Q&A With Sarah Beth Durst

I’m so excited about doing this Q&A with New York Times Bestselling Author Sarah Beth Durst. Sarah has written over 25 fantasy novels for children, young adults and adults. Some of her novels are Spy Ring, The Lake House, The Bone Maker, her recent release The SpellShop & coming out on February 11^th, 2025, The Warbler. 

Q: Sarah would you please give a brief description of The SpellShop & the upcoming release The Warbler? 

A: The Spellshop is a cozy fantasy. Very cozy. Very cottagecore. It’s about a librarian who works in the Great Library of Alyssium. When a revolution breaks out in the city and the library starts to burn, she and her library assistant (and best friend), who is a sentient spider plant, gather up all the books they can and flee to the only place she can think of to go — a remote and beautiful island that was her childhood home.  There, they set up a rather illegal spellshop that, as a front, sells raspberry jam! It’s a book about kindness, empathy, found family, and second chances.

The Warbler is book club fiction (which means it has much less jam, though it does have a bookshop). It’s about a woman who believes that if she stays in one place, she will transform into a tree. At its heart, it’s about mothers and daughters and how one person’s choice can be another person’s curse.

Q: Where do your ideas for your fantasy novels come from?

A: There’s this myth that ideas come as lightning strikes — a burst of inspiration sent from the muse, or whatever. Much more often, ideas start as tiny sparks, and you need to allow the sparks to gather and collect and grow into a fire.

I have written entire novels simply by asking the question: “What if?”

And I have also written entire novels by opening up a Word document, typing at the top “Things I Think Are Awesome,” listing out fifty items, and then choosing three and shoving them together.

Ideas can come from anywhere. The trick is to allow them to grow.

In the case of The Spellshop, I started with a feeling. A vibe. I wanted the reader to feel as if they’d just been hugged. And I built the story around that, filling it with as many things that give me delight and wonder as possible, such as merhorses, stolen spellbooks, quirky neighbors, a sentient plant, a beautiful cottage, fresh raspberries, a random unexplained unicorn…

Q: What emotions and lessons do you want readers to feel and learn after reading your fantasy novels?

A: I want readers to feel hope.

I’d say that is the common thread through all of my novels, whether they’re for adults or kids, whether they’re cozy or epic or a thriller. I want readers to feel that there’s hope.

For The Spellshop specifically, I wanted to create a book that felt like a deep breath. Like a sanctuary. A true escape. I wanted to say, “Everything’s going to be okay.”

So often, escape is treated like a negative or like it’s frivolous and unnecessary, when in fact it’s essential. We need to step away sometimes to come back stronger and ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead. I think that is one of the primary purposes of fantasy. Fantasy literature is (or can be) a literature of hope and empowerment.

Q: I know that you have The Warbler coming out next year. What is the plot for your next novel you are currently working on?

A: I am currently working on The Enchanted Greenhouse, which is a cozy fantasy set in the same world as The Spellshop. Different characters, different island, same vibe. It’s about a librarian who cast an illegal spell (one that created a sentient spider plant) and was transformed into a statue as punishment. This is the story of what happens AFTER that. It will be out from Bramble in July 2025, and I can’t wait for people to read it! I’m loving writing it!

Q: If/when Hollywood gets the rights to your work, who would be your dream cast to play the characters you created?

A: Ooh, I have no idea. Caz should of course be the most charismatic (and slightly anxious) plant in Hollywood. And Kiela… She should be someone who can play a likable introvert. As for Larran, he needs to have a smile that feels like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. The Mer horses will be more challenging to cast, but perhaps they can be played by a mermaid in a horse costume.