Born to Die by Neta Sayar is shortlisted for the 2023 Author of Tomorrow, 12-15 Category. 

Born to Die: It's World War III, in the future. The world is most certainly in chaos. While the President of the opposing side is hunting down those with a particular rare blood type, a teenager's recklessness may end the war - but more likely she will end herself in the process.

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WNSF: What is your favourite book? 

Neta: Arc Of A Scythe Series by Neal Shusterman

WNSF: Who is your favourite author? 

Neta: Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games. Her writing is inspiring to me because she makes all the emotions so real and vivid which psychologically connects the reader to the book.

WNSF: What is your favourite subject at school? 

Neta: My favourite subject is drama because it lets me envision my characters and test out how they might talk and move in real life based on their personalities.

WNSF: What does ‘adventure writing’ mean to you? 

Neta: For me, adventure writing is a chance to create a dramatic piece of writing and endless amounts of creativity can be incorporated into it through the characters’ emotions, motives and actions. I decided to try it out because it adds layers of passion and excitement to the lives of both the writer and the reader.

WNSF: If you could ask an author anything, what would you want to know? 

Neta: I would ask what writers do to get past writer’s block because for me, it is the most frustrating thing in the world when suddenly the inspiration that I have been feeding on suddenly dwindles away. Sometimes I get stuck on one scene of a book for weeks, and so I would want to know how a professional author handles the inspiration block.

WNSF: Who would you consider one of your heroes and why? 

Neta: I admire Amelia Earhart for achieving extraordinary things and being determined to succeed, even if it meant risking her life and taking a leap of faith when success was far from guaranteed.

WNSF: What is the most adventurous thing you would like to do, or place you would like to visit and why?

Neta: I would parachute from a plane and watch as the people and the land got more focused and detailed, because the change in perspective from a birds-eye view to a detailed and unique landscape is like the change that I need to go through to get from an overview of a character to their special personality and specific traits.

WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories? 

Neta: I often like researching historical figures and creating plots based on their lives but with dramatic twists and taking concepts and beliefs from existing books as well.

WNSF: If you could time travel, where would you go and why?

Neta: I would go to Turkey in the 1600s, which was then the Ottoman Empire, which was both an economically and culturally rich Empire. I would go there because I would want to see the fashion, and food, and buildings, and culture, and especially the Sultan’s Palace.

WNSF: What three words would you use to describe your story? 

Neta: Futuristic, action, hectic.