Undercurrents: A Rising Tide of Mystery, Magic, & Mischief

Undercurrents: A Rising Tide of Mystery, Magic & Mischief, is edited by Rebecca Emlinger Roberts and includes the work of seventeen writers from the Suncoast: Gino Bardi; Gwen Hamlin; Joseph Michael Mendonca; Sali Dalton; Shannon O'Leary-Beck; Tommy Dominos; Bill Vasiliou; Carol Gilardi; Susan Faith Ingold; Rebecca Emlinger Roberts; Beth Hovind; Robert Dockery; Bill Morgan; Eleni Papanou; Laura Kennedy; Stephanie Papp Geddes; and Donna Lengel.

Undercurrents presents life in all its strange and magical turns, in stories that span space and time, stories that are funny and poignant, dark or contemplative or searching, or--as in the essays--enrich our understanding of how the world works. Some are fiction, others explore reality as it is, without the embellishments of fiction: for example, Bill Vasiliou tells us that nature abhors a straight line; Beth Hovind reveals the truth about how the sled dogs are prepared for competition at the annual Ididarod; Joseph Michael Mendonca explores his past, where he eventually finds insight in the deep pools of a spring; Susan Faith Ingold recalls a Jewish Seder that becomes, in part, a balm to loneliness. Shannon O'Leary-Beck gives us an account of her travels as a young woman in search of adventure.

The fiction in Undercurrents takes us from the Alaskan tundra (Donna Lengal's "Snow") to love beneath the shade of an arbor (Rebecca Emlinger Roberts' "Wenonah's Foot") to the Florida woods (Gino Bardi's "Three on a Match") to the angst-ridden rooms of a woman's past (Carol Gilardi's "The Visitor") Whether fiction or nonfiction, these stories, essays, and memoir carry truths factual, verifiable, truths emotional and elusive, truths that determine destinies.

Here are what three award-winning, nationally recognized authors say about Undercurrents:

Heather Sellers, author of You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know, a memoir featured on shows such as Oprah and Good Morning America exclaims: "Diverse, eclectic, and compelling stories. . .this volume is full of lovely surprises, compelling narratives, and terrific new voices."

Pulitzer-nominated Journalist and York Times best-selling novelist William Heffernan writes: "Undercurrents reminds me of voices calling from a coastal fog, each one making me more curious about its source, more interested in hearing more, a highly enjoyable and thought-provoking read."

Award-winning poet and short-story writer Peter Meinke, winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction writes that "these stories grab and hold the reader. Undercurrents is an original, quirky, and fascinating collection."