The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.

After which, Bianca interviews creative writing professor, essayist, and author of Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, Alison Espach. They discuss falling into the mode of writing the same sorts of novels repeatedly; the genre that Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance was pitched and marketed as; Alison's latest release, The Wedding People; writing a book that spanned a long period of time to one that spanned only a few days; writing a voicey third person POV; inciting incidents that happen off the page and that fuel curiosity; giving characters changing wants and needs and how that leads to plot points; and why Alison chose a single POV for The Wedding People.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Alison can be found at https://www.alisonespach.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/alison.espach/

To sign up for CeCe’s Writing Emotion Course on the 8th of August, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Aee9OAPbSNmQ8xOb52Yl4w#/registration

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.

After which, CeCe interviews Parini Shroff, lawyer and author of the national bestseller and award nominated The Bandit Queens. They discuss, Parini's experience working as a lawyer part-time while also writing fiction; finding it difficult to sustain writing for long periods; Parini's editing and writing process; giving yourself permission to change and grow as a writer; what Parini finds the most challenging in her writing; the POV of The Bandit Queens; Parini's path to publication; how she approaches starting a novel; her relationship to dark humour; what surprised Parini about becoming a published author; and what her next book is about.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

Follow Parini on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/parinishroff/ and Twitter at https://x.com/parinishroff?lang=en

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

To sign up for CeCe’s Writing Emotion course on the 8th of August, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Aee9OAPbSNmQ8xOb52Yl4w#/registration

In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.

After which, Bianca interviews author, editor, head of Writing Ink Publishing, and creative writing teacher, Abigail Wild. They discuss Abigail's latest novel, More Than One Way To Breathe; the extent to which younger readers can handle difficult topics; Abigail's advice to YA writers who want to write issue-driven fiction for teens; writing characters with disabilities authentically and sensitively; Wild Ink Publishing and Abigail's inspiration for starting the company; and building an author brand platform.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Abigail can be found at https://abigailwild.wordpress.com/

She's also on Twitter at https://x.com/awild_author

You can find Wild Ink Publishing on Instagram at @wild_ink_publishing

To sign up for CeCe’s Writing Emotion Course on the 8th of August, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Aee9OAPbSNmQ8xOb52Yl4w#/registration

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.

After which, Carly interviews her very own client and best-selling author, Renee Carlino, to discuss her latest novel, This Used to Be Us. They chat about Renee's journey to becoming a published author; how she found her first agent; what it's been like changing her focus and content over the course of her career; the joy of writing without a deadline or a synopsis to follow; Renee's experience having one of her older books go viral on TikTok; the premise behind Renee's latest; how she dials up the emotion in her novels; and the movie adaptation of Wish You Were Here.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Renee can be found at https://www.reneecarlino.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/reneecarlino1

 Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly are joined by Jennifer to discuss her thriller submission. They chat about trigger warnings and their necessity in a query; ensuring your stakes aren't too obvious while illustrating the bigger 'why' at hand; framing your query letter in a way that highlights your POV characters and not others; the need for causality when it comes to plot points; utilizing similar pitch copy to help write more difficult or unique aspects of your query; tips for writing a query for a novel that is first person POV; avoiding overexplaining and trusting your reader; and how interiority that’s surprising can elevate pages.

 After which, Bianca interviews bestselling author, Lesley Crewe. They discuss Lesley's latest novel, Death & Other Inconveniences; the art of writing humour well; writing attention-grabbing opening pages; inciting incidents that don't occur on the page and how to write them successfully; the inspiration behind the novel; the importance of characters' wants and needs; Lesley's main character's arc; successfully writing from multiple POVs without head-hopping; viewing omniscient POV as passing a baton; and writing for yourself before writing for others.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Lesley can be found at https://www.lesleycrewe.com/

She's also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lesleycreweauthor/

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

In today's bonus episode, Bianca interviews author, Kirsten Miller, to chat about her latest novel, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. They discuss writing across different genres and what drove Kirsten to change up her genre; writing with the intention of sharing a message with readers; the inspiration behind the novel; Kirsten's experience working with different editors; putting a book on the shelf for a while rather than quitting altogether; releasing a book during an election year, particularly a book that's inherently political; the structure of the novel and the challenges associated with writing it that way; Kirsten's drafting process; accepting your unique writing process; and advice for writing satire.

 If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more, for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/

Our Comps Segment with Emilie Sommer will return in September.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

More information about Kirsten can be found at https://www.kirstenmillerbooks.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kirstenmillerbooks/

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique a rom-com and a YA submission. They discuss the importance of clarity in your query and avoiding language that might cause confusion; the necessity of a clear major dramatic question in your query; ensuring your protagonists aren't anticipating everything that happens in your pages; the necessity of including a character's tone in dialogue; properly mapping out how your plot points connect; thinking in specifics and futurization; and an example of strong opening pages.

After which, Bianca chats with Claire Lombardo, best-selling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had and Same As It Ever Was. They discuss opening pages; advice for creating tension; Claire's drafting process and how she approaches interiority; getting to know your characters in moments that aren't necessarily life-changing; successfully writing a novel where a character is alone most of the time; balancing interiority and emotionality with avoiding too much telling; why Claire chose third-person POV instead of first; how she approaches characterization and fleshing out her characters to make them more realistic; why she chose to have a single POV rather than multiple like in her first novel; and how the book evolved into a dual timeline.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Claire can be found at https://www.clairelombardo.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/claire_lombardo

 Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly critique two upmarket submissions, one of which is in the gothic genre. They discuss the reasoning behind placing your metadata at the top of a query; avoiding unnecessary detail in your query; avoiding slipping from pitch to synopsis; the need for interiority, particularly interiority that will surprise the reader; taking the opportunity to use plot points as curiosity seeds when you're able to; avoiding performative dialogue; being mindful about word choice in your query so as not to confuse your reader; avoiding withholding too much plot in your query; and falling into the 'previously on' trap.

