what could happen? Besides my knees hurt from where he’d made me fall. Plus, I couldn’t have him getting the wrong idea about us either! We were just friends after all and that kiss was just a survival tactic.
“What are you thinking?” I yelled. My arms flew out animated around me. Whenever I am mad, my hands start talking. “They could come back here any minute and remember you smashed the door!”
“Sorry!” Murray swam towards the steps. He fished out his shirt along the way. I felt a twang of guilt but knew I had to keep my own feelings under control. This was his fault anyway. Mum told me never to kiss him and he had forced himself on me in the stairwell. Now look where we were! This was surely a consequence from that!
“We have no time for stories! We have to get out of here… like now!” I hurried towards the fire exit doors at the back of the room. I pushed down on the bar and we were back outside in the cool breeze. The rain had stopped.
I looked down at my dress. I was soaked. I couldn’t go back to the school disco and drip all over the dance floor.
Looking back at Murray, he was trying to put his shirt back on. It was ruined, with eight black holes scorched through the front of the material, thanks to my carelessness. Without his shirt you could see where I had scorched his flesh and scarred his body. I wondered how permanent those marks would be. Instinctively my fingers reached out and ran across them. “Sorry,” I shuddered. As much as I tried to find reasons for why this was Murray’s fault, I knew this incident was my own doing. “Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.” He said gently, his finger caught my chin and lifted my face up. My eyes met his. “What happened back there?”
I understood then how mum must have felt when I asked her to explain the unexplainable. I didn’t have the answers but I knew he had nowhere else to go. “…I don’t know.” I confessed.
“Our kiss?” He drew nearer. “You can’t deny you felt it.”
I shook him off. “I only did it to calm you down.”
He laughed. “That was supposed to calm me down? ” He moved closer. I stepped back and I found myself, once again, pressed against a wall. My heart beat dangerously fast as I recalled how things went last time I was in this position. “You got me all fired up!” His tongue licked across his bruised lip.
His lustful intent was drawn on his face and I wasn’t going to allow myself to be pictured again by his phone. I ducked down and under his arm, free from his grasp. “Murray, if you want to talk, don’t hit on me, alright?”
“I’ll try.” He said with a smirk.
I had never seen anyone behave like this before. Part of me liked it and that part of me was drawn to the danger he proposed. The other part of me, the sensible part, knew I couldn’t let him that close to me again; it frightened me. He made me feel vulnerable with no control over what he was doing. “You can’t tell anyone what happened today. Please pretend it never happened.”
“That’s going to be hard.” He grinned.
“We’re just friends!” I reminded him.
“I wish I had more friends like you.” He joked. His laugh sounded strangled and I knew he wasn’t trying to be funny but trying to shake off the pain of my words. He laughed to repress those unwelcome thoughts. I understood that feeling too well but I couldn’t comfort him; I knew how easily affections could be misread. I cringed at the number of times, Jace’s gentle unintentional touch or look had caused my heart to race.
“I don’t know what caused this, Murray, but I do know it’s dangerous. You have to stay calm, no matter what.”
Murray nodded as if he understood. We began to move away from the pool house and returned to the party. The storm seemed to have cleared, as if blown away with my mood and the silence was chilling. The hairs on my arm stood to attention. I felt I needed to say something, anything.
“How are we going to explain this?” I asked holding out the corners of my wet dress as if I was about to curtsy.
“I think you’ve never looked better.” He grinned.
“Seriously, Murray!” I blushed. I knew where his eyes had settled. I shivered. The flimsy fabric clung to every part of me, revealing it all. I tried to conceal myself by wrapping my arms across my chest.
“The rain?” Murray said effortlessly.
“That will work for me. What about you?”
I eyed his torn shirt. It flapped loosely around him. He had only the lower three buttons left and four burnt holes in the fabric on either side of his exposed chest. As my gaze lifted I noticed he was watching me. “Hope my parents don’t notice.” He grinned. “If they do I will just have to explain you ripped it in a moment of lust and I had to fight you off.”
I punched his arm, “You wish!”
The music in the distance had come to an end and we could hear a chorus of people flooding out into the car park. Our time to construct a cover-up plan had passed. I would have to hope that Murray’s parents were as oblivious as he thought.
“Mariah, I can pretend this never happened if that’s really what you want…” Murray said seriously. “But, you will need to explain this, all of it. Otherwise I’m going to have to start talking to find answers.”
“Are you threatening me?” I swallowed a lump in my throat.
“I’d never threaten you.” He laughed at the idea. “But this is the craziest night of my life. What happened did happen, no matter what we pretend. And you’re a bad actress.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re too calm for someone who knows nothing?”
“I swear this is all new to me too. All I know is that I am a merallo and I think you are too.”
“What’s a merallo?”
Wasn’t that my first question? I sighed knowing how ridiculous this sounded but hoping in light of the evenings events that he would understand. “We have storm summoning powers and the ability to shift into a mermaid type creature.”
“You’ve turned into a mermaid?”
“N… No….” I stuttered. “I… I… just had an accident with some lightening and… Look, I know none of this makes sense… I can’t explain ’cause I honestly don’t know myself ” As I held my hands in front of me I saw lightning ripple between my fingers.
“Cool.” Murray said impressed.
“No,” I pleaded desperately, “It’s not cool. If we don’t stay calm, we are very dangerous. We could kill someone. You’re lucky to be alive. Until we figure this out you can’t get worked up over anything. You’ve got to stay calm. Do you understand?”
“Sorry.” Murray said solemnly and nodded in agreement.
“As soon as I know more, I’ll find you. I’ll tell you.”
Murray smiled. “I like the idea of you hunting me out.”
I rolled my eyes and we made our way towards the masses in silence. I caught sight of Jace, with his arm around Kiara as they waited for their lift, our lift. I halted, ready to turn and bolt; I couldn’t face this.
Intuitively, Murray sensed my movements and his hand quickly clasped my upper arm. He drew me near, his hand tickled down my arm like a current, finally locking with my fingers. He leaned close and whispered in my ear knowingly, “Calm.”
