Sarah Beth Durst's Blog, page 29
April 18, 2019
GIRL Selected as 3rd Place Winner of Florida SSYRA Award!
Wow!!! Thank you so much, Florida SSYRA and Florida readers, for selecting THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM as the 3rd place winner of the Sunshine State Young Readers Award! I'm thrilled and honored! And big congrats to Gordon Korman and Jason Reynolds!
If you can't see the video above, you can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/FLSSYRA/videos/813663489015433/
If you can't see the video above, you can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/FLSSYRA/videos/813663489015433/
April 17, 2019
Lovely Blurb for SPARK!
One of my all-time favorite authors (and absolutely wonderful person) Tamora Pierce blurbed my next book for kids! She called SPARK, "Exciting, timely, and world-shaking!" I am so honored and so grateful! Thank you, Tammy!
April 15, 2019
Starred Review in Booklist for SPARK!
In today's issue of Booklist... A starred review for SPARK, my next book for kids!!! Eeeeee!!! Thanks so much, Booklist! SPARK comes out from Clarion Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in just one month, on 5/14!
https://www.booklistonline.com/Spark-Sarah-Beth-Durst/pid=9712131
https://www.booklistonline.com/Spark-Sarah-Beth-Durst/pid=9712131
April 8, 2019
Interview in Locus Magazine
I've been subscribing to Locus magazine (an awesome SF/Fantasy publishing trade magazine) for 20 years. I've always dreamed of seeing my name on the cover someday. Check out the latest issue!!! Thank you, Locus! #bucketlist
April 1, 2019
Galactic Philadelphia Reading
Tomorrow (4/2) at 7pm!!! I'll be reading with Paul Levinson at the Free Library of Philadelphia (Central Parkway Branch) as part of the Galactic Philadelphia Reading Series. Hope to see you there! https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/85644
I am especially delighted to be reading with Paul Levinson because he was one of the authors who was so very kind and encouraging to me many years ago when I was an aspiring writer, attending my first cons and dreaming of my first book. That makes this a particularly special event for me.
I am especially delighted to be reading with Paul Levinson because he was one of the authors who was so very kind and encouraging to me many years ago when I was an aspiring writer, attending my first cons and dreaming of my first book. That makes this a particularly special event for me.
March 27, 2019
My NYC Teen Author Festival Schedule
Very excited to be a part of this year's NYC Teen Author Festival!!! I'll be at the Barnes & Noble Upper West Side on Friday, NYPL (the one with the lions) on Saturday, and Books of Wonder on Sunday. Hope to see you there! For the full festival schedule, visit http://nyctaf.com
March 19, 2019
THE DEEPEST BLUE comes out today!!!
Today is the book birthday for my newest book, THE DEEPEST BLUE!!! And I'm so excited to share it with you for two reasons: One, I loved writing this book so much! Two, this book has sea monsters.
So. Many. Sea. Monsters.
THE DEEPEST BLUE is a standalone epic fantasy for adults, published by Harper Voyager. Mayara, a fearless oyster diver, is about to marry the love of her life when an unnatural storm hits her island, and wild spirits from the sea ravage her village. To save her loved ones, Mayara reveals a dangerous secret: she has the power to control the spirits.
When the storm ends, she is taken into custody by the queen's soldiers and imprisoned with other women like her. They are sent to an island filled with bloodthirsty nature spirits, and left without food, water, shelter, or any tools except their own instincts and magic. Whoever survives the Island of Testing will be declared heirs to the queen. But no matter if she wins or loses, Mayara knows that the life she dreamed of is gone.
If you're interested, more information can be found on my website, including the first three chapters: www.sarahbethdurst.com/DeepestBlue.htm
THE DEEPEST BLUE is set in the same world as my Queens of Renthia trilogy, but you don't have to have read the trilogy first -- it's a new story with new characters. (If you have read the Queens books, though, there will be one familiar face!)
