Boardwalk Baby by Cora Buhlert

Release Date: December 16, 2014

Subgenre: Contemporary Fantasy, Coming of Age

 

About Boardwalk Baby:

There are two things about herself that Izzy has always known with absolute certainty: One, that she was adopted and two, that she has an affinity for the sea. For from her earliest memories on, the ocean has always called out to Izzy. But her adoptive parents thwart her attempts to get closer to the sea at every turn.

When Izzy turns eighteen, she goes in search of her past and her birth family. It's a quest that will take her to the boardwalk of Ocean City, New Jersey, and to a mysterious fur coat that might hold all the answers to Izzy's questions.

This is a fantasy novelette of 8200 words or approximately 27 print pages.

 

Excerpt: 

But then, when the holiday was almost over, Izzy got her chance to swim in the ocean after all. She’d been walking along the beach, the long white beach, with Mom and Dad, securely held between them, Dad on her left side and Mom on her right. And all the while, the waves were crashing onto the beach, so close and yet so far away.

In the end, it was a seagull that came to her aid. A seagull that shat right on Mom’s head with an aim as true as any sniper’s, messing up Mom’s perfectly permed curls (blonde rather than auburn like Izzy’s). Mom screamed and Dad frantically tried to wipe off the seagull shit. For a few moments, they were both so occupied with themselves that they let go off Izzy’s hand in the process.

That was her chance. And Izzy grabbed it. She took off, as fast as her little pudgy baby legs would carry her, and ran towards the sea.

A wave crashed against her, nearly knocking her off her feet. But Izzy stood firm. She enjoyed the prickling of the fresh seawater on her skin, the sensation of the sand washing away beneath her feet, the feeling of the sea spray on her face and the salt in her hair. She laughed and whooped with joy, as happy as never before in her short life.

That moment of utter perfection lasted for a second at most, then the wave rolled back and the water withdrew. For a moment, Izzy was stunned. Then she ran after the retreating wave, right into the ocean. And then the water came back, higher than before, bubbling right up to her face and tickling in her nose. And it was bliss, pure bliss.

Her parents later claimed that she almost drowned that day. They said that Izzy tore herself loose (no mention of the seagull, of course, cause getting shat upon by a seagull was too embarrassing), ran into the water and almost drowned, would’ve drowned, if a lifeguard hadn’t pulled her out, all pale and blue.

But that was not how Izzy remembered it. In her memories, the water buoyed her up, until she was shooting through the waves, swimming like she’d been born to it. And the water she’d inhaled didn’t harm her at all. On the contrary, it was like oxygen to her lungs, like fresh sea air, salty and delicious.

Amazon | Apple | B&N | Kobo | Scribd

 

About Cora Buhlert:

Cora Buhlert was born and bred in North Germany, where she still lives today – after time spent in London, Singapore, Rotterdam and Mississippi. Cora holds an MA degree in English from the University of Bremen and is currently working towards her PhD. Cora has been writing since she was a teenager, and has published stories, articles and poetry in various international magazines. When she is not writing, she works as a translator and teacher. Visit her on the web at www.corabuhlert.com or follow her on Twitter under @CoraBuhlert.