Virtually There

by D J Thomas

Overview

"How is meeting like this any different from what you do on that looking-glass contraption?"
Efan pointed at my iPad. It was Mrs. Cadwaladr all over again.
"I talk to real people on this. There is a live person on the other end being broadcast across the ocean."
Efan was unimpressed. "A mere show of lights and sounds. I'm talking to you from another side as well. You see me. You hear me. None of us is corporal, and yet you dismiss me. In this moment, how am I any less real?"
He had me there. Rather than admitting defeat to a 19th century specter, I dodged the subject.
"Why are you here?"

Darwyn Jones is a typical teen-aged girl who does well in school and who dreams of being a YouTube celebrity one day. The most immediate drama in her life is the bombshell that her mom recently dropped on her: the two of them are temporarily moving from their comfort zone in Vancouver to a rural town in northern Wales so Gwyn can finally complete work on their family tree. For six months, Darwyn's only connection to her network of family and friends back home will be virtual. What discoveries will the Old World offer her? How will Darwyn adjust to small-town living? Where will Derw Roberts and Efan Llewellyn fit in to her new country life? Will she find the lost gold that keeps local gossip-mongers busy? The answers are virtually in front of you - Virtually There.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940154036914
Publisher:	D J Thomas
Publication date:	02/25/2017
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	971 KB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

I am a product of the turbulent 1960s, a transitional generation to say the least [for those of you doing mental math right now, that means I'm only 25 in spirit]. I'm part of the population raised by Depression survivors and Baby Boomers, but shaped by Social Activists, Hippies and Disco. Growing up, I always felt caught between tradition and self-expression, between doing what was expected of me versus following the truths dictated by my conscience and common sense. That battle of head vs. heart rages on to this day. I'd like to think I'm winning - most of the time. My quirky sense of humour and a staunch refusal to abandon my "inner child" or to close my mind to new ideas remain my strongest weapons.
I watched a lot of TV as a kid. Some might say too much. I also sat way too close to the TV set. Perhaps too close. I wanted to escape to other worlds and lose myself in other people's dramas, whether they were black & white or in living colour. At times, I would be so tuned in to a show, that I'd completely filter out the actual world around me. People could stand next to me and yell directly in my ear, and I wouldn't hear them until the end credits rolled or someone pulled the TV's plug.
As I got older and had more experiences to draw upon, I found myself creating roles and tailoring conflicts in these favoured fictitious worlds. Eventually, I began forging worlds, characters, and conflicts of my very own. My imagination provided me the ultimate escape...and the journey didn't cost a cent! Believe it when you hear: "the best things in life are free." Some clichés are undeniably true.
As a teen, I was bitten by the travel bug after an exchange trip to France, a holiday in Hawaii, and a road trip to Saskatchewan. Once I completed my undergraduate degree, I traveled more extensively and gained a much better global perspective from the local people and fellow travelers whom I met in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Spain and Peru. Of course, most of this enlightenment predates the Internet. What I went out into the world to find as a twenty-something is now no further away than the nearest keyboard and Wi-Fi signal. Thanks to Google, the world is literally at my fingertips!
Career-wise, I worked in the financial sector until I realized that I was a zombie in a mind-numbing, dead-end job. Unfortunately, imagination alone doesn't pay many bills, and working to pay bills doesn't leave much to the imagination. So I went back to UBC to...