Concealed In The Shadows by Gabrielle Arrowsmith
(YA Dystopian-
Available Now)
Amazon link:
Sydney Harter has long awaited September 12th,
2033—her eighteenth birthday. She can finally apply for guardianship of her
sister, who is her only family and entire world. She hopes they will be
lawfully reunited, but is prepared to defy authority and risk everything to
escape the captivity of Miles County so that they can be together.
Escaping will be difficult and dangerous. Citizens
are bound to their county by sophisticated chip implants that deliver shocks to
those who dare to cross the electric barrier. Sydney is very clever, but her
trickery is limited against the all-seeing eyes of technology. Even if they
were to survive the escape, disappearing into the forgotten forests and towns
of the past seems an impossible task.
What Sydney doesn't know is that she is the
particular interest of two opposing forces. With deceit, fear, and warfare
surrounding her—can she trust the party that aims to help with her fight
against the other? Can she open her heart to receive and return unexpected
love? When her sister’s life becomes jeopardized, Sydney will have to weigh a
new love against the only enduring love she has known. The cost could be
deadly…
How will she choose?
Guest Post by
Gabrielle Arrowsmith: Futuristic Technology
Do you ever find yourself laughing out
loud at old movies that were set in the future – a time period that has since
arrived or will shortly? I sure do!
It was important to me while writing
“Concealed in the Shadows” that I try to carefully envision the technology of
the future as not to be laughable. Eek! This was especially important since the
novel is set in the near future, 2033, and even mentions the beginnings of chip
implantation in the very near future – 2015!
Of course, this required in-depth
research about the capabilities of things like chip implants and application of
current trends in the uses and styling of technological devices.
In creating the story, I extended even
small ways that we currently use technology to connect with others and share
our whereabouts and/or happenings. Location services currently make it
relatively easy for us to ‘check-in’. The chips in the wrists of all citizens allow
anyone who has been added to your circle to track your whereabouts anytime. Of
course, this invites some major drama if a friend has temporarily blocked
another friend from being able to view their location and company.
Status
updates are also automatically fed to the device of anyone who follows you. The
pop-ups must be insane! The only way to be able to manage them is to be tied to
your device more so than we currently are (already too much, in my opinion).
Or devices can already handle transactions
and more, but I wanted to take this a step farther. I need this capability to
be moved inside the body so that the chips would hold a person’s identity and
entire worth. Pretty hard to part with, right? Being in the body, the chips can
also monitor citizens’ health. This is very important in this futuristic
setting as cancer and other fatal illness are on the rise.
Do you think the way that I’ve advanced
technology in the setting of “Concealed in the Shadows” is possible? Probable?
An eerie idea, considering how things go in the novel, but one about which I’d
love to hear your thoughts! Let’s discuss in the comments!
About Gabrielle Arrowsmith:
GABRIELLE
ARROWSMITH enjoyed writing her debut novel, Concealed
in the Shadows, during a lovely Minnesota summer that she had off from her
primary profession, teaching. Acting, playing and coaching soccer, reading,
playing piano, and spending time with family and friends are among her other
interests.
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