A Seven-Letter Word
Page 19
Dad coughs and wipes at his eyes. ‘Come on, son,’ he mutters. ‘Let’s tell Mrs Adams we want to head home.’
‘B-bye M-Mum,’ I manage to whisper before he ends the call.
Back outside in the madness of the main hall, Dad and I get cornered by a BBC film crew as we make our way back to Mrs Adams.
‘So, Finlay . . .’ The presenter pushes a microphone in my face. ‘What are your plans now, after missing out on being national champion by just one point?’
Faces surround us, hanging on to my every word.
I take a breath and I relax my shoulders. I ignore the itching in my arms.
‘I’m g-going h-ho—’ I don’t apologize. I just keep trying. ‘I’m g-going h-home.’
‘What’s it like, living with such a bad stammer, Finlay?’ the presenter says, pushing the microphone closer. ‘Has it affected your game?’
‘Has it heck,’ Dad snaps back. ‘He only lost by one point. That’s a winner in my book.’
‘Has it put you off entering the competition again?’ the reporter asks me, ignoring Dad.
‘N-no,’ I say, smiling back at the faces who seem to be willing me to say what I need to say. ‘I’m ha-happy w-with sec-second pl-place be-because I g-gave it m-my all and th-that’s all I c-can d-do.’
The reporter nods and smiles and the crowd applauds my answer. ‘Well done, Finlay, you’ve done your school proud,’ he says.
But I’m not listening. All I can think about is the fact that Mum has been found. At some point soon, maybe even tonight, I’m going to see her again . . . and meet my little half-brother. My brother! For the very first time.
Out of nowhere, Alex’s face pops into my mind. I think about all the good chats we had, and her bruises and what her sad, pale face might look like if she knew about Miller, who is her half-brother, too.
‘One last question, Finlay.’ The reporter has my attention now. ‘Can we expect to see you back again next year?’ He pushes the microphone closer and the crowd falls quiet, waiting for my answer.
‘J-just try and st-stop me.’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am very fortunate to have so many amazingly supportive people around me.
A special thank you must go to my wonderful editor at Macmillan, Rachel Kellehar, who has worked so closely with me on the book and kept me going with her passion and encouragement. Big thanks also to my fantastic agent, Clare Wallace, for her constant support, insight and guidance.
Enormous thanks to the whole team at Macmillan Children’s Books, particularly Catherine Alport, Jessica Rigby and Leanne Bennett. To Rachel Vale and the MCB design department, not forgetting illustrator Helen Crawford-White, who designed the fabulous book covers and endpapers for both Smart and A Seven-Letter Word. Special thanks also to the sales team, who work tirelessly to get my books out to readers.
Thanks as always must go to all at the Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency, particularly Mary Darby and Emma Winter in Rights, who send my characters to the far-flung corners of the globe.
Thank you to beta readers Kalsuma Bibi and Shaju Hekim for their feedback, and also to Nick de Somogyi, the eagle-eyed copy-editor, who has worked on both Smart and A Seven-Letter Word.
I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful librarians who support and recommend my books, and to the young people in the many schools and academies I have visited and to those who have voted for Smart in so many awards . . . I look forward to meeting many more of you in the coming year.
Last but not least, thanks go to ALL my extended family, for supporting and believing in me, especially my lovely mum and my wonderful daughter, Francesca, for their regular pep talks, and to my husband, Mac, who is my rock and, among a thousand other things he does to make my life easier, supplies me with constant cups of tea while I shut myself away each day to write!
If you would like more information about or help with any of the issues covered in the book there are many excellent resources that can be accessed by searching online or, alternatively, ask a librarian, parent or teacher for help.
Finally, thank YOU for reading A Seven-Letter Word! If you enjoyed the book please contact me via Twitter, my website or my Facebook page to keep up to speed with my latest writing news!
www.kimslater.com
Kim Slater honed her storytelling skills as a child, writing macabre tales specially designed to scare her younger brother! Taking her literary inspiration from everyday life, Kim’s debut novel, Smart, has won four regional prizes and been shortlisted for over sixteen regional and national awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Federation of Children’s Book Groups Prize. Smart was also longlisted for the 2015 Carnegie Medal. Kim lives in Nottingham with her husband and has one grown-up daughter.
A Seven-Letter Word is Kim’s second novel for Macmillan Children’s Books.
Praise for Smart
‘A remarkable first novel’ Guardian
‘Debut novels don’t come much smarter than Smart’ Lancashire Evening Post
‘An amazing, enthralling and enticing debut’ Armadillo magazine
‘A lovely book with an even lovelier character in Kieran . . . Kim Slater is an author to watch’ Wondrous Reads
‘A heart-warming tale that could have readers laughing and crying in equal measure’ bookzone4boys
‘Fans of thoughtful contemporaries will be really impressed by this debut’ The Bookbag
First published 2016 by Macmillan Children’s Books
This electronic edition published 2016 by Macmillan Children’s Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-1-5098-0114-5
Copyright © Kim Slater 2016
Cover illustration by Helen Crawford-White
The right of Kim Slater to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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