Market Days

Above: The magnificent view from the cliffside walk along Mount First (pronounced Fearst) near Grindelwald, Switzerland. Some of those cliffs in the distance are higher than 13,000 feet in elevation, and the snow/glaciers you see is there all year long.

June 21, 2026

Welcome to summer (in the northern hemisphere)!

We spent nine days in Europe at the end of May, and the weather was lovely. Quite warm for the region (almost twenty degrees warmer than average), but the views were absolutely incredible. And the Abbey Library we visited in St. Gallen on my birthday… Truly, it was a thing of dreams and envy. I’ll never forget our time in Switzerland, Germany, and Liechtenstein, and I’m already itching to return.

I have some updates for you, as well as an opportunity to buy a book from me directly! Read on for more.

Updates

Rise of Iron (The Tredania Chronicles, book one): I finished my read through and have incorporated the edits into the final document. Now it’s ready for professional editing or querying. Querying is the process authors usually take in order to get their books traditionally published—that is, published through a publishing company and distributed widely in bookstores. Self-publishing is also an option to authors, which is what I did with my first five books.

If you read my blog post from last month, you’ll recall that one of my goals for my 40s is to have a book traditionally published (hopefully more than one). So, after some consideration, I decided to query Rise of Iron. I selected seven agents based on the genres they represent, their literary agency, and my gut feeling on how well we would work together. It can take months to hear anything—if I hear anything at all—but I’ll keep you updated.

Unnamed (The Tredania Chronicles, book two): I just finished outlining this, and plan to start writing next week. It picks up right where Rise of Iron ends, following the same two main characters plus another (who you also meet in book one). I don’t want to reveal too much yet, but I’m excited to get started!

NOTE: I do have a title for this project. In fact, every book in this series already has a title. But I’ll keep that close to the chest for a while longer.

Market Days

Before I left for vacation, I received an interesting message from someone in our neighborhood. Apparently, they work with a local mobile bookstore, and they asked if I wanted to be a part of an event happening this summer.

I remember telling my husband last year that I wanted to do some in-person events, but not until after The Way of the Wielder series was complete (since series almost always sell better when they’re complete). So when I got this message two months after publishing After the Awakening, I was downright chuffed.

Of course, I said yes.

Bookish (Bliss) Market

For those living in or around New Hampshire, you might be familiar with the Bookish Bliss Mobile Bookstore. I first encountered them at the Hopkinton State Fair last fall, where I bought one of their “blind dates with a book”. They attend many public events, and even do private events like birthday parties and weddings.

Now, they’re hosting their own event. On July 5, the Bookish Market will be held in Sandown, NH, from 11am-4pm. The venue has a covered pavilion, which is where they will have “Author Alley”—a place where local authors (invite only) will set up and sell books during the event. Other activities are also planned, such as Bookish Bingo.

As I mentioned, I’ve never done anything like this before! In preparation, I’ve reached out to my networks on social media to get an idea of what I should have on hand. Not just books (that one should be obvious), but ways to house/display my books, table decor, and swag. I spent some time on Vista Print creating new business cards, bookmarks, a table runner, and a big poster of The Way of the Wielder’s cover. Depending on how much space I have, I might not be able to use that, but it will look great hanging in my office.

As for the books, I’ll have 40 copies of The Way of the Wielder on hand, plus twelve copies of each subsequent book in the series. I’ll also have 15 copies of Mission Aboard the Longfin, for any kids who show up, or parents looking for fun summer reads for their kids at home.

So, if you’re in the Sandown, NH area on Sunday, July 5, stop by and say hi! I’ll be selling books, signing books, and mingling with readers all day.

Future Events

Can’t make it July 5 (which is just two weeks away!)? No worries! I’ll be attending two more Bookish Bliss events later this year. Stay tuned for more details on those.

In the meantime, you can always buy my books on Amazon, or pick up signed copies at Water Street Bookstore in Exeter. (They only have the first three books in The Way of the Wielder series, though. I need to sell some before they’ll take copies of After the Awakening. Hint, hint.)

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That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, and as always, stay creative.

~Sarah

HOUSEKEEPING: If you’ve read one (or more) of my books and haven’t rated them yet, please take a moment to do so on Amazon, Goodreads, Storygraph, or wherever else you track your reading. Ratings and reviews (if you can) help authors so much, and I am forever grateful for everyone who takes the time to do it—good, bad, or in different. Thank you!