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Writers talk craft, agent hunt, query trenches, publishing industry, and more. Hosted by Mindy McGinnis.
Episodes
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 Apr 06, 2020
Monday Apr 06, 2020
Today’s guest is Caroline Zancan author of the novel Local Girls, as well as her latest, We Wish You Luck. She is a graduate of Kenyon College and holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars. A Senior Editor at Henry Holt, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their children.
Caroline joined me today to talk about unique mix of art and business that is the publishing industry. Aslo covered - being both an author, and an editor, and the often misunderstood author / editor relationship.
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Links for Caroline
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolinezancan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolinezancan82
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Monday Mar 30, 2020
Monday Mar 30, 2020
Today's guest is Sarah Jane Stratford. Her first novel, Radio Girls, was based on the early days of the BBC and its pioneering talks producer, Hilda Matheson. Red Letter Days, her newest novel, continues that tradition by similarly highlighting a little known but influential woman in media set during the 19 fifties Red Scare and inspired by the real life TV producer Hannah Weinstein, Red Letter Days reveals the untold story of women who escaped the Hollywood blacklist. Sarah joined me today to talk about the inspiration for Red Letter Days and the research involved in writing about the Red Scare. Also covered - the challenge of basing a fictional character on a real person, and the last repercussions of the Red Scare.
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Links for Sarah:
Site: http://www.sarahjanestratford.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stratfordsj
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahJaneStratfordAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjanestratford/
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Personal Revolution Podcast: https://www.himalaya.com/revolution1
Monday Mar 23, 2020
Monday Mar 23, 2020
Today’s guest is Tom Lutz, editor in chief of the LA Review of Books a nonprofit dedicated to promoting writing about literature, culture and the arts.. He teaches creative writing at the University of California in Riverside and is on a quest to visit every country in the world: 135 down, only 60 to go. Tom has dovetailed his wanderlust and passion for writing into seven nonfiction books—some on travel, one on the history of slackers, another on the history of tears. His first crime novel, Born Slippy, was published in January.
Tom joined me today to talk about some of the monumental changes he’s seen in publishing during this decade, as well as how global trade and politics affects every day artists, as well as his first crime novel, Born Slippy, and tackling the topic of toxic masculinity.
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Links for Tom:
Site: https://www.tomlutzwriter.com/
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Monday Mar 09, 2020
Monday Mar 09, 2020
Today’s guest is Reuben "Tihi" Hayslett who confronts identity politics, racism and homophobia in his debut short story collection "Dark Corners," which has been selected by Kirkus Reviews as best book of the year (2019). Hayslett’s characters, most of them black, brown, and/or queer, have their personal problems complicated by their outsider status, by ominous politics, and by occasional eruptions of madness and the macabre. Tihi joined me today to talk about writing and art as a form of protest. Also covered: looking inward to step into your power before taking your work outward for a broader audience, and the art form of the short story, and how sometimes being succinct is how you allow your reader to fill in the blanks.
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Monday Mar 02, 2020
Monday Mar 02, 2020
Today’s guest is Kiley Reid, a recent graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop where she was the recipient of the Truman Capote Fellowship. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Such A Fun Age is her first novel. Kiley joined me today to talk about Such A Fun Age, and how writing two dimensional characters – people who are both good and bad – is how to make them true to life. Also covered, work life without a living wage, representing race on the page through language choice, and the truth that resides in fiction.
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Links for Kiley:
Site: https://kileyreid.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kileyreid/
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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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Monday Feb 17, 2020
Monday Feb 17, 2020
Today’s guest is Lisa Gardner, a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist and self-described research junkie, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and has made personal appearances on TruTV and CNN. Lisa invites her readers to enter the annual “Kill a Friend, Maim a Buddy” Sweepstakes at LisaGardner.com. Every year, one Lucky Stiff is selected to meet a grand end in Lisa’s latest novel. Past winners have nominated spouses, best friends and even themselves. Lisa joined me today to talk about her newest release When You See Me, which combines three of her most loved characters, and how heavily research plays into her process.
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Links for Lisa:
Website: https://www.lisagardner.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaGardnerBks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaGardnerBks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisagardnerbks/
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Monday Feb 10, 2020
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Today’s guest is Michael Tougias, the author of many true rescue stories, including THE FINEST HOURS, which was adapted into a Disney film. His latest, INTO THE BLIZZARD has been adapted for middle grade readers from his adult non-fiction book about the Blizzard of 1978. Michael joined me today to talk about the difference between seeking publication with fiction versus non-fiction, and the challenge of adapting his own work for a younger audience. Also covered, research, and the process of interviewing your subjects face to face.
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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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