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Laura Barrow
May 16, 2023
For aspiring authors, this podcast is a must! Learn how to write a successful query letter and get practical tips on how to polish your first five pages. Amazing resource!
Episode | Date |
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Creating Conflict For Your Characters
2766
In today’s episode, we’re rolling out a new format wherein our guest authors will help Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique submissions. We’re starting with Carly’s client, Mai Nguyen, author of Sunshine Nails. In this episode, we discuss great query letters; YA word count ranges; world building and personal experience with the built world; creating conflict for characters; character motivations; passion vs ambition; creating books that can cross borders in terms of setting; the right place to start; emotionality vs narration; knowing where to add lots of detail and where it’s not necessary; and anticipation in the character. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com More information about Mai can be found at https://www.mainguyen.ca/. She's on Instagram @bymainguyen and Twitter @bymainguyen. Go to HelloFresh dot com slash tsnotyaw16 and use code tsnotyaw16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 01, 2023 |
May Bonus Episode: All the Romance & We Answer Your Questions & Give You Comps
8271
Today's episode is sponsored by HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh dot com slash tsnotyaw16 and use code tsnotyaw16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping! In today's bumper Bonus Episode, we chat with two internationally bestselling authors in the romance genre before taking your questions and giving you comp titles. CeCe kicks us off by interviewing Carley Fortune, author of Meet Me at the Lake, about planting curiosity seeds; the editing process; the struggle with negative self-talk when writing; the development of Carley's characters; and creating chemistry amongst characters. After which, Carly chats with Emily Henry, author of Happy Place about dialogue; facets of success; masculinity in literature; healthy conflict with characters; her book covers; and her potential involvement in the film adaptations of her books. Carly and CeCe then take all your questions! Finally, Bianca chats with Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop and RJ Witherow of Parnassus Books as they give comps recommendations. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com More information about Carley can be found at www.carleyfortune.com. She’s on Instagram @carleyfortune More information about Emily can be found at www.emilyhenrybooks.com. She's on Instagram @emilyhenrywrites. Parnassus Books can be found at www.parnassusbooks.net and on Instagram at @parnassusbooks Emilie can be found at @emiliegsommer on Instagram and East City Book Shop can be found at www.eastcitybookshop.com. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 29, 2023 |
Writing Dream Sequences That Work
3861
Today's episode is sponsored by HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh dot com slash tsnotyaw16 and use code tsnotyaw16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping! In today’s Books With Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe each critique two submissions, discussing query length; having enough of a hook; writing style in a query letter; confusion vs curiosity in a query letter; explanatory vs curiosity seeds; putting the hook up higher in a query; starting with dialogue; and fantastic first lines and opening pages. After which, CeCe chats with Chanel Cleeton, author of The Cuban Heiress, about POV; being a plotter or pantser; Chanel's different phases of writing; the research process; and writing successful dream sequences. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Chanel can be found at www.chanelcleeton.com and on Instagram at @chanelcleeton Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 25, 2023 |
When Not to Give Up!
4699
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by special guest, Traci Thomas from The Stacks podcast for a special segment focusing on non-fiction. During the segment, they discuss surprising readers in the first chapter; specificity in memoir; comping non-fiction and memoir; the use of humor in an overview; and the general layout of an overview. After which, Bianca chats with Meg Tady, author of Super Bloom, who reads the query letter that landed her own agent. Meg also reads and critiques a listener's query, discussing stakes and specificity; making main character's likeable enough for readers to root for them; the art of description; writing a book within a book; and telling yourself 'yes' every day. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Traci can be found at www.thestackspodcast.com and on Instagram at @thestackspod Meg can be found at www.megantady.com and on Instagram at @megtady Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 18, 2023 |
Special Episode: Her Name is Coceka Lubobo
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In this short bonus episode, Bianca pays tribute to the bravery of Coceka Lubobo, a young woman who ended a serial killer's reign of terror in Orlando, Soweto. Special thanks go to:
You can find them on Instagram at: @kathatinemcewan @daphnewillismusic @manuelagray Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 15, 2023 |
Being Intentional With Your POV Characters
4832
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WRITING and get on your way to being your best self. In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each critique two submissions and cover topics like voice-y queries; using direct and specific terms in a query letter; selecting the right comps for the right reasons; having the query letter match what’s in the opening pages; close third-person POV; having a short and tightly written query; dual timelines vs backstory/flashbacks, series; sneaky prologues; passive framing of the hook; activating your story; and synopsizing the manuscript in the query letter, After which, CeCe chats with Jenny Jackson, bestselling author of Pineapple Street and Vice President and Executive Editor for Knopf. During the segment, they discuss Jenny's choice of POV characters; writing backstory; the use of a prologue and an epilogue; being an editor and an author; and Jenny's advice for emerging writers. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Jenny can be found on Twitter at @JennyeJackson and on Instagram at @jennyjacksonpineapple Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 11, 2023 |
Insights from Caroline Kepnes, Author of the ‘You’ Series
3767
In today’s Books with Hooks segment, Bianca and guest agent, Rachel McMillan, discuss the importance of social media presence; tailoring your queries to specific agents; putting your best content forward; and word count expectations. After which, Bianca chats with Caroline Kepnes, author of the YOU series, about the charming façade of serial killers; how she created her own major in college; how Joe Goldberg is a fascinating contradiction; getting inside Joe’s head; the intentionality of setting; making a villain vulnerable; how to feel what your character would feel; writing physicality; early readers and unlikable characters; and giving a villain backstory to make readers empathize. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Rachel can be found on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @rachkmc and at www.rachelmcmillan.net Caroline can be found at www.carolinekepnes.com, on Instagram @carolinekepnes and on Twitter @carolinekepnes. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 04, 2023 |
How Setting Informs Plot and Character
4209
In today’s Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss descriptive specificity; comping to famous writers; sensitivity when describing mental health and mental illness; picking the correct comps; the importance of interiority to dual narrative experience; and choosing titles that work best for you. After which, Bianca chats with J Ryan Stradal, author of Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, about his path to publication; being a good literary citizen; standing your ground with setting; having setting inform plot elements and character; outlining multi-POV and multi-timeline novels; flashback vs separate timelines, starting a book with a theme; knowing the ending and starting far away from it; how you learn from each book that you write; and advice for emerging writers regarding querying agents. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com More information about J Ryan can be found at www.jryanstradal.com. He's on Twitter @jryanstradal and Instagram @jryanstradal. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 27, 2023 |
Bumper Edition: April Bonus Episode
9364
In today's bumper Bonus Episode, in an incredibly emotional interview, Bianca talks with Carol Major, author of the memoir The Asparagus Wars, about the difference between cerebral writing and visceral writing; the reliability of memory; the importance of being intentional; allowing the reader to become a part of the story; creating meaning for the reader (not just the memoirist); why people read memoirs; the journey of finding the meaning of your story while writing it; dealing with the potential fallout after publishing a memoir; writing with integrity; and the awards Carol has won. Carly and CeCe are joined by Andrea Guevara, an author branding expert, to take your questions, and in the process discussing acceptable word count; social media presence; the concept of stakes; querying for feedback; examples of novels that excel in interiority; red flags for agents; the journey to publication; defining your genre; and pen names. Bianca chats with Patti Callahan Henry, bestselling author of Surviving Savannah, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, and The Secret Book of Flora Lea, about how much heavy lifting the first line, paragraph, and pages need to do; omniscient POV in the opening chapter; knowing how to open a book; drawing on myths and legends to spark a story; writing on a line level; the gardening vs architecture of writing a story; ensuring both past and present timelines have a story-forward plot; and writing a book within a book. Finally, Bianca chats with Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop and RJ Witherow of Parnassus Books as they give comps recommendations. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Carol can be found at https://www.writingtable.space/ Andrea can be found on Instagram at @brand.strength and @theandreaguevara Patti can be found at https://www.patticallahanhenry.com/ She's on Twitter @pcalhenry and Instagram @pattichenry. Parnassus Books can be found at www.parnassusbooks.net and on Instagram at @parnassusbooks Emilie can be found at @emiliegsommer on Instagram and East City Book Shop can be found at www.eastcitybookshop.com. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 24, 2023 |
Two Authors Review Your Work While Discussing Their Own
4700
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WRITING and get on your way to being your best self. In today’s Books with Hooks segment, Carly and Cece each critique two submissions, discussing pitching literary vs upmarket fiction; naming non-POV characters in a query letter; head-hopping, interiority and emotionality; mentioning sensitivity/authenticity readers; writing about cultures that are not your own; world building in historical fiction, world building and specificity in a fantasy query letter; having surprise in the opening pages, quiet novels, upmarket fiction, and line-level writing; and Carly suggests a prologue! In today’s Books With Hooks segment, we try something different! Bianca critiques query letters while guests Maggie Giles, author of The Things We Lost, and Lindsay Maple, author of Not Your Basic Love Story, critique opening pages of romcoms which are the genres they write in. In between, they discuss their own work and advice for writers. They also share their successful query letters with our Kofi monthly supporters! Topics covered include genre blending; the hook in a query letter; skipping over the mundane; turning a trope around to surprise the reader; misfired meet-cutes; surprise in the opening chapters; mentioning character names in opening pages; having the protagonist alone in the opening pages; how to figure out the central conflict; how to keep raising the stakes; carrying conflict into act II; starting out as an indie author and then getting an agent; a shoutout to Rising Action Publishing Co.; and advice for emerging authors about community and indie publishing. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Lindsay is on Instagram @lindsayraemaple and on Twitter @LindsayRaeMaple Maggie is on Instagram @maggiegiles_ and on Twitter @maggiegiles_ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 20, 2023 |
Insights from Bonnie Garmus, Internationally Bestselling Author of Lessons in Chemistry
3428
In today’s Books With Hooks segment, Carly and Cece each critique two submissions, discussing tongue twister titles; putting a fresh spin on feminist issues; first lines that could be doing more; differentiating your own writing from original stories in retellings; ensuring important details are clarified in a query letter; making sure there’s a reason for having two heroes in a story; what happens when interiority and emotionality are missing from the pages; setting a story against the backdrop of a major world event; ensuring the plot points are in a dominos set-up; making sure the storyline is about the protagonist, not the major world event; and weaving in emotionality to offer context on characters in a subtle, superb, organic way. And CeCe requests a full manuscript! After which, Bianca chats with Bonnie Garmus, internationally bestselling author of the publishing phenomenon, Lessons in Chemistry, about her “overnight” success; the almost 100 rejections she got during querying; why not to write a 700-page novel for your debut, the grieving process during querying; writing a love letter to science and scientists; the universal appeal of a novel like hers, structure, timeline and the opening pages; writing omniscient POV well and including an animal’s POV; knowing when to listen to critique and when to stand your ground; and the difference between curiosity seeds and pause pebbles. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Bonnie can be found at https://www.bonniegarmus.com/. She’s on Twitter @BonnieGarmus and Instagram @bonnie_garmus_author. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 13, 2023 |
Using Curiosity Seeds in a Dual Timeline Narrative
3718
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WRITING and get on your way to being your best self. In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly discuss a successful prologue; 'showing' weather rather than telling; being specific about your genre in order to find the right agent; the concept of a 'telling' prologue; breaking the 'fourth wall'; the need for an antagonist in a memoir; and storytelling as seduction. After which, Bianca interviews Ella Berman, author of Before We Were Innocent, during which they discuss Ella's latest novel; balancing focus on the plot and the characters; writing dual timelines; being intentional with your POV choices; making your reader theorize; and knowing your characters' psyches. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Ella can be found on Instagram at @ellamberman Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 06, 2023 |
Keeping the Plot Moving Forward
4096
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss keeping names in a query to a minimum; an 'excellent' query with opening pages that have almost no notes; the importance of having movement in opening pages; a three POV query letter; CeCe meets a prologue that she likes; using a third person bio; and the effective use of weather in opening pages. After which, Carly chats with her client, Jane Healey, author of Goodnight From Paris. They discuss her path to representation and publication; winning writing contests and anonymous pitching; having a long-term relationship with editors at one publishing house; how much is too much research in historical fiction; keeping the plot moving forward while building a historical world; knowing where to start the story when writing a real person’s life into your novel; author’s notes; her advice for writers seeking to publish; and historical happy hour! Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Jane can be found at janehealey.com and on Instagram @healeyjane. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 30, 2023 |
Bumper Edition March Bonus Episode
8559
In today's bumper Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Amy Tector, author of three novels which have all been released in the last year, including Speak for the Dead, now available this month. They discuss finding and prioritizing writing time; rewarding ourselves for hitting our goals; working on Scrivener; respecting your work as a writer (and having others respect it); setting brain boundaries; how not writing can help your writing; how to get un-stuck when the words aren’t coming; and the importance of accountability. After which Carly and CeCe take your questions, discussing submitting parts of a WIP to journals; finding an editor; Goodreads reviews for comps; how much to share about one's career goals in a query; having a novel concept that is very similar to something that is already a bestseller; social media when querying; writing characters involved in well known institutions; advances for debuts; and deciding on the 'right' POV. Bianca then chats with Jennie Nash, CEO of Author Accelerator, about wise investments in the writing process; writing goals and the “getting picked” skills; the core reasons why people write; the Blueprint Method; when to get a book coach; how to find the right book coach; and book coach fees and options. Finally, Bianca chats with Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop as Emilie gives comps recommendations. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Amy can be found at www.amytector.com, on Twitter @amy_tector, and on Instagram @amytectorwrites. Emilie can be found at @emiliegsommer on Instagram and East City Book Shop can be found at www.eastcitybookshop.com Jennie and Author Accelerator can be found on Instagram @authoraccelerator, Facebook @authoraccelerator, and on Twitter @authaccelerator. The website is www.authoraccelerator.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 27, 2023 |
How to Know When You Need a Prologue
3570
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss the line between YA and adult historical fiction; category mashups; plausibility of plot points; mentioning side characters in query letters; considerations when writing for younger kids; and the importance of emotionality in the pages rather than the query letter. After which, Carly chats with her client, Andrea Dunlop, author of Women Are the Fiercest Creatures, about shapeshifting manuscripts; cutting passages and the battle with backstory; the realness of characters; how to know when your book needs a prologue; exploring different stories and forms; empathy in writers; the challenges of writing nonfiction; what is valued in a publishing partner; and some rapid-fire questions. Then we get to hear an excerpt from the audiobook for Women Are the Fiercest Creatures! Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Andrea can be found on Instagram at @andreadunlop and her website is www.andreadunlop.net
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 23, 2023 |
How to Ensure Your Characters Aren’t Just Puppets Being Manipulated Through a Plot
5009
In today's Books with Hooks segment, Dongwon Song, an agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency who specializes in the sci-fi and fantasy genres, joins Bianca to look at four query letters. The two discuss the difference between sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction; the very specific sub-genre of magical realism; the length of queries in sci-fi/fantasy genres; being deliberate with the limited real estate in a query, even when world building; driving forward plot at all times; the concept of looking through a 'keyhole' when writing a query; when to italicize foreign words; the importance of using stakes to pull in an agent in the query; starting with grief in a query; and the importance of using author names when comping. After which, Bianca chats with Kristen Bird, author of I Love It When You Lie, about how to choose your characters; multi-POV stories; subverting the mystery genre; interviewing your characters to understand character motivations; basing characters on people IRL; using setting as a tool to develop characters; and factoring in a character’s misbelief. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Kristen can be found on Instagram @kristenbirdwrites and on Twitter @kbirdwrites. Her website is www.kristenbird.com.
