Ophelia Hamm leads an upscale life in suburban Coronado, with two kids in college and an ultra-successful husband. She has lingering gripes, though, and when her husband cops out yet again on a promised getaway, she sets off alone, across the border to Mexico.

This is a border crossing like no other. When she sees a woman in distress waving to her, she goes over to help and falls through a time warp. Suddenly she’s 22 again, unmarried, unmoored.
 

What follows is a wild journey through Mexico and Central America, ending on an island with gun-toting villains, corrupt politicians, and a literal hurricane named after her. Her new friends in this community of misfits include a witch who guides her through mystical experiences. All the while, Ophelia wonders if she can get back to her old self—or whether she wants to.
 

And a deeper question looms: How are these new adventures changing her? If she manages to return to an older Ophelia, who exactly will she be?

 

In this remarkable novel, Kel Daniels blends a time-travel premise with psychological depth, exploring how we build our selves through the everyday choices we make. Hurricane Ophelia is both a compelling read and a thoughtful work that lingers long past the final page.

Kel Daniels grew up on the road, living for stints in a Hawaiian commune, a lonesome desert cabin, and in an old delivery van outfitted with bunks. As an adult, he set off on his own, traveling extensively through Europe, Mexico, and Central America, picking up jobs along the way, jobs such as production manager of a furniture factory (Guatemala), newspaper reporter (Mexico), and bartender (all over).

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​He is the author of a previous novel, A Candle for San Simón, as well as a memoir, Cloudbreak, California. His short stories and essays have appeared widely in literary reviews, including many in the Sun magazine. Host of the Orwell-inspired podcast The Moon Under Water, he lives with his wife and son in Le Claire, Iowa. He is a professor of creative writing at Augustana College.

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FORTHCOMING, SEPTEMBER 2027
Ordering links to come

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Fiction
paperback / $21.00 / ISBN 979-8-953256-00-1 
ebook / $12.99 / ISBN 979-8-953256-01-8