With no shadow and no reflection, life in a small beach town poses its risks.
Her supernatural roommates try to keep her feet on the ground, but they also keep her head spinning.
When a human named Conrad Archer moves in, the mystery of Quinn's stolen soul grows deeper as does her affection for him.
But when a conflict arises among the roommates, Quinn realizes they all might be more dangerous than she had originally thought.
~Tease~
It's terrible to look in a mirror and see nothing there, or to go outside and know you'll have no shadow. My name is Quinn Murdock and I have no soul. I could go into detail with my sob story, like how Stealers attacked my town, killed my parents and stole my soul. How Runa found me six months ago and that's how I came to live at the boarding house. But I'd rather not right now. Because a human is coming to the boarding house, and I can hardly contain myself. Before the news of the human coming, it was just the four of us. Me, Lot, Runa and Grey. We aren't really strange looking, by that I mean we look like humans. Well, except for Grey who is our resident mermaid. She’s kind of hard to miss.
I heard movement above me. It was two a.m. I wondered if the excitement of the human had Lot up as well. It sounded like he was doing construction upstairs. But whoever knew what Lot did up there.
"Lot, shut up!" I threw a book at the ceiling. I got two sharp thuds in response and then things got quiet. I glanced at the ceiling to make sure it didn't start to collapse.
See, the boarding house, which sits just off the edge of the northern Atlantic, needs some serious repairs. The house stands on tall pillars so the tide rushes underneath. The house itself is a faded turquoise color, tall with gothic-looking towers and balconies that overlook the town and the ocean. There are cracks in the walls, holes in the decks, and many shingles missing. Our side of the town used to be a prime vacation spot until people started building bigger and better houses on the other side. Now ours is the only house left on our side.
The boarding house has four floors. The bottom floor has the kitchen and other main rooms, Runa has the second floor, and Lot has the top floor.
The third floor is where I live, sometimes with Grey. Grey stays out in the ocean most days and spends most of her nights in the bathtub. I adore Grey, but I always have the sneaking suspicion she likes my floor because it has the biggest bathtub. My floor also has two bedrooms, mine and a spare that hasn't been touched since I moved in, and a living room that I use as a library. Books are my second favorite things after the rain.
I paced in my room and chanted, "Human, human." I didn't know what time the human would be here but I didn't want to sleep incase I missed the arrival.
Rain and singing made me stop thinking about the human. Rain began to make a tapping sound at my window and I could hear soft singing coming from down the hall. Had to be Grey. The tide should have brought her in by now. I walked to the bathroom and saw that the door stood open a crack, so I pushed it open and spotted Grey in the tub.
“Uh oh. Did I wake you?” She looked concerned.
“No, not at all. I was awake and you know I like when you sing.”
“Mermaid gift.” She shrugged her delicate shoulders.
Singing was not the only gift the mermaids had. Grey was beautiful. Despite her name, she sported a bright turquoise and silver tail, the fluke resting outside of the water in the tub, her hair pale amber with the same turquoise highlights as her tail.
{End of Tease}
About the Author
I'm Britt.
Indie YA novelist, ARMY brat, beach walker, hug giver, dog lover.
I was born in Kansas on an ARMY base, and within the year we moved to California. From there, we moved to Texas. Three years later we moved to Germany. Three years after that, we moved to Alabama. I'm still in Alabama and am not a fan.
At all. Really.
The South isn't a terrible place (except for the HUMIDITY), I've just never felt like I fit in down here.
I don't like sweet tea,
I don't like things fried,
I don't understand the fascination of watching cars go in circles for six hours,
I don't spend much time on the front porch,
and I've tried my hardest not to gain that Southern drawl
(pretty sure I failed).
But what I do love about the South is how polite (most) people are
and how people help out total strangers
because it's how they were raised.
Chivalry...I'm a fan.
I don't like things fried,
I don't understand the fascination of watching cars go in circles for six hours,
I don't spend much time on the front porch,
and I've tried my hardest not to gain that Southern drawl
(pretty sure I failed).
But what I do love about the South is how polite (most) people are
and how people help out total strangers
because it's how they were raised.
Chivalry...I'm a fan.
I kind of fell into writing. I had no desire to write seriously until I was probably 19.
Up until then it was a hobby.
Before the world of writing enveloped me, I was going to work for the FBI.
Yep, this girl was going to be on the FBI's CyberCrime Unit.
But because of several reasons, that didn't work out
and it's just as well because if it had
I may have missed my calling.
I think we all have dark moments in our lives
and mine has had its share.
I've seen and been through a lot of things that I think most people should never have to see and hear,
and I think those things are a large part of why I enjoy writing.
To me, writing is an escape
but it's also a way to have control.
In writing, you have total control over your characters.
What they do, what they say;
it can be very therapeutic.
Writing has gotten me through some dark times,
and I owe it a lot.
Visit Brittany Severn at her blog: http://www.brittanysevern.com
~Maria
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