This year, my wish list consisted of books alone. I informed my family members that all I wanted were books. They could either pick from the list or not, but all I want are books! I've been on a personal book buying ban (since I have around 85 TBR books on my current shelves!) for a few months and I'm so looking forward to Christmas Day, opening all of those magical books IRL and on my Kindle!!

So, for those who are interested in giving or receiving books this year, here are a couple of my PERSONAL recommendations.

Recently, I came across a blog post on Goodreads and since I've published a women's fiction series on mermaids, I wanted to share. My own take on the lore of the beautiful mythical creatures released last month; Book 1 in The Sister’s Secrets trilogy, Rose’s story. While the mermaid lore isn’t fully explored in this novella, you get a good take on what is to come and why the women in Rose’s family are so special.

The article reads: “When we write about mermaids, we write about women: As we peel back the veneer of prettiness, dig through the strata of storytelling, we find a thousand shards of ourselves to reject or reclaim.”

I find this quote to be so true. While writing Rose’s story, I dug deeper into her fear of the water as it relates to her past and how it inevitably wove into her future and past. All of the stories quoted in the article showcase many artistic opinions on the underwater mythical creatures, while commenting on life itself. In The Sister’s Secrets: Rose, the point-of-view character, Rose, has many issues in her life, yet she remains content to live in the seaside town of The Burrow. She deals with life the only way she knows how and experiences a spark of romance in the process of discovering her past.

I love the last line of the article: “The gorgeous swirling-haired mermaid of fairytale is available to us, but so is the siren calling the exhausted to oblivion. There are many ways to be, and many ways to escape.”

Diving into a good mermaid story whether I write or read it, offers the escape I need from the pressures of life. Where I am able to disappear under the depths, or into a seaside town where I can feel the salty breeze against my face.
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What are your favorite mermaid novels, or stories? If you haven’t read any, what is it about the mermaid lore that entices you? Sound off in the comments below, I’d love to connect with you.

AUTHOR KATLYN DUNCAN RELEASES HER 9th NOVEL THE SISTERS' SECRETS: ROSE
THE SISTERS' SECRETS: ROSE, the ninth novel by author Katlyn Duncan was published as an e-book on October 10th, 2018. THE SISTER’S SECRETS: ROSE is the first in a trilogy.
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In a small seaside town in Connecticut, Rose Barros has lived her life to the rhythm of the tides until a near-death experience changed her love for the water to a soul-deep terror, driving a wedge between herself and her sister, Reen. Now, the only thing threatening to drown Rose is a mountain of bills and the burden of caring for her mother. She needs her sister more than ever, but rebellious Reen has skipped town and shows no interest in returning. But that all changes when two strangers arrive in the quiet seaside town and turn her life upside-down. The first, a girl who leaps from the pier before Rose’s eyes; the second, the handsome new Chief of Police who doesn’t take kindly to Rose interfering in his investigation of the girl’s disappearance. As they dig into the girl’s past, secrets are revealed, including a connection to Rose herself. Rose is once again faced with her deepest fears and she has to make the choice to turn to the water or face the truth with the possibility of leading her into deeper waters than she can handle.

THE SISTERS' SECRETS: Rose is available as an e-book for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, all Apple devices and at any vendor that sells e-books.
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Katlyn lives in Connecticut with her family and adorably fluffy Wheaten Terrier. You can join her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, connect on Instagram, and visit her website.

​THE SISTERS' SECRETS: ROSE by Katlyn Duncan
HarperCollins Publishers • On Sale: October 10, 2018 • Price E-Book $2.99 • Pages: 165
ISBN:   9780008314903
Visit https://www.harpercollins.com or www.katlynduncan.com

​I'm so excited to share my newest release with all of you! ROSE is the first of three books involving a family in a small seaside town. While everything on the surface seems normal, there is a hidden past lurking beneath and Rose gets the first clue in discovering it.
 
Now Available for purchase at your favorite online book retailer