From Ant to Eagle(65)

When I started writing From Ant to Eagle I had only two ideas—to write about brothers and to write about the effect cancer has on siblings. I didn’t know how it would end, or even how it would begin, I just started writing. Over the course of the next seven years, it evolved into what it is today. In the end, I hope that people will not read this novel and think of it as a “sad novel” but instead, a love story. Because to me, the central theme of this novel is not loss or death, but love; the love that exists between brothers, even if it is not always evident.

Did you ever consider writing the novel so that Sammy didn’t die?

When I began sending my novel out to literary agents, I heard back from the very first agent I sent it to. She said, “I love the novel, I think it has wonderful potential, but I think you should consider rewriting the ending so that Sammy doesn’t die.” So I did exactly that. I rewrote the second half of the novel and made it so that Sammy lived (he got a bone marrow transplant and Cal was his donor). But after rereading it, I decided it no longer felt like my novel. Yes, it was happier, and yes, many people would likely prefer it that way, but it wasn’t what I had set out to write. The harsh reality of pediatric oncology is that there are thousands of children like Sammy and Cal out there, and in the end, I chose to tell their story.

What’s up next for you and your writing career?

Right now, I am working on a middle grade, fantasy novel in which animals talk, one girl has supernatural powers, and nobody has cancer. It is a respite from the last novel. I will eventually write another book like it—in fact, I already have most of it written in my head—however I suspect it will be years before I finally get it on paper.