Sarah Beth Durst's Blog, page 26
April 6, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Book Necklace Countdown: Book 6
I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...
Book 6 (YA): VESSEL is about defying destiny. Liyana is destined to sacrifice herself so a goddess can inhabit her body, but the goddess never comes. There are glass dragons in her world, so this #booknecklace is a glass dragon. I wear this one to book events all the time.
VESSEL is the only book I've ever written that was inspired by a dream. I dreamed about a girl dancing barefoot on the sand beneath the moon. She knew that when the dance ended, she would die. I woke up worrying about her and knew I had to write her story.
Book 6 (YA): VESSEL is about defying destiny. Liyana is destined to sacrifice herself so a goddess can inhabit her body, but the goddess never comes. There are glass dragons in her world, so this #booknecklace is a glass dragon. I wear this one to book events all the time.
VESSEL is the only book I've ever written that was inspired by a dream. I dreamed about a girl dancing barefoot on the sand beneath the moon. She knew that when the dance ended, she would die. I woke up worrying about her and knew I had to write her story.
April 5, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Book Necklace Countdown: Book 5
I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...
Book 5 (YA): DRINK SLAY LOVE, a snarky fantasy about a 16-year-old vampire who is stabbed through the heart by a unicorn and develops a conscience. My husband tried for a fang #booknecklace, but it was absurdly huge -- the size of actual teeth. So he also got me a unicorn.
DRINK SLAY LOVE was made into a TV movie starring the fabulous Cierra Ramirez. I wore the fang #booknecklace on the day it premiered. That might be the only time I've ever worn it. It doesn't exactly go with everything...
Book 5 (YA): DRINK SLAY LOVE, a snarky fantasy about a 16-year-old vampire who is stabbed through the heart by a unicorn and develops a conscience. My husband tried for a fang #booknecklace, but it was absurdly huge -- the size of actual teeth. So he also got me a unicorn.
DRINK SLAY LOVE was made into a TV movie starring the fabulous Cierra Ramirez. I wore the fang #booknecklace on the day it premiered. That might be the only time I've ever worn it. It doesn't exactly go with everything...
April 4, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Book Necklace Countdown: Book 4
I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...
Book 4 (YA): ENCHANTED IVY is about getting into college. And talking gargoyles and were-tigers... It's set at Princeton University so my #booknecklace is a Princeton tiger.
There's a legend at Princeton that if you walk out the front gate before commencement, you won't graduate. That's what inspired ENCHANTED IVY, except I said if you walk out the gate, you cross into an alternate magical Princeton.
Book 4 (YA): ENCHANTED IVY is about getting into college. And talking gargoyles and were-tigers... It's set at Princeton University so my #booknecklace is a Princeton tiger.
There's a legend at Princeton that if you walk out the front gate before commencement, you won't graduate. That's what inspired ENCHANTED IVY, except I said if you walk out the gate, you cross into an alternate magical Princeton.
April 3, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Book Necklace Countdown: Book 3
I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...
Book 3 (YA): ICE, a fantasy adventure about an Arctic research scientist & a talking polar bear. The #booknecklace for this one is an adorable polar bear pendant. At the book launch, a reader asked my favorite question ever: "Do you like bears that aren't polar bears?" Yes, I do.
ICE is a modern retelling of the Norwegian folktale East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. I was inspired by a picture book illustrated by the phenomenal PJ Lynch -- specifically, the moment when the bear asks the "lassie" if she's afraid, and she says defiantly "No."
I wrote this book as a love letter to my husband. And to polar bears.
Book 3 (YA): ICE, a fantasy adventure about an Arctic research scientist & a talking polar bear. The #booknecklace for this one is an adorable polar bear pendant. At the book launch, a reader asked my favorite question ever: "Do you like bears that aren't polar bears?" Yes, I do.
ICE is a modern retelling of the Norwegian folktale East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. I was inspired by a picture book illustrated by the phenomenal PJ Lynch -- specifically, the moment when the bear asks the "lassie" if she's afraid, and she says defiantly "No."
I wrote this book as a love letter to my husband. And to polar bears.
April 2, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Book Necklace Countdown: Book 2
I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...
Book 2 (middle grade): OUT OF THE WILD, sequel to INTO THE WILD. In these books, the essence of fairy tales exists as a snarl of vines under Rapunzel's daughter's bed, so my husband gave me a #booknecklace that looks like a flowering vine.
