Selkie Moon

Selkie Moon

We are all surrounded by darkness. And we are all drawn to the light. The Orkney Islands north of Scotland are steeped in stories of selkies, seal folk who swim in cold ocean waters and shed their skins to sing and dance on land. One young girl named Isla uses legends of selkie brides to understand her parents’ troubled marriage and navigate her strained relationship with her mother. As Isla comes of age, she confronts the sacred points of transformation found between sea and land, nature and civilization, and past and present, uncovering the key to her identity. Selkie Moon is a novella for all those who believe stories can illuminate the deepest and darkest waters of the human soul. "Kelly Jarvis writes with care, insight, and compassion as she explores selkie folklore in this novella. Her story is filled with lyrical prose and such loving descriptions of the ocean that I was convinced Kelly must be a selkie herself...I love that selkie lore became a way to explore the identities that are erased, abandoned, sacrificed or forgotten with familial roles like motherhood. That something as mysterious as a selkie's oceanic life is equated with who mothers were before their children came along is standing ovation levels of excitement for this folklore enthusiast."-Amy Trent, Author of The Enchantment Retold Series. "Set on a timeless-feeling community in the Orkney Islands, this selkie tale sings with beauty. Jarvis writes with gorgeous, confident language that draws the reader into the depths of her tale like siren song. Her characters are flawed and complex as they fight the pull of what is traditionally a family tragedy. Their story is moving, hopeful, and above all, compelling. Selkie Moon is as breathtaking as the moon on still water and as irresistible as the tide."-Lissa Sloan, Author of Glass and Feathers and Jewels and Honey. "An engrossing read that sucks the reader right in from the first page. This is a bittersweet family story and a splendid tale of growing up. If you love magic and myth and amazingly strong world building for a novella, this story is definitely for you! Every character is well drawn, and you'll stay hooked right to the end!"-Kate Wolford, Founder of The Fairy Tale Magazine and Editor of Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers .