Join Michael French as he discusses his book, CLIFFHANGER: JUMP BE-FORE YOU GET PUSHED.
Book Synopsis:
In 2030, a high school election in Hawthorn, Indiana perfectly mirrors the embedded polarization of Washington D.C. Winning justifies whatever a candidate can get away with. The stakes are high. American institutions, including public schools, are crippled by a $30 trillion national debt. Governments depend on large corporations, with agendas, to pay the bills. One of the agendas is grooming charismatic high school and college students for political office in Washington. Corporations only back students with the ambition and instincts to win, and put them secretly on payroll. There isn't much opposition. Interest in voting has been muted by a decade of virus-induced paranoia. anxiety and paranoia.
In Hawthorn, Indiana, an idealistic senior with little political experience and only a handful of friends, shocks the student body by running against the odds-on favorite, a football star that she happens to have a crush on. She believes the school administration is hiding some shocking secrets and promises to expose them. A beloved history teacher, against school rules, quietly takes Britain under his wing to shape her campaign.
Matthew and his well-oiled political team methodically destroy Britain's reputation on social media, with the help of a complicit administration. Brit and her friends refuse to buckle under. As they begin to reveal school secrets.
Matthew pretends to be unfazed. but his future in Washington, and his family's climb out of poverty, are at risk. The corporation keeps up the pressure on him to win. Instead, living a double life, he embarks on a journey of self-liberation. Britain catches on. She knows she can deliver a knock-out blow to Matthew's candidacy. Her friends urge her on.
About the Author:
Michael R. French is the author of 23 published titles, including adult and young adult fiction, children's books, art criticism, bi- ographies, and adaptations. Several were best-sellers, His books have been warmly reviewed in the New York Times, received liter- ary prizes and honors, and his novel, Abingdon's, was adapted for television.
He is also the co-screenwriter of two Amazon Prime films, Inter- section and Reunion. Michael and his wife, Patricia French, live in Santa Fe and the Santa Barbara area. After launching a real estate company in Santa Fe for 23 years, they started Dollars4Schools, an online non-profit for Santa Fe school teachers. Patricia is also a fund-raiser and social activist. Their two adult children live in Los Angeles.
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