Salt in Her Lungs by Madeline Arcaro is shortlisted for the 2025 Author of Tomorrow Award, 16-21 Category. 

Salt in Her Lungs: They say the sea is cursed. They say women cursed it. Her whole life, she’s been told to stay away from the sea. Her mother warned her, the neighbors whispered, even her mother’s parrot picked up on it. Whispers surrounded the ocean and what lies in its depth.  Girls like her, the ones who feel too much and want too much, always end up disappearing into the waves. But the pull never went away for Maren, and when the tide rises faster than usual one night, something shifts. Salt in Her Lungs is a dreamy, aching story about what it means to be drawn to something bigger than yourself. It’s about girlhood, memory, and the quiet magic of finally choosing who you want to be.

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An interview with Madeline: 

WNSF: What is your favourite book? 

Madeline: My favorite book changes all the time, but I’d say it’s always one of either a short story collection called Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory, Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, and Emily Habeck’s Shark Heart. They all discuss something different about grief, connection, and transformation in a way that has stayed with me for a very long time. 

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

Madeline: I read so many wonderful authors, but my biggest inspiration right now is R.F. Kuang. She can write literally any genre, and Yellowface and Babel will forever be two of my top 5 books. 

WNSF: What is was your favourite subject at school? 

Madeline: My favorite subject has always been English literature! I’m so lucky that I’m now able to fill my class schedule with literature classes, because being able to read and write has always brought me so much joy. I’ve always enjoyed any course that prioritizes open discussion or creativity, and it’s where I feel most engaged and alive as a student. 

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

Madeline: This is actually my first ever adventure story! To me, adventure writing is less about spectacle and more about transformation: it’s about the personal stakes of a journey. My story, Salt In Her Lungs, takes elements of gothic fiction and fuses them with the structure of an adventure tale. I wanted to explore what it means for a character to confront the unknown when the unknown is both totally external and deeply personal. 

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

Madeline: I would love to know where they get their inspiration – I think I’m different from a lot of authors in that I often have a hard time coming up with ideas, but once I have them I’m great at putting pen to paper. 

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

Madeline: I don’t think I have a specific hero in life, because I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many people who have done incredible things. I find myself the most motivated by my friends, family, and classmates rather than celebrities or authors. I’m very much of the belief that heroism exists in the everyday, and it’s something we reflect back to each other to lift each other up. 

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

Madeline: Since I was very young, I’ve always wanted to go on a safari to see the silverback gorillas in Africa. They were my grandfather’s favorite animals, and it was something he’s always wanted to do. I want to go see them mostly to explore my connection with him. 

WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories? 

Madeline: I often find myself drawn to the gothic, specifically American gothic, which often captures the disquiet under everyday life. Writers like Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne have always had a huge influence on me. At the same time, I’m also inspired by contemporary feminist nonfiction. My writing tends to connect those two influences. I also love writing about the ocean because of its unknowability. 

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

Madeline: After studying The Iliad and The Odyssey this most recent semester I became very invested in ancient Greek culture and literature: not just the mythology, but the worldview that informed it. I’d love to spend a day there, not because I romanticize it (because I definitely do not), but because the lives they’ve led are so remarkably different from my own. 

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

Madeline: Mythic. Moody. Transformative.

WNSF: Congratulations on your brilliant story, and good luck for the next stage of the competition!