N24 Awareness Day

Unless you or a close friend is afflicted with Non-24-hour sleep–wake disorder (N24), you have probably never heard of this circadian rhythm disorder, which can be debilitating to those who suffer from it.

Most of those with N24 are blind, so their brains do not get the visual cues of the 24-hour day (ie. the sun). As many of half of those who have no light perception may have N24. However, there are cases of sighted people having N24. Sometimes they have sustained a brain injury, or they may have autism or another neurodivergence. The causes are not know.

A person trying to function with N24 may appear to be narcoleptic, a night owl, or just plain lazy, but they are not. The brain of a person with N24 is entrained to a different circadian rhythm than 24 hours. They are usually on a cycle that is 25 hours or longer, though cases where it is shorter than 24 hours do sometimes occur. Since this means that the person’s natural sleep phase occurs one hour later with each calendar day, their sleep phase advances around the clock, with them sometimes sleeping during the day, and sometimes during the night. Working a conventional job is difficult or impossible, and advice like “go to sleep fifteen minutes earlier each night until you’re going to bed at a reasonable hour” end up causing more problems.

While there are some treatments available that may help with N24, there is no cure.

Why would I write about something like N24 on a blog about reading and writing? I do have a tie-in! Matt, the protagonist in my book In the Tick of Time suffers from N24 following a head injury (sorry, minor spoiler!) I’ve put In the Tick of Time on sale for $0.99 for one day on Kindle and Kobo to help raise awareness for N24. Grab it today, because after that, it goes back up!

Since it is Black Friday, here are a few more deals to check out!

And don’t forget yesterday’s Thanksgiving deals and check back in on Cyber Monday for a few more!

The Missing Ones, by Patricia Gibney

When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?

And Then She Was Gone, by Christopher Greyson

Stacy Shaw has her whole life ahead of her. New job, new house and now a baby on the way–everything she’s ever hoped for is finally coming true. But on a warm summer night on the way home from work, she vanishes. The police race to find her, but the clues don’t add up. Conflicting facts emerge as her story twists and turns, sending the trail spiraling in all directions.

The Sound of Rain, by Gregg Olsen

Former homicide detective Nicole Foster has hit rock bottom. Driven off the force by her treacherous partner and lover, she’s flat broke and struggling with a gambling addiction. All Nicole has left is the dream of a warm bed at a homeless shelter and the haunting memories of three-year-old Kelsey Chase—whose murder case ended her career.

What She Knew, by James Hunt

Mystery mastermind James Hunt, author of “Stolen” and “Death Notes”, which have collectively accumulated 200+ five-star reviews come together in this SUPER BOX SET for the first time! That’s TWO complete book SERIES comprised of SIX NOVELS at a discounted price!

The Last Safe Place, by Ninie Hammon

Yesheb’s delusional voices whisper in his ear that he is the Beast of Babylon from Gabriella Carmichael’s novel about demons. So he turns up at a book-signing and then stalks her, determined to make her his bride—and to slaughter her son as a human sacrifice, a blood offering to seal their union.