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Book Titles Are Hard
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. Titles also feel more permanent. Changing a book's cover isn't rare; giving a book a
Sara Lilienfeld
Apr 29


Six Things I Learned Writing My Second Book
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 made fewer "rookie" mistakes, which is great. In fact, most of the lessons I learn
Sara Lilienfeld
Apr 15


State of the Manuscript 3/25/2026
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 will be one revision, and a proofread, away from being done. I'm one step closer
Sara Lilienfeld
Mar 25


ICYMI - Updates on Death & Destiny in the Mountains
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 receive their notes, and evaluate how I want to incorporate them, I'll start ano
Sara Lilienfeld
Jan 14


What I Read (& Wrote About) in November
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 Cordla, during their school years. It was low-stakes, which was a nice break f
Sara Lilienfeld
Dec 10, 2025


State of the Manuscript 11/26/2025
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 the way through this revision, and starting to see the final story take shape.
Sara Lilienfeld
Nov 26, 2025


Indie Author League Spotlight: Sci-Fi Romantasy Author Skylar Anthony
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. Growing up on 90s romcoms, YA fantasy, slasher films, and big-team heist movies,
Sara Lilienfeld
Nov 19, 2025


What I Read (& Wrote About) in September & October
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 featuring only one book. (It wouldn't be much of a wrap-up if I had). Between Septemb
Sara Lilienfeld
Oct 29, 2025


State of the Manuscript 10/15/2025
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. Death & Destiny in the Mountains is currently undergoing developmental edits wit
Sara Lilienfeld
Oct 15, 2025


Lessons I Learned Publishing My First Book
My debut novel, Magic & Murder in the Holler, was published a little over two weeks ago. As the emotional high of accomplishing the huge...
Sara Lilienfeld
Oct 8, 2025


My Book's Finally Here!
The anticipation is finally over! Magic & Murder in the Holler released yesterday. I'm still a little overwhelmed by all the emotions I'm...
Sara Lilienfeld
Sep 24, 2025


How to Tackle Pre-Publication Jitters
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....
Sara Lilienfeld
Sep 17, 2025


How I Brought Magic to Harlan County
My debut novel, Magic & Murder in the Holler, releases later this month. It's an urban fantasy set deep in Appalachia following a witch,...
Sara Lilienfeld
Sep 3, 2025


The Idea I Couldn't Let Go Of
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...
Sara Lilienfeld
Aug 20, 2025


Five Urban Fantasy Books that Inspired Me
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...
Sara Lilienfeld
Aug 13, 2025


5 Ways I Overcome Writer's Block
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...
Sara Lilienfeld
Aug 6, 2025


What I Read in July
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...
Sara Lilienfeld
Jul 30, 2025


State of the Manuscript 07/16/2025
Welcome to my monthly update on the state of my project manuscripts. This is where I provide general status updates about my work. Magic...
Sara Lilienfeld
Jul 16, 2025


I Wrote 100k Words in 30 Days. Here's What It Was Like
As a challenge to myself in June, I decided I was going to write a full draft of the sequel to Magic & Murder in the Holler over the...
Sara Lilienfeld
Jul 9, 2025


State of the Manuscript - 6/18/2025
Welcome to my monthly update on the state of my project manuscripts. This is where I provide general status updates about my work. My...
Sara Lilienfeld
Jun 18, 2025
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