I am thrilled to say my young adult/crossover novel is now available on Amazon Kindle. Off-Road is an adventure short read that will appeal to both enthusiastic and reluctant readers. Three teens set out to make a film about an off-road race in the searing heat of the Mojave desert. What started as a fun adventure turns into a road full of obstacles and threats.
I like to compare the story to the adventures of another group of teens in Virals, by Kathy Reichs. And perhaps Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet too. Young people trying to find their way, to survive, to discover where they fit in this world, to articulate their voices.
I hope you like it. Comments and reviews are welcome.off-road racing, short read, Mojave Desert
Hey. How are you? It’s been another long gap in posting. Caregiving is falling into a routine now, and I’ve dealt with a minor health issue of my own. So…I’m back. My goal is to post weekly from here on out.
My new book, Off-Road, is ready for publication. I will be putting it up on Amazon Kindle next month. The story starts out with three teens – Tessa Warren, Eric Pyne, Lyndie Reed – the Film Crew. They’re filming an off-road race in the Mojave Desert. In September. Yup…blazing sun, heat, dirt, dust. And adventure. Lots of obstacles to them getting their film made. Some of them man-made.
Red VW desert racer
A red VW beetle, modified for off-road racing, features in the race. It belongs to driver Jimmy Hassett, a friend of Eric Pyne’s father. Eric and Jimmy mount two GoPro action cameras on the VW to capture the race.
Interior of off-road VW racer
The VW racer features an interior reinforced with roll bars. A light bar across the roof – not needed in this particular race, which is a daytime event. Glass only in the front windshield. Spare tire mounted in the rear window shelf. Skid plates to protect the underbody.
My First Car
The red VW reminds me of my first car, a blue VW with a canvas sun roof. That was a fun car. I learned to drive stick on it. Along with one of my friends, I drove it from New York to Montreal on Christmas break one year. Parked it in Montreal the first night. It froze solid overnight. I had to have it towed and thawed out all day in a garage.
VW with canvas sunroof
My VW was a dream to maintain. Battery inside under the rear seat. I replaced a muffler. Put on new shocks. And me not a mechanic by any means. I still miss it.
Driving home from Montreal a few nights later, we drove south on the New York State Thruway. Lots of snow and slush. Huge trucks, most of them passing us. Cold. The heater barely worked. But the VW never quit.
I will alert you as soon as Off-Road is up on Amazon. And I would appreciate you sharing the info with others. Every mention helps.
The Mojave Desert features large in my upcoming YA story “Off-Road.” Here’s a fun article from the Los Angeles Times about a tour of the Mojave. Enjoy the read.
Here’s a picture of a desert race vehicle, a class-11 VW, similar to the one featured in the upcoming “Off-Road: A Film Crew SHORT.” A rugged piece of machinery, with speeds maxing out at 75mph.
The desert tortoise features as a character and a premise in my upcoming YA short “Off-Road.” Here’s a bit of information on the tortoise. Enjoy.
The tortoise is the state reptile of both California and Nevada. It is a threatened, not endangered, species.
Defenders of Wildlife estimate, “In some areas, the number of desert tortoises has decreased by 90% due primarily to human activity. Desert tortoise declines appear to have been most severe and widespread in the Western Mojave Desert.”
The National Park Service says, “Since the reproduction rate of the desert tortoise is low, the survival of every individual tortoise is important to the continuation of the species. Many of the threats to adult desert tortoises are related to or are the direct result of human activities; please be aware of how your actions can affect tortoises.”
Here are several links to sites where you can learn more about the desert tortoise:
Coming soon. I am close to finishing the last edit on the opening story in my Young Adult Film Crew series, titled: Off-Road: A Film Crew Adventure.
Off-road
High school junior Tessa Warren and her friends Lyndie Reed and Eric Vargas set out to film the Cactus 100 off-road race in California’s Mojave Desert. They want to enter the documentary in local youth film festivals. But environmental protestors, out to shut down the race, target Tessa and her friends with a mis-directed hostility that endangers them and their project.
The stories will be short reads posted to Kindle and other websites.
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