THE DEEPEST BLUE comes out today!!!

Today is the book birthday for my newest book, THE DEEPEST BLUE!!! And I'm so excited to share it with you for two reasons: One, I loved writing this book so much! Two, this book has sea monsters.

So. Many. Sea. Monsters.

THE DEEPEST BLUE is a standalone epic fantasy for adults, published by Harper Voyager. Mayara, a fearless oyster diver, is about to marry the love of her life when an unnatural storm hits her island, and wild spirits from the sea ravage her village. To save her loved ones, Mayara reveals a dangerous secret: she has the power to control the spirits.

When the storm ends, she is taken into custody by the queen's soldiers and imprisoned with other women like her. They are sent to an island filled with bloodthirsty nature spirits, and left without food, water, shelter, or any tools except their own instincts and magic. Whoever survives the Island of Testing will be declared heirs to the queen. But no matter if she wins or loses, Mayara knows that the life she dreamed of is gone.

If you're interested, more information can be found on my website, including the first three chapters: www.sarahbethdurst.com/DeepestBlue.htm

THE DEEPEST BLUE is set in the same world as my Queens of Renthia trilogy, but you don't have to have read the trilogy first -- it's a new story with new characters. (If you have read the Queens books, though, there will be one familiar face!)

When I first created Renthia, I drew a map. I could see it all so clearly: A world with out-of-control nature spirits would be a world of extreme natural beauty, as well as danger. Lothlorien-like forests with cities nestled in the branches. Mountains so high they pierced the clouds. Endless glaciers. And an ocean filled with sea monsters. In the Queens of Renthia trilogy (which starts with THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, continues with THE RELUCTANT QUEEN, and concludes with THE QUEEN OF SORROW), I got the chance to explore the forests of Aratay and the mountains of Semo.

But I wanted more.

I wanted to know what was happening on those islands I'd doodled to the south. How did the people there live? How did they survive the spirits and the sea?

I got my answer when I jotted down what became the first sentence of THE DEEPEST BLUE:

"On the dawn of her wedding day, Mayara knotted her diving belt around her waist and climbed the skull of a long-dead sea monster."

Mayara is fueled by the love in her life -- the love of her husband, her family, and her friends. And that is what enables her to face the krakens, sea dragons, and other monsters of her world.

Even though I'd never dive through the eye socket of a leviathan's skull, I am fueled by those same things. So I'd like to take this moment to say thank you to my friends, my family, and my readers for giving me strength and for being so wonderful!

And as always, thanks for reading!

THE DEEPEST BLUE comes out tomorrow!

This is what happens when you open a box of books around a cat. In other news, THE DEEPEST BLUE is coming out tomorrow!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Excerpt from THE DEEPEST BLUE

One week until THE DEEPEST BLUE comes out!!! If you need more sea monsters in your life before then, I've posted an excerpt on my website. You can read the first three chapters here: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/DeepestBlueexcerpt.htm

 

One Week and One Day!

One week and one day until THE DEEPEST BLUE is out in the world!! And one week left to preorder your own signed copy! WORD Bookstore is offering signed (and personalized) copies to anyone who preorders from their website! 

www.wordbookstores.com/sarahbethdurst

 

Preorder Signed Copies of THE DEEPEST BLUE

If you like your books both signed and full of sea monsters... I'm very happy to tell you that WORD Bookstore is offering signed (and personalized) copies of my forthcoming epic fantasy, THE DEEPEST BLUE, to anyone who preorders from their website! https://www.wordbookstores.com/sarahbethdurst

 

Coming Soon: THE DEEPEST BLUE

Look at this awesomeness that Harper Voyager made for my forthcoming standalone epic fantasy, THE DEEPEST BLUE!!! I think I've watched it approximately 3 bajillion times already...

If you can't see the video above, you can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/sarahbethdurst/videos/372005536685824/

THE DEEPEST BLUE Unboxing

Look what came in the mail!!! Early finished hardcover copies of THE DEEPEST BLUE, my forthcoming epic fantasy from Harper Voyager! Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!

If you can't see the video above, you can view it here:
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.b.durst/videos/10157195722433944/

Remember that scene at the end of Back to the Future when George McFly receives a box of his first published SFF novel? I was 11 years old, watching it in the theater, and I remember thinking, "I want that box." Made a huge impression.

Now, every time a box of author copies arrives, I call it my Back-to-the-Future box. So very, very excited! THE DEEPEST BLUE comes out in less than a month!

Facebook Live Event & Giveaway on 1/28 at 2pm

Just found out that I'll be visiting the HarperCollins offices in NYC on Monday and will be doing a reading/Q&A via Facebook Live for my forthcoming epic fantasy THE DEEPEST BLUE! Click over to my Facebook Author Page (link below) on Monday at 2pm and ask me anything for a chance to win one of five signed advance copies! Since this will be LIVE, I'll most likely make a total fool of myself! You don't want to miss it!!!

https://www.facebook.com/sarahbethdurst/

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

 

Cover Reveal for THE DEEPEST BLUE

I am so excited to share with you the cover for my upcoming novel, THE DEEPEST BLUE!!!

I love the moment a book gets its cover.  Suddenly it feels so much more real -- like the story is walking out of my imagination and into the world.  And I am so extremely excited for THE DEEPEST BLUE to be heading into the world because I loved writing it so much.

THE DEEPEST BLUE is set on the islands of Belene, a string of islands besieged by a capricious ocean full of malicious spirits.  Mayara, one of the fearless oyster divers, is about to marry the love of her life when an unnatural storm hits her island, and wild spirits from the sea ravage her village.

To save her loved ones, Mayara reveals a dangerous secret: she has the power to control the spirits.  When the storm ends, she is taken into custody by the queen's soldiers and is sent, along with other women like her, to an island filled with bloodthirsty nature spirits, and left without food, water, shelter, or any tools except their own instincts and magic.  Whoever survives the Island of Testing will be declared heirs to the queen.

As the text at the top of the cover says, THE DEEPEST BLUE is a Tale of Renthia, which means it's a brand new story with brand new characters, a standalone epic fantasy set in the world of Renthia but in a different country than the Queens of Renthia trilogy.  You don't have to have read the Queens trilogy to read this book -- though readers who have will recognize one familiar face!

When we were talking about what to put on the cover, my editor at Harper Voyager asked me to send a description of the three deadliest sea monsters in the story.  This is what I sent him:

"Three of them woke, giant monsters that dwarfed imagination.  One was shaped like a dragon with a scaly serpent's body, blackened wings, and eyes that were white-hot embers.  Another was a kraken, with tentacles the thickness of a ship's hull.  And the third was a many-headed snake, with a body that could wrap around the city of Yena."

As you can see, the artist and designer took this description and ran with it.  I am absolutely in awe of the glorious gorgeousness of their work!  Thank you so much to Larry Rostant, the amazing artist who created the magnificent medallion of my leviathans, and to Elsie Lyons, who designed the cover, as well as everyone else at HarperCollins who was involved in its creation.  I am so very grateful and thrilled to have such a gorgeous cover and to be able to share it with you today!

THE DEEPEST BLUE comes out on March 19, 2019, from Harper Voyager.

https://www.harpervoyagerbooks.com/sarah-beth-durst-on-the-cover-for-the-deepest-blue/

http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/DeepestBlue.htm