How Far Would You Go To Survive? - Guest blog post by Sara Grant

Now, there's nothing I like better for this blog than to host a post from Sara Grant. Not only does she write brilliant novels but she's funny and enthusiastic and just such a joy to be around. And that comes out so clearly in everything she writes. I read the first fifty pages or so of Half Lives at the hairdressers yesterday and I'm hooked but more about that when I post my review. For now let's hand over to Sara....

 How Far Would You Go To Survive?

 Both of my teen novels focus on this question – albeit in different ways.

My debut novel Dark Parties explores how far someone will go to stand up for what s/he believes in. My main character Neva risks everything to rebel against an overbearing government and save those she loves.

In my new teen novel Half Lives, my main character Icie must fight to survive when a terrorist releases a deadly virus. Through the course of the novel, she discovers the real cost of survival. She notes, “I learned that surviving isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you survive, you’ve got to live with the guilt, and that’s more difficult than looking someone in the eye and pulling the trigger. Trust me. I’ve done both. Killing takes a twitch of the finger. Absolution takes several lifetimes.”

Both Neva and Icie are unlikely heroes thrust into extraordinary situations where they must risk everything to survive – and ultimately save their cultures. Julia Cameron in her book Vein of Gold hypothesizes that artists have themes and stories they are drawn to explore – their veins of gold. If I had to sum up mine, it might be – one person can save the world.

Maybe that sounds cliché or overly sentimental, but if I dig deep in many of my stories I find this theme at the core.

Earlier this year I visited Anne Frank’s hideaway in Amsterdam. It was a reminder that one young girl’s voice can inspire for generations. I love the quote from Anne Frank: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

I would like to think I would be a rebel and stand up and speak out for what I believe in – no matter what the cost. I hope I would be one of those people that sacrifices her safety to save others. I want to believe that I would have walked along side Martin Luther King, for example. I want to believe that I’d step in when I see injustice. But that’s an easy thing for me to say from my comfy flat in London.

Icie doesn’t know what she’s capable of until she is tested. I suppose none of us can. She surprises herself with her ruthless and heroic behaviour.

So… how far would you go to survive?

About Sara Grant

Sara is an author of fiction for teens and younger readers and freelance editor of series fiction. She has worked on twelve different series and edited nearly 100 books. Dark Parties, her first young adult novel, won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Europe. Her new novel for teens – titled Half Lives – is an apocalyptic thriller. She also writes – Magic Trix – a fun, magical series for younger readers.

Sara was born and raised in a small town in the Midwestern United States. She graduated from Indiana University with degrees in journalism and psychology, and later she earned a master’s degree in creative and life writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She lives in London.  www.sara-grant.com    @authorsara