Spectrum is my foray in the Middle Grade realm and a bit of a departure from the usual horror and fantasy I write, but it is a book of my heart. Based on my family and three kids, who have several diagnoses between us, I wanted to write a book where we felt represented. Where anyone with a label or a diagnosis can be empowered, and that what you think of as your failings might actually be your strengths.
Spectrum is currently on sub with publishers, but here’s a little about what it’s about…
Jason, Hayley and Lewis Scott never asked to be different. With their parents dead, they all share the same dream: being part of a proper family. But is Beverly, a scientist recently returned from studying chimps in Africa, truly their aunt? And if she is, will she want them?
Travelling across the country isn’t as easy as it looks, especially when Jason’s dyslexia and dyscalculia sends them seriously off course, Hayley has left behind her ADHD medication, and autistic Lewis has forgotten the only water bottle he can drink from. Soon their unusual behaviour is drawing the kind of attention they can’t afford. But when their money and bus tickets are stolen, the trio must rely on their unique gifts to reach California and meet their aunt.
The care home and the police are on their tails. It is only a matter of time before they are captured…unless they can find the extraordinary within themselves.
“A thrilling, road trip adventure for any kid who’s ever felt they don’t fit the mold.”
Read the first chapter for free here:
