As I said yesterday, I’ll be posting a trio of new release announcements in the run-up to the holidays and here is number 2. This time, it’s for a new fantasy novelette called Boardwalk Baby.
Boardwalk Baby is the result of one of those true sparks of inspiration. It began with a phenomenon that is well known here on the North Sea coast, namely that of abandoned seal pups, known as “Heuler” (howlers) in German, because they sound like crying babies. See this video. Orphaned and abandoned seal pups are collected and raised in several seal stations along the Dutch and German North Sea coast.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me: If selkies are seal shifters, does that mean that there are selkie “Heuler”? And what would happen if humans were to find and raise such a baby selkie?
The result was the story of Izzy, an adopted kid with a lifelong affinity for the sea, who goes in search of her origins and finds more than she bargained for.
In the end, I decided to set Boardwalk Baby in the US rather than in Germany or the Netherlands, because the story worked better within the framework of the US adoption system rather than the German system, which is quite different. Besides, Ocean City is a lot cooler than the dull German seaside resorts and it allowed me to allude to the curious phenomenon of “infant incubators” as sideshow attractions in US seaside resorts in the early 20th century. There is an article about the “infant incubators” and their history here, though sadly the author can’t stop him- or herself from getting in a jab against abortion at the end.
So check out Boardwalk Baby, the story of a foundling selkie and her search for her roots:
Boardwalk Baby
There are two things about herself that Izzy has always known with absolute certainty: One, that she was adopted and two, that she has an affinity for the sea. For from her earliest memories on, the ocean has always called out to Izzy. But her adoptive parents thwart her attempts to get closer to the sea at every turn.
When Izzy turns eighteen, she goes in search of her past and her birth family. It’s a quest that will take her to the boardwalk of Ocean City, New Jersey, and to a mysterious fur coat that might hold all the answers to Izzy’s questions.
For more information, visit the Boardwalk Baby page.
Buy it for the low price of 2.99 USD, EUR or 1.99 GBP
at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Netherlands, Amazon Spain, Amazon Italy, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australia, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Japan, Amazon India, Amazon Mexico, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes, Scribd, Smashwords, Inktera, txtr, Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel, Der Club, Libiro, Nook UK, DriveThruFiction, OmniLit/AllRomance e-books, Casa del Libro, Flipkart, e-Sentral, You Heart Books and XinXii.
sending...