YALLFest 2026

So excited to announce that I'll be at YALLFest this year!!! Will I see you there?

Check out this incredible author lineup: https://www.yallfest.org/authors

The Ninth Life of an Erstwhile Witch - available to preorder

Now available for preorder! My forthcoming cozy fantasy about a 28-year-old retired war sorceress and her rescued magical cats! So many magical cats! Think Galadriel goes cottagecore! Coming July 13, 2027!

http://sarahbethdurst.com/NinthLife.htm

Goodreads Giveaway for THE IMAGITORIUM

Goodreads giveaway for THE IMAGITORIUM, my forthcoming children's book about a girl and her imaginary friend who set off to save a magical factory full of fantastic creatures! Think Willy Wonka meets Howl's Moving Castle meets Build-A-Bear for imaginary friends! Out 3/2/27! Giveaway ends Sept 28.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/445584-the-imagitorium

New Book Deal!!!

NEW BOOK DEAL!!! I'm super excited to announce that I sold three new cozy fantasy books to my editors at Bramble/Tor in the US and the UK! The first one, set in a brand new fantasy world, is about a 28-year-old retired war sorceress and her rescued magical cats! So. Many. Magical. Cats. Think Galadriel goes cottagecore! It's called THE NINTH LIFE OF AN ERSTWHILE WITCH and is coming out in July 2027!!! And did I mention it's going to have gorgeous stenciled edges!!! The other two books are the fifth and sixth books in the Spellshop series, both of which are planned for publication in 2028! I'm so thrilled that I get to play in a new world while also diving deeper into the world of THE SPELLSHOP! It's literally the best of both worlds! NINTH LIFE is currently available for preorder from some retailers (including Bookshop.org and BN.com) and will become available for preorder from others over the next month or so!

http://sarahbethdurst.com/NinthLife.htm

The Adirondack Family Book Festival 2026

I'm headed to Lake Placid, NY on Saturday (8/15) for The Adirondack Family Book Festival! Join us at the Olympic Oval from 9:30am to 4:00pm!

https://adirondackfamilybookfestival.com/

Happy UK Book Birthday to SEA OF CHARMS!

Today is the UK Book Birthday of SEA OF CHARMS!!! Yayyy!!! I am so excited for readers in the UK to dive back into the world of THE SPELLSHOP and join Marin, Dax, Perri, and Ree as they sail the Crescent Islands!

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/sarah-beth-durst/sea-of-charms/9781035079520

SEA OF CHARMS is an instant New York Times, USA Today, and Indie Bestseller!!!

OMG!!! My editors just called to tell me that SEA OF CHARMS hit the New York Times Hardcover Fiction (No. 5), New York Times Combined Print & E-Book Fiction (No. 8), USA Today (No. 6), and Indie Hardcover Fiction (No. 7) bestseller lists!!!!! I'm sobbing!!! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!! And so many thanks to my wonderful agent Andrea Somberg, my incredible editors Ali Fisher and Dianna Vega, and the entire magnificent publishing team at Bramble/Tor/Macmillan! I can't believe this is my life, and I am so grateful to all my readers for making it a reality! I promise to keep writing as many books as my fingers can type for as long as you all want to read them! And to be honest, I'll almost certainly keep writing them long after that! I love you all so much!!!

August 2026 Events

I'm home from my SEA OF CHARMS book tour and excited for all the awesome book events I've got lined up this month! Hope to see you there! http://sarahbethdurst.com/appearances.htm

SEA OF CHARMS comes out today!!!

Today is the book birthday for my new cozy fantasy, SEA OF CHARMS!!!

I wrote this book to be an escape for anyone who needs it -- and to be a reminder that there's wonder, hope, and love to be found amidst life's fires and storms.

It's about a sailor named Marin who takes to the sea with her crew (a singing sea serpent, a world-famous musician, and a shrub who loves the sea) in hopes of starting over. Set against the backdrop of a revolution, SEA OF CHARMS is about finding your crew, your family, and yourself. 

At its heart, it's about choosing your own happiness.

SEA OF CHARMS takes place in the world of THE SPELLSHOP and THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE -- it's a standalone so you don't have to have read the prior books (though if you have, you will see some familiar faces!). It has absolutely gorgeous cover art by Lulu Chen, as well as beautiful blue sprayed edges.

Thank you to everyone at Bramble and Macmillan for bringing this book to life and for being such a joy to work with! I loved every second of writing this book, and I am incredibly excited for readers to join Marin and her crew as they sail to new islands, discover new wonders, and find hope, joy, love, friendship, winged cats, talking plants, and prize-winning peach pie!

Happy sailing!

http://sarahbethdurst.com/SeaofCharms.htm

YA Midwest Book Fest

This Saturday, July 25, I'll be at the YA Midwest Book Festival, hosted by Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL! I'll be doing four fantastic panels and a signing! I can't wait! Hope to see you there!

https://andersonsbookshop.com/event/2026-07-25/ya-midwest-2026

SEA OF CHARMS Book Tour

I'm SO excited to be heading out on book tour for SEA OF CHARMS next week!!! I can't wait to see you all in Long Island, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Indiana, Denver, Los Angeles, and Portland!!! It's going to be so much fun! Will I see you there? Tickets and info here: http://sarahbethdurst.com/appearances.htm

Happy Paperback Book Birthday to THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE!

Happy paperback book birthday to THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE!!! My cozy fantasy set in the world of THE SPELLSHOP about a librarian who was once a statue, a grumpy gardener, magical plants, a winged cat, tiny dragons, honey cakes, hope, love, and joy is out today in paperback with gorgeous mint green sprayed edges! And it includes a sneak peek at SEA OF CHARMS, which comes out in just two weeks! I wrote this book for anyone who might need a dose of comfort, joy, and kindness. And I'm so thrilled that the paperback will soon be in the hands of its readers!

The Wednesday Witches Book Club

Surprise! I wrote a short story! It's called The Wednesday Witches Book Club, a cozy fantasy mystery that's part of the forthcoming Amazon Original Stories MAGIC & MYSTERY collection, puzzle-box mysteries from top fantasy authors, edited by John Joseph Adams. I'm honored to be part of this amazing collection, which also includes stories by Travis Baldree, Robert Jackson Bennett, Heather Fawcett, Scott Lynch, Tananarive Due, and J. M. Miro!

A book-loving witch finds magic and mystery in a whimsical short story about the transformative power of friendship and community by the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop.

After a challenging divorce, Ashley joins a witchy book club in search of a new social life. But when members start being transformed one by one, Ashley and the remaining book club members must uncover the culprit behind these sinister spells. With time running out until she’s the next target, she turns to her grimoire for answers. Because what better way to catch a magical culprit than through stories?

The whole collection will be free for Prime and Kindle Unlimited subscribers in ebook and audio starting on pub day, July 28. Info here: www.amazon.com/magicandmystery or www.amazon.co.uk/magicandmystery

Cover Reveal for THE MAGICAL CHEESE EMPORIUM

COVER REVEAL!!! I’m so excited to share the gorgeous cover of THE MAGICAL CHEESE EMPORIUM, coming in January from Bramble — the fourth standalone cozy fantasy in the world of THE SPELLSHOP, THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE, and SEA OF CHARMS!

THE MAGICAL CHEESE EMPORIUM is about the places that tell you you're home when everything burns down and daring to see old friends with new eyes. Prepare for hard work, sparkly dreams, and lots of magical cheese!

Cover illustration: Lulu Chen
Cover design: Esther S. Kim

Coming 1/19/27 and now available for preorder: http://sarahbethdurst.com/Cheese.htm

SEA OF CHARMS is an Indie Next Pick!

Thank you, independent booksellers!!! I'm beyond thrilled and so incredibly grateful that SEA OF CHARMS has been selected as an Indie Next Pick by the American Booksellers Association! YAYYYYYY!!!!!

https://www.bookweb.org/news/august-2026-indie-next-list-preview-1632929

B&N Preorder Sale

Barnes & Noble is having a huge preorder sale!!! Preorder SEA OF CHARMS, THE MAGICAL CHEESE EMPORIUM, and/or THE IMAGITORIUM on BN.com now through 6/26 to save at least 25%!

 

LibraryReads Hall of Fame

SEA OF CHARMS is a LibraryReads Hall of Fame Title for July!!! Thanks so much, librarians! 📚🎉

Amazon's Best YA Books of 2026 So Far

So thrilled, honored, and grateful to share that THE FARAWAY INN was selected as one of Amazon's Best YA Books of 2026 So Far (#8)!!! Thanks so much, Amazon Editors! And thanks so much to all the incredible readers who made this possible by reading and sharing this cozy book!

https://www.amazon.com/b?_encoding=UTF8&node=5522563011

Jane Yolen

I love this photo because I was so ridiculously incandescently happy to be sitting between two of my childhood heroes, Jane Yolen and Tamora Pierce, that I look like I'm about to levitate out of my chair and straight up through the roof. This is from Boskone in 2008, about half a year after my very first book came out. 

I first met Jane in 1999. Just looked up my notes from back then -- I was a baby aspiring writer at the time, and I kept notes whenever I went to book events -- and I'd written down one of the things she said: "Great books that resonate forever are those about the getting of wisdom." I also wrote underneath that: "I'm starstruck."

Jane Yolen wrote many, many great books (450, to be precise), including my favorites WHERE HAVE THE UNICORNS GONE? (illustrated by Ruth Sanderson) and DRAGON'S BLOOD (The Pit Dragon Chronicles). And she touched countless lives with both her wisdom and her kindness. She was a light. 

I last saw Jane in 2024 with her daughter Heidi Stemple, and I am so very grateful for the memory of every single time I've had the privilege of seeing her. She was wise, kind, funny, smart, and wonderful. She lived her life filled with words and love, and I can think of no better way to be.

What a profound loss for the world. What a tremendous legacy she leaves behind. She was so loved and will be so missed. 

Sending so much love and sympathy to her family -- to Heidi Stemple, Adam Stemple, and Jason Stemple -- and to everyone who loved her.

Walmart Exclusive Preorder Campaign for SEA OF CHARMS

STICKERS!!! Walmart is running a preorder campaign for SEA OF CHARMS! If you preorder SEA OF CHARMS from Walmart.com via this exclusive deal, they'll include with the book a pack of 6 sticker sheets featuring images from the Spellshop series! They have a limited number of these sticker packs, so this offer will only be available while supplies last. If you're interested, you can preorder here: https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/20339724200