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Mar 16, 2023 |
Rebecca Makkai's Writing Insights
3419
In today’s Books With Hooks, Carly and Cece co-critique two queries, discussing showing how the protagonist is propelled on their journey; dealing with major dramatic questions and stakes; dense query letters for well-worn tropes; surprises and predictability in the opening pages; line edits and synopsis-like queries; reactive protagonists vs giving your protagonist agency; “soft” women’s fiction; movement in the opening pages; and having an obviously bad love interest in the beginning of a story. After which, Carly talks with author Rebecca Makkai, author of I Have Some Questions For You, about creating a fictional podcast for her story; dealing with social media as an author and in your book; chapter lengths; judgement of authors and of characters; boarding school settings, adding real life trauma situations to fiction; and tackling the messiness of life in novels. We also play you an excerpt from the I Have Some Questions for You audiobook. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WRITING and get on your way to being your best self. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Rebecca can be found on Instagram @rebeccamakkai and on Twitter @rebeccamakkai. Her website is www.rebeccamakkai.com. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 09, 2023 |
Writing About Trauma
3700
In today’s Books With Hooks, which is our 100th segment, Carly and CeCe each critique two queries, discussing comps; clear and compelling inciting incidents; plausibility; interiority and emotionality; the beginning, middle and end of memoirs; balancing tension and the mundane in a memoir; including social media handles with signatures; YA vs Adult; the right type of prologue; using swear words; and a request for a full manuscript! After which, Bianca chats with Eden Boudreau, author of Crying Wolf: A Memoir, where they discuss writing about trauma; emotional support for writers of trauma; her unconventional path to publication; creative writing mentorship; the beauty of small presses; adding the moments of light when writing about traumatic experiences; structuring a memoir; and finding the right place to start a memoir. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Eden can be found on Instagram @edenboudreau and on Twitter @edenboudreau Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 02, 2023 |
Jam-packed February Bonus Episode
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In today's jam-packed Bonus Episode, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe answer questions about whether dark novels and WWII novels have a place in the current market; when it's okay to pitch an unfinished book; how to evaluate comps through number of reviews; about liking your own comps; submitting through query tracker; writing outside of genre conventions; following up with agents; and how to distinguish omniscient POV from third person POV. After which, Carly chats with Lindsay Wong, author of Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality, about her inspiration for her short story collection; the themes explored in her body of work; why she likes being a creative writing instructor; the challenges of pitching as a BIPOC author and filling a gap in the market; her experiences as a woman of color at conferences; and some pros and cons of working with a big publishing house vs a smaller one. We also play an excerpt from Lindsay’s audiobook. Then, Bianca chats with Jennifer Wilson, author of Grant Us Tomorrow, about what caused Jennifer to finally get writing; the act of beginning; forming a team to help you stay on track; protecting your voice when working with a team; trusting the reader; and Jennifer's path to publication. Finally, Bianca chats with Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop as Emilie gives comps recommendations. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Lindsay can be found at @lindsaymwong on Twitter and at @lindsaywong.m on Instagram and at www.lindsaywongwriter.com Jennifer can be found at www.grantustomorrow.ca and at @grantustomorrow on Instagram Emilie can be found at @emiliegsommer on Instagram and East City Book Shop can be found at www.eastcitybookshop.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 27, 2023 |
Being Intentional With Setting
4190
In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca speaks to guest agent, Emmy Nordstrom-Higdon, about five submissions including middle grade queries, a rom-com, and a graphic novel script. They discuss the best way to personalize your query letter to your specific agent; balancing narrative dialogue and action in a scene; content warnings; non-fiction book proposals; overwriting in non-fiction; and the need for an illustrator when submitting graphic novel queries. After which, Carly chats with her client, Karen Katchur, author of The Greedy Three. They discuss the fun and difficult parts about writing a 'closed door' mystery; the process of writing dark humour; Karen's use of a specific setting for this novel; her choice of epigraph; her path to finding Carly; her experience working with different publishers; being a woman in a male-dominated genre; and Karen's words of wisdom for aspiring authors. We also play a snippet from Karen’s audiobook! Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Karen can be found at www.karenkatchur.com Emmy can be found at @emmy_of_spines on Twitter and Instagram Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 23, 2023 |
Grady Hendrix’s Insights on Writing
3843
In the latest Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each critique two queries and discuss pitching only one genre; having a solid reason that a story takes place in near-history; POV changes within a single chapter; when a query sounds more like a synopsis; opening with a daydream; sucking the agent in with curiosity and tension; needing to be the best in a busy category; using an elevator pitch; dialing down the setup and characterization details in a query; and which character readers connect to first in a multi-POV novel. After which, Bianca chats with Grady Hendrix, author of How to Sell a Haunted House, about the horror genre; how horror can open up conversations about the darker side of death and how we process it; what it is about the south that lends itself to gothic novels; horror genre conventions and tropes; establishing a stasis; writing what you know; writing the antagonist; and why it’s important to have humour infused along with the dark stuff. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WRITING and get on your way to being your best self. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Grady can be found at www.gradyhendrix.com, on Twitter @grady_hendrix, and on Instagram @gradyhendrix. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 16, 2023 |
Books That Get a Lot of Buzz
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly, CeCe, and Bianca are joined by listeners Marnie and Karisa. In the process, they discuss the importance of stakes in a query letter, even if it's literary; immersing yourself in place; the concept of 'historical' YA; the difference between YA and coming of age; how to set a scene; connecting specific plot points with the hook; and why interiority is important. After which, Bianca chats with, Deepti Kapoor, author of Age of Vice, about building buzz for a book ahead of time; planting curiosity seeds and leaving them hanging for many pages; a story’s structure and experimenting with form; her drafting process; letting characters develop naturally; when plot devices feel artificial; social commentary in novels; using different POVs to give more information about other characters; and introducing a bit of humour to balance the challenges characters face. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Deepti can be found on Instagram @deeptikp. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 09, 2023 |
Welcoming Critique & Using the Hank 'Tuck' Method
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In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two queries each, discussing strong hooks; coincidences; describing a character indirectly; grief, day-to-day, and voicey-ness in the pages; submitting polished queries, character observations tying in with their story-forward intentions, characterization, covering a long time period in a story, what a frame narrative is, clarifying genre, vagueness, having a protagonist who’s both observant and self-aware, and plausibility. Plus a serious attempt is made at making someone sing. After which, Bianca chats with Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of The House Guest, wherein, they discuss succeeding in an industry that is increasingly difficult to thrive in; the importance of a thick skin and taking constructive criticism; the pacing in Hank's novels; a non-linear timeline within chapters; Hank's starting of her novel with a solitary character; and Hank's advice for reframing your query letter. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Hank can be found at @hankpryan on Instagram and Twitter, and at www.hankphillippiryan.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 02, 2023 |
The Different Routes to Publication
3722
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two queries each, discussing catchy titles; voice-y and specific details in queries; using line breaks; grounding readers in the scene; using opportunities for interiority; the emotional entryway technique for any genre; ensuring a unique hook to make your story stand out in a sea of similar stories; the web effect of characters and plot points; and strong pacing. After which, Bianca chats with Charlene Carr, author of Hold My Girl, on getting representation and the journey to publication; self-publishing; the worthiness of non-Giller winning writing; Charlene's latest novel; the Canadian setting of Charlene's novel; and having an agent from a different country. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Charlene can be found at @charlenecarrauthor on Instagram and at www.charlenecarr.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 26, 2023 |
Writing About Grief & We Answer Your Questions & We Give You Comp Titles
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In today’s jampacked Bonus Episode, Carly and CeCe answer all your questions, tackling the difference between trade and academic publishing; using a title that already exists; the use of historical slang in historical YA; using comps from self-published authors; the difference between the various genres of suspense novels; the potential mistakes that make it past the revision stage; the use of domain names for author websites; resubmitting a refurbished novel to the same agent; querying with a co-writer; and the difference between women's fiction, upmarket fiction, and book club fiction. After which, Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop give all the phone-in listeners various suggested comp titles. Finally, our guest interviewer, Femi Omotade chats with Onyi Nwabineli, author of Someday, Maybe, about the inspiration behind the grief and loss in the book; writing difficult subject matter; adding humour and light and love to balance out the grief and loss and despair; her writing and publication journey; her writing process; and the main messages Onyi wants readers to take away. Support us at https://ko-fi.com/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Onyi can be found at onyi-nwabineli.com, on Instagram at @onyiwrites, and on Twitter at @OnyiWrites Emilie can be found at @emiliegsommer on Instagram and East City Bookshop can be found at @eastcitybookshop and at www.eastcitybookshop.com Femi can be found at @thebookalert on Instagram Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 23, 2023 |
Finding Mentors in Your Writing Journey
3815
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly, CeCe and Bianca look at two queries, in the process discussing a metafiction query letter; the idea of having characters written by other authors being used in your novel; digging deeper on a line level; originality and tropes; and the importance of specifics in interiority. After which, Bianca chats with Audrey Burges, author of The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone, about writing humour in a darker book; how she found her agent; having connections in the writing community; not losing momentum during drafting; working with her editor after her book deal; and having a mentor through the WFWA mentorship program. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Audrey can be found at audreyburges.com, on Twitter @Audrey_Burges, and on Instagram @audreyburges. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 19, 2023 |
Pitching a Book Before You Write It
3567
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two queries each, in the process discussing the concept of a protagonist knowing their fate or path; the importance of imbalance in the opening scene; an example of an 'excellent' query letter; and what is required in a query letter when your novel covers a long period of time. After which Bianca chats with James M. Lang and Sarah Connell Sanders, authors of Small Teaching K-8, on approaching university and small presses without an agent; creating a nonfiction proposal; how to find the right publisher/imprint; getting invited to speak at events and how those costs are handled; being qualified to write on a nonfiction topic; the process of interviewing experts for info to include in a book; the collaboration process with co-authors; ensuring you’re addressing a need in the market; and managing the social media aspect of marketing your book Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Sarah can be found at sarahconnellsanders.com and on Instagram at @sarah_connell Jim can be found at www.jamesmlang.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 12, 2023 |
Seize the Day and Write the Book!
