Interview, Sarah Beth Durst
A little background: I love me a good re-told fairy tale. I even more, appreciate a story that’s set somewhere out of the ordinary. Enter Sarah Beth Durst’s Ice. I mean. Wow. What a fantastic book. It’s got plotting, hopeless causes…just fantastic. Recently, Sarah has released Eat, Slay, Love. Recently and i strongly suggest you go out and check it out.
Without further ado, Sarah Beth Dust, welcome to Oberon’s Law!
1. I think the first question asked by everyone on the planet is, “how did you get to where you are”. So – how did you come to have multiple books and a growing literary empire? (including Ice, an Andre Norton award finalist, and a personal favorite of mine)
So happy you liked Ice! Thanks!
I started my empire by sacking Rome with an army of elephants and battle hedgehogs… Seriously, though, I became a writer through, well, writing. I know that sounds glib, but it’s the truth. To become a writer, you have to write. You can’t wait for the muse to show up or for wide stretches of free time. You have to carve the time out of your day, grab the muse by the throat, write your novel, and then submit it. Then rinse, lather, repeat.
2. Your new book Drink, Slay, Love is just about to come out. If you had to describe it in ten words, what would you say?
Simon & Schuster describes it as “an acerbic antidote to other vampire romances.” It’s about a vampire girl who is stabbed through the heart by a were-unicorn.
3. What other projects are you working on right now? Could you give us a snippet or a favorite line?
One of my favorite bits of DRINK, SLAY, LOVE is a conversation witnessed by my vampire girl just before she gets hit by a pickup truck:
“Two scoops vanilla,” the tall boy said. “Whipped cream on top. And a scoop of jimmies on the side.” Brad shuffled to the vanilla vat to fulfill the boy’s request.
“Dude, they’re called sprinkles,” the chubby boy said.
“Jimmies,” Tall said. “I bow to the regional flavor of American dialect.”
Chubby shook his head. “Oh, dude, no, only the chocolate ones are jimmies. Those are rainbow colored. You’re getting sprinkles. Know thy ice cream condiment.”
Tall interrupted Brad. “Hey, if all you have are sprinkles, then I desire the crushed Oreos.”
Chubby said, “You can’t possibly taste the difference between sprinkles and jimmies.”
“I have a discerning palette,” Tall said.
As for other projects… I am currently working on a YA fantasy called VESSEL that will be out in fall 2012 from Simon & Schuster.
4. If you were to give your teenage self some advice–of any sort–what would it be?
Be kind to yourself. And don’t hate your hair so much. Also, make sure you meet the guy who lives next to you in college. You’ll end up marrying him someday, and it will be awesome.
5. If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be and why?
Kiwi. We have the same hair. Oh, wait, I’m supposed to be kind to my hair…
Thanks so much for interviewing me!
