Things in the Water that Will Kill You
When asked to summarize what I write, I often tell people “I write about things in the water that will kill you.” And while not all of my stories share that distinction, I have more stories about murderous aquatic creatures than nearly any other topic. I’ve written about vodyanoi, nixes, the stromkarl, selkies, and, of course, merfolk. It’s amazing how many different stories there are, all across the world, about water-dwellers with murderous intent. It probably says a lot about humanity’s fear of the unknown and the dangers posed by bodies of water. Even though I enjoy being near and in water, I know there are dangers lurking, and water that you can’t see into is terrifying, since you don’t know what lurks beneath.
Is this as close as I get to horror? Maybe so. But I often write stories with murderous aquatic creatures who don’t necessarily kill the protagonists. Or sometimes, those things in the water that will kill you are the protagonists.
If this is your sort of story, check out What If I’m a Merfolk? for 23 poems and 3 stories of aquatic creatures that might have murder on their minds, or might just be trying to live their lives.
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