After which, Bianca interviews YA author, Jackie Khalilieh. They discuss Jackie's journey to publication for her debut novel, Something More; the inspiration behind the novel; her revision process; the necessity of tying wants to stakes; writing a main character that is neurodivergent and how that may diverge from reader expectations of genre; Jackie's experience with beta readers and being true to her own experience and intentions for her novel; and Jackie's advice to YA writers on how to accurately portray the emotionality of younger people.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Jackie can be found at https://www.jackiekhalilieh.com/

She's also on Instagram at hhttps://www.instagram.com/jackiekhalilieh/?hl=en

and Twitter at https://x.com/JackieKhalilieh

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly are joined by guest literary agent, Mary C. Moore. They critique a resubmission and a sci-fi query, during which they discuss: the importance of making tropes as fresh and different as possible; how to ensure your pitch isn't too dense, especially in genres that involve world-building; highlighting why you're the right person to tell the story you've written; writing plot points that connect to your major dramatic question; the balancing act of trying to write a cross-over novel; always being mindful of your writing at a line-level; the quality of prose that is required for literary fiction; the need to get inside a character's head to better understand them; avoiding overwhelming the reader with terminology that is specific to the world you've built; making your hook very clear; and expressing why your work is different from similar novels that have come before.

 After which, Bianca interviews bestselling author, Annabel Monaghan. They discuss Annabel's latest, Summer Romance, and the unique inspiration behind it; Annabel's work as a columnist and how it contributed to her skills as an author; why she switched from YA to writing women's fiction and rom-coms; society's misguided assumptions about what 'smart' people should write and where the idea stems from; the art of writing in a way that gets into a reader's heart rather than just their head; the story behind Annabel's opening line in her latest novel; the challenge of knowing where to start your novel; writing about grief in a rom-com; and whether Annabel is a plotter or a pantser.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Annabel can be found at https://annabelmonaghan.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/annabelmonaghan

and Twitter at https://twitter.com/AnnabelMonaghan

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by listener, Kelly Fuller, as they critique her book club fiction submission. They discuss picking comps that match the genre you're writing in; using your query to discuss the plot of the book rather than backstory about your characters; ensuring your stakes are high enough; pitching the right agent for your book based on its content; the need for plot that showcases causality in your query; writing a book that's as long as it needs to be; balancing plot development and character development; being mindful of intentionally writing an unlikeable character; tips for making a character more relatable; and how readers attach themselves to whoever the opener is in a multiple POV work.

After which, Carly interviews Vanessa Walters, playwright and author of The Lagos Wife. The two discuss the themes in Vanessa's latest novel; what inspired it; Vanessa's ability to comment on specific social and political issues without being heavy handed; the novel's title and cover changes; why Vanessa chose a dual timeline for her work; why she framed motherhood in a specific way; and Vanessa's advice to aspiring writers.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Vanessa can be found at https://www.vanessawalters.net/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vanessawaltersb/

To sign up for CeCe’s Writing Interiority Course on the 6th of June, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pKP-TqW9SSOlAHqSjKM21Q#/registration

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca chats with Courtney Preiss to discuss her debut novel, Welcome Home, Caroline Kline. They speak about the inspiration behind Courtney's novel and her journey to publication; her experiences with rejection during the querying process; being aware of cultural moments that could propel your novel forward when you’re timing your querying; the process after Courtney acquired an agent; the importance of knowing what genre you're writing in and who your readers are; Courtney's definition of upmarket women's fiction; the role personal essays can play in marketing your book; and Courtney's advice for emerging writers.

After which Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop provides the invaluable service of suggesting comp titles to our listeners.

If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more, for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and w ww.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/

More information about Courtney can be found at https://courtneypreiss.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cocogolightly/

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique a YA submission and a literary coming-of-age horror. They discuss avoiding using repetitive language in a query; considering SEO when choosing a book title; the concept of 'scene work'; the need for disruption to occur in opening pages; matching word choice to genre when writing your query; pitching a literary fiction; finding a balance between showing and telling, even in literary fiction; and avoiding overwriting.

After which, Bianca chats with freelance TV executive and writer, Samuel Burr. The two discuss Samuel's novel, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers; its incredible journey to publication; how to find comps when you have a more unique novel premise; how Samuel developed his protagonist; creating the puzzles that appear in his work; why he chose to use a dual timeline and the process he used when writing it; and his advice for successfully writing an ensemble cast.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency. 

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Samuel can be found at https://www.samuelburr.com/

He's also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/samuelburr

and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/samuelburr/

 To sign up for CeCe’s Writing Interiority Course on the 6th of June, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pKP-TqW9SSOlAHqSjKM21Q#/registration

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.html

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique a literary fiction query and a high concept YA fantasy query. They discuss the necessity of being specific with plot details and your protagonists' motivations in your query; honing in on world-building when your novel takes place in a reality that's different from ours; the issue with not grounding readers strongly enough in scene; avoiding jumping around in time too much in the opening pages; the need to correctly specify your genre so an agent knows what to expect from your pages; being mindful of spelling errors and putting your best foot forward; the hill that CeCe will die on regarding opening lines; avoiding info-dumping; interiority as helping add context for readers; and the importance of showing characters' reactions to the things that are happening to them.

After which, CeCe interviews NYT bestselling author, and publishing phenomenon, Veronica Roth. They discuss Veronica's latest novel, When Among Crows; the Polish folklore that underpins the novel; why Chicago inspires Veronica; the length of the novel; the allure of modern fantasy; Veronica's entry point into a story; not throwing any ideas away; Veronica's drafting and outlining process and how/why it's changed; and what she would tell her younger writer self.

 Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Veronica can be found at https://veronicarothbooks.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/veronicaroth/

To sign up for CeCe’s Writing Interiority Course on the 6th of June, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pKP-TqW9SSOlAHqSjKM21Q#/registration

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by Paige to discuss her query for her action-adventure romance novel. They discuss the importance of spelling out your protagonist's motivation in your query; the need for story-forward plot escalation; accurately positioning your novel’s genre; making an agent's job easier by picking the right comps; using external plot to make readers invested in your characters; following genre rules when it comes to plot points; the need for conflict and tension in act two; focusing on your protagonist in your opening lines/paragraphs; avoiding character descriptions that are too on the nose; the need for active emotions in addition to interiority; the intrigue of complex emotions; and what makes a work YA rather than adult fiction.

 After which, Bianca interviews author, nurse, and co-founder of #momswritersclub, Sara Read. They discuss Sara's sophomore novel, Principles of (E)motion; her path to publication; querying her first novel and the feedback she received; structure mistakes that beginner writers tend to make; how Sara pitched her second novel; the importance of rewriting before you give up on a WIP; what Sara learned from each of her rewrites; the need for causality in story; her research process; the prologue in Principles of (E)motion; and the genre of the novel.

 Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

Information about Sara can be found at: https://www.sararead.net/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sarareadauthor/

 and Twitter at https://twitter.com/sarareadauthor

To sign up for the All About Memoir webinar on the 11th of May, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-memoir.html

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is now available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by two guests, author Rachel Kapelke-Dale and her agent, Sarah Phair. They discuss ensuring your comps align with each other and with your work; making sure your query is representative of your whole novel and not just one part; using your author bio to help show why you're the one to write this story; the concept of auto-fiction; the importance of highlighting the POV you're writing from; being specific with your plot points in your query; finding the right balance between what you withhold and what you reveal; and the need to show your character's emotions, especially messy ones.

 After which, Bianca interviews Kelly McMasters, author of The Leaving Season which is a memoir in essays. The two unpack writing essays vs a linear timeline in memoir; publishing essays from the collection ahead of the book’s release; deciding what to include and what to leave out; how to know where to begin; using external events and settings as metaphors for your character's emotionality; what memoirists owe their readers vs what they owe themselves; community vs platform; and making it all matter to the reader.

 Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Kelly can be found at https://www.kellymcmasters.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kelly_mc_masters/

 To sign up for the All About Memoir webinar on the 11th of May, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-memoir.html

To sign up for CeCe’s Writing Interiority Course on the 6th of June, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pKP-TqW9SSOlAHqSjKM21Q#/registration

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca interviews poet, novelist, and Chair of the Amherst Writers (AWA), Sue Reynolds. They discuss the AWA workshop method and how it differs from other workshops; what occurs in an AWA workshop; the importance of giving writers a safe and encouraging space to share their work; the concept of strength-based feedback; the specific practices within the workshops; writing without a 'pricetag'; the AWA method's commitment to holding space for marginalized and previously silenced voices; the connection between disclosure through writing and healing; the point at which an AWA workshop can be helpful in the writing process; and how to find an AWA workshop.

After which Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop provides the invaluable service of suggesting comp titles to our listeners.

 If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more, for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/

 Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

To connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/

Information about an AWA workshops available near you can be found at https://amherstwriters.org/

More information about Sue can be found at https://inkslingers.ca/about-2/susan-lynn-reynolds/

She’s on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/suereynolds7997

In today’s Book with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two listener queries, a resubmission and a YA fantasy. They discuss the issue of starting with a protagonist that has a 'simple, stable' life; a great example of an inciting incident; ensuring your major dramatic question is strong enough; good storytelling as the promise of change; making your protagonist the 'sun' of your story; infusing emotion into the information you provide; ensuring that your plot feels like a set of dominos tipping over; taglines in a query; differentiating your novel's tropes from how they're used in other novels in your genre; and making characters' motivations clear in a query.

 After which, Bianca interviews award-winning author, Caroline Leavitt. They discuss A Mighty Blaze and its origins; being a good literary citizen; Caroline's key to longevity in the industry; not taking rejections too hard; avoiding writing to the current market; Caroline's latest novel, Days of Wonder; her research process; using universal personal experiences that help connect your readers to your characters; Caroline's reasoning for the settings she chose; how she approaches characterization; and her thoughts on genre.

 Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Caroline can be found at www.carolineleavitt.com

She's also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Leavittnovelist and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/carolineleavitt and https://www.instagram.com/amightyblaze

 To sign up for the All About Memoir webinar on the 11th of May, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-memoir.html

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is now available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique a children's picture book and a literary fiction query. They discuss avoiding vagueness, no matter the genre; using illustrator notes in a picture book pitch; the need for tension, even in a children's book; framing your novel in your query so agents aren't confused when they get to the pages; the need for external plot points, even in a more internal work of literary fiction; the natural gravitation of readers to one POV in a dual POV work; the subjectivity of the industry; the purpose of interiority; and erring on the side of showing, rather than telling, to maintain tension.

After which, Bianca interviews Sara Koffi, author of the debut novel, While We Were Burning. They discuss Sara's letter to the reader; her reasoning behind the setting she chose; how Sara chose her characters' POVs and her inspiration behind the characters; writing an unreliable narrator; weaving in overarching themes or messages; advice for writing an unlikeable main character; advice on writing characters experiencing grief; Sara's journey to publication; and avoiding comparing yourself to others.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Sara can be found at https://www.sarakoffi.com/

She's also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SaraTheKoffi and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sarathekoffi

To sign up for the All About Memoir webinar on the 11th of May, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-memoir.html

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is now available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by guest agent, Jo Ramsay, to critique two queries. They discuss the issue of withholding too much plot in a query; highlighting the stakes in your query; the importance of first lines in a novel; the need for psychological depth and acuity in your characters; the issue of comping to titles that are hugely successful; the risk of having too many POVs in a novel; avoiding too much backstory in your query; and the problems with a reader being too removed from a scene, even if it's done intentionally.

After which, guest interviewer, Bronwen Keyes-Bevan from BoolaBos magazine interviews author and winner of the Bridport Prize for literary fiction, Fiona Williams. They discuss Fiona's debut novel, The House of Broken Bricks; her background in biological sciences and her shift to creative writing; the expert use of figurative language; how Fiona tackled writing four different points of view, and her reasoning for choosing certain perspectives for certain characters; writing from children's POVs; and Fiona's feelings around the potential of being conflated with some of her characters.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

Fiona is on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/feewilliams75

 and Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/fionawilliamswrites/

Bronwen can be found at www.boolabos.com and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/boola.bos/ and at https://www.instagram.com/bronwenkeyesbevan

Jo can be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thejoramsay/

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is now available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To sign up for the All About Memoir webinar on the 11th of May, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-memoir.html

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly and CeCe discuss choosing a unique title for your work; having a strong plot connection between your main characters in a multi POV novel; avoiding situations where the agent has to make too many assumptions in a query; choosing between italics and dialogue tags when having a character talk to themselves; balancing interiority so as not to leak tension; framing your story in a way that is accurate to your work; connecting external stakes to plot points; centering the reader in a memoir query; and CeCe's tension song!

