Thu, June 02, 2022

Hiatus Announcement With Traci Thomas of The Stacks

First Draft Episode #359: Traci Thomas Traci Thomas is the creator and host of The Stacks Podcast , a show about books featuring interviews with authors and book lovers. New episodes out every Wednesday! In this episode, we discuss my choice to put First Draft on indefinite hiatus, effective immediately. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Sarah Enni’s episodes of The Stacks, here and here Thanks for Listening! 🏆 Support the Show Join the First Draft Patreon , or make a monthly or one-time donation via PayPal or Venmo 🤳 Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts . 📫 Sign up for the First Draft Newsletter to hear about news, recommendations, and upcoming events 👕💯 Get First Draft merchandise ✍️ Track Changes Learn how the traditional publishing industry works in the Track

Thu, May 26, 2022

Simple Pleasures and Sinister Undertones With Nina LaCour

First Draft Episode #358: Nina LaCour Nina LaCour is the bestselling and Michael L. Printz Award-winning author of five critically acclaimed young adult novels, including: We Are Okay, and Hold Still . She joins to talk about her first picture book, Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle , and her debut adult novel, Yerba Buena . THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY Out of the Blue , the queer YA rom-com by Jason June , author of the breakout Jay’s Gay Agenda , available now! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Nina’s previous appearances on First Draft, here and here ! Hear Sarah Enni on Nina’s podcast, Keeping a Notebook , here !   Thanks for Listening! 🏆 Support the Show Join the First Draft Patreon , or make a monthly or one-time donation via PayPal or Venmo 🤳 Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni </

Thu, May 19, 2022

Dreams and Ghosts With Samira Ahmed

First Draft Episod #357: Samira Ahmed Samira Ahmed is the bestselling author of Love, Hate & Other Filters , Internment , Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know , and Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds , as well as a Ms. Marvel comic book mini-series . She joins us to talk about her latest YA contemp, Hollow Fires. Thanks for Listening! 🏆 Support the Show Join the First Draft Patreon , or make a monthly or one-time donation via PayPal or Venmo 🤳 Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts . 📫 Sign up for the First Draft Newsletter to hear about news, recommendations, and upcoming events 👕💯 Get First Draft merchandise ✍️ Track Changes Learn how the traditional publishing industry works in the Track Changes podcast mini-series. 👍 Rate

Thu, May 12, 2022

Writers and Friends With Kristin Dwyer

First Draft Episode #356: Kristin Dwyer Kristin Dwyer is the debut author of YA romance, Some Mistakes Were Made . THIS EPISODE BROUGHT TO YOU BY… Fundamentals of Design , a crash course in design tailored specifically for authors. Head to embowman.com/workshops to enroll, and use promo code FIRSTDRAFT20 to save $20 off the $79 price through the end of May 2022. Thanks for Listening! 🏆 Support the Show Join the First Draft Patreon , or make a monthly or one-time donation via PayPal or Venmo 🤳 Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts . 📫 Sign up for the First Draft Newsletter to hear about news, recommendations, and upcoming events 👕💯 Get First Draft merchandise ✍️ Track Changes Learn how the traditional publishing industry works in the Track Changes podcast mini-series. 👍 Rate, Review, and Recommend

Thu, May 05, 2022

Embrace the Funny With Shannon Hale

First Draft Episode #355: Shannon Hale Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of over thirty children's and young adult books, including graphic novel memoirs Real Friends , Best Friends , and Friends Forever, and multiple award winners The Goose Girl , Book of a Thousand Days , and Newbery Honor recipient Princess Academy . THIS EPISODE BROUGHT TO YOU BY… Fundamentals of Design , a crash course in design tailored specifically for authors. Head to embowman.com/workshops to enroll, and use promo code FIRSTDRAFT20 to save $20 off the $79 price through the end of May 2022.   Thanks for Listening! 🏆 Support the Show Join the First Draft Patreon , or make a monthly or one-time donation via PayPal or Venmo 🤳 Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts . 📫 Sign up for

Thu, April 28, 2022

Moms Don't Have Time to Chat With Zibby Owens

First Draft Episode #354: Zibby Owens Zibby Owens is the founder of the podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books , and new publishing company Zibby Books , as well as author of picture book Princess Charming and forthcoming memoir, Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature . Thanks for Listening! 🏆 Support the Show Join the First Draft Patreon , or make a monthly or one-time donation via PayPal or Venmo 🤳 Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts . 📫 Sign up for the First Draft Newsletter to hear about news, recommendations, and upcoming events 👕💯 Get First Draft merchandise ✍️ Track Changes Learn how the traditional publishing industry works in the Track Changes podcast mini-series. 👍 Rate, Review, and Recommend Take a moment to rate and review First Draf

Thu, April 21, 2022

Determinism is the Only Answer With Adrienne Celt

First Draft Episode #353: Adrienne Celt Adrienne Celt is a cartoonist and author of The Daughters , Invitation to a Bonfire , as well as cartoon collection, Apocalypse How? An Existential Bestiary . She joins to talk about her latest, End of the World House . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle ( the animated movie ) The Loft Cinemas in Tucson, AZ Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Judgment , which covers aesthetics and teleology French feminist philosopher Hélène Cixous, author of The Third Body French philosopher Paul-Michel Foucault, author of The Order of Things: An Archaeology of Human Sciences Love Among the Lampreys , Adrienne’s webcomic Stanford Continuing Education creative writing courses Story Studio , writing center in Chicago If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino <a href= "https://brandthochman.com/agents" target="_bl

Fri, April 15, 2022

Let Your Heroines Be Horny With Elissa Sussman

First Draft Episode #352: Elissa Sussman Elissa Sussman is the author of adult romance Funny You Should Ask , and YA novels Drawn That Way , Burn , and Stray .  This episode is brought to you by Revision Season , the seven-week virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold . The Spring 2022 course will run from May 1 to June 23 and enrollment is open now! Learn more at ElanaKArnold.com . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Elissa’s previous interviews on First Draft here and here (with illustrator Arielle Jovellanos ) Kate Spencer is the co-host of the award-winning podcast Forever35 , and author of the memoir The Dead Moms Club . She joins to talk about her first novel, In a New York Minute . Jennifer E. Smith , author of YA novels The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight , Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between and more. She’s here to talk about her first picture book, Creature of Habit (with illustrator <a href="https://

Thu, April 07, 2022

Finishing an Unfinished Thing With Mac Barnett

First Draft Episode #351: Mac Barnett Mac Barnett , two-time Caldecott Honor and #1 New York Times bestselling author of picture books like Extra Yarn and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole with illustrator Jon Klassen , and the Jack book series with illustrator Greg Pizzoli . Mac joins us to talk about The Great Zapfino , his new picture book with illustrator Marla Frazee (hear her First Draft interview here) . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak David Foster Wallace, author of Infinite Jest and A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka, illuistrated by Lane Smith Wanda Gág, author of Millions of Cats Margaret Wise Brown, author of Goodnight, Moon (hear Mac and other writers talk about Margaret Wise Brown and Goodnight Moon on this Remember Reading podcast episode ) The Far Side by Gary Larson <p class="" style="white-sp

Thu, March 31, 2022

The State of the Library With Amanda Oliver

First Draft Episode #350: Amanda Oliver Amanda Oliver, former librarian and author of OVERDUE: Reckoning with the Public Library . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Reza Aslan , professor at U.C. Riverside’s MFA program and author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth Claire Comstock Gay , author of weekly horoscopes for New York magazine’s The Cut , and her debut book about astrology, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars , Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir by Rebecca Solnit 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Ibi Zoboi, New York Times bestselling author of National Book Award Finalist American Street , Pride , My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich and co-author with prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of Punching the Air . She joins us to talk about her first work of non-fiction Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler . Hear her First Draft interview here . Kekla Magoon , award-winning author of many novels and nonfiction books for kids and teens, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/755/9781250068231" target="_blank" rel="noo

Thu, March 24, 2022

Chasing the Feeling With John Cho

First Draft Episode #349: John Cho John Cho , actor, producer, writer, and author of debut middle grade novel, Troublemaker , with Sarah Suk . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder Fifth Chinese Daughter by Jade Snow Wong The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston Sarah Suk, author of Made in Korea and the forthcoming The Space Between Here and Now 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Seth Meyers , host of Late Night with Seth Meyers and former head writer for Saturday Night Live, talks about his debut picture book, I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared with Rob Syegh . Hear his First Draft interview here Jacqueline Woodson , 2020 MacArthur Genius fellow, National Book Award winner, Newberry, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King winner, former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Brown Girl Dreaming , Red at the Bone , Another Brooklyn , <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9780399545436" target="_b

Thu, March 17, 2022

Live in the Awkward With Kate Spencer

First Draft Episode #348: Kate Spencer Kate Spencer is the co-host of the award-winning podcast Forever35, and author of the memoir The Dead Moms Club . She joins to talk about her first novel, In a New York Minute . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Kate’s first First Draft interview Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott Twilight by Stephenie Meyers Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon Plane Baes Song Exploder podcast Seth Meyers , host of Late Night with Seth Meyers and former head writer for Saturday Night Live, talks about his debut picture book, I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared with Rob Syegh . Hear his First Draft interview here . Sweet Bobby podcast @90sArtSchool 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Doree Shafrir, co-host of the <a href= "http

Tue, March 15, 2022

Two Kinds of Fears with Seth Meyers

First Draft Episode #347: Seth Meyers Seth Meyers , host of Late Night with Seth Meyers and former head writer for Saturday Night Live, talks about his debut picture book, I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared with Rob Syegh . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Story of Babar: The Little Elephant, the first book in the Babar series by Jean de Brumhoff Spider Man: The Short Halloween written by Seth Meyers and Bill Hader Richard Scarry, author and illustrator of Trucks , A Day at the Airport , Cars and Trucks and Things That Go! and many more Jill Benjamin , Seth’s writing partner from his Improv Olympic days Documentary Now! on IFC Watership Down (movie) The Secret of NIMH (movie) The Black Cauldron (movie) The Hobbit (movie) Seth Meyers on Sesame Street ( with The Count and with Elmo</a

Thu, March 10, 2022

A Tightrope of Self-Belief With Jennifer E. Smith

First Draft Episode #346: Jennifer E. Smith Jennifer E. Smith , author of YA novels The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight , Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between and more. She’s here to talk about her first picture book, Creature of Habit (with illustrator Leo Espinosa ), and her first adult novel, The Unsinkable Greta James . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Jennifer E. Smith’s first First Draft interview Illustrator Leo Espinosa St. Vincent (musician) A League of Their Own (movie) Katie Lovejoy , screenwriter for The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight Vanessa Caswill , director of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight The cast of the movie includes: Hayley Lu Richardson , Ben Hardy , Rob Delaney , Jameela Jamil <p class="" style="white-space

Tue, March 08, 2022

We Only Get The Hunks We Get With Rebecca Serle

First Draft Episode #345: Rebecca Serle Rebecca Serle , New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years , The Dinner List , and more, talks about her new novel, One Italian Summer . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Rebecca’s first First Draft interview Leila Sales, author of “ The Case for Cancelling Everything ,” by Yascha Mounk for The Atlantic The Brave Little Toaster (movie) Honey I Shrunk the Kids (movie) Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery   🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Jodi Picoult , #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-seven novels, including My Sister's Keeper , Nineteen Minutes , Small Great Things , and two young adult novels with daughter Samantha van Leer, Between the Lines and Off the Page. She joins to talk about her latest, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/755/9781984818416" target= "_blank"

Fri, March 04, 2022

Sabaa Tahir’s Little Brain Pets

First Draft Episode #344: Sabaa Tahir Sabaa Tahir , #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes series talks about her new contemporary YA, All My Rage . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Don’t miss Sabaa’s first First Draft interview , and her second First Draft interview ! “ The Ghosts of Our Motel ,” by Sabaa Tahir for Vox The Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir Nina LaCour , Printz-winning author of We Are Okay , and other contemporary YA titles like Everything Leads to You and Hold Still . Host of the Keeping a Notebook podcast and creator of the Slow Novel Lab and Writing Together . Hear Nina’s first First Draft interview , and her second First Draft interview . Angie Thomas , #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give , On the Come Up , Concrete

Thu, February 24, 2022

Acts of Hope With Abdi Nazemian

First Draft Episode #343: Abdi Nazemian Abdi Nazemian , screenwriter and author of Stonewall Honor book Like a Love Story talks about his most recent YA, The Chandler Legacies . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Abdi’s first First Draft interview TIME’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time Rebecca Serle , author of The Dinner List , In Five Years , and the forthcoming One Italian Summer To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank The White Lotus (TV show) The Gilded Age (TV show) Ordinary Joe (TV show now streaming on Hulu and Peacock) D

Thu, February 17, 2022

Adam Rubin's Reality is Subjective

First Draft Episode #342: Adam Rubin Adam Rubin , New York Times bestselling picture book author known for Dragons Love Tacos , Those Darn Squirrels! , Robo-Sauce and more with illustrator Daniel Salmieri , about his new collection of middle grade short stories, The Ice Cream Machine . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: “Weird Al” Yankovic Monty Python Mr. Bean The Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson (find the first collection, The Far Side , here) Calvin and Hobbes , cartoon by Bill Watterson (check out the first collection, Calvin and Hobbes ) Klutz Books, like Juggling For the Complete Klutz , created by John Cassidy Exploratorium books like The Art of Curiosity Upright Citizens Brigade Improv Olympic <a href= "https://leoburnett.co

Thu, February 03, 2022

Mess Stuff Up With Jon Scieszka

First Draft Episode #341: Jon Scieszka Jon Scieszka , former National Ambassador for Children’s Literature and New York Times bestselling author best known for picture books with illustrator Lane Smith , including The True Story of the Three Little Pigs , The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales , Math Curse , and more. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio Jacqueline Woodson , 2020 MacArthur Genius fellow, National Book Award winner, Newberry, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King winner, former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Brown Girl Dreaming , Red at the Bone , Another Brooklyn , Before the Ever After and many, many more. She joins us to talk about her picture books with Rafael López , The Day You Begin and The Year We Learned to Fly . Hear her First Draft interview here . Dr Seuss, author of How the Grinch Stole Christmas , Oh, the Places You’ll Go! , Green Eggs and Ham and more <l

Thu, January 27, 2022

Things Have to Happen With Swan Huntley

First Draft Episode #340: Swan Huntley Swan Huntley is the author of adult literary novels The Goddesses , We Could Be Beautiful , and her newest, Getting Clean With Stevie Green . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: “ The Sociopath Who Loved Me Enough ,” by Swan Huntley in AutoStraddle Drinking: A Love Story by Carolyn Knapp Anne Hood , New York Times bestselling author of The Book That Matters Most , The Obituary Writer , and the upcoming Fly Girl , taught writing at the New School, where Swan discovered the Novel Template Election by Tom Perrotta The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron The MacDowell Colony Yaddo Swan’s cards! <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/97805932

Fri, January 21, 2022

Your Publishing Journey Is Not Your Personal Journey With Ibi Zoboi

Ibi Zoboi is the New York Times bestselling author of National Book Award Finalist American Street , Pride , My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich and co-author with prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of Punching the Air . She joins us to talk about her first work of non-fiction Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler .

Thu, January 13, 2022

Why the Bodega Doors Opened For Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson is a 2020 MacArthur Genius fellow, National Book Award winner, Newberry, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King winner, former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Brown Girl Dreaming , Red at the Bone , Another Brooklyn , Before the Ever After and many, many more. She joins us to talk about her picture books with Rafael López , The Day You Begin and The Year We Learned to Fly .

Thu, January 06, 2022

Workshop of Joy With Lamar Giles

First Draft Episode #337: Lamar Giles Lamar Giles , author of the acclaimed novels Fake ID , Endangered , Overturned , Spin , Not So Pure and Simple . He joins us to talk about his middle-grade series The Last Last-Day-of-Summer , Last Chance for Logan County , and and The Last Mirror on the Left . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman The Bunnicula series by James Howe and Deborah Howe Misery and It by Stephen King Danielle Steele, author of The Butler , Flying Angels , Complications , and more. The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds <p class="

Thu, December 16, 2021

Reclaiming Authenticity With Varian Johnson

First Draft Episode #336: Varian Johnson Varian Johnson , award-winning author of The Parker Inheritance , Twins , The Great Greene Heist , joins us to talk about his most recent middle-grade, Playing the Cards You’re Dealt . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret , Then Again Maybe I Won’t , and Iggie’s House by Judy Blume Motown and Didi by Walter Dean Myers Virginia Hamilton, author of The People Could Fly: Black American Folktales , Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush , and more Sara Crowe , Varian’s literary agent at Pippin Properties Andrew Karre , Executive editor at Dutton Books for Young Readers Cheryl Klein , editorial director at Lee & Low and formerly at Scholastic, and author of <a href= "http

Thu, December 09, 2021

It Can't Be a Soundbite With Kekla Magoon

First Draft Episode #335: Kekla Magoon Kekla Magoon is the award-winning author of many novels and nonfiction books for kids and teens, including How It Went Down , The Season of Styx Malone , and her newest, Revolution In Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Norma Fox Mazer, author of The Missing Girl , Good Night Maman , Missing Pieces , and many more Vermont College for Fine Arts’ MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (listen to this excellent interview with him on The Stacks podcast ) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo Blackbirds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert, author of Pointe , Little & Lion , The Only Black Girls in Town , and The Voting Booth . Hear Brandy’s First Draft interviews <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.c

Thu, December 02, 2021

Artists Have to Remember With Jodi Picoult

First Draft Episode #334: Jodi Picoult Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-seven novels, including My Sister's Keeper , Nineteen Minutes , Small Great Things , and two young adult novels with daughter Samantha van Leer, Between the Lines and Off the Page.  She joins to talk about her latest, Wish You Were Here . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon ( TV show) Breathe: A New Musical original cast recording on Spotify Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (movie) The English Patient (movie) Brandon Taylor ’s newsletter, Sweater Weather , and the essay in which he talks about what trend might come out of the pandemic, “ Bobos in IKEA ” The Book Thief

Thu, November 25, 2021

Bolts of Lightning With Karen M. McManus

First Draft Episode #333: Karen M. McManus Karen M. McManus is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of young adult thrillers, including the One of Us Is Lying series (now a Peacock TV show ), Two Can Keep a Secret, The Cousins , joins to talk about her latest, You’ll Be the Death of Me . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Stephen King , author of thrillers like It , The Shining , and Carrie (and, uh, lots more) Agatha Christie, author of And Then There Were None , Murder on the Orient Express , and Death on the Nile . Lois Duncan, author of I Know What You Did Last Summer , Killing Mr. Duncan , and Down a Dark Hall Mary Higgins Clark, author of Where Are the Children? , <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/75

Thu, November 18, 2021

Chloe Gong Spends Time With a Second Chance

First Draft Episode #332: Chloe Gong Chloe Gong is the New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and its sequel Our Violent Ends . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene The Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon Fallen by Lauren Kate Delirium by Lauren Oliver Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzgerald Wattpad The Mortal Instruments series (first book: City of Bones ) by Cassandra Clare, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, the forthcoming Sword Catcher duology, and co-author of the Magisterium series. Her most recent Shadowhunter novel, Chain of Gold , kicks off the Last Hours trilogy. Hear her First Draft interviews here and <a href=

Thu, November 11, 2021

A Fraid of Ghosts With Oliver Jeffers

First Draft Episode #331: Oliver Jeffers Oliver J effers, visual artist, climate activist, and author and/or illustrator of several New York Times bestselling picture books, including The Da y the Crayons Quit , How to Catch a Star , The Fate of Fausto , and Her e W e Are , joins us to talk about his newest picture book, There’s a Ghost In This House . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Oliver’s first First Draft interview here TK 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Jon Klassen , Caldecott Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the I Want My Hat Back series, as well as the illustrator of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett; The Dark by Lemony Snicket; House Held Up by Trees by Ted Koose

Thu, November 04, 2021

World Core With Roseanne A. Brown

First Draft Episode #330: Roseanne A. Brown Roseanne A. Brown is the New York Times bestselling author of YA fantasy novels A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and its sequel, A Psalm of Storms and Silence . The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By , a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "firstdraft” for 50% off your first Sips By box ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Animorphs by K. A. Applegate The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter , New York Times bestselling author of the Gallagher Girls series, the Heist Society series, the Embassy Row series, Not If I Save You First , Dear Ally: How Do You Write a Book? , and a new middle grade series that kicks off with Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor . (listen to her FIrst Draft interview here ) All American Girl, The Princess Diaries and Avalon High by Meg Cabot The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson <p class="" style="whi

Thu, October 28, 2021

Another Spin at the Wheel With Garth Nix

First Draft Episode #329: Garth Nix Garth Nix , New York Times bestselling author of Sabriel , returns to the Old Kingdom series with his latest YA fantasy, Terciel & Elinor . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Ragwitch by Garth Nix, his first book Jill Grinberg , President and founder of Jill Grinberg Literary Management , Garth’s agent Newt’s Emerald , Garth’s regency romance with a fantasy twist Shade’s Children , Garth’s dystopian series The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley The Tombs of Atuan , the second in Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea series, which began with A Wizard of Earthsea 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Kristen Cashore , New York Times bestselling author of the Graceling series, including Graceling , Fire , and Bitterblue , a

Thu, October 21, 2021

Every Day is Christmas Eve With Helen O’Hara

First Draft Episode #328: Helen O’Hara Helen O’Hara , film critic, editor-at-large for Empire magazine and co-host of the Empire film podcast , talks about her newest non-fiction, Women vs Hollywood: The Fall and RIse of Women in Film and host of its accompanying podcast, Women vs Hollywood With Helen O’Hara . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Care Bears Movie (movie) My Little Pony: The Movie (movie) Black Panther (movie) Captain Marvel (movie) Terri White , former editor of Empire and author of Coming Undone: A Memoir Twilight (movie) Chris Hewitt , co-host of the Empire podcast Notting Hill (movie) Helen’s other books about movies: Best Movies of the 80s and The Superhero Movie Book

Thu, October 14, 2021

Arguably Achievable Perfection With Benjamin Dreyer

First Draft Episode #327: Benjamin Dreyer Benjamin Dreyer , vice president, executive managing editor and copy chief of Random House, and New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style and Dreyer’s English (Adapted for Young Readers): Good Advice for Good Writing . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: “ Meet the Guardian of Grammar Who Wants to Help You Be a Better Writer, ” by Sarah Lyall in The New York Times Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum (hear Courtney weigh in on the traditional publishing process in Track Changes: Publishing 101 ) #1 New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout , author of Olive Kitteridge , Olive Again , and the recent release Oh William! Shirley Jackson, author of The Haunting of Hill House , The Lottery , and more 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Track Changes Bonus: Publishing From Every Angle A conversation between an author, agent,

Thu, October 07, 2021

Proof That We're In a Simulation With Elissa Sussman and Arielle Jovellanos

First Draft Episode #326: Elissa Sussman and Arielle Jovellanos Elissa Sussman and Arielle Jovellanos , author and illustrator, respectively, of YA contemporary novel Drawn That Way . Elissa is also the author of Burn , Stray , and the upcoming adult novel, Funny You Should Ask . Arielle illustrated Evil Thing , a Cruelle de Ville backstory novel written by Serena Valentino, as well as graphic novel Black Star , written by Eric A. Glover. This episode is brought to you by Revision Season , a seven-week virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold. The Fall 2021 Session of Revision Season will run Oct 10 – Nov 28, and enrollment is now open ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Elissa’s First Draft interview here Glen Keane , 38-year veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation and creator of Disney characters such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Beast, Tarzan, and Rapunzel. Howard Ashman , Oscar-winning lyricist, playwright, and stage director who wrote the lyrics for The Little Mermaid Frederator , an independent animation and media studio who produced Adventure Time , <a href= "https://frederator.com/shows/be

