Appreciate a Dragon Day

Today is apparently Appreciate a Dragon Day and it occurred to me that three of my recent/forthcoming books (YA, adult, and MG) feature dragons of one sort or another!

Booklist Starred Review for THE DEEPEST BLUE!

What to my wondering eyes did appear..... but a STARRED review of THE DEEPEST BLUE in Booklist!!! Eeeeeep! So thrilled, so grateful! Thank you, Booklist!  

https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Deepest-Blue-Sarah-Beth-Durst/pid=9711548

THE DEEPEST BLUE Giveaway

So many sea monsters!!! Harper Voyager is giving away 50 advance copies of my forthcoming epic fantasy, THE DEEPEST BLUE! Enter by 1/18 for your chance to win: https://a.pgtb.me/6VMgFh

 

FIRE AND HEIST comes out today!!!

Today is the book birthday for my new YA book, FIRE AND HEIST! Yay!!!

FIRE AND HEIST is my seventeenth book, and my seventh for teen readers. (For those of you who are wondering, yes, this one is also appropriate for tweens.) Think Ocean's Eleven... with were-dragons!

Over the years, I've written about bloodthirsty nature spirits, vampires in high school, cupcake-loving monsters, and a girl made of stone. And now I'm thrilled to introduce you to Sky!

Sixteen-year-old Sky Hawkins is a socialite, a thief, and a were-dragon (like a werewolf but less fur and more fire). She's reckless and sometimes selfish, but she's also fearless and determined, and I love her.

I've always been obsessed with dragons. I spent most of my childhood in the woods behind my house searching for a dragon's egg. (No luck, sadly.) I have always secretly felt that there is no story that cannot be improved by the addition of a dragon.

In Sky's world (which is our world plus were-dragons), you need to lead your first heist, if you want to be accepted by society. But on the night of her first heist, Sky discovers a dark truth that could reunite her family or tear them apart forever.

I had the idea for this book while I was in my kitchen, debating heist movies with my family: Is Ocean's Eleven with George Clooney better than Ocean's Eleven with Frank Sinatra? Which is cooler, The Italian Job or The Thomas Crown Affair? Does Ant-Man count as a heist movie? As we polished off a bag of tortilla chips, I had the image of a girl dangling upside-down from the chandelier in the foyer of her parent's mansion... and I knew this girl could breathe fire. That was the moment Sky was born.

If you're interested, more information can be found on my website, including the first chapter (with Sky and her chandelier).

I hope that you'll enjoy adventuring with Sky and her friends as much as I did!

Thanks for reading!  And happy holidays!

Signed Books

Signed books make great gifts!!! Good Choice Reading is hosting a virtual signing for several of my books. Order by 12/1, I'll sign and personalize, and they'll ship to you: www.gcreadingvs.com

Happy holidays!

FIRE AND HEIST Pre-Order Giveaway

Only a month until my next YA novel, FIRE AND HEIST, comes out!  Eeeeeeeeee!!! In honor of this, I'm doing a pre-order giveaway. If you pre-order a copy of FIRE AND HEIST (hardcover or ebook) by 11:59pm EST on 12/3/2018, I'll send you an awesome dragon pin and a bookmark! 

About the Book:

FIRE AND HEIST is a contemporary fantasy about a teen were-dragon who must steal her first treasure. But a dark discovery during her heist could put her family in incredible danger. Think Ocean's Eleven with were-dragons!

You can read the first chapter here: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/FireandHeistexcerpt.htm

How to Enter:

1. Preorder FIRE AND HEIST (hardcover or ebook) by 11:59pm on 12/3/2018 from anywhere books are sold, such as:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Any independent bookstore

2. Email proof of pre-order to sarah@sarahbethdurst.com with the subject line "Fire and Heist Pre-order Campaign" and include your preferred mailing address (US addresses only, please).

Proof of pre-order can be a screenshot or a photo of your receipt or email order confirmation -- or, you know, anything that says you pre-ordered a copy of FIRE AND HEIST.

Pins are available only while supplies last.

Happy reading!  And happy dragon-ing!

World Fantasy Convention 2018 Schedule

Very excited for one of my favorite cons this weekend: World Fantasy Convention! I'll be signing during the Mass Autographing on Fri at 8pm, and I'll be on the "Optimism in the New Dark Age" panel on Sun at noon. Hope to see you there! #WFC44 #WFC2018

 

Excerpt from FIRE AND HEIST

One of my favorite things to write is first chapters. And the first chapter of my next YA novel, FIRE AND HEIST (coming out 12/4), was one of my all-time favorites to write. Think Ocean's Eleven with were-dragons! You can read the excerpt here: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/FireandHeistexcerpt.htm

Northborough Free Library

Had a very awesome day yesterday! I was invited to be the 150th anniversary guest author at the Northborough Free Library, my childhood library in Northborough, MA. It's no exaggeration to say that this place shaped the entire course of my life. 

See those shelves on the back wall (below)? After I'd read everything in the children's room, my mom took my hand and walked me upstairs to those very shelves, where she introduced me to the Belgariad, the Dragonriders of Pern, the Sword of Shannara...

Also got to see a quilt hanging in the Northborough Library's Children's Room, which has a patch for my debut novel, INTO THE WILD!

And I toured around my old hometown a bit. Very happy to see the Agway rooster is still there. Also, the Northboro House of Pizza has the same old plastic sign it's had for my entire life, which is awesome.

When I was a kid, we spelled the town "Northboro." It got fancier after I left and is now "Northborough." Still the same Northboro of my heart, though. Love that town. Thanks so much to everyone who came to my book event and to the Northborough Library for inviting me!

Book Event at Northborough Library (MA) on Saturday

This Saturday (10/13/18) at 10am, I'll be the 150th anniversary guest author at the Northborough Free Library in Northborough, Massachusetts (near Worcester, MA). This was my library when I was a kid -- it's the place where I first fell in love with books, as well as the library that appears in my debut novel, Into the Wild-- so I am beyond thrilled to be going back. Hope to see you there!

https://www.northboroughlibrary.org
 
The newspaper clipping below is from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.  That's me, age 4, as the literal poster child for kid-who-will-be-taking-out-a-ridiculous-number-of-library-books.