Killing Cold by Freddie Cowling is shortlisted for the 2021 Author of Tomorrow, 12-15 years.

Killing Cold: Sam is a truck driver in the North and his boss calls him in for an urgent mission. Together with two doctors and another driver they must take a load of vaccines to the remote fishing village of Winpar to deal with a dangerous strain of Covid-19, however the normal ice road will take them too long, so they are left with the dangerous mud road that has been closed for years. Will he and his companions make it to Winpar in time?

An Interview with Freddie: 

WNSF: What is your favourite book? 

My favourite book is The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness and the other books in the Chaos Walking trilogy. The character development and intrigue is incredibly well done.

WNSF: Who is your favourite author? Or one who has inspired you and why?

My favourite author is Helen Moss, she wrote the Adventure Island series which I read when I was younger and I absolutely loved. I also got in touch with her over email and she gave me some tips on writing which inspired me to continue to write my own stories.

WNSF: What is your favourite subject at school? 

My favourite subject at school is Science, I love all three of the sciences. I really enjoy finding new stuff out and getting in depth answers to complicated questions.

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

To me, adventure writing is all about escaping and writing about a daring journey that you imagine yourself taking part in. It’s about inspiring young readers to take part in their own adventures, no matter how small or large. I chose to write adventure stories because I really wished I could get out and explore when I was younger and I still do to this day.

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

I would ask: ‘to what extent do you plan a story before you write it, and how do you begin to plan?’ Because planning is something that I personally really struggle with.

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

My hero is Steve Backshall who has been on some incredible adventures and expeditions and shares his experiences with children and adults all over the world, promoting conservation and showing people places they’d never be able to visit or don’t even know that they exist

WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

I would love to visit Borneo as it is an unusual place to go and is covered in lush forests and places to explore.

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

I find my inspiration all over the place I mainly get my inspiration from books or TV documentaries. I also get it from some more unusual places like video games I play, places I visit and magazines I read, a whole plethora of resources.

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

I would go back in time to see the Titanic. This will come as no surprise to people who know me as I have been captivated with the ship since a very early age. I wouldn’t stop the ship from sinking but I would love to see it and walk around it in all its glory.

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

Suspenseful, engaging and unusual.