Eric Linne
After nearly 20 years as a stay-at-home father, Eric Linne returned to college to pursue his Master's degree in English at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. After two years of study, he proposed writing a young adult novel for his Master's Thesis. Under the direction of the English Department Chair Dr. Mark West, Eric completed his debut novel titled Reversal. The novel follows the story of 14-year-old Kayla Burbadge a recently orphaned girl who is forced to move from her Chicago home to a small farming community ion Central Indiana, Friendless and depressed, Kayla's life spirals downhill until a caring mentor offers her an opportunity with the potential to turn her life around. But the opportunity comes with a unique set of risks, not the least of which being serious injury. Can Kayla find the strength to compete in the male-dominated world of high school wrestling?
|
Reversal
Young Adult/coming of age/sports themed
Fourteen-year-old Kayla Burbadge has had one tough life. She's lost her parents, been forced to move from bustling Chicago to a small Indiana farm town, and starts high school with no friends. How tough is she? When a janitor sees her fighting an older boy who made the mistake of picking on her, the janitor encourages her to join the wrestling team he coaches. Reluctantly, Kayla accepts, and the new girl in school becomes the first and only girl to compete on the all-male team. As Kayla battles her way through the wrestling season, her self-confidence grows as she bonds with her teammates. Her emotional growth helps her connect with her new family and display empathy for other students who are suffering. In the end, she faces a final pivotal wrestling match—a match that means not only a victory for her, but a job for the coach who believed in her. Reversal is a realistic present-day novel which merges the genres of a coming-of-age drama and action-driven sports story. The novel explores the themes of family, home, community, unlikely heroes, discovering one's voice, and finding one's equilibrium after a big life event. Release Date: November 18, 2013 |