Joshua's Tree [Excerpt only]

by N.W. Harris

When brainy 17-year-old Joshua Tyler is abducted to a future where flesh-eating mutants have exterminated most of the Earth's population, he finds confidence, meets his first girlfriend, and makes a painful and surprising discovery about who's responsible for causing the apocalypse. Student warrior Nadia, also 17, finds her home destroyed and her family and friends eaten, then has a vision that guides her to Joshua. The mismatched duo can't get along at first, but Nadia believes Josh is the savior mentioned in a prophecy that gave her people hope, so she protects him and teaches him how to fight. An unlikely friendship evolves, and Josh learns that if he kills the leader of the cannibalistic army of mutants—the one known as the Father—he'll be able to go home. But the idea of leaving Nadia behind becomes harder with each passing day. The nightmarish truth Josh learns after a bloody battle may cause Nadia to rethink her feelings for him and stop him from delivering the final blow that could send him home. Exploring courage, camaraderie, and finding the strength to survive against all odds, Joshua's Tree offers a unique take on the boy-meets-girl and boy-prevents-the-end-of-the-world story. A 72,000-word YA science fiction novel, Joshua's Tree is the first book in a potential trilogy intended for readers who enjoy books like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner.

15 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2012

About the author

Born at the end of the Vietnam war and raised on a horse farm near small town north Georgia, his imagination evolved under the swaying pines surrounding his family’s log home. On summer days that were too hot, winter days that were too cold, and every night into the wee morning hours, he read books.

In addition to writing, he has been a submarine sailor, nurse, and business owner. His studies have included biology, anthropology, and medicine at UCSB and SUNY Buffalo. He is an active member of SCBWI and lives in sunny southern California with his beautiful wife and two perfect children. He writes like he reads, constantly.