There are two books that captivated me as a child that I returned to again and again because of the imaginative wonders that filled their pages: Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1872), both by the inimitable Jules Verne. I was always fascinated by the ocean–its power, its beauty, its variety of life–and Leagues fed the flame of that curiosity and left me wishing I could spend more time aboard the Nautilus, embarking on new adventures under the sea.

Now that I’m a writer, that dream has come true, as I have had the great opportunity to write a tie-in story for Leagues for the upcoming charity anthology from the International Association for Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW), a professional organization of which I am a proud member. The anthology, entitled Turning the Tied, features stories from over twenty professional tie-in writers, and I am honored to share a publication with such a talented group of story makers. Proceeds from the book will benefit the World Literacy Foundation.

My contribution is called “What Men Ruin, We Shall Raise,” and it is a sequel to both Leagues and Verne’s lesser known follow-up novel The Mysterious Island (1875). My story takes place in a future setting in a world embroiled by climate change and centers the story of a young woman who assumes command of the Nautilus and must decide what kind of captain she wants to be. While I adore the writings of Verne, women are conspicuously absent from his tales, so I wrote a story that centers female perspectives inside that glorious undersea universe.

I can’t wait for you to see this beautiful book. If you read my story, please let me know your thoughts! See below for ordering info and links to blog posts by other contributing writers.

BOOK TRAILER: View the beautiful book trailer here, courtesy of Ben Rome, to see the authors that have contributed.

PRE-ORDER: You can pre-order the book here from Amazon. You can get it from Barnes and Noble in print here, and in ebook here.

BLOG TOUR: Check out these posts from other authors in the book:

Mashella Rockwell: https://mrockwell.dreamwidth.org/197464.html

Keith R.A. DeCandido:

• https://decandido.wordpress.com/2020/11/29/coming-in-2021-turning-the-tied-with-a-story-by-me/
• https://decandido.wordpress.com/2021/02/02/table-of-contents-for-turning-the-tied/
• https://decandido.wordpress.com/2021/02/17/turning-the-tied-blog-tour-commences/

Max Allan Collins: https://iamtw.org/tied-in-the-tie-in-writers-blog/

Deb Stephenson: http://www.BluetrixBooks.com/

Jean Rabe … Q & A with Keith DeCandido: https://jeanrabe.com/tied-in-with-keith/

Marsheila Rockwell on Jenn Brozek’s Tell Me: http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/blog/post/2021/02/19/Tell-Me-Marsheila-Rockwell

Stay tuned for more info, and STAY CURIOUS. You never know when dreams will become reality. 😉