Bianca then interviews NYT bestselling author, Mary Kubica, about her latest novel, She's Not Sorry. The two discuss the thriller genre; readers’ fascination with the domestic suspense genre; how Mary approaches structure and the creation of tension; how personal universal elements can connect readers to characters; tackling the 50% chunk of Act II; writing an 'authentic' twist that doesn't make the reader feel manipulated; strategies for hiding clues in plain sight; and advice for thriller and domestic suspense writers.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Mary can be found at: https://marykubica.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marykubica/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MaryKubica

Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is now available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15

To book for CeCe's upcoming Writing Tension Webinar on the 11th of April, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B9m5eRJIT_uxiVrUte381g#/registration

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss keeping your author bio paragraph concise; the need for causality in a plot paragraph; paying attention to the language you use in a query so you don't create confusion surrounding the book's premise; knowing who your protagonist is and highlighting their interiority and inner life over other characters'; the stakes in rom-coms; centering your protagonist's experience; making plot details realistic so your readers are on board with them; avoiding pages that seem crafted for the reader; and the 'blank canvas protagonist' issue.

 After which, Carly interviews award-winning journalist and bestselling author, Jo Piazza. They discuss Jo's upcoming novel, The Sicilian Inheritance; how she decided on a dual POV/dual timeline structure; whether Jo is a plotter or a pantser, and how she approaches her first draft; mirroring current themes in historical fiction; what a 'book club' book is; weaving elements of personal life into her work; how Jo views herself as a creator; the idea of letting fiction lead the way; the process of film and TV adaptations; and Jo's advice for emerging writers.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Jo can be found at https://www.jopiazza.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jopiazzaauthor

and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jopiazza

In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca interviews game designer, curator, and writer, Holly Gramazio to discuss her debut novel, The Husbands. The two discuss Holly's journey to publication; the novel’s inspiration and genre; how game design lends itself to novel writing; how she structured the novel; the importance of causality; Holly's approach to POV; and whether she feels pressure to write future novels in the same genre.

After which Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop provides the invaluable service of suggesting comp titles to our listeners.

If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more, for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

To connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/

More information about Holly can be found at https://www.hollygramazio.net/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/holly_gramazio/

 and Twitter at https://twitter.com/hollygramazio

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly, CeCe, and Bianca are joined by Ron, to discuss his query submission. They chat about Ron's curiosity-inducing first query paragraph; the line between giving away too much plot and sharing just enough in a query; how subjective agents’ opinions can be; the right emotional calibration within your characters; the issue with having too many names in opening pages; ways authors share the socio-emotional frameworks of their characters; balancing interiority with explanation and exposition; the difference between emotionality, interiority, and 'telling'; and the idea of putting characters in situations that will reveal the right things about them.

After which, Bianca interviews Garrard Conley, professor, and New York Times bestselling author of the memoir, Boy Erased. They discuss All the World Beside; the letter to the reader in the advanced copy; Gerrard's unconventional journey to the publication with Boy Erased; the role of luck in the industry; whether Garrard had a large platform/following when he published his memoir; subjectivity of agents and publishers; Garrard's process in writing his latest book; the benefits of researching, even when some of the information doesn't make it into the final work; the number of edits Garrard went through before he produced his final draft; and the idea of 'jazz hands writing' versus simplistic emotional truth.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Garrard can be found at: https://garrardconley.com/biography

He's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/gayrodcon/

Twitter at https://twitter.com/gayrodcon

and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/garrardc/

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe  discuss the need for external pressure in your major dramatic question; the three sets of questions that create tension at the beginning of a story; surprising your reader in your first five pages; the accuracy of third party manuscript wishlists; the need for world-building in a fantasy query; being too vague in your query; the concept of the 'new adult' genre; thinking about readers' expectations for certain types of stories; making sure that characters who appear in opening scenes are essential; and the importance of emotionality and interiority in your main character.

After which, Bianca interviews Johnny Compton about his debut novel, The Spite House. The two chat about the psychology behind reading and writing horror fiction; the heavy-lifting that horror expects of its audience; the world-building that's involved; the idea of not needing an explanation for everything; how Johnny balances curiosity seeds and tension without 'cheating' the reader; the social commentary that Johnny weaves into his novel; and Johnny's advice for writing very young characters.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Johnny can be found at https://johnnycompton.com

He's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/comptonwrites

and Twitter at https://twitter.com/comptonwrites

In today's Books with Hooks segment, Carly, CeCe, and Bianca are joined by two acquisitions editors at Atria Books, Elizabeth Hitti and Melanie Iglesias. Melanie is a senior editor at Atria Books and has worked on various bestselling titles, including It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover. Elizabeth joined Atria in 2022 and has worked on various bestselling titles as well as The Crescent Moon Tea Room by Stacy Sivinski, a Simon and Schuster Top Shelf Pick for this fall.

The four discuss the difficulties associated with writing a query with a larger cast of characters; the importance of having an overarching reason for having a large cast and why their worlds are colliding; whether publisher interest in historical fiction is waning; an example of how to make a hook punchier; the importance on having a strong sense of place; and the need for interiority to be realistic to your character.

After which, Bianca interviews Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti, co-authors of Bury the Lead. They discuss how Liz and Kate's joint project came about; tackling the challenges of collaborating with another author, particularly when it comes to two established authors; the drafting process; keeping track of details like how characters and settings look; when descriptions are necessary and when they don't make sense; and whether or not Kate and Liz work with separate agents for their collaborative works.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Elizabeth can be found at: https://www.elizabethrenzetti.com/ 

She's also on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/lizrenzetti and on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/lizrenzetti/

More information about Kate can be found at: https://www.katehilton.com/

She's also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KateHiltonAuthor/ and on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/katehiltonbooks/

In today's Books with Hooks segment, Bianca, Carly and CeCe discuss the importance of specifying between awards for published and unpublished manuscripts; the difficulty with trying to sell a book whose main character’s race and culture differs from the author’s lived experience; the need for a main character’s interiority to accurately reflect their age; including specifics in your plot paragraph; being explicit with your stakes; including information that shows the relationship dynamics between your protagonist and others; and the need to start your story in the right place.

