Under Water: Stories

by Diana Elizabeth Clarke

This debut collection features unforgettable stories that mix literary fiction with fantasy to explore mother, daughter, sister, and self relationships. Readers will discover what it means to be a bluebottle—a creature that lives within a colony because it cannot survive by itself. From sisters torn apart to daughters missing their mothers, Under Water shows how being alone is not as magical as it may seem.

One sister can grow roses while the other can kill them, but what happens when their magic works against them? With her mother on her deathbed, a young woman is given a difficult choice that could either save her or her mother, but not both. And one missed phone call quickly changes the course for two sisters, but will they find their happy ending?

Under Water is both heartwarming and tragic with a sprinkle of humor. These stories show the human connection in the lightest and darkest parts of life, reinventing the genre of literary fantasy.

160 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2025

About the author

Diana Elizabeth Clarke is a creative writer, artist, book designer, and founder of Elizabeth Publications. Her goal is to bring the world unique and impactful stories for readers to enjoy. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts at The University of Baltimore (UB) and a Bachelor of Science in English with a Creative Writing emphasis from Utah Valley University (UVU). Diana's writing focuses on Weatherlore, a literary technique and literary criticism she developed that pays close attention to weather imagery and its metaphorical elements. She prefers to write women-focused literary and fantasy fiction, looking to the sky and nature for inspiration. Her literary works have appeared with Welter, Kaytell Ink Publishing, Washington Writers' Publishing House, Warp & Weave, and Touchstones: Journal of Literature & Art.

Reviews

[Max Lemuz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under Water Stories is a collection of short prose that truly warms one’s heart after each story. From the way Clarke uses the environment to make me feel the loneliness, suffering, and most often love makes this collection a must read. The way the stories thematically tie together makes each mother/daughter and sibling relationship more emotionally impactful by the end. My favorite story had to be “When Mothers Fly,” one of the best examples of the way Clarke utilizes fantasy elements to underscore deeper truths about all of our most human needs.

[Emily Preuss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed the journey of reading through these stories.

[Phillip John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hauntingly Beautiful
Each story in Under Water clings to you like saltwater on skin. The tale of the two sisters, one who grows roses, the other who kills them was so symbolic of love and rivalry that I had to sit in silence after finishing. I saw myself in these women, especially in their longing and loneliness. I was left both broken and healed.