Paradise Girl

An unstoppable virus sweeps the world. 17-year-old Kerryl Shaw records its approach and the devastation it causes in her diary. Finally all aound her succumb. Left on her own, it isn't long before the isolation affects her sanity and she begins to lose her grip on reality. She imagines a reader for her diary, and calls him Adam. As the empty days pass, Adam becomes increasingly real to her until he dominates her life and she becomes emotionally obsessed by him. Is he there, or is he a figment of her deluded imagination? It's only in the final pages that we discover the truth in this captivating psychological thriller, which saves its final suprise until a twist at the very end.

Paradise Girl has received a 'Chill With a Book' Readers Award, a Chill Book of the Month Award, and an Indie BRAG Medallion. It was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards.

Paradise Girl is in three parts. The first two are diaries written by the heroine, Kerryl Shaw. The Purple Diary describes her life with her family and friends before the spread of a deadly virus. It goes on to give an account of the onset of the infection and deals with the deaths of those around her and the destruction of the world Kerryl knows.

The Green Diary is Kerryl's day-by-day record of her life alone, and alows the reader to delve into her mind as she tries to cope with total isolation and the problems of being entirely self-reliant. Through her entries we learnhow she imagines a reader for her diaries, who she calls Adam. She becomes increasingly obsessed by Adam, until she's convinced he's real. The reader knows that Adam is Kerryl's fantasy - but is he? The diary concludes with her account of how she responds to what she thinks is an invitation from Adam to meet him.

Part three, called 'After', deals with life after the infection, the outcome of Kerryl's meeting with Adam and points the way forward to the next story.