After which, Bianca interviews writer and essayist, Maura Cheeks. They discuss Maura's debut novel, Acts of Forgiveness; intentionality with the novel's timeline; Maura's journey to publication; the reasons for the delay in publishing Acts of Forgiveness; the extent to which Maura's submission pitch aligns with the published book; the research process; writing a dual timeline as a debut novel; and incorporating news stories and speeches as exposition.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Maura can be found at: https://www.mauracheeks.com/

She's also on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/mauracheeks?lang=en and Instagram at:  https://www.instagram.com/mauracheeks/

In today's Bumper February Bonus Episode, Bianca kicks it off by interviewing interviews tech anthropologist and author, Nikki Payne. They discuss her latest novel, Sex, Lies, and Sensibility, a retelling of the classic, Sense and Sensibility; how Nikki approached writing her retelling, one which specifically centred diversity; decentering whiteness in the romance genre; Nikki's experience using sensitivity readers; how much 'shorthand' you can use when writing a retelling; reframing scandal in the modern world; and Nikki's clever way of introducing backstory.

After which Bianca interviews author Jessica Bull, author Miss Austen Investigates. They discuss Jessica's inspiration for her series and her journey to publication; the length of her work and how she pitched it with series potential; the process of writing real characters while also making up other aspects to the novel; how creating a ticking time bomb helped Jessica in creating tension and upping the stakes; and how Jessica managed to straddle genres when writing.

Then, Bianca interviews returning guest, Samantha M. Bailey, author of Woman on the Edge and Watch Out for Her. They discuss Samantha's latest novel, A Friend in the Dark; the myth that novel writing becomes easier with each new book; the new challenges that Samantha faced in her latest novel; how she successfully broke the rules with her prologue; making the opening pages compelling even though the protagonist is alone for most of them; when you purposefully leave out a second POV in the novel’s flap copy; and why she chose to structure her characters' interactions partially through DMs on Facebook.

 Finally, Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop provides the invaluable service of suggesting comp titles to our listeners.

If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more, for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and ww.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

To connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/

More information about Nikki can be found at: https://www.nikkipaynebooks.com/

In today's Books with Hooks segment, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by emerging author, Sarah. They discuss ways to make a novel sound less quiet in a query; the necessity of a hook; when it's acceptable to comp to a hugely successful novel; how to convey a longer timeline; how to share pivotal plot points in a query without spoiling the novel; and what made Sarah's pages particularly special.

After which, Bianca interviews Donna Hemans, author of The House of Plain Truth. They discuss the DC Writers' Room; Donna's journey to publication; putting some ideas on the shelf until you're ready to do them justice; not being so rigid with the structure of your work that you hold your story back; deciding when to change your agent; and approaching characterization and backstory.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Donna can be found at: https://www.donnahemans.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/donna_hemans

 and Twitter at https://twitter.com/donna_hemans

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly discuss small tweaks for an overall 'fantastic' query; a good example of framing and planting curiosity seeds; starting a novel with a scene where the protagonist is waking up; being careful about word choice in a query; being mindful of when you're being vague vs specific; and the importance of showing inner life in your characters.

After which, Bianca interviews NYT's bestselling author, Robin Oliveira. They discuss Robin's latest novel, A Wild and Heavenly Place; how long it took her to write; the importance of the research trip to Scotland that Robin took; keeping the 'intention' of a novel centred while writing; torturing your characters, especially in Act Two; leveraging different types of conflict; how cutting plot points is like unravelling a thread, and strategies for 'pulling the thread' successfully; and how to know when a book is finished.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Robin can be found at: https://www.robinoliveira.com/ and she can be found on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/Robin_Oliveira_Author/

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly critique an upmarket/southern-gothic query and a book club romance. They discuss a "perfect" first query paragraph; the importance of accurate framing in a query; when a content warning is necessary; tips for elevating your line level writing along with examples of sophisticated writing; writing protagonists' thoughts in a realistic way; mistakes writers make that make their writing appear less polished; and examples of how to build curiosity into your pages.

After which, Bianca interviews Elba Iris Pérez, debut author of The Things We Didn't Know. They discuss Elba's winning of the Simon and Schuster "Books Like Us" award and Elba's subsequent journey to publication; the benefit of taking writing courses; writing magazines as good resources for finding contests; immersing readers in scenes that are unfamiliar to them; and writing children in first person in a convincing manner.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Elba can be found at: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Elba-Iris-Perez/195715113

She's also on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/elbaip?lang=en

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss the need for specificity with regard to plot details when you have a more psychological book/concept; avoiding too much backstory in the opening pages; the need for your first chapter to be as strong as your prologue (if you have one); being as specific about your genre as possible; and how emotionality adds layers to your work.

 After which, we have two author interviews.

 Bianca first interviews NYT bestselling Ali Hazelwood, author of Bride and The Love Hypothesis. They discuss how Ali started writing fanfiction; the unconventional way she got her agent; Ali's submission experience with The Love Hypothesis; reader fascination with vampires and werewolves; how Ali tackled world-building in Bride; writing an 'alpha male' trope that still aligns with feminism; how Ali approached making her prickly main character more sympathetic; and Ali's advice for writing steamy scenes.

 After which Bianca interviews Kiley Reid, author of the NYT bestseller, Such a Fun Age, and her latest, Come & Get It. They discuss Kiley's journey to publication; her choice of inciting incident for both of her novels; how she successfully 'broke the rules' with regards to character introduction in the first chapter; her strategies for writing authentic dialogue; leaning into specificity through action beats within dialogue; Kiley's 'signature move' involving the introduction of backstory; and tips for writing a quieter novel, but with strong, 'loud' undercurrents.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Ali can be found at: https://alihazelwood.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/alihazelwood/?hl=en

Kiley is on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kileyreid/?hl=en and on Twitter at

https://twitter.com/kileyreid

In today's January Bonus Episode, Bianca interviews Jami Attenberg, author of 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round. They discuss Jami's 1000 Words of Summer newsletter and the idea of being a good literary citizen; the essays from Jami's latest work; writing for other reasons than to get published; remembering why you write; battling with imposter syndrome; the false concept of an expiration date as a writer; writing as strength-training; the need to live in order to write; and why writing isn’t a process that has to be efficient.

After which Bianca interviews Jo Salas, author of Mrs. Lowe-Porter. They discuss the inspiration and research behind Jo's latest novel; the challenges of writing a character with dementia and how life experiences can lend themselves to writing; how Jo balanced the use of historical source materials and fictional representations; one of the chapters in Jo's novel where a fictional character has a conversation with the woman writing her; the struggle to make your writing a priority; and Jo's non-traditional journey to publication.

