Fugitive Rifts
by A-M Mawhiney

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Does everyone have secrets? When four teens are invited to meet after school with a teacher, the butterfly effect of this one small event soon changes their dreams about their futures. Thrown together to form, of all things, a debate team, the four—Grace, a popular star basketball player, Drew, a privileged hotshot, Ollie, an artistic new student, and Dottie a shy, brilliant loner—seem to have nothing in common. And not one of them believes they have what it takes to be successful debaters. Over time, the four teens start helping each other through tough times and begin to realize they are more alike than they thought. Taking part in a public debate turns out to have unintended consequences that affect the four teens, each in different ways. Then the disappearance of one upends not only the lives of the four teens, but it also creates a ripple effect that shapes, over time, what happens to other people from their communities, their country—and even the world. Fugitive Rifts is a compelling and empowering story of coming of age, resilience, and friendship, with emotional passages that are authentic, visceral, and bring the characters to life.

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"A-M Mawhiney weaves together youthful dreams and trauma with serendipitous moments in profound celebration of lives. She has arrived as a literary voice." —Anne M. Smith-Nochasak, author "This book celebrates the kind of friendship all of us dream of experiencing and which, if given a chance to experience, we would cherish all through our lives. In a way this friendship helps save part of the world …" —Eve Koguce, award-winning author "At its heart, Fugitive Rifts is the story of friendship that overcomes differences and celebrates the uniqueness in us all." —Emily De Angelis, author of The Stones of Barren Bay (Latitude 46 Publishing, 2024) "Brilliant author A-M Mawhiney spins an intoxicating, dynamic web of evocative prose, gripping plot, brilliant characterization, poignant family matters, youthful aspirations, and ultimately hope, in the wonderful present-near-future fiction novel, ‘Fugitive Rifts’." —P.L. Stuart, award-winning author of the Drowned Kingdom Saga

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A-M hopes for a world where everyone thrives. She began writing during the first lockdown of 2020 to escape to a place filled with hope. To her surprise she found herself writing her first novel. When not writing, she enjoys reading, travelling, taking in local basketball games, and spending time with family and friends. She lives in Northern Ontario with her partner Dave. A-M is the author of Spindrifts (2021) and Spelldrifts (2022) Readers can learn more at her website, www.ammawhiney.ca

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Contributors

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A-M Mawhiney