I Am Still Alive

Marshall has written four young adult novels to date, including I Am Still Alive, Rules for Vanishing (2019), Thirteens (2020), and No One Can Know (2024). Marshall’s writing often combines the conventions of psychological thrillers and horror novels, and her stories focus on young protagonists who are approaching adulthood, discovering their strengths, and confronting fearful situations. Marshall’s novels often include graphic descriptions, and the situations and characters that she creates lean toward the ultra-realistic. Jess’s thoughts and actions are meticulously illustrated, and Marshall also relies on present-tense, detailed descriptions of each moment to add a sense of immediacy and suspense: stylistic cornerstones of her work.

The inspiration for I Am Still Alive is complex and multi-sourced. Marshall is an avid nature enthusiast and spends a great deal of time hiking and existing in nature. With this novel, she admits to actively crafting a character who is aware of her own worthiness and right to survive, but who also refuses to be held back by her own physical limitations. As a young reader, Marshall was inspired by authors like Gary Paulsen (Hatchet, Harris and Me) and Jean Craighead George (My Side of the Mountain). She also feels that Jess is a reflection of her own self-acceptance of her personal limitations (“