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SciFi Book Review: Department 19: The Rising

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Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill Jamie Carpenter and his Department 19 teammates Larissa and Kate are still dealing with the events at Lindisfarne. Jamie destroyed a powerful vampire, and rescued his mother. But his mother is now a vampire. And Jamie has been trying to keep his relationship with Larissa a secret, along … Read more

Fantasy Book Review: The Hallowed Ones

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The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle Synopsis: Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous … Read more

Exclusive Author Interview with Sarah Beth Durst

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SciFiChick.com recently had the opportunity to interview author Sarah Beth to talk about her latest release Vessel. Her novels Ice and Enchanted Ivy are two of my top favorite young adult novels that I always recommend. And last year’s Drink, Slay, Love was a fantastic vampire romance novel.

Reviews:
– Ice: https://scifichick.com/2009/11/11/book-review-ice/
– Enchanted Ivy: https://scifichick.com/2010/10/07/book-review-enchanted-ivy/
– Drink, Slay, Love: https://scifichick.com/2011/09/20/book-review-drink-slay-love/

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Can you tell us a bit about VESSEL in your own words?

VESSEL is about a girl who lives in a harsh desert land and is destined to sacrifice herself so her clan’s goddess can inhabit her body… but her goddess never comes.

Can you talk about Liyana’s character and the reason for her sacrifice?

Once a century, the goddess of the Goat Clan claims a human body and uses it to work the magic that fills the wells, revitalizes the oases, and increases the herds. Without this infusion of magic, the clan will wither and die.

Liyana has been chosen to give her body to the goddess. She doesn’t want to die, but she is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her clan and especially for the sake of her four-year-old brother. She is both brave and extremely practical as she faces her own death.

The creatures in VESSEL seem very unique. Where did the idea for the wolves of sand and serpents of glass come from?

I use the Rule of Awesome to develop my ideas. (Okay, yeah, I made up that term just now.) It goes something like this:

Me: I want to write about a desert.
My brain: Okay. But is it awesome?
Me: Deserts have sand storms. And wolves.
My brain: Okay. But is it awesome?
Me: The wolves are made out of sand.
My brain: Okay. But is it…
Me: And there are dragons made of sand… no, sky serpents made of GLASS. Unbreakable glass! And monstrous worms. And gods and goddesses that displace human souls when they…
My brain: Okay, okay! Write that.

This seems to be your first novel not set in world similar to present day Earth. Was that a natural progression that your fantasy world-building has taken?

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