Today’s guest is Blair Hurley, who received her A.B. from Princeton University and her M.F.A. from NYU. Her stories are published or forthcoming in Ninth Letter, The Georgia Review, West Branch, Mid-American Review, Washington Square, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Descant, Fugue, and elsewhere. She has received a 2018 Pushcart Prize and scholarships from Bread Loaf and the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. Her debut novel, THE DEVOTED, was published in August 2018 from WW Norton & Company.

Blair joined me today to talk about writing your own interests, even if that places your story in a quieter place, and the misconception of dismissing clarity in writing for simplistic novels. Also covered: the difficulty of breaking into the short story market and the motivations for doing so. 

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Links for Blair:

Website: http://blairhurley.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhurley

IG: https://www.instagram.com/blairlhurley/

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Wasted Pretty by Jamie Beth Cohen https://amzn.to/2U9gaak

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis amzn.to/2pjEWYh 

Today’s guest is Lauren Gibaldi author of THE NIGHT WE SAID YES, AUTO FOCUS and THIS TINY PERFECT WORLD. Lauren is a public librarian who’s been, among other things, a magazine editor, high school English teacher, bookseller, and circus aerialist (seriously). She has a BA in Literature and Master’s in Library and Information Studies. 

Lauren joins host Mindy McGinnis to talk about landing her agent, and how her process of being a punster can occasionally backfire, but nothing is ever wasted. Also covered: how being a librarian has helped Lauren feel more connected to teens and benefited her writing career, as well as portraying artistic teens in fiction.

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Ten After Closing by Jessica Bayliss 

Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby

Support the podcast through Patreon for weekly writing advice, query and first page critiques, as well as exclusive episodes featuring agent and editor interviews. Visit our Patreon to learn more.

Today’s guest is Kelly DeVos author of FAT GIRL ON A PLANE. Kelly holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Arizona State University. Her debut novel, FAT GIRL ON A PLANE is available now from Harlequin Teen. Her work has been featured in the New York Times as well as SheKnows and Bustle. Kelly joined me today to talk about landing her agent, and how her particular process of being a hardcore planner works to turn the spark of an idea into a novel. Also covered: the inspiration for FAT GIRL ON A PLANE, a discussion of the fashion world and body acceptance and how short stories can help you experiment with new ideas, characters, or methods.

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Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood

It’s a Wonderful Death By Sarah J. Schmitt 

Today’s guest is Randy Ribay author of AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PARALLEL UNIVERSES and AFTER THE SHOT DROPS. Randy joins host Mindy McGinnis to talk about the importance of having an agent in order to negotiate the best possible contract, the power of writing concisely and how to make time to write while holding a day job

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BOOMERANG by Helene Dunbar

SOMEDAY, SOMEWHERE by Lindsay Champion

Today's guest is Geoffrey Girard, Bram Stoker nominee and author of CAIN'S BLOOD, PROJECT CAIN, TRUTHERS, and MARY ROSE. Geoff joins Mindy to talk about how losing an agent doesn't end a career, learning craft through writing shorts, how small indie pubs can teach you a lot, and the art of table selling.

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THE VIOLINIST OF VENICE by Alyssa Palombo

VIAL THINGS by Leah Clifford