We all fear the deepest water

My kids are swimming at Brown U, so another weekend at the pool. It occurred to me that the word 'fluid' describes water perfectly. The safe, chlorinated, not-so-deep water of a pool is fun and attractive. Safe. Now imagine swimming straight out into the ocean for an hour. Or two. The point at which the shore has disappeared and you're a tiny speck in the open ocean. Not so fun. Scary.

On the surface, you're tossed around like a buoy, powerless to do anything but survive. Below you are inky black depths that could go down a mile. Maybe two. An entire world that's unknown and invisible to you. There could be anything down there. Along with the protagonist Mike Jenner, the Pacific Ocean is the other major character in The Last Swim. One of the hardest characters I've had to write about, and I hope the story does her justice.