Did faeries spirit away the young moonshiner? Sean Joye can’t help but wonder, yet he hopes for a more reasonable explanation. Fleeing to America in 1923 as soon as he’d mustered out of the army, Sean aims to put Ireland’s civil war, his assassin past, and faerie attention behind him. But his one-time lover, Caleb, is missing. As Sean treks through a November ice storm in search of his friend, the forest itself bristles with fae ill intent, and a strange old mountain woman would just as soon shoot Sean as feed him squirrel stew. Calamity reigns unless he cracks the secret of Otter Springs and its water of life. “Caleb’s whiskey is the best. Better than legit brands like Canadian Club, even,” I said. “At home we call whiskey ‘uisce beatha’— the water of life.” Praise for Water of Life— "Delightfully peculiar." ~ M. R. Sellars, Author of The Rowan Gant Investigations "Delightfully peculiar." ~ M. R. Sellars, Author of The Rowan Gant Investigations "It's a new persepective on the Selkie, Fae, and the meeting of cultures from across the pond from each other, all carried off with great skill." ~ My Writing Life Blog For Water of Life , my 1920s urban fantasy novelette, I thought about what would happen if the Irish selkie legend were transplanted into Southern Illinois. If you only think of Illinois as Chicago abutted against endless green fields, consider a reconnoiter to the southern tip of the state. Little Egypt, as it is sometimes called, is a land of dense forest, rocky streams, rolling hills, and weird rock formations. It was part of the Shawnee nation, which was most famously lead by the warrior, Tecumseh, in the early 19th century. Water of Life  brings together Prohibition, eccentric backwood folk, and magical creatures into an exciting, one-sitting read, perfect for a winter's night by the fire or afternoon at the beach. Did faeries spirit away the young moonshiner? Sean Joye can't help but wonder, yet he hopes for a more reasonable explanation. Fleeing to America in 1923 as soon as he'd mustered out of the army, Sean aims to put Ireland's civil war, his assassin past, and faerie attention behind him. But his one-time lover, Caleb, is missing. As Sean treks through a November ice storm in search of his friend, the forest itself bristles with fae ill intent, and a strange old mountain woman would just as soon shoot Sean as feed him squirrel stew. Calamity reigns unless he cracks the secret of Otter Springs and its water of life. Imadjinn Award-winning author Kathy L. Brown lives in St. Louis, Missouri, USA and writes speculative fiction with a historical twist. Her hometown and its history inspire her fiction. When she's not thinking about how haunted everything is, she enjoys hiking, crafts, and cooking for her family. The Sean Joye Investigations are atmospheric supernatural noir stories set in the St. Louis area. The Resurrectionist and Water of Life and The Big Cinch (Montag Press) are currently available. Follow Kathy on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. She reviews books and narrative games at The Storytelling Blog.