For months now, I've revised and revised and revised my current manuscript. I hadn't planned to spend so much time doing that, but it's the first book in a new trilogy, and there's a lot I need to figure out. I'm still in the process of revising and hopefully soon my book will be ready... Continue Reading →
Unseelie Queen: from the archives
Can you believe it's been three years since I published Unseelie Queen (Crown of Tír na nÓg #2)? Today, July 19th 2024, marks the three-year anniversary of Unseelie Queen. And whenever my books hit such a milestone, I like to take a moment to appreciate my own work. While I was skimming my Scrivener file,... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Spriggans
Spriggan by Brian Froud My interest in this creature was piqued the second I saw Brian Froud's drawing of a spriggan. This small, dour-looking creature may not appear all too dangerous at first glance. However, spriggans can inflate themselves into monstrous forms, and even in their smaller form, they should not be underestimated. In his... Continue Reading →
Goddess of Light: From First Draft to Final Draft
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 →
The Welsh Goddess Dôn
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 →
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 Tale of Oisín and Niamh
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 →
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 →
Chapters 1 – 3 of GODDESS OF LIGHT (The Crown of Tír na nÓg #3)
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 →
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 →
Sarah Tanzmann 