Fire Escape by Saalih Deen is shortlisted for the 2023 Author of Tomorrow, 11 & Under Category. 

Fire Escape: Despite bushfire warnings, Bilal ventures off on another solo camping trip in the remote Australian bush. However, just as he’s settling down, he realises that he’s not only surrounded by lush eucalyptus trees and laughing kookaburras, but scorching flames as well. Will this be Bilal’s last adventure?

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WNSF: What is your favourite book?

Saalih: Anaconda Ambush: Extreme Adventures by Justin D’Ath, and Scarlet and Ivy: The Lights Under the Lake by Sophie Cleverly are my two favourite books. Both these stories have twists and turns that make them really exciting.

WNSF: Who is your favourite author and why?

Saalih: Justin D’Ath. His adventure stories are thrilling with unexpected twists in the plot.

WNSF: What is your favourite subject at school?

Saalih: I love creative things like writing, digital art and anything to do with media and animation.

WNSF: What does ‘adventure writing’ mean to you? Why did you choose to try your hand at an adventure story?

Saalih: Action combined with exploration to foreign places. I love reading adventure stories due to the excitement, so I decided to write one myself!

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

Saalih: How do you keep the action going without the it becoming boring and repetitive?

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

Saalih: Andrew Price through his free “Blender Guru” YouTube channel taught me to do 3D modelling and animation. He’s easy to understand, entertaining and has heaps of good tips. This has given me the skills to be creative in other ways.

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

Saalih: I’ve always wanted to go on an African safari in Somalia to see the beautiful animals in their natural habitat.

WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

Saalih: Inspiration is everywhere! I just look at the world around me – places I visit, people I meet, books I read, movies and documentaries I watch and interesting news stories. For my Fire Escape story, I was inspired by the Australian bushfires I had heard about in the news and the YouTube channel “Scotty’s Gone Walkabout”, which is about an Aussie’s solo camping adventures.

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

Saalih: Five-hundred years into the future to see how far technology has progressed.

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

Saalih: Action-packed. Exhilarating. Humorous.