Thu, September 30, 2021

What You Don't Know With Ayana Gray

First Draft Episode #325: Ayana Gray Ayana Gray , debut author of Beasts of Prey , which is being adapted into a Netflix film . Today's episode of First Draft is brought to you by Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley, out from Page Street Publishing on October 5th. And by Revision Season , a seven-week virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold. The Fall 2021 Session of Revision Season will run Oct 10 – Nov 28, and enrollment is now open ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: As Told By Ginger (movie) Pete Knapp , literary agent with Park & Fine Literary and Media Stacey Barney, associate publisher of Nancy Paulsen Books Scrivener , writing software Beth Phelan , literary agent with Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency and founder of DiverseVoices Inc., (which is #DVpit / #DVart, DVcon, DVdebut and DVmentor) #MSWL is a twitter hashtag agents and editors use to let writers know what they are looking for. Pitch Wars

Thu, September 23, 2021

Singin’ in the Cemetery With Kendare Blake

First Draft Episode #324: Kendare Blake Kendare Blake , New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series, Anna Dressed in Blood , and more, talks about her new historical thriller, All These Bodies , and her upcoming YA novel set in the universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, In Every Generation . This episode is brought to you by The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino, out from Page Street Press now! And by Revision Season , a seven-week virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold. The Fall 2021 Session of Revision Season will run Oct 10 – Nov 28, and enrollment is now open ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Kendare’s previous episode of First Draft here , and watch the Tell Me Everything University Bookstore (Seattle, WA) event featuring Sarah Enni, Kendare, and Somaiya Daud, author of YA sci-fi book Mirage and Court of Lions . Antigoddess by Kendare Blake Stephanie Perkins , New York Times bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss and the horror novel There’s Someone Inside Y

Mon, September 20, 2021

The First Draft Patreon With Sarah Enni

First Draft Mini-Episode: First Draft Patreon With Sarah Enni Creator and host of First Draft, Sarah Enni, announces the launch of the First Draft Patreon , a way listeners can help support the show by pledging $5 or $10 a month. In exchange for that monthly donation, supporters will gain access to an exclusive community forum, get monthly video chats with Sarah, get 15% off First Draft merchandise, and get a shoutout at the top of a First Draft episode and on the First Draft supporter page . If you sign up to support First Draft before Oct. 1, 2021, you will receive a Super Special Supporter Pack, which includes a personal note from Sarah Enni, First Draft swag (bookmark, pin, and sticker), and a surprise book! Sign up to get yours today ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The First Draft Patreon page The publishing infographics I create and try to share each week Callie Wright , freelance audio producer and editor Track Changes Donate to First Draft on PayPal Donate to First Draft on Venmo Follow First Draft on Instagram and <a href= "https://twitter.com/FirstDraft

Thu, September 16, 2021

Miserable and Magical With Christine Riccio

First Draft Episode #323: Christine Riccio Christine Riccio , New York Times bestselling author of Again, But Better and Better Together and creative force behind PolandBananasBooks , her BookTube channel with more than 400,000 subscribers, and co-host of Booksplosion , the largest book club on YouTube. This episode is brought to you by Laura Sibson ’s Edie in Between , a modern-day Practical Magic about love, loss, and embracing the mystical, available now. And by The Lost Girls: A Vampire Revenge Story by Sonia Hartl , out from Page Street Publishing now. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Christine shared her perspective on promoting books on BookTube in the Track Changes Marketing and Publicity (Part 1) episode Booksplosion is the book club Christine cohosts with Katytastic and Jesse The Reader Sasha Alsberg , New York Times bestselling co-author with Lindsay Cummings of Zenith: The Androma Saga series (listen to their First Draft interview here ) and creator of YouTube channel <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/user/abooku

Thu, September 09, 2021

Practical But Impetuous With Jennifer Niven

First Draft Episode #322: Jennifer Niven Jennifer Niven is the Emmy Award-winning #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including YA novels All the Bright Places , Holding up the Universe , Breathless , and Take Me With You When You Go (with David Levithan ). This episode is brought to you by Laura Sibson ’s Edie in Between , a modern-day Practical Magic about love, loss, and embracing the mystical, available now. And by The Splendor by Breeana Shields , out from Page Street Publishing now. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Penelope Niven , biographer and author of Carl Sandburg: A Biography and Carl Sandburg: Adventures of a Poet , Thornton Wilder: A Life , Steichen: A Biography , memoirist ( Swimming Lessons: Life Lessons From the Pool, From Diving In to Treading Water ) and co-author of James Earl Jones’s autobiography, Voices and Silences . The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against

Thu, September 02, 2021

Stephanie Perkins is Not a Thomas Kinkade Painting

First Draft Episode #321: Stephanie Perkins Stephanie Perkins , New York Times bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss and the horror novel There’s Someone Inside Your House (watch the Netflix film adaptation Oct. 6 !) talks about her newest scary book, The Woods Are Always Watching . This episode is brought to you by Laura Sibson ’s Edie in Between , a modern-day Practical Magic about love, loss, and embracing the mystical, available now! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear the live episode where Stephanie and Sarah Enni talk about Sarah’s debut, Tell Me Everything , at Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville, N. C. Hear Sara Zarr and Sarah Enni discuss the job of podcasting Acuity Scheduling is the software that I am using to schedule interviews Kerry Winfrey , author of romantic comedies Waiting For Tom Hanks , Not Like the Movies , and her newest, Very Sincerely Yours . She is also the author of YA novels Love and Other Alien Experiences and Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It . <a href= "https:

Thu, August 26, 2021

Destined For Genre With Sarah MacLean

First Draft Episode #320: Sarah MacLean Sarah MacLean , New York Times bestselling author of romance novels, including Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake , A Rogue By Any Other Name , and many more, talks about Bombshell , the first book in her new Hell’s Bells series. Sarah also co-hosts the Fated Mates romance podcast . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Anne Rice, author of Interview With the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat Sarah Rees Brennan , author of Unspoken , The Demon’s Lexicon , and In Other Lands and more Carrie Ryan , author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth , Daughters of Deep Silence , and more Aprilynne Pike , author of Wings , Glitter , and more Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl , co-authors of <a href= "https://

Thu, August 19, 2021

Never Too Late For a List With S. K. Ali

First Draft Episode #319: S. K. Ali S. K. Ali is the New York Times bestselling author of Morris Award Finalist Saints and Misfits and its sequel Misfit in Love , Love From A to Z and its forthcoming sequel, Love From Mecca to Medina , and picture book The Proudest Blue . She also co-edited, with Aisha Saeed , the middle grade anthology Once Upon an Eid . 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Aisha Saeed , New York Times bestselling author of Written in the Stars and Amal Unbound , co-author with Becky Ablertalli of Yes No Maybe So (hear their First Draft interview here ). Elise Bryant , author of Happily Ever Afters . Listen to her First Draft interview here . Loan Le, editor at Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books and debut author of A Ph ở Love Story . Listen to her First Draft interview here . 🤳 Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni <p class="" style

Thu, August 12, 2021

The Buzzy Feeling With Chandler Baker

First Draft Episode #318: Chandler Baker Chandler Baker , the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network talks about her latest feminist thriller, The Husbands . She is also the co-author with Wesley King of YA novel Hello (From Here) , out September 7! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis Lauren Oliver , New York Times bestselling author of Panic , the Delirium series, and Before I Fall John Green , #1 New York Times bestselling author of many young adult novels, including The Fault in Our Stars and Printz-winning Looking For Alaska , joins to discuss his new essay collection, The Anthropocene Reviewed . He is also one half of the vlogbrothers on YouTube and co-creator of educational series Crash Course . Listen to his First Draft interview here . Gayle Forman , #1 New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9780142420898"

Thu, August 05, 2021

The White Claw of YA with Margot Wood

First Draft Episode #317: Margot Wood Margot Wood , founder of Epic Reads , talks about her debut young adult novel, Fresh . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Margot Wood, founder of Epic Reads , gave incredible marketing advice on the Marketing and Publicity episode of Track Changes , the First Draft miniseries that explains the ins and outs of traditional publishing in the U.S. (listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ) Johnny Tremaine by Esther Hoskins Forbes Aminah Mae Safi , author of Not the Girls You’re Looking For , Tell Me How You Really Feel , This is All Your Fault , and Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix . Listen to her First Draft interview here . The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Divergent by Veronica Roth, Simon Versus the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertali <p class="" style="white-space: pre-wr

Thu, July 29, 2021

The Four Step Plan With Kerry Winfrey

First Draft Episode #316: Kerry Winfrey Kerry Winfrey , author of romantic comedies Waiting For Tom Hanks , Not Like the Movies , and her newest, Very Sincerely Yours . She is also the author of YA novels Love and Other Alien Experiences and Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Superfudge by Judy Blume The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop George Saunders , author of Tenth of December: Stories , Lincoln in the Bardo , and A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life , and many more short stories and collections. Lorrie Moore , author of Birds of America , Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? , and many more short stories and collections. Marla Frazee is the two-time Caldecott Honor-winning author and illustrator of The Boss Baby , A Couple of Boys Have the

Thu, July 22, 2021

Vienna Waits For You With Isaac Fitzsimons

Listen on Apple Podcasts  | Spotify First Draft Episode #315: Isaac Fitzsimons Isaac Fitzsimons is the debut author of The Passing Playbook . This episode was brought to you by Vision Season , a seven-week, virtual master class in tending your creative garden with award-winning author Elana K. Arnold (hear her First Draft interviews here and here ). The Fall course of Vision Season will run from August 8th to September 25th. To learn more about Vision Season and to sign up for the Fall course, visit elanakarnold.com . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe Just Listen by Sarah Dessen The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md. I am J by Cris Beam “ Can’t Help Falling in Love ,” by Elvis Presley Jazz Jennings, author of Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen and start of “ I Am Jazz ” (TV show) Changing the Game (documentary)   🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check o

Thu, July 15, 2021

The Medium is the Message With Ben Zhu

First Draft Episode #314: Ben Zhu Ben Zhu , author, illustrator, and founder of Gallery Nucleus, talks about his debut picture book, Dessert Island . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Dan Krall , illustrator for Samurai Jack Chris Appelhans , writer and director of Netflix animated movie Wish Dragon , and illustrator of picture books Sparky! ( written by Jenny Offill ) and A Greyhound, a Groundhog (written by Emily Jenkins ). Dan Santat , Caldecott Award-winning author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend , as well as After the Fall , Are We There Yet? , and The Guild of Geniuses , among many more. How to Draw the Marvel Way by John Buscema and Stan Lee Astro Boy (movie) Dave

Tue, July 13, 2021

Blackout: Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

First Draft Episode #313: Co-authors of Blackout: Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon  The co-authors of Blackout : Dhonielle Clayton , Tiffany D. Jackson , Nic Stone , Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk , and Nicola Yoon talk about their New York Times bestselling collaborative novel. Vision Season Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: “ Mask Off, ” by Future Literary agent Molly Ker Hawn of The Bent Agency 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Dhonielle Clayton , New York Times bestselling author of The Belles series, and co-author of Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Pieces w with Sona Charaipotra (now a Netflix series ), and co-creator of Cake Literary . Hear her First Draft interviews here and here . Tiffany D. Jackson , New York Times bestselling author of Allegedly , Monday’s Not Coming , and <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9780062840325" target="_bla

Thu, July 08, 2021

The Truth Behind the Lies With Tanaz Bhathena

First Draft Episode #312: Tanaz Bhathena Tanaz Bhathena , author of A Girl Like That and The Beauty of the Moment talks about her fantasy series, Hunted by the Sky and its sequel, Rising Like a Storm . This episode was brought to you by The Great Godden by Meg Rossof, out from Candlewick Press now. Read sample chapters here . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Lovely Bone s by Alice Sebold Thrity Umrigar, Parsi author of The Space Between Us Rohinton Mistry, Parsi author of A Fine Balance The School Library Journal and its starred review for A Girl Like That Driving by Starligh t by Anat Deracine Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea Goosebumps and Fear Street by R. L. Stine <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/97805

Thu, July 01, 2021

Other Possibilities For Our Lives With Doree Shafrir

First Draft Episode #311: Doree Shafrir Doree Shafrir, co-host of the Forever35 podcast and author of Startup , joins us to talk about her debut memoir, Thanks For Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer . This episode was brought to you by The Great Godden by Meg Rossof, out from Candlewick Press now. Read sample chapters here . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Harriett the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder Slate Gawker Ben Smith, founding editor in chief of Buzzfeed News and now a reporter on the media for the New York Times Acast , podcast network Carrie Frye , book editor Doree and Kate’s column for InStyle 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Kate Spencer , comedian, author of <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9781580056878" target="_b

Thu, June 24, 2021

Intangible Humanity With Chris Appelhans

First Draft Episode #310: Chris Appelhans Chris Appelhans , writer and director of Netflix animated movie Wish Dragon , and illustrator of picture books Sparky! ( written by Jenny Offill ) and A Greyhound, a Groundhog (written by Emily Jenkins ). Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Jon Klassen , Caldecott Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the I Want My Hat Back series, and The Rock From the Sky . Listen to his First Draft interviews here and here. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life , by George Saunders The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Carson Elllis , author and illustrator of bestselling picture books Home and Caldecott Honor book Du Iz Tak? , talks about her newest picture book, In the Half Room . Listen to her First Draft int

Tue, June 15, 2021

Treat the Book Like a Moment With Casey McQuiston

First Draft Episode #309: Casey McQuiston Casey McQuiston , New York Times bestselling author of Red, White, and Royal Blue , talks about their latest queer rom-com, One Last Stop . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hadestown (musical) The Royal We and its sequel The Heir Affair , by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks, the writing duo otherwise known as Fug Girls . Hear their First Draft interview here . Louise Rettison, author of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson and many more YA novels Eddie Izzard , actor and comedian A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hilary Rodham Clinton by Carl Bernstein My Date with The President’s Daughter (movie) Chasing Liberty (movie) Derry Girls (TV show) Happy Endings (TV show) New Girl (TV show) <p class="" style="white-sp

Thu, June 10, 2021

Angry Grown Women With Sarah Kuhn

First Draft Episode #308: Sarah Kuhn Sarah Kuhn , author of the Heroine Complex series, Shadow of the Batgirl with Nicole Gaux for DC Comics, the Star Wars audiobook original Doctor Aphra , talks about her new young adult novel, From Little Tokyo, With Love . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: IGN.com Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show) Alert Nerd Matt Springer , one of the founders of Alert Nerd Chris Stewart , one of the founders of Alert Nerd Backstage magazine Fresh Romance , an anthology to which Sarah contributed Crazy Rich Asians (movie) Editor Jenny Bak   🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Maurene Goo , author of Since You Asked , <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9781250158413" target="_blank" r

Thu, June 03, 2021

The Places Language Cannot Go With John Green

First Draft Episode #307: John Green John Green , #1 New York Times bestselling author of many young adult novels, including The Fault in Our Stars and Printz-winning Looking For Alaska , joins to discuss his new essay collection, The Anthropocene Reviewed . He is also one half of the vlogbrothers on YouTube and co-creator of educational series Crash Course . Today’s episode is brought to you by JAY’S GAY AGENDA , a moving and hilarious sex-positive queer teen rom-com from debut novelist Jason June, out from HarperCollins now. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hank Green ’s First Draft interview discussing A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor , the sequel to his #1 New York Times bestselling debut, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing . Hank is, along with his brother John Green , the CEO of Complexly , co-host of the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel and the Dear Hank and John podcast , and is also co-founder of VidCon, DFTBA Records , and Crash Course . Listen to his First Draft interview here . The Babysitter’s Club by Anne M. Martin <a href=

Thu, May 27, 2021

Keep You For You With Nicola Yoon

First Draft Episode #306: Nicola Yoon Nicola Yoon , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star talks about her new YA, Instructions For Dancing , and co-founding Joy Revolution , a Random House young adult imprint dedicated to love stories starring people of color. This episode is brought to you by Melanin in YA , a database comprised of Black YA authors, literary agents, editors, industry professionals, and influencers. A resource for everyone involved in traditional YA publishing, Melanin in YA provides bi-monthly news round ups of book deals, cover reveals, and more. Check it out at melanininya.com , or follow Instagram: @melanininya / Twitter @melanin_ya . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Nicola’s first First Draft interview here Jodi Reamer , agent at Writer’s House who now represents NIcola and David Big (movie) Before Sunrise (movie) Barbara Marcus , head of Random House Children’s Books 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… David Yoon , author of Frankly in Love , <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9781984812230" target="_blank" rel=

Thu, May 20, 2021

Gap Year of Writing With Camryn Garrett

First Draft Episode #305: Camryn Garrett Camryn Garrett, author of Full Disclosure , talks about her new YA, Off the Record . This episode is brought to you by Melanin in YA , a database comprised of Black YA authors, literary agents, editors, industry professionals, and influencers. A resource for everyone involved in traditional YA publishing, Melanin in YA provides bi-monthly news round ups of book deals, cover reveals, and more. Check it out at melanininya.com , or follow Instagram: @melanininya / Twitter @melanin_ya . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: R.J. Palacio, author of Wonder Sarah Dessen , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Once and for All , Just Listen , The Truth About Forever , The Rest of the Story , and many more. Hear her First Draft interview here. She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor Little Women by Louisa May Alcott   🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Angie Tho

Thu, May 13, 2021

Level, Plumb, and Square With Chris Grabenstein

First Draft Episode #304: Chris Grabenstein Chris Grabenstein is the New York Times bestselling author of the Lemoncello series, the Wonderland series, the Haunted Mystery series, and The Island of Dr. Libris . He is also the co-author, with James Patterson , of the #1 Bestsellers I Funny , House of Robots , Max Einstein and many others. He joins to talk about his newest middle grade series, Dog Squad , out now! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Mad Magazine Rocky & Bullwinkle (TV show) The Twilight Zone (TV show) Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White American Heritage magazine Bruce Willis (actor) Kathy Kinney (comedic actor) Jane Brucker ((comedic actor) <p class="" style="white-sp

Thu, May 06, 2021

The JV Team is Saving the World With Victoria Aveyard

First Draft Episode #303: Victoria Aveyard Victoria Aveyard , #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Queen series, talks about the first book in her new YA fantasy series, Realm Breaker . This episode was brought to you by the six-month Picture Book Writing and Illustration Online Course offered by author Zanni Louise & illustrator Anna Pignataro . First Draft listeners get a 20% discount on the course. Learn more, and sign up with the 20% discount, by clicking this link! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Victoria’s other First Draft interviews here and here . The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis, beginning with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Crusader Kings (video game) Scrivener (word processing software) Legend of Zelda (video game) Merriam-Webster's Visual Dictionary 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/audio-episodes/2020/10/22/mailb

Tue, May 04, 2021

Secret 90s Action Movies With Morgan Matson

First Draft Episode #302: Morgan Matson Morgan Matson , New York Times bestselling author of Save the Date , The Unexpected Everything , and more answers listener questions about life, writing, and her new YA, Take Me Home Tonight . This episode was brought to you by the six-month Picture Book Writing and Illustration Online Course offered by author Zanni Louise & illustrator Anna Pignataro . First Draft listeners get a 20% discount on the course. Learn more, and sign up with the 20% discount, by clicking this link! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Morgan’s previous episodes of First Draft, here and here ! Big (movie) Toy Story 3 (movie) Good Will Hunting (movie) Morgan’s Spotify , and the Take Me Home Tonight official playlist Stephen King’s On Writing The Penderwicks series , beginning with <a href= "https://bookshop.org/books/the-penderwicks-a-summer-tale-of-four-sisters-two-rabbits-and-a-very-interesting-boy-9

Thu, April 29, 2021

Podcast and Writing With Sara Zarr

First Draft Episode #301: Sara Zarr Podcast chat! A conversation with Sara Zarr , National Book Award finalist author of eight novels for young adults, most recently Goodbye from Nowhere , about her creative writing podcast, This Creative Life . Listeners can get two audiobooks for the price of one at Libro.fm when you use promo code FirstDraftPod at checkout! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Sara’s first First Draft interview here . Hear Sarah on This Creative Life here. I also outlined all the equipment I use for podcasting in this TechCrunch article, “ How I Podcast. ” Terry Gross, host of NPR’s Fresh Air podcast Marc Maron, host of the WTF podcast Pete Holmes, host of the You Made it Weird podcast Nina LaCour, author of We Are Okay , winner of the 2018 Printz Award, and other contemporary YA titles like Everything Leads to You and Hold Still , . Hear her episodes of First Draft here and <a href= "https:

Thu, April 22, 2021

An Impossible Year With Emma Straub

First Draft Episode #300: Emma Straub Emma Straub , New York Times -bestselling author of The Vacationers , Modern Lovers , Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures , and the short story collection Other People We Married , talks about her most recent novel, All Adults Here , out in paperback now. She and her husband own Brooklyn bookstore Books Are Magic . Listeners can get two audiobooks for the price of one at Libro.fm when you use promo code FirstDraftPod at checkout! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Emma Straub’s father is Peter Straub , author of Ghost Story , Julia , A Dark Matter , and more The Magnetic Fields (band) The “ Apology ” episode of Still Processing , a New York Times podcast featuring conversations between culture writers Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/audio-episodes/2019/12/22/ed

Thu, April 15, 2021

Writing For the Lone Reader With Jon Klassen

First Draft Episode #299: Jon Klassen Jon Klassen , Caldecott Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the I Want My Hat Back series, is back with a book he wrote and illustrated: The Rock From the Sky . And by Revision Season , the seven-week virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold . The Spring 2021 course will run from May 9 to June 26 and Enrollment opens April 1st! Learn more at ElanaKArnold.com . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Jon’s first First Draft interview here Marla Frazee , two-time Caldecott Honor-winning author and illustrator of The Boss Baby , A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever , All the World , and many more. She joins us to talk about the Farmer series: The Farmer and the Clown , The Farmer and the Monkey , and The Farmer and the Circus . Hear her First Draft interview here . George Saunder’s most recent book: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator, most widel

Thu, April 08, 2021

The Emotional Woodchipper With Brittney Morris

First Draft Episode #297: Brittney Morris Brittney Morris , author of Slay and Miles Morales: Wings of Fury talks about her newest speculative YA, The Cost of Knowing . And by Revision Season , the seven-week virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold . The Spring 2021 course will run from May 9 to June 26 and Enrollment opens April 1st! Learn more at ElanaKArnold.com . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (listen to her First Draft interview here ) The Piano (movie) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Papo & Yo (video game) Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine Black Panther (movie) #PitMad National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Brittney worked on video games The Lost Legend of Redwall and <a href= "https://unknownworlds.com/su

Thu, April 01, 2021

Marla Frazee Had a Love Story She Needed to Tell Herself

First Draft Episode #297: Marla Frazee Marla Frazee is the two-time Caldecott Honor-winning author and illustrator of The Boss Baby , A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever , All the World , and many more. She joins us to talk about the Farmer series: The Farmer and the Clown , The Farmer and the Monkey , and The Farmer and the Circus , out now. This episode was brought to you by We Are the Fire , the YA fantasy by debut author Sam Taylor , out from Swoon Reads now! And by Revision Season , the seven-week virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold . The Spring 2021 course will run from May 9 to June 26 and Enrollment opens April 1st! Learn more at ElanaKArnold.com . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Crockett Johnson Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendack You can order signed copies of Marla’s books from Vroman’s Bookstore You can order signed copies of Marla’s books from <a

