Are You Okay, Elliot Hart?

by Kate S. Martin


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GENRE: Contemporary YA 


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BLURB:


"You keep it on the inside because that's the safest way to hide."
Fifteen-year-old Elliot 'Matchstick' Hart spends his days caring for his mum and hiding from the school bully.

Fifteen-year-old Josh McBride spends his days tormenting Elliot and avoiding his abusive stepdad.

Hoping to save his mum, Elliot embarks on an adventure inspired by a picture in an old newspaper. Little does he know that Josh has decided to join him.

On their journey, strangers and surprises force them to look at each other in a different light. As secrets are revealed, will they reconcile their differences or will the secrets tear them further apart?

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EXCERPT

I’ve spent the last few years making myself invisible. Many teenagers are blessed with unique talents—speak multiple languages or belch the alphabet backwards. Me? I’ve spent the last few years perfecting my own superpower: the ability to make myself disappear. Over the years, I’ve adapted to my surroundings and taught myself how to vanish, like an animal being hunted in the wild. I’ve fine-tuned techniques like staring at my shoes, hiding in the school toilet, and burying my head in a book. Right now, I’m practicing the art of staring at a notice on the wall while I wait for my appointment with Mrs. Spencer, the school counsellor. “Matchstick!” I’m knocked sideways, and Josh McBride’s leering smile is in my face, the same mocking expression mirrored by his friend, Lewis Pretty. Their laughter echoes down the corridor as they slope off. It would be fair to say that my invisibility training still needs work. “You okay?” Felicity Hooper has appeared to my right, studying the same notice from the drama department. There’s a play every year, and every year I dream of auditioning, but I don’t even have the confidence to hold a conversation with the girl standing next to me. The really pretty girl standing next to me, to be specific. “You’re in my history class?” “Yes. It’s Elliot. Elliot Hart.” Who do I think I am? James Bond? “Well, Elliot Hart, are you okay?” She grabs the pen attached to the board and scribbles her name on the audition sheet. Felicity Hooper is amazing, so it’s a damn shame I morph into a bumbling idiot around her.


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kate grew up in a small town in Lancashire, England with her mum, dad, and two older brothers. A bit of a tomboy, she loved nothing more than going out for adventures with her brothers, as long as she was back before dark.

She studied English at Reading University and gained a teaching qualification at Manchester. Nowadays, Kate spends her days teaching English at a local high school in Cheshire and her evenings are spent writing stories close to her heart.

She believes teenage years can be particularly difficult and wants to create stories that show empathy and hope for her readers. She lives with her husband, two children, and Jessie, the miniature schnauzer.


Buy Links:


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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Kate S. Martin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner

via rafflecopter during the tour.




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