So here’s something I hadn’t considered: the anti-hero of my young adult novel might be a little too anti and not enough hero-y. When I read BlackOut by Sam Grenfall for the first time, I took to this kid. He’s a guitar-playing smart aleck, too clever for his own good, hiding a heart of gold, and battling evil whether he wants to or not. I didn’t publish it just because I enjoyed the hero. I published it because it was written by an engineer for kids interested in science and