Thu, March 25, 2021

An Everyone Problem With Laurie Devore

First Draft Episode #295: Laurie Devore Laurie Devore , author of How To Break a Boy and Winner Takes All , talks about her latest contemporary YA, A Better Bad Idea . This episode is brought to you by Freedom , the easy-to-use app that blocks distracting apps and websites, letting you get into deep work flow. Use offer code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or forever plan. And by The Stacks , a podcast about books and the people who read them. The Stacks is your literary best friend; your virtual book club; your one-stop shop for everything books. Listen on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow the show on Instagram at @thestackspod and on Twitter at @thestackspod_ ! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Lurlene McDaniel, author of Don’t Die, My Love , Six Months to Live , and Breathless The Gemma Doyle series, made up of: A Great and Terrible Beauty , Rebel Angels , and The Sweet Far Thing , by Libba Bray , author of Printz award-winner Go

Thu, March 25, 2021

Hierarchies of Value With David Arnold

First Draft Episode #296: David Arnold David Arnold is the New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland , Kids of Appetite , and The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik , talks about his latest genre-bending YA sci-fi, The Electric Kingdom , out now! This episode is brought to you by Freedom , the easy-to-use app that blocks distracting apps and websites, letting you get into deep work flow. Use offer code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or forever plan. And by We Are the Fire , the YA fantasy by debut author Sam Taylor , out from Swoon Reads now! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein LOST (TV show) X-Files (TV show) Sphere by Michael Crichton Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Court

Thu, March 11, 2021

History is a Process With Cassandra Clare

First Draft Episode #294: Cassandra Clare Cassandra Clare is #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, the forthcoming Sword Catcher duology, and co-author of the Magisterium series. She joins First Draft to discuss her most recent Shadowhunter novel, Chain of Iron , the latest installation of the Last Hours trilogy, and to answer listener questions. This episode is brought to you by It’s Kind of a Cheesy Love Story by Lauren Morril, out now! And by Freedom , the easy-to-use app that blocks distracting apps and websites, letting you get into deep work flow. Use offer code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or forever plan. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear my first conversation with Cassandra Clare on First Draft here Pacemaker is the word count software Cassandra uses to stay on top of her deadlines Sixth Sense (movie) Holly Black , Newberry Honoree and New York Times bestselling author of the Spiderwick Chronicles , The Curse Workers , Magesterium , and her most recent series, Folk of Air . Hear her First Draft interview here . <p

Thu, March 04, 2021

The Perfect Kind of Accident With Ransom Riggs

First Draft Episode #293: Ransom Riggs Ransom Riggs, New York Times best-selling author of the Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children series, which is wrapping up with the sixth book, The Desolations of Devil’s Acre , out now! This episode is brought to you by Freedom , the easy-to-use app that blocks distracting apps and websites, letting you get into deep work flow. Use offer code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or forever plan. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Hear Ransom’s first First Draft interview here The Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children movie Cassandra Clare , #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, the forthcoming Sword Catcher duology, and co-author of the Magisterium series. Her most recent Shadowhunter novel, Chain of Gold , kicks off the Last Hours trilogy. Hear her First Draft interview here .   🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Tahereh Mafi , New York Times best-selling author of the Shatter Me series, and author of National Book Award long-listed A Very Large Expanse of Sea and more. Hear her First Draft interview here. <a href= "https:/

Tue, March 02, 2021

Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired With Mary H.K. Choi

First Draft Episode #291: Mary H.K. Choi Mary H. K. Choi , New York Times bestselling author of Emergency Contact and Permanent Record and her newest YA, Yolk, answers listener questions. This episode is brought to you by Freedom , the easy-to-use app that blocks distracting apps and websites, letting you get into deep work flow. Use offer code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or forever plan. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Listen to Mary H K Choi’s first appearance on First Draft here Amy Sherman-Palladino , creator of Gilmore Girls Ethan Coen and Joel Coen , the filmmaker brothers behind Fargo , The Big Lebowski , O Brother Where Art Thou? and many more Alexander Chee , author of The Queen of the Night , Edinburgh , and How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays Famous diarist Anaïs Nin, Mirages: The Unexpurga

Thu, February 25, 2021

Questions and Obsessions With Anna Carey

First Draft Episode #291: Anna Carey Anna Carey is the author of This is Not The Jess Show . She’s also the author of The Eve Trilogy ( Eve , Once , Rise ) and the Blackbird series ( Blackbird , Deadfall ) . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Listen to Anna’s first First Draft interview here ! Catie Disabato , author of The Ghost Network and the new adult contemporary novel U Up? Hear her First Draft interview here . Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert , and her TED Talk, “ Your Elusive Creative Genius ” John Cusick at Folio Literary Management is Anna’s current literary agent 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Jenny Han , New York Times best-selling author of the To All the Boys I Loved Before series and the <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/755/9781416968290" target= "_blank" r

Thu, February 18, 2021

Subtext and Ghosts With Loan Le

First Draft Episode #290: Loan Le Loan Le , editor at Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books and debut author of A Ph ở Love Story . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Bringing the Devil to His Knees: The Craft of Fiction and the Writing Life , edited by Charles Baxter and Peter Turchi Bringing Down the House: Essays on Fiction by Charles Baxter The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot by Charles Baxter Jen Ung , Senior Editor at Simon PUlse and editor of A Ph ở Love Story 🎙️ Enjoy this episode? Check out… Elise Bryant , debut author of Happily Ever Afters . Leah Johnson, debut author of You Should See Me In a Crown , and the forthcoming Rise to the Sun . Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed , Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda , Leah on the Offbeat , and co-author of What if it’s Us , and Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author of <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a

Thu, February 11, 2021

Fun is Important With Catie Disabato

First Draft Episode #289: Catie Disabato Catie Disabato , author of adult literary novels The Ghost Network and her newest, U Up? Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Dan Chaon , author of Ill Will , Await Your Reply , and Stay Awake was Catie’s creative writing professor at Oberlin Edan Lepucki , New York Times bestselling author of California and Woman No. 17 . Edan’s latest project is Mothers Before , a collection of essays and photographs based on the popular Instagram Mothers Before , which Edan created. She is also the co-host, with fellow writer Amelia Morris , of the podcast Mom Rage . The New York Times review of Catie’s debut novel, The Ghost Network Kirsten Reach , former editor at Melville House and current fiction editor at the Kenyon Review “ Catie Disabato’s Novel ‘U Up?’ Renders LA’s Magic In

Thu, February 04, 2021

The Acquisition of Possibility With Matt de la Peña

First Draft Episode #288: Matt de la Peña Matt de la Peña , author of seven critically acclaimed young adult novels including Mexican Whiteboy and Newbery Medal–winning author of Last Stop on Market Street talks about his newest collaboration with illustrator Christian Robinson , Milo Imagines the World . This episode is brought to you by Plotting With Revelations , the three-unit online character arc workshop created by critically-acclaimed, Edgar Award-nominated author Erin Bowman (hear her First Draft interview here ). Register at embowman.com/workshops by February 7th. and use special coupon code FIRSTDRAFT to save $100. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Maya Angelou, poet and author of memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Ball Don’t Lie (movie) Elizabeth Acevedo , New York Times bestselling author of National Book Award and Printz-winning The Poet X , as well as With the Fire on High and Clap When You Land . Listen to her First Draft interview here . <a href= "https://

Thu, January 28, 2021

Elise Bryant Never Does Anything Half-Assed

First Draft Episode #287: Elise Bryant Elise Bryant is the debut author of Happily Ever Afters . This episode is brought to you by Plotting With Revelations , the three-unit online character arc workshop created by critically-acclaimed, Edgar Award-nominated author Erin Bowman. Register at embowman.com/workshops by February 7th. and use special coupon code FIRSTDRAFT to save $100. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott The Bailey School Kids series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries series, Size 12 is Not Fat , All American Girl and many more Sarah Dessen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Once and for All , Just Listen , The Truth About Forever and many more. Hear her First Draft interview about The Rest of the Story . Megan McCafferty, author of Sloppy Firsts: A Jessica Darling Novel , Bumped , The Mall , and more The

Thu, January 21, 2021

A Lucky Rebel With Kristin Cashore

First Draft Episode #286: Kristin Cashore Kristin Cashore is the New York Times bestselling author of the Graceling series, including Graceling , Fire , and Bitterblue , as well as Jane, Unlimited . She has returned to her fantasy world for her newest novel, Winterkeep . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: The Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene Agatha Christie, author of Murder on the Orient Express , Death on the Nile , and And Then There Were None Dorothy L. Sayers, author of Whose Body? Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons University Liza Ketchum , author of The Life Fantastic: A Novel in Three Acts Faye Bender , literary agent at The Book Group (Faye has appeared on the Track Changes series, the bonus episodes <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/audio-episodes/2020/5/5/track-changes-agenting-in-the-time-of-covid-bonus-episode" targ

Thu, January 14, 2021

Allowing Yourself to Change With Angie Thomas

First Draft Episode #285: Angie Thomas Angie Thomas , #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give and On the Come Up talks about her latest book, Concrete Rose , as well as the upcoming Blackout . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Richard Wright, author of novel Native Son and memoir Black Boy , among many other works, was born in Mississippi Passions , soap opera 1999-2008 Pete Rich , Emmy-winning writer on many soap operas, including Passions The Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship at Belhaven University Howard Bahr , author of The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War , and Angie’s professor at Belhaven University Brooks Sherman , literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit Associates The Writer’s Voice and #PitMad are both off-shoots of Pitch Wars Brenda Drake , New York Times bestselling author of Thunderstruck and <a href= "https://

Thu, January 07, 2021

Pillars of Change With Koa Beck

First Draft Episode #284: Koa Beck Koa Beck , former editor-in-chief of Jezebel and co-host of “The #MeToo Memos” on WNYC’s The Takeaway , discusses her debut non-fiction work, White Feminis m: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind . This episode is sponsored by Revision Season , the seven-week, virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold. The Winter 2021 session runs January 17 – March 4, with Week Zero work arriving January 10. Check out more details about Revision Season and sign up at www.elanakarnold.com . Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Toni Morrison, author of Beloved , The Bluest Eye , Sula , and many more Jezebel - the website where Koa served as editor-in-chief  Feministing Harvard Kennedy Shorenstein fellowship Michelle H. Mulligan , Koa’s editor at Atria Books Wall of Moms , which was formed in Portland and re-formed under Black leadership in August 2020, according to Vox 🎙️ Enjoy this

Thu, December 17, 2020

Genres of Hustle With Dylan Meconis

First Draft Episode #283: Dylan Meconis Dylan Meconis , cartoonist and writer, talks about her middle grade graphic novel Queen of the Sea . Its sequel, Prince of the City , will be out in 2022! This episode is sponsored by Revision Season , the seven-week, virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold. The Winter 2021 session runs January 17 – March 4, with Week Zero work arriving January 10. Check out more details about Revision Season and sign up or Apply for 5 scholarships being offered through We need Diverse Books at www.elanakarnold.com . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Raina Telgemeie r is the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning creator of graphic memoirs Smile and Sisters , and the creator of Drama , which was named a Stonewall Honor Book, as well as Ghost . Vera Brosgol is an Eisner Award and Harvey Award winning cartoonist, and Caldecott Honor winner for Leave Me Alone! and the graphic memoir Be Prepared . <a href= "http

Thu, December 10, 2020

Making The Imagination Central With Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien

First Draft Episode #282: Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien , artist and illustrator respectively, of picture book The Bear and the Moon . Matthew is a poet, picture book author, and Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College. Catia is a visual artist, illustrator, and founder of A Thousand Worlds , a picture book directory that connects readers to beautiful picture books written and illustrated by BIPOC authors and illustrators. This episode is sponsored by Revision Season , the seven-week, virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold. The Winter 2021 session runs January 17 – March 4, with Week Zero work arriving January 10. Check out more details about Reivsion Season and sign up or Apply for 5 scholarships being offered through We need Diverse Books at www.elanakarnold.com . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Monica by Mauricio de Souza Cátia’s interview on PBS NewsHour Poet Frank O’Hara Poet John Ashbery , whose collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror won a Pulitzer Prize, among other accolades Teachers and Writers Collaborative Kate Sullivan , previously an editor at HMH and currently Senior Content Development Manager for New Leaf Literary & Media. She appears in the Track Changes podcast series (in <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/audio-episodes/2020/5/13/track-changes-selling-your-book-par

Thu, December 03, 2020

The Power in Creating Reality With David Levithan

First Draft Episode #281: David Levithan David Levithan is editorial director at Scholastic and the author of many young adult novels, including Boy Meets Boy , Every Day , and co-author with Rachel Cohn of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares . Sips By is the only mutl-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box, which makes discovering tea fun and affordable! Use the code “firstdraft” for 50% off your first Sips By box at www.sipsby.com . On the Remember Reading podcast , discover the tales behind these beloved children’s book classics. Hear from award-winning authors like Meg Cabot, Katherine Paterson, and Tiffany Jackson, and guests as they uncover the unique story behind each story. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Babysitters Club series by Anne M. Martin David launched PUSH , the Scholastic imprint still there today Jean Feiwel , Senior Vice President and Publisher, Feiwel & Friends, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, Swoon Reads, Square Fish Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Dan Ehrenhaft , author of The Last Dog on Earth , Friend is Not a V

Thu, November 26, 2020

Opening the Mailbag With Sabaa Tahir

First Draft Episode #280: Sabaa Tahir   Sabaa Tahir is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes series, which comes to a much-anticipated conclusion with the release of A Sky Beyond the Storm on December 1st. Sips By is the only mutl-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box, which makes discovering tea fun and affordable! Use the code “firstdraft” for 50% off your first Sips By box at www.sipsby.com . On the Remember Reading podcast , discover the tales behind these beloved children’s book classics. Hear from award-winning authors like Meg Cabot, Katherine Paterson, and Tiffany Jackson, and guests as they uncover the unique story behind each story. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Hear Sabaa’s first episode of First Draft here ! My tweet about revising as ironing , which many people responded to with wonderful visual metaphors of their own! Washington Post reporter Emily Wax-Thibodeaux wrote the article that inspired Sabaa to write An Ember in the Ashes . The Writer’s Home Companion: An Anthology of the World’s Best Writing Advice from Keats to Kunitz by Joan Bolker “ One Art ” by Elizabeth Bishop (poem) Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. White Hooke

Thu, November 19, 2020

The Research is Everywhere With Gretchen Rubin

First Draft Episode #279: Gretchen Rubin Gretchen Rubin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project , Better Than Before , and more, co-host of the Happier podcast , and creator of the Four Tendencies framework . Sips By is the only mutl-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box, which makes discovering tea fun and affordable! Use the code “firstdraft” for 50% off your first Sips By box at www.sipsby.com . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky Sandra Day O’Connor Jonathan Burnham , President and Publisher of the Harper Division at HarperCollins Robert Caro Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert Julie and Julia by Julie Powell The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs William Hazlitt , esasyist, critic, painter, social commenter, and philosopher Samuel Johnson , poet, essayist, and one of

Thu, November 12, 2020

27 Drafts With Elizabeth Eulberg

First Draft Episode #278: Elizabeth Eulberg Elizabeth Eulberg , author of YA novels The Lonely Hearts Club and Better Off Friends , and the acclaimed Great Shelby Holmes middle-grade series. Her next MG, The Best Worst Summer , comes out in Spring 2021. Sips By is the only mutl-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box, which makes discovering tea fun and affordable! Use the code “firstdraft” for 50% off your first Sips By box at www.sipsby.com . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode David Levithan , editor at Scholastic and author of Boy Meets Boy , Every Day , and more The Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace Debbie Gibson Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games series and the middle-grade Gregor the Overlander series Stephenie Meyer , author of Twilight Dav Pilkey , Captain Underpants , Dumb Bunnies , and <a hre

Thu, October 29, 2020

Writing The Summer We Didn't Get With Leah Johnson

First Draft Episode #277: Leah Johnson Leah Johnson talks about her bestselling debut novel, You Should See Me In a Crown , and the forthcoming Rise to the Sun . This episode is brought to you by Everything I Thought I Knew , by Shannon Takoaka, out from Candlewick Press now. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Leah’s essay, “ How Young Adult Literature Taught Me to Love Like a White Girl ,” appeared in Electric Lit. The Great Gilly Hopkin s by Katherine Paterson Sarah Neal-Estes , director of PRX’s American Student Radio Radiolab podcast network The “ 24 Hours at the Golden Apple ” episode of This American Life “ Picture Day ” on This American Life Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert (hear her First Draft episodes here, here, and here) Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan I reference the Marketing and Publicity (Part 2) where I discuss boundaries in promo <p class="" style="whit

Thu, October 22, 2020

Painting Impossibilities With Oliver Jeffers

First Draft Episode #276: Oliver Jeffers Oliver Jeffers is a visual artist, illustrator of The Day the Crayons Quit , and author and illustrator of How to Catch a Star , The Fate of Fausto , and Here We Are talks about his newest picture book, What We’ll Build . This episode is brought to you by Everything I Thought I Knew , by Shannon Takoaka, out from Candlewick Press October 13, 2020. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Sam Winston , who co-authored A Child of Books with Oliver, is a fine artist interested in language Artist Michael Sowa Artist Mark Tansey Colette , the “trendiest store in the world” The essay I couldn’t name was “ It’s time to build ,” a viral post written by venture capitalist Marc Andreesen Tom Rivett-Carnac’s TED Talk, “ How to Shift Your Mindset and Change Your Future ”     I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998 or send an email to mailbag @ firstdraftpod dot com! Subsc

Thu, October 15, 2020

Shooping Together With Carson Ellis

First Draft Episode #275: Carson Ellis Carson Ellis , author and illustrator of bestselling picture books Home and Caldecott Honor book Du Iz Tak? , talks about her newest picture book, In the Half Room . This episode is brought to you by Everything I Thought I Knew , by Shannon Takoaka, out from Candlewick Press October 13, 2020. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak The New Yorker Mac Barnett ’s Children’s Book Proclamation (more context about that proclamation ), signed by—among others—Carson Ellis, Jon Klassen (listen to his episode of First Draft here ), Dan Santat (listen to his First Draft episode here ) Ursula Nordstrom , legendary pi

Fri, October 09, 2020

International Settings (A Mighty Blaze Panel)

First Draft Episode: International Settings (Panel) A conversation between Randy Ribay , author of the National Book Award Finalist Patron Saints of Nothing ; Kelly Yang , author of Parachutes ; Laura Taylor Namey , author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow ; Mayra Cuevas , author of Salty, Bitter, Sweet . This conversation was held as part of A Mighty Blaze ’s YA Weekend , and many thanks to Joseph Moldover (author of Every Last Breath ) and Jennifer de Leon (author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From ) for all the help putting that entire celebration together. You can watch the Zoom video of this panel at A Mighty Blaze’s Facebook page, here . I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998 or send an email to mailbag @ firstdraftpod dot com! Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds ; Leigh Bardugo , author of Ninth House and the Grishaverse series; Creator of Sex and the City Candace Bushnell ; YouTube empresario and author <a href= "https://www.fir

Tue, October 06, 2020

Therapy on the Page With Justin Reynolds

First Draft Episode #274: Justin Reynolds Justin Reynolds , author of The Opposite of Always , talks about his new young adult contemporary novel, Early Departures . This episode is brought to you by Everything I Thought I Knew , by Shannon Takoaka, out from Candlewick Press October 13, 2020. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Hear Justin’s mailbag episode of First Draft here Hear Justin on the live episode recorded at YAhooFest 2019, along with Rick Yancey , New York Times bestselling author of the Fifth Wave series, the Monstrumologist series, and more; Cindy Pon , Want and its sequel Ruse , the Silver Phoenix series and more. John Grisham, author of The Firm , Camino Winds and many more Michael Crichton, author of Sphere , Jurassic Park , and many more <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9781250032447" target="_blank"

Fri, October 02, 2020

Queer Love Stories (A Mighty Blaze Panel)

First Draft Episode: Queer Love Stories (A Mighty Blaze Panel) A conversation between Sam Maggs , author of The Unstoppable Wasp , Girl Squad: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History , and more; Lyla Lee , author of I’ll Be the One ; Tobly McSmith , author of Stay Gold ; Adiba Jaigirda r, author of The Henna Wars ; and Leah Johnson , author of You Should See Me in a Crown . This conversation was held as part of A Mighty Blaze ’s YA Weekend , and many thanks to Joseph Moldover (author of Every Last Breath ) and Jennifer de Leon (author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From ) for all the help putting that entire celebration together. You can watch the Zoom video of this panel at A Mighty Blaze’s Facebook page, here . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Hear Sam Magg’s episode of First Draft here The Cooperative Children’s Book Center 2019 numbers on diversity in KidLit Simon Vs the Homo Sapien’s Agenda by Becky Albertalli (listen to her

Tue, September 29, 2020

Owning the Audience of One WIth Arvin Ahmadi

First Draft Episode #273: Arvin Ahmadi Arvin Ahmadi, author of Down and Across , Girl Gone Viral , and his latest, How it All Blew Up . This episode is brought to you by Everything I Thought I Knew , by Shannon Takoaka, out from Candlewick Press October 13, 2020. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Magic Treehouse nonfiction book series Cheryl Klein , editor at Lee & Low Angela Lee Duckworth’s TED Talk, Grit: The Power of Passion Call Me By Your Name (movie) Master of None (TV show) RuPaul’s Drag Race (TV show) The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998 or send an email to mailbag @ firstdraftpod dot com! Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; National Ambassador for Young People’s Literat

Fri, September 25, 2020

Grief and Trauma in YA (A Mighty Blaze Panel)

First Draft Episode: Grief and Trauma in YA (A Mighty Blaze Panel) A conversation between Joseph Moldover , author of Every Last Breath ; Alex Richards , author of Accidental ; Liz Lawson , author of The Lucky Ones ; Rocky Callen , author of A Breath Too Late ; and Nina de Pass , author of The Year After You . This conversation was held as part of A Mighty Blaze ’s YA Weekend , and many thanks to Joseph Moldover (author of Every Last Breath ) and Jennifer de Leon (author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From ) for all the help putting that entire celebration together. You can watch the Zoom video of this panel at A Mighty Blaze’s Facebook page, here . I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998 or send an email to mailbag @ firstdraftpod dot com! Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds ; Leigh Bardugo , author of Ninth House and the Grishaverse series; Creator of Sex and the City <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/episode

Tue, September 22, 2020

The Theme Song of Your Interests With Anne Helen Petersen

First Draft Episode #272: Anne Helen Peterson Anne Helen Petersen , freelance journalist and cultural critic with her biweekly newsletter , and author of nonfiction books Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama from the Golden Age of American Cinema and Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman , talks about her newest book, Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation .   Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Anne’s Facebook group, Celebrity Gossip, Academic Style Anne’s series on The Hairpin , Classic Scandals of Hollywood “ Confidentially Yours: The Banality of the Celebrity Profile, and How It Got That Way ,” for The Believer “ The Rules of the Game: A Century of Hollywood Publicity ,” for Virginia Quarterly “ Jennifer Lawrence And The History Of Cool Girls ,” for Buzzfeed “ How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation ,” for Buzzfeed “ How Do You Rebuild Your Life After Leaving A Polygamous Sect? ,” for Buzzfeed <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/978073522

Thu, September 17, 2020

Opening the Mailbag With Lilliam Rivera

First Draft Episode #281: Opening the Mailbag with Lilliam Rivera This week is a new mailbag episode, where I--along with a very special guest--will answer listener questions! Joining me today is Lilliam Rivera , author of The Education of Margot Sanchez , Dealing in Dreams , Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit , and her newest YA novel, Never Look Back , a retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice set in the Bronx (out now)! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Meg Medina is the New York Times bestselling and Newberry Medalist author of Merci Suárez Changes Gears , Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass , and most recently, Evelyn del Rey is Moving Away . Matt de la Peña , New York Times bestselling and Newberry Medalist author of Last Stop on Market Street , Love , and Mexican Whiteboy . Track Changes , the podcast miniseries that explains how your book goes from the laptop to the bookshelf Lilliam is contributing a story to From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop The <a href= "https://conv

Tue, September 15, 2020

Soul Research With Tiffany D. Jackson

First Draft Episode #270: Tiffany D. Jackson Tiffany D. Jackson , author of Allegedly , Monday’s Not Coming , and Let Me Hear A Rhyme , talks about her new book, Grown . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Don’t miss Tiffany’s first episode of First Draft here 2020–2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Jason Reynolds , whose many books include  All American Boys  (cowritten with Brendan Kiely [listen to his First Draft interview here ]),  As Brave as You , For Every One , the Track series , Look Both Ways , Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You and  Long Way Down , which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. (Listen to his First Draft interviews here and here ) Laurie Halse Anderson , New York Times bestselling author of Speak and <a href= "https

Fri, September 11, 2020

Let's Get Political (A Mighty Blaze Panel)

A conversation between Jennifer de Leon, author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From ; Sarah Watson, author if Most Likely ; Kim Johnson, author of This is My America ; Christina Hammonds-Reed, author of The Black Kids ; and Natalia Sylvester, author of Running . This conversation was held as part of A Mighty Blaze ’s YA Weekend , and many thanks to Joseph Moldover (author of Every Last Breath ) and Jennifer de Leon (author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From ) for all the help putting that entire celebration together.

Tue, September 08, 2020

Wasting a Fine Lawyer's Brain With Martha Brockenbrough

First Draft Episode #269: Martha Brockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough , faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts and author of nonfiction for young adults, including Unpresidented , Alexander Hamilton: Revolutionary , and novels like The Game of Love and Death and her newest picture book, This Old Dog . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Laurel Snyder , author of Orphan Island , My Jasper June , and more Jonah Lehrer‘s partially discredited book was Imagine: How Creativity Works (and a New York Times article about the scandal around him) Maureen Johnson , author of the Truly Devious series and many more (listen to her First Draft interview here ) The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Laurie Halse Anderson , author of Speak , Chains , and memoir-in-verse Shout <

Thu, September 03, 2020

Track Changes: Marketing and Publicity (Part 2), and Defining Success

📚📈❤️ How authors can create a marketing strategy to promote their work, and when it might be right to bring in an independent marketing or publicity firms. Jenn shares the highs and lows from launching Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From , and we discuss expanded definitions of success. This episode features: Jennifer de Leon , debut author of YA novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From (out August 18). Bekah Sine Decker and Nikki Pierce created Method Agency , an independent marketing firm, in part to help Stephenie Meyer , author of Twilight , release films and #1 New York Times bestselling books. Catch up on the series so far: Episode 1: Publishing 101 Episode 2: Agents: Who Are They, What Do They Do, And How Do You Get One? Bonus Episode: Publishing in the time of COVID Episode 3: Selling Your Book (Part 1) Episode 4: Selling Your Book (Part 2) Episode 5: Advances (Part 1) Episode 6: Contracts </p

Tue, September 01, 2020

Castle Envy With Katharine McGee

First Draft Episode #268: Katharine McGee Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of The Thousandth Floor series, as well as American Royals and its sequel, Majesty . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode In her fanfiction, Katharine would correct existing books to have happier endings, like the His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman (she got so attached to her new ending that she hasn’t yet gotten the courage to read The Secret Commonwealth , sequel to The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage ) and the Redwall series by Brian Jacques Katharine wishes she knew about National Novel Writing Month when she was drafting her thesis Katharine has a soft spot for works that reclaim the stories of women who, to this point, have mostly been known for being adjacent to men as the men make history. Novels like The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley; Margaret George’s Helen of Troy: A Novel Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston Katharine e

Thu, August 27, 2020

Track Changes Bonus Episode: Publishing From Every Angle (Panel)

Track Changes Bonus Episode: Panel Conversation With Abigail Hing Wen, author of Loveboat Taipei; Literary Agent Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary & Media; and Alvina Ling, VP and Editor in Chief at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers A conversation between an author, agent, and editor to cover the ins and outs of the publishing process. The panel features Abigail Hing Wen , debut author of Loveboat Taipei ; agent Joanna Volpe , president and literary agent at New Leaf Literary & Media; and Alvina Ling , Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at Little Brown Books for Young Readers (and co-host of the Book Friends Forever podcast ). This conversation was held as part of A Mighty Blaze ’s YA Weekend , and many thanks to Joseph Moldover (author of Every Last Breath ) and Jennifer de Leon (author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From ) for all the help putting that entire celebration together. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode This is My Brain In Love by I. W. Gregorio Stephen Barbara , literary agent at Inkwell Management Holly Black , The Cruel Prince series, The Spiderwick Chronicles , and many more (hear her First Draft interview here ) Laini Taylor, author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone se

Tue, August 25, 2020

Writing Infinity Jokes With Jill Twiss

First Draft Episode #267: Jill Twiss Jill Twiss , #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo and Emmy winning comedy writer on Last Week Tonight , talks about her latest picture book, Everyone Gets a Say , with illustrator EG Keller . Today’s episode is brought to you by Caveda, which leads group focus sessions for a worldwide community everyday on Zoom. First Draft listeners can try a free, three hour cave with promo code "FIRSTDRAFT" at caveday.org/firstdraft This episode is sponsored by Revision Season , a seven-week, virtual master class in revising your novel, led by Elana K. Arnold, author of Printz honor winner Damsel and National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of , and more. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Laurie Kilmartin , comedian and writer for Conan Nell Scovell , writer, producer, director, and author of Just the Funny Parts and co-writer for Lean In with Sheryl Sandberg, writer for The Simpsons and creator of Sabrina: The Teenage Witch Marlon Bundo The New Yorker review of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo <p class="" style="white-space:

Fri, August 21, 2020

Track Changes Bonus Episode: The Don't Ask Me Where I'm From panel, feat. Author Jennifer de Leon, Agent Faye Bender, and Editor Caitlyn Dhlouhy

First Draft Episode #267: The Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From Team: Author Jennifer de Leon, Agent Faye Bender, and Editor Caitlyn Dlouhy A conversation between the entire team behind debut young adult novel Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From : author Jennifer de Leon , Literary agent Faye Bender , partner and founder of  The Book Group , and Caitlyn Dlouhy, Vice President & Editorial Director– Caitlyn Dlouhy Books at Simon & Schuster. This conversation was held as part of A Mighty Blaze ’s YA Weekend , and many thanks to Joseph Moldover (author of Every Last Breath ) for all the help putting that entire celebration together. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Francisco X. Stork , author of Illegal , Marcelo in the Real World , and more Natalie C. Anderson , author of City of Saints and Thieves and Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday Desmond Hall , debut author of forthcoming YA novel Your Corner Dark 2020–2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Jason Reynolds , whose many books include  All Ame

Tue, August 18, 2020

Hooked on Libraries With Adele Griffin

First Draft Episode #266: Adele Griffin Adele Griffin , two-time National Book Award honoree and author of almost thirty books for Young Adult and middle grade readers, including The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone , The Becket List , and Sons of Liberty and Where I want to Be . Today’s episode is brought to you by Caveda, which leads group focus sessions for a worldwide community everyday on Zoom. First Draft listeners can try a free, three hour cave with promo code "FIRSTDRAFT" at caveday.org/firstdraft This episode is sponsored by Revision Season , a seven-week, virtual master class in revising your novel, led by Elana K. Arnold, author of Printz honor winner Damsel and National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of , and more. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Agatha Christie , author of Murder on the Orient Express , Death on the Nile , and more Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery OMG Book Festival Elizabeth Eulberg , author of <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9781681190532" tar

Thu, August 13, 2020

Track Changes: Marketing and Publicity (Part 1)

📚🗣️💰 How do readers learn about your book? We get into how publishing companies decide on the marketing budgets for each book, and what marketing tools are at their disposal. The difference between publicity and marketing; how authors can maximize what their publisher has planned; and the one thing that matters most when it comes to promoting books. This episode features: Jennifer de Leon , debut author of YA novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From (out August 18). Margot Wood , director of sales and marketing and Oni Press , former marketer at HarperCollins who co-created EpicReads , and author whose debut novel will be out with Abrams in Fall 2021. Simon Versus the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (hear a First Draft interview with Becky Albertalli ). Christine Riccio , author of Again But Better and BookTube star at her channel, PolandBananasBooks . Joanna Volpe , President and literary agent at New Leaf Literary and Media . Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (listen to her First Draft interview here ).   Catch up on the series so far:

Tue, August 11, 2020

Using the Skills of Friendship With Arthur Levine

Arthur Levine is the legendary children’s book editor, including of series such as Harry Potter and The Golden Compass . He is founder of publishing house Levine Querido , and formerly President and Publisher at Arthur A. Levine Books at Scholastic, as well as author of picture books, most recently The Hanukkah Magic of Nate Gadol . I used portions of Arthur’s interview in the Track Changes: Inequality in Publishing episode, and I encourage you all to listen. This episode is brought to you by Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar, a debut YA novel that blends shades of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy. Available wherever books are sold now! This episode is sponsored by Revision Season , a seven-week, virtual master class in revising your novel, led by Elana K. Arnold, author of Printz honor winner Damsel and National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of , and more. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Susan Hirschman , editor and founder of Greenwillow Books Ursula Nordstrom , legendary editor of children’s books at HarperCollins Margaret Frith, long-time editor at G.P. Putnam's Sons The Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine <p class="" style=

Thu, August 06, 2020

Christina Hammonds-Reed and Jason Reynolds

First Draft Episode #265: Christina Hammonds-Reed and Jason Reynolds Christina Hammonds-Reed , debut author of The Black Kids , is in conversation with 2020–2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Jason Reynolds , whose many books include  All American Boys  (cowritten with Brendan Kiely [listen to his First Draft interview here ]),  As Brave as You , For Every One , the Track series , Look Both Ways , Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You and  Long Way Down , which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode You can hear my previous conversation with Jason here I spoke with Morgan Jerkins , author of New York Times bestselling essay collection This Will Be My Undoing , about her recent history and memoir, Wandering in Strange Lands (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Angie Thomas , author of The Hate U Give and <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9780062498564" t

Tue, August 04, 2020

Defining the Line With Morgan Jerkins

First Draft Episode #264: Morgan Jenkins Morgan Jerkins , author of essay collection T his Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America , talks about her new book, social history and memoir Wandering in Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Lolita by Vladimir Nobokov Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert East of Eden by John Steinbeck City of God (movie) Morgan worked as an editorial assistant at independent publisher, online magazine, and writing class hub Catapult Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay Get Out (movie) I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun , internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too</e

Fri, July 31, 2020

Opening the Mailbag With Brandy Colbert

First Draft Episode #263: Opening the Mailbag with Brandy Colbert This week is a new mailbag episode, where I--along with a very special guest--will answer listener questions! Joining me today is Brandy Colbert, author of Pointe , Little & Lion , The Only Black Girls in Town , and more! Her latest book, The Voting Booth , is out now. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Brandy just announced her latest project , a nonfiction young adult book about the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, with Balzer + Bray Hear Brandy’s first two appearances on the podcast here and here !   I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun , internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too ;   Michael Dante  DiMartino , co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender ; John August , screenwriter of Big Fish , Charlie’s Angels , and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ; or Rhett Miller , musician and frontman f

Thu, July 30, 2020

Track Changes: Inequality in Publishing

🔍📚 How bad is structural inequality within the U.S. publishing industry, how did it get that way, and what can we do to make it better? Industry experts and activists contextualize, illuminate, and identify some of the key inflection points that perpetuate inequality and get into what every book lover can do to enact change. This episode features: Industry expert Mike Shatzkin , Founder and CEO of The Idea Logical Company and co-author with Robert Paris Riger, of The Book Business . Jalissa Marcelle Corrie , marketing and publicity manager at Lee and Low Books , contributor to anthology A Phoenix First Must Burn , edited by Patrice Caldwell, and planning committee member of People of Color in Publishing . Nicole Johnson, Executive Director of We Need DIverse Books Arthur Levine , founder of the Levine Querido and for 23 years, Publisher at Arthur A. Levine Books at Scholastic. Catch up on the series so far: Episode 1: Publishing 101 Episode 2: Agents: Who Are They, What Do They Do, And How Do You Get One? Bonus Episode: Publishing in the time of COVID Episode 3: Selling Your Book (Part 1) <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com

Tue, July 28, 2020

It's a Woo-Woo Thing With Kim Johnson

First Draft Episode #262: Kim Johnson Kim Johnson, college administrator and mentor of student activists, on her debut author of This is My America , out now! This episode is sponsored by Revision Season , a seven-week, virtual master class in revising your novel, led by Elana K. Arnold, author of Printz honor winner Damsel and National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of , and more. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene Zora Neale Hurston, author of Their Eyes Are Watching God Black Lives Matter We Need Diverse Books   I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun , internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too ;<a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/episodes/2018/1/3/michael-dante-dima

Thu, July 23, 2020

Falling Onto the Earth With Alaya Dawn Johnson

First Draft Episode #261: Alaya Dawn Johnson Alaya Dawn Johnson , Nebula-winning author of YA novels The Summer Prince , Love is the Drug , and more. Her new adult speculative fiction novel, Trouble the Saints , is out now! Be sure to check out A Mighty Blaze’s YA Weekend July 25-26, 2020! All events streamed live at Facebook.com/AMightyBlaze ! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury Charles Sheffield , science fiction writer Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin Colson Whitehead The Nickel Boys (which won the Pulitzer Prize) I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Po

Tue, July 21, 2020

Digital Native Lit With Hank Green

First Draft Episode #260: Hank Green Hank Green talks about A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor , the sequel to his #1 New York Times bestselling debut, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing . Hank is, along with his brother John Green , the CEO of Complexly , co-host of the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel and the Dear Hank and John podcast , and is also co-founder of VidCon, DFTBA Records , and Crash Course . Be sure to check out A Mighty Blaze’s YA Weekend July 25-26, 2020! All events streamed live at Facebook.com/AMightyBlaze ! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Lord of the Flies by William Golding Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar The Mars Trilogy, which starts with Red Mars , by Kim Stanley Robinson John Green, Printz-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars There There by Tommy Orange <p class="" style="white

Thu, July 16, 2020

Track Changes: After the Book Deal

Track Changes: After the Book Deal Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Read the transcript 💻 ➞ 📚 What happens between signing the book contract and seeing a book on shelves? Industry experts walk us through edit letters, production schedules, cover designs, first pass pages, sales meetings and more. We catch up with  Jennifer de Leon  as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel,  Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From , on August 18. (Hear  her First Draft interview here .) Then Katherine Tegen , publisher and editor at Katherine Tegen Books, at HarperCollins; Alvina Ling , Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at Little Brown Books for Young Readers (and co-host of the Book Friends Forever podcast ); and Stacey Barney , Executive Editor at G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group talk us through Catch up on the series so far: Episode 1: Publishing 101 Episode 2: Agents: Who Are They, What Do They Do, And How Do You Get One? Bonus Episode: Publishing in the time of COVID Episode 3: Selling Your Book (Part 1) <p

Tue, July 14, 2020

Friendship Canon With Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow

First Draft Episode #259: Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow are media mavens, co-hosts of the phenomenal CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND podcast, and debut co-authors of friendship memoir BIG FRIENDSHIP . Today’s episode is brought to you by KEEP MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO , by Amelia Diane Coombs , out today from Simon & Schuster. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Voice of America and RFI (Radio France Internationale) Ann and Aminatou were set up by their mutual friend, Dayo Olopade . They talked to Dayo about their friendship origin story on a recent episode of Call Your Girlfriend Shine Theory (and the original article that popularized the term, published in The Cut ) I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun , internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of

Tue, July 07, 2020

Popcorn Origin Stories With Ally Carter

First Draft Episode #258: Ally Carter Ally Carter , New York Times bestselling author of the Gallagher Girls series, the Heist Society series, the Embassy Row series, Not If I Save You First , Dear Ally: How Do You Write a Book? , and a new middle grade series that kicks off with Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor . Today’s episode is brought to you by Hank Green’s A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor , out July 7, the sequel and conclusion to Green’s debut novel, the New York Times bestselling An Absolutely Remarkable Thing . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Screenplay by Syd Field The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton The Romance Writers of America (RWA) Ally’s agent is Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency (who appeared on the Bonus Episode of Track Changes about Publishing During the Time of COVID ) The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things by Carolyn Mackler Sarah Rees Brennan, author of Unspoken , <

Tue, June 30, 2020

The Anne of Green Gables Litmus Test With Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair

Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair are comedians and actors, who created, wrote, and starred in Best Friends Forever and Playing House , This episode is brought to you by Highland 2, the writing software made by writers, for writers. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Lois Duncan , author of I Know What You Did Last Summer , Stranger With My Face , and Who Killed My Daughter? The True Story of a Mother’s Search For Her Daughter’s Murderer Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George Emma and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen “ The Ladies Who Lunch ” and Elaine Stritch Actor, comedian, and screenwriter Jason Mantzoukas Poet and playwright Dan O’Brien <p class="" s

Thu, June 25, 2020

Track Changes: Contracts

📑🔍 Contracts! We get into the basic structure of your contract, and all the rights, clauses, provisions, and negotiated terms you need to know to make sure your contracts is right right for this book and beyond. We catch up with  Jennifer de Leon  as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel,  Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From , on August 18. (Hear  her First Draft interview here .) Then Sarah Burnes , literary agent with The Gernert Company, and Jo Volpe , literary agent and President of New Leaf Literary & Media, break down what authors should know to look for in their contracts. And Kate Sullivan , senior content development manager at New Leaf Literary & Media and former senior editor at many Big 5 publishing houses, breaks it down from an editor’s point of view.

Tue, June 23, 2020

Elizabeth Acevedo

First Draft Episode #256: Elizabeth Acevedo Elizabeth Acevedo , New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X , winner of the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Fiction, the CILIP Carnegie Medal, and the Boston Globe-Hornbook Award. She is also the author of With the Fire on High and Clap When You Land , out now! This episode is brought to you by Highland 2, the writing software made by writers, for writers. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Nuyorican Poets Cafe A handful of Elizabeth’s viral poems Anna Deavere Smith and Sarah Jones are both poets who had one woman shows, which inspired Elizabeth in college Nikki Giovanni , Tupac , Lucille Clifton were some poets who shaped Elizabeth Jacqueline Woodson , author of Brown Girl Dreaming , I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This , and Red At the Bone Walter Dean Myers , author of Monster<

Tue, June 16, 2020

What's On Robyn Schneider's Mind Oven

First Draft Episode #255: Robyn Schneider Robyn Schneider is the New York Times bestselling author of The Beginning of Everything , Extraordinary Means , Invisible Ghosts , and more. Her newest book, You Don’t Live Here , is out now! This episode is brought to you by Highland 2, the writing software made by writers, for writers. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Amelia Atwater-Rhodes , author of Hawksong and In the Forests of Night , was first published at age 13 Jennifer Ung , now a Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, was one of the first people to read The Beginning of Everything Robyn knew John Green , author of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska , from David Levithan’s YA author meet-ups in New York City Vlogbrothers , the YouTube channel that John Green started with his brother, Hank, in 2007 Hamilton (musical) The Great (TV series) <a href= "h

Fri, June 12, 2020

Julian Winters

This episode featuring Julian Winters , author of Running with Lions , first aired on July 31, 2018. Since then, Julian has released How to Be Remy Cameron , and his latest book, The Summer of Everything , is coming out September 8. Julian Winters Show Notes One Direction Felicity (TV show) Scandal (TV show) Scott Foley Kirsten Hubbard (listen to her First Draft podcast here ) Sara Farizan (author of IF YOU COULD BE MINE and TELL ME AGAIN HOW A CRUSH SHOULD FEEL and the forthcoming HERE TO STAY - listen to her First Draft interview here ) BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan Robbie Rogers (out soccer player) Nic Stone (author of DEAR MARTIN and the forthcoming ODD ONE OUT - listen to her First Draft interview here ) <p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap;

Thu, June 11, 2020

Track Changes: Advances (Part 1)

Let’s talk about money: how do authors get paid, how much do authors get paid, and what do they need to keep in mind when the checks roll in? We catch up with Jennifer de Leon as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From , on August 4. (Hear her First Draft interview here .) Courtney Maum , author of Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book lays out the basics of book advances. Holly Root , founder of Root Literary and Seth Fishman , literary agent with The Gernert Company give a helpful overview of how much authors are paid across a variety of age categories and genres. And Sarah Burnes , literary agent with The Gernert Company, walks through what earning out means. Then, we get into #PublishingPaidMe with Tochi Onyebuchi , who, along with L.L. MicKinney, started the viral publishing industry pay transparency movement.

