Sarah Carlson's Blog

PLAY TO MY HEART is a slow burn romance about two teens from very different worlds–Hollywood via Wisconsin and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Pollux Ross, a fading child star, has been trapped in his LA condo by crippling anxiety attacks for months after his heart was evicerated on social media by the girl he trusted his […]

I’m beyond honored to share that my Contemporary Young Adult novel Everything’s Not Fine was nominated as a Kirkus YA Best Books of 2020 About Finding Inner Strength. For most of my formative years, I lived in small Wisconsin towns; these places helped shape me into who I am today. Growing up, I never read […]

My second young adult novel Everything’s Not Fine is out today. I started this novel over five years ago while feeling homesick living in Singapore. It’s gone through a lot of growing pains since I first started writing it, cutting an entire point-of-view character, cutting an entire storyline, and re-writing the remaining storyline from the […]

I’m beyond honored to announce that All the Walls of Belfast is a finalist for the National Readers Choice Award! This is the first award either of my books has been up to win. Unfortunately, due to COVID there won’t be an in-person awards ceremony, but it’s so exciting to see the story I dreamed […]

There’s currently a Goodreads giveaway running for Everything’s Not Fine. If you’d like a shot at getting an early read of an advanced copy, click here! Here’s a bit more about Everything’s Not Fine. Seventeen-year-old Rose Hemmersbach aspires to break free of small-town Sparta, Wisconsin and achieve her artistic dreams at Belwyn School for the […]

It’s so hard to believe All the Walls of Belfast, my debut novel that took over five years to write, has been out of over a year. It’s still a little surreal. Here’s a bit more about All the Walls of Belfast: The Carnival at Bray meets West Side Story in Sarah Carlson’s powerful YA […]

Everything’s Not Fine is out in three months! Email me a screenshot of your proof of purchase or request for Everything’s Not Fine from your local library, and I’ll send you custom stickers inspired by the story and an autographed book plate. US/Canada only, must be 18 or have parent permission to enter. As long […]

This is my second book, but opening the first box of ARCs was just as magical. I worked on writing (and rewriting and rewriting) Everything’s Not Fine for about five years. Getting to see and hold it as a printed, bound book is the most amazing feeling. And they are beautiful inside and out ❤️.

It’s so hard to believe, but a box of Advance Review Copies for my second young adult novel, Everything’s Not Fine, is on the way! It’s really happening… If you’re a librarians, book blogger, bookstagrammer, vlogger, or frequent reviewer on Goodreads/Amazon/B&N and want a chance to snag an ARC of Everything’s Not Fine, you can […]

Meet Rose, the heroine of my second YA novel Everything’s Not Fine Seventeen-year-old Rose Hemmersbach aspires to break out of small town Sparta, Wisconsin and achieve her artistic dreams at Belwyn School for the Arts after she graduates. Painting is Rose’s escape from her annoying younger siblings and her family’s one rule: ignore the elephant […]