A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING

A woman makes a deal with the Devil in order to protect her sister, resulting in her having to deliver the souls of shipwrecked sailors including that of the person her sister loves.

Elle would do anything to save her little sister, Liney, from an arranged marriage to a cruel man. Even it means making a deal with the Devil. With his help, Elle kidnaps Liney from their stifling high society life of 1860s Halifax, rows to his cursed spit of land past the Halifax harbor and murders the lighthouse keeper to take his place. In exchange for concealment from prying eyes, Elle must sacrifice the sailors that use the lighthouse for guidance in the Devil's name. The island is harsh and isolating, with bitter Atlantic winds, little food to scavenge, and the scorned ghost of the lighthouse keeper haunting Elle, unbeknownst to her sister. The Devil demands an ever growing tally of sailors' souls to fuel his hidden source of power beneath the lighthouse. Meanwhile, Liney demands answers, a return to society, anything to go home to the parents she believes are still alive but Elle knows better, and she won't destroy Liney's innocence with the haunting truth of what she had to do so they could escape. But when Elle fails to deliver the required number of souls by the end of their first year on the island, the Devil threatens to steal Liney's soul as collateral. Elle is forced to make a second, deadlier deal just as a ship approaches in the worst nor'easter storm of the century: if Elle sacrifices everyone onboard, the Devil will spare her sister's soul. But the Devil's salvation is never simple. For when a sole survivor of the shipwreck emerges a young woman who secretly captures Liney's heart and adventurous spirit Elle recognizes that she, too, must be killed. Yet how can Elle ensure her sister's eternal safety to the Devil's satisfaction without obliterating the last thread of trust remaining between them?

One deal with the Devil makes a fool. Two, a villain.

Sarah L. Hawthorn is a Canadian horror and speculative fiction writer. Her debut novel, The Drowned Coast, will be published by Sourcebooks. She works in aging and health research and holds a bachelor's in public relations from Mount Saint Vincent University. Their short fiction has been featured in The Arcanist and the Queer Blades anthology by From the Farther Trees Press. She loves to write and read anything spooky, especially gothic and eco horror books. When she's not writing, she enjoys watercolor painting, video games, and swimming. Sarah recently moved back to her hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, a maritime locale full of spooky stories she's been devouring since elementary school.