A gripping and thoughtful story about the power of a cult leader on young people. When conventional Amber meets Dowdie she gets drawn into the Community which appears to offer all kinds of interesting alternatives to her own boring, everyday home life. Made to feel special and chosen– an Amethyst Child – Amber quickly falls under the spell of the cult leader and eagerly soaks up the belief system he promotes. But under the loving surface there are some dark secrets, which Amber begins to expose. Her gradual realization of what was happening is deftly unfolded.
It's the summer holidays and Amber is bored. So when she meets non-conformist Dowdie, she is bowled over. Dowdie lives in a commune known as the Community, and gradually, Amber finds herself drawn into it. She discovers that Dowdie is an Amethyst child - a child with special talents unrecognised by normal society - and that her father, James, the leader of the commune, believes Amber is one too. Meanwhile Amber also meets Johnny, a gorgeous loner who shares her interest in photography. But Johnny is very dismissive of the Community, a place Amber now holds dear. Torn between Johnny and her friend Dowdie, Amber finds herself being drawn into a world of dark and dangerous secrets. Secrets which can only end in death and disillusionment...
Sarah Singleton was born in rural Northamptonshire and holds an honours degree in English Literature and Language from the University of Nottingham. She travelled in Europe, India and Nepal, and worked variously with horses, in a chocolate shop, as a factory operative, and a chambermaid in Germany, before becoming a journalist.
In 1993 she married Brian Hoare, and they have two young daughters. Now, she lives in Chippenham, "in beautiful mystic Wiltshire," and works as a senior reporter for the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, campaigns with a local human rights group, and is learning to play violin.
