Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Announcement!!!

I am pleased to announce...

Okay, "pleased' is an understatement. We're talking a Sleeping-Beauty-took-a-nap kind of understatement. Rapunzel-had-long-hair kind of understatement. Hans-Christian-Andersen-needed-therapy kind of understatement...

I am delighted and thrilled and so unbelievably happy to tell you that I have just signed a contract for two new YA fantasy books with Simon & Schuster!!! Yippee!!! My new beauties are called (at least until the titles get changed, as they always do) ICE (coming Fall 2009) and IVY (coming Fall 2010).

Here's the official announcement from the December 1, 2008 edition of Publishers Marketplace:

Children's: Young Adult
Into the Wild and Out of the Wild author Sarah Beth Durst's ICE, a modern arctic adventure inspired by the Norse folktale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and IVY, the story of a 16-year old thrown into a magical realm at Princeton, who must race against time to save herself, her world, and any hope she has of college admission, to Karen Wojtyla at Margaret K. McElderry Books, in a two-book deal, by Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger (world).

YAY!!!

Okay, that needs a lot more exclamation points.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am very, very, very excited about these new books. My wonderful agent and my fabulous new editor actually made the deal over the summer, but the official announcement had to wait until all the details had been worked out, and I have been just bursting at the seams to officially tell you the news. And now I can! And did! And... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Um, sorry about that outburst. It couldn't be helped. Anyhoo, in the days, weeks, and months to come, I'll tell you lots more about these new books and their journey to publication. And as the pub date for ICE approaches, there will be much talk of the north pole, polar bears, and a certain Norse fairy tale, and my website and blog will get a distinctly Arctic makeover. But for now, if you feel so inclined, I hope you'll join me for the only activity that could possibly capture the spirit of this moment... Oh, yes, that's right...

Snoopy.

Dance.

Of.

Joy.

Now, dance with me! Dance!!! Dance like you're an iconic canine surrounded by a troop of fluffy bunnies!!!!!



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30 Comments:

At 9:54 PM, Blogger Q said...

Squee! That is so exciting! Remember me when you're a bestseller.

"Hans-Christian-Andersen-needed-therapy kind of understatement."
*giggles* That is an understatement.

 
At 10:00 PM, Blogger AnnaDee said...

OH MY GOSH!!!!
yayyayayayay!
sooo happy!
two new books by you? what did we the readers do to deserve such a treat? :)
i can't wait:
1 i love 'east of the sun' ect
and
2 any 'teenager/child must save the world' is an instant win in my book. with you writing it's like, triple win.
i now want spring and fall of 09 to hurry up and get here- so many books coming! but i promise- your books go right to the top of my waiting list( i go through it fast, but still)
so- snoopy-dance-of-joy meets anna's-hyperactive-happy-dance( aka, me hopping up and down, clapping, squealing and spinning all at once.)
:)
and i agree, HCA needed therapy like readers need books!

 
At 11:17 PM, Blogger holly cupala said...

Fabulous!!! I'm so excited for you, Sarah! Adding to your exclamations and bunny happy dancing!!!

 
At 7:01 AM, Blogger tanita✿davis said...

Oh, YAAAAY! we wondered what you what you were doing now that your two fab books are out, and YAAAAY that you're out with TWO new ones!

Snoopy dancing!!!

 
At 9:37 AM, Blogger Amy Sisson said...

Congrats! And I must say, I'm excited about the concept. I have no idea why, but I've always been fascinated by tales involving Arctic-type climates: from a memoir about a teacher in early 20th-century Alaska, to Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, to The Golden Compass..... even to the scene in the third Pirates movie when they sail up to the frigid north end of the world....

(Oddly, this fascination pre-dates my going to graduate school in North Dakota in the early 1990s.)

Anyhow, congrats again, and keep us posted!

 
At 10:06 AM, Blogger christine M said...

YAY! What exciting news! Can't wait to see them!

 
At 11:09 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

Congratulations! That's wonderful!

 
At 11:29 AM, Blogger Libby said...

Oh, this is really exciting! I love the "Wild" books, I love stories of the north, and I love "East of the Sun..." Oh, and your twisted takes on fairy tales generally. They will be fabulous!

 
At 12:39 PM, Blogger Jen Robinson said...

Congratulations, Sarah!! That's great news.

 
At 1:10 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I love your work...seriously. I'm doing a Snoopy dance in your honor today!

 
At 3:49 PM, Blogger Melissa Walker said...

So exciting, Sarah! Yay!!

 
At 6:25 PM, Blogger Alyssa F said...

Yay! Keep them coming, you know I love your stuff. :-)

 
At 8:07 PM, Blogger Allanna said...

*gasp* Yay!!!!!

I'm so excited! For you -- getting to write and get paid and having a CONTRACT!!! And for me ... since I get to read your books!!! Yay!!!!

 
At 10:09 PM, Blogger Sarah Beth Durst said...

You guys rock. Thank you for all the lovely, lovely comments!

Q: "Squee" exactly describes how I feel!

AnnaDee: Thanks for the happy dance! You're clearly more coordinated than I am. If I tried hopping and spinning at the same time, I'd be a pretzel on the floor within three seconds.

