Mon, 29 September 2014
Meagan Spooner, author of LARK ASCENDING (out Oct. 1!), the final installment of the Skylark Trilogy, and is co-author of the Starbound Trilogy with Amie Kaufman. Meagan is bright, cheery and welcoming, with the self-assuredness of a girl who has crossed the globe more than once. We talk about her roots in the theater, how fairy tales are the OG fanfic, and that one time her house burned down. Meagan Spooner Show Notes STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert A. Heinlein CONTACT by Carl Sagan THE GIVER by Lois Lowry THE DRAGON RIDERS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey Odyssey writing workshops Claire Legrand (listen to her podcast interview here!) SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL by Louis Sachar and Adam McCauley IN A DARK, DARK ROOM by Alvin Schwartz and Dirk Zimmer Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner The Tolkien quote about the "leaf-mould of the mind" |
Wed, 24 September 2014
Rachel Fershleiser Show Notes Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in NY Eat Your Feelings: Stories of Food, Jews & Your Mom, with Jami Attenberg and friends Booksmith, Book People, and Tattered Cover (bookstores) Stock Tips zine Kickstarter Tumblr's Reblog Book Club ELEANOR AND PARK and FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell Gingerhaze on Tumblr (Noelle Stevenson) Simini Blocker on Tumblr Ampersand from YadyKates on Etsy YA Highway on Tumblr WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign Emily Schultz, author of JOYLAND, Spending Stephen King’s Money SO MUCH PRETTY by Cara Hoffman President Obama Tumblr Q&A YA author Leigh Bardugo Hot Key Books Young Writers competition, previous winner Katie Coyle Emily Hughes, who runs Random House’s Tumblr THE MAN OF MY DREAMS by Curtis Sittenfeld Tana French, Gillian Flynn, Megan Abbott, Laura Lippman NOBODY IS EVER MISSING by Catherine Lacey HIGH AS THE HORSES' BRIDLES by Scott Cheshire Emily Gould, author and co-owner of Emily Books Celeste Ng, author |
Fri, 19 September 2014
Gretchen McNeil, author of YA books POSSESS, TEN, 3:59, and GET EVEN (out this week, from Baltzer + Bray!) welcomed me to her home in L.A. for a great conversation about the pros and cons of fast drafting, grassroots marketing, and how to balance being a writer and an extrovert. And her adorable puppy Wolfgang makes an appearance, too! Gretchen McNeil Show Notes TITHE by Holly Black WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr T.S. Ferguson (Amy's editor at Harlequin TEEN) RT = Romantic Times Book Lover's Convention ALA = American Library Association Diane Setterfield, THE THIRTEENTH TALE |
Sun, 14 September 2014
Heidi Schulz Show Notes
Australorp breed of chickens J.M. Barrie, author of PETER PAN and PETER PAN AND WENDY Peter Pan (2003 film) Brooks Sherman, Heidi’s agent John Hendrix, illustrator for HOOK’S REVENGE Heidi’s drawing of a sad robot being launched into space Claire Legrand, MG author Emma Trevayne, MG author KidLit authors Beverly Cleary, Diana Wynne Jones, and Judy Blume
Authors of creeptastic things, Stephen King and V. C. Andrews |
Fri, 22 August 2014
Michelle Schusterman, author of the I HEART BAND series and the forthcoming THE KAT SINCLAIR FILES and MAUDEVILLE, is the kind of girl whose conversation feels more like a hug than a handshake. She’s so open-hearted, curious, and kind, it’s no wonder she’s always worked with middle and high school students, across the globe. Michelle Schusterman Show Notes Savvy by Ingrid Law Michelle’s agent Sarah Davies Jordan Hamessly, Michelle’s editor
The Coffeehouse Mystery books by Cleo Coyle |
Wed, 13 August 2014
My good friend and YA author Kirsten Hubbard takes the mic to ask me a few questions for this mini-episode Q&A! We talk about why the podcast got started, why it's been so irregular to date, where it's going in the future, and a discussion of writing while traveling. |
Fri, 8 August 2014
Kara Taylor (soon to be Thomas) has a quick wit and an infectious laugh. In addition to being smart, sharp and funny, she’s a gifted and ambitious writer, crafting YA novels by day (the PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL series and a forthcoming book in 2016 from Random House) and TV shows by night. I caught up with Kara at her home in Long Island, and she gave me the rundown of her almost accidental television writing gig, how having a chip on her shoulder helps get words on the page, and why city life just isn’t for her. Kara Taylor Show Notes Clip from Jon Stewart bit about Long Island wanting to secede Article on how much money California is losing because TV and movie productions are locating in other cities. Article on the writer of Lethal Weapon |
Wed, 6 August 2014
Claire Legrand has a sweet heart and a dark imagination - a combination that has made for two magical middle grade novels (THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS and THE YEAR OF SHADOWS), and a forthcoming YA, WINTERSPELL, due out September 30 from Simon & Schuster. We met at her home in Princeton, New Jersey to talk scary stories for kids, earning honor badges in life, and finding time amidst the "author" madness to actually write.
