What is it about?

A book for the Young Adult market with dual points of view in Manchester and Wales. 

Drugs, gangs, stepdads and other problems…  What Luke wants is to run, hang out with his friend Robbie and avoid his stepdad and the local gang.  It’s difficult to find somewhere he can be safe…  RUNNING SCARED showcases high drama, laugh-out-loud scenarios, morally grey characters and peril between Luke and the Ardwick Barmy Army (ABA).  Luke has managed to avoid the Magistrates’ Court for several months, a record he’s trying to hold onto as his sixteenth birthday approaches.  Unfortunately the combined efforts of his stepdad Damian and the Ardwick Barmy Army seem to be conspiring to put his record at risk.

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Luke's stepdad is forcing him to steal cigarettes, again.

Damian isn’t even Luke’s worst parent; first place is still held by his real dad who is doing a stretch in Strangeways prison.  

In Rowan, a village in Wales, Joey is hassled by Tommo who has recently left school and his career path is to continue to sell drugs for a gang from Manchester.  Tommo’s marketing plan includes images on instant messaging such as a maple leaf for weed and a diamond for crystal meth.  Tommo is offering free samples and a crash course in what to do with them.