The Blast
Release Date: 12/15/14
200 pages
Summary from Goodreads:
After a series of blasts force Beatrice Hicks and her family into their prepper bunker, they emerge to discover they are among the survivors of a nuclear apocalypse. Fighting against rogue groups and coping with deaths are just some of the adjustments Beatrice must make to survive, but how will she maintain her humanity after the blast?
Praise for THE BLAST:
“This is the most impressive and heartfelt apocalypse story I’ve ever read in my life!”
“A real tour de force… [It’s] refreshing to have a YA book which focuses on the important things in a person’s life – family, love and death.”
“What a beautiful story. A wonderful look at the human ability to survive, rebuild, and grow through survival.”
“One of the best post-apocalypse stories I have read.”
“This book easily stacks up against my favourites and has an originality that many books seem to lack these days. [The] writing style is impeccable and this book is utterly breathtaking!”
Praise for THE BLAST:
“This is the most impressive and heartfelt apocalypse story I’ve ever read in my life!”
“A real tour de force… [It’s] refreshing to have a YA book which focuses on the important things in a person’s life – family, love and death.”
“What a beautiful story. A wonderful look at the human ability to survive, rebuild, and grow through survival.”
“One of the best post-apocalypse stories I have read.”
“This book easily stacks up against my favourites and has an originality that many books seem to lack these days. [The] writing style is impeccable and this book is utterly breathtaking!”
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About the Author
Sarah Perlmutter is the Wattpad featured author of THE BLAST, a young adult post-apocalypse novel.
Outside of the young adult genre, Sarah has published poems and flash fiction through Mash Stories, Millennial Garbage, the Pittsburgh History and Landmark Foundation, and the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project.
When she is not writing, Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and cat, cooking food that is far too spicy, making arts and crafts, and teaching high school English.
For more information about Sarah and her writing, check out her website.
Author Links:
Excerpt from Chapter 3:
There’s a moment in everyone’s life when they realize that there’s no turning back to their childhood. When they realize that they have at once graduated to adulthood. From what I knew about life before the blast, this moment looked different for everyone. Whether it was getting their first job, getting their driver’s license, having their first kiss, graduating high school, graduating college, buying a home, or having a child, one thing was constant throughout: This moment hardly ever happened to 10 year olds.
Standing with the gun in my right hand and the knob in my left, I knew there was no turning back. Henry and Ellie could last another day, but my childhood was gone. So I swung the door open like I knew I had to, and charged.
I dove beneath the kitchen table for cover, but quickly realized the shots weren’t coming from inside. They were just outside the window, in the yard. I crawled over the sticky floor, dried blood lifting onto my palms, until I reached the back door and crept into the sunroom.
I remembered what my mom told me: I had to be brave. I took a breath, and imagined it wasn’t real. This is a game, I told myself. Just a video game or something. So I opened the door just enough to slip my body through and let myself outside.
Freezing cold from the darkness mixed unevenly with burning gusts from the flames, and everything was shadowed in Halloween colors. From our back patio, I saw past the cornfield and across Route 30, and I had to catch my breath at the sight of it: an entire hillside of houses and businesses swallowed in flames. The only thing that spreads more quickly than panic is fire, and our entire community had been consumed in both. In the light of the fires, I could see black outlines of people running and looting, their shadows stretching their misdeeds over the highway.
Author Interview Questions and Responses:
What inspired you to write The Blast?
I was in the middle of the second book of a trilogy I’m writing, when I realized that the world wasn’t complete enough. Beatrice was a main character in the trilogy, but I didn’t know enough about her past or how she became the person I was writing in the trilogy. I decided to begin writing a prequel to my trilogy with Beatrice as the main character, so that I could fully understand some of the characters in my trilogy as well as the world in which they live.
How did you develop the characters in The Blast?
I developed the characters based on who they needed to become in the trilogy. Beatrice, Eleanor, Todd, and Ben all grew and changed in the book based on that. Some characters were developed to help motivate these changes, like Henry and the Smiths. Characters like Jacob and Mr. Timmons were included to help explore themes in the novel, while characters like Drew helped me to flesh out the community the characters build throughout the book.
What’s next for you and the characters?
I hope to continue getting The Blast out there, and I continue to write my trilogy. I’m currently writing the third book, which will definitely be tough to end. I’ve been so immersed in the world of The Blast and the other books, it will be more bitter than sweet to leave it. The first two books of the trilogy are currently posted on Wattpad, where The Blast is a featured book and Watty Award winner. If you’re interested in checking them out, definitely connect with me on Wattpad @SarahPerlmutter. As for the future, I am seeking representation and hoping to traditionally publish the trilogy. However, I’d love to self-publish again if necessary. It’s been such a positive experience so far!
Book Playlist for The Blast
1. “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
2. “Demons” by Imagine Dragons
3. “Raise Your Weapon” by DeadMau5
4. “Run” by Snow Patrol, covered by Leona Lewis
5. “Fix You” by Coldplay
6. “Rue’s Farewell” by James Newton Howard, from The Hunger Games Official Soundtrack
7. “Fortune Days” by Glitch Mob
8. “Look After You” by The Fray
9. “Let it Go / Vivaldi’s Winter” by The Piano Guys
10. “Winter Song” by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson
11. “You Found Me” by The Fray
12. “Learning to Breathe” by Switchfoot
13. “Human” by Christina Perri
14. “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz
15. “Goodbye My Lover” by James Blunt
16. “Say Something” by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera
17. “Arms” by Christina Perri
18. “All of Me” by John Legend
19. “Tell Me a Story” by Phillip Phillips
Many wonder how they would handle an apocalyptic situation. For the characters in Sarah Perlmutter's novel The Blast, they don't need to wonder anymore. Each of them handles the end of the world differently. Which character would you be most like in an apocalypse? Which character from The Blast are you?
When the author took this quiz, she got Isabella, Beatrice’s Mom. Who are you?
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I like the cover and I think the excerpt sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway! =)