Drink, Slay, Love

I have BIG news!

You know that Top Sekrit Project that I've been talking about? Well, it's not top secret anymore! Here's the announcement in Publishers Marketplace:

Children's: Young Adult
Sarah Beth Durst's DRINK, SLAY, LOVE, about a vampire girl who develops a conscience after she is stabbed through the heart by a unicorn's horn, to Karen Wojtyla at Margaret K. McElderry Books, in a two-book deal, by Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger (world).

Words cannot express how excited I am about this. So I shall resort to sounds:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

I have had the best time writing this book. Seriously, it has been so much fun that I have felt secretly guilty for enjoying the process so much.

Most of that is due to Pearl, my vampire girl. She's kick-ass. And, you know, mostly evil. I love her. I wouldn't ever want to meet her in a dark alley, but I love her.

I also love my unicorns. These are not your run-of-the-mill fluffy My Little Pony unicorns. These are were-unicorns who slay vampires (because who better to hunt vampires than someone with a built-in stake).

So. Much. Fun. To. Write.

And I am so thrilled to finally be able to tell you about it. I have been sitting on this news for a while, but now it's official!

DRINK, SLAY, LOVE will be out from Simon & Schuster in fall 2011, followed by an untitled second book in fall 2012. I am sooooo happy that I get to continue working with my wonderful editor, Karen Wojtyla, on these books. And I am sooooo grateful to my amazing agent, Andrea Somberg, for putting this deal together.

I shall now commence the Snoopy Dance of Joy!

Jedi Fireworks

Only thing I don't like about Return of the Jedi: the fireworks.

In a galaxy far, far away, why would the fireworks look like 1990s Earth fireworks? Fireworks technology changes. Also, why does everyone have fireworks displays at the ready? It was a surprise attack by the Rebels (or it was supposed to be). Have they been keeping the fireworks prepared for the last few decades? Seems a bit optimistic of them. Like keeping confetti in your pocket for years in case you find yourself in the middle of an unexpected surprise party.

Aside from that... BEST MOVIES EVER.

I hear a single line of dialogue from Star Wars, and I feel instantly comforted, as if I've bitten into a chocolate chip cookie or sunk into a bed with a dozen pillows. The first movie in particular (A New Hope, of course, NOT Phantom Menace) is, for me, the ultimate in storytelling and the obvious answer to "What's your favorite movie?"

I also like The Princess Bride, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. But really, Star Wars tops them all. And for the record, Han MUST shoot first.

The trilogy was on TV last night as I was working on polishing my Top Sekrit Project. I'm at the scrutinize-every-sentence-for-clarity-and-poetry stage, which is one of my favorite stages because I love playing with language. Only thing I don't like about this stage is that I means I'll be done soon.

I used to look forward to finishing a novel, thinking there would be some great sense of accomplishment. Or a parade. Or at least a few elephants in fancy hula outfits. But after writing several novels, I now know that I feel a bit bereft after I finish. I miss my characters. I miss my world. I miss writing the novel that I've been immersed in. So I've stopped looking forward to finishing and have just been enjoying being immersed in the novel.

I think there's some deep life lesson in this: enjoy the ride or it's all about the journey or keep the fireworks ready or whatever.

Top Sekrit Project

Brace yourself. I'm about to begin this post with the most cliched opening possible:

So sorry I haven't blogged in a while!

But I have a very good reason: I've been writing. A lot.

I'm working on a brand-new novel. Can't tell you about it yet. Top sekrit. Shhh... I may have already said too much. *ducks and hides*

Seriously, though, I'm having the BEST time writing this book. All I want to do is write it. I resent having to sleep because it's perfectly good writing time wasted. (Plus I've been having these tremendously boring dreams. Other night, I dreamed we ran out of paper towels. Ooh, exciting. Go, subconscious, go.)

I think my writing process has changed a bit with this novel. I used to speed through the first draft as quickly as possible so I could get to the fun part of writing -- revising -- where the story comes to life. My rule was always: write to the end and don't look back. This time, though, every time the writing slows, I stop, backtrack, and restart from the point at which it started to slow. It feels sort of like a two-steps-forward-one-step-back kind of dance.

At any rate, it's working, and I'm working hard, and I can't wait to tell you guys all about my new Top Sekrit Project!!!