Hey everyone, hope you’re all well. π
I’m back today with a spotlight on Tiah Marie Beautement’s ‘May I Want’, published by Stubborn Raven Publishing and available as you read this. Here’s the beautiful cover:
To some the seas hold many mysteries, but not to Laila. Her seaborne gifts have given her much, but when she is visited by an old acquaintance from her previous life she will find out that all gifts, hers included, come at a price.
Here’s a bit about Tiah:
Tiah Marie Beautement is an American-Brit living on the South African Garden Route with her family, two dogs, and a small flock of chickens. She is author of two novels and numerous short stories, including the award winning Memento Mori. She is the managing editor of the The Single Story Foundation’s journal, teaches writing to all ages, and freelances for a variety of publications. In her spare time she has been taking photographs, riding horses, and zipping along on motorcycles.
And here’s the excerpt:
The ghostly light of the waning moon shimmered on the skin of the sea, creating an endless road. To Laila, it beckoned with promise. Seduction. “May I want?” she whispered, borrowing her daughter’s phrase. But from where she sat in her rowboat, she already knew the answer. For women like her, there was no climbing on the back of a dolphin and riding the moonbeams until morning. There was a child to raise and a family tradition to uphold. With a deep breath, Laila locked her oars and dove into the deep.
The water caught her in its embrace, pulling her towards the secret lair. In time, it would do the same to Ziya, and to Ziyaβs daughter after that. But for now, in this realm, the work was for Laila’s hands alone.
Laila approached the seabed, abundantly strewn with swaying grass and tinged with silvered moonlight. Nestled amongst the vegetation she saw the long, oblong fan mussels she had been searching for, their razor-fine filaments dancing at her approach. Her magic surged in reply, reacting to the oceanβs power that was absorbed in the mysterious animal. She worked quickly, taking care to do no harm as her scalpel harvested sections of the mollusks’ beards. The tradition was passed on from her mother, who learned from her mother, who was taught by her mother before that. As she worked, the oceanβs magic hummed in satisfaction.
As time wore on, Laila’s lungs begged for relief. The water answered, shooting her body upwards. She arched over the sea, curved like a dark rainbow as she inhaled fresh air, then plunged back into the moon-touched water. Again and again, she dove, worked, surfaced. Each time she emerged, the moonlight blessed her. Each time she submerged, the water returned her to its secret lair.
Here’s a link to review of May I Want, over at Apex Magazine.
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You can order the story from Amazon at the following link, and do check out Stubborn Raven Publishing (also open for submissions). π
Follow Tiah Marie on Twitter, bookmark her on WordPress and BooksLive, and check out her Instagram accounts: one for writing, one for photography.
That’s it for today – see you back here on Friday!
Until then,
Be EPIC!