Chase Novel Description Finalised

OK folks - here's the tantalising glimpse into the Chase novel:

In 2053 superstar SprawlBall player Chase and his team brace themselves for kick-off, only to find the stadium deserted and the other team slaughtered...

SprawlBall is a mixture of urban warfare, American football and soccer played in specially evacuated sections of towns and cities with each side stalking the other through the streets and buildings in the makeshift arena.  Score as many points as possible, but otherwise… anything goes.  It's the semi-final, but what starts as a sport becomes a fight for survival.  This story brings new meaning to the term "blood sport".

Idolised by the masses, shamed superhero Chase hates all the attention - does making millions by exploiting his mutant ability make him a bad person?  Probably.  But as long as they pay you well, then leave you alone, you will persevere.  At least he’s found an outlet for his gifts.  Others aren’t so lucky.  

Now he's trapped in a derelict city precinct with no way out, and the fans are turning ugly.  Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.  What would you do?  Welcome to Granville Island - you're going to be sorry you ever bought a ticket...

Survival Tips In The Arena:

1.    Stay close to the walls

2.    Avoid the spotlights

3.    Look out for Peeping Toms

4.    Hug the ball to hide the glow

5.    Never stand in an open doorway

6.    Always let the Blocker go first

It's show time!

You'll like this intense and claustrophobic battle for survival.  Catch Me If You Can is a standalone book, part of the "Paragons Of Virtue" series.  These books can be read in any order.  

Edits Of The First Draft

Having a blast editing the Chase novel, and slipping in little snippets of goodness - just small tweaks, red herrings and clues to the mystery of exactly what happens on Granville Island in the semi-final SprawlBall match against Vancouver.

I've learned a lot about writing on this project, and having read the whole story through cover to over I was actually quite jangled.  I mean, its intense!

The working title has been "Catch me If You Can", but now its time to settle on the official title.  And that's the hard bit.

Chase - "Catch Me If You Can"

40 years in the future Canada’s premiere SprawlBall team enter the arena for the penultimate game of the season.  But when the team arrives they find the stadium deserted and the opposing team slaughtered.

Lead character – Arthur Deal, Striker, nicknamed “Chase”. Age 35 but looks older, he’s wiry and slim.  Looks weather beaten with premature lines on his face, hair receding. Moves skittishly and always fidgeting, because he’s nervous and anxious all the time.  Impulsive and quick witted.  Agile and lithe and able to move quickly and easily.  Great for running and parkour.  Paces a lot, taps his feet. Speaks in short sentences.  Favourite phrase “It’s show time!” But he’s reclusive and introverted – likes the fact that his helmet hides his face.  He is recognised in the street and hates the attention.  Intensely private.  

Truth is, he’s scared of people. But he knows what he’s capable of and exploits his talents accordingly.  Grew up in Burlington, Ontario.  At adolescence he started to develop his mutant abilities of speed, dexterity and agility.  His parents taught him to tone it down and make it look like raw talent, otherwise he’d face discrimination and be persecuted like other mutants were as a result of the FMRL drug in the United Kingdom.  So he grew up like a normal kid, playing sports, but was always quiet and reserved.  

Weakness – insecurity, nervous, reclusive. He’s attracted to Natalie and she wants to be with him, but he doesn’t let anyone get close, and it’s against the sport’s policies to be romantically involved with another player in such a deadly sport.  Ends sentences with the word “eh?”