DRINK SLAY LOVE Movie Air Date!

Eeeeeeeeee!!!!! The TV movie based on my YA book, DRINK SLAY LOVE, just got an official air date!  Premieres next month -- Saturday, September 16 at 10pm ET/PT on Lifetime!!!

 

Cover Reveal for THE STONE GIRL'S STORY

Look at the pretty!!! So excited to share with you the cover art, by Brandon Dorman, for my next book for kids, THE STONE GIRL'S STORY, coming from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Clarion Books in April 2018!

http://sarahbethdurst.com/StoneGirl.htm

THE RELUCTANT QUEEN Comes Out Today!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

I'm beyond excited to announce that today is the pub day for THE RELUCTANT QUEEN!!!  Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!  It's book two of my epic fantasy series The Queens of Renthia, published by Harper Voyager.  (Book one, THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, is available now in paperback.)

Renthia is a world of extreme beauty: sky-piercing mountains, endless glaciers, and towering trees with cities nestled in their branches, all thanks to an overabundance of nature spirits.  But the spirits who created all this glorious beauty aren't sweet, frolicking pixies.  These spirits want to kill all humans, and only certain women -- the queens -- have the power to control them.

THE RELUCTANT QUEEN is the story of three women: a young queen who is dying, a powerful queen who hungers for war, and a middle-aged woman who wants nothing to do with the power she could wield.   It continues the story of Daleina and introduces Naelin, a woman who is (rightfully) afraid that if she uses her power, her two young children will die.

At their heart, these books are about power: who has it, who wants it, what you do with it, and what it does to you.  But they're also about choosing your own destiny and who you want to be.  And they're about soaring on a zipline through a massive forest, befriending a wolf, fighting murderous trees, concocting a few poisons, and trying to save the world.

If you're interested, more information can be found on my website, including the first two chapters.

When I was a kid, I used to "borrow" all the scrap paper in the house, tape it together, and draw massive maps of fantastical lands.  I doodled invented plants in the margins of my school notebooks.  And I kept a file box full of index cards, each card with a made-up name, paired with a magical power and a talking animal sidekick.  (I really, really wanted an animal sidekick!)  I buried myself in books by Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Mercedes Lackey, and Tamora Pierce, and I dreamed of someday writing my own epic fantasy with a sprawling world and danger and adventure around every corner.

Many years later, this is it!  My epic.  And writing these books has been every bit the magical, incredible experience that I hoped it would be.  Usually when I finish a book, I'm sad -- you live with the characters, fall in love with them, and then you have to say goodbye.  But when I finished writing THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, I didn't have to say goodbye (except, you know, to the ones I killed off -- sorry!).  I was able to immerse myself in their lives and their world again with THE RELUCTANT QUEEN, and I loved that.

So I'd like to invite you to visit Renthia again with me.  Just watch out for the trees.  They bite.

THE RELUCTANT QUEEN Giveaway

One week 'til pub day!!! To celebrate, I'm giving away a signed hardcover copy of THE RELUCTANT QUEEN over on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/sarahbethdurst/status/879719598236585984

Retweet on Twitter by 6/28 for a chance to win!

ALA 2017 Schedule

Very excited for ALA this weekend!!! I'll be in Chicago at the American Library Association Annual Conference on both Saturday and Sunday.

On Sat 6/24:
1pm Signing JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIDDEN ISLANDS at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt booth #3111
2pm Signing THE RELUCTANT QUEEN at Hoopla (Midwest Tape) booth #4420

On Sun 6/25:
9am YA Author Coffee Klatch in Room S105
10:30am The 2017 Alex Award Panel in Room W179a, followed by signing THE QUEEN OF BLOOD
1:00pm "Science Fiction/Fantasy Adult Books with YA Appeal" Panel in Exhibit Hall on PopTop Stage, followed by signing THE RELUCTANT QUEEN
2:00pm Signing THE RELUCTANT QUEEN at HarperCollins booth #3611

Hope to see you there!

10th Anniversary of INTO THE WILD!

Today is the 10th anniversary of the publication of my 1st book, INTO THE WILD!!! Thank you for sharing this journey with me!

 

THE RELUCTANT QUEEN Excerpt -- Chapter Two

Just two weeks until release day for THE RELUCTANT QUEEN! Time to post another chapter! Chapters 1 and 2 are now available to read here: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/ReluctantQueenexcerpt.htm #RQCountdown 

 

Announcing STORM GUARDIANS!!!

I've got news!!!!!

So happy to announce the sale of my next middle-grade book, STORM GUARDIANS, to my wonderful editor Anne Hoppe at Clarion Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt! It's about lightning beasts... and resisting injustice.

THE RELUCTANT QUEEN Excerpt -- Chapter One

Today marks three weeks 'til pub day of THE RELUCTANT QUEEN!!! To celebrate, I posted the 1st chapter here: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/ReluctantQueenexcerpt.htm #RQCountdown

26 Days Until The Reluctant Queen!

Harper Voyager is going all out for the July 4 pub day of THE RELUCTANT QUEEN, Book Two of my Queens of Renthia epic fantasy series. My editor said there'd be fireworks above the East River! #RQCountdown