Suppressed by Sue C Dugan is a New Year, New Books Fete pick #scifi #sciencefiction #newadult #booksworthreading
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  • N. N. Light
    • Jan 22
    • 5 min read

Suppressed by Sue C Dugan is a New Year, New Books Fete pick #scifi #sciencefiction #newadult #booksworthreading



Title: SUPPRESSED

 

Author: Sue C Dugan

 

Genre: Science Fiction/New Adult

 

Book Blurb:

 

Sixteen-year-old Annie Montague has another chance at living a normal life after a tragic car accident paralyzes her and kills her best friend. A new, never before done In the U.S. operation Involves graphing her head on another woman’s body.

 

Annie Is willing to try anything to leave the mundane confides of her hospital room where she either stares at the ceiling, the hallway or the floor tiles. She doesn’t feel anything from the neck down, but her memories remained her of everything she’s left behind.

 

This risky operation could mean death or a new life with varying size-effects. Side effects that could erase Annie’s memories, alter her hormones, and make her Into an entirely different person. Is she willing to risk this for a chance to walk again? A chance to graduate from high school? Having a boyfriend? And being independent?

 

Excerpt:

 

Her parents dutifully came to visit her daily, although Annie heard the repeated pings of her mother’s phone summoning her back to practical matters and away from her impractical daughter.

 

“Would you like us to put you on a gurney and take you to the atrium for a change of scenery?” her father asked, giving her a smile.

 

“No,I’m fine.”

 

Her mother looked under the sheet.

 

She wished her mother wouldn’t look at her like that. It was her body after all, pathetic and all. “No bed sores. That’s good,” her mother said, smoothing down the covers. “Are they turning you every couple of hours?”

 

“Yes, mother.”

 

“You don’t need to use that tone with me. I’m only concerned about your welfare.”

 

Annie didn’t think she was using anything except her normal tone of voice. “You can see I don’t have sores, right?” She knew she was being a brat, blaming her parents for her situation. She was a combination of their best traits—her father’s smile and her mother’s tall model-like frame.

 

Annie couldn’t see the aides who came in to roll her because of the collar holding her neck stable, but she smelled them. One was perspiring; the other wore heavy perfume masking a uniform in need to washing. Yes, she had been moved from side to side, glad for the vantage of the window overlooking the parking lot to her right. The left side offered a view of the hallway and the cart by her bedside. When on her back she faced the holes in the ceiling panels. She had tried counting them, but they moved into a blur or she fell asleep mid-way and couldn’t remember where she had left off.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said to her mother.

 

Her mother gave her a small smile.

 

“We have something we’d like to discuss with you,” her father said. Annie heard the scrape of the chairs and knew her parents were settling in.

 

“Umm hmm.” Her eye lids, heavy and tired, drooped. Was it to tell her about Rachel? “Is this about Rachel?” she asked sleepily.

 

“Why no,” her father said.

 

“I  already know about Rachel. I watched it on the news and Catie told me about the memorial at school.”

 

“We figured that much,” her father said. “We were waiting until you were stronger to tell you.”

 

Too late for stronger.

 

“Then what?” She pushed her fatigue away, but kept her eyes closed, listening and not seeing.

 

“You can certainly say no, but we wish you’d consider it,” her mother said.

 

Was this the ‘we’d like you to move to a facility closer talk’ or ‘we’d like to take you home and hire a nurse to tend you’? She liked the impersonal atmosphere of the hospital. She was someone’s job, not someone’s useless invalid daughter. Here she was useful, she kept people employed.

 

“Is this about moving home?” She yawned widely.

 

“No,” her father said. She heard him edge his chair closer bump, scrape bump.

 

“This is something different,” her mother said, shifting feet. Annie heard the movement of the fabric of her trousers rubbing together.

 

“Okay, tell me.” Annie was fading fast.

 

“Ah…” Her mother hesitated which wasn’t characteristic for her. “There are several people involved in vehicle accidents.”

 

“Umm hmm.”

 

“Only they have massive head trauma.”