The inspiration for both the Wild from INTO THE WILD and OUT OF THE WILD and Monster from THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM was my childhood fear of a tentacle monster who lived under my bed. I'd leap out of bed so it wouldn't snag my ankles.
Book 2 (middle grade): OUT OF THE WILD, sequel to INTO THE WILD. In these books, the essence of fairy tales exists as a snarl of vines under Rapunzel's daughter's bed, so my husband gave me a #booknecklace that looks like a flowering vine.
The inspiration for both the Wild from INTO THE WILD and OUT OF THE WILD and Monster from THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM was my childhood fear of a tentacle monster who lived under my bed. I'd leap out of bed so it wouldn't snag my ankles.
April 1, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Book Necklace Countdown: Book 1
I'm counting down to the publication of my 20th book, RACE THE SANDS, out 4/21, by sharing pics of each #booknecklace my husband gave me to celebrate each of my prior books...
Book 1 (middle grade): INTO THE WILD. My debut novel and the start of our #booknecklace tradition. My husband got the idea from my friend, the awesome Tiffany Trent, who gave me this amazing bracelet with my cover art. We plucked a charm out to make a matching necklace.
INTO THE WILD is about fairy tale characters who live in the real world, but the fairy tale wants them back. It stars Rapunzel's daughter (her mom owns a hair salon). I set it in Northboro, MA, because growing up there I always wished something magical would happen.
Book 1 (middle grade): INTO THE WILD. My debut novel and the start of our #booknecklace tradition. My husband got the idea from my friend, the awesome Tiffany Trent, who gave me this amazing bracelet with my cover art. We plucked a charm out to make a matching necklace.
INTO THE WILD is about fairy tale characters who live in the real world, but the fairy tale wants them back. It stars Rapunzel's daughter (her mom owns a hair salon). I set it in Northboro, MA, because growing up there I always wished something magical would happen.
RACE THE SANDS is an Amazon Best SFF Book of the Month!
Just got some awesome news from my editor! RACE THE SANDS, my new epic fantasy for adults, was selected as one of Amazon's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of the Month!!!
https://amzn.to/33ZbFWw
https://amzn.to/33ZbFWw
March 31, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Book Necklace Countdown
So, the world is on fire but I have a new book coming out in three weeks, an epic fantasy for adults called RACE THE SANDS. It's my 20th published book. That's a huge deal to me, a dream come true 20 times over, and I've been excited to celebrate this milestone for many months.
The timing really sucks, and I thought about not celebrating at all, out of respect for the tragedy that is unfolding around us. But then I thought about why I write fantasy books in the first place -- to provide readers with an escape, with joy, with light in the darkness.
So I'm going to celebrate my joy every day for the next three weeks, not because I'm oblivious to the darkness, but as the best way I know to fight it.
We have a tradition: every book I write, my husband scours Etsy to find an inexpensive necklace to give me to mark the occasion. So I thought I'd count down to pub day by sharing my joy for each book and showing you all each #booknecklace, one per day. I'll start tomorrow...
The timing really sucks, and I thought about not celebrating at all, out of respect for the tragedy that is unfolding around us. But then I thought about why I write fantasy books in the first place -- to provide readers with an escape, with joy, with light in the darkness.
So I'm going to celebrate my joy every day for the next three weeks, not because I'm oblivious to the darkness, but as the best way I know to fight it.
We have a tradition: every book I write, my husband scours Etsy to find an inexpensive necklace to give me to mark the occasion. So I thought I'd count down to pub day by sharing my joy for each book and showing you all each #booknecklace, one per day. I'll start tomorrow...
March 30, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Blurb from Julie Czerneda!
My next epic fantasy book, RACE THE SANDS, about two kickass women vying to become monster racing champions, comes out from Harper Voyager in three weeks and one day! Very happy to share this quote from the wonderful Julie Czerneda!
http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/RacetheSands.htm
http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/RacetheSands.htm
March 26, 2020
RACE THE SANDS Blurb from Peter Brett!
Very excited to share this quote from the incredible Peter Brett for my upcoming epic fantasy novel, RACE THE SANDS!!!
http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/RacetheSands.htm
http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/RacetheSands.htm
