The Penny Drops (Sea the Depths Book 1) by Karmon Kuhn (warren buffett book recommendations TXT) 📕

When I reached it, I dragged out the emergency supplies, suits, and my satchel. Holding Penny’s book to my chest brought fresh tears to my eyes. I was so happy to have a little piece of her.

Then, Liam and I drove north toward the Alaskan shore. It was difficult to leave the women behind, and I nearly turned back. But, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. There were two of us now. Any move that I made didn’t just affect me anymore.

This was my first real experience with such a small creature. He was very curious, always holding his tiny hands out to inspect anything in front of him, and I learned quickly that each cry meant something different.

For the first few days, I only saw Penny when I looked at him. His eyes especially seemed to mirror her expressions. But over time, his personality shined through. While he did little beyond observe, he communicated with the fresh innocence that I could barely remember from my own life.

By the time we reached Alaska, I knew I would do anything to keep my promise to Penny; for her, for him, and for me. I needed someone through all of this, and whether either of us liked it, we were all that each other had.

It took many months for Liam to begin experimental changes beyond his eyes, and although such things were encouraged back home, I did the opposite and trained him to maintain his human form. After a couple of seasons of this experimentation and discouragement, he’d completely maintained his full human form for several months.

By the time I first saw the Northern Lights, we were beachside in our human forms, shivering. The lacey strands of light rippled through the night, a sign of triumph, and we both looked upward even as we shook with the cold. Liam took my hand and looked at me in his knowing way, his curly chestnut hair flowing in the breeze. I smiled at him as we turned toward the lights of the small town nearby and plodded across the frozen earth toward our new lives.

Acknowledgements

My partner, Dustin, has spent countless hours helping me with web design, cover design, and general feedback on this book and series, and for that, I am so grateful. Thank you for your help and support through all of these epiphanies and frustrations. I love you so much, Pooky.

My friends at Explorasurus Studios gave me my first opportunity to work with a novel, and I’ll never forget the incredible work they’ve done on their own book. Their mentorship and suggestions have vastly improved this story and the world in which it takes place. Thank you, Cam and Erica!

To my family, friends, and coworkers who have been so incredibly invested in this process from beta reading (Mom, Eric, Sadie, Josie, Tom, Cam, and Erica) to spreading the word (Karen, Debra, Mom, and many more) to ARC reading (Derek, Vernon, Nick, Micah, Blake, Garien, Karen, Pamela, Brittany, Esther, Melissa, and the rest), I love your enthusiasm. It’s wonderful to know that so many of you care about my project, and no matter what happens, this book is a success because of you. Thank you.

About the Author

The newly published author of The Penny Drops and middle school English teacher, Karmon Kuhn, has been creating new worlds and stories since childhood. To recapture the adventures of youth, Karmon created the world of the Oɦiṣod using her undergraduate and graduate education in language studies and anthropology. She reads, researches, and creates in her Indiana home with the help of her partner and two precious kitties.