300th Post and School Library Journal Review

This is my 300th blog post!

*blows horn and throws confetti*

Please have a slice of cake.

I started this blog in September 2006 with these words: "Have you ever had a dream come true? Welcome to mine. I'm Sarah Beth Durst, and I'm about to be published."

Now it's 3 books and 300 posts later, and I want to thank all of you for continuing to join me on this journey!

It seems that the universe knew this would be my 300-blogiversary because this week I got a wonderful present: a lovely review of ICE from School Library Journal. This makes me very, very, very happy. Here's the review, from the December 2009 issue of School Library Journal:

"Novels with a fairy tale at their center are ubiquitous, but even in this crowded market, Ice, based on "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," is a standout. Cassie is the daughter of an Arctic scientist and lives in a research station on the ice. Her mother is dead, according to her father, but Cassie remembers a story her grandmother used to tell her about how her mother was the daughter of the North Wind and was stolen away by the trolls. As the story opens, the teen is pursuing a polar bear when it steps into the ice and disappears. Drawn by her feeling that there is something special about the animal, Cassie ventures out after it. The bear is a munaqsri, a keeper of souls for the polar bears. Cassie agrees to be his wife if he will rescue her mother. Although initially fearful, she develops a relationship with Bear based on real love and companionship. All is well until she ignores the prohibition against looking at his face while he is in human form at night. Bear becomes a prisoner of the trolls, and Cassie, now pregnant, begins her quest to travel east of the sun and west of the moon to rescue her beloved. This is a unique and cleverly spun romance for an older readership than Edith Pattou's East (Harcourt, 2003), with a splendidly courageous and smart heroine. Durst flawlessly weaves together romance, adventure, and a modern sensibility to create a highly inventive and suspenseful story of a girl on the cusp of adulthood. Readers will take Cassie and Bear to their hearts." -- Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City

As I started saying 300 blog posts ago... Snoopy Dance of Joy!

Blogiversary!

Happy blogiversary to me.
Happy blogiversary to me.
Happy blogiversary to Sarah's Journal.
Happy blogiversary to me!!!


One year ago today, when I posted my very first blog entry, I set out to share the experience of my lifelong dream of publication coming true. Somewhere amidst the fairy tales, the Pollyanna-esque rambling, and the blatant self-promotion, I hope that I've helped to inspire others to pursue their dreams no matter how hard they have to fight. Today, 149 blog entries later, the best part has been all the wonderful people who I've met along the way. Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and making me feel like I'm not alone on this journey.

I hope you'll stay with me for many more fairy tales, continued Pollyanna-esque rambling, and (with luck) lots more books as this journey continues. It's a funny thing about dreams-come-true: they don't quench your thirst, they just make you dream bigger.