3878
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two queries each, in the process discussing extraordinarily long query letters; why it’s tricky to have a character whose ultimate goal is death; including dual-POV in the metadata; the importance of curiosity seeds in the opening pages through interiority and emotionality; how not being specific enough in a query letter makes agents hesitate to request pages; lack of interiority in the third person; using spelling according to the country the story takes place in and/or where you’re pitching it; framing your memoir so it’s written for the reader, not the writer; starting a memoir with a bird’s-eye view or a summary of what happened; stripping the tension at the beginning of a story; and writing tightly on a scene level After which Bianca chats with Abby Maslin, author of Love You Hard, about being clear as to why you’re writing a memoir; the universal threads of struggle that connect us as humans; removing shame from experiences; structuring a memoir; getting the reader to invest in the characters before throwing them into the action; not telling too much too soon; recognizing what parts of your memoir need to be cut out because they belong to a different memoir; and writing for therapy vs writing to tell a story Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Abby can be found at www.abbymaslin.com and on Instagram at @abby_maslin Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 05, 2023 |
Using Emotional Memories in Writing & Our End-of-Year Wrap Up
4143
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two queries each, in the process discussing putting your own spin on a classic trope; writing physical descriptions of characters; the difficulties w beginning your novel focusing on a character who is not the protagonist; how to explain that you've had a previous agent; and a good example of voicey prose. After which Carly chats with Kitty Johnson, author of Five Winters, about structuring a novel differently than the “norm”; creating obstacles for the main character to face; finding the balance between light and heavy topics; using emotional memories in writing; capturing grief in a story-forward way; and the most challenging and exciting things about Five Winters. Finally, Carly and CeCe do their end-of-year wrap up! Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com Kitty can be found at www.kittyjohnsonbooks.com and on Instagram at @kittyjohnsonbooks Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 29, 2022 |
Writing Tightly on a Scene Level & Keeping Your Characters in Motion
5240
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two queries each, in the process discussing the pros and cons of epistolary novels; the #ownvoices term being retired; baiting the reader in the opening pages; having too much character description and not enough plot in the query; linguistic calibration and earned emotionality; problems with omniscient POV and breaking the fourth wall; vulnerability in unlikable characters; and having a compelling ending to a chapter. After which CeCe chats with Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession, about her query letter and how she got her agent; how the editing process worked after the book deal; writing unlikable female characters; how suspense can live in the psychology of the story; writing tightly on a scene level; constantly keeping your character in motion on some level to keep the story moving forward; continually escalating things for the MC; writing “pause pebbles”; and how to find the heart of your story. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com and www.carlywatters.com Caitlin can be found at www.caitlinbarasch.com, on Twitter at @CatilinBarasch and on Instagram at @soembarasched Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 22, 2022 |
A Podcast Listener's Success Story
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In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each look at two query letters, and in the process discuss making sure interiority adds up—showing not just what a character thinks, but how they think; ensuring the line-level writing and unfolding of tension is allowing the reader to actively put the pieces of the puzzle together; ensuring there is specificity and the story climax in the query letter; making the first scene dynamic by giving the character a story-forward goal and a clear obstacle with power imbalance and sharp specifics; showing on the pages what a camera could capture and having interiority elevate that; using comps instead of themes in a query letter; using a selling type of language instead of a synopsis type of language in a query letter; and ensuring your hook can wow agents and editors, even in areas of a genre that are “soft” in the market right now. After which, Bianca chats with Roxana Trabulsi, author of Of Mud & Honey about deciding on writing fiction instead of memoir; research vs personal experience; what constitutes ‘bloody good writing’; bringing a place alive that readers are not even remotely familiar with; reaching out to experts on the subject you’re writing about; publishing with an indie press; and including foreign words within the text. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing Facebook: @tsnotyaw Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com and www.carlywatters.com Roxana can be found at www.roxanatrabulsi.com and on Instagram at @roxanatrabulsiwrites Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 15, 2022 |
December Bonus Episode: We Answer Your Questions & Give You Comp Titles
2687
In today's Bonus Episode, Carly and CeCe answer all your burning questions, in the process discussing whether agents ever ask for full manuscripts right after reading a query; whether query word count will keep an agent from reading or requesting pages; the concept of “new adult"; and how to deal with query letters having been sent off with the incorrect comps. After which Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop joins us to give you her recommended comp titles. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 12, 2022 |
When All the Rejections Become Resounding Yeses!
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In today's Books with Hooks, Jessica and Kate join Carly and CeCe who critique their work, in the process discussing the important difference between a reader's curiosity about what happened before your pages started versus curiosity about what is going to happen in the novel; knowing exactly what you want your readers to be thinking after reading your first pages; the issues with having a protagonist that is too self aware at the beginning of a novel; the requirements when choosing between single and dual POVS; and the concept of the 'ick' factor. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 08, 2022 |
The Importance of Surprising the Reader From the First Chapter
3877
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each critique two query letters, in the process discussing WWII fatigue in the industry; the importance of the butterfly effect in time travel stories; how to compress plot in your query; packing in as many compelling elements as possible; and reading a perfect query letter. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 01, 2022 |
Writing Strong Character Arcs That Are Tied to Character Wants
4163
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe analyze two query letters each, and in the process discuss what constitutes a long query, in respect of word count; how statements in dialogue shouldn't be made simply to tell the reader something; avoiding vague references in queries; and getting a submission that reads like a published book. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 24, 2022 |
Jeffrey Archer's 14-Draft Process & Writing Plots Twists vs Reveals
4506
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are left unsupervised as they critique two query letters each, in the process discussing the best way to frame your novel if it has series potential; the difficulty of marketing a quiet novel right now; how you should open your novel; matching query tone and novel tone to your genre; and the importance of readers being invested in your characters. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 17, 2022 |
The Importance of Having No Ego When Receiving Critique
5038
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by two authors, Melissa and Elizabeth, whose work they critique. In the process, they discuss ensuring each that timeline in a dual timeline is its own story; keeping scenes condensed to keep propelling the story forward; mentioning the pandemic in contemporary fiction; baking in subtle references to things instead of explaining them to the reader; finding ways for a character to interact with other characters, especially when we’ll be spending a lot of time in their head; making small cuts to decrease word count; how not naming dramatic moments that change everything could mean losing agent request opportunities; telling the reader what’s going to happen vs letting them theorize; and ensuring you surprise the reader with something in the first chapter. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 10, 2022 |
Adding Tension, Conflict and Stakes to a Novel That's Not Working
4063
In today's Books With Hooks, Carly and CeCe look at two critiques each, discussing the importance of using sharp specifics and strong interiority; ensuring there’s tension and stakes in the first pages; having distinct character voices; dropping hints but leaving them unanswered; challenges with omniscient POV; keeping all the metadata together in one paragraph; stories within stories slowing down the pacing; leaning into complicated emotions and revealing contradictions from the get-go; and making intentional stylistic choices, especially in literary fiction. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 03, 2022 |
Inciting Incidents and Key Events
3760
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each look at one submitted query letter, after which they each discuss a query letter that they ended up representing as an example of what grabs their attention. They discuss redacted titles; explaining POV in a query letter; putting the hook front and center; coincidences in the story; too much internal and not enough external in the first pages; dual POV in a query letter; tension leaks and starting with proper interiority and not narration. After which, Bianca chats with Felicity George, author of A Lady's Risk , about regency romance and what the genre is; how she tackles getting the language of that era correct; her novel’s inciting incident and the key event; Felicity's reasoning for her POV choice; and her road to publication. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 27, 2022 |
Bonus Episode: We Answer Your Questions, Give You Comp Titles, and Chat with Susie Yang
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In today's Bonus Episode, Carly and CeCe answer all your questions and Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop gives you comp titles. After which, CeCe chats with Susie Yang, author of White Ivy, which was a Books with Hooks Book Club pick in the spring.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 24, 2022 |
Why You Don't Need an MFA to Become a Better Writer
3581
In today's Books with Hooks, Jael Richardson (author of Gutter Child) joins Carly and CeCe to critique query letters. During the segment, they discuss starting in the right place; using time stamps to make it easier for the reader to ground themselves; ensuring there’s interiority with the narrating character; the web effect in query letters; clarifying the emotionality of the main character; teasing the tone/vibe of the book in the query letter; starting a book with a letter; ensuring your query letter voice matches what’s in the pages; and how to make good choices about where you begin and how you get there. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 20, 2022 |
The Process When Publishers Acquire a Novel & How to Make Yourself More Marketable
4166
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Jennifer and David, two authors who submitted their work for consideration. During the segment, they discuss whether you should have themes in a query letter; query letter vs proposal for memoirs; having something happening every five pages; letting the reader ask the question before you answer it as the author; keeping passive plot points out of the query letter; showing connections between important characters; showing a very clear goal in the opening pages; using an emotional entryway into the story; adding another clue every time you dangle the carrot for the reader; the contrast between vague thoughts and specific visuals; creating a synopsis for your first five pages; and goal and power imbalance, and giving very clear reasons/stakes below the surface in the opening pages.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 13, 2022 |
Fleshing Out All of Your Characters, Including the Antagonists
4073
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each review two query letters, in the process discussing overexplaining and taking the readers out of the scene; leaning into your scene from a reader’s perspective; having a very clear idea of the major dramatic question that is specific to the protagonist’s plot journey; prioritizing a character's interiority over their noticing other characters’ reactions to things; avoiding head-hopping; ensuring specific details are where they need to be placed; starting in the right place; making sure your character has a goal of some sort in the opening pages; connecting with zingy social commentary in a story; and integrating setup within the action of the story. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 06, 2022 |
Including Diversity in Your Writing & Always Thinking About Your Reader
4327
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss being clear about your age category and details of the plot; keeping the query letter short; fleshing out character dynamics and not focusing too much on worldbuilding; connecting with a character, as opposed to the world, in the opening pages; a children’s picture book query letter; including some illustrator notes; exploring darker themes in a picture book; symbolism in children’s books; kidlit411.com; using lists in query letters; keeping the metadata at the top of the letter; having a domino effect in the query letter; including active emotion in the opening pages; and adding surprise to your pages. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 29, 2022 |
How to Know if You're the Right Person to Tell a Story
3816
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss keeping secrets from the reader vs. keeping them from the character; choosing a variety of comparable titles and authors; relatability to what the character is going through; ways to make a story believable; interiority and emotionality in the characters; not giving too much in the opening pages; revealing information in the right order; how themes don’t sell books, hooks sell books; and writing longer scenes and starting at the right place. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 22, 2022 |
Bonus Episode: We Answer Your Questions and Give You Comps
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca, Carly and CeCe answer all your burning questions about writing and publishing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 19, 2022 |
How to Stop Talking to Ourselves and Start Talking to Our Readers
3740
In today's Books with Hooks, we're joined by guest agent, Emmy Nordstrom-Higdon from Westwood Creative Artists who looks at four submissions. During the segment, Emmy discusses executing the world-building in a way that’s accessible to readers, and ensuring you’re also covering your characters' conflicts, goals, stakes, etc. in a query; keeping your query letter under a page; ensuring something happens plot-wise and that there’s voicey-ness in the writing sample; having wonderful line-level writing but focusing on the wrong things on a scene level; an efficient query letter formula; differentiating the voices of the characters; including enough voice in the query, but not as much as what’s in the pages; and a fantastic example of an MG query letter and opening pages. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 15, 2022 |
Tearing a Story Apart Until the Puzzle Pieces Fit Perfectly
3258
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe review a resubmission and in the process discuss an impressive author paragraph; writing the subtleties of familial relationships; the difficulties of a plot that hinges on a secret that isn't revealed in the query; and an example of a very good hook.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 08, 2022 |
Writing a Successful Book Proposal
3868
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss the target audience for a coming of age novel; the pitfalls of the early 2000s as a setting; the importance of your major dramatic question in a query; the issues with setting your novel up as part of a duology or series; and writing 'leading' dialogue. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 01, 2022 |
How Classic Literature Can Inform Your Own Work
3682
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Nurin and Layne who submitted their work for critique. During the segment, they discuss a romance query that succeeds in delivering ample stakes; whether you should include mentorship programs in your query; the importance of having movement in an opening scene; needing major dramatic questions for each main character in a novel; and the importance of inner life. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Aug 25, 2022 |
Balancing Character Development, Curiosity Seeds and Plot
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe look at two queries each, in the process discussing what is meant when agents want specificity in a query, particularly when it comes to world building; the hurdles of writing a book centered around trauma or featuring particularly traumatic scenes; using fewer comps for greater agent interest; the use of interiority in a query letter; advice on how to successfully write in the omniscient POV; curiosity seeds not being watered; and the difficulty with starting your pages with a character's regular day.
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Aug 18, 2022 |
Letting the Story Be Bigger Than You
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss having a strong sense of place in your work; an example of a good prologue; when it can work to put comps at the end of your query; examples where you can be too detailed in a query; the idea of stakes going in both directions; and the perfect query letter. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Aug 11, 2022 |
Maximizing the Benefit of Working with a Freelance Editor
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In today's special Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by guest literary agent, Jenni Ferrari-Adler who represents Susie Yang (whose novel, White Ivy, was the #BookswithHooksBC pick for June). Jenni helps Carly and CeCe evaluate three query letters, in the process discussing leaning into specificity; sprinkling backstory info rather than dumping it in; setting up your bombshell moments with the right information; and the importance of emotionality in sample pages. CeCe and Jenni also illustrate how subjective agent opinions can be when reading pages and how the process works when an editor is evaluating a manuscript.
