Post
by Kristy McCaffrey
I’m
pleased to have a story in the just-released Young Adult anthology, THIS SUMMER
STORM. In “A Current So Swift,” a wilderness course
on the Green River in Utah has sixteen-year-old Amy Whittaker stuck on a raft
with football players and cheerleaders from her high school. No longer able to
maintain a low profile among the more popular crowd, she wonders how she’ll
survive the week. Even more distressing—Sawyer Tate, her crush since seventh
grade, is also in the group. When a torrential rainstorm flips the boats and
strands everyone, Amy is forced to take charge. And when Sawyer makes it clear
he has feelings for her, remaining invisible is carried away on a current so swift.
I
based this story on my own experience rafting the Green River when I was sixteen
years old. My parents insisted that I take an Outward Bound course, since I was
such a homebody. My trip wasn’t nearly as eventful as the crisis that befalls
Amy and her classmates; and, while there were a few other teenagers in the
group, it was mostly adults. But I hope I was able to convey how being in the
wilderness can strip down many of the social norms we’re accustomed to in our
everyday life. In Amy’s case, being forced to abandon her persona of detachment
is made all the harder because she is with kids that leave her feeling socially
intimidated. I threw in the love story because in my other life as a writer, I
pen romance novels.
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| Unfortunately, I couldn't locate a photo of my trip on the Green River. This is a photo of Lava Falls Rapid in the Grand Canyon, considered one of the most fearsome stretches of whitewater on the Colorado River. |
I hope readers find my story enjoyable. I don’t normally write Young Adult, but I do have another YA short story available on Kindle. “Echo of the Plains” is a sweet historical western romance. Eli Ryan searches for the renegade stallion, Echo, in the Texas desert, but Cassie Callahan's stubborn protection of the horse just might steer him off course. Learn more at http://www.kristymccaffrey.com/YA-Short-Stories.html
Kristy McCaffrey is the author of several adult historical western
romances, as well YA short stories. She loves to travel and frequently writes
about her adventures on her blog, Pathways,
at www.kristymccaffrey.blogspot.com.
