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28 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • April 2021 A new world for young adults to explore: The UnImaginables by Jen Furlong Longtime actress and local yoga instructor Jen Furlong revamped (no pun intended) a 2004 novel draft into Hidden City: The UnImaginables Book One, the first of a seven-book series called The UnImaginables, targeted at readers 12-17. "I had been writing adult fiction for a while, but during COVID-19, I wanted something my kids could read," says Furlong, the mother of four children. Inspired by the events of 9/11, and the funky, groovy punk subculture found in Richmond, VA, Furlong created a story about a young girl suddenly moved from NYC to Richmond Virginia by her parents after the Twin Towers fell. Stacy, the lead character, is a chess player who doesn't believe in anything she can't prove. When her friends reveal Richmond's supernatural subculture, Stacy agrees to help an alleged vampire to prove he doesn't exist. "I really wanted to give my readers, especially teen girls, tools for living life. My underlying message, conveyed by Stacy's chess coach is to "Make a plan, stick to the plan, be ready to change the plan, and keep your mind on the checkmate." It was a message that I thought was especially timely for the COVID19 era: always be ready to adapt." Hidden City will be released in Paperback and Audiobook on May 13 th . Pre-order now at jsfurlong.com. Hidden City ebook is now available on Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and Overdrive. Local Authors Write through COVID Get Your Art Published! Enter A Summer art contest to celebrate the launch of the book! Your design could be the winning one to cre- ate the t-shirt logo for Chapter and Mercy, a coffee shop/bookstore featured in the book. Readers can submit digitally to jsfurlong.com or hiddencitycontest@gmail.com. The winning design will be featured on Chapter and Mercy tee shirts and mugs! WRITTEN BY LEIGH ANNE VAN DOREN Several Rappahannock-area authors have used their downtime during COVID-19 to create new works I really wanted to give my readers, especially teen girls, tools for living life.