Walking Backward

Funny, Sad, Therapeutic

My first children’s novel.

“I wrote the Darwin Society and asked them not to nominate Mom for an award….”

When Josh’s mother dies in a phobia-induced car crash, she leaves two questions for her grieving family: how did a snake get into her car? and how do you mourn with no faith to guide you?

Twelve-year-old Josh is left alone to find the answers. His father is building a time machine in the basement. His little brother is talking to a plastic Power Ranger as if it’s their mom. With no faith to guide him, Josh makes death his summer research project.

The dead-parent genre is a busy one, but Austen breaks from the pack with this confident and peculiar debut.” – Booklist

To buy a copy of Walking Backward:

visit your local bookstore (find one at Indie Store Finder);

buy online from Amazon-Canada, Amazon-USA, Chapters, Barnes & Noble;, or

order directly from the publisher, Orca.

“[An] outstanding debut novel….[Austen’s] writing cuts straight to the heart. She delivers a wise, rich novel, wonderfully compelling for children and adults alike.” – The Globe and Mail

Short-listed for the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year for Children Award and five provincial awards.

Advanced juvenile fiction (ages 9+); 167 pages; paperback or e-book editions

Themes: grief, phobias, journals, families, brothers

Want to know more about phobias?

Check out my Phobia Sampler and then take my Phobia Quiz to test your knowledge of fear.