Racing The Wild...
Racing the Wild is the story of Chris Franklin, a teenage boy living on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, with his parents and twin brothers. Burdened by family pressure and the constant bullying of his older siblings, Chris struggles under the shadow of domestic tension and the demanding world of his racehorse trainer father. Expelled from school, he finds solace in sketching, gradually forming new friendships that help him reclaim his sense of self. When he risks everything to save a condemned horse, Chris embarks on a perilous journey through the bush—a journey that tests his courage, resilience, and the enduring power of loyalty and true friendship.
Racing the Wild is a gripping story of resilience, courage, and self-discovery.
Accolades & Recognition:
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Featured in Voraka Magazine as a standout contemporary YA novel
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Finalist in the Able Golden Book Award for Best Fiction
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Honoured by De Mode Literary Review 'One of 7 Best Books of 2025'.
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Recognised by the Global Literary Council for excellence in storytelling
The Journey Continues…
Following the events of Racing the Wild: A Journey of Freedom and Friendship, Chris’s story takes a new turn.
Fifteen-year-old Chris arrives in Sydney to get to know his father Michael, only to find himself surrounded by unfamiliar faces; Michael’s wife Amber, their lively young daughter Skye, and Elise, a vindictive aunt whose complicated family casts long shadows.
In this uneasy world, Chris discovers glimmers of friendship but also stumbles into webs of judgement and deception. Between rodeos, dirt bikes, and the clang of junk-metal sculptures, he drives himself to prove his worth, perhaps even to himself.
But the wild terrain of South Western Sydney has its own trials, and when Chris is pushed to his limits, he must reckon not only with the harshness of the world around him, but with the turmoil inside him: loyalty, pain, and a quiet hunger for redemption.
Of Judgement and Deception is a powerful story of resilience and reckoning. About breaking free from the weight of the past, and the slow, fierce courage it takes to choose the person you want to become.