Episodes

  • Bumper September Bonus Episode

    Bumper September Bonus Episode
    Sep 30 2024
    In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca interviews Reese's book pick and best-selling author Marissa Stapley, to discuss her latest, The Lightning Bottles. They chat about the genesis of the novel; taking your time writing and the beauty that lies in the process of creating; the inspiration behind Marissa's protagonist; why she chose specific characters as POV characters; how Marissa managed to work in a prologue that was from a younger person's perspective without it reading like YA; the challenges of writing a book after experiencing major success; working with multiple editors at the same time; and advice for when a manuscript just isn't working. After which, Bianca chats with Amy Shoenthal, author of the non-fiction work, The Setback Cycle. They discuss the journey to publication as a collection of setbacks; getting a book deal without having a huge platform; persevering despite rejections and learning from them; how to market yourself amidst insecurities; Amy's thought process and research for her work; the process of working with and interviewing experts; how Amy came up with the idea and key ideas for her work; the differences between writing journalistic pieces versus writing a book; being prepared to talk about yourself as an author; and how Amy marketed herself and her book. Bianca then interviews Frances White, author of the adult fantasy novel, Voyage of the Damned. They discuss Frances's journey to publication and the manuscripts that didn't quite make it there; writing for yourself rather than ticking boxes for publishers; the world-building that Frances did for her novel; working with a large cast of characters; the importance of representation and using sensitivity readers; the crossover potential of Frances's novel; and writing the voicey-ness of the main character. Finally, Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop answers all your comp requests! If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and ww.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo ask us a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAWYou can find out more information about Marissa on her website at https://marissastapley.comShe's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marissastapley and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarissaStapleyAuthorYou can find out more information about Amy on her website at https://www.amyshoenthal.com/She's also on Instagram at https://www.amyshoenthal.com/You can find out more information about Frances on her website at https://www.frances-writes.com/She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/franceswhiteauthor and Twitter at https://x.com/Frances_Writes To register for CeCe’s upcoming Hacking Writing on A Line Level course, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xDo7-fz8Q-GrnyE6Nw41qA#/registrationCarly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15To sign up for the Beta Reader Match Up, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/beta-reader-match-up.htmlOur Sponsors:* Check out Acorns: https://acorns.com/TSNOTYAW* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • Insights from NYT bestselling authors, Liane Moriarty and Hannah Nicole Maehrer

    Insights from NYT bestselling authors, Liane Moriarty and Hannah Nicole Maehrer
    Sep 26 2024
    In today’s episode, we have two epic author interviews!The first is with NYT best-selling romance-fantasy author, Hannah Nicole Maehrer, and her agent, Brent Taylor. Bianca interviews Hannah and Brent to discuss Hannah's latest novel, Apprentice to the Villain; Hannah's unique, TikTok-related inspiration for her debut novel; how Hannah views her genre; how Brent discovered Hannah; the importance of chemistry in an author/agent relationship; how Hannah comped her debut when querying; what the editing process looked like; Brent's submission strategies with Hannah's debut; whether there were editors that regretted passing on Hannah's extraordinarily successful debut; handling rejection; the kinds of questions that emerging authors should be asking their potential agents in order to find a good fit; whether Hannah's social media presence contributed to eventual book sales; whether the book was pitched as a series; juggling timelines for the follow-up novel; the very long prologue in Assistant to the Villain; and the use of trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel.After which CeCe interviews Liane Moriarty, NYT bestselling author of titles like Big Little Lies and Apples Never Fall. They discuss the premise of Liane's latest book, Here One Moment and the inspiration behind it; Liane's drafting process; her talent for tapping into the human psyche; her strengths and weaknesses in writing; the concept of a skill being acquired rather than innate; Liane's research process and the tools she uses when she writes; how she crafts the masterful endings to her novels, and her use of curiosity seeds; whether Liane's writing process has changed over the course of her career; her use of multi POV; how Liane gets into her characters' heads; how she would describe her genre; the craft books that Liane recommends; and her advice to aspiring authors.Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingHannah is on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hannahnicolemae and TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahnicolemaeYou can find Brent online at www.btaylorbooks.comYou can find out more information about Liane on her website at https://lianemoriarty.com.au/She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lianemoriarty_officialand Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LianeMoriartyAuthorTo register for the All About Fantasy course, go to https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-fantasy.htmlTo register for CeCe’s upcoming Hacking Writing on A Line Level course, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xDo7-fz8Q-GrnyE6Nw41qA#/registrationCarly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15Our Sponsors:* Check out Acorns: https://acorns.com/TSNOTYAW* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • Digging Deep to Find Your Characters’ Messy Emotions

    Digging Deep to Find Your Characters’ Messy Emotions
    Sep 19 2024

    Today, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss a humorous contemporary fiction query and an upmarket book club query.

    They discuss clearly defining your genre; the importance of time stamps when you have a ticking time bomb situation; writing characters that are likeable or interesting enough that readers will want to follow their arc and journey; the necessity of giving characters wants and needs immediately; what "likeable" means in a character; ensuring your plot points are connected; starting your novel in the right place and what that requires; and digging deep to find messy emotions in your characters.

    Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

    Find us on our socials:

    Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

    https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

    https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

    Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

    Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

    For more information about the All About Fantasy Virtual Retreat, go to:

    https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-fantasy.html

    Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    34 mins
  • Problem-Solving Your Way Through a Story

    Problem-Solving Your Way Through a Story
    Sep 12 2024

    In today’s author interview, Bianca interviews Amanda Peters, author of Waiting for the Long Night Moon, which is a collection of short stories.

    Amanda reads the first short story in the collection, and the two discuss framing and POV and Amanda's deliberate choices regarding POV in her stories; tension that comes from the reader knowing something the characters don't; writing quiet stories that are emotionally weighted; finding your way into a beginning and the evolution of Amanda's second story in the collection; problem solving as an integral part of being a writer; and Amanda's experience oscillating between writing short stories and novels.

    Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

    Find us on our socials:

    Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

    https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

    https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

    Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

    Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

    You can find out more information about Amanda on her website at https://amandapetersauthor.com/

    She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/amandapetersauthor

    For more information about the All About Fantasy Virtual Retreat, go to:

    https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-fantasy.html

    Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    31 mins
  • Making Something Unexpected Happen in Your Opening Pages

    Making Something Unexpected Happen in Your Opening Pages
    Sep 5 2024

    In today’s Book with Hooks episode, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe critique an upmarket women's fiction query and a dark romance one (spicy content warning!).

    They discuss the need for cause and effect between your plot points; avoiding overwriting in dialogue; the difficulties with having a very insecure protagonist; the need for something unexpected to happen in the opening pages; the concept of dark romance; specificity in your query; teasing backstory about your main character in your query; avoiding trying to do too much in your query; making your letter as readable as possible; starting novels with racy scenes; and being mindful of positioning and movement in sex scenes.

    Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

    Find us on our socials:

    Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

    https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

    https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

    Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

    Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

    For more information about the All About Fantasy Virtual Retreat, go to:

    https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-fantasy.html

    Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    41 mins
  • Coco Mellors' Incredible Insights on Writing

    Coco Mellors' Incredible Insights on Writing
    Aug 29 2024

    In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.

    After which Bianca interviews bestselling author, Coco Mellors, to discuss her latest novel, Blue Sisters.

    They discuss writing on the line level while using metaphor and similes to describe things in ways that no one else has expressed them before; the creation of Coco's extremely compelling prologue and how she approached writing it; writing characters who have agency and how their agency affects the plot; balancing showing vs telling, and how to make the telling feel like showing; how writing can be an act of blind faith; writing multi POV novels; the research process; and writing what you know.

    Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

    Find us on our socials:

    Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

    https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

    https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

    Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

    Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

    You can find out more information about Coco on her website at https://www.cocomellors.com/

    She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cocomellors

    For more information about the All About Fantasy virtual retreat, go to:

    https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-fantasy.html

    Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • August Bonus: Insights from Fiona Barton and Jean Meltzer

    August Bonus: Insights from Fiona Barton and Jean Meltzer
    Aug 26 2024
    In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca interviews writer, journalist, and author Fiona Barton. They discuss the resounding success of Fiona's debut, The Widow, and its unique journey to publication; the editing process with her agent; the transition from journalism to writing fiction; why Fiona included a prologue in her latest thriller, Talking to Strangers and what she wants readers to take from it; and the social commentary in the novel.After which, Bianca chats with Jean Meltzer, screenwriter and author of the rom-com, Magical Meet Cute. They discuss the importance of the meet-cute in a rom-com; surprising the reader in your opening pages; writing your characters' dialogue in a way that accurately reflects their background and who they are; Jean's advice for including words that the reader might not understand; writing fun and interesting secondary characters without them stealing the limelight; building a sense of community without overwhelming the reader with too many characters; some of Jean's favourite romantic tropes; writing for yourself versus writing for a specific type of reader; and whether or not rom-coms need a HEA or a HFN. If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more, for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/Our Comps Segment with Emilie Sommer will return in September.Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and ww.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo ask us a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAWYou can find out more information about Fiona on her website at https://www.fionabartonauthor.com/She's also on Twitter at https://x.com/fionabarton and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fionabartonauthor/You can find out more information about Jean on her website at https://jeanmeltzer.com/She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jeanmeltzer and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jeanmeltzerauthor/For more information about the All About Fantasy Virtual Retreat, go to:https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-fantasy.htmlAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    1 hr
  • Writing the So-Called ‘Unlikable Protagonist’

    Writing the So-Called ‘Unlikable Protagonist’
    Aug 22 2024

    In today's Books with Hooks, we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment.

    After which, Bianca interviews sisters, Lynne and Valerie Constantine, who write under the pen name, Liv Constantine. The three discuss Lynne and Valerie’s latest bestselling novel, The Next Mrs. Parish; their decision to write a sequel following their Audible prequel; being a ‘plotter,’ ‘pantser,’ or ‘plantser’; the experience of re-immersing yourself in characters and timelines you’ve written before; deciding where to begin a sequel; giving your readers high stakes wants and needs from the jump; causality in plot; character psychology; and how to write unlikeable female characters that are still compelling.

    Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

    Find us on our socials:

    Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

    https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/

    https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

    Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

    Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

    You can find out more information about Lynne and Valerie on their website at https://livconstantine.com/

    They're also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/livconstantine2

    For more information about the All About Fantasy Virtual Retreat, go to:

    https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-fantasy.html

    Carly's course for writers, The Author's Publishing Playbook, is available at carlywatters.com/course. If you haven't grabbed it yet, podcast listeners can use discount code POD15



    Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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    1 hr and 19 mins