The Age of Amy

Title: The Age of Amy: Channel ‘63
Author: Bruce Edwards
Genre: Young Adult

What if you could tune your TV to the year 1963, and watch—live? A new theme park attraction allows visitors to not only observe, but talk with the people of that turbulent decade. For 16-year-old Amy, it’s the perfect escape from her own time, and the hardships of teenage life in the 21st century.
Things get complicated when Amy falls for a teenage boy in the 60s. Trying to build a relationship across time proves maddening, especially when computers bleep any language that might impact the future. Happily, Amy acquires a "magic clicker" which defeats this annoying restriction. But gaining the ability to speak freely comes with a heavy responsibility: Amy now has the power to alter history!
She struggles to be mindful of her speech, but finds the temptation to reverse the mistakes of the past irresistible. It is November, 1963 on the other side of the TV screen, and President Kennedy is about to be assassinated. Knowing the details of that tragic event, Amy hatches a dangerous plot to save the 35th president, unaware of the deadly consequences facing her long-ago friend, who must carry it out.

Author Bio

Award-winning author Bruce Edwards is a former Hollywood film animator, and brings the whimsy of a character artist to his stories. A music major in college, he is also an accomplished musician and composer. His other creative endeavors include a stint as a puppeteer and performing magic at Disneyland. Bruce's thought-provoking books for young adults are never short on fun, fantasy, and imagination.



Links

AUTHOR LINKS Channel '63 Music Video AgeOfAmy.com Facebook Twitter
PURCHASE LINKS Amazon Barnes & Noble Powell's Publisher's Store

Book Excerpt

 
Chapter 1

EMANCIPATION

"I quit!” I shouted, my shrill voice echoing through the courtroom. “I resign from this family!”    “Please take your seat, Amy,” said Judge Higgins. “Your theatrics have been noted, but you are in Family Court, not an episode of Law & Order.”    The judge shuffled a pile of legal documents on his tall desk, then set aside the one that prompted the hearing in the first place: Petition for Declaration of Emancipation of a Minor. State law permits minor children, with unresolved parental issues, to leave home and live with someone else. I had filed the papers on my own, with no help from anyone.    What they basically said was that I wanted to be free to live on my own; to be liberated from playing the dutiful daughter; to be released from the grip of my controlling parents. In simpler terms: I wanted a divorce from my family.    It was a bold move to make, especially for a sixteen-year-old.    The August sun shined through the tall windows onto an empty jury box. On this day, no testimony would be given from the witness stand. There were no lawyers, no court reporters, nor spectators in the gallery. The judge didn’t even have a gavel.    My mom and dad sat at a long table normally reserved for high-powered attorneys. I sat at the same table, a few empty chairs down from them. After all, they were the bad guys, not me.    “As to why you are all here,” said the judge, “I have called this hearing to see if this issue can’t be resolved before proceeding further.”    My dad raised his hand and rose to his feet. “What’s the point?” he said. “We are all in agreement in this matter.”
   “Absolutely,” added my mother. “Amy wants to move out, and I for one don’t plan to stand in her way.”    “I understand that,” said Judge Higgins, “but before I can issue a ruling, the laws of this state and the Department of Social Services mandate that the court shall first attempt to mitigate the situation, in accordance with Family Code Regulations.”    Legal mumbo jumbo! The “situation” was clear. I no longer wanted to share my life with my parents, and they made no bones about not wanting me around.