When Tucker Frost ventures out into the wilderness on a hunting expedition with his Grandpa Angus and his older brother Jordan, the main things on his mind are socializing and graduating from high school.
But when Grandpa Angus accidentally drops his gun, releasing a bullet into Tucker's neck, Tucker's whole world tumbles into upheaval.
When he wakes, he receives the overwhelming news: his spinal cord has been severed. He'll never walk again. He maintains the use of his arms, and can feel everything above his chest, but as for the rest of it...
It's gone.
So begins a new journey in Tucker's life. Once an ordinary suburban kid, he's suddenly become extraordinary in a way he never could have expected.
ROLLING HOME chronicles the months that follow Tucker's injury. It shows Tucker getting to know his first serious girlfriend, Rebecca, while sorting through his feelings regarding his grandfather and his own father, Mike, who's slipping deeper and deeper into the grip of alcoholism. It often seems like his mother, Paisley, is the household's only stable member. Every time Tucker turns around, his dad or Jordan is heading out the door to go somewhere or another.
In the meantime, Tucker has to relearn how to use his body – from functional things like taking a shower to larger challenges like getting in and out of a car.
Not to mention discovering sex with Rebecca.
As ROLLING HOME advances, Tucker meets Kip Cruiser, a famous motorcycle racer who works part-time coaching a murderball team – murderball being a court-based game wherein paralyzed players compete in their wheelchairs, in something of a demolition derby. When Kip recruits Tucker to sign up for murderball, Rebecca grows insecure and possessive.
And her feelings only grow more urgent when Tucker meets Kip's friend Brianna.
Meanwhile, Tucker's been avoiding Grandpa Angus. Though they're essentially at peace, they haven't had a chance to discuss what happened – not with any real level of depth.
When Tucker's dad gets arrested in a bar fight, the family finds itself with a whole new heap of problems. Mike's facing jail-time. Tucker's furious with him. The pair have never been at ease to begin with, and Tucker's injury has only made their problems worse.
Will Mike end up being put away? Will Angus and Tucker confront what happened? Will Tucker end up choosing Brianna over Rebecca? Can Kip be the light that guides Tucker through?
ROLLING HOME is a story of growth, love, struggle, and renewal. It's about one kid's attempt to find normalcy from within his wheelchair.
And it's about every kid's journey to find his or her own truth.
Austin Charters is a debut Young Adult author of ROLLING HOME. Austin was paralyzed from the chest down in a freak hunting accident at the age of 12. He is now 24 years old and received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Arizona State University. He continues to work toward a master's in communications from the same University. In his free time, Austin loves to participate in adaptive sports such as: handcycling, water-skiing, skydiving, and off-road sports. He occasionally does motivational speaking and loves to be an inspiration to those who are going through trials of their own. All of these activities can be found on his YouTube series called "Life Of A Quadriplegic." For more information please visit www.c5roller.com