Finally, Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop provides the invaluable service of suggesting comp titles to our listeners.

If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

To connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/

More information about Jami can be found at https://www.jamiattenberg.com She's also on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/jamiattenberg and Twitter at https://twitter.com/jamiattenberg

More information about Jo can be found at https://josalas.com/

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by guest listener, Erica. They discuss the need to illustrate external plot points within a query letter, even if the book is more quiet/internal; using plot as scaffolding for the emotionality within your novel; the need for propulsiveness in a query and plot; figuring out how to describe your climax when it includes various subplots; how having a strong, definitive hook makes it easier to write a query letter; letting your story speak for itself rather than trying to shoehorn it into a different genre; the purpose of prologues (when they work); and specificity within a character's thoughts.

After which, Bianca interviews Laurie Frankel, author of Family Family. They discuss the importance of creating unique character names; writing a novel that's full of nuggets of wisdom without being trite; sticking to one draft instead of choosing a different one that's easier; Laurie's approach to editing; what a leap of faith writing a novel is; and Laurie's use of third person close POV and how this can get a writer even closer to their characters than first person.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Laurie can be found at: https://www.lauriefrankel.net/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/laurie.frankel/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/laurie_frankel?lang=en

In today's Books with Hooks, CeCe and Carly discuss what agents look for with a resubmission; the issue with starting with themes in a query letter; the need for your plot and stakes to have a 'domino' effect; infusing character description with emotionality; the need for specificity in plot points; the standards for literary fiction writing; the ever-present need for active emotions and interiority; and the subjectivity of the industry and taste in novels.

After which, Bianca chats with Middle Grade author and former Simon & Schuster editor, Veera Hiranandani about her MG novels, A Night Diary, and its companion novel, Amil and the After. They discuss the age range of MG; what it’s like to write in this genre vs other age categories; a sequel vs a companion book; how illustrations can help inform a character’s arc; working with an illustrator; production costs of having illustrations; writing about difficult subject matter for children; and the biggest mistakes MG authors make.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Veera can be found at https://www.veerahiranandani.com/. She’s on Instagram @veerawrites and Twitter @veerahira.

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe discuss the importance of eliminating any confusion in your query; the distinction between having a 'perfect' query letter and one that does the job; how plausibility issues may or may not be a problem for different agents; the need to be intentional with dates you choose in your novel, rather than just convenient; the art of giving specifics when they are needed; and the need for active rather than passive stakes and inciting incidents.

After which, Bianca chats with Julie Chavez about her memoir, Everyone But Myself. They discuss Julie’s untraditional path to publication; understanding the role of an agent and why it’s helpful to have one; working on the next manuscript to distract yourself from publishing the current one; the book coaching process; setting boundaries for yourself; building a community of writer friends and asking published authors for blurbs; creating intimacy with the reader; reading your work aloud; and structuring your memoir so that it reads like fiction.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Julie can be found at https://www.juliewriteswords.com/. She’s on Instagram @juliewriteswords and Facebook @juliewriteswords.

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by guest Alicia Clancy, executive editor at Lake Union Publishing. They discuss the need to establish what is real and what is made up in a fantasy query; the importance of physical movement in the opening pages to help with pacing; avoiding vague plot points in your query, especially when relating to the climax; sufficiently explaining why you chose a specific character to focus on in your query letter when writing a multi-POV novel; the importance of including reasons why you're the person to write your story in your author bio paragraph; and being mindful of showing rather than telling.

After which Bianca interviews Chelene Knight, author of Let It Go. They talk about Chelene's various literary initiatives, including the Thrive Coaching Program and Forever Writers Club; writing as a marginalized writer and the pressures associated with that; the 360 view that Chelene has of the publishing world; choosing an audience for your book, rather than trying to appeal to everyone; Chelene's intentions with how she outlined and framed her latest book; and advice to writers who want to publish nonfiction.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Chelene can be found at: https://cheleneknight.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bsc_literary_studio/?hl=en

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss an example of an excellent hook and query letter in general; the issues with beginning your novel with a cliched scene; the importance of emotional layers in interiority, especially with big, messy emotions; framing your query letter in a way that gives your protagonist more agency and 'protagonism', or that shows how a character's lack of agency pushes the plot forward; the problem with using self-published books as your comp titles; the difference between third person close POV and omniscient third person; and the difficulties with using an omniscient third person POV.

After which, Bianca chats with Estelle Erasmus about her book, Writing That Gets Noticed. They also discuss Estelle’s credentials and experience; writing essays and op-eds; finding your voice; writing your essays for yourself; literary fiction vs purple prose; finding your rhythm and syntax; asking yourself “so what?”; personal universal elements; and revealing vs concealing.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Estelle can be found at https://estelleserasmus.com/. She’s on Twitter @EstelleSErasmus, Instagram @EstelleSErasmus, TikTok @EstelleSErasmus, and Facebook @Estelle.Sobel.Erasmus.

In today's December Bonus Episode, Bianca interviews Sarah Lariviere, YA author of The Bad Kid, Time Travel for Love and Profit, and the upcoming, Riot Act. They discuss Sarah's decision to base her latest novel in her hometown; pinpointing what makes a work fit into the YA category; writing in a way that is authentic to your audience (including the language you use and how you portray certain experiences); the intentionality of choosing a setting and time period; using song lyrics in your work; using curse words in a YA novel; and Sarah's unorthodox approach to limited omniscient POV.

After which, Bianca interviews Lucy E.M. Black, author of the historical fiction novel, The Brickworks. They discuss Lucy's non-traditional journey to publication; the inspiration for her latest book; knowing when to stop researching, so as not to fall down a procrastination rabbit hole; reaching out to experts; how to write regional dialects successfully; advice on time-jumping in a novel; and Lucy's experience with indie publishers.

We’ll reopen our Q & A and Comps Segment in January!

Find us on our socials:

X: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Sarah can be found at https://sarahlariviere.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sarah.lariviere/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/sarahlariviere

More information about Lucy can be found at: https://lucyemblack.com/about/

She's also on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/lucyemblack/

In today's Books with Hooks, CeCe, Carly, and Bianca are joined by Harvey to discuss his submission. They chat about illustrating plot escalation in a query; boosting SEO through your title choice; stakes that are personally important to the protagonist; the importance of cross-over with characters when you have multiple main characters; the need for causality when it comes to plot points; CeCe shares a 'masterfully written' line; the need for sharp specificity and active emotions in character interiority; and how subjective agent and reader perspectives will always be when reading your material.

