.png)
I'm thrilled to be hosting the lovely Justina Chen the blog today! Her brand new book, LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP hits shelves today, so be sure to reach out and wish her the happiest of book birthdays! Justina's debut novel, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (AND A FEW WHITE LIES), won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Youth Literature, and her novel NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL was named one of the Best Books of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and was a finalist for nine state book awards. Justina is also the co-founder of Chen & Cragen and a story strategist to leaders. And now, here's my chat with Justina! Hi, Justina! Welcome and congrats on Lovely, Dark, and Deep. Can you share a little about the story and wha
WELCOME TO THE BLOG! With over 140 interviews logged to date, I love nothing more than getting the chance to talk to authors about their books, the writing process, what they've learned navigating the publishing journey, and even picking their brains on craft-related topics (such as how to write distinct POVs and world-building tips). They've taught me so much! I hope you enjoy reading through these amazing interviews as much as I've enjoyed putting them together.
August is going to be busy on the blog! Keep an eye out for in-depth interviews with authors, SAADIA FARUQI, BETSY CORNWALL, AMELINDA BERUBE, ANNIE SULLIVAN, and KATIE HENRY. They'll be stopping by to talk about writing, their upcoming releases, and more! To learn more about specific titles, click on the links beneath the graphic and add them to your Goodreads list today! In addition to these hot summer books, August is also the MONTH OF PITCH WARS! Unsure of what Pitch Wars is? Check out my post: I'm a 2018 Pitch Wars Mentor, as well as the official website: pitchwars.org. COME FOR THE CRAFT TIPS. Stay for the inspiration. Thursday, August 2: Saadia Faruqi and MEET YASMIN! Wednesday, Augus
What is Pitch Wars? Pitch Wars is a free mentoring program where more established writers and publishing pros mentor emerging writers for four months to help them revise their manuscript for an Agent Round. During the Agent Round, agents can read a sample and request to read more. Pitch Wars has had over 300 success stories since Brenda Drake started the program in 2012. Recent Pitch Wars novels include Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, Zoje Stage’s Baby Teeth and Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient. So if you're an unagented writer with a finished manuscript that's ready query (or are querying), please look into submitting to Pitch Wars. The mentor wishlist blog hop starts August 14 an
What are Word Sprints? If you think sprinting is just for runners, I've got great news! There's a writer version that's guaranteed not to give you shin splints! A word sprint (also called a writing sprint) is a short burst of focused writing that takes place in increments anywhere from 15-30 minutes a pop (in reality, you can do shorter or longer, but I find 15-30 to be a good jumping off point). The 'rules' are simple. Start the timer, start writing, and don't stop until the alarm goes off. There's no time to mess around online, or even go to the bathroom, you just type, type, type until you hear the beep! And if you're sprinting in a group it's typical to share your word count at the end o
Today I'm so happy to be hosting Derek Milman on the blog! Derek's debut, SCREAM ALL NIGHT, releases today from HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, and BuzzFeed calls it "the summer read you never knew you needed"! Derek studied English, Theater, and Creative Writing at Northwestern University. He started off as a playwright and screenwriter, and in addition to writing, Derek also went on to receive an MFA in acting at the Yale School of Drama. His sophomore novel, Night Flight, is in the works to hit shelves in 2019 from Little, Brown/Jimmy Patterson. And now, here's my chat with Derek! Hi, Derek! Welcome and congrats on the release of Scream All Night. Can you share a little about the story an
I'm so excited to be hosting Zoje Stage on the blog today! Zoje is an amazing author whose debut is about to blow you out of the water! BABY TEETH is a tense, psychological thriller that has been compared to the likes of Gone Girl and We Need to Talk About Kevin. The book released yesterday to mega reviews (a few of which are listed below!), so if thrillers are your thing, you're definitely going to want to pick this one up! One of Entertainment Weekly’s Must-Read Books for July “A wholly original and terrifically creepy story.” ―Refinery29 One of PopSugar's "25 Must-Read Books That Will Make July Fly By!" A Barnes and Noble Blog Best Thriller for July! One of the "Biggest Thrillers of t
K.A. Reynolds is on the blog and her debut is one of my most-anticipated books of 2018! THE LAND OF YESTERDAY has been described as 'tender and fantastical' and 'perfect for fans of Coraline', and the best part is that you'll be able to find it in a bookstore near you on July 31st! And now, here's my chat with Kristin! Hi, Kristin! Welcome and congrats on the upcoming release of The Land of Yesterday. Can you tell us a little about the story and what inspired you to write it? Hi Megan, thank you for having me! The Land of Yesterday is the story of eleven-year-old Cecelia Dahl and her fantastical, dark, and transformative journey through grief. When Cecelia’s younger brother Celadon dies u
It's time to get happy! Bree Barton is on the blog! Bree is the hilarious and uber-talented author of the upcoming YA fantasy, HEART OF THORNS-----the first book in a trilogy set in a dark kingdom where only women can posses magic. The novel comes out July 31st, so be sure to preorder, and catch up on all things Bree by visiting her YouTube channel, Speak Breely. That's where she shares writing tips and tricks, news about her books, collabs with other writers, and (of course!) videos of her dog in Harry Potter cosplay. Seriously...he's so cute. Check it out! And now, here's my chat with Bree! Hi, Bree! Welcome and congrats on the upcoming release of Heart of Thorns. Can you tell us a little
Cindy Baldwin is one of my favorites in the writing community and so I'm thrilled to be hosting her on the blog today! Her debut novel, WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW, released this week. WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW is a middle grade narrative that centers around empathy and acceptance where disability is concerned, and in addition to receiving multiple starred reviews, the book has also been chosen as an Indies Introduce/Indie Next title for summer/fall 2018! And now, here's my chat with Cindy! Hi, Cindy! Welcome and congrats on the release of Where the Watermelons Grow. Can you tell us a little about the story and what inspired you to write it? Thanks so much for the congrats! It's very exci