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 →
2023 in review. What’s next?
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 →
Book review: Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy by Natasha Ngan
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 →
I finished Draft 1 of Book 4… and it didn’t go as expected!
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 →
The illusion of perfection
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 →
How I create characters (plus: a sneak peek at my next project!)
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 →
Unseelie Queen: From Draft 1 to Draft 7
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 →
Pride Month 2022: My Favorite LGBTQ+ Books
Three years ago I published a post about some of my favorite LGBTQ+ books at the time. (You can read that here if you're interested.) And I figured since it's been a while, I'll take a look at some more books that I've enjoyed reading*. *this list is in no particular order GIRL, SERPENT, THORN... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
Ever wondered what a magical heist would look like? Six of Crows was published over 6 years ago, so you might be asking yourself: why is Sarah talking about it now? Has she lived under a rock the past few years? I might as well have, as I didn't pay much attention to the books... Continue Reading →
Update: I finished Draft 1 of Book 3
On August 12, I set out to write Book 3 in my Crown of Tír na nÓg series. I wrote a blog post about it a little while back (you can read it here). Today, on November 10, I put down the final words. I haven't quite reached the word count I had aimed for... Continue Reading →
Sarah Tanzmann 