Parched

This is not your typical mermaid story. A baby mermaid washes up on an Oregon beach. A human couple on vacation finds her, names her Sheila, and takes her home to California. Humans react to this extraordinary mythical creature in ways both humorous and tragic. Some worship her, some fear her, and some want to steal her magic. Unfortunately, to survive among humans, Sheila must give up an essential part of her mermaid soul-her voice. As she grows into adulthood, the ocean beckons; however, as difficult as it is to live life on land, she's afraid of leaving the only life she's ever known. A wrong turn diverts her to Gresham, Oregon, a town eighty miles from the Pacific Ocean. She rents a trailer in a mobile home park and gets a job as an insurance claims processor. Can she find her missing voice as she struggles to find love and acceptance among humans? What will she have to sacrifice before she can find her way home? This quirky magical tale of a mythical creature's encounters with friendship, xenophobia, racism, sexism, and drought will invite you to question what it means to be different in modern America.

Pages: 294, Paperback, Crossline Press