Discover a strong female character in youthful protagonist 10-year-old Katy as she struggles to survive on her own in a post-apocalyptic world. Surrounded by innumerable dangers, wandering alone and lonely throughout a nuclear holocaust, with no one to turn to or rely on, Katy will fight to the bitter end to survive, if only because that's all she has left. Eventually, with fading memories, it is all she will ever know, as the months pass like years, and years like decades. So far, so good, even in a world prowled by the most dangerous animal of all: People. But what will come next?
The world created by this story is rife with peril, action, adventure, thrills, and personal growth and insights from the mind of a young girl forced to grow up faster than anyone should have to mature at such a young age. Katy's strength of will, determination, and perseverance serve her well in such a world and the unfortunate situations in which she finds herself, at no fault of her own. In reality, she has no choice in the matter. "Give up" is not in her limited vocabulary.
Will she survive? If so, at what costs? What will be the physical, mental and emotional toll of her journey? And what will she find at the end?
Although difficult to peg as a single genre, this medium-length novelette (13K words) has an overarching theme of post-apocalyptic survival, thereby Survivalist Fiction, with elements of Adventure, Thriller aspects, and perhaps Science Fiction in the sense that most post-apocalyptic stories could be described as such, but it could also easily fall under General Fiction. (as these things go, parts might also elicit a smile or small laugh)
The young girl is the primary character, but, as noted, the story is not for children to read, as it contains adult themes. By today's standards, it is probably barely PG, although some might consider it PG-13. "Katydid" is written for adults, but older, "world-wise" teens should have no problem, and it is hoped by the author that the strong female character will be an inspiration of sorts to everyone who comes into contact with her through his writing. (some younger teens and pre-teens, especially those with advanced reading levels, might be good candidates as readers, with parental guidance and pre-reading to verify the content is appropriate, and/or to be discussed afterward)
A free e-book "Kindle Single" short story prequel, "Bunny Blue: A Katydid Short", will be available soon. And the author is considering continuing Katy's story as a sequel novella or novel.