It was later incorporated into the author's collection Dreams of Distant Shores, issued by Tachyon Publications in ebook and trade paperback in May 2016 and June 2016, respectively.

[1] Dreamer Megan and pragmatic Jonah are a couple living in a coastal community in Pacific Northwest, she an artist specializing in drawings of the ocean and tidepools and he the proprietor of a curio ship.

When Megan realizes her drawings are taking on a life of their own, incorporating elements she does not recall putting in them, she is drawn into a bond with strange jewelry crafter Adam Fin.

Roland Green in Booklist calls the book "extremely well done, powerfully evocative of the mystery of the sea; its pacing is, however, definitely on the slow side.

"[2] According to Publishers Weekly, "McKillip (The Cygnet and the Firebird) weaves a potent tale, which was inspired by the somewhat frenzied drawings provided by award-winning fantasy illustrator Froud."