The Dark Days of January

Today's the day! Yes. I get to host the wonderful Sara Grant in her blog tour for her debut novel Dark Parties. I've only just got my mits on the book and I will post a review as soon as I found out about The Missing. In the meantime, and because it's the real reason you're here, let me pass over to Sara...

What Would You Do If No One Was Watching?

First I should say that I believe someone is always watching. Okay, I don’t mean that to sound all crazy-paranoid. I grew up in a small town where nearly everyone knew my family. My dad was a banker. My mom a school teacher. My older, married brother lived down the street. My grandma a few blocks away. Murrays had lived in this town for generations. With so many sets of eyes watching, I would get caught before I even thought about causing trouble.

My debut young adult novel Dark Parties chronicles a country that has closed itself off under an electrified dome. The government keeps a close eye on its citizens. Rumours persist that some rebellious teens are being tracked by the government. People disappear and no one mentions them again – as if they’d been erased from the past as well as the future.

I think the claustrophobic feeling I had growing up comes through in Dark Parties. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of my small town roots, but I don’t miss the feeling that everyone knows everything about me.

Now I live in one of the biggest cities in the world, and in some ways it feels as if nothing’s changed. With CCTV, iPhones, Facebook and Twitter, it’s easy to believe that someone is always watching.

I’ve seen news footage where they track a criminal from one CCTV camera to another or iPhone videos on YouTube of horrific, outrageous or hilarious behaviour. No one thinks to ask permission before posting your picture on Facebook – even when you’re having a bad hair day – or maybe because you’re having a bad hair day. I’ve had a private conversation with someone who subsequently quoted me on their blog. It wasn’t anything bad or even interesting but I was surprised because I thought I was speaking to a friend, not a blogger. People Tweet what’s happening minute-by-minute. It starts to feel as if nothing’s private anymore.

Okay, that’s a bit over the top. We can all go home and close the curtains and doors.

What would I do if no one was watching?

I can’t answer that because I fear my phone is being tapped and my computer hacked.

Just kiddin’.

I think...


Sara



And if you want to catch up with the rest of Sara's tour here are the details: