Check out our special guest post by Sarah Fine, author of Sanctum, and stay tuned for information on an exciting giveaway!

No Middle Ground
by Sarah Fine

Of all the things to explore in fiction, I find none more compelling than the idea of personal sacrifice. Choosing to give up life or happiness for the benefit of another is the ultimate love and tragedy at the same time, and it can manifest in beautiful and ugly ways at any point in life. To me, though, teens are some of the most fascinating actors on this particular stage.

If we want to get technical… *puts on psychologist hat*… teen neurodevelopment is rigged for intensity. This is a time of life where risk is felt as both acceptable and desirable, where everything is raw because everything is new, where energy is abundant and electric in its potential. Middle ground is a bit of a foreign concept — and that makes total sacrifice both possible and dramatic. You can see it in the horrific actions of young suicide-bombers and the heroism of young activists. They’re not in it for personal power; for good or ill, they’re handing themselves over completely to something greater. Call it whatever you want — hubris, naiveté — it’s still riveting.

Adulthood is the land of nuance and reason, of calculated risk. Absolutely there’s passion there, and great depth of feeling, but it’s in the context of prior life experience and lessons learned. That gives adult sacrifice a different sort of power. So basically, I’m not saying it’s less compelling! I’m just saying that I like exposed nerves and adrenaline in my fiction, I guess. I’m drawn to stories that plunge off the emotional cliff, that involve the whole self, that include a purity and suddenness and extremity of action. Simultaneously clean and messy, at once simple and uniquely complicated, there is one thing personal sacrifice in teens is not: boring.

Powell’s Books Exclusive Giveaway:

Sarah Fine will be among seven fantastic young adult authors appearing together in an exciting event at Powell’s Books in Beaverton, Oregon on April 17. Hypable will be giving away three signed booklets exclusive to the event, featuring new content from Sarah, as well as authors Mindee Arnett (The Nightmare Affair), Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone), Lisa Desrochers (Personal Demons), Kristin Halbrook (Nobody But Us), Kody Keplinger (The DUFF), and Ingrid Paulson (Valkyrie Rising).

Enter right here for a chance to win one of the three signed booklets, and stay tuned for further guest posts from these exciting authors! This giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on April 17, and is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada.

No matter where you are in the world, check out Hypable’s interview with Sarah Fine for more information on Sanctum and her journey as a writer, and make sure to take a look at our previous guest posts with Mindee Arnett, Kristin Halbrook, and Leigh Bardugo!