Unnatural Bodies in the Water: Girl in the Creek offers a harrowing tale of loss and cosmic horror

 

Girl in the Creek

Wendy N. Wagner

Tor Nightfire, 2025

ISBN-10: 1250908647

ISBN-13: ‎978-1250908643

Ebook, 146 ppg.

Buy link 

 

NOTE: This review is based on an ARC I received from the author. The book will release on July 15. The “buy link” provided is for pre-orders of the book.

 

 

Erin Harper is not just a travel writer. She is also someone with a loved one who is missing. And when she goes to the town where her brother went missing years ago, under the guise of a writing assignment, she ends up becoming involved in a horrible scheme of people going missing in that very town that has gone on for years. Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner is a powerful, gut-wrenching story of one sister’s quest to find out what really happened to her missing brother and the horrible web of deceit and mystery surrounding his and others disappearances.

 

Writers never know what kinds of things they step into when they take on an assignment. That’s what happens for Erin. She’s there to learn anything she can after her brother had gone missing in the area, but when she and her friends end up coming across a poacher camp and finding a body in the creek, things take a horrifying turn. Plus, Erin’s mission to learn more about the town where apparently a lot of people have gone missing gets her in the middle of a town rivalry.

 

Even as Erin tries to play it neutral with the local deputy, the deputy does not trust her. She is suspicious of Erin’s motives and remains tight-lipped about anything outside of Erin’s interests. As she tells Erin at one point, “I’m not telling you anything, Nancy Drew.” It’s apparent the deputy does not trust writers – even travel writers, at that – and her referring to “Nancy Drew” instead of “Lois Lane” gets me thinking that the deputy feels that Erin is sticking her nose where she shouldn’t.

 

Well, in a way, she does, but only because her life and her friends’ lives were threatened. I mean, she’s not going to just sit there and let the police handle it. And somehow, trying to figure out what is going on gets her involved in the mystery surrounding the missing person cases that are rampant in that town.

 

As an Oregonian, I loved reading this book, and not just because it’s set in Oregon. I loved it for the outdoors theme, the description of Oregon forests and wetlands (as well as the constant rain!), and even the exploration of places less traveled through. I thought it was cool this story is set in Oregon; there were so many Oregon vibes I could relate to!

 

I also noticed how this story explores the theme of missing loved ones. The themes of people tearing up in sharing their stories over missing loved ones, the sadness of seeing those “Missing” posters, and the different ways in which people relate to this subject were strong in the story. I do not know anyone with a missing loved one, but after reading this novel, it felt like I did, through the characters in it dealing with this.

 

The part about the “strangeness” in the story and how it affected the body of the girl floating in the creek was confusing. However, I stuck with reading through the whole story, and as certain mysteries were revealed, so, too, was an understanding of what the “strangeness” was. I was shocked by what I learned, but in a way, it made sense. And it gave this story a whole new meaning.

 

I loved how the author wrapped everything up at the end. There was a sense of sadness, regret and longing in those last chapters, but the ending was a satisfying read. After I turned that last page, I walked away from that book with a better understanding of how mysterious nature can be, how unforgiving the forests and trails of Oregon are, and the sorrowful reality people with missing loved ones live with every day.

 

Girl in the Creek is an eye-opening story of horrible truths, unrecognizable nature, and the need for answers to help bring closure when a loved one goes missing.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

50 Book Promotion Ideas Gives Authors Good and Thoughtful Book Promotion Suggestions

 

As an author, I am always interested in ideas for other ways to promote my books other than what is traditionally suggested (asking for reviews, doing blog tours, readings, etc.). And as technology continues to evolve, there are always new methods to use for promoting books. For this reason, I feel it’s a good idea to pay attention if someone wants to share some book promotion ideas.

 

This is why I decided to read 50 Book Promotion Ideas for Authors and Publishers by Jerry Holliday. After all, it just might teach me something I hadn’t known about before (as every good nonfiction book should!). So, after I finished reading one ebook in an ebook bundle I had the opportunity to download for free, I selected this one to read next.

 

And I’m glad I did! This book gave me a lot to think about in new ways to promote my books. Along with even some traditional methods (readings, newsletters), this ebook shares a lot of newer ways we authors can promote our books using new technological platforms such as podcasts and putting keywords to good promotional use.

 

Additionally, while I am aware that it’s a good idea for creatives who make a living from their work to have business cards, I only ever made business cards at home. I never actually ordered any from a business because they were always too expensive. Idea #33 lists a company that offers 100 cards for a more affordable rate.

 

I also liked idea #34, which suggested selling themed merchandise. Since I’m writing a middle grade paranormal mystery series, I suddenly got a bunch of ideas for merch to create that could help promote the books.

 

There was, however, one idea in this book which gave me pause. It suggested that authors contact top reviewers on Amazon to ask them to review their books. (The author notes that these top reviewers usually list their email addresses on their profile page.) I had some reservations about this one. I am not sure if it’s a good idea to do this, because it sounds too spammy. I have my email address on the Internet, too, and it is no secret that I review books. I don’t think I would like receiving emails from authors asking me to review their book. I am very choosy with what I read, especially with a book that I MUST review. I don’t just read every single book under the sun. (Surprised?) And it’s rare I will read a book that I want to review. I have to want to review it. So, if I get emails from authors asking me to review their book, I’m in the awkward situation of turning them away if I don’t want to read or review their book. (One author obviously does not take my silence as an answer and I keep getting emails from him to review his book!) I don’t want to put other people into that situation. I mean, I’m okay with soliciting reviews from actual book review services, but some random reviewer on Amazon? Not so much.

 

I also felt that the last idea, “Promo Kit,” should have been the first idea. The book promo kit is essential for every author. It’s a good idea to create this kit before your book is published so that you can hit the ground running promoting your book even before it is published. Even so, it’s possible the author saved the best idea for last. (Sorry for the spoiler!)

 

This ebook had a lot of good ideas for authors who wish to promote their books. Some of them weren’t for me, but others were pretty useful. And still others made me think about how I could put that idea to use.

 

I recommend this ebook to any author who has books, whether old or new, which they wish to promote. It has good information as well as good resources listed at the back of the book. Plus, there is an invitation to take a free online course called “From Manuscript to Bookshelf in 10 Days” at the beginning of the book, with the link included. (There are lots of good links in this book!) This ebook was a quick read but it provided a lot of information and left this author with several new ideas for book promotion. Five stars.

 

Disclaimer: I received this ebook for free as part of a promotional bundle and I am not receiving any kind of compensation whatsoever in reviewing this book. The opinions in this review are my personal opinions of this ebook and I was not asked to write a review for it. This review was written out of my own personal choice.