Holly: Thanks!!! I still feel like adding extra exclamation points every time I think about this!

TadMack: I've been dying to tell you all. It makes it feel so much more real to have it announced.

Amy: ICE was really fun to research. I love Arctic facts. Like if you cry in the Arctic, your eyelashes freeze and could break off. (I don't actually like being cold, but I love thinking about the frozen sea and auroras and polar bears...)

Christine: Thanks! I'm so, so, so excited.

Beth: Thanks so much!

Libby: You're so sweet. Thanks for your kind words about my Wild books and my obscure fairy tales. Hope you enjoy the new books too.

Jen: Thanks so much!

Independence: Hooray for Snoopy dancing! Thank you!

Melissa: Thanks! "Yay" is exactly how I feel. :)

Alyssa: Thank you! Hope you enjoy the new ones too!

Allanna: I am VERY excited. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Cassie and Bear and Ivy and all my new friends... I mean, characters... :)

 
At 10:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Look at my blog!

http://thelegendletters.blogspot.com/

 
At 10:24 PM, Blogger Jakob Dailes said...

PS. Idea stealer! I was about to post about that fairy tale on my blog!

 
At 7:24 PM, Blogger Enna Isilee said...

Okay, so I'm a little late in commenting, but the computers at my school's library won't let me comment on blogs, which means that this comment has been pent up inside of me for nearly two days,

Are you ready?

OHMYGOSHI'MSOEXCITEDTHATTHERE'SGOINGTOBEMORESARAHBETHDURSTBOOKSTOLOOKFORWARDTO!ANDTHEY'REEVENGOINGTOBEABOUTFAIRYTALES!!!!!OHMYGOSH!!!!!

All right, I think I got it out of my system.

 
At 8:28 PM, Blogger Christopher Davis said...

That's great news! Congratulations!

 
At 10:26 PM, Blogger Little Willow said...

Congrats!

 
At 11:59 PM, Blogger Sarah Beth Durst said...

Lucas: Good luck with your new blog!

Enna Isilee: THANKYOU!I'MGLADYOU'REEXCITED!IAMTOO!

Christopher: Thanks so much!

Little Willow: Thanks!!!

 
At 10:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's fantastic news, for you and all of us too! East of the Sun and West of the Moon is one of my favorite stories -- I have a copy of it not two feet from me right now.

I can only hope that you finish these two, and they get you to write even more!

 
At 7:41 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Eeeeeeee!
More! Books! From! You!
I love Julie's adventures, and those new books sound great...I am a sucker for that kind of title!

Your eyelashes can freeze & SNAP OFF?...
Now I have a new useless fact to tell everyone I know... :D

 
At 1:19 PM, Blogger Laini Taylor said...

Congratulations, Sarah! That is WONDERFUL news! I just posted today how I love East of the Sun, West of the Moon retellings and will never tire of them. Bring it on! So happy for you :-)

 
At 2:54 PM, Blogger GreenBeanTeenQueen said...

That is wonderfully exciting news! Yay a million times over!:)

I also just saw the nominee list for the 2009-2010 Truman Award (one of the Missouri book awards, which being a librarian in MO, I promote every year) and Into the Wild is on the list. So I squeeled with excitement in my office today. I've been giving that book to so many teens and now with it being on the Truman list, lots of 6th-9th graders are going to be reading it! So congrats on that as well!:)
-Sarah

 
At 12:04 AM, Blogger Sarah Beth Durst said...

Rachel: It’s one of my favorites too. Obviously. :) I own several different East of the Sun picture books, all distinct and all beautiful.

Anonymous: Yep, they can really snap off. Not that I’ve ever experienced that personally. I’m a total wimp about the cold. I prefer to be temperature-regulated at all times.

Laini: Thank you! I’m so glad you love East of the Sun!

Sarah: So cool! Thanks so much for letting me know about the Truman Award nomination! I’m so excited!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

 
At 1:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

So I congratulated you on the other news and missed the big stuff. Major dancing!

(Been doing Norse research for a project here too, if you ever want to geek out about same. :-))

 
At 10:02 PM, Blogger Maya Ganesan said...

CONGRATS on this amazing achievement! That's SO SO SO cool!!!!

 
At 11:11 PM, Blogger Sarah Beth Durst said...

Janni: Thanks so much! And good luck to you with your project! Very cool!

Maya: Thanks!!! I'm totally still Snoopy-dancing about it.

 
At 9:45 PM, Blogger Jakob Dailes said...

I've read ICE so enough with that, but what's IVY about?
1) Is it based on another fairy tale?
2) If so, which one?
Tell me, Sarah. I want to know. Mi Casao want to know! I want it! I... I... Mi Casao...
(pause for mental breakdown)

 
At 8:13 PM, Blogger Sarah Beth Durst said...

Jakob: It's coming from Simon & Schuster in fall 2010. It's about applying to college, talking to gargoyles, flying on dragons, saving the world... you know, the usual teenage experience.

We're still searching for a title. It probably won't be IVY... Right now, I'm calling it my "magic at Princeton" book. :)

 

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