The book in question is FURY, the first Nancy Napoleon novel, featuring the character I created for my various-award-nominated Twelfth Planet Press novelette “Siren Beat”. I’m bringing more seamonsters to Hobart, baby!
Here’s a sneak peek from my grant app:
Nancy Napoleon is unlike any heroine I have written before. Through her I intend to explore such themes as immortality, gender roles in contemporary fantasy, disability, and the grieving process. Nancy and her sister Sylvie have guarded the docks of Hobart for over a century. Theirs was a life of careless heroics, adventures, sex, music, and laughter. But three years ago, the kraken invaded the docks. In the battle, Sylvie was killed, and Nancy so badly injured that she still walks with a cane. She faces a future of immortality with a damaged, degenerating body, and without the one person she has ever really loved. The only one left who might understand some of what she is going through is Nick Cadmus, Sylvie’s kelpie lover, but he has fallen back into his old habits, drowning in addiction even as Nancy throws herself into her work – the same work she has always done. Protecting her city.
In “Siren Beat,” Sylvie attempted to find her way back into the mortal world, and Nancy was forced to stop her. She is responsible for her sister’s second death, and she feels it deeply.
In Fury, I intend to develop the characters from “Siren Beat” into a substantial novel. Still haunted by her sister, both literally and figuratively, Nancy tries to help Erin, a teenage girl who is desperate to stop herself transforming into a winged creature of legend… Nancy can’t afford to draw the attention of the Furies, vengeful champions of the dead, but once she realises that is exactly what Erin is turning into, she has no choice but to help her – and for that she will have to call in favours from the sea king himself, no matter how much it will cost to pay him back. She will also have to try to save Nick Cadmus before he destroys himself… because she can’t take another death on her conscience.
I'm so so so so very proud of Tansy - both as my friend and as a favourite writer of mine. I've loved Tansy's work for years now and when I read Siren Beat, I, like everyone else, wanted to read a full length Nancy Napolean novel. Personally, I'm hoping she can work it out with the Sexy Sea Pony (even if his hooves ARE freezing!) I got Siren Beat by way of another project elsewhere falling through, and even though it was shorter than the length I was looking for for the novella doubles series, I knew this story needed to see print.
I can't wait to see where Tansy takes this story next.