Claire LeGrand Show Notes Claire LeGrand’s agent Diana Fox Claire’s blog post about leaving New York Graceling by Kristin Cashore A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley Lucy Ruth Cummins with S&S Sarah Watts, artist for covers with S&S Karl Kwasny, artist for Year of Shadows with S&S E.T.A. Hoffmann's original Nutcracker His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik Story by Robert McKee |
Fri, 25 July 2014
Ellen Oh has been called a force of nature, and it’s true - the woman can get things done. But she’s also a fierce friend and loving mom, whose nearly decade-long quest to publication with debut novel PROPHECY was started because she couldn’t find books that reflected her story, or the Korean history she found so fascinating. Ellen can be series, sure (I mean, she _was_ a lawyer), but her laugh is infectious and she’s a laser-focused ball of energy when it comes to talking about history, how her kids are her toughest critique partners, and of course, spearheading the We Need Diverse Books campaign. |
Wed, 23 July 2014
The lovely Cristin Terrill invited me over to discuss theater, Sir Ian McKellen buying tea, and her recent decision to admit a planned sequel to her debut novel, All Our Yesterdays, was not a workable project. Cristin is funny and quick, and her kindhearted vibe may have something to do with the fact that she knows she has a safety net: dog grooming school. |
Tue, 22 July 2014
Petite and a bit quiet, Lindsay Smith has a bit of a mysterious vibe. And once she starts talking, it only gets more interesting! YA's John le Carré, Lindsay is a history buff who is fluent in Russian, and her debut novel, SEKRET, and its follow-up, SKANDAL (due in April 2015 from Roaring Brook Press) explore what would happen if Russia were hiding paranormally-enhanced super-humans behind the iron curtain during the Cold War. Pretty awesome stuff. Lindsay invited me over to talk 20th century politics, the round-the-clock nature of D.C.'s creative types, and the sheer terror of trying to write for adults. |
Mon, 14 July 2014
Caroline Tung Richmond is a smiling, stylin’ ball of endless positive energy, and with her debut novel set to come out in September (THE ONLY THING TO FEAR, 9/30/14 from Scholastic) I was jazzed to meet up with her in Rockville, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Caroline is full of incredible advice for writers in the trenches, and gives us a perspective on how being a new mother is hurting and, in some ways, helping her writing process. Also, she schools me on awesome sci-fi references — though Stark Trek fans should be warned that Caroline admits her memory of Deanna Troi’s fate may be a bit hazy. (But we won’t hold that against her - she has mad TNG cred.) |
Thu, 10 July 2014
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Sat, 5 July 2014
The inaugural First Draft podcast! A discussion with the lovely Sumayyah Daud, 24-year old author of the forthcoming BEGIN AGAIN, about radical happiness, Bill Shakespeare’s butt jokes, and #WeNeedDiverseBooks.
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