Under the Aurora Sky

By Elissa Daye and Karen Fuller

When Isaak Lee started his career in journalism, he couldn’t afford to be choosy. Taking a job that was outside of his comfort zone was just the beginning. City bred from top to bottom, Isaak finds himself working for the Wildlife Adventure Magazine. After a while, his writing makes it clear that his wildlife experiences are limited. To prove himself to his editor, Isaak must spend some real time outdoors and write an exposition about his experience.
Isaak is sent to Vancouver to conquer his fears in the Great Bear Rainforest. When he meets with his guide at the bar, he realizes that Dani is not the male guide he expected. She is all woman from top to bottom and packed with enough wit and cynicism to knock him off his feet.
As Dani leads him through his journey of self-discovery, Isaak finds it’s a lot harder to ignore his city roots. Dani teaches him how to survive in the woods while sharing the beauty of her world with him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: World Castle Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Dec 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781958336694

Elissa Daye

Ever since childhood, Elissa Daye has enjoyed reading stories as an escape from life. When she was a teenager she started to write her own stories that kept her entertained when she ran out of books to read. When she was accepted into Illinois Summer School for the Arts in her Junior year of High School, she knew she wanted to become a writer. Elissa graduated from Illinois State University in December 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and began her teaching career, hoping to find moments to write in her free time.After seven years of teaching, Elissa decided to focus on her writing and made the decision to put her teaching years behind her so that she could create the stories she had always dreamed of. She is now happily married and a stay at home mom, who writes in every spare moment she can find, doing her best to master the art of multitasking to get everything accomplished.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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World Castle Publishing, LLC

Pensacola, Florida

Copyright © 2022 Shein Partnership, LLC

Authors: Melissa Davis & Karen Fuller

Hardback ISBN: 9798849834931

Paperback ISBN: 9781958336687

eBook ISBN: 9781958336694

First Edition World Castle Publishing, LLC, September 20, 2022

http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com

Licensing Notes

All rights reserved. Under the Aurora Sky is a Trademarks of Shein Partnership, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, Digital, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for the author or third party’s web sites and their content. Requests for information should be addressed to:

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Chapter 1

Isaak Lee released a frustrated sigh as he glared at his computer screen. This article just didn’t sound like him. It read more like a news report than the nature article he was supposed to be writing. It didn’t seem to matter how many times he rewrote it, either. It seemed to be missing something, but what? At this rate, he’d be the laughing stock of the office. In his ten-year writing career, Isaak had never had this much trouble before coming up with the right words. When, in fact, he had several plaques hanging in his office cubicle for all the prize-winning magazine articles he’d written.

He leaned back in his office chair, closed his eyes and reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose, hoping to relieve the tension headache suddenly there. Something had to give, and he hoped it wasn’t his job.

Dammit, this wasn’t like him. It certainly wasn’t where he had started, either. His aspirations had led him down a different path. Isaak was born and raised in Toronto. He knew every nook and cranny of the city and could write about anything going on there. The assignment didn’t matter. The words would flow like magic from his fingers as they danced over the keyboard onto the screen. At his former job, every article Isaak put out was gold for the magazine until he dug too deep and embarrassed a high-ranking official. It was all true, but his former boss didn’t like the heat. It cost Isaak his job and his reputation. His dreams of furthering his success in the world of journalism were scattered like dust in the wind.

Now, there he sat, in a small cubicle working for a wildlife magazine of all places. Not exactly his dream job, but after the debacle at the other magazine, the industry had blackballed him. He was lucky his cousin had connections. If not, Isaak would be fortunate to be an advisor at a high school newspaper, let alone continue to write freelance anywhere in the world.

Frustration washed over him again. Dammit, he was a good reporter, but he was way out of his element here. What did he know about fishing, or any kind of nature, for that matter? Not much, and faking it didn’t seem to work well for him either. He was like a fish out of water, trying to prove that he could survive on land when he was desperate to get back to the water where he belonged. At this rate, if he made it through the next week, he’d be lucky.

He reached for his mouse again. Maybe if he did more research on fishing, it would help him with his article. The best way to pretend to be an expert was to at least have some kind of knowledge of the topic at hand. Fly fishing? What the hell was that anyway? Did they fish for flies or use flies for bait?

A word?

Isaak sat up straight and tried not to cringe. It was his boss, Angel Dawson. The woman was all business, and the only reason she’d hired him in the first place was that she was married to his cousin. Even in her late sixties, the woman was still at the top of her game, and if she didn’t think Isaak was pulling his weight, she wouldn’t hesitate to fire him, and he knew it.

Isaak swallowed hard before plastering on a well-practiced smile and turning to face her. Sure. How can I help you?

Angel raised an eyebrow and looked at him through the horn-rimmed glasses perched on the tip of her nose. If her expression were any indication, Isaak’s charm wasn’t working on her.

My office. Angel didn’t wait for him to respond before heading to her office.

Odds of him charming his way out of this? Not a chance in hell. Isaak’s heart sank as he watched her brisk retreat. That well-practiced smile faded to be replaced by a worried grimace. If she fired him now, it would be the record for the shortest time on a job for him.