Tue, June 09, 2020

Trusting Your Gut With Liara Tamani

This episode with Liara Tamani first aired on October 31, 2017. In this episode, she was the debut author of Calling My Name . Her newest book, All the Things We Never Knew , is out now! Liara Tamani Show Notes The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Girlfriends (TV show) Courtney Summers (listen to her First Draft episode here or read the transcript ) The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks SOLD by Patricia McCormick The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Alone with All That Could Happen: Rethinking Conventional Wisdom about the Craft of Fiction by David Jauss (writing craft) The Elements of Style <

Tue, June 09, 2020

Dr. Somaiya Daud

Dr. Somaiya Daud is the author of Mirage and its forthcoming sequel, Court of Lions (out August 4, 2020). Check out the cover reveal from Court of Lions and read an excerpt at Tor.com, as well as a conversation between Somaiya and I about how the theme of lost cultures functions in the series. Somaiya has also answered questions on a February 28, 2020 mailbag episode , and was featured on the July 5, 2014 episode (the very first First Draft episode ever). Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Somaiya Daud’s first interview with First Draft Podcast Throughout her writing career Somaiya’s writing become more genre forced aka more “ J. R. R. Tolkien and less William Gibson .” When cosplaying form the Victorian era they say that no one would cosplay Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens you would cosplay Emma by Jane Austen Somaiya did her Masters thesis on The Arabian Nights by Muhsin Mahdi (Editor), Husain Haddawy (Translator) Somaiya’s dissertation is on Historiography and Translation Theory <a href= "https://www.deafpoetssociety.com/chelsea-gri

Mon, June 08, 2020

Hold Your Square With Jason Reynolds

First Draft Episode #214: Jason Reynolds Jason Reynolds is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ghost series ( Ghost , Patina , Sunny , Lu ), When I Was the Greatest , The Boy in the Black Suit , As Brave As You , Miles Morales: Spider Man , Long Way Down , For Every One , Look Both Ways , and co-author of All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely, listen to his First Draft interview here ) and Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi),. In January, Jason was named the seventh National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2020-2021. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Jason didn’t grow up writing prose, but he and all his friends had rhyme books where they would write lyrics. They wanted to be the next Nas , Slick Rick , Run DMC , Big Daddy Kane</a

Thu, May 28, 2020

Track Changes: Selling Your Book (Part 2)

  Track Changes: Selling Your Book (Part 2) Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or Stitcher Read the transcript In the second look at how books get sold, former Little, Brown and Delacorte senior editor Kate Sullivan , Senior Content Development Manager for New Leaf Literary & Media , walks us through all the steps an editor takes between receiving an agent’s pitch and signing a deal memo to acquire a book. Acquisitions meetings, P&L statements, and TI sheets, oh my! This episode is brought to you by The Slow Novel Lab , a six-week creativity and writing course from Printz-winning novelist Nina LaCour . For the summer session, beginning June 7, Nina will donate 50% of profits to Direct Relief , a humanitarian aid organization working with underserved communities. Learn more and sign up for the Slow Novel Lab here . Catch up on the series so far: Episode 1: Publishing 101 Episode 2: Agents: Who Are They, What Do They Do, And How Do You Get One? Bonus Episode: Publishing in the time of COVID Episode 3: Selling Your Book (Part 1) The following agents were interviewed for this episode: We meet Jen

Sun, May 24, 2020

99 Pages But There Can Only Be One Lev A.C. Rosen

First Draft Episode #254: L.C. Rosen Lev A.C. Rosen , author of Depth and Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) , talks about his latest young adult novel, Camp . This episode is brought to you by Highland 2, the writing software made by writers, for writers. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar Phylicia Rashad , actress Dan Chaon , author of Among the Missing: Stories , and You Remind Me of Me David Walker playwright instructor Oberlin Lev teaches at Gotham Writers workshop in New York City Liz Gorinsky , editor who bought Lev’s debut book while she worked at Tor Alvina Ling is Lev’s editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Virgin Xtravaganzah , the drag queen and voice actor who read Lev’s audiobooks for Jack of Hearts and Camp I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscri

Tue, May 19, 2020

Pseudonymous Bosch and Shane Pangburn

Pseudonymous Bosch, the pen name for Raphael Simon, is the New York Times bestselling author of The Name of This Book is Secret and the Secret series, Bad Magic and the Bad series. Shane Pangburn is a writer and illustrator and producer of YALLWEST (hear his First Draft interview here ). Simon wrote, and Pangburn illustrated, The Unbelievable Oliver and its sequel, The Unbelievable Oliver and the Sawed In Half Dads . Pseudonymous Bosch, Shane Pangburn, and Melissa de la Cruz are joining forces for a new middle grade series, T he Reject Room , out in 2021. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Joni Mitchell is one of the artists most associated with Laurel Canyon in the 70s, which she explored in her third album, Ladies of the Canyon Margaret Stohl , author of Beautiful Creatures , Jo and Laurie , and many more (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) is Rafi’s childhood friend Sarah Burnes, literary agent (and my agent! Listen to Sarah and I chat on her episode of First Draft here ) Melissa de la Cruz, author of The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel <

Thu, May 14, 2020

Track Changes: Selling Your Book (Part 1)

  Track Changes: Selling Your Book (Part 1) Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher Read the transcript Literary agents Holly Root , founder of Root Literary, and Seth Fishman with The Gernert Company return to lead us through how an agent prepares a manuscript for submission, how they choose which editors to approach with a manuscript, and how they negotiate common types of book sales. We get into what a writer can expect during this notoriously nerve-wracking process. This episode is brought to you by The Slow Novel Lab , a six-week creativity and writing course from Printz-winning novelist Nina LaCour . For the summer session, beginning June 7, Nina will donate 50% of profits to Direct Relief , a humanitarian aid organization working with underserved communities. Learn more and sign up for the Slow Novel Lab here .   Catch up on the series so far: Episode 1: Publishing 101 Episode 2: Agents: Who Are They, What Do They Do, And How Do You Get One? Bonus Episode: Publishing in the time of COVID   The following agents were interviewed for this episode: We meet Jennifer de Leon as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From , on August 4. Though Jennifer has been writing for years, she quickly learns that there’s a lot about Capital-P-Publishing that she doesn’t know. (Hear <a href= "https://www.first

Tue, May 12, 2020

Reignite Your Pilot Light With Candace Bushnell

First Draft Episode #252: Candace Bushnell Candace Bushnell , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City , Lipstick Jungle , and The Carrie Diaries talks about her newest book, Rules For Being a Girl , which she co-wrote with New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno . This episode was sponsored by HIGHLAND 2 , made by writers, for writers. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Four Blonde s by Candace James Truman at Details Magazine ( a profile of Truman from The New York Times in 1999) Joan Didion, essayist and author of Slouching Toward Bethlehem , The White Album , and The Year of Magical Thinking Anna Kerenina by Leo Tolstoy Is There Still Sex in the City by Candace   I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to

Thu, May 07, 2020

Track Changes: Publishing in the Time of COVID

Track Changes: Publishing in the Time of COVID Publishing experts discuss how the global pandemic, and widespread shelter-in-place laws have changed their jobs, how publishers have responded to the uncertain retail market, what books are more or less likely to sell in this climate, and what all writers should be focused on during this time. The following agents were interviewed for this episode: Faye Bender , partner and founder of The Book Group, who represents authors such as Courtney Summers (listen to her First Draft podcast here and here ), Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft podcasts here , here , and hear her interview Sarah Enni here ), and Jennifer de Leon (listen to her FIrst Draft podcast here , and follow her publishing journey in Track Changes, starting with Episode 1 ). Sarah Burnes with The Gernert Company , who represents Margaret Stohl (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ), Heather Havrilesky, Zan Romanoff (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ), and me (hear Sarah and I discuss the lead-up to the release of my debut novel, Tell Me Everything , <a href= "https://www.firstdraft

Tue, May 05, 2020

A Low Chuckle is Enough With John Hodgman

First Draft Episode #251: John Hodgman John Hodgman , comedian and author of The Areas of My Expertise , More Information Than You Require , and That is All , as well as collections of humorous essays Vacationland: True Stories From Painful Beaches and Medallion Status: True Stories From Secret Rooms . John is also the host of the Judge John Hodgman podcast as well as I, Podius with Elliott Kalan . This episode was sponsored by HIGHLAND 2 , a better way to write, and T he Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton , out from Page Street Books now! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Dead Pilots Society production of “Only Child” Ben Acker (listen to his First Draft here ) Don Faulkner , writing instructor and poet who taught John at Yale Lee K. Abbott , short story writer with collections such as All Things, All At Once <p class="" style="white-space: pre-wrap

Thu, April 30, 2020

Track Changes: Agents: Who Are They And How to Get One

We meet Jennifer de Leon as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From , on August 4. Though Jennifer has been writing for years, she quickly learns that there’s a lot about Capital-P-Publishing that she doesn’t know. (Hear her First Draft interview here .) We meet Holly Root , literary agent and founder of Root Literary who represents clients such as Victoria Schwab (hear her First Draft interview here ), Jasmine Guillory (listen to her First Draft interview here ), and Christina Lauren. Seth Fishman , he’s an author and literary agent with The Gernert Company and manager of their West Coast office,. He reps clients such as John Joseph Adams , Ali Almossawi , and Kate Beaton . This episode is brought to you by Writing in Place , the podcast series brought to you by bestselling and Printz-winning author Nina LaCour (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ), who also brings you the Keeping a Notebook podcast and the Slow Novel Lab . Want more information? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of the Track Cha

Tue, April 28, 2020

A Perversity of Spirit With Rufi Thorpe

First Draft Episode #250: Rufi Thorpe Rufi Thorpe , author of The Girls from Corona del Mar and Dear Fang: With Love , talks about her new novel, The Knockout Queen . This episode was sponsored by HIGHLAND 2 , a better way to write, and by We Didn’t Ask For This , the newest novel by Adi Alsaid , out from Inkyard Press April 7 (listen to his First Draft interview here ). Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode “ Perversity of Spirit ,” Rufi’s essay about what it takes to be a writer in Poets&Writers California State Summer School for the Arts Philosopher and novelist Iris Murdoch was an inspiration for Rufi The author, poet, and screenwriter Raymond Obstfeld taught a community college class that really broke fiction open for Rufi Molly Friedrich, literary agent at XXX, who represents Rufi Clueless (movie) The O.C. Zan Romanoff discussing her most recent novel Look on First Draft “<a href= "https://www

Fri, April 24, 2020

Opening the Mailbag with Justin A. Reynolds

First Draft Episode #249: Opening the Mailbag with Justin A. Reynolds This week is a new mailbag episode, where I--along with a very special guest--will answer listener questions! Joining me today is Justin A. Reynolds , author of Opposite of Always , whose new YA, Early Departures , will be out September 22! I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun , internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too ;   Michael Dante  DiMartino , co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender ; John August , screenwriter of Big Fish , Charlie’s Angels , and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ; or Rhett Miller , musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works. Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts , Spotify , <a href= "https://www.stit

Fri, April 17, 2020

Fun and Cool and Weird With Claire Comstock-Gay

First Draft Episode #248: Claire Comstock-Gay Claire Comstock-Gay is the author of weekly horoscopes for New York magazine’s The Cut , and her debut book about astrology, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars , is out now. This episode was sponsored by HIGHLAND 2 , a better way to write, and by We Didn’t Ask For This , the newest novel by Adi Alsaid , out from Inkyard Press April 7 (listen to his First Draft interview here ). Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Molly McCardle , an author and editor, first got Claire her job writing horoscopes for The Rumpus CafeAstrology The Toast Courtney Maum , author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You , Touch , Costalegre , and Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishi

Thu, April 16, 2020

Track Changes: Publishing 101

We meet Jennifer de Leon as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From , on August 4. Though Jennifer has been writing for years, she quickly learns that there’s a lot about Capital-P-Publishing that she doesn’t know. (Hear her First Draft interview here .) For some publishing basics, we turn to Courtney Maum , author of Costalgere , I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You , and more. Her most recent book, Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book is a comprehensive guide for new authors. This episode of Track Changes was brought to you by Scrivener, the app for writers of all kinds. Use code FIRSTDRAFT to get 20% off !   Discussed in this episode: The three tiers of publishers (in the United States): The Big Five publishers are: Penguin Random House ; HarperCollins ; Macmillan ; Simon & Schuster ; and Hachette . Within each big five publisher are dozens of imprints, which are groups within the publisher who publish similar genres or categories of books. Thanks to artist Ali Almossawi , we have this incredible interactive flow chart that shows the relationship between the Big Five and their many, ma

Tue, April 14, 2020

Staying in the Room With Jennifer de Leon

First Draft Episode #247: Jennifer de Leon Jennifer De Leon is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Framingham State University, and a GrubStreet instructor and board member. Her debut young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From , is out from Atheneum/Simon & Schuster on August 4, 2020. This episode was sponsored by HIGHLAND 2 , a better way to write, and by We Didn’t Ask For This , the newest novel by Adi Alsaid , out from Inkyard Press April 7 (listen to his First Draft interview here ). Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Herb Kohl was Jenn’s professor at USF while she was getting her master’s degree Ben Brooks , author and senior writer in residence at Emerson, taught Jenn in a continuing education class GrubStreet in Boston is the country’s largest and leading independent creative writing center Christopher Castellani , Artistic Director, Stage and Convenings at GrubStreet The Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference VONA , the Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation The Macundo Foundation , founded by Sandra Cisneros , author of <a href= "https://bookshop.o

Thu, April 09, 2020

The Binkie Drops with Edan Lepucki

First Draft Episode #246: Edan Lepucki Edan Lepucki , New York Times bestselling author of California and Woman No. 17 . Edan’s latest project is Mothers Before , a collection of essays and photographs based on the popular Instagram Mothers Before , which Edan created. She is also the co-host, with fellow writer Amelia Morris , of the podcast Mom Rage . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Dan Chaon , author of Ill Will , Await Your Reply , and You Remind Me of Me , was an influential teacher in Edan’s young writing life A breakthrough moment for Edan was drafting a story that mimicked the structure used by Cary Holladay in “Merry-Go-Sorry,” a short story published in Alaska Quarterly Review (read an excerpt of the story, based on the West Memphis 3, here ). Cary is also the author of Brides in the Sky: Stories and a Novella and The Quick-Change Artist: Stories . Edan worked at Book Soup , a local bookstore in Los Angeles, Calif. For 45 years, <a href= "https://lithub.com/connie-brothers-the-heart-of-the-heart-of-the-iowa-writers-workshop/" target

Tue, April 07, 2020

The Bravery of Impossible Wants with Veronica Roth

First Draft Episode #245: Veronica Roth Veronica Roth , #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series, the Carve the Mark duology, and the short story collection, The End and Other Beginnings , talks about her first adult fantasy novel, The Chosen Ones . This episode was sponsored by HIGHLAND 2 , a better way to write, and by We Didn’t Ask For This , the newest novel by Adi Alsaid , out from Inkyard Press April 7 (listen to his First Draft interview here ). Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Hear Veronica’s previous First Draft interviews: Just prior to the Insurgent movie being released , and as Carve the Mark was being released Katherine Tegen , publisher of Katherine Tegen Books, published Veronica’s young adult fictoin Alice Munro, author of Dear Life , Runaway , and Too Much Happiness Me and cooking can be summed up in the Netflix series Nailed It Some chosen one stories that were particularly influential to Ve

Trailer · Thu, April 02, 2020

Track Changes Trailer

Over nine episodes, this podcast mini-series answers the surprisingly complex question: How does a book get published? Track Changes will guide the listener through the idiosyncrasies and traditions of the publishing process, providing context and human voices for every step. Sarah Enni talks to professionals at all stages of the publishing process—from agents and editors to publicity and marketing professionals and more—to give aspiring authors, professional writers, and industry vets alike the information they need to be more knowledgeable professionals with a renewed respect and appreciation for the industry—and, hopefully, some ideas about how to make it better.

Mon, March 30, 2020

It's Complicated, It's Complicated, It's Just Complicated with Zan Romanoff

First Draft Episode #244: Zan Romanoff Zan Romanoff , journalist and author of A Song to Take the World Apart , and Grace and the Fever , whose newest YA novel, Look , is out now! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Listen to Zan Romanoff’s first First Draft interview here , as well as her Mailbag episode where she answers listener questions (you can watch that episode on First Draft’s IGTV, too )! Catie DiSabato , author of The Ghost Network , helped Zan enormously in her capacity as a public relations professional to promote Grace and the Fever Sarah Burnes is Zan’s literary agent — and mine!! Listen to me chat with Sarah about my debut, Tell Me Everything , on this very special episode of First Draft ! Zan has written quite a bit about the Kardashians, and you can find all of it here ! British magazine The Gentlewoman asked Zan to interview Karina Longworth , who podcast You Must Remember This is a must-listen. Zan reviewed Karina’s book, Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood and found inspiration within that for Look <p class="" style="whi

Thu, March 26, 2020

The Answer is More With Tochi Onyebuchi

First Draft Episode #243: Opening the Mailbag with Tochi Onyebuchi Tochi Onyebuchi is the author of Beasts Made of Night , its sequel Crown of Thunder, War Girls and its forthcoming sequel, Rebel Sisters (out in October), and his adult fiction debut Riot Baby , published by Tor.com in January 2020. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson The Life Cycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang Great Work of Time by John Crowley Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle Succession (TV show) The New Yorker The Nation Tochi’s appearance on The Daily Show , and the <a href= "https://www.dustycat.us/products/abolish-ice-skeleton-t-shirt" target="_blank" rel="noo

Mon, March 23, 2020

Cassandra Clare Thinks Adults Need Imagination, Too

First Draft Episode #242: Cassandra Clare Cassandra Clare is #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, the forthcoming Sword Catcher duology, and co-author of the Magisterium series. Her most recent Shadowhunter novel, Chain of Gold , kicks off the Last Hours trilogy. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode A Little Princess and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Noel Streatfeild wrote a prolific series of books for young readers, kicking off with B allet Shoes and including Dancing Shoes , Theater Shoes , and Skating Shoes . Little Women by Louisa May Alcott From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg Cassie went through a British obsession where she read all of the Brontë sister’s works (best typified by Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre ) and all of Jane Austen (including Pride and Prejudice and Emma ) Cassie’s interview on 88 Cups of Tea <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/755/9780385077255" target="_blank" rel=

Wed, March 18, 2020

Choose Your Own Adventure With Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer

First Draft Episode #241: Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg , co-hosts of the By the Book podcast and co-authors of How to Be Fine : What We Learned from Living by the Rules of 50 Self-Help Books . They also co-host the We Love You and So Can You podcast. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Gretchen Rubin , author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before and The Four Tendencies . Kristen previously produced Gretchen’s Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast ! The Movie Date podcast that Kristen co-hosted Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner The Goodreads study about who writes self-help books (men) and who reads them (people who identify as women) Why Good Things Happen to Good People by Stephen Post, Jill Neimark, and Otis Moss So You Want to Start a Podcast , Kristen’s book about, duh, how to start a podcast!   I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun , in

Tue, March 17, 2020

Erin Lee Carr

First Draft Episode #240: Erin Lee Carr Erin Lee Carr is a director, producer, and writer whose upcoming four-part docuseries How to Fix a Drug Scandal will be released on Netflix on April 1st. Carr has also directed At the Heart of Gold , about the USA Gymnastics scandal, and I Love You: Now Die , about the Michelle Carter murder-by-texting trial, both for HBO. Her first feature length film was Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll The Witches by Roald Dahl Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( TV show) Pleasantville (movie) Moulin Rouge (movie) David Carr , legendary New York Times journalist and author of memoir Night of the Gun James Frey is the author of A Million Little Pieces which raised a massive public debate about truth in memoir after it was revealed that portions of the book was fabricated or wildly embellished , and Oprah confronted him . She has since apo

Thu, March 12, 2020

The Golden Age of Tone with Ben Blacker

First Draft Episode #239: Ben Blacker Ben Blacker is a writer and producer known for The Thrilling Adventure Hour , Supernatural , Hex Wives , and the new Audible audio series CUT + RUN . He also hosts The Writer’s Panel and Dead Pilots Society podcasts. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Hear Ben’s writing partner, Ben Acker , on his episode of First Draft here! Beverly Cleary, author of Beezus and Ramona , and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 was one of Ben’s early favorite authors Zilpha Keatley Snyder, author of The Egypt Game and The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case was another early influence Three’s Company The Love Boat Ben wrote fanfiction for the TV show Scarecrow and Mrs. King Francine Prose, author of Reading Like a Writer: A Guide For People Who Love Books and Those Who Want to Write Them , told Ben Blacker he would never become a writer Ben and Ben wrote two spec scripts for Buffy the

Tue, March 10, 2020

Sarah Watson Requests a Bathtub

First Draft Episode #238: Sarah Watson Sarah Watson is a television writer, producer, and novelist. She’s the creator of the Freeform series, The Bold Type , and was a Writer and Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed NBC drama,  Parenthood . She has also written for About A Boy , Lipstick Jungle , The Unusuals , and The Middleman , as well as other series. Her debut novel, Most Likely, is out now. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan Sarah basically wrote a book report for the movie War Games Felicity (TV show) was a game changer for hour-long dramas, and Dawson’s Creek and Buffy . Before that there was mostly just Thirtysomething Sarah was an intern with someone named Damon Lindeloff , who went on to create LOST , The Leftovers , and Watchmen That’s so Raven was one of Sarah’s very first jobs out of college Eileen Heisler (executive producer of How I Met Your Mother and The Middle ) and DeAnn Heline (producer on Murphy Brown and executive producer Ellen ) , the women behind Lipstick Jungle The Middleman is where Sarah met Javier Grillo-Marxuach Jason Katims , showrunner and executive producer of Friday Night Lights (created by Peter Berg , based on the book Friday Night Lights written by Pulitzer Priz

Tue, March 03, 2020

A Call to Action with Rebecca Serle

First Draft Episode #237: Rebecca Serle Rebecca Serle is a television writer, producer, and New York Times bestselling author of six books, including When You Were Mine , The Edge of Falling , The Dinner List , and her newest, In Five Years , out now. She co-developed the hit TV adaptation of her YA series , Famous in Love . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Marianne Wiggins , author of National Book Award finalist Evidence of Things Unseen and The Shadow Catcher , and a professor of creative writing at USC Sigrid Nunez , author of National Book Award-winning The Friend , was Rebecca’s thesis advisor at The New School’s MFA program While Rebecca was getting her MFA, she was an intern and then an assistant at Foundry Literary and Media Mollie Glick , previously of Foundry Literary and currently with CAA , represented Rebecca for her first book, When You Were Mine Lauren Oliver , author of Delirium and Before I Fall , gave Rebecca great advice: “Time is going to pass anyway,” meaning you might as well get to work. I plug my BestSelf Journa l, which is helping me be more productive Kristin Stewart

Fri, February 28, 2020

You Are Part of a Larger Conversation with Somaiya Daud

First Draft Episode #236: Somaiya Daud Somaiya Daud , debut author of YA sci-fi book Mirage , was the very first author I ever interviewed for First Draft Podcast. Her upcoming book, the final book in the Mirage duology, Court of Lion s will be out in fall 2020! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Self Control , a Mac app, can’t be turned off by restarting your computer, and that is helpful for Somaiya when she’s trying to focus ADHD related time blindness and how seeing and feeling of time can help combat it The Pomodoro method of writing has helped Somaiya be very productive “Never half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing.” - Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation (TV show) The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien “All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel….” - Margaret Atwood , author of The Handmaid's Tales I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun , internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too ;<a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/episodes/2018/1/3/michael-dante-d

Tue, February 25, 2020

Jollying Yourself Along With Kate DiCamillo

First Draft Episode #235: Kate DiCamillo Kate DiCamillo is one of six people to win two Newbery Medals, for her novels The Tale of Despereaux and Flora & Ulysses , and author of Newberry Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie , National Book Award finalist The Tiger Rising , as well as New York Times bestselling novels The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane , The Magician’s Elephant , the Mercy Watson series, and more. DiCamillo was the U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature for 2014 and 2015. Her most recent novel, Beverly, Right Here completes the trilogy of Raymie Nightingale and Louisiana’s Way Home . This episode of First Draft is brought to you by Steven Sater’s Alice By Heart , a debut young adult novel in which the Tony Award-winning co-creator of Spring Awakening tells the story of a young girl who takes refuge in a London Tube station during WWII and confronts grief, loss, and first love with the help of her favorite book, Alice in Wonderland . Alice By Heart is out from Penguin Random House now. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Christopher Paul Curtis , author of Newberry Medal book Bud, Not Buddy and Newberry Honor book The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 and Elijah of Buxton Katherine Paterson , author of Newberry Medal books <a href="https://amzn.to/3bAyCTq" ta

Tue, February 18, 2020

Love and Life in the Time of Bouncy Houses with Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

First Draft Episode #234: Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed Becky Albertalli , New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda , Leah on the Offbeat , and co-author of What if it’s Us , and Aisha Saeed , New York Times bestselling author of Written in the Stars and Amal Unbound , teamed up to write Yes No Maybe So . This episode of First Draft is brought to you by Steven Sater’s Alice By Heart , a debut young adult novel in which the Tony Award-winning co-creator of Spring Awakening tells the story of a young girl who takes refuge in a London Tube station during WWII and confronts grief, loss, and first love with the help of her favorite book, Alice in Wonderland . Alice By Heart is out from Penguin Random House now. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Becky’s previous episode of First Draft Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples Aisha Saeed was a co-founding member of We Need Diverse Books Jon Ossoff, the politcian whose run for a U.S. House seat brought Becky and Aisha together and inspired Yes No Maybe So , is running for Senate. Learn more about him and donate to his campaign here! Becky co-wrote another book, What if it’s Us , with Adam Silvera (listen to his First Draft interview here ) Long Shot (movie) Nancy Paulsen of Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Rando

Tue, February 11, 2020

Being Your Own Gatekeeper with Maggie Levin

First Draft Episode #233: Maggie Levin Maggie Levin is a director & screenwriter with rock n’ roll roots.  She recently completed her debut feature My Valentine for Hulu &  Blumhouse’s Into the Dark horror anthology series. She worked as a director and staff writer on Season 2 of Miss 2059 , and is  the director of The Friendless Five and  more. This episode of First Draft is brought to you by Lovely War , the national bestselling historical young adult novel by Julie Berry , now available in paperback. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Maggie’s dad is Tony Levin , bass player for Peter Gabriel and King Crimson Robert Lepage directed Peter Gabriel’s tours, and is well known for the Cirque du Soleil show Ka Bard College at Simon’s Rock Marie Kondo (author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up ) does not apply to Maggie’s childhood journals The Writer’s Panel with Ben Blacker (formerly The Nerdist Writer’s Panel) is a great podcast to listen to for screenwriters, as is Scriptnotes with Craig Mazin and John August (listen to his First Draft podcast here !) Lovesick is the first short she wrote and starred in, and Braeden Herrera directed it Melanie Recker , creator of digital series, “The Friendless Five” The Queen (film) <a href= "https://vimeo.com