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Aug 04, 2022 |
From the Archives: Dealing with Rejection
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In today's episode from the archives, Bianca chats with award-winning and bestselling author, Lily King (author of Writers & Lovers) about the writer's life; scrapping novels halfway through; dealing with rejection; and starting the process all over again with a new book. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 28, 2022 |
From the Archives: How to Create and Maintain Suspense
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In today's episode from the archives, Bianca chats with Putnam editor and adjunct professor of publishing for NYU, Mark Tavani, about all things suspense: techniques on how to create it, how to maintain it, and how to apply these concepts across all genres. Suspense is why we read; it's what keeps us turning pages. A story without some elements of suspense will fall flat. Learn how to avoid making that mistake in your work in progress. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 21, 2022 |
From the Archives: Learning Your Craft
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In today's episode from the archives, Bianca chats with award winning author, playwright, screenwriter and journalist, Byron Lane — author of the acclaimed A Star is Bored (which was inspired in part by Byron's time as assistant to beloved actress Carrie Fisher) — about finding your process as a debut author; getting help when you need it; learning your craft; and mining tough times in your life for fictional gold. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 14, 2022 |
From the Archives: Coming Up with A High Concept Premise
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In today's episode from the archives, Bianca chats with bestselling author, Samantha M. Bailey, as well as Nita Pronovost, editor and vice president/editorial director at Simon & Schuster Canada, about the lessons all writers can learn from the thriller genre, including coming up with high concept premises; something known and unknown, something hidden and something shown; the labyrinth approach; considering your novel two halves when it comes to pacing; and how to nail your endings. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 07, 2022 |
Writing Scenes Involving Multiple Characters, Understanding Writing Theory & We Answer Your Questions
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca is joined by guest interviewer Kira Mahoney who interviews Daniel Kalla, author of The Darkness in the Light, about why he addresses important medical issues in his books; when being too medically authentic is not a good idea; finding information but also knowing when not to include it; how to create good dialogue between multiple characters all at once; deciding on making a story a dual-POV; and writing thrillers and historical fiction. After which, Bianca chats with Valerie Francis, host of The Story Nerd Podcast, about the various types of writers in relation to writing theory, an exercise that listeners can use in their writing to improve it, using exposition as a tool; studying film to understand story; and the ways Valerie's podcast can help emerging authors.
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Jul 04, 2022 |
Tess Gerritsen's Advice to Writers
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In today's Books with Hooks , Carly and CeCe each critique two query letters. In the process, they discuss stories with magical elements and why the author chooses that specific world as the vehicle for the story; the importance of not revealing too much about a character’s ending state of interiority in a query letter; creating believable inner life; delivering on humor; and writing a dual author query. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 30, 2022 |
Writing Memoir, Planting Curiosity Seeds & Choosing Inciting Incidents
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In today's Bonus Episode, CeCe chats with Zibby Owens, podcaster, publisher, CEO and author of Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature. They play two truths and a lie (the writing version); discuss a strategy for turning memories into memoir; and Zibby's writing and publishing advice for emerging writers. After which, Bianca chats with Samantha M. Bailey, bestselling author of Watch Out for Her about sewing curiosity seeds; writing messy first drafts; being aware of your writing crutches; Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 27, 2022 |
Using a Pen Name & Advice for Showing vs Telling - Riley Sager
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On today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe are joined by Caroline and Sammy who submitted their work for critique. During the discussion, Carly and CeCe remind us to lean into specificity in opening pages; the importance of plausibility as well as newer comp titles; the ‘movie trailer’ trick for dealing with interiority; avoiding generic interiority; and advice for researching the speech patterns of characters from a different time period. After which, Bianca chats with Riley Sager, NYT bestselling author of The House Across the Lake, about having various pen names; pivoting as a writer; making setting a character in and of itself; showing vs telling, particularly in the thriller genre; the benefits of not giving too much away and making readers do the work; and writing an effective prologue. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 23, 2022 |
A Genre Guide, What Postcard Scenes Are, Resources Available to Writers, and a Bookstagrammer Gives You Comps
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Lidija Hilje, an Author Accelerator certified book coach about differentiating between genres; how to use her genre guide; the differences between literary, upmarket, book club, and women’s fiction; how literary fiction moves a story deeper, not forward; what “postcard” scenes are and how to use them; as well as Lidija’s editing and book coaching services and upcoming summer group coaching intensive. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 20, 2022 |
May Cobb's Insights on Writing
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe look at the same 3 queries, discussing a technique for discerning whether your plot points are too internal; the difficulties of having a very emotional character in an opening scene; and the importance of plausibility in plot. Carly and CeCe also fight over a query in a good way! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 16, 2022 |
Tips for Romance Writers, Blurred Genres & We Answer Your Questions
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In today's Bonus Episode, Femi Omotade joins us as a guest interviewer to chat with Ava Wilder, author of How to Fake It in Hollywood, to chat about tropes and elements that are not as prominent anymore in romance; reflecting a world in which there are authentic, diverse characters without appropriating voices that aren’t your own and without it feeling like tokenism; writing sex scenes; what Ava learned from writing the first book that she’s using in writing her second of a two-book deal; and Ava's recommended reading for tips on how to write a good romance novel. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 13, 2022 |
Trusting Your Subconscious and Yourself
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In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe evaluate the same three query letters, and in the process, they offer solutions for when your novel doesn’t seem to have any similar comps; remind us of the importance of story-forward curiosity; and explain what’s necessary in historical fiction to ensure the feel of a certain time period. After which, Bianca chats with Isabel Cañas, author of The Hacienda, about the inspiration for the book; carefully choosing your comps; the archetypes of the gothic novel; overturning canons deeply rooted in English literature; writing modern takes on 19th century settings; when writing feels like a fever dream; overcoming rejection and writing what you’re passionate about; pivoting when it comes to genre; writing in sprints; allowing some degree of pantsing so that characters can have agency, because your subconscious knows what it’s doing; and how having no agent is better than having a bad agent. Find us on our socials:
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Jun 09, 2022 |
Breaking the Rules & The Importance of Juxtaposition & A Bookstagrammer Gives You Comps
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In today’s Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Hannah Orenstein, author of Meant to Be Mine, about drawing on personal connections for characters; getting an opening chapter to work by breaking the rules about interaction and dialogue; and shutting up your inner critic and allowing yourself to write your stories! After which, Bianca chats with Philippa East, author of Safe and Sound, about structuring your first chapter intentionally; the importance of contrast and juxtaposition; whether you come at your character from the inside or outside; and putting yourself inside your character’s mind. Finally, we’re joined by Bookstagrammer Katy Stankevitz, of @katyisreading, who gives you comp titles! Find us on our socials: Katy can be found at @katyisreading on Instagram and Twitter Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 06, 2022 |
How Racism in the US Pushed Tara M. Stringfellow to Write Memphis
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In today's Books with Hooks, we're joined by two authors who submitted their work for critique. In the segment, Carly, CeCe and Bianca discuss when it’s appropriate for a character to be a curmudgeon; the difference between situational grumpiness vs global grumpiness; the importance of vulnerability when dealing with an unlikeable character; the need for your query to show multi-dimensionality in your novel; and the difficulty of having a dangerous situation right at the beginning of your pages. After which, Femi Omotade interviews Tara M. Stringfellow, the author of Memphis. In their discussion, they address Tara’s goals with Memphis, how it explores themes of forgiveness and how it's a celebration of the beauty of Black people; the pressure to give a real place and characters the authenticity they deserve; creating voice-y characters in a multigenerational novel; humanizing villains; writing moments of Black joy; and an author's level of involvement in the cover design process. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 02, 2022 |
Combating Query Fatigue & A Bookseller Gives You Comps
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Carley Fortune, author of Every Summer After, about setting a book in Canada; her journey to publication; the importance of reaching out to fellow authors for beta reads and critiques; structuring a dual timeline; upping the stakes and tension when you allude to a secret so readers don’t get bored waiting for the big reveal; and making writing a part of your daily routine. Finally, Emilie from East City Bookshop joins us to give you comp titles! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 30, 2022 |
The Poetic Efficiency of Writing Well at the Line Level - Emma Straub
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each discuss the same three queries, unpacking why queries are meant to be short and sweet; the difference between a setup and a reveal; agent burnout and pitching the most exciting info about your novel ASAP; and upping tension by subverting character expectations in the first few pages. Also, Carly surprises us by advocating for a prologue, and Carly and CeCe disagree on one of the queries! After which, Bianca chats with Emma Straub, author of THIS TIME TOMORROW and owner of Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, about a smart strategy for dressing for tour, her inspiration for her most recent novel; planting clues and foreshadowing through your manuscript; the importance of writing well at a line level; and how Emma's unpublished works helped her on her journey to publication. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 26, 2022 |
Pacing at a Chapter Level, How the Industry is Faring, and We Answer Your Questions
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Hanny Mary McKinnon, author of NEVER COMING HOME, about how to write characters that we root for even though they’re bad; pacing at a scene or chapter level; adding in “sparkly touches” during the editing/revision stage; how to ensure a reader won’t want to put your book down; and knowing when a scene or chapter isn’t enhancing your story After which, Bianca chats with industry expert, Jane Friedman about how the publishing industry is faring; the lack of diversity in and social dynamics of the industry; current trends in publishing; how BookTok has been driving book sales; self-publishing vs traditionally publishing; thinking long-term when you’re making the decision about which publishing route you want to take; and all of Jane’s resources available for writers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 23, 2022 |
The Secret to Incorporating Backstory
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each critique two query letters. In the process they discuss closing the distance between narrator and reader; ensuring the reader knows exactly who to root for and what the hook is; how secrets in a query letter must carry inherent stakes with them; voice-y hybrid second person; and planting curiosity seeds. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 19, 2022 |
Being Out on Sub, Drafting vs Revising Mode, Answering Your Questions and Comps Titles
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca first chats with Jessica Payne, author of Make Me Disappear, about getting "the call"; how long the editorial process can take before going on sub; how publishing is like dating; how to tell when you’re close to getting offers of representation; writing under contract while launching a debut; and establishing relationships with Bookstagrammers and a potential launch team before you’ve sold the book. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 16, 2022 |
Emily Henry's Advice for Writing Good Dialogue
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In today's Books with Hooks, we're joined by Paige and Rianne who submitted their work for critique. Carly and CeCe discuss how to make your query properly voicey and following the ‘language’ of your novel; cornering your protagonist to create tension; the need for a personified antagonistic force in your query/novel; and the need for active emotions. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 12, 2022 |
What Makes an Editor Fall in Love with a Book & How to Manage Your Writerly Anxiety & A Bookseller Gives You Comps
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In today's Bonus Episode, CeCe chats with Sarah Cantin, Executive Editor at St. Martin's Publishing Group and the editor of the #BookswithHooksBC pick, The Ballerinas. They discuss what made Sarah fall in love with the submission for The Ballerinas; what “pre-empt” means in an offer/deal; instantly knowing the genre vs pondering the straddling of two genres; the ratio of submissions vs offers; what to do when a book doesn’t sell as well as you thought it would; likeable unlikeable protagonists; and Sarah's book recommendations. After which, Bianca chats with Susie Orman Schnall, the award-winning author of We Came Here to Shine, The Subway Girls, The Balance Project and On Grace. They discuss hiring a professional editor to put your best foot forward for querying; rejections from publishers and the importance of talking about them; understanding the hook of your novel; how to manage the anxiety of being a writer; trusting in your agent’s capabilities; and allowing yourself to feel shitty, but also remembering to measure your successes and celebrate them as you keep going.
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May 09, 2022 |
The Difference Between Memoir and Recollection
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each review two query letters. In the process, they discuss being specific with hooks and ensuring that you're labeling/branding novel genres correctly; how to create plot points that will make a novel more upmarket/pacey; how emotionality builds tension; the ways in which your author bio should relate to the plot/idea of your book; dealing with the tropes of upmarket women’s fiction; and pages that deliver on tension. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 05, 2022 |
Setting as Character, How Your Journey Will Be Unique, and We Answer Your Questions
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In today’s Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Jennifer Fawcett, author of Beneath the Stairs, about her publishing journey; positioning yourself in the market for editors—and why comps and knowing your genre are so important; writing a book that stays true to what you want to write, but is also marketable and satisfies the readers of that genre; and having the setting become character. After which, Bianca chats with Lydia Kang, author of The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding, about fitting writing into a busy work and home schedule; how your writing pace is not going to look the same as everyone else’s; keeping the same agent as you go through multiple genres as a writer; and researching historical fiction. Finally, Carly and CeCe answer your burning questions! Find us on our socials:
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May 02, 2022 |
How to Make 'Quiet' Novels Unputdownable
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe evaluate the same three query letters, discussing developing character while developing plot; leveraging the reveal in a way that ramps up stakes and tension; having appropriate stakes for the age group and genre; framing what’s happening around the main character(s); how we need disruption, imbalance and conflict in the MC’s life, especially in the opening pages; and giving a personal universal element that the reader can imprint on in the opening pages. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 28, 2022 |
Middle-Grade Fiction, Rom-coms, and a Bookseller Gives You Comps
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Alisha Sevigny, author of The Oracle of Avaris, about the difference between MG and Upper MG; the importance of reading in the genre you want to write in; guarding against talking down to kids or teaching a lesson; taboo subjects for MG and how to approach writing difficult topics. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 25, 2022 |
Making Structural Choices to Best Serve a Particular Story
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Kim and Jessica who submitted their queries for critique. They discuss how to elevate a query so that it matches the quality of the pages, reminding us that the goal of the query letter is to get an agent to read those pages; how to lean into specificity to elevate a query; toeing the line between giving away too much and too little in your query; how to successfully write a multi POV query; and how to balance discussing theme and plot in a query. Find us on our socials:
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Apr 21, 2022 |
Writing and Rewriting a Novel Until It's Ready & We Answer Your Questions
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In today’s BONUS EPISODE, Bianca chats with Matt Bell, author of Refuse to be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts, about how teaching has helped them become better writers; revising in layers versus all at once; how there's not just one way to write or revise a novel; revision tools for if you don't have beta readers; and the responsibility of being a creative writing instructor. After which CeCe chats with debut author, Amanda Pellegrino, author of Smile and Look Pretty, about the query letter that connected Amanda to her dream agent; how long it took Amanda to write her first draft; how Amanda broke the rules when querying (and it worked!); the importance of working with an agent who challenges you; the editorial work that went into getting her manuscript ready; researching professions to write characters with authenticity; how it felt like to go out on submission to publishers; writing for film and TV versus writing novels; the value of getting the bad ideas out to land on the good ideas; the importance of surrounding yourself with people you trust; how being self-disciplined without putting pressure on herself has served Amanda well; the importance of social media in marketing and promoting your book; and the generosity of the #WritingCommunity. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 18, 2022 |
The Importance of Endings - Lisa Scottoline
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe evaluate two submissions each and discuss not feeding the reader all the information right up front; how the reader should be the co-pilot; that understanding how much you should reveal is a complicated dance; not starting with a child's POV when it’s an adult novel; and having things happening in the first pages and not just setting the scene After which, Femi Omotade joins Bianca again to interview bestselling and award-winning Lisa Scottoline, author of What Happened to the Bennetts. They discuss channeling empathy to create realistic characters; how all writing leads to other writing; how writing is a muscle that needs to be exercised; the importance of endings; and how Lisa's writing has evolved over the course of her career. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 14, 2022 |
Framing Scenes, Writing a YA Series, and A Bookseller Recommends Comps
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In today's jam-packed Bonus Episode, Bianca first chats with Grant Ginder, author of Let's Not Do That Again, about “unlikable” characters and what they might reveal about us as readers; the 5-Act structure; framing a scene to play with dramatic effect; and specificity in scenes according to what would be important for each particular character.
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Apr 11, 2022 |
Organically Integrating Backstory and Context
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In today's Books with Hooks, Hannah and Beth join Carly and CeCe to discuss their submissions. During the chat, Carly and CeCe chat about the difference between ‘heart’ and ‘hook’; raising the stakes in your novel; a good way to describe a ‘quiet’ novel in a query; sharing anything that elevates your novel’s structure and style in your query; and how to deal with the issue of writing (or avoiding writing about) the pandemic. After which, Bianca chats with Gina Sorell, author of The Wise Women, about the genesis of an idea; family/sibling relationships and points of view; techniques for giving backstory/context; being an ‘underwriter’; and Gina's advice for emerging writers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 07, 2022 |
Fictional Beginnings and Non-Fictional Story Arcs & a Bookseller Recommends Comps
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Lee Gowan, author of The Beautiful Place about taking twelve years to finish a novel; the process of figuring out when your novel is done; advice on how to find the right beginning; cannibalizing your writing; the importance of knowing where your novel is going, and how cutting things out can help you figure out key parts of your novel. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 04, 2022 |
How the Original Pitch Copy and Framing Device Can Change During Edits
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In today’s special episode of Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe welcome author Rachel Kapelke-Dale and her agent Sarah Phair to offer feedback on three query letters from members of the Books with Hooks Book Club. During the chat, they address how withholding information at the start of a story can create tension, not starting a story with descriptions on the weather (and how that is like wearing capri pants), and how reading a book out loud can help with proofreading. Show notes link: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250834560/theingenue
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Mar 31, 2022 |
What Chloe and Olivia Have Learned Along the Way & A Bookseller Offers Comps
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca begins by chatting with Chloe Benjamin, bestselling author of The Immortalists, about handling the perfectionism-induced burnout after finishing The Immortalists, and the techniques she uses to pace herself; the romanticization of being an artist and struggling with mental health issues; the toxicity of grind culture; and various ways for you to research and organize your work. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 28, 2022 |
When You're Not Able to Let Go of a Rejected Manuscript
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe kick it back old school and both discuss the same three submissions. During the chat, they address dialing back on the exposition in the opening pages; keeping it to two comps and not trying to tick off all the genre boxes; not starting a story with the protagonist imagining too much; matching descriptions of surroundings to what the character is feeling about what’s going on presently in their life; making sure the “ick factor” is clearly laid out in the query letter; and how world-building can be whatever you want it to be as long as you’re making deliberate decisions so there isn’t an issue with plausibility.
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Mar 24, 2022 |
How Specificity Brings a Story to Life, Answering Your Questions, and a Bookseller Gives You Comps
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In today's BONUS EPISODE, Bianca first chats with Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of The Love of My Life, about when a story forces a plotter to become a pantser; figuring out how to work in backstory after the midpoint twist; pulling a manuscript apart and putting it back together multiple times; how the only way to learn how to write a book is writing one; knowing how to pitch your book despite straddling genres; hiding something in plain sight and the care it requires when it comes down to word choice; how the natural world can inform plot and character; how characterization is a process of painstaking layering; allowing your characters to be beige in early drafts; and putting your manuscript in front of non-writers to see a reader's reaction to a story. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 21, 2022 |
How to be Creative During Difficult Times
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In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca is joined by guest agent, Emmy Nordstrom-Higdon from Westwood Creative Artists, who looks at four query letters. Emmy warns against tokenism and avoiding vague comps that might oversell your work. They also discuss reputation clauses and their growing prevalence in contracts; why editors and agents are wary about debut novels over 100 000 words; how ‘quiet’ novels are being passed over, but their hopes that the industry will eventually change; difficulties in getting the YA ‘voice’ right; and the importance of accessibility in your writing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 17, 2022 |
Bonus Episode: Spotlight on Indie Authors and Publishers & We Answer Your Questions
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In today's Bonus Episode, we spotlight two awesome indie authors and publishers. Bianca first chats with Maggie Smith, author of Truth and Other Lies, about using the same title as another book; being able to collaborate on the book cover with a smaller publisher; running your marketing campaign as an indie author; giving ARCs to early readers and how running a campaign on NetGalley to get reviews out before the launch of your book is a wise investment; the difference between indie publishing and hybrid publishing; and writing several drafts in several POVs to determine what works best to help you really get to know your characters. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 14, 2022 |
How to Ensure Each Scene is Doing the Heavy Lifting
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In today's Books with Hooks, Kelly and Paul join Carly and CeCe to discuss their submissions. During the segment, we discuss the difference between dual timelines and flashbacks; the importance of your ‘opener’ and what that is; the importance of striking a balance between interiority and external plot at the beginning; and the new initiative we have to help you with your comps!
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Mar 10, 2022 |
BONUS EPISODE: Jesse Thistle's Advice to Memoirists & Our First Q&A Session
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with Jesse Thistle, author of the bestselling and award-winning memoir, From the Ashes, about the difference between memoir and biography; thinking about what you want the ‘message’ of your memoir to be; speaking to universal elements of your memoir; the emotional/psychological effects of writing memoir about traumatic events; and Jesse's advice to memoirists. After which, Carly, CeCe and Bianca take your questions! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 07, 2022 |
Writerly Insights with Bestselling Author, Elin Hilderbrand
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe tackle two queries each. In the process, they discuss how you have less time to get to the inciting incident in a YA novel; being mindful of ‘telling’ that doesn’t move the storyline forward or is irrelevant; why too much interiority isn’t good in a query letter and how to replace interiority with plot; avoiding redundancies and repetition in your query letter and pages ; and how building mystery requires specificity by the author. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 03, 2022 |
Writing Romance Masterclass
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In today's BONUS EPISODE, we do a deep dive into the romance genre. Bianca first chats with Farah Heron, author of Accidentally Engaged and Tahira in Bloom, about the sub-genres of romance; how romance is defined; the difference between romance and women’s fiction; The Bridgerton Effect; structure and plotting for romance; and tropes in the romance genre. After which, Bianca chats with publishing phenomenon, Elena Armas, author of The Spanish Love Deception, about her journey from bookstagrammer to bestselling author; the power of Tik Tok; indie-publishing editing vs. traditionally published editing; how to make your own book covers; and how to write steamy sex scenes. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 28, 2022 |
Why You Need to Be Your Most Sympathetic Critic
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Mire and Katy who have submitted their work for critique. They discuss not losing the plot in a quest for being true to the emotionality of the story; making sure that one character isn’t just a vessel for the other in a dual POV story; toeing the line between making the reader curious and leaving them frustrated; making sure that if you focus on one POV in your query letter, you still include who the other POVs will be; giving context so the reader understands certain details; limiting the number of ppl in your opening pages so as not to confuse the reader; and being present with your protagonist. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 24, 2022 |
A Masterclass in Writing Multi-POV Novels Across Various Genres
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In today’s BONUS Episode, Bianca chats with three awesome authors writing multi-POV stories across various genres. First up is Kim Fay, author of Love & Saffron, who talks about how being a bookseller influenced her writing; how writing is a craft and every sentence matters; letting the words flow when the magic happens; and including a piece of yourself in the story you want to tell. Next is Kristen Bird, author of The Night She Went Missing, who talks about writing a successful 4-POV debut novel; the challenges of ensuring the reader can connect with each POV character with limited time on the pages; outlining a published novel to see how the author achieved their scene and chapter goals; treating your previous unpublished novels as practice, not failures; and allowing yourself to be content in the season that you’re in. Lastly is Eliza Jane Brazier, author of Good Rich People, who chats about opening with a strong prologue; writing unlikeable characters that readers are still compelled to keep reading about; knowing what your villain truly wants; infusing social commentary into your writing; and switching hats from novel writing to screenwriting. Find us on our socials: Kim Fay - Twitter and Instagram: @kimkfay
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Feb 21, 2022 |
Writing With an Intelligent Reader in Mind
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe kick it back old-school to review the same three query letters. During the segment, they discuss avoiding flowery language, especially in a query; avoiding "reviewing" your own work and letting the pages show what kind of work it is; pitching your story rather than your writing; making sure you have the right category/genre, so that the right people read it and judge it accordingly; and getting creative with your POV when you need to write a character that isn't a main character. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 17, 2022 |
What It's Like to Be Out On Submission & Circling the Building in Your Opening
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In today's BONUS Episode, Carly chats with Andrea Dunlop, author of We Came Here To Forget, about comps and why they’re so important; what it feels like to be out on submission; writers not getting what they need in terms of knowing how to market themselves and their books; a day in the life of; and NaNoWriMo goals. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 14, 2022 |
When Writing is Both Therapeutic and Profitable
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Kathy and Leila who have submitted their queries for critique. During the segment, they discuss why it’s important to frame a memoir as ‘why does this book have to be out there for others?’; why it’s okay to not have your hook fully fleshed out in a memoir query because agents are there to help you finish the job; how, in non-fiction, the hook is what you’re delivering to the reader and so it’s something you dig to find, unlike in fiction; how your story can start in multiple places, depending on taste; how starting in story is always the best place to start, even in memoir; using first person to help yourself write third person close; watching out for characters that are too generic/cookie-cutter/cliche; and how to make readers connect with characters in dark stories by making them very human. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 10, 2022 |
BONUS Episode: Discussing Action and Humor with Mark Greaney and Josie Silver
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In today's BONUS EPISODE Bianca first chats with Mark Greaney, author of Sierra Six, about writing espionage mysteries, putting your manuscript aside to work on something different so you can come back to it with fresh eyes; using every project as a learning experience; immersing yourself in your research; writing a series; listing your characters if you have a lot of them; and how to manage the scene arc in shorter chapters. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 07, 2022 |
Mastering Multi-POV and Multi-Timeline Novels with Fiona Davis
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each tackle two query letters. In the process, they discuss the importance of not only having internal conflict, but also having external conflict so that you can create a proper hook; the difference between women’s fiction and romance, and a larger discussion of what ‘women’s fiction’ actually is; making sure the types of stakes of your novel match your genre; the best POV when writing a non-human narrator; how women’s fiction queries should be less about feelings and more about plot; and how a good submission is about two main questions for an agent: ‘am I curious?’ and ‘is the writing strong?’ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 03, 2022 |
BONUS: Experimenting with Structure - Mitzi Angel and Janice Hallett
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In today's BONUS EPISODE, we do a deep dive into experimenting with structure. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 31, 2022 |
Rachel Krantz's Advice on Writing Memoir
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Layne and Peter. They discuss the importance of having a clear antagonistic force that the reader is scared of/rooting against; having a uniting factor in multi-POV stories; the difference between a premise and a hook; balancing being literary in a thriller/upmarket novel; and how you can sneak in an effective prologue. After which, Bianca chats with Rachel Krantz, author of Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy, about her advice for memoirists. They also discuss the difference between a reported memoir vs a traditional memoir; how the fallout/revelations of #MeToo affected the way Rachel gathered evidence during her experience; and the importance of the awareness of privilege, and not just acknowledging it, but working to raise awareness in others. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 27, 2022 |
BONUS EPISODE: A Romance Author Answers Your Questions & An Intro to Scrivener
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In today's bonus episode, Bianca first chats with Seressia Glass, author of The Love Con, about all things romance as Seressia kindly answers listener questions about the genre while sharing invaluable insight. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 24, 2022 |
Building a Writing Resume on Your Journey to Publication - Deesha Philyaw
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each take on two query letters. They discuss being cognizant of including descriptive features of the characters that don’t actually add any information/teach us anything about the character themselves; the trick of re-writing a scene in a different POV to really fine-tune emotional feelings within a scene; ensuring that dramatic questions in your plot actually center around your main character; being careful of using descriptions that are too derivative; how sensory details can beef up a description; and being mindful of how many names you throw out in the query letter since you don’t want it to read too much like a synopsis. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 20, 2022 |
Granting Yourself Permission to Tell a Story - Kerri Maher
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are kicking it back to the old format in which they look at the same three queries together. They discuss how important it is to show that there's enough plot and escalation to merit a whole novel when writing a query; the pitfall of using the term "crossover"; being mindful of when your book is coming off as quiet or too interior to the protagonist; avoiding a recap beginning, where you give too much background info, like a recap on a show; looking out for redundancies during the polishing phase; the difference between telling the reader something versus making the reader FEEL something; and how it isn't enough to just paint a picture - the picture needs to feel real. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 13, 2022 |
BONUS EPISODE: From Rocky Beginnings to Strong Endings