When I first created Renthia, I drew a map. I could see it all so clearly: A world with out-of-control nature spirits would be a world of extreme natural beauty, as well as danger. Lothlorien-like forests with cities nestled in the branches. Mountains so high they pierced the clouds. Endless glaciers. And an ocean filled with sea monsters. In the Queens of Renthia trilogy (which starts with THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, continues with THE RELUCTANT QUEEN, and concludes with THE QUEEN OF SORROW), I got the chance to explore the forests of Aratay and the mountains of Semo.
But I wanted more.
I wanted to know what was happening on those islands I'd doodled to the south. How did the people there live? How did they survive the spirits and the sea?
I got my answer when I jotted down what became the first sentence of THE DEEPEST BLUE:
"On the dawn of her wedding day, Mayara knotted her diving belt around her waist and climbed the skull of a long-dead sea monster."
Mayara is fueled by the love in her life -- the love of her husband, her family, and her friends. And that is what enables her to face the krakens, sea dragons, and other monsters of her world.
Even though I'd never dive through the eye socket of a leviathan's skull, I am fueled by those same things. So I'd like to take this moment to say thank you to my friends, my family, and my readers for giving me strength and for being so wonderful!
And as always, thanks for reading!
So. Many. Sea. Monsters.
THE DEEPEST BLUE is a standalone epic fantasy for adults, published by Harper Voyager. Mayara, a fearless oyster diver, is about to marry the love of her life when an unnatural storm hits her island, and wild spirits from the sea ravage her village. To save her loved ones, Mayara reveals a dangerous secret: she has the power to control the spirits.
When the storm ends, she is taken into custody by the queen's soldiers and imprisoned with other women like her. They are sent to an island filled with bloodthirsty nature spirits, and left without food, water, shelter, or any tools except their own instincts and magic. Whoever survives the Island of Testing will be declared heirs to the queen. But no matter if she wins or loses, Mayara knows that the life she dreamed of is gone.
If you're interested, more information can be found on my website, including the first three chapters: www.sarahbethdurst.com/DeepestBlue.htm
THE DEEPEST BLUE is set in the same world as my Queens of Renthia trilogy, but you don't have to have read the trilogy first -- it's a new story with new characters. (If you have read the Queens books, though, there will be one familiar face!)
When I first created Renthia, I drew a map. I could see it all so clearly: A world with out-of-control nature spirits would be a world of extreme natural beauty, as well as danger. Lothlorien-like forests with cities nestled in the branches. Mountains so high they pierced the clouds. Endless glaciers. And an ocean filled with sea monsters. In the Queens of Renthia trilogy (which starts with THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, continues with THE RELUCTANT QUEEN, and concludes with THE QUEEN OF SORROW), I got the chance to explore the forests of Aratay and the mountains of Semo.
But I wanted more.
I wanted to know what was happening on those islands I'd doodled to the south. How did the people there live? How did they survive the spirits and the sea?
I got my answer when I jotted down what became the first sentence of THE DEEPEST BLUE:
"On the dawn of her wedding day, Mayara knotted her diving belt around her waist and climbed the skull of a long-dead sea monster."
Mayara is fueled by the love in her life -- the love of her husband, her family, and her friends. And that is what enables her to face the krakens, sea dragons, and other monsters of her world.
Even though I'd never dive through the eye socket of a leviathan's skull, I am fueled by those same things. So I'd like to take this moment to say thank you to my friends, my family, and my readers for giving me strength and for being so wonderful!
And as always, thanks for reading!
March 18, 2019
THE DEEPEST BLUE comes out tomorrow!
This is what happens when you open a box of books around a cat. In other news, THE DEEPEST BLUE is coming out tomorrow!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
March 13, 2019
ECCC 2019 Schedule
I'm off to see the wizard! This Fri (3/15) and Sat (3/16) I'll be at Emerald City Comic Con. It's my very first #ECCC, and I'm so excited! Here's my schedule:
March 12, 2019
Excerpt from THE DEEPEST BLUE
One week until THE DEEPEST BLUE comes out!!! If you need more sea monsters in your life before then, I've posted an excerpt on my website. You can read the first three chapters here: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/DeepestBlueexcerpt.htm
