**Local Author**
Catalyst For Change is a political and techno-thriller set in the Australia of the 2030's. The plot contains action, adventure, mystery and suspense, with twists and turns and an unexpected outcome.
Meghan Lewis, the family matriarch, is a retired anthropologist, living a pleasant existence within an idyllic rural commune. Her secretive daughter, Sara, lives nearby in a small coastal town with her engineer husband, Con. He designed a high-tech barrier to protect the town from rising sea levels.
In contrast, Gaia, Meg's granddaughter, inhabits a tiny pod in a highrise tower in central Melbourne. Most of the tower inhabitants, known as poddies, are unemployed due to high levels of automation. They spend their lives totally captivated within an entrancing world of infotainment. Gaia is a gig worker on robotic applications. She also has a covert sideline as a member of a dark web hacker group.
With a global backdrop of increasing instability, inequality, corruption and a worsening world climate, the quiet lives of this family are about to change irrevocably.
Meg befriends a newcomer to the Fish Creek commune, Michael Byrne. His son, Rory, becomes aware of disturbing aspects of clinical trials which are being conducted. He and Gaia make contact and find they have a common interest. They, along with two close friends, become entangled in a web of intrigue. They are threatened by malevolent forces, forced into hiding, and collaborate for safety, survival, and to uncover the truth.
Eventually, everyone is impacted as the foundations of civilisation are rocked by a series of globally significant events.
This unique story with compelling characters has appeal to a wide audience. The near future Australian setting is richly described. The stark contrast between city life and country living is highlighted. Political and organisational corruption and abuse of power are currents pulsing through the story. The story contains ideas not unlike those explored within John Le Carré's 'The Constant Gardener' and 'Bruny' by Heather Rose. It has been likened to Margaret Attwood's 'The Handmaids Tale' by some readers. It presents a view of the technological advances on our horizon, their effects on humanity, and even some glimmerings of hopeful possibilities.
Could this be the story of our future?
Margaret Cummins lives in rural Gippsland, Victoria, with her husband, Ian. Margaret worked in Information Systems and had a career as a University Lecturer before moving to North East Victoria and running a horticultural business.
She has qualifications in Artificial Intelligence and Genetics. Her interests include reading, writing, painting, gardening and imagining possibilities for future societies.
Published December 2022. Launched February 2023.