by Maria Farrer
Dad takes the cup from me and examines it closely.
“This is a real trophy,” he says. “No one could’ve fought harder for it and no one deserves it more. One for the cabinet, I think.”
I touch the little stone.
A siren wails in the distance.
Someone else’s flash of blue.
For more information about organ donation, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk
It is always a bonus when experts are happy to share their knowledge and experience over a cup of coffee or two! In this regard, I am indebted to Tony Walker for his extensive insights into restorative justice and for reading and commenting on large sections of my manuscript; to Alison Gadd for her expertise in the safeguarding of children and for providing me with information on the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers; to Anna Tylor for her astounding breadth of knowledge over a huge range of social issues, her lifelong friendship and for making me laugh and cry in equal measure and to Eva Hamilton who, through her work with Key4Life, provided a source of inspiration for the novel. If I have misrepresented any of their information in the book, then it is entirely my fault!
I would also like to recognize the extraordinary dedication, skill and care of all the staff in the heart transplant team at Papworth Hospital. We, like so many families, will never be able to thank them enough.
And last, but absolutely not least, a huge thank you to the team at Scholastic, to my editor, Helen Thomas and my agent, Juliet Mushens. Between them they keep the business of writing interesting, inspiring and fun.
Maria is a speech therapist and teacher and has spent much of her life working with students with learning difficulties. She read Speech Sciences at UCL and, more recently, graduated from Bath Spa University with an MA in Writing for Young People. She has four daughters, a brave husband and a young dog. Her biggest challenge is sitting still for long enough to write a book. A Flash of Blue is her second novel.
@FarrerMaria and
www.mariafarrer.com
Jess has one chance to win the music scholarship that will change her life. When she fails, she believes she’s lost everything, including her only shot with the boy she loves.
But then Jess gets an offer to start again from someone she didn’t even know existed.
It’s a second chance, but it comes at a price. Threatened by shadows from the past, Jess realizes she’s fighting for more than just her own dreams…
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First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2015
This electronic edition published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2015
Text copyright © Maria Farrer, 2015
The right of Maria Farrer to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her.
eISBN 978 1407 14730 7
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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