Grabbing his suit jacket from the back of the chair and straightening his tie, Isaak resolved he’d go with as much dignity as possible. Maybe all wasn’t lost—yet.

Isaak took a deep breath before raising his hand to knock on the doorframe. The door was open, but he didn’t want to just barge in. He had made that mistake before. It wasn’t one he would likely make again.

Angel looked up from the article she was reading, motioned him to come in, and gestured toward a chair across from her desk. Sit, Mr. Lee.

Her refusal to acknowledge him by his first name bothered him on many levels. Here goes nothing, he thought as he gave her another practiced smile. No Isaak? Not using my first name must mean I’m in trouble. Lay it on me, Angel.

Angel clasped her hands in front of her on the desk. Look, Isaak, I took you in here because you were a highly qualified journalist. Your awards speak for themselves.

Isaak braced himself, waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop. Why do I feel like there’s a but coming in there somewhere?

You are also highly intuitive. She picked up the article again and gestured with it. You are one of our most talented writers, but you lack experience. She put the article back down on her desk. That is a problem for this magazine.

Isaak knew the article in front of her was his. The one he’d just been fretting over. Maybe he could still salvage this. I have plenty of experience. My record speaks for itself, Angel.

Angel nodded. I’m not criticizing your writing, Isaak. You’re just lacking in the nuances that our readers require.

That was a new one. If she didn’t have a problem with his writing, then he didn’t understand how else he could be lacking. And how could she know what the readers thought of his writing? Had she taken an actual poll? Whatever. He needed this job and would put in the effort. What do you mean?

Angel gestured to her walls and bookshelf. Tell me, Issak, what do you see when you look around my office?

Was this a trick question? He glanced around the office. The walls were covered with nature scenes. The bookshelves held awards and wildlife statues. Nature and wildlife?

Angel nodded. Have you ever set foot inside the woods? Gone hunting? Fishing? Or even camping, for that matter?

I’ve fished before. Isaak shrugged. Well, just a little, and never fly fishing, or he would actually understand what that meant.

Somewhat amused, Angel shook her head. Casting your rod into a small pond at a park fishing tournament as a child does not count.

She remembered. Isaak grinned. Hey, you went to the same one, Angel.

I did, Angel smirked. I also remember I had to bait your hook for you. The smile dropped from Isaak’s face. Look, Isaak, you know I love you.

You married my cousin, you kind of have to.

She gave him an indulgent smile. And it’s because of him that I gave you a job here. I know life hasn’t been easy for you lately. You needed a place to start over.

But...?

Again, you are very intuitive. Angel sat forward in her chair. I need someone who can roll up their sleeves and get down and dirty.

He didn’t understand. The last time he wrote down and dirty, he got fired. I’m not sure what you’re getting at.

Isaak, you write articles about exploring some of the most beautiful places in the world, but you write like an outsider. I need you to write as if you’ve been there, experienced it, lived in that moment. She took a deep breath before continuing. Our readers are looking for an escape, and they’re looking at you to provide that for them. To let them experience it through your eyes.

And you think I can’t do that? What did she want him to do, write fiction? He was a journalist, not a hobby novelist. He wrote the facts, not some fluff piece that marginalized his abilities.

Angel sat back in her chair. Right now, no. She threw out her hand to make a point. I know your background, Isaac. You grew up here in Toronto. You know your way around town. This is your comfort zone. She shook her head with regret. The old adage is to write what you know. And, frankly, if I were asking you to write articles about the city, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now. But this magazine isn’t about the city, it’s about nature and wildlife. Two things you have little to no experience with.

Are you firing me? Isaak swallowed hard. There was no argument there. She was right, but dammit, he needed this job. He inwardly cringed, waiting for her answer.

No, not if you get a handle on things. A ghost of a smile formed on her lips. And I have just the thing to help you.

Okay, so he wasn’t fired, at least not yet. Maybe he could work with this. He was willing to do whatever it took, well, almost anything. Isaak drew the line at eating exotic food like chocolate-covered or deep-fried bugs or anything along that line. He was not one of those men who would ever put himself on a quest to taste things that humans should never eat, nor could he see himself conquering any unwanted fears anytime soon. People who sought those adventures were just adrenaline junkies. Just thinking about it was bad enough. Part of him worried that this might be exactly the kind of thing Angel was talking about, though.

What’s that? Isaak braced himself, almost afraid of the answer.

I’m going to send you on a special assignment.

Where exactly? He felt his stomach drop to the bottom of his feet. Isaak had a bad feeling about this. Was she going to send him to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro?

The Great Bear Rainforest. I assume you have heard of it.

Isaak hesitated. I know it’s one of the largest rainforests on Earth. Why do you want me to go there?

Angel gave him a bright smile. Experience real-life exploration. Find your primitive self. Learn to speak to our readers in a language only they understand.

A modern-day walkabout? Part of him was relieved that it wasn’t nearly as far away as Tanzania and he would still be on the same continent, but that was only a small relief. It would still take him far out of the city.

Precisely. I’ve already made all the arrangements.

His mind raced. Arrangements? He’d never even been camping, and she wanted him to be a real-life Daniel