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In today's Bonus Episode, Bianca chats with two awesome guests. The first is Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart, who discusses querying a book that's ten years in the making when you’re not sure if it has a place in the market; the whirlwind of quickly getting an agent and book deal; turning your NaNoWriMo novel into a successful book; avoiding info-dumping through dialogue; creating a narrative outline; and reading outside your genre. In the second interview, Bianca chats with Jes Trudel, co-founder of writingcommunity.ca about The Story Endings Matrix. Jes discusses how publishers use a SWOT Analysis to analyze a manuscript; how YOU can use a SWOT analysis to identify areas of weakness in your manuscript; how to ensure you have the proper ending for your book in any genre; and reverse outlining—working back from your ending to the beginning. Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 10, 2022 |
Knowing When You're Not Quite There... Yet - Tomi Adeyemi
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In today's Books with Hooks, guest agent Veronia Park joins us from Fuse Literary to discuss Joanne's and Gaylen's submissions with them. In the segment, Veronica chats about straddling the line between two age categories; knowing, with MG fiction, who your target parents and teachers are because they're the ones who're going to be putting your book in their children’s hands; writing a dual-POV query letter for a dual-POV novel; letting your characters lie a little, or hold back truths, especially in the beginning; and including the first few pages of each POV character in a dual-POV situation. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 06, 2022 |
Ending the Year with a Shot of Positivity from Alka Joshi
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In today's Books with Hooks, guest agent Veronia Park joins us from Fuse Literary to review four submissions. During the segment, Veronica discusses having the query vibe matching the sample pages vibe; under-promising and over-delivering with the sample; ensuring you have stakes at the end of each POV paragraph in the query; when not to include the prologue in the sample pages; and the three-part rule: what does your MC want more than anything, why can’t they get it, and what will happen if they do/don’t get it? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 30, 2021 |
How Using Writing Software Can Elevate Your WIP
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In today's BONUS EPISODE, Bianca chats with Janet Forbes and Dimitris Havlidis of World Anvil about how the right writing software can take your writing to the next level. Janet and Dimitris discuss how they came up with the World Anvil software and the many ways it can assist with world building for those working in speculative or historical fiction. They also break down the ways in which the software can improve the writing process for those writing in different genres including the aspects like the community building, forums, feedback and writing sprints. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 27, 2021 |
How Critiquing Other Writers' Work is the Best Way To Learn Craft
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by writers, Michele and Lynne, who have submitted their work for critique. Carly and CeCe discuss writing a story from the perspective of the other; ensuring you have done lots of research to tell that story properly and sensitively; not starting the opening pages with a lack of curiosity; fear or desire as conveyed through surprise; and having sample pages for different POVs if you’ve written a dual- or multi-POV novel. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 23, 2021 |
BONUS EPISODE: Why You Should Consider Writing Residencies
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In today's BONUS episode, Bianca chats with the writer Clarisse Baleja Saidi about everything you've always wanted to know about writing residencies. Clarisse gives her top 5 pieces of advice for applying for residencies, and breaks down why applying for—and attending them—could be the boost you need to finish your WIP. Prepare to be surprised! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 21, 2021 |
Incorporating the Epistolary Form into Your Writing
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss starting a book with dialogue; having tension from page one; using sharp visuals from your character’s perspective (specificity); having the right comps for the setting, plot, tone, etc.; using time and character stamps in multi-POV novels; using the story-forward rule to make the reader curious about what’s going to happen next; and reversing stereotypical roles in characters. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 16, 2021 |
When a Pantser Becomes a Plotter to Get Published - Kirthana Ramisetti
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In today's Books with Hooks, Emmy Nordstrom Higdon joins us from Westwood Creative Artists to chat with Tyler and Vickie about their work. Emmy unpacks starting with action to get a good sense of voice and character; how the story needs to be front and center with opening pages before digging into issues; starting with something dramatic and compelling; showing the MC out of their depth with internal and external conflict; and dramatizing epistolary parts of a novel. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 09, 2021 |
Not Every Journey to Publication Takes the Same Route - Jayne Allen
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by writers, Sally and Katherine, to discuss their query letters and opening pages. We discuss trigger/content warnings in query letters; being specific without being spoiler-y; as well as weaving in emotion. And... wait for it... we actually suggest a prologue! Yes, we do that sometimes! Find us on our socials: Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 02, 2021 |
Trusting Your Gut in the Face of Rejection - PJ Vernon
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, we have Emmy Nordstrom Higdon from Westwood Creative Artists join us as a guest agent to review submissions not directed at Carly or CeCe. In this episode, Bianca and Emmy discuss authorial voice; jumping right into where the action is; how using appropriate comps can help cut down on a query's word count; including sample pages for more than one POV; and carefully choosing your story’s timeline/setting. After which, Bianca chats with PJ Vernon, author of Bath Haus about the value of art; changing publishers in between books; trusting your gut when it comes to writing a story you want to write; differentiating POV voices; playing around with interesting structures; starting your book with high stakes; and book club conversations you'll be having once you're published. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 25, 2021 |
BONUS: Submitting to Presses & Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone
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In today's BONUS episode, Bianca chats with Ami J. Sanghvi and Patrick Hogan of Gutslut Press about the top ten reasons why indie presses reject submissions even if the writing is really great. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 22, 2021 |
Ken Follett's Incredibly Practical Tips for Writers
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Liz and Jami join us to discuss their submissions. Carly and CeCe unpack when to put the stakes at the beginning of the query instead of at the end; the Pixar storytelling rules about coincidences; weaving in emotion with explanation to make it more showing than telling; writing a story in first person and then going back with a “you” lens to make it hybrid second person; and giving a character a small but important goal in the beginning of the book that’s tied to the larger arc. After which, Bianca chats with world-renowned bestselling author, Ken Follett, about what to do when what you write isn’t coming out the same way the idea played out in your head; having a solid research process including reaching out to experts to ensure authenticity in your story; how to give crucial background information without it sounding like an info dump; tips for stitching unrelated scenes together; and the empathy that’s required to be a historical novelist and a writer in general. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 18, 2021 |
How to Write a Novel in Half the Time
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss whether publishing is ready for Covid stories yet; using an inciting incident that is super specific, but doesn’t give away any spoilers; the importance of having a great, unique hook and a beautiful first line; why emotion needs to be on the page before description in a tense scene; and how a protagonist’s unconscious should also be on the page. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 11, 2021 |
Why You Shouldn't Compare Yourself to Other Writers
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Melissa and Stephanie join us on the show to have their query letters and opening pages critiqued. Carly and CeCe discuss the importance of hitting current social and class elements; not missing opportunities to let readers know more about the MC by adding in descriptions and reasons behind their choices; when and why a prologue works; and anticipating readers' questions and answering them at just the right time. After which, Bianca chats with the author of My Sweet Girl, Amanda Jayatissa about submitting to POC agents/editors vs. non-POC agents/editors; structuring your novel in a linear vs. non-linear way; using old journals if you have them to put yourself in the mindset of a younger character; using Aeon 2.0 Timeline software; and why you shouldn't compare yourself to other writers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 04, 2021 |
The Secret to Overnight Success - Jesse Q Sutanto
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In today's revamped Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe each tackle two queries that have been directed at them via the new submission process. They also discuss writing your first scene as if it were being filmed; trigger warnings vs. content notes; deciding what to include in the first five pages, and what to put elsewhere in the story. After which, Bianca chats with Jesse Q Sutanto, author of the hugely successful Dial A For Aunties about her journey to publication; participating in NaNoWriMo; using the Ginko app for story structure; how a previously small deal can make a big splash later on; and the secret to overnight success. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 28, 2021 |
BONUS EPISODE: When to Break the Rules - Leila Slimani
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Emma joins us on the show to discuss her query and opening pages. Carly and CeCe tackle sparking curiosity; hooking the agent with keywords; repetition with dialogue tags and replacing them with action beats; writing in multiple POVs and making the reader question who’s doing the narrating; as well as homemade pasta! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 26, 2021 |
Staying True To Your Vision for Your Work - Ella Berman
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss putting a fresh twist on a popular trope; taking care not to use titles of novels that are already published; how the present tense offers tension and immediacy; not burying the hook in your query letter; not inadvertently dating your work; and stating specifically what obstacles are getting in your character’s way. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 21, 2021 |
BONUS EPISODE: Romance, Rom-coms and Writing Sex Scenes
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In today's bonus episode, we have three romance/rom-com authors who join Bianca to discuss all things related to the genre. NYT bestselling Lana Harper discusses her queer rom-com, Payback's a Witch, as well as world-building, character development, her inspiration for the novel, and her change of genre. Sarah Echavarre Smith, author of On Location talks about writing those racy sex scenes and the conventions of the genre. Jane Igharo, author of The Sweetest Remedy chats about how romance can tackle serious issues, and her journey to publication. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 19, 2021 |
A Wealth of Information Shared by Super Editor, Amy Einhorn
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, we do a lot of brainstorming, which doesn’t necessarily align with the author’s vision for her novel, reminding us all that the author is the one who decides what their story is and isn’t. Carly and CeCe also chat about how editors like unlikely friendship stories; authors not having to give up on manuscripts, but persuing the ones that give you the best chance at publishing; taking care not to give resolutions in the query letter; aiming for a pressure cooker vibe; and how life-tense and story-tense differ. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 14, 2021 |
How Being Impatient to Publish Actually Works Against You - Ruth Ozeki
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss avoiding hypothetical questions; escalating baseline stakes and tension; how authors are the puppet masters of their own universes and need to justify all of their choices; giving the reader something familiar in the opening of a fantasy novel; the difference between head-hopping and omniscient POV; how to format dialogue; how you need to frame your memoir with a hook; and avoiding writing a character's struggles that are all internal. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 07, 2021 |
From the Archives: What I Wish I Knew Before I Got Published - Courtney Maum
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Host and author, Bianca Marais, talks with the fabulous Courtney Maum, author of Before and After the Book Deal, about writing killer query letters and the ten things Courtney wishes she knew before she published her first book, I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You. The episode is filled with tons of practical writing advice and lots of laughs. Learn from someone who's been there, done that, and wishes they'd known better. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 04, 2021 |
In Praise of the Prologue and Organic Backstory - Christina Clancy
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss digging into trauma to reveal the root emotion; how even literary fiction needs a hook; readability and writing in italics in certain fonts; needing to connect with character; how a query letter must include details of a specific climax; always keeping the reader wondering about what’s going to happen next; and tackling certain themes responsibly. Carly also sings a time stamp jingle! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 30, 2021 |
From the Archives: Talking with the Bestseller Whisperer
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Tara Singh Carlson, the first editor to have two of their novels picked by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club. Besides acquiring numerous bestsellers like The Silent Wife, The House at Tyneford and The Light We Lost, she's also edited the publishing phenomenon, Where The Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens, which has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for more than three years. Tara discusses what it takes to be the next Delia Owens as she shares amazing insight into how bestsellers happen. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 27, 2021 |
The Evolution of a Rejected Manuscript on its Journey to Publication
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On today's Books with Hooks segment, we have an author come onto the show to discuss her submission with us. In the segment, Carly and CeCe chat with Shari about linking multiple POV stories in a query letter; answering the 'why now?' question; establishing what’s at stake for each POV character; how an offer implies a transaction, and how all of life is about power; being careful who you comp as that creates expectations; explaining the thematic pressures that affect characters; how regret is a passive emotion; and nailing entry and exit points in each chapter. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 23, 2021 |
Having Fun with Your Writing & Getting Out of Your Own Way - Lauren Groff
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In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss thinking of your query letter as real estate with curb appeal; considering what you’re providing for the reader’s sake vs what you’re providing for the character’s sake; being clear with memoir with regards to what you’re working towards as a climax; memoir needing to have a sub-genre; immersing a reader in scene instead of giving a round-up of feelings; and the problem with presenting a character just to immediately kill them off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 16, 2021 |
The Importance of Staring into Space - Sunjeev Sahota
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss how paranormal stories are making a comeback; having YA characters sound like, and have the emotionality of, teenagers; the difference between loud and quiet novels; always focusing on what’s happening in the present; who is allowed to tell which stories; and avoiding starting stories that begin with surrender as that doesn't invoke curiosity. CeCe is also forced to eat her words of advice given in a previous episode! After which, Bianca chats with the award-winning author of China Room, Sunjeev Sahota, about finding your writing groove; coming up with your own process that works for you; the importance of staring into space; and why chasing a changing definition of success can be dangerous.