After which, Bianca interviews Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Wake Up Call and The Flatshare. They discuss Beth’s journey to publication; the appropriate time after which to nudge an agent; overcoming the pressures that come with ‘instant’ success; the universal love of the 'grumpy/sunshine' trope; when to plant curiosity seeds; and Beth's advice for people looking to write romcoms.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Beth can be found at: https://www.betholearyauthor.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/betholearyauthor/?hl=en

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly, CeCe, and Bianca discuss a historical mystery and a women's fiction query. They chat about whether starting from a male or female POV may (or may not) affect how agents request pages; why an author whose work is quite polished may not have received many requests from agents; transforming hooks in ways that will garner the most agent and editor attention; the issues with wanting a romance to be the B plot, but then also having a weaker A plot; and the ever-present importance of planting curiosity seeds.

After which, Bianca interviews David Joy, author of Those We Thought We Knew. They discuss the conventions of the 'Appalachian noir' genre; how David's book and the writing of it compare to a traditional procedural; the inspiration for the themes within the novel; working with an authenticity reader and writing a novel in a way that is respectful to the voice you want to embody; getting readers to be actively engaged in your writing; and the importance of specificity and characterization in bringing your novel to life.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about David can be found at: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/226887/david-joy/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/davidjoy_author/?hl=en and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/davidjoy_author?lang=en

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by guest, Ronnie Alvarado, a senior editor at Simon Element. They discuss two queries, one of which includes a resubmission. The four discuss why agents might pass on a resubmission despite changes having been made; how info-dumping can keep readers from connecting with characters; why writing interiority is like squeezing an orange; typos in query letters; when adverbs are useful; and a prologue that works.

 After which, Bianca interviews Anise Vance, debut novelist of Hush Harbor. They discuss being intentional with your beginnings; Anise's inspiration and journey to publication; being open to R&Rs, particularly for the right agent; the worldbuilding required for dystopian novels based in real places; techniques to avoid too much telling when it comes to worldbuilding.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Anise can be found at: https://www.anisevance.com/

He is also on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/anisevance/?next=%2Fdrip.store.italia%2F

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly and CeCe critique two listener query letters, one fantasy and one middle-grade fiction. During which, they discuss the need for characters to physically move around and the idea that a lack of movement might mean too much interiority and not enough plot; the need for interiority to match point of view; Bianca gives line level writing advice about phrasing;  the idea of your protagonist being the 'sun' in your novel and other characters the 'planets'; the difference between specificity and spoilers in a query; and comparison as a way to build character.

 After which, Bianca interviews Jillian Cantor, author of The Fiction Writer. The two discuss the freedom and ability to write across genres; the importance of finding the right agent for you; what writing different genres can teach you as a writer; writing retellings; how the prologue of Jillian's latest novel came to be; using epistolary elements; and Jillian's advice for writers trying to break into the industry.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Jillian can be found at: https://www.jilliancantor.com/

She is also on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/jilliancantor/?hl=en

In today's Bumper November Bonus Episode, Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop kicks us off with suggested comp titles.

 After which, Bianca is joined by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley, co-authors of Three Holidays and a Wedding. They discuss the differences in approach in writing a collaborative project rather than a solo one; the benefits of writing genre-fiction when it comes to creating an outline, and the importance of an outline in a collaborative process; the idea of tackling hard subjects, but with the promise of a 'happily ever after'; and the shift in the tone and subject matter of romance novels and rom-coms in recent times.

 CeCe then chats with her client, Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, about her book, I Didn’t Sign Up for This. They also discuss how they met and decided to work together; why Tracy wrote this book the way she did; how we learn through stories and how psychological tools can be useful when

writing fiction; the parallels between relationship challenges and writing; the emotional challenges that come with the intention of being traditionally published; practicing self-care while going through the phases of writing and publishing; and there’s a special giveaway for listeners!

Finally, in the Q&A segment, Carly and CeCe answer all your

burning questions!

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/

More information about Uzma can be found at: https://uzmajalaluddin.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/uzmajalaluddin/

More information about Marissa can be found at: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/authors/2242840/marissa-stapley and https://www.instagram.com/marissastapley/

More information about Dr. Tracy can be found at: https://www.drtracyd.com/. She’s on Instagram @drtracyd, and

Facebook @DrTracyD.

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe are joined by Nicole to discuss her query submission. They discuss the introduction of characters in a query letter to avoid overwhelming the reader; avoiding 'hopping' around in time and switching tenses in a query; ideas to up the stakes within the relationship of Nicole's main characters; examples of how Nicole successfully described a character's appearance using first person POV; advice on how to avoid common turns of phrase; and how to make unlikeable or grumpy characters more likeable.

 After which, Bianca chats with Erin Pepler about her collection of essays, Send Me Into the Woods Alone: Essays on Motherhood. They discuss how writing essays can help with marketing and publicity as a novelist; the process of putting an essay collection together; selling a collection to a publisher; the power of a single essay; how being specific is often what makes stories feel universal; an essay vs an article vs a longer piece of nonfiction (i.e., a memoir); essays that go viral; and showing vs telling in essays.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

More information about Erin can be found at erinpepler.com.

She’s on Twitter @erinpepler, Instagram @erinpepler, and Facebook @erinpeplerwriter.

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly and CeCe critique two query letters. They discuss a good example of the concept of 'curiosity seeds'; the importance of expedience when getting a character from point A to point B; the creation of immediacy through present tense; how to give specifics in the query letter without ruining the curiosity seeds you want to plant in the pages; how the discussion of money in pages allow for various opportunities to reveal details about a character; and the need for a balance between interiority and emotionality.

After which, Bianca chats with Rosemary Hennigan, author of The Favorites. They discuss framing the narrative by doing heavy lifting in the opening pages; having your character make the reader ask some big questions; stories that both entertain and intellectually nourish readers; not giving the reader all the information; choosing a specific historical backdrop to mirror themes in the book; how whatever’s happening in politics in that timeframe affect your character’s emotions and decisions; and the subjectivity of the industry.

 Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

More information about Rosemary can be found at www.rosemaryhennigan.com. She is on Instagram @rosiehennigan.

