Real estate agent, developer… and now: author of a flippant and vulgar, sincere and breathtaking novel about a teen who was dealt a crappy hand in life.

A really, really crappy hand.

Wareham resident Scott Blagden's debut young adult novel, "Dear Life, You Suck" was released on March 26, and has gotten rave reviews from everyone from literary bloggers to The Wall Street Journal, which called the book "one of the most wrenching and engaging young-adult books to come along in ages."

It sort of makes you wonder how Blagden managed to spend 30 years in real estate sales and development when clearly he was meant to tell stories.

"Dear Life" chronicles the trials and tribulations of 17-year-old Cricket Cherpin, the oldest resident of a Maine boys' home, which is run by nuns.

In his own words, Blagden notes: "'Dear Life, You Suck' contains profanity, fighting, religious irreverence, politically incorrect humor, drinking and drugs. So if you have a problem with the real [expletive] teenagers do, you probably won't like it."

But among the profanity, the humor, the drinking and drugs… there's a young man — a very likable young man — who is trying so desperately to figure life out.

Cricket has been at the home since he was a boy, and now has eight months — until he turns 18 — to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. He figures his options are as follows: deal drugs, become an amateur boxer, or commit suicide.

Not exactly a bright future.

And because he chooses to protect his younger housemates — "The Little Ones" — from bullies at school by using his fists, his current situation isn't all that great either.

The name of the book stems from an assignment from a teacher, in which the students are supposed to write a letter to someone they're angry with for some reason. Cricket chooses "life."

His journey is humorous as it is heartbreaking. As victorious as it is vulgar.

"The whole story is about seeing beneath a person's scars," explains Blagden. "We are colored by initial impressions of people. … My hope is that young people will see [Cricket] as an example … and be willing to look at what's deeper in people."

Blagden, who says he's loved writing his entire life, wrote three novels from 2005 to 2010, before "Dear Life, You Suck."

"My first three novels were enthusiastically rejected by everyone in the publishing world," he said.

While the third novel was "out getting rejected," Blagden began writing an inner monologue for Cricket Cherpin.

"And he was cracking me up!" Blagden says. "I was just letting this kid think and say anything."

When the third novel got rejected, "something inside me snapped," said Blagden. "I said, 'Screw it,'" and decided not to write something just for the sake of trying to get it published.

Blagden played around with a plot for "Dear Life, You Suck," but soon, Cricket's voice became more important.

"As I wrote the story, I had this intricate plot. … As I developed the character more and more, the character just took over the story," Blagden said. "His story took over."

The author added: "I've referred to my initial story as a 'Hardy Boys' mystery… with profanity and booze…"

Despite thinking that nobody would pick up the book due to the profanity, Blagden received a number of responses.

The one that struck him the most was from the New York-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

"All along, I just kept saying, 'This is never going to get published because of the voice of the character,'" Blagden explained.

But the editorial director told him: "I'm buying this book because of the voice," he recalled.

Blagden said he sort of accidentally fell into the young adult genre. He has 16-year-old twins, Connor and Madison, which helps.

But he noticed years ago that he has a similar sense of humor as his target audience. (He and Connor enjoy watching "Family Guy" together.)

"I realized that I get along with young adults better than adults," Blagden said with a laugh. "It just hit me."

But what's it like when your dad writes a book laced with profanity and drug use… and it's aimed at you and your peers?

"It's kind of weird seeing stuff about teenagers... the romance and stuff," said Blagden's son, Connor, a junior at Old Rochester Regional High School.

Connor is reading the book for the first time, and using it for a school project. He said he was impressed by how much his dad knew about his generation.

"He, obviously, was a kid at some point," he said, but noted: "He really has some pretty relevant things going on in that book."

Connor said he was a bit concerned about whether he'd like the book. He's now about halfway through it.

"When I'm reading a random book by a random author, I don't really care if I like it," he said, explaining that it's a lot different when your dad's the author!

Luckily, he didn't have to worry for too long.

"It's not like anything I've ever read before," he said. "I did really like it. I do enjoy reading it."

Blagden is promoting "Dear Life, You Suck," with help from his niece, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, whose name you may recognize from the 2006 movie "RV," starring Robin Williams. (JoJo played "Cassie Munro.")

He is currently continuing his career in real estate and continuing to write. He is self-employed, and is a former developer. (Fun fact: He developed The Preserve on the Weweantic, off of Cromesett Road in Wareham.)

"It's like a rollercoaster," Blagden said of finally being a published author. "At some points, it's just surreal and it doesn't feel real. I've gone to bookstores and I've seen [the book] on the shelf… and it's weird!"

"Dear Life, You Suck" is available in stores and online. To order a signed copy, visit www.scottblagden.com.