Trouble All the Way by Sonya Hartnett.
I can't show you the cover or provide a link to this book because there isn't one! I had trouble tracking down a copy at all and have the Interlibrary Loan system at work to thank for locating a copy for me. As I have mentioned before, Sonya Hartnett is a well known Australian YA author. She has also written some adult novels.
Trouble all the Way was published in 1984 when Hartnett was a mere 16 year old. The photo of her on the back of the jacket is her school photo!
Trouble all the Way is rough. It lacks polish and smoothness and if placed in front of you as a piece of writing you would most probably be able to pick it as the writing of a teen. But, the promise is there. The hint of Hartnett's true depths are visible and waiting to come out. Trouble all the Way while not brilliant, was worthy of publication and well and truly marked Hartnett as an author to watch.
