The following is the pitch and the excerpt sent to Amazon to enter the 2011 Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. There were 5,000 young adult entries and 5, 000 general fiction entries. When Push Comes to Shove Back placed in the top 5%.
To visit the novel on Amazon, use the link below.
The Pitch
The underlying concept of the novel is that terrorism, creating terror in others, whether it is global or individual, is defined the same way, operates under the same rules, and results in the same victimization and fear.
Jeremy Wilson has little supervision, little regard for others, and no rules; he has spent most of his life being a terrorist, a bully. Matt Carver has lived most of his life as a target. He has poor self-concept, little confidence and few friends. The strength of these main characters is in their growth. As the novel progresses, Jeremy begins to understand the concept of trust and sees, for the first time, actions that are not motivated by self-interest; gradually, those influences begin to change him. Matt discovers opportunities to use the secret knowledge that he has and, ultimately, to lead a group of fellow students in a war against drug dealers who have infiltrated their school
The plot, most of which takes place during one day, supports the character development by throwing Jeremy and Matt together in an action-filled adventure when Jeremy suddenly becomes the target of a drug dealer who not only threatens him but also uses his sister to demand compliance. Alternating between the voices of Matt and Jeremy and that of a narrator, the novel provides insight into the lives of these two boys and the students who, in various ways, become part of the plot to overthrow the egocentric, vicious Tim Halliday who uses his charm, his looks, and the façade of a star athlete to win general admiration from all.
The pace is fast, the events are often unexpected, and the suspense makes “When PUSH Comes to Shove Back” a riveting read with details and situations that ring true in the lives of teenagers.
The Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
PUSH
Monday 8:45 a.m.
Terrorism: the calculated use of, or threat of, violence to inculcate fear, to coerce or to intimidate
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Monday 8:45 a.m.
Terrorism: the calculated use of, or threat of, violence to inculcate fear, to coerce or to intimidate
Four boys quickly made their way down the crowded hallway, laughing and talking, just like everyone else on route to Monday morning classes. But they were on a different mission. It had to be timed right. It had to be fast and accurate. They had done it before.
They rounded the corner and moved into their final lap...fifty lockers away from their target. Change formation...forty lockers. Pick up speed...thirty lockers. Check for teachers...twenty. Get out of the way girl...ten. One on his right, one on his left, two at his back. Aaaaaand PUSH. Slam the door. Keep moving. Don’t look back. A direct hit.
They continued down the hall, high on the adrenaline of combat, trying to keep the bursts of laughter bottled up until they hit the stairwell, where they collapsed in fits of hysterics.
Inside the locker, Matt Carver waited. It was dark and he couldn’t breathe. His arm hurt and his leg was turned at a weird angle. He wished he could just disappear. Instead, he kicked at the door. On the third try, it flew open. The homework assignment he had been about to hand in was ripped and scrunched up on the floor. As he crawled out of his locker, he could hear girls giggling. Someone from across the hall yelled “Slam Dunk” and the laughter that followed told him that, as usual, there had been spectators.
His arm was scraped. He pulled his sweatshirt down over the blood oozing out. He picked his books up off the floor and retrieved what was left of his assignment. Without meeting anyone’s gaze, he slammed the misshapen locker door shut, forced his lock through the opening and went to class.
They rounded the corner and moved into their final lap...fifty lockers away from their target. Change formation...forty lockers. Pick up speed...thirty lockers. Check for teachers...twenty. Get out of the way girl...ten. One on his right, one on his left, two at his back. Aaaaaand PUSH. Slam the door. Keep moving. Don’t look back. A direct hit.
They continued down the hall, high on the adrenaline of combat, trying to keep the bursts of laughter bottled up until they hit the stairwell, where they collapsed in fits of hysterics.
Inside the locker, Matt Carver waited. It was dark and he couldn’t breathe. His arm hurt and his leg was turned at a weird angle. He wished he could just disappear. Instead, he kicked at the door. On the third try, it flew open. The homework assignment he had been about to hand in was ripped and scrunched up on the floor. As he crawled out of his locker, he could hear girls giggling. Someone from across the hall yelled “Slam Dunk” and the laughter that followed told him that, as usual, there had been spectators.
His arm was scraped. He pulled his sweatshirt down over the blood oozing out. He picked his books up off the floor and retrieved what was left of his assignment. Without meeting anyone’s gaze, he slammed the misshapen locker door shut, forced his lock through the opening and went to class.
SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM:
IF YOU WISH TO COMMENT AND THE COMMENT BOX DOES NOT APPEAR ON THIS PAGE, CLICK "Links to the post" (fine print, right side below) TO ACCESS THE BOX.
