CHASING POWER Comes Out Today!

I am thrilled to announce the release of my new book, CHASING POWER!!!

CHASING POWER is a fantasy novel for young adults, published by Bloomsbury.  It's about Kayla, a sixteen-year-old girl who can move things with her mind, and Daniel, a boy who can teleport across continents and who lies as easily as he travels.  Together, they embark on an Indiana-Jones-style adventure to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother.  But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family, and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive... or survive.

The idea for this book came from one of those questions that you ask your friends late at night after you've finished dissecting everyone's personal lives, speculating on the future of various relationships, and musing over the awesomeness of avocados.  Namely: "If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?"

My answer for years has been telekinesis.  At a very formative age, I saw "Escape to Witch Mountain" and loved everything about it, including its cheesy special effects, overacting adults, and harmonica solos.  I also read (and reread and reread...) the wonderful book THE GIRL WITH THE SILVER EYES by Willo Davis Roberts.  So telekinesis has been on the list of awesome-things-I-want-to-write-about for a very long time.

But the novel wasn't truly born until I decided to give my girl very, very limited powers.  Kayla can't toss around cars or planes like Jean Grey.  She can't lift an X-wing fighter out of a swamp.  She can lift things about the size and weight of a credit card.  Maybe a pencil.  So she has to be clever and use her power creatively, if she's going to survive.

I had so much fun writing this book.  It was an adventure that took me around the world (not literally, of course -- in real life, I stayed nicely close to my refrigerator), up mountains and into catacombs and as close as I'll ever get to a lava lake.  Writing it felt like hanging out with very cool friends, the kind of friends who always make you laugh and who always share the salsa.  I hope you have fun reading it!

And if you're in the NYC area, I'll be signing copies of CHASING POWER this Friday (10/17/14) at 6pm at Books of Wonder.  I hope you'll come and say hi!

More about CHASING POWER, including the first two chapters, can be found here.

Congratulations to Chasing Power Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the CHASING POWER giveaway!

The winner is: Erin P.  Congratulations!

For those of you who didn't win and are now bereft, here is a song about pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows to cheer you up:

Also to cheer you up... CHASING POWER comes out on Tuesday!!!!!!!

Giveaway of CHASING POWER

My new YA novel CHASING POWER comes out from Bloomsbury in exactly one week!!!!!!!!!!

In honor of this, I'm doing a giveaway of a signed copy of CHASING POWER:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
CHASING POWER is the story of Kayla, a sixteen-year-old girl who can move things with her mind, and Daniel, a boy who can teleport across continents and who lies as easily as he travels. Together, they embark on an Indiana-Jones-style adventure to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family, and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive... or survive.  Click here to read the first two chapters.

One week until pub day!!!  *runs in circles, flails arms like Muppet*

Excerpt from CHASING POWER

Two months until CHASING POWER comes out!!!  I can't wait for you all to meet Kayla!  She was so much fun to write.

I just added the first two chapters to my website, so you can get a taste of her story.  Here's how it starts:

Razor blade.

Thread.

Gum.

A ball of tinfoil.

A dull fishing hook.

Kayla checked each pocket in her jean shorts, knotted the straps of her bikini top tighter, and pulled on her favorite black hoodie. She frowned at her bare feet. She'd blend in better with flip-flops, but she could run better in sneakers, if anything went wrong. After a half second, she chose the sneakers. She believed in herself, but she also believed in the supreme idiocy of people and their tendency to interfere in the most inconvenient way possible.

Click here to read more.

If you're a reviewer, librarian, bookseller, or other publishing industry professional, please note that the eGalley (digital advance reader copy) of CHASING POWER is now available.  Click here to request it on NetGalley!

In related news, CHASING POWER received a lovely review from Kirkus:

"Snappy dialogue, snarky teens and explosive exploits. A quick but complex read -- enjoyable on both counts." -- Kirkus
 
As well as two blurbs from two wonderful writers:

"A riveting adventure tale. Action-packed, suspenseful and a lot of fun!" -- Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times bestselling author of the Blue Bloods series

"Chasing Power took me on a magical rollercoaster ride through dusty tombs and ancient catacombs at such breakneck speeds, the only thing I could do was tightly grip the safety bar and hope I made it through to the other side. Part Indiana Jones, part Jumper, the heroes travel faster than the speed of light but even that isn't quick enough for them to escape the treachery, mystery, and danger waiting around every corner." -- Colleen Houck, New York Times bestselling author of the Tiger's Curse series

And I also got word last week that production has started on the CHASING POWER audiobook, which I'm really, really excited about.  I can't wait to hear what Kayla sounds like -- you know, outside of my own head.  (Kind of a freaky thing when the voices in your head start actually talking out loud...)

Anyway, I hope you all have been having a wonderful summer, and I hope you enjoy the excerpt from CHASING POWER!

Cover Art Reveal: CHASING POWER

Please imagine your favorite drummer performing a stupendous drum roll...

I am so, so, so excited to be able to share with you the cover for my next YA novel, CHASING POWER, coming from Bloomsbury on October 14, 2014:

What do you think?!?  I'm quite in love with it.  I especially like the hint of blue and purple in the glass of the bulb.

Bloomsbury is giving away an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of the book to celebrate. Follow this link to the announcement on Twitter and retweet for a chance to win!

Here's what the book is about:

Sixteen-year-old Kayla was born with the ability to move things with her mind -- things like credit cards and buttons on cash registers -- and she has become a master shoplifter. She steals to build up enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again . . . which would mean grave danger for them both.

When she's caught stealing by a boy named Daniel -- a boy with the ability to teleport -- he needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it. Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family -- and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive . . . or survive.

I'm so excited for October!  I can't wait for you to meet Kayla!

CONJURED Audiobook & New Title for My Next YA

A few announcements:

(1)

My latest YA book, CONJURED, is now an audiobook!!!

It's produced by Audible and narrated by Holly Fielding.  I can't express how very, very cool (and admittedly freaky) it is to hear one's words read by someone else.  Kind of feels like drawing a picture of an imaginary girl, and then having the girl say hello and walk off the page.  The narrator does a fabulous job and hits just the right hauntingly creepy tone.  You can listen to a sample here, if you're curious.

(2)

For almost every one of my books, the process of finding just the right title required sifting through many, many not-quite-right titles.  With only one exception, the title I gave the book while writing it was not the one it ended up with.  (The exception was VESSEL, which was always VESSEL.)  The fact is, titles are hard!  You've got all the pressure of naming a new baby -- you know, pick something that can't be mocked on the playground and won't otherwise scar him/her for life -- but you can't go with any traditional names.  It's fine to name your new baby girl Emma, but it's frowned upon to name your new book OF MICE AND MEN or GONE WITH THE WIND.

I am very pleased to announce that my next YA novel (formerly titled MIND OVER MAGIC) now has a new, final title:

CHASING POWER

It will be coming out in October 2014 from Bloomsbury/Walker and is about a girl with telekinesis.  I'll be posting more about it soon!

(3)

Speaking of soon...  my first book for adults, THE LOST, is coming out in less than three months!  Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

In honor of this, I redid my website to showcase the lovely blue cover: www.sarahbethdurst.com.  What do you think???

I've also updated the Appearances page to include my spring events.  (Is it spring yet?  I am so ready for spring.  All our trees and bushes are still bent from the weight of all the snow and ice.  Oh, and the gutter fell off our roof.  Fell.  Off.  The.  Roof.  It filled with ice and crashed down, taking out an outdoor light fixture and bending a hose spigot on its way to the ground.  That was exciting.)

(4)

It's not spring yet.

But it will be soon.  I hope.

Happy almost spring!