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Writers talk craft, agent hunt, query trenches, publishing industry, and more. Hosted by Mindy McGinnis.
Episodes
Monday Aug 10, 2020
Monday Aug 10, 2020
Today's guest is L.C. Barlow, a writer and professor working primarily in the field of speculative fiction. She has an MA in English from the University of Texas at Arlington and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast program. Her fiction has reached over sixty-five thousand readers and garnered praise, including a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Awards, a winner of the Indie Reader Discovery Awards, a winner of the eLit Awards, and IndieReader’s Best Books of 2014. She joined me today to talk about moving from a self-publishing career to a traditional career, and the value of having a large reader base in order to make the change.
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Monday Apr 13, 2020
Monday Apr 13, 2020
Today’s guest is Stephanie Robel whose debut novel, Darling Rose Gold, is available now. Stephanie joined me today to talk about her research involving Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy in order to write her novel. Also covered, how being a copywriter and having an MFA helped Stephanie transition into the publishing world.
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Links for Stephanie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephwrobel
Instagram: http://instagram.com/stephaniewrobel
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Monday Feb 24, 2020
Monday Feb 24, 2020
Today’s guest is Mary Kole, Mary Kole is a freelance editor, author and blogger whose goal is to help writers of children’s literature create compelling stories for young readers. A former California and New York literary agent for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and Movable Type Literary. Mary has spoken at over 75 writer’s conferences and workshops across the world, has been deeply involved with organizations including the SCBWI,Writer’s Digest, and NaNoWriMo. Her blog on children’s writing and publishing, Kidlit.com, receives an average of 17,000 hits per month. It has been named one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers” by Writer’s Digest every year since its inception in 2009. Her book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit has sold 11,000 copies. Mary has also worked as a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times, and was named one of 20 writers to follow on Twitter in 2017. She currently works as a freelance editor with over 500 clients per year.
Mary joined me today to talk about making the switch from agenting to editorial work, and how a relocation spawned her editorial company. Also covered: Mary’s book, Writing Irresistible Kid Lit, and the joy of ushering a project from inception to publication alongside an author.
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Links for Mary:
Good Story Company: https://goodstorycompany.com
Editing: https://marykole.com
Blog: https://kidlit.com
Forum: https://critcollective.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/goodstoryco
Facebook: https://facebook.com/marykoleeditorial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/goodstoryco
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kid_lit
Instagram: https://instagram.com/goodstorycompany
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/goodstory
Submission Course: https://bit.ly/kolesub
Book: http://bit.ly/kolekidlit
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Leaner Creamer: https://leanercreamer.com/discount/FIRE15
Monday Jan 27, 2020
Monday Jan 27, 2020
Today’s guest is Abbigail N. Rosewood, whose debut, If I Had Two Lives, follows a young girl from her childhood in a military camp in 1990s Vietnam, where her mother is in hiding as a political dissident, to her adulthood as a lonely and disillusioned immigrant in New York, where she must learn what it means to love and be loved, and to reconfigure home in the aftermath of ruins.
Abbigail joined me today to talk about diving deep into your emotions to develop an authentic relationship with your reader. Also covered: three things you need to know before you begin writing, as well as the publication process and the sting of rejection, post-publication.
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Monday Nov 04, 2019
Monday Nov 04, 2019
Today’s guest is Kelly Coon, author of the YA Fantasy Gravemaidens which recounts the tale of two sisters: Kammani, a 16-year-old healer's apprentice who wants to save the dying ruler of her city-state and Nanaea, Kammani’s little sister who will be buried alive as the ruler’s bride if he dies. Kelly joined me today to talk about how to make a fantasy stand out in the crowded YA market by making her female main character have understated strength. Also covered:how editing and being an ACT test prep writer helped Kelly in her fiction and marketing on your own, the constant hustle, and the benefits of having a street team.
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Links for Kelly:
Website: https://www.kellycoon.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyCoon106
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellycoon106
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellycoon106/
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Monday Oct 21, 2019
Monday Oct 21, 2019
Today’s guest is Debbie Rigaud, author of the YA Rom-com Truly, Madly, Royally. Debbie joined me to day to talk about the rejection journey being similar for scripts, magazine writing and novels, and the importance of community – especially that of women in publishing looking out for one another. Also covered: why a YA rom-com might be exactly what some readers need and co-authoring with activist Alyssa Milano.
Links for Debbie
Website: https://debbierigaud.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/debbierigaud
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/froandabow/
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Monday Sep 23, 2019
Monday Sep 23, 2019
Today’s guest is Marie Miranda Cruz, author of Everlasting Nora, an uplifting young reader debut about perseverance against all odds. Marie joined me to day to talk about the difficulty of querying a middle grade novel with complicated and heavy themes. Also covered: writing about tough topics for middle graders as a way to build empathy.
Links for Marie:
Website: https://cruzwrites.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cruzwrites/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariveecruz/
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When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow: https://amzn.to/353KSIM
Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon: https://amzn.to/2OmKDlU
Monday Aug 05, 2019
Monday Aug 05, 2019
Today’s guest is Chelsea Bobulski who graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in history. As a writer, she has a soft spot for characters with broken pasts, strange talents, and obstacles they must overcome for a brighter future. Her debut young adult novel, THE WOOD is available now. Her next release REMEMBER ME releases August 6th.
Chelsea joined me today to talk about querying for five years, the stress of breaking up with her first agent, and the importance of maintaining a polite, professional attitude while in the query trenches, learning how to balance writing the next book against the time investment of marketing your backlist and the key to writing horror, especially for younger audiences.
Links for Chelsea
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Wasted Pretty by Jamie Beth Cohen
All the Walls of Belfast by Sarah Carlson
A Map for Wild Hearts: How to Make Art Even When You Are Lost by Andrea Hannah
Monday Jun 10, 2019
Monday Jun 10, 2019
Today’s guest is Lori Goldstein, former journalist and current author and editor who has a bachelor's in journalism and previously worked for technology publications in the “East Coast Silicon Valley” city of Boston.
Lori joined me today to talk about about how the query process actually works – even though we all know how painful it is. Also, writing loss leaders like prequel novellas and pre-order campaigns – are they worth it?
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Monday Apr 29, 2019
Monday Apr 29, 2019
Today’s guest is Beth Kander, an award-winning playwright and author, the second book in her dystopian epic Original Syn comes out this fall from Owl House Books. Beth joined me today to talk selling a novel to a smaller publishing house on her own, and the risks of writing to the trend, if the trend might stick you in a niche. Also covered: the marriage of business and creativity necessary to make it in publishing, also, how to know which creative medium your story is best suited for.
Support the Podcast https://writerwriterpantsonfire.com/support-the-blog/
Links for Beth:
Website:https://www.bethkander.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ByBethKander
IG: https://instagram.com/bethkander
FB: https://facebook.com/bybethkander
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Emily Martin Editorial Services:https://www.emilymartinedits.com/
We Rule The Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett: amzn.to/2pjEWYh
All The Walls of Belfast by Sarah J. Carlson: https://amzn.to/2ZAQTtK