My favorite novels have always been stories where kids outsmart adults. Think Harry Potter, Ender’s Game, and Hunger Games.
It wasn’t a far stretch for me to write about teens surviving a world disaster on a sailboat. I’ve sailed the Pacific Northwest for years and live in Seattle, U.S.A., near two giant volcanoes.
I used to imagine how I'd save my family if an earthquake or disaster struck our area. Now I write about it.
The number of survival web sites I’ve found while doing research for my novels is incredible. Yes, there are people out there even more obsessed than me. Did you know that seaweed is packed full of vitamins and you can make penicillin out of citrus rinds? And those tiny little pills you put in fish tanks when your fish get sick? Well, they’re penicillin too. (Not that I recommend you take them. See a doctor if you need meds.) And don’t get me started on Duct tape. It even comes in patterns.
But a good novel is really about the characters. The pre-dystopian world I created is only the back drop for the drama of the characters in my books. How they react during a crisis is so telling.
One of my favorite characters is a teenage girl named Zoe. She is very ditzy and falls apart if a fingernail breaks. However, if there is a medical emergency, Zoe becomes a skilled medic.
My main character Toni, who has grown up in the shadow of her older brothers, takes charge of the boat when disaster strikes.
In my novels friendships are tested, and yes, lives are lost. But the characters endure and carry on with their search for their families and a safe harbor.
I’ve loved creating this world where teens out maneuver and survive in a world that is changing so fast, adults can’t cope.
I hope you love it too.
Brenda Beem
