Award-winning fantasy artist Bleu Turrell created the oil painting that is featured on the cover of the book. He used descriptions I found of Sharlie sightings in the McCall Public Library. You can see some of his other amazing artwork on his website:
http://www.azulart.com The book cover design was created by Michael Anthony Lynch,
http://www.bookcoverdesign.com
As I've been talking to people about Sharlie, I'm surprised when they think of her as a sea-monster. I've never thought of her that way. When I was a little girl, I imagined making friends with her. Whenever my parents took us on one of our frequent weekend drives to the mountains, I walked along the beach looking for her, hoping she would read my heart and know that I was trustworthy enough to keep her secret. I have heard from others who live either full or part-time in McCall who are also fascinated by Sharlie. I'm certain there are more of you out there, and I look forward to meeting you. As the years go by, and my husband and I travel more and more to other places, my appreciation for the beautiful Northwest in which I have always lived has continued to grow. I remember taking a walk along Lake Cascade in the fall, across from what we call "the Tamarack forest". There was a flock of swans on the lake that day, and while all the other water birds flew away when they saw me, the [...]
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The residents of Alluvionne have an older language than our own. Eianna is the ancient name for the lake in which Sharlie lives. In our language, we call her home Payette Lake. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, nestled within the Salmon River Mountains in the Pacific Northwest near McCall, Idaho. For more information about Payette Lake, you can visit
www.mccallchamber.org
The ancient language of Alluvionne is meant to sound beautiful when it is sung, minimizing the use of hard consonants and sounds like "s".
Alluvionne, from the ancient language of the Ildyr Magai, means "where the water meets the shore." For merwyngs, cloud dragons, and other residents of the sky realm, it also means "where the mist touches the mountain."