by Sara Lamerton, author of The Curse of Drake’s Island
One of the central themes in The Curse of Drake’s Island is self-acceptance. In many ways, it’s a story about moving beyond limitations to embrace our true nature.
We find Olivia, the protagonist, at the precipice of developing her innate gifts. Olivia feels confused, alone, fearful, and isolated from the rest of the world because of something she doesn’t understand and others in her life can’t relate to. The process, which should be natural, is a messy one.
Desperate to simply fit in, she tries to run from her higher self. But, like most things we try to hide from in life, it stalks her. Making life incredibly uncomfortable until she can no longer ignore its call.
This struggle is relevant to several other characters in The Curse of Drake’s Island. So, when I was asked to write a blog post related to the book, it seemed only fitting I expand upon this topic. I wanted to dig deeper into why I felt compelled to feature it so heavily in my first book.
As it happened, earlier that morning, I was aimlessly scrolling through social media (as you do) when I came across a short video by Joe Moody. In it, he discussed mental health, specifically depression. Joe concluded that, for those who experience it, depression is a way of our higher self telling us we are out of alignment. That message resonated with me and, if Olivia could speak in real life, it would resonate with her too.
They say to write what you know and Olivia, in part, is based on my personal experiences. Whilst she’s obviously not me (and I certainly don’t share her superpower to converse with the dead), Olivia was conceived from the ashes of demons that blocked my connection to creativity, amongst a few other things. Like many people, my own journey has been fraught with mental and emotional roadblocks. Big black holes, stuck behaviour patterns and mental noise have quite literally made me physically unwell.
“Olivia as a character was conceived from the ashes of demons that blocked my connection to creativity…”
Feeling isolated and alone is also a recurring motif for the three main characters. Yet again, this is something every human experiences at some point, to a lesser or greater degree. These tumultuous emotions can be troublesome. Especially when we’re attempting to confront and/or move beyond challenging experiences or shadow aspects of our nature. Whilst I’ve never enjoyed being in the middle of said experiences, with hindsight, I am grateful for the opportunity to (sometimes very messily) remove the blocks placed on my path and within myself.
In The Curse of Drake’s Island, the character Arthur is trapped in a never-ending prison. He’s festering there, and growing more twisted inside. Much like him, once we realise where we’re stuck, struggling, or in pain we need to find the courage to reach out. We need to be vulnerable and seek the light, both within ourselves and others.
My decision to write fiction aimed at younger audiences stems back to a random encounter with a favourite childhood book. After embarking on a new life path in my 20s, I found myself swept along on a tide of change. I felt the call to escape the version of ‘normal’ which had been laid out for me. A life everyone else seemed happy to accept. I decided to travel and began working with young people abroad. I have continued to do so in some capacity ever since.
It’s been a privilege to meet and know some truly amazing young people over the years. They have inspired me in many ways. I’ve heard stories that made my heart bleed and made my heart burst. Yet one thing remains true, for better or worse, the boxes we’re placed in so often have their roots in our formative years.
“At its heart, The Curse of Drake’s Island is a call to embrace
what is right for us…”
We can create toxic triggers, coping mechanisms, and ways of attempting to manage and control the uncontrollable world around us. This can lead to pain and self-sabotage; trapping us in our old stories. Only when we have true compassion for ourselves, can we more genuinely empathise with others. At an early age, rigid survival strategies imprint on our subconscious and hinder our freedom and authenticity. Once we have understood and integrated our experiences, we can take what we know and use them to support those who are also ready to help themselves. Or assist those who simply need to hear, and be inspired by, a particular truth at a particular time.
I never dreamt I would travel down this route, but that tiny seed, planted all those years ago, kept growing. It gnawed away in my gut. I guess life is like that sometimes. There are things we need to express, things we need to embrace, things we need to experience. They’re the ideas and intuitions that don’t leave us, that we can’t easily let go of. Or the situations we know if we don’t try, we’ll always think ‘what if?’. This path was one of those for me.
At its heart, The Curse of Drake’s Island is a call to embrace what is right for us. And also to have the courage to know what that is and then align with it. It’s about learning to be open and trust the process; to write a story that honours the best version of ourselves. A story that allows us to soar above our self-imposed limits and embrace the challenges life throws our way. No matter how many times we have to go back and make edits.
Be brave. Embrace the thing that makes your heart and soul sing. Life is too short not to. You never know what doors will open for you. Believe in yourself and your right to write your own story.
The Curse of Drake’s Island by Sara Lamerton is available now from all good bookshops. Order online from Amazon, Waterstones, and Bookshop.org.
