Tess Galvin, a young teen dealing with the loss of her right hand, finds salvation in a virtual reality video game that erases her disability, and allows her to experience the world in a way she hasn’t been able to in years.
The Dark Hand died on a Tuesday...and on that day, everything in Never World changed. In a city bright and alive with color, there are some who wish to see it all collapse.
When Tess is caught stealing, she is approached by a mysterious man known as The Creator. He offers her the chance to compete against nine other contestants on a brand new reality show, where the prize is cosmetic surgery that would reconstruct and "cure" her deformities. Desperate to help her sick father and drag herself out of poverty, Tess realizes the game is her only option. However, Tess learns there’s something more sinister going on in Never World and she quickly discovers her life is on the line.
Tess is convinced that she has no choice but to compete on the reality show or else she’ll end up in jail and unable to protect her father. After meeting Nate, a contestant who is on the brink of death due to issues with his heart, she is inspired to do well in the competition and push herself to the end. There’s also something about Nate and another contestant, Scott, that intrigues her to find out more.
Following the death of a notorious underground rebel, The Dark Hand, The Creator begins to question Tess and her involvement in the entire shady situation. She was the last person to speak with The Dark Hand before his very public murder, after all. He whispered something in her ear that she refuses to tell anyone, and somehow, she knows keeping this secret is helping her stay alive.
With little help from anyone inside the game, Tess must fend for herself and try to figure out what dark secrets Never World, The Creator, and The Dark Hand hold.
I started developing my ideas for Never World about a year ago when I began to realize that YA (and all fiction, really) was lacking strong disabled characters. I began to imagine Tess, a young girl whose life had been changed by a horrible accident, which included the loss of her right hand and physical scarring. Tess’s story, however, is not about her disability. It’s about her unwillingness to give up and buy into a system that largely ignores her existence. It’s about her refusal to be silenced.
I also had a strong desire to create a world that would take place within a virtual reality game. Never World allows me the opportunity to switch up my locations and develop places that fascinate and inspire me as a writer. I’m having a blast working on this project and I hope you will have a blast reading it.
Funds will be used to professionally publish and promote my young adult novel, Never World. My novel would be available in both paperback and e-book formats. I am completely devoted to making this novel as good as possible and I will appreciate any help I get along the way.
I want you all to enter Never World and meet Tess! Thank you so much for all your help.
Best,
Kris Noel