THIS JUST IN!
Fugitive Rifts, the third novel from critically acclaimed author A-M Mawhiney has been named the Gold Winner in the prestigious Nautilus Awards 2026 in the Young Adult Fiction Category
Does everyone have secrets?
When four teens are invited to meet after school with a teacher, the butterfly effect of this one small event soon changes their dreams about their futures. Thrown together to form, of all things, a debate team, the four—Grace, a popular star basketball player, Drew, a privileged hotshot, Ollie, an artistic new student, and Dottie a shy, brilliant loner—seem to have nothing in common. And not one of them believes they have what it takes to be successful debaters.
Over time, the four teens start helping each other through tough times and begin to realize they are more alike than they thought.
Taking part in a public debate turns out to have unintended consequences that affect the four teens, each in different ways. Then the disappearance of one upends not only the lives of the four teens, but it also creates a ripple effect that shapes, over time, what happens to other people from their communities, their country—and even the world.
Fugitive Rifts is a compelling and empowering story of coming of age, resilience, and friendship, with emotional passages that are authentic, visceral, and bring the characters to life.
Fugitive Rifts is a compelling and empowering story of coming of age, resilience, and friendship, with emotional passages that are authentic, visceral, and bring the characters to life.
Fugitive Rifts eBook : Mawhiney, A-M : Amazon.ca: Books
“Fugitive Rifts is an uplifting character driven take that highlights the importance of friendship and using it as a vessel to care for others.”
—Lee Hall, U.K. Indie Author, BookTuber, and Actor
“Brilliant author A-M Mawhiney spins an intoxicating, dynamic web of evocative prose, gripping plot, brilliant characterization, poignant family matters, youthful aspirations, and ultimately hope, in the wonderful present-near-future fiction novel, Fugitive Rifts.”
—P.L. Stuart, award-winning author of the Drowned Kingdom Saga
“A-M Mawhiney weaves together youthful dreams and trauma with serendipitous moments in profound celebration of lives. She has arrived as a literary voice.”
—Anne M. Smith-Nochasak, author of the Taggak Journey series
“At its heart, Fugitive Rifts is the story of friendship that overcomes differences and celebrates the uniqueness in us all.”
—Emily De Angelis, author of The Stones of Barren Bay
About The Nautilus Book Awards:
About A-M Mawhiney
At age eight A-M Mawhiney announced she wanted to be an author. It only took sixty years. Her career, first as a social worker and then as a university professor and senior administrator, ended with her retirement in 2018. She began writing again during the first lockdown in 2020. To her surprise she found herself writing her first novel, Spindrifts. which was a finalist in the 8th annual Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writers’ Prize and shortlisted for the Whistler Independent Book Awards in 2022.
Its sequel, Spelldrifts, was released in 2023, and her latest book, Fugitive Rifts, was published in July 2025. When she isn’t writing A-M enjoys reading, taking in local basketball games, time with family and friends, and travelling. She lives in Sudbury, Ontario with her partner Dave.
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