Sara J. Lilienfeld
I'm currently working on the second draft of The Arcane Codex Book 3. The title is still alluding me, but overall I now have a firm grasp of the story (mostly). As I was reading my first draft in order to take notes on it, I realized three things in quick succession: 1) the first draft was a mess, 2) it had a lot of potential, and 3) I couldn't be more excited to start Draft 2. Because, for me,…
Due to being an author, I spend a lot of my time either writing or talking about what I've written. Long before I published anything, it was a huge passion of mine, and a massive aspect to my personality. Aside from reading, it's the first thing I remember falling in love with. Today, I wanted to share some of my non-writing hobbies with you, because as much as I love reading and writing fantasy,…
Last weekend was an exciting time for me! I revealed the cover design for Death & Destiny in the Mountains to the world. In case you missed it, here's the lovely art done by Ashton M. Smith of Ashton M. Smith Designs: I love the green tones and it matches the cover Magic & Murder in the Holler beautifully. Ends exist so something new can start Adeline Coburn returned home to Kentucky, but it’s not…
The saying goes "don't judge a book by its cover" and we all know by now that judging books by their covers is exactly what readers do. Choosing a title is, I'd argue, equally important as choosing the right cover. On the shelf, a great cover will draw a reader in, but having a good, intriguing title and blurb convinces them to buy it. Or at least, that's how I chose most of the books I buy.…
In case you didn't know, I've been working on my second book. Death & Destiny in the Mountains, for over a year. I'm currently working on final edits, and I've selected the publication date, but it hasn't been announced yet. When I was working on my debut, I talked about the mistakes and lessons I learned through each step of the process: drafting, revising, publishing, etc. This time around, I…
Hello, I know it's been a while. February seemed to fly by and so has most of March. I've been meaning to provide updates on my writing, as I intend to do every month, but time has really slipped by me so far this year. The latest draft of Death & Destiny in the Mountains is currently with my amazing editor. I'm supposed to get her feedback within the next three weeks. After that, the manuscript…
It's been a little over a month since I last updated here on my current writing project, Death & Destiny in the Mountains , which is the second book in The Arcane Codex. The holiday season was busier for me than in the past, and it seemed to pass far too quickly. Regardless, I owe everyone an update. Currently, the manuscript is with my beta readers and I'm eagerly awaiting their feedback. Once I…
Welcome to my monthly wrap-up post, where I talk about the books I read in a given month. My wrap-up is a little late this month, since the first week of December flew by before I knew it. In November, I read three books: The Phoenix Feather by Golam Soulpats This fantasy novella featured a sweet, Sapphic romance with cozy vibes. The story mostly focused on the history between the leads, Anlei and…
Welcome to my monthly update on the state of my project manuscripts. This is where I provide general status updates about my work. I started the newest draft of Death & Destiny in the Mountains about two weeks ago. This draft follows my editor providing some developmental feedback, and offering up some suggestions on ways to take the book from a good story to a great one. I'm a little over 35% of…
I joined the Indie Author League, organized by Allie Harper, at the end of October, and I'm excited to share my first Indie Author Spotlight with you! Today's author is Skylar Anthony, the author of the solarpunk romantasy Once Bitten, Twice Spy Skylar Anthony is an author from the southern US with a love for romance, particularly when it’s blended with magic, humor, and a healthy dose of action.…
Welcome to my monthly wrap-up post, where I talk about the books I read in a given month. October's post is a two-for-one special, as it includes my reading and blogging for both September and October, as I didn't write a wrap-up for last month. All of the excitement surrounding my debut novel's launch meant I didn't have much time to read in September, and I didn't want to publish a wrap-up…
Welcome to my monthly update on the state of my project manuscripts. This is where I provide general status updates about my work. Yesterday, I announced the title of Book 2 in The Arcane Codex across my social media accounts. The novel will be titled Death & Destiny in the Mountains , and I'm currently looking at a Fall 2026 release date, though it's too early for me to choose an exact date yet.…
My debut novel, Magic & Murder in the Holler, was published a little over two weeks ago. As the emotional high of accomplishing the huge...
The anticipation is finally over! Magic & Murder in the Holler released yesterday. I'm still a little overwhelmed by all the emotions I'm...
As I write this post, my debut novel Magic & Murder in the Holler will be released in a little more than a week, on September 23rd....
My debut novel, Magic & Murder in the Holler, releases later this month. It's an urban fantasy set deep in Appalachia following a witch,...
There's currently a month and a few days to wait until Magic & Murder in the Holler is officially published and out in the world. I find...
Magic & Murder in the Holler, the first book in my urban fantasy series The Arcane Codex, is a little less than six weeks away from...
Writer's block is an unfortunate, yet unavoidable, aspect of being a writer. I've yet to find anyone who hasn't experienced a slow down...
July was a weird month for me. After a very intense June, where I wrote over 100k words in 30 days, I decided to take things slow in July...