Agoraphobia

A pathological fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas. Severe cases can make the sufferer unable to leave the house.

‍

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

An anxiety disorder comprised of two main parts:
Obsessions: Unwelcome thoughts, images, urges, worries or doubts.
Compulsions: Rituals and behaviours performed repeatedly in an attempt to reduce anxiety.

‍

* * *

‍

Life is a puzzle just waiting to be solved. That's exactly how Reya, a young woman with a penchant for solving complex puzzles sees it. Reya's life is governed by the unilateral rules she has set herself, her routine; a clear map of her own boundaries, mandatory to abide by, from the foods she eats to the clothes she puts on her back. Control. Calculation. Comfort.

‍

Working her online challenge forum is where she dedicates most of time. Known as 'The Puzzler', Reya, is an Agoraphobic with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and the outlook she has towards her own symptoms is just another Puzzle to be solved, and she has a plan.

‍

Six years have gone by without sight of the outside world, Reya, with the aid of her self-made therapeutic entity named “Ivan”, has manufactured a precise and vigilantly laid out plan to reintroduce hers back into society. Problems arise and their plan goes awry. Consequently, Reya retreats to the safety of her home, and it is that night when she sleeps that she finds herself in a shared dreamspace known as “The White Room”. A limitless and glorious place, it is somewhere accessible only to a very small pool of individuals from around the world. A place in which one can make anything they could possibly desire tangible.

‍

Reya feels relieved to finally find a way to interact with others face to face without ever needing to leave her home. Reya feels free to forge new relationships through utilising her talents in a space she now feels safe and normal, and over time begins to feel more and more connected to the dreamspace.

‍

But what is this place? Where is it? Do these people really exist to Reya? Does she have the mental capacity to lose control and will she know if she does? The White Room is her friend, but how long will her new reality last, and will she question that perhaps her comfort is instead an addictive fabrication in order to retreat from the gravity of her illnesses?

‍

This thought-provoking novel test the notion of what is real and what is not, and deals with difficult themes in a subtle and sensitive way, addressing mental illness in a raw and relatable manor, one that will stir up thoughts within every person who reads it. The small puzzles that fill the plot intertwine beautifully with the educational touch that will leave you wanting to understand more about mental health issues, and equally have you wondering about your own reality. Do you fabricate anything to make life more comfortable? Aren’t we all in search of escapism sometimes? The balance of unanswered questions and truth conveyed by Luke is admirable and a talent certainly worth the read.

‍

CONTACT US HERE TO REQUEST A REVIEW COPY OF THE BOOK

‍

Available on Amazon:

‍
Kindle Edition - £1.99
Audible Audiobooks, Unabridged – £0.00
Paperback - £10.00

‍

What the people are saying…

‍

“Instantly draws you in” – 5*
“What an amazing book! Instantly the book draws you in and makes you want to keep reading, why? Because you want to know the answer to that very first puzzle!

‍

I love the character Reya, it portrays perfectly the life of someone who experiences the same mental health issues as her. The whole book has you wondering what is real and what is not, I love the fact that there are small puzzles just left there without an answer for you to yourself think about.”
Amazon Review (30^th March 2019 – Paperback edition)

‍

“I could not put it down!!!!” – 5*
“I started reading this book less than 24hrs ago... admittedly I am not finished just yet, but I could not wait any longer to jump on and review it... The puzzler has got my brain working for sure, what is real and what is imagination, are our fears irrational or rational? I haven’t been able to put it down, it is engaging, and thought provoking, and the puzzles / riddles all the way through have been keeping my brain active all day!! Certainly, a must read!!”
Amazon Review (28^th March 2019 – Paperback edition)

‍

About the Author

‍

It all began when Luke was a young lad, and upon browsing the Punisher section of his local comic-book store, he was bitten by a radioactive author. Of course, thinking nothing of it, as you would, Luke went home to spend his days doing what he loves, playing video games and watching countless movies.

‍

That was until his late twenties hit, and powers began to manifest…

‍

These new “Abilities” included:
“Ultra Caffeine Absorption” – The ability to ingest an inhuman amount of coffee (also known as creative lubricant).
“Amplified Vision” – The ability to look at two sentences and consider it a ‘productive day of writing’.
“Vocabulary Oblivisci” – The ability to forget all knowledge of the English language the minute pen touches paper.
“Inspiration Insomnia” – The ability to be flooded by ideas at the exact moment you should be sleeping – only to forget them by morning.
“Colossal Hesitation” – The ability to procrastinate at an almost super-human level.
“Accuracy Conufsion” – The ability to come up with completely new ways to spell words.
“Completion Aversion” – The ability to come up with an idea, start working on it but not be able to see it through to the

‍

Some other works by Luke Melia include:

‍

• Stripes Recruitment – A short story of a tiger with a simple dream, to get a job that utilises his skills. One problem. He’s a tiger in a human world.
• Tales From The Dreamspace – Monsters, Rats, Skeletons and Serial-killer Bathmats…Welcome to Tales from the Dreamspace!
• The White Room Of The Asylum – Focusing on the tape-recorded memoirs of an old man named Steve who recently committed suicide.

‍

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A REVIEW COPY OF
GIVE UP THE WHITE ROOM