By Dorothy J. Best
Shipwrecked with Mermaids
Young Adult Fantasy
“Shipwrecked” in the coastal hamlet of Rincon, Oregon, Amanda Cumberland and her brother, Sam, find themselves surrounded by a different breed of mermaid – those that roam freely between land and sea.
As a siren queen launches her nefarious plans involving shifting tectonic plates and kidnapping in her efforts to obliterate the two-leggeds, Amanda will discover her inevitable connection to an infant and the rescue of the mermen who have been missing for over 200 years.
First in a series.
From feature writer to fantasy author
Dorothy J Best
After actively pursuing creativity as a lifestyle, Dorothy remembered that a newspaper editor/mentor had encouraged her to pursue her natural writing talent by honing the craft. Since then, she has written in many genres including feature and column writing, folklore studies and screenwriting, as well as work as an oral history documentary producer.
“To be honest,” she reflects. “I loved documentary work and feature writing. Fiction was the last thing on my mind until a mermaid idea floated in on a thought and I was hooked.”
Photo by Beth Doolittle
What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Goethe
What’s Next?
NOW Writing
The Red-Feathered Cap
Young Adult Fantasy
The Red-Feathered Cap (or Cape) is the working title for part 2 of the unofficially named Legacy of the Mermaid Tomes. Some of the characters who may have seemed secondary in the first book, Shipwrecked with Mermaids, will now have more prominent roles and adventures. The search for the mermen continues as does the revelation of connections between those of the land to those of the sea. All will be tested in their willingness to help each other survive.
Where did the red-feathered cap come from? In an obscure reference within some of my readings in Irish folklore about the merfolk, I read of this magical cap. If you’ve heard of the selkie stories, some of the motif will seem familiar. For selkies, metamorphic seals; their captor – usually their human spouse – will hide their seal skin which forces the selkie to retain their human form preventing them from returning to the sea. The same rule applies to the red-feathered cap, although it is more of a voluntary choice to leave mer-life rather than a captor-captive situation.
With fantasy, I often find that folklore feeds my imagination. But breaking the traditional story line is a path I strive to take. Hence, the cap may become a cape. My muses have yet to decide.
Photo courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation Department – Heceta Lighthouse
Schedule an Event
myself@dorothyjbest.com
Contact Author
myself@dorothyjbest.com