Tue, February 04, 2020

Maureen Johnson is On the Case

First Draft Episode #232: Maureen Johnson Maureen Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes , Suite Scarlett , The Name of the Star , and Truly Devious: A Mystery . She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow (with John Green and Lauren Myracle ), and The Bane Chronicles (with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan ). Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Something Queer series, written by Elizabeth Levy and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein, included Something Queer is Going On (A Mystery) , Something Queer at the Library , Something Queer in Outer Space , and more The Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol One day Maureen plans to pursue writing non-fiction and humorous essays, like David Sedaris, author of Me Talk Pretty One Day , Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim , and When You Are Engulfed in Flames Maureen’s friend and agent is Kate Testerman with KT Literary Janklow & Nesbit Associates is the literary agency where Kate worked her way up before moving and forming her own agency Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashears and Sarah Dessen books, including Saint Anything , Once and For All , and her newest, The Rest of the Story   (hear Sarah Dessen’s episode of First Draft h

Thu, January 30, 2020

Opening the Mailbag with Marie Lu

First Draft Episode #231: Marie Lu and Sarah Enni open the mailbag! Marie Lu is is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy, The Young Elites trilogy, the Warcross duology, and more. Her newest book, a historical YA fantasy, The Kingdom of Back , comes out March 3, and Skyhunter will be out in fall 2020! The presenting sponsor for this episode is The Slow Novel Lab , a six-week online writing and creativity course developed and taught by bestselling and award-winning novelist Nina LaCour (listen to her First Draft episodes here and here ). The next six-week session of The Slow Novel Lab begins on February 16th, and you can enroll today by going to NinaLaCour.com .   Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode You can hear Marie talk about the inspiration for Kingdom of Back in our very first interview back in 2014 ! (And don’t miss <a href= "https://ww

Tue, January 28, 2020

Knife Crime Mattress Apartment with Miranda Popkey

First Draft Episode #230: Miranda Popkey Miranda Popkey , essayist and debut author of Topics of Conversation . The presenting sponsor for this episode is The Slow Novel Lab , a six-week online writing and creativity course developed and taught by bestselling and award-winning novelist Nina LaCour (listen to her First Draft episodes here and here ). The next six-week session of The Slow Novel Lab begins on February 16th, and you can enroll today by going to NinaLaCour.com . This episode was brought to you in part by Adeline’s Aria by Laynie Bynum, the first in her new Infernal Echo series, out Jan. 28 from Fire and Ice YA! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Miranda is best friends with Zan Romanoff , author of A Song to Take the World Apart , Grace and the Fever , and the forthcoming Look (listen to her First Draft interview here , and her mailbag episode here !). You can read them write about their friendship in The Atlantic’s Friendship Files here , and in the Two Bossy Dames newsletter here (and they shout out First Draft, too!) At her dad’s house, Miranda read whatever was around, including such “dad” trope classics as David McCullough’s Truman . However, Robert Caro’s The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Pa

Tue, January 21, 2020

Chani Nicholas Performs the Planets

First Draft Episode #229: Chani Nicholas Chani Nicholas is a Webby award-winning astrologer, and the New York Times bestselling author of You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode As a kid, Chani loved: Judy Blume, author of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and Forever ; Toni Morrison, author of The Bluest Eye and Beloved ; Maya Angelou, author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ; and Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple Demetra George , author of Astrology for Yourself: How to Understand and Interpret Your Own Birth Chart was Chani’s teacher in learning traditional astrology Christopher Renstrom is an astrologer and historian, and author of Ruling Planets: Your Astrological Guide to Life’s Ups and Downs I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth , author of Divergent ; Linda Holmes , author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun , internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too ;  Michael Dante  DiMartino , co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender ; John August , screenwriter of Big Fish , Charlie’s Angels , and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ; or <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/episodes/2019

Tue, January 14, 2020

The First Capybara in Space with Stuart Gibbs

First Draft Episode #217: Stuart Gibbs Stuart Gibbs , New York Times bestselling author of the Spy School series, the FunJungle series , the Moon Base Alpha series , and The Last Musketeer series. His newest series kicked off in 2019 with Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation . The newest FunJungle book, Tyrannosaurus Wrecks , is out March 24, and Spy School Revolution will come out in fall 2020. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The life path of MIchael Crichton , who studied to become a doctor, was an influence on Stuart in college. After two days into pre-med, though, he decided to focus on biology. The capybara is the world’s largest rodent Jennifer Joel is now Co-Head of the Publishing Department at ICM Jean Claude Van Damme is a Belgian artist and martial artist who made many action films, like Bloodsport (definitely listen to the How Did This Get Made episode - one of the best HDTGM ever), Street Fighter (omg this How Did This Get Made episode - What is a Street Figher?! iconic), Timecop (listen to the How Did This Get Made episode ), and The Quest (listen to that <a href= "https://www.

Tue, January 07, 2020

Courtenay Hameister Asks: What is Objective Truth, Anyway?

First Draft Episode #227: Courtenay Hameister Courtenay Hameister, debut author of memoir Okay Fine Whatever: The Year I Went From Being Afraid of Everything to Only Being Afraid of Most Things, and former host, co-producer and head writer of Live Wire Radio . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Books by Beverly Cleary (author of Ramona Quimby, Age 8 , Beezus and Ramona , and The Mouse and the Motorcycle ) and and Judy Blume (author of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret , Forever , and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing ) and The Crystal Cave series by Mary Stewart were some of Courtenay’s favorites growing up Create More, Fear Less is an organization in Portland Courtenay volunteers with that works with anxious kids While Courtenay went to New York University, she had the chance to work with legendary comedy group The State . The State — made up of Kevin Allison , Michael Ian Black , Robert Ben Garant , Todd Holoubek , Michael Patrick Jann , Kerri Kenney-Silver , Thomas Lennon , <a href=

Tue, December 31, 2019

Opening the Mailbag with Tahereh Mafi

First Draft Episode #221: Tahereh Mafi and Sarah Enni open the mailbag! Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award nominated author of the Shatter Me series , as well as A Very Large Expanse of Sea . The final book in her Shatter Me series, IMAGINE ME , hits shelves March 31, 2020. Watch this episode as a video on the First Draft podcast IGTV channel on Instagram! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode I mention the previous mailbag episode (check out the podcast version here ), which featured Zan Romanoff , author of A Song to Take the World Apart , Grace and the Fever , and the forthcoming Look (listen to her episode of First Draft here ). I cite Morgan Matson as my hero for writing lengthy contemporary young adult novels, like the New York Times bestselling <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/148140

Tue, December 24, 2019

Libba Bray

First Draft Episode Re-release: Libba Bray (Eps (#18 and 19) Libba Bray , author of New York Times best-selling series A Great and Terrible Beauty , Printz award-winner Going Bovine , and genuinely terrifying historical paranormal The Diviners , among others, joins me to talk about having her rock collection stolen as a kid, that one time Wes Anderson helped stage a play she wrote, and how growing up in Texas set her head at a certain tilt. The episode originally released on Nov 3, 2014, and Nov 6, 2014. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Seven Samurai,  directed by Akira Kurosawa Citizen Kane Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe Aaron Sorkin worked at the concessions at the theater for years and only heard dialogue for years and that influenced him Harold Pinter is a writer who knows when to take a pause in dialogue The Thin Man , Bringing Up Baby , The Marx brothers influenced her sense of comedy Neil Simon  plays ( Odd Couple , Barefoot in the Park: A Comedy in Three Acts , and The Odd Couple: A Comedy in Three Acts ) Singin’ In The Rain Peter Marks , theater critic of the New York Times and the Washington Post New York International Film Festival <a href= "http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fwebhp%3Fsourceid%3Dchrome-instant%26ion%3D1%26

Tue, December 17, 2019

Cool is a Construct with Tim Baltz

First Draft Episode #224: Tim Baltz Tim Baltz , comedian and actor, co-created, co-wrote, and starred in Shrink , and can now be seen on HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones . He has also appeared in Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ , The Opposition with Jordan Klepper , and Drunk History . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Tim’s dad was a professional actor and he toured in one production starring Bill Daly , an actor who was in Newhart and I Dream of Jeanie Other early comedy influences for Tim were W.C. Fields , Fawlty Towers , and Monty Python’s Flying Circus The poet Robert Service The hubs of Chicago improv that Tim is familiar with: Improv Olympic , now known as iO, started by Del Close and Cherna Halpern ; Second City , which featured some groundbreaking American comedians like the cast of Pinata Full of Bees, which was made up of Adam McKay (co-writer and director of Anchorman and Talladega Nights , writer and director of The Big Short and Vice , creator of Succession , and much more) <a href="https://www.imdb.com/n

Tue, December 10, 2019

Amanda Montell is a Foul-Mouthed Feminist Nerd

First Draft Episode #223: Amanda Montell Amanda Montell , debut author of Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language , joins Sarah to talk about socio-linguistics, and her upcoming book Mindfuck: The Secret Language of Cults (Spoiler: You’re Already Using It) . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Amanda loved reading memoirs growing up, including David Sedaris (author of Calypso , Me Talk Pretty One Day , and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim ), Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt , Dry: A Memoir and Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs , and <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743272188/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743272188&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&linkId=62687e5fe09af7063f302213171c06c0&tag=firstdraft05-20" targ

Tue, December 03, 2019

Weird Relationships With the Truth with Ryan La Sala

First Draft Episode #222: Ryan La Sala Ryan La Sala , debut author of fantasy YA novel Reverie . If you enjoy this conversation with Ryan, hear more from him over at the What Book Hooked You? podcast! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Some of the animation that inspired young Ryan came from seminal video game Final Fantasy , and epic superhero series Sailor Moon Glee (TV show) Ryan found Alex London ’s book Proxy (listen to Alex’s First Draft interviews here and here ) and books written by David Levithan , New York Times bestselling author of Every Day , Boy Meets Boy , and Two Boys Kissing , and that inspired Ryan to write his own gay YA story. Ryan also found A. R. Kahler and <a href= "https://www.firstdraftpod.com/episode

Tue, November 26, 2019

Opening the Mailbag with Zan Romanoff

First Draft Episode #221: Zan Romanoff and Sarah Enni open the mailbag! Got five minutes? Help First Draft by taking this 2019 Listener Survey ! Zan Romanoff , author of A Song to Take the World Apart , Grace and the Fever , and the forthcoming Look (out March 31, 2020) joins Sarah Enni to answer listener questions. Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Make sure to listen to Zan’s first appearance on First Draft, here ! My cat Hammer! The Bluebeard story A question from Morgan Matson , New York Times bestselling author of Save the Date , T he Unexpected Everything , and more (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here )! A question from Elissa Sussman , author of <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062274600/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?cre

Tue, November 19, 2019

Steaks or GTFO with Rick Yancy, Cindy Pon, Justin Reynolds, and Sarah Enni

First Draft Episode #220: Rick Yancy, Cindy Pon, Justin Reynolds, and Sarah Enni LIVE at YA-Hoo Fest Got five minutes? Help First Draft by taking this 2019 Listener Survey ! YA-Hoo Fest kicked off with this LIVE recording of the First Draft with Sarah Enni on Sept. 21, 2019. Hear writers talk about plotting the end of humanity, domed Chinese playgrounds, reef-keeping, the universal experience of grief. Featuring: Rick Yancey , New York Times bestselling author of the Fifth Wave series, the Monstrumologist series, and more; Cindy Pon , Want and its sequel Ruse , the Silver Phoenix series and more; Justin A. Reynolds, debut author of The Opposite of Always ; and Sarah Enni , author of Tell Me Everything . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Storming Area 51 is something I cannot ever talk about enough. Did you know it is obliquely tied to Tom Delonge, former guitarist for Blink 182 ?!?! The Fermi Paradox concerns the probability of there being intelligent life in the universe The Stephen Hawkings quote that begins The Fifth Wave is, “If Aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans.” Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man’s Tour of Duty Inside the IRS is Rick Yancey’s memoir all about working

Tue, November 12, 2019

Distracting Yourself Out of Heartbreak with Janet Varney

First Draft Episode #219: Janet Varney Janet Varney , Emmy-Nominated actor, comedian, writer, producer, and podcaster. She has appeared in dozens of TV shows, including You’re the Worst , Take My Wife , Burning Love , Stan Against Evil , and Fortune Rookie , and the voice of Korra in The Legend of Korra . She is also the co-founder, creative director, and producer of SF Sketchfest: the San Francisco Comedy Festival (now in its 19th year!), and hosts The JV Club podcast. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Take the First Draft listener survey ! David Owen and Cole Stratton were in a sketch group, Totally False People, with Janet Varney. Together the three of them founded SF Sketchfest , and continue to run the annual month-long comedy festival to this day  Totally False People got asked to perform at the Aspen Comedy Festival , and Janet was scoped out by Mad TV Bruce McCullough , one of the members of influential sketch comedy group Kids in the Hall , is one of Janet’s closest friends. They met in Janet’s capacity as producer of Sketchfest One of Janet’s earlier roles was on Love, Inc. , a Busy Phillips project about a matchmaker Janet was able to craft her character on B

Tue, November 05, 2019

The Virtue of Saying Yes with Kyle Flynn

First Draft Episode #218: Kyle Flynn Kyle Flynn is the keyboardist with indie rock group Father John Misty , as well as writer of television and movies. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization: Part II , is absolutely incredible Kyle taught himself to play guitar using tablature in Guitar World magazine Kyle and I both went to the University of Washington and graduated from the English department Acceptance (check out their debut album Phantom , and they have reunited and released a new record, Collision By Design ) was the pop-punk band who first brought Kyle on tour as a merch guy, and he ended up filling in and touring with them for months Other bands in Kyle’s post-college musical world included my then-favs (okay, still some of my favs), Further Seems Forever , Thursday , Finch , and Yellowcard Kyle and his brother Kevin were friends with comedian and actor Nick Thune (check out his specials, Folk Hero and Good Guy ), and when Nick went to Los Angeles to pursue comedy, he sold Kyle and Kevin’s script in the room with Warner Brothers In 2007, right when Kyle and his brother Kevin got to LA to work on the script they’d sold to Warner Brothers, the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America West) went on strike . But Kyle and Kevin made a lot of great connections while picketing with other writers, like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001873/" target="_blank" rel="noopene

Tue, October 29, 2019

A Fragile Tension with Ruta Sepetys

First Draft Episode #217: Ruta Sepetys Ruta Sepetys , #1 New York Times bestselling and Carnegie-winning author of Between Shades of Gray , Out of the Easy , and Salt to the Sea , talks about her newest novel, Fountains of Silence . This episode was brought to you by Freedom — upgrade to Premium and use code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or Forever plan! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode I was watching Goodfellas , and not having a great time, until I got sidetracked by reading all about the Lufthansa heist , which is fascinating! One of Ruta’s first jobs in L.A. was as an intern for songwriter Desmond Child . He encouraged Ruta to start her own business managing musicians. Ruta’s op-ed for NPR about when her book Between Shades of Gray came out at the same time as E.L. James’s <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TJYYKD6/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00TJYYKD6&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&linkId=45a9ef89a84dad02ce732f82bf395e71&tag=firstd

Tue, October 22, 2019

Making Out in the Anti-Gravity Room with Kass Morgan (a.k.a. Mallory Kass)

First Draft Episode #216: Mallory Kass (a.k.a. Kass Morgan) Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100 and Light Years (a.k.a. Mallory Kass, senior editor at Scholastic). Supernova , the sequel to Light Years, is out now! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Kass’s father wrote for Seinfeld Paula Abdul (her iconic Forever Your Girl is a great starting point) and Janet Jackson (oh my god, where to begin? Rhythm Nation is a must, and The Velvet Rope is everything— also apparently she wrote a book! True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself ) were two pop stars Mallory was totally unaware of when she moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles at age 11 Once she figured out that she was not destined to be an academic, Kass moved to New York and started an internship at Scholastic with Arthur Levine, who edited a little book series called Harry Potter (when she started at the publisher, Levine was working on Deathly Hallows in secret) Kass’s bosses at Scholastic,

Tue, October 15, 2019

An Angry Kind of Hope with Leigh Bardugo

First Draft Episode #215: Leigh Barudgo Leigh Barudgo , #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shadow and Bone series, the Six of Crows duology, and the King of Scars duology, discusses her first adult novel, Ninth House . This episode was brought to you by Freedom — upgrade to Premium and use code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or Forever plan! LINKS AND TOPICS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Please check out Leigh’s two previous First Draft interviews, here and here ! The Grishaverse has been developed by Netflix as a TV show Brandon Sanderson is the author of the Mistborn series, the Stormlight Archive series, and the Elant

Tue, October 08, 2019

Holding Your Square with Jason Reynolds

First Draft Episode #214: Jason Reynolds Jason Reynolds , New York Times bestselling author of critically acclaimed books, including National Book Award finalist Ghost , Newberry and Printz-honored Long Way Down , Coretta Scott King Honoree As Brave as You , and his latest, middle grade Look Both Ways , which was just named to the National Book Award Longlist for Young People’s Literature . This episode was brought to you by Freedom — upgrade to Premium and use code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or Forever plan! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Jason didn’t grow up writing prose, but he and all his friends had rhyme books where they would write lyrics. They wanted to be the next Nas , Slick Rick , Run DMC , Big Daddy Kane , or Rakim . Jason’s aunt would give him classic books as gifts, including Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Bob Marley’s “ Kaya ,” Nina Simone’s “ Four Women ,” Tracy Chapman’s “ Fast Car ” were hugely influential on Jason because of the beauty of the lyrics Jason teamed up with the artist and writer Jason Douglas Griffin for an early book, My Name is Jason. Mine Too: Our Story. Our Way . <p class="

Tue, October 01, 2019

A Seething Undercurrent of Rage with Renee Ahdieh

First Draft Episode #213: Renee Ahdieh Renee Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn , The Rose and the Dagger , the Flame in the Mist duology, talks about her latest series, which kicks off with The Beautiful , out October 8. This episode was brought to you by Freedom — upgrade to Premium and use code FIRSTDRAFT for 40% off a yearly or Forever plan! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Renee says The Flame in the Mist contains nods to Disney’s Mulan and the classic marital arts film 47 Ronin When it comes to pitching books by Sabaa Tahir (listen to her First Draft interview here ), Traci Chee , or Sarah Nicole Lemon (listen to her First Draft interview here ), Renee has you covered. Not so much, she says, when it comes to pitching her own books. Though Renee loves physically strong female heroes like Katniss, from Susanne Collin

Tue, September 24, 2019

Writing Catharsis With Jen Wang

First Draft Episode #212: Jen Wang Jen Wang, Eisner Award-winning author and illustrator of The Prince and the Dressmaker , In Real Life , and Koko Be Good stops by to talk about her new middle grade graphic novel, Stargazing . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The seminal Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson was one of the only Western comics that Jen read as a young artist In high school Jen started a webcomic called Strings of Fate and took is super seriously! Jen’s first publishing experience was contributing to Flight , an anthology put together by her webcomic peers and edited by Kazu Kibuishi , who has gone on to author and illustrate the Amulet series, Copper , and he illustrated the re-release of the Harry Potter series . Jen’s agent is Judy Hansen of the Hansen Literary Agency, who represents many of the top graphic artists and illustrators out there today Jen’s

Thu, September 19, 2019

A Gentle Language with Gabby Rivera

First Draft Episode #211: Gabby Rivera Gabby Rivera, author of Juliet Takes a Breath , which is out in hardcover on September 17, and writer of the America Chavez series for Marvel Comics. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode I couldn’t find Gabby’s first article for Bustle , but she recently wrote about love for the online outlet again, with, “ The Truth About ‘Big Love’ is You’ve Got to Manifest It For Yourself .” The Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City is where Gabby discovered her creative self and explored her sexuality Artist Mahogany L. Browne , author of Black Girl Magic and Woke Baby , was the host at the Nuyorican when Gabby was finding herself there Through The New York City Latina Writers Group Gabby got the chance to work with Alicia Anabel Santos and her mentor, Vanessa Mártir , co-author of Do Something! A Handbook for Young Activists The Made in NY PA Training Program Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio Arie

Tue, September 17, 2019

Preferred Ways of Failing with Josh Gondelman

First Draft Episode #210: Josh Gondelman Josh Gondelman , comedian, TV writer for shows like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Desus and Mero , and debut author of memoir Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results , talks about coming up in comedy, fumbling his breakout moment with the viral Modern Seinfeld Twitter account, and learning that being a “nice” person isn’t the same as being a good person. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode In addition to Nice Try , you should also check out Josh’s standup specials: Dancing on a Weeknight (2019); Physical Whisper (from 2016); and Everything’s the Best! (2011). Nancy Kerrigan was the subject of one of the most bizarre crimes in all of sports ( really worth watching The Price of Gold , an excellent 30 for 30 documentary about the Kerrigan-Harding incident), which was documented in the film I, Tonya , which Josh’s parents did not see out of loyalty to Kerrigan Early on Josh performed in the chorus of The Music Man We decide that literary humor is to comedy as Garrison Keillor is to Chris Rock Josh wrote a spec script for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Josh was contributing to places like McSweeny’s and New York magazine when he first moved to the city Josh co-founded the @SeinfeldToday Twitter account with his friend Jack P. Moore (playwright and sitcom writer for shows like Dear White People ), which went viral and got him lots of professional opportunities Josh made an impression on Jim Gaffigan with a joke about the wisdom of the justice system in D2: The Mighty Ducks when he was getting his feet wet as a standup in New York City Josh talks about establishing authority as a standup onstage, which reminded me of Pete Holmes <a href= "http://www.cc.com/video-clips/063

Tue, September 10, 2019

Writing Out of Unconditional Love with David Yoon

First Draft Episode #208: David Yoon David Yoon , debut author of Frankly in Love , talks about how writing a rom-com turned into writing about his greatest fears; portraying aspirational male friendships; and working to be able to write from a place of unconditional love. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The term “ latchkey kid ” refers to a child who returns from school to an empty home, or a child who is often left at home with little parental supervision, because their parent or parents are away at work. David was reading Stephen King at an early age, as well as The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence were some of the books David read at an early age, at his dad’s behest David is married to fellow YA author, Nicola Yoon, writer of New York Times bestselling books Everything Everything and The Sun is Also a Star (listen to her episode of First Draft here ) BTS is the only Kpop David knows The TV show VEEP can be mean-spirited, but it’s so good at it that people still love it David did the JET Program, the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program , for three years after college David and Nicola both attended Emerson college to get their MFA David was channeling Haruki Murakami (author of  Norwegian Wood and  Kafka on the Shore ) in that program, and Nicola was channeling Ann Beattie (author of Chilly Scenes of Winter and Walks With Men ) David was in the Emerson MFA program with Gregg Rosenblum author of the Revolution 19 series I sh

Tue, September 03, 2019

Going to Tahiti with Mary H. K. Choi

First Draft Episode #208: Mary H. K. Choi Mary H. K. Choi, New York Times bestselling author of Emergency Contact , and host of podcasts Hey, Cool Job and Hey, Cool Life! . Her newest YA contemporary book, Permanent Record , is out now! We talk about addiction and fiction, loving and writing boys who fight against toxic masculinity, and fighting against “I’ll be perfect when…” thoughts. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Stephen King , John Grisham , and airport novels were some of the first things Mary picked up when she moved to Texas and became a reader Mary compares moving, learning to read, and realizing she could *remember* what she read as Bradley Cooper discovering the mind-expanding possibilities in Limitless (movie) Mass Appeal was the graffiti magazine Mary went to work for, and they now do documentaries, including the recent Wu-Tang doc, Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men (tv series) “ Like. Flirt. Ghost: A Journey Into the Social Media Lives of Teens ,” an article Mary wrote for WIRED, is fantastic and everyone should read it Hold the door open for other writers. Be like Hodor “ Mary H. K. Choi Wanted to Write a Book Where ‘High-Key Nothing Happens ,” by Joanna Mikas and Tracy Ma for The New York Times Bo Burnam , comedian and writer and director of Eighth Grade (movie) Shanna the She-Devil (comic book) and <a hre