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly and CeCe are joined by guest agent, Dana Murphy. The four discuss the need for specificity in a query letter; whittling at larger ideas to hone them and make them clearer; internal logic within a scene; the necessity of 'upfront' world building; being clear with stakes in a query letter; the difficulty of pitching something as 'humorous'; the issue with a character’s intuition that is proven correct; and the need to trust your reader through showing rather than telling.

After which, Bianca chats with Jean Kwok about her book, The Leftover Woman. They discuss Jean’s journey to publication; the importance of choosing an agent who thinks of you as a star; how rejections can be doorways; imposter syndrome; preserving your integrity; intentionality behind POV choices; reverse outlining your favourite books; and the two timelines of every successful book.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

More information about Jean can be found at jeankwok.com. She’s on Twitter @JeanKwok, Instagram @jeankwokauthor, and Facebook @jeankwokauthor.

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two query letters. During which, they discuss how specificity can make your novel seem more realistic; the challenges with switching between different types of narration; a prologue that CeCe likes; the depth that interiority adds to dialogue; and the difficulty with relying on a character's memory to create a plot.

After which, Bianca interviews Nicolas DiDomizio, author of Burn it All Down and The Gay Best Friend. The two discuss the story behind James Patterson blurbing Nicolas' debut novel and how that helped a book with zero comps get published; the marketing strategy for The Gay Best Friend; what Nick learned from adapting his latest novel to a screenplay; how he took a crash course in screenplay writing; deciding what scenes from the novel had to be kept or removed from the screenplay; and the differences in writing a screenplay versus a novel.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

More information about Nicolas can be found at: https://nicolasdidomizio.com/

He is also on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/nicdidomiziobooks/?hl=en

In today's bumper October Bonus Episode, Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop kicks us off with suggested comp titles.

After which, Jessica Knoll joins Carly to talk about Bright Young Women. They also discuss opening pages and prologues; the book vs the audio version; violence on the page; the power in naming things we typically shy away from; the internet and social media as a tool for authors; influences and inspiration; being a part of screen adaptations and filming; and being in a healthy creative space.

 After which, we do a deep dive in memoirs!

Bianca interviews Tove Danovich, journalist and author of the chicken-keeping memoir and animal welfare reporting book, Under the Henfluence. They discuss Tove's journey in publishing a book that encompasses two very difficult genres to market and sell (non-fiction and memoir); writing a proposal for a book that is largely unique and difficult to comp; blending anecdotal humour with animal welfare reporting; the structure of Tove's memoir; and Tove's advice for memoirists.

Bianca then chats with Natalie Maclean, journalist and author of the memoir, Wine Witch on Fire. They discuss what inspired Natalie to write a memoir about such a difficult time in her life; starting with the "inciting incident"; how to balance writing your truth with still being mindful of the potential legal ramifications of doing so; when to consult with lawyers and who covers that cost; and the witch-related structure and theme of the book.

Finally, in the Q&A segment, Carly and CeCe answer all your burning questions!

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

To connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/

More information about Jessica Knoll can be found athttps://www.jessicaknoll.com/. She's on Instagram @jessicaknollauthor and TikTok @jessicaknollauthor.

Tove Danovich is on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/tovekdanovich/?hl=en

Her chickens can be found at: https://www.instagram.com/bestlittlehenhouse/

More information about Natalie Maclean can be found at: https://www.nataliemaclean.com/ and https://www.nataliemaclean.com/blog/books/wine-witch-on-fire/

Her newsletter can be found at: https://www.nataliemaclean.com/newsletters/archive/

She’s also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nataliemacleanwine/

In today's bumper October Bonus Episode, Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop kicks us off with suggested comp titles.

After which, Jessica Knoll joins Carly to talk about Bright Young Women. They also discuss opening pages and prologues; the book vs the audio version; violence on the page; the power in naming things we typically shy away from; the internet and social media as a tool for authors; influences and inspiration; being a part of screen adaptations and filming; and being in a healthy creative space.

After which, we do a deep dive in memoirs!

Bianca interviews Tove Danovich, journalist and author of the chicken-keeping memoir and animal welfare reporting book, Under the Henfluence. They discuss Tove's journey in publishing a book that encompasses two very difficult genres to market and sell (non-fiction and memoir); writing a proposal for a book that is largely unique and difficult to comp; blending anecdotal humour with animal welfare reporting; the structure of Tove's memoir; and Tove's advice for memoirists.

Bianca then chats with Natalie Maclean, journalist and author of the memoir, Wine Witch on Fire. They discuss what inspired Natalie to write a memoir about such a difficult time in her life; starting with the "inciting incident"; how to balance writing your truth with still being mindful of the potential legal ramifications of doing so; when to consult with lawyers and who covers that cost; and the witch-related structure and theme of the book.

Finally, in the Q&A segment, Carly and CeCe answer all your burning questions!

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and w

ww.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

To connect with Emilie Sommer go to https://www.instagram.com/emiliegsommer/ and you can find East City Bookshop at https://www.instagram.com/eastcitybookshop/

More information about Jessica Knoll can be found athttps://www.jessicaknoll.com/. She's on Instagram @jessicaknollauthor and TikTok @jessicaknollauthor.

Tove Danovich is on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/tovekdanovich/?hl=en

Her chickens can be found at: https://www.instagram.com/bestlittlehenhouse/

More information about Natalie Maclean can be found at: https://www.nataliemaclean.com/ and https://www.nataliemaclean.com/blog/books/wine-witch-on-fire/

Her newsletter can be found at: https://www.nataliemaclean.com/newsletters/archive/

She’s also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nataliemacleanwine/

On today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by podcast listener, Johnny Hobson. While reviewing his query letter, they discuss avoiding a synopsis-heavy query; the importance of showing the protagonism of a main character in a query; breaking down the mechanics of a love scene to reflect reality; the issue with starting a novel in a place where everything is going well; and some of the nuances in writing an alternate history.

After which, Bianca interviews Karma Brown, author of What Wild Women Do. They discuss the idea for the novel; how outlining can help you be certain that a story has legs; the pros and cons of getting feedback early in the drafting and outlining process; the epistolary elements in the book; deciding how best to structure a dual POV story in which the two characters will never be on the page together; and the importance of positive self-talk.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW

Karma can be found on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/karmakbrown/?hl=en and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/KarmaKBrown