 Freedom. The choice we have with where to go to school, who to love, and where to live. We have a lot of options. We can decide for ourselves. But what would you do if you were kept 'safe' behind fences because of something unknown? What if you didn't have a chance to choose-because things were simply based on your gender? Would you run? Escape? Risk your life? Author Vanessa Garden explores freedom in her latest YA release, CARRIER. It's a gripping and timely tale about a young woman who faces a life altering decision. Now available in Ebook and Print, CARRIER is a book you'll want to read again and again. It's perfect for book clubs and discussion groups, not to mention--High School classes. Each reader will come from their own perspective and connect with the characters in their own way. Isn't it great that we can choose for ourselves? Blurb: From the day she was born, Lena has viewed the world through the jagged window of a razor-wired fence. The hundred-acre property she shares with her mother in the Australian outback may keep her safe from the Y-Carrier disease, but it is no longer enough to hold Lena’s interest, and her mother’s increasingly tight grip on her free will is stifling. Just as her curiosity blooms and her courage rises, she meets a boy through the fence — the first boy she has ever laid eyes on. His name is Patrick and he comes with a dangerous yet irresistible invitation of adventure beyond the fence, an invitation to which Lena cannot say no. But Lena’s newfound freedom is short-lived and she soon discovers that the Y-Carrier disease is not the only enemy she faces on the outside. Her new enemies want something Lena has, and they are willing to do anything to get it... Carrier is a YA novel about freedom, choice and family – and the terrifying disease that makes them mutually exclusive. EXCERPT: I peered around the boulder, the bright lights of the motor vehicle near-blinding me as I caught a flash of rusty orange, then another, as it flew toward the car. “Charlotte! Emma! Come back here!” They were howling and yelping at the vehicle that continued to plough up the rocky hill towards me, towards them. “Come here, now!” I shouted their names again and again until my throat felt as though it was going to split in two and finally the girls spun around and leapt behind the boulders just in time to miss the vehicle. I sprang to my feet, and together, we ran down the other side of the hill. “Patrick!” I shouted, glancing over my shoulder, the headlights burning my eyes so that stars appeared wherever I looked. The girls yelped and howled while they ran. They’d most likely never seen a motor vehicle in their lives and were probably as scared as I felt. “Run, girls, run! Get Mum! Go!” I shouted, hoping and praying that Mum was somewhere nearby with her shotgun ready. If there was ever a time for Mum to unleash her inner commando, it was now. The car stopped all of a sudden, several metres behind us, its engine humming. If somebody got out of the car right now and gave chase, I wasn’t sure I could keep running. The muscles in my thighs had already melted, and my ankle joints were screaming. For several metres I pushed forward, until I stumbled across a lone bush and threw myself behind it, landing on my stomach. I held my breath and waited, knife ready, slingshot tucked into the back of my pants. My fingers groped the ground until they found a small, smooth rock and I pressed it into my palm. The girls ran back up the hill, growled and bared their teeth at the car, before edging back and repeating the process again and again. Car doors opened and slammed shut and I froze, my breath held. The girls ran back, their heads dipping. They circled the bush I hid behind and then inched up the hill again, their fangs bared and a low growl in their throats. Bang! Emma yelped and spun to the ground, her body landing on its side. “Emma!” I crawled over to her and at the same time screamed at Charlotte to run. But she wouldn’t. She sniffed at Emma and raised her head to howl at the moon. Emma was trembling, her hind leg a mess of bone, fur, and blood. “You’re okay, girl,” I lied, stroking her head and leaning my face into hers, whispering soothing words to calm her, my tears soaking into her fur. “If you promise not to run, we won’t shoot,” shouted a booming, masculine voice from the top of the hill. I froze. Charlotte howled for all she was worth. “Surrender, or we shoot,” the voice repeated. “You’ve already shot my dingo!” I shouted, anger heating the blood in my veins. “Walk towards us with your hands up.” For a moment, I was stunned. Were they the police? Did law and order still exist in today’s world? Scooping Emma into my arms with care, holding her tight against my chest, and with Charlotte at my feet nearly tripping me up, I slowly started back up the hill, the harsh light from the vehicle making my eyes water. When I reached the peak, two men materialized from the darkness. Available in Ebook and Print |
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About the author:
A bookseller and Young Adult author, Vanessa loves nothing more than immersing herself in the exciting world of books. When she is not sharing her favorite reads with customers, or mentally casting actors to play the characters in her next novel, she enjoys hanging out with those she loves most.
Instagram: @vanessagardenwriter
Twitter: @vanessagarden_
A bookseller and Young Adult author, Vanessa loves nothing more than immersing herself in the exciting world of books. When she is not sharing her favorite reads with customers, or mentally casting actors to play the characters in her next novel, she enjoys hanging out with those she loves most.
Instagram: @vanessagardenwriter
Twitter: @vanessagarden_
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