Flash Burnout

Winner of the 2010 William C. Morris Award!

Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who’s a girl. One of them loves him; the other one needs him.

When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa’s long-lost meth addicted mom. Blake’s participation in the ensuing drama opens up a world of trouble, both for him and for Marissa. He spends the next few months trying to reconcile the conflicting roles of Boyfriend and Friend. His experiences range from the comic (surviving his dad’s birth control talk) to the tragic (a harrowing after-hours visit to the morgue).

In a tangle of life and death, love and loyalty, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshot of himself.

He thought he was just taking a picture. How could one photo shatter three lives?

Teen Problem Novel: What starts as a simple photography assignment turns into a nightmare when Blake’s lens captures his friend Marissa’s long-lost, meth-addicted mother. Torn Between Two Girls: Blake is caught between his girlfriend who loves him and his best friend who needs him, forcing him to question what loyalty truly means. Family Secrets: This award-winning story doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff, from the realities of addiction to a harrowing late-night visit to the city morgue. An Unforgettable Voice: Narrated by the funny and authentic Blake, whose sharp wit and painful honesty make this a novel you won’t forget.