From the age of three, Eleanor's life has been overshadowed by a dark presence that only she can see. Born into a world devoid of warmth and love, she was raised by a distant nanny in a cold, sterile mansion, where the only constant in her life was the shadow in the mirror-a twisted figure that whispered terrible secrets in her ear. As the years passed, the shadow became more than just a figment of her imagination; it became her only companion, growing bolder and more insidious with each passing day.
Now, at the brink of adolescence, Eleanor is slowly losing her grip on reality. The lines between what is real and what is imagined blur as the voices in her head grow louder, more demanding. They tell her things she doesn't want to hear, things she can't unhear-whispers of violence and blood, of destruction and death. The shadow urges her to obey, to embrace the darkness that has consumed her life. And with each passing day, the urge to act on these terrible impulses becomes harder to resist.
Trapped in a nightmare she cannot escape, Eleanor must confront the terrifying reality of her own mind. Is she losing herself to madness, or is something far darker at play? As the voices drive her closer to the edge, Eleanor faces an impossible choice: fight against the darkness within or surrender to it entirely, with devastating consequences for everyone around her.
In "The Watcher in the Shadows," witness the harrowing descent of a young girl into the depths of schizophrenia, where the boundaries between sanity and insanity dissolve, and the true horror lies not in what she sees, but in what she might do.
In a lakeside town where shapeshifters roam the shadows, Mara Philips, a rogue detective, must find a missing girl. But when clues lead her down a path of deadly desire and deception, she's forced to face her own demons in a race against the Bloodmoon.
*****
Waking up naked on the beach isn't too off-brand for Mara Philips, considering the opened bottle of whiskey not far away. Recently forced to surrender her detective badge, she's been having a rough couple weeks.
But blacking out the same night the neighbor's dog dies?
A little sus.
Something's amiss along the lakeshore and Mara discovers the dog might not be the only victim.
Fliers for missing teenage girls are posted all over town and a mother desperate for answers begs the rogue detective to take her case. With the help of a new flame, Mara investigates the shadows of her rural town where shapeshifters roam and a government agency hunts them down. But when clues lead her on a path of deadly desire and deception, she'll be forced to face her own demons before they consume her in a race against the looming Bloodmoon.
Content Warning: This story contains mature sexual content, violence, gore, pet death, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, drug mentions, kidnapping, mentions of sexual assault/trafficking, discussion of friend's suicide, homophobic slurs, racism
SOUL TIDES blends dark supernatural mystery with sapphic romance and a dash of science fiction.
#ownvoices
WATTY'S SHORTLIST 2021
1st Place Fantasy - Elite Awards 2019
1st Place Paranormal - Writer's Oscars 2019
2nd Place Paranormal - Pride Awards 2020
3rd Place Fantasy - Majestic Inc Awards 2019
Top 3 Paranormal Finalist - Prime Awards 2020