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Sep 09, 2021 |
BONUS EPISODE: 10 Legal and Business Topics for Writers to Consider
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In today's BONUS episode, CeCe chats with Katherine Miller Goldman, an intellectual property attorney, to answer all of your questions! They discuss what an intellectual property attorney does; what intellectual property is; what you can and can’t copyright and trademark; quoting song lyrics in your novel; what permissions you need when writing about real people in a memoir; if a therapist or doctor can write about their patients; what composite characters are; using pen names; offering teasers for free; filing a copyright application; setting up LLCs; writing true crime and getting permissions; considering derivatives; what fair use is; and getting out of contracts. www.creativelawcenter.com Nothing on this episode is specific legal advice for any individual's situation. The information discussed on this episode is no substitute for speaking confidentially with a qualified lawyer about your concerns. What you’ll listen to here is intended to help you be more thoughtful about intellectual property and the law when you write your stories, create your art, and build your business.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 07, 2021 |
Every Story Will Tell You What it Needs - Megan Collins
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss leaning into specificity; concerns over white saviorism and teachable moments; dialogue needing to sound exactly like the character would speak; requiring drama outside of parallelism; starting with character and putting the reader in someone’s head right away; how multi-POV books should be pitched; and focusing on plot rather than feelings. After which, Bianca chats with author of The Family Plot, Megan Collins, about writing limited omniscient third person; getting approval from your publisher; the immediacy of present tense; how every story will tell you what it needs; bringing poetry into any genre of writing; how you should choose your POV character; and coming up with secondary characters based on the purpose you need them to serve.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 02, 2021 |
Finding Your Plot Engine - Megan Abbott
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss focusing on trauma and conflict rather than the perfect life that came before; not taking up too much space for a set up in a query letter; starting with the inciting incident; the problem with objectivity in omniscient POV; how curiosity comes from active emotion; writing well on a line level; pitching plot rather than feelings; and the golden rule of dialogue. After which, Bianca chats with Megan Abbott, author of The Turnout, about the themes writers return to; the research that goes into a novel; how you don’t need to just write what you know, but what you’re curious about; the struggle to write authentic movement and gestures as your characters make their way through the world; making the reader do the heavy-lifting; and writing an unreliable narrator. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Aug 26, 2021 |
BONUS EPISODE: A One-on-One Books with Hooks & Preparing for #PitMad
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In this BONUS episode, we have the author, Ruth N, join us to chat about her query and first pages. Carly and CeCe discuss giving the characters more agency; describing the plot rather than the ingredients of a plot; and how a query should focus on your hook, inciting incident, and the escalating stakes. After which, Bianca chats with Sara Nicolas who gives some pro tips on how to navigate the upcoming #PitMad and Pitch Wars Blog Hop. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Aug 24, 2021 |
Writing an Engaging First Chapter - Caitlin Wahrer
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss being careful with your verb choices so as not to create misunderstandings; the query letter question test; describing the tone of your book as one thing or the other; being careful not to have characters who just have unrelated drama happening to them; changing locations in opening scenes; what constitutes historical fiction; guarding against overwriting and too much mind wandering; getting to the hook faster, and not repeating what’s in the opening pages in the query letter. After which, Bianca chats with Caitlin Wahrer, debut author of The Damage, about what needs to be in an opening chapter; hooking the reader with immediate questions; writing dual timelines as opposed to flashbacks in the present day; choosing past tense and then struggling with the tenses during flashbacks; structuring stories in a non linear timeline; writing multiple characters in third person close; working with an agent on a revise and resubmit; why writing a query letter for a novel with multiple POV characters is difficult; and the pros of third person close compared to first person.
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Aug 19, 2021 |
How to Know When You're Ready to Query Agents
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss not being vague in your query letter; letting us know what’s at stake for a character; why repetition is your enemy in the first five pages; making the geography and the hook of the novel clearer; inciting specific curiosity; and taking care not to write a hidden protagonist.
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Aug 12, 2021 |
BONUS EPISODE: How to Make Your Imaginary Worlds Come Alive Through Worldbuilding
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In this bonus episode, Bianca chats with Andrew Wall of Craft Better Books about everything you need to know about worldbuilding. Whether you write adult fantasy, YA fantasy, dystopian fiction or sci-fi, there are many elements of worldbuilding that you need to consider and incorporate into your work in order to make your fictional world come alive and feel authentic. Andrew guides you through the process and what you need to pay attention to. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Aug 09, 2021 |
Finding a Hook & Writing Dual POV Stories - Andrea Bartz
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss what an action prologue is and the pitfalls of using it; telling us what characters like rather than what they don’t like; how if you know someone’s problems and passions, you know their life; entertaining rather than explaining in the opening pages; sharing the details of prior representation; and the process of changing agents. After which Bianca chats with author, Andrea Bartz, about coming up with a hook; how everything is potential material; why the sophomore novel is so scary; having energy around the kernel of an idea; choosing the best POV for your story and navigating the limitations for third person; the challenges posed by dual timelines and POVs; and readers' reactions to less likeable narrators. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Aug 05, 2021 |
From the Archives: 10 Harsh Truths Writers Need to Know
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with literary agent and author, Cece Lyra, about the 10 harsh truths writers need to know about writing and publishing. In the discussion, Cece drops some truth bombs about the importance of standing out in the market, making a living off of your writing, not being able to please everyone, taking your craft seriously, dealing with rejection and the importance of a platform. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Aug 03, 2021 |
Writing Intuitively Without Plotting or Outlining - Samantha Downing
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly reveals that she's a bionic super agent! CeCe and Carly also discuss mixing up your sentences so they don’t all begin the same way; aiming for the quirky rather than the generic; ensuring there’s an emotional shift in each scene; the importance of getting dialogue right; choosing a setting that reflects the story's conflicts; plausibility and the domino effect; and giving your characters clear goals in each scene. And then we answer more of your questions!
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Jul 29, 2021 |
BONUS EPISODE: Delving into the Author/Editor Relationship
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In today's jam-packed bonus episode, Carly chats with author, Jael Richardson, and HarperCollins Senior Editorial Director, Jennifer Lambert, about the author/editor relationship. They also discuss having an outline to work with to keep you on track and feeling motivated; creating a fully developed dystopian world; working on one thing at a time during each draft; making the world building rules disappear for the reader; informing and entertaining readers; what a writer’s responsibility is to their audience; characters’ upward or downward trajectories; figuring out who your audience is, and whether that shapes the writing process; writing for young adults vs adults; the FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity); how acquisitions happen in publishing; how important a platform is for nonfiction; and how the publishing industry has changed during Covid. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 27, 2021 |
Curiosity May Kill the Cat but it Makes a Writer
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss avoiding wordiness in your opening pages; how writing is a dance and you’re leading, but the reader is dancing with you; how important world building is; giving characters emotionality; being careful of writing dialogue of agreement; avoiding repetition and hand holding; the importance of establishing your tone in the opening pages; explaining comps so they clarify things rather than confuse the agent; using active emotions; and listening when a book tells you what it wants to be. After which Bianca chats with bestselling author, Karma Brown, about why eavesdropping is an essential writing skill; the importance of avoiding info dumps in dialogue; why flamingos are amazing; paying attention to your instincts; the value in waking up at 5am to write; writing across genres; finding time in the day to write when you are less needed; and breaking down your goals into manageable chunks. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 22, 2021 |
BONUS EPISODE: What it Takes to be a Successful Indie Author
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In this BONUS episode, Carly is joined by her client and indie author, Kiersten Modglin, to chat about what it takes to be a successful indie author. Carly and Kiersten discuss why an indie author would need an agent; using social media effectively; why persistence pays off; how to get comfortable with TikTok; building an author brand and being consistent with it; interacting with your readers; building buzz as an indie author; running your own business, and capitalizing on the audiobook market. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 20, 2021 |
Reading: The DIY MFA
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss giving your characters the opportunity to react to big events; only including what's essential to intrigue an agent in the query letter; not giving away spoilers; and not counting on backstory and secrets to do the heavy lifting in dual timeline narratives. After which, Bianca chats with Anne Bogel (author, the creator of the blog Modern Mrs. Darcy, and host of What Should I Read Next? podcast) about what writers can learn about the craft through reading. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 15, 2021 |
From the Archives: Two Opposing Views on Handling Tricky Backstory
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Bianca Marais, finishes her discussion with Lisa Cron, author of Story Genius and Wired for Story. In this second of two episodes, Lisa unpacks her approach to backstory. Weighing in with an opposing view, is bestselling author, Karen Dionne (The Marsh King's Daughter and The Wicked Sister) with her advice of how to work in backstory without dragging your story backwards. Be prepared to pick sides! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 12, 2021 |
Pitches, Loglines and Queries
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss quiet plots; using the #MeToo hashtag; deciding what kind of author you want to be; plausibility in fiction; the 'looking back' vibe; and how comps intersect and are in conversation with one another. After which, Bianca chats with Mary Kole, founder and executive editor at Good Story Company, about pitches, loglines and queries; the premise of a story; and the meat of a query. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 08, 2021 |
From the Archives: The Biggest Mistake Writers Make: Lisa Cron
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Bianca Marais, chats with Lisa Cron, author of Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere) and Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence. In this first of two episodes, Lisa discusses the biggest mistake writers make, discovering your character's misbelief, the myth of plotting, and why character profiles don't work. Bianca and Lisa also disagree about backstory! This episode will be continued next week. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 05, 2021 |
Focusing on Tension Rather Than Plot - Emily Henry
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss prioritizing plot and character over voice in a query letter; giving an old trope a fresh twist; why love at first sight is so tough to write; how writing is a political act; and avoiding defamation or licensing issues in your writing. After which, Bianca chats with Emily Henry, author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, about focusing on tension rather than plot; keeping yourself and your readers guessing; backstory being why front story matters; starting with misdirection; and not giving your characters too much self awareness. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jul 01, 2021 |
Director's Cut Bonus Episode: 3 Agents Explain Book Adaptation for Film and TV
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In this BONUS episode, Carly is joined by Dana Murphy, an agent from The Book Group, and Addison Duffy, an agent from UTA, to talk about all things related to film and TV rights, including book to film, and book to TV adaptations; what intellectual property is; how agents get a project ready to shop around; how books get optioned; which books are appealing; how a sales record no longer matters; and why it's an exciting time for writers to be capitalizing on all of this! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 28, 2021 |
Writing Those Tricky Unlikeable Characters - May Cobb
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss the difference between urban fantasy and magical realism; using a scalpel in writing surgery; delivering answers to readers' questions; coming-of-age stories vs YA fiction; and knowing who your audience is. After which, Bianca chats with May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives, about writing those tricky unlikable characters; making sure your readers know why your characters make questionable choices; the iceberg approach to characterization; firing an agent; having the right people read your work; and writing the story that keeps you up at night. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 24, 2021 |
The Importance of Finding Your People
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss making it clear what's at stake, and what the hook is, in your query letter; how important readability is; not leading the reader too much; pitching plot as opposed to feelings; limiting your use of punctuation; and guarding against white saviorism. After which, Bianca chats with Jessica Payne, the host of #MomsWritersClub about finding your people; the challenges faced by mothers who write; being creative when you're exhausted; drawing on creative reserves; having a sense of community; and keeping your tank full. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 17, 2021 |
Plotting, Outlining and Structuring Your Novel - Hannah Mary McKinnon
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss the heartbreak of the querying process; the power imbalance between agents and authors; giving agents an idea of whether your novel is commercial or literary fiction; picking your comps and inciting incident; and avoiding two heroes' journeys in one query. Bianca also challenges Carly to name her nemeses. We all talk and disagree A LOT about Mare of Easttown, and we take more of your questions. After which, Bianca chats with Hannah Mary McKinnon, bestselling author of You Will Remember Me, about plotting, outlining and structuring your novel; skeleton drafts; the 16 beat structure; layering your novel during edits; and choosing POV. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 10, 2021 |
Genre Tropes and Conventions - Uzma Jalaluddin
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss leaning into unlikable characters but how to make them relatable; avoiding info dumps, especially in dialogue; starting at the right place; and trusting both yourself and your reader. After which, Bianca chats with Uzma Jalaluddin, author of Hana Khan Carries On about writing rom coms; the tropes and conventions of the genre; choosing the best setting for your story; tackling important themes in all genres; the three-act structure; and keeping your secondary characters in check. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jun 03, 2021 |
What Goes Into Overnight Success & Mastering Pacing
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss being more explicit about genre and tone; establishing emotionality in your main characters rather than just having them being observers or vessels; giving your reader access to your character's thoughts and feelings, while balancing show vs tell; setting not just the story stakes, but scene stakes as well; and eliminating wordiness. After which, Bianca chats with Heather Chavez, debut author of No Bad Deed, about pacing and tension; how long overnight success takes; being stubborn and passionate about your work; how to effectively integrate action/reaction sequences; and using action beats vs dialogue tags. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 27, 2021 |
Bonus Episode - Taking All Your Questions
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In today's bonus content episode, Bianca, Carly and CeCe take all your questions about agents' and publishers' contracts; finding a reputable agent; being out on submission; the etiquette of querying; why agents might offer R&Rs; the kinds of revisions you'll be expected to do, etc. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 24, 2021 |
Hooking Your Reader & Keeping Them Turning Pages - Jeffery Deaver
