Water in Her Veins

A girl unravels a townwide conspiracy when she moves to her late father’s family estate in this dark small-town fireside mystery.

Sixteen-year-old Lola Boyd suffers from a mysterious disease. Her doctors have no explanation for the chronic lethargy, migraines, and lightheadedness that plague her. But when Lola and her mom and stepdad move to Claret Creek, a small rural Colorado town, to live in her late father’s family home, it’s a chance at a new start. Until her condition becomes even more complicated.

Lola begins having memories that aren’t her own--visions from another time that suggest a conspiracy of lies stretching back over one hundred years. The more Lola researches the town’s history, the local creek known for its ancient healing powers, and its revered Dr. Clarett, the more her suspicions begin to rise. Could these visions have something to do with her illness? And why does it seem that her new friends--and the entire town--are so keen to keep her from digging into their past and questioning their superstitions about the infamous Claret creek?

The more Lola discovers, the more she doubts who can be trusted--including her own mother. Now it’s up to Lola to untangle the web and get to the bottom of a multigenerational mystery. For her family, for the town, and for her future.

Shannon Schuren (Shannon.Schuren.org) works as a children’s librarian at a public library and writes from a cozy she-shed in her backyard. Her short stories have appeared in various journals such as Toasted Cheese Literary Journal, Big Pulp, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Shannon lives in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, with her husband and three children. Follow her on Twitter @ShannonSchuren.