Exclusive Author Interview: Sarah Beth Durst

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Author Sarah Beth Durst joins SciFiChick.com today to talk about her latest book, The Girl Who Could Not Dream!

  • Tell us a bit about THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM in your own words.

It’s about a girl whose family owns a secret dream shop where they buy, bottle, and sell dreams, and the adventures that she and her best friend — a loyal and cupcake-loving monster named Monster — go on when someone starts kidnapping dreamers.

  • Who is Sophie, and why are dreams so important to her?

Sophie is a twelve year old girl who can’t dream. When she does dream — which she can only do by drinking someone else’s bottled dream — the creatures in her dreams come to life. (Hence her best friend, Monster. He was from a classic monster-in-the-closet dream.)

Because her parents own a dream shop, she is surrounded by other people’s dreams — a constant reminder of what she can’t have. Not having her own dreams makes her feel different and lonely and like she’s missing out on something magical, beautiful, and vital.

I love dreams. I always try to think about something awesome right before I fall asleep, in hopes I’ll dream about that instead of a boring missed-the-train or can’t-find-the-bathroom dream.

  • Each of your novels seem to have a vastly feel, despite all being in the fantasy genre. Do you read a variety of different books? Does this influence your writing style?

Um… no. ducks head in embarrassment I know every writing teacher will tell you it’s important to read a wide variety of books. But honestly? Life is short. I read what I love. And what I love is fantasy. My favorite kind of book is one that takes you on an adventure, one that introduces you to new friends, and one that makes you feel as if the world is just a bit larger and more magical than you thought it was before.

And yes, this absolutely influences my writing style, because I try to write the kind of book that I would want to read. Really, that’s my primary criteria for every idea, for every character, for every scene: Would I want to read this?

  • What are you working on next?

Next, I’m working on an epic fantasy trilogy for adults about bloodthirsty nature spirits and the women who can control them. The first book, THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, will be coming out in fall 2016 from Harper Voyager. I’m really, really excited about it!

  • What’s your strangest dream that you remember?

I was Cindy Brady’s invisible best friend. I lived in the corner of the square between Cindy and Alice. I was there when the football hit Marsha’s nose. I was there when the boys put itching powder in the sleeping bags. And I flew for help when Bobby and Greg get trapped in the meat locker — but no one could see me because I was invisible.

Absolutely no idea why I had this dream, but for days afterward, I couldn’t get the Brady Bunch theme song out of my head.