What happens when two people long to be together but are worlds apart? Will Sutherland saves a girl from a falling beam in a music concert accident and is plunged into a coma. Finding himself in another world, Will battles addiction and revenge, and longs to go home to Aporto Bay.
Meanwhile, Erin, the girl Will saved, visits him in the hospital coma ward, desperate for him to wake up. But does the warrior princess captivate Will’s heart and stop him from returning home? Will takes an extraordinary journey to find the truth of his life with the help of his new friends and a King.
The extraordinary settings, remarkable characters, and allegory give this book many layers to explore. Visit Idella city where your every desire is granted. Enter the seven doors of The House of Wisdom and take seven extraordinary journeys.
The Craving is an award-winning, split-time YA romance and a novel for today. It has reached #1 Amazon Best-Seller several times on Amazon.com.au
The novel won the CALEB Award for unpublished YA Fiction, The 2022 Global Book Awards, YA Bronze medal, and is a finalist in the 2022 International Book Awards.
'The Craving is rich with twists and turns in an explosive mix of contemporary and fantasy worlds'.
'A great and original story.'
'Very intriguing.'
'The character is well developed and is a strong symbol and representative hero for young adult readers. Brilliant.'
—a selection of CALEB Award judges’ comments. 2020
The three journeys taken by Will Sutherland on the Island of Eldrad to find the truth.
-The first journey: Will is waylaid in Idella, the City of Pleasure.
-The second journey: The City of Eldrad and Will's extraordinary visits to the seven doors of The House of Wisdom: The Door of the Honor of the King, The Door of Love, The Door of Truth, The Door of Humility, The Door of Peace, The Door of Purity and the Door of Hardship.
-The third journey: Will's final and breathtaking Quest.
This is an extract from Chapter 1 when Will's life is turned up-side-down at a tragic music concert accident:
Reverberations pulsed through the venue as the frenzy reached fever pitch. Ryder leaped onto the stage. His studded vest flashed in the laser lights, and his dreadlocks whipped around his head as he opened the set with “Ride or Die.” The crowd was a sea, surging and swaying. Will allowed the deep-toned thud of beats to reverberate through his body and numb his pain.
A harsh, wrenching screech cut through the music. The stadium shuddered and cracked in staccato bangs. Will’s stomach did a dive. Something was wrong.
Mitch gripped his arm. “What’s going on?”
Before he could answer, the grating at their feet split open. Rivets sprang out and scattered. The girls in front of him shrieked as their row of chairs swung away. Will leaned over and tried to pull them back, every muscle and ligament of his body stretched to its limit. Skin scraped off his fingers.
The seats wrenched out of his hands and tipped over. The girls disappeared into the void in a volley of anguished voices. The floor bent and slanted down. Heartbeats replaced drumbeats pounding in his head. He gripped his chair, but was slipping.
Falling.
Every organ in his body heaved toward his throat as he dropped underneath the stadium, arms and legs flailing.
Like the bungee jump at Valley Springs.
Without a harness.
And nothing to bounce him back.
He slammed into the ground, his body in a spasm of pain. The edges of his vision distorted. The stand above fractured and swayed in slow motion, like a scene in an apocalyptic movie. A girl lay nearby, crumpled like a broken mannequin, dust-filled hair tangled over her face.
The girl with the honey hair.
The entire stadium was imploding now. A long beam dangled from a swaying row of chairs. It dislodged and dropped toward the girl.
Shock spread in a bolt through Will’s body.
He ignored the agony in his back and grabbed a sheet of metal lying nearby. He launched toward the girl, shielding her body with his, and pulled the metal on top of them. The falling beam hit the side of his head.
A bone-dry crack sounded inside his skull.