The one I wrote in a fevered frenzy
Mysterious messages in a bottle & a pinch of mermaid magic
Some stories I’ve written from a deep well of pain that I needed to process. My last novel that I shared about in this newsletter was inspired by my cringe moments. This novel? I honestly cannot tell you from where the inspiration struck. I just know I wrote it fast. It wasn’t outlined. It flowed. It took very little revision.
I’ll never see that kind of process again, I’m sure.
But that’s okay. I adore this story with all the water that makes up my person and I can’t wait to share it with you (maybe one day soon?). For now, here’s what I Am Not is about.
I Am Not
Love notes in a bottle. A small town’s mermaid obsession. One off-season to heal.
Wren Ford has come to hate life in this remote beach town up the coast of California. The fish entrees, the obsession with mermaids, and the omnipresent sound of the waves taunt her every waking hour. Doodling in pointillism, then burning said doodles, and working shifts at her family’s Creperie are how she erodes away until she can leave for the city—any city—and escape the whispers that drift in from the Pacific.
When Ty shows up, his parents taking over the vintage shop next door, he brings the city to her, pushing her to pursue different avenues with her art. Wren wants to hate him, hate that he loves the ocean and surfing and that he’s even fallen for the mermaid lore that graces the town’s salt-encrusted minds, but gradually, like a sharp piece of glass being smoothed by the grit and the water, Wren finds herself wearing down too.
Some days though, when her projects fail and she feels the weight of her past decisions, Wren reads Caleb’s letters, left in a green glass bottle in the window. Aching over the honest, raw love that he expresses, her shame flows in and out like the tide. His words pull her under, wave by wave…
Until it becomes too much to tread in.
This weekend I’m attending our local chapter’s SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) retreat. Not only that, I’m cooking! I’m thrilled, because this means I can ensure that I, and any other attendees with dietary restrictions, have plenty of tasty meals and treats to eat. Wish me luck! I hope I do a good job and everyone enjoys themselves and has full bellies.
May your days this month be filled with more sunshine hours, which equates to warmth, brightness, and hope.
Love, Heidi
P.S. Have you read any good books with a tiny sprinkle of magic? I’d love to hear about them in the comments. My favorite is Wild Blue Wonder (YA) by Carlie Sorosiak and Seeing Cinderella (MG) by Jenny Lundquist.