Tue, August 27, 2019

Sexy First Responders with Sara Farizan, Katie Cotugno, and Sarah Enni

First Draft Episode #207: Sara Farizan, Katie Cotugno, and Sarah Enni at Trident Booksellers and Cafe in Boston I was thrilled to do an event with Sara Farizan --author of Here to Stay , Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel , and If You Could Be Mine --and Katie Cotugno --New York Times bestselling author of How to Love , 99 Days , Top Ten , and Fireworks . We met at Trident Booksellers and Cafe, Sara and Katie’s local bookstore in Boston, to discuss sexy first responders for all your needs, writing humor in contemporary stories, and letting characters make mistakes. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Link to Sara Farizan’s First Draft episode and Katie Cotungo’s First Draft episode In Here to Stay , Reggie Miller (former NBA player and commentator) and Kevin Harlan (NBA commentator) are Bijan’s (protagonist) favorite NBA commentators and when he needs a minute he has them narrate in his head. Sarah had the opportunity to go to Scholastic and read a chapter from Tell Me Everything ! Sara Farizan recently watched Killing Eve (TV show), and thinks that because people haven't really seen female serial killers that the characters Villanelle is loved despite being an “unlikable female lead”. “You’re Not Allowed in the Anne Hathaway Club if You Hated Her in the 2000s” article on VICE In Fireworks , Katie wanted to reflect an accurate experience of being a teen especially when writing a historical and not including social media and technology in the way we use it today Sarah made a Trent Reznor (founder, lead vocalist, and principal songwriter of the band of Nine Inch Nails ) <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.o

Tue, August 20, 2019

Stephanie Perkins and Sarah Enni

First Draft Episode #206: Stephanie Perkins and Sarah Enni I was thrilled to do an event with Stephanie Perkins , New York Times bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss , editor of My True Love Gave to Me , and many more. We met at Malaprop’s, Stephanie’s local bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina, to discuss villains in contemporary stories, our favorite podcasts, and the upcoming Netflix movie based on Stephanie’s most recent novel, There’s Someone Inside Your House ! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode In Tell Me Everything By Sarah Enni, the main character Ivy uses a Post Secret type app called Veil and is faced with the moral ambiguity of social media apps. Ivy deals with the negativity of social media and twisting herself into knots trying to defend something that is special to her. The first time that Sarah was in Asheville she was interviewed Beth Revis (Author of Across The Universe , listen to her episode of First Draft here ), Meagan Spooner (Author of The Starbound Trilogy , listen to her episode of First Draft here ), and Megan Sheperd (Author of Grim Lovelies , listen to her episode of First Draft here ) for First Draft and she was able to reach out to them through Twitter . She believes that social media is morally gray because sites like Twitter have helped her make friends and connect with people but have also dismantled other peoples lives. The creator of the app Veil is a villain called Rake Burmkezerg which is an acronym for Mark Zuckerberg . Ra

Tue, August 13, 2019

Kendare Blake, Somaiya Daud, and Sarah Enni

First Draft Episode #205: Kendare Blake, Somaiya Daud, and Sarah Enni at the University Bookstore in Seattle Pantsing and world building with Kendare Blake , author of the Three Dark Queens trilogy and Anna Dressed in Blood ; Somaiya Daud , author of Mirage ; and Sarah Enni , author of Tell Me Everything and host of this podcast! This episode is audio from the March 2019 event at The University Bookstore in Seattle, Washington. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Kendare wore a Jeff Goldblum T-shirt in honor of Tell Me Everything ! Sarah wanted Sudden Cove, the town in Tell Me Everything to feel like a Stars Hollow (from the Gilmore Girls ) of the west coast, or like Pawnee from Parks and Recreation . The Bigfoot Discovery Museum is real, Sarah did go there with fellow YA and MG author Kirsten Hubbard (author of Wanderlove , Watch the Sky , Race the Night and more -- listen to her First Draft interview here !) The purveyor of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum was a man who looked just like George R. R. Martin , author of the <a href="ht

Tue, August 06, 2019

Layer Cakes of Love with Siobhan Vivian, Kami Garcia, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and Jessica Brody

First Draft Episode #204: Siobhan Vivian, Kami Garcia, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and Jessica Brody on the “Pitter Patter: Writing Fresh Love Stories” from YALLFest 2018 Young Adult romcoms were the subject of the “Pitter Patter: Writing Fresh Love Stories” panel at YALLFest on Nov. 8, 2018. Hear contemporary romance writers compare makeout daydreams, talk about writing love in a time of #MeToo, and the lack of appreciation for stories with happy endings. Featuirng: Kami Garcia , New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Creatures and The Lovely Reckless and Broken, Beautiful Hearts , and more; Stephanie Kate Srtohm , author of Prince in Disguise , It’s Not Me It’s You and Love a la Mode and more; Siobhan Vivian , author of Stay Sweet and <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545169186/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=firstdraft05-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0545169186&linkId=d3bdbe11267570e55d99ffd7e188580a" t

Tue, July 30, 2019

Ambition and Acceptance with D.C. Pierson

First Draft Episode #202: D.C. Pierson D.C. Pierson, comedian, writer, filmmaker and author of The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To and Crap Kingdom , and co-writer and star of indie comedy movie Mystery Team , talks about getting more vulnerable with age, using his fiction to explore the gap between what we expect of the world and what turns out to be true, and being sick of not finishing things. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Dan Eckman and Meggie McFadden are two comedians D.C. has worked with for years, in part on an adaptation of D.C.’s first book, The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To D.C. loved the cover of his dad’s copy of Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton Rubber Soul was the one Beatles album D.C.’s family had on cassette or CD In conjunction with the documentary The Beatles Anthology, detailed compilations of B

Tue, July 30, 2019

Shedding False Humility with Simon Curtis

First Draft Episode #203: Simon Curtis Simon Curtis, pop star, actor, and author of Boy Robot and its forthcoming sequel. Listen to his brand-new singles, “Graduate” and “Rainbow” now! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Simon’s first big gig was as a part of the children’s choir for a national touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Simon’s “ It Gets Better ” video for The Trevor Project is beautiful and heartbreaking and very worth a watch. Early on when he got to LA, Simon was able to audition for Johnny Wright , manager for acts like New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, N*SYNC, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and more. Simon starred in Spectacular! a Nickelodeon TV movie Simon made his first album, 8 Bit Heart , after challenges in his acting career threw him into a depression LeVar Burton from Reading Rainbow and Michael Scott , author of The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, were two of the earliest voices encouraging Simon to write a novel <p class="" style=

Thu, July 18, 2019

Gaby Dunn

First Draft Episode #201: Gaby Dunn Gaby Dunn , co-author of the New York Times bestselling young adult novel I Hate Everyone But You with her writing partner Alison Raskin . The sequel, Please Send Help , is out now! Gaby and Alison also host the Just Between Us podcast and YouTube channel . Gaby is also the host of the podcast Bad With Money and author of the book Bad with Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together . LINKS AND TOPICS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Listen to Gaby’s first episode of First Draft with her co-author and comedy partner Allison Raskin here Gaby has a money book that came out in January called Bad With Money based on her podcast of the same name . Started the Bad With Money podcast because she is not a money expert at all and wanted to ask basic finance questions like “What is a stock?” or “What is a 401k?”. CNBC is a business and finance-based TV network (which was the launching pad for <a href="https://www.suzeorman.

Tue, July 16, 2019

Special 200th Episode

First Draft Episode #200: Special Anniversary Episode For the 200th episode of the First Draft with Sarah Enni podcast, previous guests sent in answers to questions like, where do you turn for inspiration? What are you hopes and dreams at this moment in your career? What do you do besides writing that makes you a more skillful storyteller? And, of course, any advice! Listen in to hear tips, tricks, and reassurances and encouragement from dozens of bestselling and award-winning writers! People Featured, and Links and Topics Mentioned, In This Episode Podcasts I listened to obsessively, which inspired me to start this podcast, include Fresh Air with Teri Gross , WTF with Marc Maron , and You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes Veronica Roth , author of the Divergent series, Carve the Mark duology and the forthcoming short story collection, The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future (listen to her First Draft podcasts here , here , and here ) Kayla Cagan , author of Piper Perish and Art Boss (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Will Hines , author of <a href

Tue, July 09, 2019

Robin Wasserman

First Draft Episode #199: Robin Wasserman Robin Wasserman , New York Times bestselling author of adult novel Girls on Fire , as well as young adult novels The Waking Dark , The Book of Blood and Shadow , Hacking Harvard , The Cold Awakening series, the Seven Deadly Sins series. Her next novel, to come out with Scribner, is Mother Daughter Widow Wife . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Robin loved Diane Wynne Jones and Stephen King as a kid, particularly Salem’s Lot , The Stand , and <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501182099/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=firstdraft05-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1501182099&linkId=2d62df16d73173b7cb48255a0f3c8f5c" target="_blan

Tue, July 02, 2019

Jonny Sun

First Draft Episode #198: Jonny Sun Jonny Sun , Canadian author and illustrator of Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too and Gmorning, Gnight! , TV writer on BoJack Horseman , screenwriter, one of TIME Magazine's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet in 2017, and a doctoral candidate at MIT and a creative researcher at the Harvard metaLAB . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Jonny remembers watching The Muppet Show as a kid (even though in some ways that really isn’t a kids show), and later he realized that was why he loved sketch comedy Jonny loved reading Calvin and Hobbes as a kid, and he read a good amount of Charlie Brown , Zits , and The Far Side , all of which were comedy The Wayside School books by Louis Sachar was Jonny’s intro into absurdist humor He watched American Pie (movie) with his family, lol Playwright David Ives , who Jonny calls the theater version of sketch comedy Jonny played Nathan Detroit in a production of Guys and Dolls , and his best friend played Sky Masterson — Jonny’s best friend went on to perform with Second City and is now appearing in Come From Away in Toronto

Tue, June 25, 2019

Linda Holmes

First Draft Episode #194: Linda Holmes Linda Holmes , pop-culture critic at NPR and co-host of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, is out with her debut author of Evvie Drake Starts Over . I loved what Linda had to say about how practicing appellate law helped hone her critical writing; getting used to listening to her own voice; how she manages anxiety and depression, and the difficulty in even acknowledging that she wanted to write a novel. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode I got the good NPR shirt, and the soup-sized mug , when I visited Linda to interview her at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. Linda’s interview on The Hilarious World of Depression podcast Television Without Pity , which became Previously.tv, which recently became PrimerTimer.com ! The Amazing Race was on the top of my mind when thinking about Television Without Pity Again With This , a podcast hosted by Sarah D. Bunting and Tara Ariano , two of the founders of Television Without Pity, who do episode-by-episode recaps of Beverly Hills 90210 Stephen Thompson , one of Linda’s dear friends and co-workers, worked at The Onion before joining NPR Linda’s writing was formerly hosted on the Monkey See blog at NPR, but <a href= "https://twitter.com/lindaholmes/status/1017768248883011584" target="_blank" rel="noope

Tue, June 18, 2019

Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith, Amy Andelson, and Emily Meyer

First Draft Episode #196: Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, Amy Andelson, and Emily Meyer Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith , Amy Andelson , and Emily Meyer are the team behind Trinkets , the Netflix TV series based on Kiwi’s young adult novel of the same name. Kiwi Smith is one half of the screenwriting team behind films like 10 Things I Hate About You , Legally Blonde , Ella Enchanted , and more, and the author of young adult novels The Geography of Girlhood , and Trinkets . Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer are the writing team behind films like Step Up 3D , Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List , and the young adult novel Layover , and they adapted Trinkets and are credited as co-creators of the TV show. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Every listener should check out the first episode of First Draft with Sarah Enni with Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer , when we talked about her first novel, Layover 10 Things I Hate About You was shot at Stadium High School in Tacoma, Wash. Shooting Trinkets on location in Portland, Ore. was a way to differentiate the show visually from glossier teen shows like Riverdale , and evoke classic teen shows like My So-Called Life <a href="https://awesomenesstv.com/" target="_bla

Tue, June 11, 2019

Jennifer Donnelly

First Draft Episode #195: Jennifer Donnelly Jennifer Donnelly, New York Times bestselling author of A Northern Light , Revolution , These Shallow Graves , and The Tea Rose series (incl. The Tea Rose ; The Winter Rose ; The Wild Rose ) and Waterfire Saga series (incl. Deep Blue ; Rogue Wave ; Dark Tide ; Sea Spell ), Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book , among others, who is back with the New York Times bestselling Stepsister . Jennifer talks about being raised on bedtime stories about life under the Hitler regime; how to deep-dive into writing a historical novel; and the joy of being obsessed. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Learn more about The First Draft Listener Club The New York Teen Author Carnival When Jennifer visited Portobello Road in East London, she felt like she was stepping back into the London of Charles Dickens (author of <a href= "h

Tue, June 04, 2019

Abdi Nazemian

First Draft Episode #194: Abdi Nazemian Abdi Nazemian , TV writer, producer of films like Call Me By Your Name , and author of Like a Love Story , The Authentics , and The Walk-In Closet , talks about discovering gay icons in the time before the internet, putting all your obsessions in your work, crying in coffee shops, and writing about history from an emotional standpoint, so we can repeat the best of it. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Abdi’s daughter has a PJ Harvey poster in her bedroom, which makes her the coolest seven-year-old on the block Archie comics were what turned Abdi into a voracious reader Andy Hardy , Christmas, and movies from the 30s and 40s were some of the Americana that made Abdi drawn to the U.S. culturally Tahereh Mafi , author of the Shatter Me series, A Very Large Expanse of Sea , Furthermore , and Whichwood (listen to Tahereh’s episode of First Draft here ) Old TV shows like I Love Lucy were deliberately sexless Judy Garland and Joan Crawford were two women who had public personas, but were hiding their interior lives. Abdi was drawn to that as a young, closeted gay man The book How to Be Gay by David M. Halperin dives into how certain films and people become gay icons <a href="https://amzn.to/2Mrni3c" t

Tue, May 28, 2019

Kate Spencer

First Draft Episode #193: Kate Spencer Kate Spencer, comedian, author of Dead Mom’s Club: A Memoir , and co-host of fabulous podcast Forever35 talks about the never-ending quest for confidence, exorcising grief and pain through writing, and how a podcast about serums became a podcast about feelings. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Amy Poehler, comedian, actress, writer, and director, who is not from the same town Kate is from, but they both grew up “outside Boston” Early on in childhood Kate fell for The BabySitter’s Club books by Ann M. Martin , and the Sweet Valley Twins series by Francine Pascal , and then she fell for Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett . Revisiting The Boxcar Children , written by Gertrude Chandler Warner , with her daughter was a special bonding experience Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and other “kids surviving intense circumstances” books are so fascinating, right?!? Kate’s eight-year-old daughter is plowing through Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novels, including Smile , <a href= "https

Tue, May 21, 2019

Lindsay Smith

First Draft Episode #192: Lindsay Smith Lindsay Smith, author of the forthcoming Alchemy of War , as well as Sekret, Skandal , Dreamstrider , A Darkly Beating Heart , The Witch Who Came in From the Cold , and the Saints of Russalka series, talks about growing as a writer through D&D, refiguring her writing process after being diagnosed with ADHD, and learning to value more than just productivity. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Hear Lindsay Smith’s first episode of First Draft with Sarah Enni here Lindsay has an AlphaSmart keyboard that she takes on the D.C. train system so she can write while she commutes One “What if?” that got Lindsay writing Alchemy of War was, “What if I took Inglourious Basterds (movie) but it was like Stranger Things (TV show)?” Lindsay was inspired to write A Darkly Beating Heart , after visiting Japan and staying in a historically preserved town meant to preserve the Edo Period Lindsay researched Rasputin for the hot villain in the Saints of Russalka series, including reading books about him and also jamming out to “ Ra Ra Rasputin ,” a disco song by German Euro group Boney M. Lindsay has written short stories for A Tyranny of Petticoats and Toil and Trouble , anthologies put together by fellow D.C. YA writer <a href="h

Tue, May 14, 2019

Ryan Graudin

First Draft Episode #191: Ryan Graudin Ryan Graudin, New York Times bestselling author of the Wolf by Wolf series, as well as Invictus and The Walled City , talks about staging  Redwall battles in the backyard, how bad teachers inspired her love of history, and how restrictions at key times in her life led her imagination to flourish.   Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Redwall series by Brian Jacques The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander were among the fantasy stories Ryan devoured after she discovered Redwall AIM : AOL instant messenger Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine was a novel Ryan devoured, and was so upset by the fact that it didn’t have a sequel that she made her first foray into fan fiction Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Bret Lott author of Oprah Book Club pick Jewel , who taught Ryan at the College of Charleston, where she majored in creative writing Cathedrals by Raymond Carver was the kind of high literary fiction that was all Ryan was allowed to write about in college (she turned to fantasy after graduation) <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City" target="_blank" rel="noopene

Tue, May 07, 2019

Stephanie Garber

First Draft Episode #190: Stephanie Garber Stephanie Garber , #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series, talks about turning to writing to escape burnout and depression from her first job, persevering when even her Mom told her the writing thing wasn’t meant to happen, and the things that make her nervous about releasing Finale , the final book in her breakout series. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The North Texas Teen Book Festival , which Stephanie and I were both in attendance this year. On the sidelines, we made time to sit down and chat for the podcast! SASE : an abbreviation for 'self-addressed stamped envelope.' An SASE is an envelope on which you have stuck a stamp and written your own name and address. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer ; The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld ; and Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr were among the first YA books that Stephanie discovered when she was rediscovering writing, while battling burnout and depression at her first job out of college Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshops , where Stephanie said they “eviscerated” her work—but she loved it Much like Anne Montgomery in the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery , Stephanie is a sensitive person who may or may not have ever exclaimed to be “in the depths of despair!” Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein , which inspired Stephanie to write Caraval (though the books are very different!) <a href="https://amzn.to/2V6rwMS" target="_blank" rel= "n

Tue, April 30, 2019

David Iserson

First Draft Episode #189: David Iserson David Iserson, screenwriter of The Spy Who Dumped Me , writer on Satu rday Night Live , United States of Tara , and New Girl , and author of YA novel Firecracker , talks about micro and macro humor, how unreliable narrators is one of the beautiful advantages of writing a book, co-writing as being in conversation with someone, and the merit of spite writing. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol was one of the only books marketed to boys that David read as a young boy Judy Blume, author of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing , and Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal were some of the books David read as a kid, because he wasn’t drawn to the “Boy who only throws strike-outs!” books B. Dalton Bookstore , where David would go shopping for books at the mall -- David says, “As a New Jersey pre-teen and teen, most of my memories are mall-related.” RIP B. Dalton! David was very, very into comic strips as a kid, like <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0836218051/ref

Tue, April 23, 2019

Ally Condie

First Draft Episode #188: Ally Condie Ally Condie, New York Times bestselling author of the Matched series, as well as Summerlost and The Darkdeep , co-written with Brendan Reichs. In this conversation, Ally talks about what inspired her to get an MFA after establishing herself as a bestselling author, always working on two things at once, and how the 2016 election gave Ally enough rage to write her newest young adult novel, murderous revenge story The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe . Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Planet of the Apes movies, which were filmed near where Ally grew up in rural Utah Ally was inspired by a blog post by Shannon Hale , New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Academy and Austenland , where she wrote about writing 1,000 words a day. Ally was inspired by Shannon to commit to daily word goals. She started with 500. Lisa Mangum , editor at Shadow Mountain press, which released Ally’s first few books Brandon Mull , New York TImes bestselling author of the Fablehaven and <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/144249

Tue, April 16, 2019

Will Hines

First Draft Episode #187: Will Hines Will Hines , improviser and actor, host of the podcast, “ Screw It: We’re Just Going to Talk About the Beatles ,” and author of How to be the Greatest Improviser on Earth joins me to talk about using his Tumblr to test audience engagement; the delicate nature of writing about a community you are a part of; his thorough approach to making the self-publication process as professional as possible; and his next (fictional) book about improv, co-written with fellow improviser Billy Merritt , Pirate Robot Ninja .   Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Josh Simpson , an improviser and teacher at the Upright Citizens Brigade training school in Los Angeles, and co-host of The Meat , an improv podcast Jimmy Breslin , a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and journalist, who wrote The Good Rat , The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight , and The World According to Breslin , and more The Upright Citizen’s Brigade , the improv group and school founded by Amy Poehler , Matt Besser , <a href= "https://www.google.