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss falling in love with a story before falling in love with an author; what constitutes a memoir and the different types of non-fiction; giving time frames for your manuscripts; and using the present tense for more immediacy. After which, Bianca chats with publishing phenomenon, Jeffery Deaver, about hooking your reader and keeping them turning pages; and why books are products with your readers being your customers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 20, 2021 |
The Writer's Life - Lily King
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss using pseudonyms; the difference between women's fiction and book club fiction; beginning your book with adult characters in adult novels; giving agents trigger/content warnings; how to propose sequels; and how to find the most compelling entry point into your story. After which, Bianca chats with award-winning and bestselling author, Lily King (author of Writers & Lovers) about the writer's life; scrapping novels halfway through; dealing with rejection; and starting the process all over again with a new book. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 13, 2021 |
What You Can Learn From Your Rejections
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe discuss the issue of swearing in novels; how characters feel about the action playing out on the page; and moving around the puzzle pieces of a story. After which, Bianca chats with Katie Wall, a book coach at Craft Better Books, about what you can learn from your rejections; why patience will pay off down the line; and why you might do better working with a book coach. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
May 06, 2021 |
Writing Starter Novels & Establishing a Research Process
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe fall in love with another submission; discuss writing from perspectives that aren't your own; what the 'arrogant win' is; how to write prologues; and writing second person PoV. After which, Bianca chats with Kristin Beck, author of COURAGE, MY LOVE, about writing and researching historical fiction; how to establish an effective research process; what you can learn from starter novels; and putting off writing your passion project until you're a better writer. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 29, 2021 |
What Every Writer Can Learn From Other Great Writers
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In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly and CeCe fall in love with one submission; suggest using a different PoV for another; discuss how characterization can be revealed through what a character notices, and how a writer is an artist who doesn't get to see their audience. After which, Bianca chats with Daniel Ford, author and podcast host, about what he's learned about writing from his years of interviewing great writers, as well as the benefit of creating a writing playlist, and how patience really is a writing virtue. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 22, 2021 |
How to Build Your Author Platform in an Authentic Way
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Carly Watters and Cece Lyra are now co-hosts of the podcast (Yay!), who will be doing the Books with Hooks segment every week, in which they discuss your query letters and opening pages. This week's segment specifically looks at how to trust both yourself and your reader. After which, Bianca Marais chats with author, Kerry Clare, about how to be a human on the internet as you work to raise your author profile ahead of publication. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 15, 2021 |
In Praise of Bookstagrammers
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In the regular Books with Hooks segment, author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with P.S. Literary agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra about query letters and opening pages that listeners have submitted. After which, Bianca interviews Traci Thomas, Bookstagrammer and host of the wildly popular podcast, The Stacks, about the value of Bookstagrammers, the influence of social media, and fighting for the the community who champions authors. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 08, 2021 |
Career Advice from Bestselling Susan Wiggs
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In the regular Books with Hooks segment, author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with P.S. Literary agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra about query letters and opening pages that listeners have submitted. After which, Bianca interviews bestselling author, Susan Wiggs (author of The Lost and Found Bookshop) about staying relevant; treating your writing like a business; showing up for yourself; and how to combine creativity with making shrewd decisions for your career. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Apr 01, 2021 |
Writing From Rage & Own Voices Stories
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with P.S. Literary agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, in their regular Books with Hooks segment, in which listeners submit their query letters and first pages to get advice on grabbing their dream agents' attention. After which, Bianca interviews South African author, Keletso Mopai, about writing from rage, how to publish a short story collection, social commentary and activism in writing, and the necessity of #OwnVoices in publishing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 25, 2021 |
Capturing Time and Place - Ann Mah
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with P.S. Literary agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, in their regular Books with Hooks segment, in which listeners send in their query letters and first pages to get advice on grabbing their dream agents' attention. After which, Bianca interviews author, and food and travel writer, Ann Mah, about capturing time and place; how to be inspired by your travels; doing in-depth research; and when setting becomes character. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 18, 2021 |
Why Writing is a Marathon - Marissa Stapley
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, in their regular Books with Hooks segment, in which listeners send in their query letters and first pages to get advice on grabbing their dream agents' attention. After which, Bianca interviews bestselling author, Marissa Stapley, about why being a writer is a marathon and not a sprint, and what it takes to be successful. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 11, 2021 |
Indie Publishers
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with agents extraordinaire, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, in their regular Books with Hooks segment, in which listeners send in their query letters and first pages to get advice on grabbing their dream agents' attention. After which, Bianca chats with Alexandria Brown, co-owner of indie publisher, Rising Action Publishing Co, about the pros and cons of the various types of publishing, and why you might want to consider going with an indie publisher. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Mar 04, 2021 |
First Books with Hooks & Freelance Editors
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In this jampacked episode, author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with fabulous agents, Carly Watters and Cecilia Lyra, as they launch their exciting new segment, Books with Hooks. In it, Carly and CeCe read the query letters and opening pages of novels that listeners have submitted in order to get useful critique. This will be a regular segment of the show going forward. After which, Bianca chats with freelance editor, Rachel Spence, about everything you need to know about developmental edits and manuscript evaluations. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 25, 2021 |
Turning Rejections into Success Stories
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Author and Host, Bianca Marais, chats with writing team, Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, authors of Girls with Bright Futures, about how they turned their rejections into a success story, as well as learning to write fiction in your 40s; seeing headlines ripped from the pages of your novel; overcoming adversity; and believing in yourself and your work. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 18, 2021 |
Finding Your Process as a Debut Author
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with award winning author, playwright, screenwriter and journalist, Byron Lane — author of the acclaimed A Star is Bored (which was inspired in part by Byron's time as assistant to beloved actress Carrie Fisher) — about finding your process as a debut author; getting help when you need it; learning your craft; and mining tough times in your life for fictional gold. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 11, 2021 |
Showing vs Telling and Online Writing Retreats
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Amherst Writers & Artists method facilitator, Susie Whelehan, about supercharging your creativity with online writing retreats. These 60-90 minute retreats are a great way to revive your imagination during tough times, and to remind yourself that there's a whole writing community out there; that you're not going it alone. Bianca also does a deeper dive into showing vs telling, exposition vs scene. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Feb 04, 2021 |
Creating Characters That Feel Real : Claire Lombardo
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Claire Lombardo, the New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had, about creating characters that feel real, writing scenes that won't ever be used, showing vs telling, writing realistic dialogue, and keeping track of multiple timelines. It's an episode so jam-packed full of useful information that you may have to listen to it twice! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 28, 2021 |
Balancing Heartbreak and Humor - Steven Rowley
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with bestselling author, Steven Rowley (Lily and the Octopus, The Editor and The Guncle) about writing tearjerkers that are also hilariously funny. Steven gives his advice for writing humor and how to incorporate it when delving into heavy themes. He also shares many nuggets of wisdom about point of view, writing from life, being a gay writer, taking a circuitous route to publication, and how to talk about your work. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 21, 2021 |
My Journey to Publication - Julia Claiborne Johnson
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In this hilarious episode, author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Julia Claiborne Johnson, bestselling author of Better Luck Next Time and Be Frank with Me, about becoming a debut novelist in her 50s, her journey to publication, the challenges she faced with her second novel, juggling writing with being a mother, managing expectations, and the advice she'd like to share with emerging writers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 14, 2021 |
Kicking Off a Wonderfully Creative Year
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, discusses the main reasons why writers give up, as well as all the things that get in the way of creativity: the pursuit of perfection; allowing the inner critic too much head space; not prioritizing your writing; procrastination and the fear of failure. Consider this your pep talk to ensure a kick-ass creative year! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Jan 07, 2021 |
How to Create and Maintain Suspense in all Genres
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with Putnam editor and adjunct professor of publishing for NYU, Mark Tavani, about all things suspense: techniques on how to create it, how to maintain it, and how to apply these concepts across all genres. Suspense is why we read; it's what keeps us turning pages. A story without some elements of suspense will fall flat. Learn how to avoid making that mistake in your work in progress. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 31, 2020 |
Point of View and an Update on the Industry: Carly Watters
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Author and Host, Bianca Marais, chats with literary agent, Carly Watters from P.S. Literary Agency, about elements of craft and the state of the literary industry. Carly discusses factors you need to consider when choosing the right point of view (PoV) and PoV characters for your novel, as well as what the industry looks like after Covid and the Penguin Random House purchase of Simon & Schuster. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 24, 2020 |
The Latest Literary Trend: Writing Partnerships
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Author and host, Bianca Marais chats with bestselling author duos, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, as well as Lynne and Valerie Constantine (who write as Liv Constantine) about the pros and cons of writing partnerships, as well as everything you need to know to run one. After this discussion, Bianca is on the search for her bosom writing pal! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 17, 2020 |
What All Writers Can Learn From the Thriller Genre
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with bestselling author, Samantha M. Bailey, as well as Nita Pronovost, editor and vice president/editorial director at Simon & Schuster Canada, about the lessons all writers can learn from the thriller genre, including coming up with high concept premises; something known and unknown, something hidden and something shown; the labyrinth approach; considering your novel two halves when it comes to pacing; and how to nail your endings. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 10, 2020 |
Talking Audiobooks & Elements of Craft with Katharine Lee McEwan
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with award-winning British actress, writer, and producer, Katharine Lee McEwan, about all things audiobooks — including producing your own — as well as: scriptwriting, narrative voice, tone, emotional impact, torturing your characters and incorporating humour. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Dec 03, 2020 |
Why Writing Groups are Integral
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Author and host, Bianca Marais chats with two members of her BACKSpacers writing group, Alek Trpkovski and Suzanne Dugard, about why writing groups are integral in your writing journey. They tackle issues like: what you should look for in your writing group; how to critique each other's work; effectively managing a group; the highs and lows of getting your work critiqued; how to incorporate feedback; how to start a writing group. NOTE: this episode contains some profanity and mature themes. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 26, 2020 |
What You Need to Know About Self Publishing
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with author, K.A. Tucker, who's gone from self publishing to traditional publishing, and then back again. Kathleen explores the pros and cons of both kinds of publishing; moving back and forth between genres; building your brand; reader loyalty and Bookstagrammers; and what you need to know if you're considering self publishing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 19, 2020 |
Succeeding in the YA (Young Adult) Market
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with the effervescent Liara Tamani, author of two YA novels, All the Things We Never Knew and Calling My Name, about writing for the YA market, knowing what young people want to read, getting your message across without preaching, her circuitous route to a writing career after being accepted to Harvard Law School, the importance of timing, as well as barriers to entry that writers of color face in publishing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Nov 08, 2020 |
Writing Sex Scenes & Befriending Booksellers
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, loves booksellers! And she especially loves Rebecca Speas of One More Page Books in Arlington, VA. In this episode, Bianca and Rebecca talk about the power of the bookseller, why authors should foster relationships with their local indie bookstores, how you can be a feminist and love bodice rippers, and how not to write awful, cringeworthy sex scenes. This episode is a bit risqué and a lot funny. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Oct 15, 2020 |
When You Don't Make Shit Up - Memoir & Nonfiction
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Author and Host, Bianca Marais, chats with Kelly S. Thompson, an award-winning writer and editor with a broad range of experience and education in the writing and editing field. Kelly is the author of the memoir, Girls Need Not Apply - Field Notes from the Forces, and instructs at several universities and colleges in Canada teaching creative writing and nonfiction. In this episode, Kelly discusses memoirs, creative nonfiction, fact checking, asking loved ones for permission, and various other aspects that nonfiction authors have to consider. CBC Canada Reads shortlisted author, Jesse Thistle, who wrote the memoir, From the Ashes, weighs in on honesty, paying tribute and putting personal stories out into the world. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 24, 2020 |
Bestselling Jane Green's Advice to Writers
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, chats with the delightful international bestselling author, Jane Green, about her twenty-five year career in publishing. Jane gives insight with regards to rejection letters, bidding wars, bestselling novels, a writer's brand, when it's time to change agents or publishing houses, appreciating success, and the extreme highs and lows that are all a part of the industry. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 18, 2020 |
How an Editor Acquires a Manuscript
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Author and host, Bianca Marais, takes you behind the scenes of publishing as she chats with editor, Kerri Kolen, about how editors acquire manuscripts; what the acquisition process looks like; how interminable the wait for news is; as well as how advances are calculated, how royalties work and Audible's opportunities that are available to authors. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 18, 2020 |
Delving into the Author/Agent Relationship
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In today's episode, we're exploring the most important professional relationship that an author will have in their career - the one with their literary agent. Powerhouse author/agent team, Jill Santopolo (bestselling author of the The Light We Lost and More Than Words) and Miriam Altshuler (of DeFiore and Company) , give us a behind-the-scenes look at how to find the perfect agent, how to successfully pitch yourself to them, and how to ensure that the relationship is a successful one going forward. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy |
Sep 18, 2020 |