Author Heather McCorkle

The ground quakes beneath my paws, making the hut I pass shake. The thatch roof makes a swishing sound as the walls sway and nearly collapse. This telltale sign of my approach causes me no concern. Though people scamper from my path and pull back into the shadows cast by dusk, they don’t run. They know better. There is no escape. Any attempt to do so would only raise the ire of my master even more and she is not one any soul~living or dead~would want to aggravate. My long tail whips out behind me, deterring any would-be-heroes stupid enough to challenge me. I pass a man huddled against a hut who tried once. A jagged scar mars half his face and closes one eye; a reminder of his stupidity. I bare my fangs at him just to see him quake and nearly collapse. My striped chest shakes with a chuckle as I move on. There is no door upon the hut that I approach, nothing to even give the occupants the illusion of the ability to keep me out. Within a woman kneels upon the dirt floor, rocking b...

A cry arises from new and untried lungs, filling the room with its exuberance. The sound draws me closer to the birthing bed. Spent, the mother lies back upon the sweat-soaked pillows, her labored breathing beginning to return to normal. I pull my iridescent wings in close to my back to better fit within the small, crowded room. Handmaidens part before me, bowing. The midwife meets my gaze for but a moment, then lowers her eyes as she steps back. Moonlight spills in the nearby window, illuminating the cradle from which the cry emits. A hum builds within my chest, making me feel as though my soul is a tuning fork. The sensation grows stronger with each step I take. Stealing myself, I grasp the cradle with both hands and lean in to look inside. Tiny, perfect limbs thrash with an energy that matches it’s cries. Pale blue eyes stare up at me out of a pudgy face, the intelligence within them far too great for a newborn. The humming within me explodes, nearly buckling my knee...

In the distance the dark shadow of a broken vessel is slowly swallowed by the aquamarine sea. Arms and tail pumping, I swim toward it, not wanting to miss my opportunity. In a few heartbeats I’m amidst the sinking wreckage. White sails billow in the water to my right, sunlight from above filters through them, casting an eerie glow upon me. A wave of guilt washes through me but I force it to flow off my shoulders. I have no time for such things. Bodies begin to fill the water around me, arms and legs sprawled out, hair floating about their heads. It’s surreal, almost peaceful, the way they sink. But there is nothing peaceful about the faces. They are frozen in a mask of fear, mouths open in an endless scream, eyes wide and bulging. The sight of them makes me shudder. So much death is a bad omen. I want to get this done and get as far from here as possible. But I must wait. Finally, the first body shimmers, almost like the water around an eel does. With a whispered magic word, I acti...

Today is an off day for the Creature Features (I'm doing them every other Friday now), but I wanted to let you know that something exciting is brewing for the Creature Features. It isn't my special project, though it will be soon, and it will involve a collaboration with a good friend. I can't say yet as the contract isn't signed, but soon, soon... Today for the Channeler's Choice tour, my good friend (and fabulous new author) Karlene Petitt is giving me a shout out over on the Critique Sisters' Blog . I hope you'll stop by and say hi!

Today’s Friday Creature Feature is special because it is in celebration of the release of Tangled Tides, by Karen Hooper. There is a war going on amidst the sea creatures and those of us participating in Karen’s tour are taking sides. Take a look at this amazing cover. Doesn’t it make you just want to pick it up?! Here is a bit about the book: Yara Jones doesn’t   believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one. When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious.  Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tides...