 

Her father cleared his throat. “The bodies are fine, unlike yours.” As if she needed to be reminded of the fact.

 

Here was the kicker, she could tell. They were tag teaming it, she recognized the signs, an overwhelming heaviness filled her already ladened body.

 

“What would you think if your head was graphed onto another body?” her mother asked.

 

“Is that done?” Annie’s eyes snapped open, suddenly awake and alert.

 

“They’ve been experimenting on mice and monkeys for some time and have been successful.”

 

Now she was compared to a rodent and distantly-related ancestors. Hardly complimentary, but better than a vegetable, she guessed.

 

Her mother continued, “They did a similar operation on several men in China.” Frankenstein Won Ton had a catchy ring to it. Frankenstein Annie didn’t.

 

“Really?” Would Annie get to pick the body she wanted? Taller, bigger breasts, etc.?

 

“If successful you’d be the first in the States but you’d have to be on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of your life. It might give you 5 to 7 additional years.”

 

“But I could walk again?”

 

“Hopefully,” her father said. He was full of hope.

 

“Who are those people? Annie asked.

 

“They’re identified as Donors W, X, Y, and Z.”

 

“Do I get to pick the body I want?” Annie asked, a vision of bodies stretched out before her. Fat ones. Skinny ones. Male. Female. Black. White.

 

“It will depend on compatibility. We’ll have to go with the first body that matches with yours.”

 

She wouldn’t get to pick. What if she didn’t like the body. What if it was a man’s body?

 

“What if the surgery isn’t successful?”

 

The elephant in the room. The grim reaper.

 

“Well…” Her father said. “That’s always a possibility.”

 

“Can I think about it?” Annie asked.

 

“Of course.”

 

“This is a huge decision and we wanted you to have time to think about it,” her mother said.

 

“We’ll be back tomorrow,” her father said, picking up her useless hand and squeezing. “But take as long as you need.” Annie opened her eyes briefly, hearing the rustle on the bed sheet and seeing his gesture.

 

He put on his coat. Her mother leaned over, smoothed back Annie’s hair and kissed her forehead, the dampness of her coat smelled of wool and evergreen. “Goodbye, we’ll see you later.”

 

Sure, time to go and leave her with that life-altering decision to make. Would she be able to sleep after all that?

 

Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):

 

AMAZON 

 

BARNES & NOBLE 

 

GOOD READS

 


It’s a brand-new year, full of possibilities. Did you make any resolutions/goals for 2024? If so, please share one.

 

My resolution Is to streamline my time so I have plenty of time to write. I can spend hours surfing social media with little to show for my time. But It’s oh so addicting!

 

Why is your featured book a must-read in 2024?

 

Although SUPPRESSED is a science fiction novel, the ramification of head graphing Is just being explored and what it could mean to the thousands of paralyzed people. As science grapples with that part, we also need to consider the human aspect of it and that’s the basis of SUPPRESSED. Annie’s suppressed in her life in more ways that just her immune system. She might not be able to grow up and fulfill her life dreams if she doesn’t have the surgery. And like many teenagers, she wants to live and win—think, Anne Frank, Katniss, Hazel Lancaster, and Tris Prior.

 

Giveaway –

 

One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card

 

 

Open internationally.

 

Runs January 1 – 31, 2024

 

Drawing will be held on February 1, 2024. 

 


Author Biography:

 

Sue writes five-star LitPick novels that keep readers of all ages turning pages long into the night. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, attending author events, or walking her dogs. She has two children and five grandchildren. Snack wise, Sue is a salty-type gal, but wouldn’t say no to an occasional chocolate kiss or two! She isn’t sure she’s a reincarnated author, but if she was, she’d want to be Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, or Emily Brontë. When her novels are run through author comparison sites, she gets Anne Rice through Mark Twain—quite a wide spread which makes for interesting reading (Tom Sawyer was a Vampire?).

 

Social Media Links:

 

Meta/Facebook: Sue C Dugan Writer

Instagram: scduganauthor

TikTok: SuecDugan,Author

Twitter: Sue C Dugan @dugan_sue

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