You have landed on the web page for the novel Reality Threshold.

There is nothing like curling up on the lounge with a good book – or an ipad or Kindle. What sort of book interests you? Sometimes it’s useful to ask yourself why you like the books you read. They might not even be a book. They might be a magazine, a blog. You might simply like browsing Facebook.

You might like to read because it’s an escape from the hum drum of your life. It’s the realm of no responsibility. You can immerse yourself in the fantasy of the read and put yourself into the book. You might be a bystander in the book, or you might develop an affinity with one of more of the characters. Those characters may not be your age. They may be children, despite you being an adult. But thats OK. The book will unlock the child in you. Everyone still has the child in them. The book will take you back to those times less complicated, those times of wonder and imagination.

Alternately, you might be a child and develop an affinity with an older character. This is a chance to imagine yourself in that adult position and to mentally and emotionally test out the skills you are learning for that time when you will be an adult.

You might be thirsting for ideas and thoughts to enrich your understanding of the world. You might be looking for a book that stimulates your imagination. Books have a capacity for that that is different from watching a movie. When you watch a movie you are immersed in the visual images as well as the words. You are drawn into a visual world that is not your own, that was defined by someone else. But a book is different. The words, eloquent though they may be, can only provide triggers for your mind and memory to latch on to. But it is your memory and imagination that fills in the visual gaps between those triggers and paints a picture of the story. With a book, that picture is your picture. So in a way, you make the book your own story that, to you, is more intimate, richer and individual to those of other readers.

My hope, in writing Reality Threshold, is that my book becomes your story. It is intended to ignite your imagination. It unlocks a world of possibilities, but it’s anchored in reality and teenage angst. Whilst it’s in the fantasy genre, I’ve tried to make that fantasy a plausible extension of reality, so you might think that there is something out there that is currently unexplained but will be some day.

Coming back to what you might want from a book. The characters in a book will enhance your experience of the book. They might become your heroes because they represent an ideal of what sort of person you might want to be. On the other hand they might be villains and will provide a cathartic way of releasing those hurtful tensions in your own life. You will automatically relate each of the characters back to your friends, your family, or even public figures, and will bring back those memories to how you perceive the characters in the book. There is a difference however between the characters in the book and those they relate to in your life. Your imagination paints the characters in the book as fairly black and white and idealistic, because that’s how you can understand them. Of course, in reality, everyone is much more complicated and conflicted.

Reality Threshold has a number of characters in the book that are developed to provide a complimentary set of personalities that create a dramatic tension in the dialog and the story. They play off each other but their personality traits are obvious enough for you to both empathise with, envy, laugh with, regret with, and learn from.

I hope you see Reality Threshold as not just my book, but something that will in some little way enrich your life also.

Synopsis

Jamie had problems! The virtual reality computer game encrouched on his real life well and truly when he mentally zotted a mosquito with an energy blast from his finger, and it worked! He could have rationalised the athleticism, or the healed bruises, but this was something else. And when that troublemaker Lance bought a copy, things got complicated. He had to include more of his friends to play Lance’s team. Now his mate Kevin was ranting about voices outside his bedroom trying to coerce him into the game. And that mysterious game character who popped up everywhere looked much like the shopkeeper who had sold them the game. He wasn’t sure about Joel’s loyalties either. Fortunately he could rely on Elizabeth and Nick. Although it didn’t help that Nick was a compulsive flirt, despite Elizabeth ignoring the attention. Yes the game was fascinating, but he could see that it could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. He was going to have to do something about it. He just didn’t know what.

Reality Threshold as a fantasy thriller for a young adult audience. It unlocks a world of possibilities, but it's anchored in reality and teenage angst.

About the author

I've always wanted to write a book - those that know me will attest that I always have something to say.

I tried when I was 20 - spent a few hours writing out a broad 3 book plot, then began at page 1. I managed to get to the end of the first book - written longhand before personal computers were invented - but at the end realised it was self indulgent crap. But I have kept it in my bed side drawers ever since to remind me of the dream.

Then one day many years later I was lying in my hammock, between jobs, feeling sorry for myself, and the idea for the book popped into my head. I figured I had some spare time while I looked for the next job. But it took 2 years to plan out all 3 books and several years of writing to get to complete the first book - I do have to work for a living. I surprised myself how the words came out so easily considering I have an engineering and IT career.

I must admit to being a science fiction and fantasy enthusiast - introduced to it by my father who had a bewildering array of old science fiction magazines and books in our garage.

I actually like my book and reread it often - I hope you like it too.