Writer of YA Fiction
A new queen has been crowned. Following the battle against the Unseelies, Ophira’s Light Crown has been stolen and her reign thrown into question. Fay fails to convince her friends that Kayla is being controlled by something, and left without support, she teams up with an unlikely ally. But when they reach the Unseelie Court,... Continue Reading →
When Unseelie Queen had its first year anniversary, I had a look at my files (out of curiosity) to see how much the opening scene of the book had changed from the first draft to the final version. I posted both drafts on my blog, which you can read here. Tomorrow, April 19th 2024, marks... Continue Reading →
As a writer, I spend a lot of time inside my own mind. Self-doubt is a constant companion, and sometimes it even takes the steering wheel out of my hands and drives us right off a cliff. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my dreams of being a full-time author, and I will keep... Continue Reading →
Back in 2019, I flew out to London and went to YALC for the first time. And of course, I bought a lot of books. As many as my carry-on luggage allowed, at least. One of those books that I picked up was Girls of Paper and Fire. I'd read about it online, and I'm... Continue Reading →
While writing my Crown of Tír na nÓg trilogy, I took inspiration from the Celtic mythology, especially their notion of the Fair Folk. I learned a lot about the different creatures that exist within that notion (such as faeries, pixies, pookas, and faoladhs) but also about the different deities associated with the faerie belief. One... Continue Reading →
When I wrote my debut novel Seelie Princess, my process was all over the place. I had no idea how to plot, how to structure a story to make it engaging, or how to write prose that grabs a reader's attention. Draft 1 of that book was a mess, and I went through so many... Continue Reading →
I've always been a perfectionist. In school, I never studied to pass; I studied to get top grades. I was only ever satisfied if my end-of-year report card showed all As. Luckily, I was a bit more relaxed by the time I started my bachelor's degree, though I still strove to do as well as... Continue Reading →
Last month, I finally fulfilled a year-long dream of mine and travelled to Dublin, Ireland. We spent most of our stay within the city itself, but on one day we booked a bus trip across the country all the way to the opposite side to visit the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. During the bus... Continue Reading →
Every writer has a different approach to creating characters for their stories. When I wrote the first draft of SEELIE PRINCESS, I knew very little about my two main characters, Kayla and Fay. And some writers might find it exciting to learn about their characters as they progress through the story, but for me personally,... Continue Reading →
One year ago today, I published my second book in my Crown of Tír na nÓg series titled Unseelie Queen. Out of curiosity, I dug through my folders and looked at the opening scene of the very first draft. It is crucial to craft a compelling first scene; it needs to draw a reader in... Continue Reading →
Sarah Tanzmann 