Hadley C
Official Website for Writer Hadley C, author of debut novel...
BOOM'S GRAFFITI BOY
ABOUT
The life of a smart, but troubled, teen comes crashing down around him following a chance meeting with an angry teenage girl who persuades him to launch revenge graffiti attacks against others over social media…
Boom’s Graffiti Boy focuses on the friendship between 16-year-old Jamie (aka Boom) and best mate Adam (Flash, on account of his speed). Together with Curl-i-Cue (Curl for short), The Cat, and The Watcher, they form a tight-knit circle of friends, all leading a double life – secondary school students by day, Graffiti Crew by night.
When they’re out ‘bombing’ (doing graffiti) late at night, they make it a rule never to talk about their crappy home lives, which for Boom means having to stand by and watch helplessly as his brute of a stepdad, Oli, beats the living crap out of his mum every day.
For Boom, graffiti doesn’t just represent an escape from what’s going on at home, it represents freedom too. Freedom to be creative and the freedom to express himself… but most importantly of all, the freedom to have his voice heard.
When an angry teenage girl (Feisty) enters Boom’s life, it isn’t long before she drags him into her chaotic world of revenge. But it’s when Boom discovers his stepdad’s secret and lashes out with a furious piece of graffiti designed to publicly humiliate him, that things really take a turn for the worst. Boom's antics attract the attention of DC Brightly, an eagle-eyed detective from the British Transport Police, and it isn’t long before Boom becomes ‘the hunted’ – running away not just from his violent home life, but from the police too.
Tragedy hits and Boom is left to face one of life’s all-important questions.
Does he let life beat him – or does he get back up and fight, refusing to let his bad childhood define him for the rest of his life?
TESTIMONIALS
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“Wow - this is fantastic. Once I started reading I could not stop, a very compelling read. I laughed at the funny bits and absolutely sobbed at the end. It highlights so many aspects of dysfunctional families and how the teenagers cope throughout. I liked its fast pace, which kept me scrolling and unable to stop until I needed a tissue.”
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“The reader will absolutely be drawn to intensely disliking some of the dark menacing characters in this book and the hatred the reader feels for the perpetrator of the violence is palpable. The author successfully raises these emotions in the reader with intricate and descriptive details about all the characters. The way they move, their appearance, their speech are all brought to life by the author's brilliant attention to detail.”
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“A heartbreaking, and at times, endearing tour through the lives of a group of disadvantaged kids living in a modern day inner city. Young lives voicing their anger through the art form of graffiti... I felt like I was inside the head of a teenage boy who wasn't trying to make sense of what was happening around him but was just trying to survive just like I did.”
“I really enjoyed it. The plot was well thought out and the end made for gripping reading.”
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To check out the reviews on Amazon, or to add your own, please click below
BIO
What makes a good story?
If a writer has done their job properly, it won't matter what age you are, or what age their characters are, a good story with strong characters has the ability to suck all of us in.
Why do I write?
Writing fulfils a deep-seated 'need' in me - and I know I love it because even the thought of sitting up to midnight or beyond after a full day's work never stresses me out - I just know that when I'm sat in front of my laptop 'creating', it's my happy place.
One of the reasons I love it so much - apart from the fact I love being creative - is because it's a gentle way to get people thinking and talking about life without someone trying to force their views on you.
I've written book number two, but first up is this one! Boom's Graffiti Boy. I've also written a stage play and lots of poetry, ready for an idea I have for a poetry book with a difference...
What do I feel strongly about?
I'm constantly in awe of the human spirit. How people keep going through some of their toughest moments, and find humour there too. I'm also fascinated how some people seem to get a kick out of trying to destroy that spirit. So that determination to fight back, and come out on top, tends to run through every story I've ever written. Which is a good thing, because to me that's what life is all about - not letting life, or people, beat you.
In Boom's Graffiti Book, my main character, Boom, is no different. No-one should ever feel that a bad start in life prevents them from going on to be happy and achieve amazing things.
For me it boils down to the saying I coined especially for this story - the cleanest version (without the swear word) being:
DON'T LET YOUR PAST DEFINE YOU.
Because it won't.
Not if you don't let it.
As for me...
Endlessly curious, I have a stupidly long list of subjects and characters I want to write about...
Check out my weekly blog here:
CONTACT
If you enjoyed Boom's Graffiti Boy, I'd love to hear from you. Please like, follow and share, on Social Media and help me get it 'out there'. And if you get a chance to write a review, please add it to my author page, via the link to my book below! Thank you.
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