Desert Spirals

Uncertain Ground #1

by Clara Ward

In this young adult eco-fantasy, the bullies at school are mundane, but magical forces seep from the land, exerting a pull or push that few can feel, while buildings both ancient and modern provide clues for the observant.

Dragged unwillingly from Seattle to small town New Mexico, Lily throws her resentment into circus stunts on a lonely desert bridge. Struggling against an inexplicable force that threatens to crash her into the rocks below, Lily pulls herself up to face a mysterious motorcyclist. Soon they are riding to the top of a mesa that hints at an indigenous past and more recent secrets.

Strange goings on, from locals obsessing over solar calendars to lethal scorpions lured beyond their natural habitats, intertwine with a search for missing teens. Lily is left grasping for explanations—Until questions from Xavier, the boy not-quite-next-door, set her on a unique path with questions of her own.

Faced with bullies, judgmental neighbors, and combative local police, Lily decides she doesn’t need to fit in after all. As each new theory unravels, Lily struggles to understand possible friends and impossible situations. But will she lose herself or her family to the treacherous mysteries of their desert home?

Nature makes its own laws.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2015

About the author

Clara Ward spends their days in or near the Pacific Ocean in California. Their new novella, Dream the Deep, and their previous novel, Be the Sea, explore sea creature perspectives, marine technology, and chosen family, while delving into our oceans, our selves, and how all futures intertwine.

Their shorter works are featured in The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters, Strange Horizons, and Tales & Feathers by Augur. When not using words to teach or tell stories, Clara uses wood, fiber, and glass to make practical or completely impractical objects.