Tue, April 09, 2019

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar

First Draft Episode #184: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar   Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the TV and screenwriting duo behind Smallville and Into the Badlands , join Sarah to talk about their debut thriller, Double Exposure . The guys talk about how, even after writing and/or producing more than 300 hours of television and movies, they are still engaged in learning and improving their craft; getting on the superhero train WAY before the MCU; and delivering a satisfying ending in books. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Bugs , a BBC One TV show created by UK-based Carnival Films ( Agatha Christie’s Poirot ; Downton Abbey ; many others)  for which Al and Miles wrote two episodes The Hardy Boys series of children’s mysteries created by Edward Stratemeyer (who also created Nancy Drew )  and written by ghostwriters under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon The Peter Stark Producer program at USC , where Alfred and Miles met and learned all aspects of the film industry Laura Ziskin , producer of No Way Out , and Pretty Woman , who was an influential teacher at the USC film production program to Al and Miles William Goldman , an author ( Adventures in the Screen Trade , The Princess Bride , many, many others) and screenwriter ( Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ; All the President’s Men , among many others) renowned for writing scripts that entertained the reader -- a trend followed by screenwriters Shane Black ( Lethal Weapon ; The Last Boy Scout ) and Joe Eszterhas ( Flashdance ; Basic Instinct ) John August , Al and Miles’ classmate at USC and screenwriter of <a href

Tue, April 02, 2019

Rhett Miller

First Draft Episode #184: Rhett Miller Rhett Miller (find him on Twitter and Instagram ), musician and writer, is a solo artist as well as lead singer of The Old 97s . His first book for children, No More Poems: A Book in Verse That Just Gets Worse , illustrated by Dan Santat (listen to his First Draft episode here ). Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode How Rhett’s given name is Stewart Ransom, sorta like Ransom Riggs , author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (listen to his First Draft podcast episode here ) His childhood biking to the original location of Half-Price Books , now a national chain. Rhett tore through the Ian Fleming James Bond series as a kid And he got to meet one of his literary heroes, Kurt Vonnegut , in real life, but the interaction didn’t go quite as planned As a kid, Rhett’s mother would read aloud to them Helter Skelter , the account of the Charles Manson and Manson Family murders written by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry I discuss how Jon Klassen was on First Draft and discussed becoming a more empathetic, feeling person and artist as he grew older Stephen King books that had an impact on Rhett include On Writing , 11/22/63 , and his book with his son, Owen King, Sleeping Beauties   The Fault in Our Stars by John Green being one of the books Rhett has read with his kids as a way to talk about difficult subjects, head-on   How being insp

Tue, March 26, 2019

Bridget Tyler

First Draft Episode #184: Bridget Tyler   Bridget Tyler (find her on Twitter and Instagram , too!), debut author of The Pioneer , comes to First Draft with Sarah Enni to talk about adventure and sci-fi, getting outside of her own bubble for storytelling perspective, avoiding the Leia-Han love story trope... and in a First Draft exclusive,  Bridget reveals the name of the sequel to The Pioneer ! Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode Return of the Jedi , episode VI of the Star Wars saga The Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene (who was actually numerous ghostwriters)     The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey The original Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson , who also co-created The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series. Small world! Hunter , a mid-eighties crime drama featuring former American football player Fred Dryer Game of Thrones , the HBO television series based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire     Care Bears are fictional characters originally created for greeting cards that branched into other media, including a popular children’s animated series. How Bridget Tyler almost lived out all of our Veronica Mars fantasies How her first pilot was 7th Heaven meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer Hell

Tue, March 19, 2019

Jon Klassen

First Draft Episode #183: Author and Illustrator Jon Klassen   Jon Klassen, Caldecott Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the “I Want My Hat Back” series, as well as the illustrator of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett; The Dark by Lemony Snicket; House Held Up by Trees by Ted Kooser; Cats' Night Out by Caroline Stutson; and many more. Find him on Twitter , Instagram , and Tumblr ! Circle , the third and final book in Barnett and Klassen’s “ Triangle , Circle, and Square ” series, is available now where books are sold! In the course of our conversation, Jon and I discuss how his early experience as a set designer changed how he thought about picture book audiences, why he felt that painting objects or animals had as much emotional impact as human characters, and how the personal arc of his best-known series, I Want My Hat Back , went from ironic detachment to artistic earnestness.   Links and Topics Mentioned in This Episode The Little Mermaid was one of the Disney movies that made Jon aware of animating as a job Maurene Goo , author of Somewhere Only We Know , The Way You Make Me Feel , I Believe in a Thing Called Love , and Since You Asked (Listen to Maurene’s first , second , and third episodes of First Draft ) Chris Appelhans , co-director of Wish Dragon , an animated feature scheduled for release on July 26, 2019 Arts Center One of Jon’s earliest jobs was working on Coraline , the animated film based on the book from Neil Gaiman and

Tue, March 12, 2019

Lilliam Rivera

Lilliam Rivera , author of THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ , is back with DEALING IN DREAMS , out now!  She talks about writing a Latinx future, entering a room with hope, and getting to meet Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.   Lilliam Rivera 2.0 Show Notes Lilliam’s first interview on First Draft here Ingrid Rojas Contreras , author of FRUIT OF THE DRUNKEN TREE Amerie Zareen Jaffrey , executive editor at Simon & Schuster Anderson Cooper A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange (movie) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton The Warriors (movie) Mad Max Fury Road (movie) Ray Bradbury Justice Sonia Sotomayor <a href="http://www.pa

Tue, March 05, 2019

Soman Chainani

Soman Chainani , New York Times bestselling author of the SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL series, including the most recent A CRYSTAL OF TIME (out today!) talks about the insidiousness of triumphant good, how tutoring taught him discipline, and the epic battle of Serena Williams versus Maria Sharapova.   Soman Chainani Show Notes The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice Renee Ahdieh , author of The Wrath & the Dawn series and Flame in the Mist (listen to her First Draft podcast here ) 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Cinderella Ate me Daughter by Peggy Orenstein Soman’s appearance on the Tim Ferriss podcast</span

Fri, March 01, 2019

Sarah Enni Q&A

Sarah Enni , debut author of TELL ME EVERYTHING and usually the host of the First Draft podcast , answers questions from past First Draft interviewees about craft and ego, staying on schedule, Bob Costas’ pink-eye story, the evolution of her interview style, Hammer the cat’s origin story.   Sarah Enni bonus episode show notes Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft episode here ) Nic Stone , author of DEAR MARTIN and ODD ONE OUT (listen to her First Draft podcast here ) Kristen Kittscher , author of WIG IN THE WINDOW and TIARA ON THE TERRACE (listen to her First Draft podcast here ) Bullet journal Allie Brosh’s comics about procrastination Shane Pangburn (listen to his First Draft podcast here ) Kate Hart , author of AFTER THE FALL (listen to Kate Hart’s First Draft interview here ) Bob Costas Tochi Onyebuchi , BEASTS MADE OF NIGHT and CROWN OF THUNDER (listen to his First Draft podcast here ) The Deftones , lead singer Chino Moreno The Darkness, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” <a href="https://www.victoriaaveyard.com"

Tue, February 26, 2019

Sarah Enni

Sarah Enni , debut author of TELL ME EVERYTHING and usually the host of the First Draft podcast , answers questions from fellow YA writer Maurene Goo ! Sarah shares her lengthy path to publishing, the role of humor and tone in contemporary fiction, her outlining process, and the one cross-country flight that changed everything.   Sarah Enni Show Notes Maurene Goo , author of the upcoming SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW and THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL , I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE , and SINCE YOU ASKED The Giver by Lois Lowry Lord of the Flies by William Golding Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Xenon: Girl of the 21st Century (movie) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer YALLWEST Zan Romanoff (listen to her First Draft podcast here ) Seattle Metropolitan Washington Business Journal American Lion by Jon Meacham The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson Sara Zarr (listen to her First Draft podcast here ) Ameriie Interstellar (movie) Tahereh Mafi (listen to her FIrst Draft interview here ) Kate Hart (listen to her First Draft interview here ) <a href

Tue, February 19, 2019

Ep 178: Amanda Maciel

Amanda Maciel Show Notes TELL ME EVERYTHING by Sarah Enni TEASE by Amanda Maciel LUCKY GIRL by Amanda Maciel Post Secret (social media site) Michelle Schusterman David Levithan Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi Nina Goffi Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Tue, February 12, 2019

Sarah Burnes

Sarah Burnes , literary agent with The Gernert Company. She has been my agent since 2013. I loved what Sarah had to say about her approach to the slush pile, the myth of work-life balance, and her “no assholes” rule.   Sarah Burnes Show Notes The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar Alloy book packaging company Zan Romanoff (Listen to her First Draft episode here ) Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia Pseudonymous Bosch Jon Gertner Witches of America by Alex Marr Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by   Ruth Franklin Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney <a href= "https://stephen

Tue, February 05, 2019

Susan Dennard

Susan Dennard is the New York Times bestselling author of the SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY series and THE WITCHLANDS series. Her newest novel in that series, BLOODWITCH , is out February 12.   Susan Dennard Show Notes Susan’s wikipedia page Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander Cinder by Marissa Meyer Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (hear her First Draft interviews here and here ) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Paul Scheer (host of How Did This Get Made ) Joanna Volpe , literary agent at New Leaf Literary <

Tue, January 29, 2019

Robin LaFevers

Robin LaFevers , author of the New York Times bestselling HIS FAIR ASSASSINS series, talks about the memories that live on in our bodies, the downside to critique groups, and how writing her breakout series retriggered old trauma--sidelining her ability to write for more than a year. She worked her way, physically and emotionally, back to write the latest in the series, COURTING DARKNESS , out February 5, 2019.   Robin LaFevers Show Notes The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Writer Unboxed SCBWI RWA (Romance Writers of America) Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart Jesus Camp (documentary) Donald Maass (agent and author of Writing the Breakout Novel ) Leigh Bardugo (listen to her First Draft episodes here and <a href= "https://www.f

Tue, January 22, 2019

Renée Watson

Ren é e Watson , New York Times bestselling author of PIECING ME TOGETHER a Newberry Honor book and winner of the Coretta Scott King award, THIS SIDE OF HOME , and many others, and co-author of WATCH US RISE , out February 12. Renée is also founder and executive director of the I, Too Arts Foundation , a non-profit organization housed in the home of legendary poet Langston Hughes, committed to nurturing voices from underrepresented communities in the creative arts.   Renée Watson Show Notes Renée Watson’s first First Draft interview I, Too Arts Collective Dreamyard Community Word Project A Place Where Hurricanes Happen by Renee Watson Langston Hughes Kate Messner (author) Kendolyn Walker , program director at I, Too Jennifer Baker , social media director at I, Too and co-host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast <a href= "https://easternpennpoin

Tue, January 15, 2019

Roshani Chokshi

Roshani Chokshi , New York Times bestselling author of THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN , CROWN OF WISHES , and the ARU SHAH series talks about the first book in her latest young adult series, THE GILDED WOLVES , out January 15. She talks about connecting to her history through fairy tales, how being voted most likely to succeed caused a lot of angst, and the pressure of picking an AIM away message.   Roshani Chokshi Show Notes Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley Jhumpa Lahiri AFI (band) Thursday (band) Deftones (band) Harry Potter Sailor Moon (cartoon) Christiane Amanpour (TV broadcast journalism) His Girl Friday Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (book) The Young Elites by Marie Lu (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) Rick Riordan His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman Stormrunner by J. C. Cervantes Stephanie Lurie , Editorial Director, Rick Riordan Presents (Disney-Hyperion) Claire Legrand (listen to her First Draft interview here ) National Treasure (movie)

Tue, January 08, 2019

Tracey Neithercott

Tracey Neithercott , author of Gray Wolf Island , talks about being inspired by unsolved mysteries and real life treasure hunters, how writing shapes our identities, and how she wrote her debut book while dealing with a life-altering chronic pain diagnosis.   Tracey Neithercott Show Notes The Bodyguard (movie) Whitney Houston Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Dawson’s Creek (TV show) Kiersten White (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Absolute Write The Fault in Our Stars by John Green Sarah LaPolla , literary agent Stand By Me (movie) Oak Island Astonishing Legends podcast about Oak Island Forrest Fenn (antiquities dealer who buried a treasure) </p

Wed, January 02, 2019

Melissa Albert

Melissa Albert , New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood and its forthcoming sequel, as well as Tales from the Hinterlands , talks about stuffing her debut book with secret book recommendations, the borderlessness of being a young reader, and loving angry girls in fiction.   Melissa Albert Show Notes Vera Nabokov The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin Lolita Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner Wise Child by Monica Furlong Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie Hook (movie) Charles de Lint Helen Oyeyemi Philip Pullman’s Grimm Brothers translation Roshani Chokshi’s forthcoming trio of novellas Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado Kelly Link Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo (listen to her First Draft episodes here and here ) Tales of the Peculiar by <a href= "http://ransom

Tue, December 18, 2018

Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen , #1 New York Times bestselling author of ONCE AND FOR ALL , J UST LISTEN , THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER and many more. Her newest novel, THE REST OF THE STORY , will come out in June 2019.   Sarah Dessen Show Notes Jackie Collins Stephen King Mary Higgins Clark Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft interviews here , here , and here ) Alexander London (listen to his First Draft interviews here and here ) Melissa Walker Doris Betts (writing teacher at UNC) John Green <a href="https://www.jo

Tue, December 11, 2018

Elana K. Arnold

Elana K. Arnold , author of YA books Damsel , What Girls Are Made Of , Infandous , and Middle Grade series A Boy Called Bat , and many more, talks about working until the book feels worthy, reusing structure, and uncovering a deep well of rage in her writing.   Elana K. Arnold Show Notes 2.0 Elana’s first First Draft interview His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman Martha Brockenbrough , author of Unpresidented An Ordinary Day by Elana K. Arnold (picture book coming out next year)

Tue, December 04, 2018

Nina LaCour

Nina LaCour , author of We Are Okay , winner of the 2018 Printz Award, and other contemporary YA titles like Everything Leads to You and Hold Still , joins me to talk about how she’s expanding her teaching role with The Slow Novel Lab , and an exciting new podcast venture called Keeping a Notebook .   Nina LaCour Show Notes Nina LaCour’s first First Draft interview Lorde’s album Pure Heroine We Are Okay Nina’s interview on Yin Chang’s podcast, 88 Cups of Tea Alfred Hitchcock The Castle of Otranto , a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole Virginia Woolf Jane Eyre Wuthering Heights Frida Kahlo (Artist) Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour Keeping a Notebook (and <a href= "https://open.spotify

Tue, November 27, 2018

Peter Stone

Peter Stone, debut author of THE PERFECT CANDIDATE , talks about his time in Washington (before the onset of the 24-hour news cycle), how interns run the world, and how writing a speech for his wife led him to finally try a novel.   Peter Stone Show Notes The Firm by John Grisham YALLWEST YALLFest Watergate (for more, listen to Slow Burn Season 1 ) Monica Lewinsky (for more, listen to Slow Burn Season 2 ) Chandra Levy The My Favorite Murder podcast episode about Chandra Levy’s death The NPR Politics podcast The Wilderness (by Crooked Media) JonBenet Ramsey Laci Peterson Newt Gingrich Old Ebbitt Grill (bar in Washington, D.C.) The <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Tue, November 20, 2018

Holly Black

Holly Black , Newberry Honoree and New York Times bestselling author of many things, including many series such as the SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES , THE CURSE WORKER , MAGISTERIUM , and her most recent series, FOLK OF THE AIR . The latest book in that series, THE WICKED KING , comes out January 8 —the tour dates to support that book were just released on Hypable today ! Holly Black Show Notes   Tony DiTerlizzi , her artist for S piderwick Chronicles Faeries by Brian Froud and Alan Lee OwlCrate FairyLoot Third Eye Blind The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice <a href= "https://theauthorvillage.com/presenters/kevin-lewi

Tue, November 13, 2018

Robin Talley

Robin Talley —a uthor of LIES WE TELL OURSELVES , WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND , AS I DESCENDED , OUR OWN PRIVATE UNIVERSE —talks about her newest novel, PULP . Robin shares insight about transitioning into being a full-time writer and stay-at-home mom, writing a Judy Blume book for queer girls, and writing books with her younger self in mind.   Robin Talley Show Notes Robin’s previous First Draft episode Simon Versus the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (listen to her First Draft episode here ) Dahlia Adler Pacemaker Scrivener Forever by Judy Blume Love, Simon (movie) Ann Bannon (famous lesbian pulp author) <a href="https://en.wikiped

Thu, November 08, 2018

Andy Weir

Andy Weir , New York Times best-selling author of THE MARTIAN and his new stand-alone Sci-Fi novel, ARTEMIS . This interview is a live recording of the in-conversation I had with Andy for New York Comic Con . I loved hearing Andy talk about moon economies, managing anxiety, and how science makes his books living documents.   Andy Weir Show Notes The Martian (movie) Matt Damon playing Brett Kavanaugh on SNL Neil Degrasse Tyson Andy’s Business Insider article on the economy of a moon colony

Tue, November 06, 2018

The Ripped Bodice owners, Bea and Leah Koch

Bea and Leah Koch, two sisters who co-own The Ripped Bodice , the only brick and mortar bookstore in the U.S. to sell exclusively romance titles, who were named 2017 RWA Steffie Walker Booksellers of the Year by the Romance Writers of America and recently struck an overall deal with Sony Pictures . I loved what Bea and Leah had to say about being activist booksellers, retraining romance readers, and becoming advocates for representation and change in publishing. Bea and Leah Koch, owners of The Ripped Bodice, Show Notes Women and Children First (bookstore in Illinois) The Ripped Bodice Kickstarter Preeti Chhibber (of Scholastic) Word bookstore’s Romance Book Club Greenlight (bookstore in Brooklyn) Ashley C. Ford (author and editor running the Green Light romance book club ) The Ripped Bodice State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Report ( 2016 and 2017 ) (The New York Times artiicle detailing the report’s findings, “ In Love W

Tue, October 30, 2018

Tiffany D. Jackson

Tiffany D. Jackson — author of ALLEGEDLY , whose latest book, MONDAY’S NOT COMING , is out now! Her next book, LET ME HEAR A RHYME , is due out May 21, 2019! —talks about still considering herself a newbie writer, the allure of horror stories, and being honest about the emotions of publishing.   Tiffany Jackson Show Notes   There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins   Get Out (movie) American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Tue, October 23, 2018

Laini Taylor

Laini Taylor is a National Book Award finalist for Lips Touch Three Times , New York Times bestseller for the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, and Printz Honoree for Strange the Dreamer and its sequel, Muse of Nightmares , out now!   Laini Taylor Show Notes John Grisham Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel Victoria Aveyard (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) Jim di Bartolo , illustrator and Laini’s husband SCBWI The National Book Award Arthur Levine , publisher at Scholastic In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim di Bartolo Printz Award <a href= "https://franlengo.myshopify.com/collections/l

Tue, October 16, 2018

Tochi Onyebuchi

Tochi Onyebuchi , author of CROWN OF THUNDER , the second book in the BEASTS MADE OF NIGHT series--which is out now--talks about the audacity of new writers’ ideas, writing himself and his family into a book for the first time, and being an award-winning witness.   Tochi Onyebuchi Show Notes The Los Angeles TImes Festival of Books (listen to my interview with the festival’s Associate Director of Events Programming , Maret Orliss, here ) Korn Linkin Park The Wikipedia entry of Nigerian-Americans Lie Down In Darkness by William Styron Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton , James Madison , and John Jay <a href="http://www.reneeahdieh.com

Tue, October 09, 2018

Sam Maggs

Sam Maggs , author of A FANGIRL’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY: A Handbook for Geek Girls and WONDER WOMEN: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History , talks about her most recent book, GIRL SQUADS , a non-fiction collection of 20 female friendships that changed history. Sam shares the Google search that kicked off the new book, the surprising (and alarming) stories she stumbled on while researching GIRL SQUADS, and deploying her pronunciation skills for the audiobook.   Sam Maggs Show Notes   The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, CA   Wonder Women by Sam Maggs   Zohra, the all-female orchestra in Afghanistan   1964 Japanese women’s volleyball team Magical Beatdown by Jen Woodall , illustrator

Tue, October 02, 2018

Nic Stone

Nic Stone , New York Times bestselling author of DEAR MARTIN , talks about her newest young adult novel, ODD ONE OUT , out October 9! Nic talks about lies of imagination versus lies of convenience,  “high taste” readers, and the benefits of eavesdropping.   Nic Stone Show Notes   Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi Brandy Colbert (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) Spelman College “ Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors ,” a friendship theory by Rudine Sims Bishop Christopher Myers and Chris Jackson , publishers of their own imprints at Random House Kwame Alexander Mae Carol Jemison (Astronaut) The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Tue, September 25, 2018

Alex London

Alex London --author of the Proxy Series, the Wild Ones series, and more, about his new young adult novel, BLACK WINGS BEATING --talks about the patriarchal influence on narrative structure, considering queer heroism, being terrified of coming back to YA, and why Jonathan Franzen owes him a thank you note.   Alex London Show Notes Alex London’s first episode of First Draft The Wild Ones Junior Library Guild The Adventures of Wrong Man and Power Girl Hope Nation edited by Rose Brock Ursula K. le Guin H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald The Once and Future King by T. H. White Mike Dupuy Hawk Food Mary Fran Rash, Owner of Main Street Books in St. Charles, MO YALLFEST <a href="http://www.adamgid

Tue, September 18, 2018

Sara Farizan

Sara Farizan , author of IF YOU COULD BE MINE and TELL ME AGAIN HOW A CRUSH SHOULD FEEL , talks about her newest novel, HERE TO STAY , out now! Sara talks about love as a human rights issue, writing action sequences, and why she chose not to write in Charles Barkley’s voice.   Sara Farizan Show Notes New England Mobile Book Fair James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Sesame Street The Office (TV show) The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish John Irving When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here and <span style="font-weight: 40

Tue, September 11, 2018

Nova Ren Suma

Nova Ren Suma , New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us , Imaginary Girls , and more, talks about her newest novel, A Room Away From the Wolves , out now! Nova shares what she learned from ghostwriting, talks about finding New York through the myths of her mother, and talks about discovering her strange self.   Nova Ren Suma show notes Imaginary Girls Margaret Atwood Fear of Flying by Erica Jong Mary Higgins Clark Antioch College Feathered by Laura Kasischke Francesca Lia Block (listen to her First Draft episode here ) Laura Ruby Bennett Madison The MacDowell Colony Micol Ostow (author) Kate Angelella (editor at Simon and Schuster</spa

Tue, September 04, 2018

Courtney Summers

Courtney Summers , author of many books including CRACKED UP TO BE , THIS IS NOT A TEST , ALL THE RAGE , and her newest novel which comes out today, SADIE , talks about not wanting to do a book a year again, seeing her career shift 10 years in, how she thinks about her abrupt endings, sticking with the heart of the novel, and podcasts.   Courtney Summers 2.0 Show Notes   Hear Courtney’s first First Draft interview (with bonus Veronica Roth) here ! PLEASE REMAIN CALM , the ebook sequel to THIS IS NOT A TEST Serial (podcast) S Town (podcast) Sara Goodman , Courtney’s editor at Wednesday Books (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Emily Hainsworth (author) Interstellar (movie) Maurene

Tue, August 28, 2018

Somaiya Daud

Somaiya Daud , debut author of YA sci-fi book MIRAGE , was the very first author I ever interviewed for First Draft Podcast. We had a lot to catch up on since then, so listen now to hear about Somaiya’s bumpy path to publication, the way race plays into our concepts of the future and, of course, Star Wars!   Somaiya Daud Show Notes   Somaiya Daud’s first interview with First Draft Podcast J. R. R. Tolkien William Gibson Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Emma by Jane Austen One Thousand and One Nights Sheherazade Historiography Star Wars Alloy Entertainment Chelsea Grimmer The Poetry Vlog Somaiya Daud on The Poetry Vlog Provincializing Europe by Dipesh Chakrabarty Ex Machina</sp

Tue, August 21, 2018

Jessica Spotswood

Jessica Spotswood , author of the CAHILL WITCH CHRONICLES , WILD SWANS , and T HE LAST SUMMER OF THE GARRETT GIRLS , as well as editor of A TYRANNY OF PETTICOATS , THE RADICAL ELEMENT , and of TOIL & TROUBLE: 15 TALES OF WOMEN AND WITCHCRAFT , which comes out August 28!   Jessica Spotswood Show Notes Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Michele Volanksy , Dean of Dramaturgy at Washington College The Laramie Project (play) Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Ira Glass’s quote on creativity Tiffany Schmidt Jessica’s Reddit AMA about editing anthologies Slasher Girls and Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke Beth Revis (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Andrea Creamer Marie Lu (listen to her First Dr

Tue, July 31, 2018

Julian Winters

Julian Winters , author of RUNNING WITH LIONS , talks about starting to write so he could create happy endings for his own life, being more creative when working at night, wanting to chuck the rulebook, and his nontraditional publishing journey.   Julian Winters Show Notes One Direction Felicity (TV show) Scandal (TV show) Scott Foley Kirsten Hubbard (listen to her First Draft podcast here ) Sara Farizan (author of IF YOU COULD BE MINE and TELL ME AGAIN HOW A CRUSH SHOULD FEEL and the forthcoming HERE TO STAY ) BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan Robbie Rogers (out soccer player) Nic Stone (author of DEAR MARTIN and the forthco

Tue, July 24, 2018

Katie Cotugno

Katie Cotugno , author of HOW TO LOVE , FIREWORKS , TOP TEN , and 99 DAYS and its sequel, 9 DAYS AND 9 NIGHTS , talks about the correlation between how she’s feeling and whether she’s writing, her ten-year debut novel, and making sense in the quiet after the loud. Katie Cotugno Show Notes The Baby-Sitters Club Sweet Valley High The Saddle Club Roald Dahl Judy Blume Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here and here !) Robin Benway (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) <span style= "font-wei

Tue, July 17, 2018

Emily X. R. Pan

Emily X. R. Pan , debut author of the New York Times bestselling THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER , talks about how she discovered her creative life after going to business school, her many years of writing and re-writing her book, and finding her bravery to put herself on the page. Emily X. R. Pan Show notes: Little Brown Books for Young Readers The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice NYU Stern School of Business Penguin (now Penguin Random House ) Professor Chuck Wachtel at NYU Buddhism Taoism “ Losing Face ” in Chinese culture Confucianism Mahayana Buddhism Coco (movie) Noggin by John Corey Whaley FORESHADOW: A Serial YA Anthology

Tue, July 10, 2018

Brendan Kiely

Brendan Kiely , author of THE GOSPEL OF WINTER , THE LAST TRUE LOVE STORY , and co-author of ALL AMERICAN BOYS . His newest novel, TRADITION , is an exploration of the insidious nature of tradition at a prestigious boarding school. Brendan talks about the nature of authorship, the heroic value of humility, and working hard to not have an office.   Brendan Kiely Show Notes Victoria Aveyard (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) Jessie Chaffee (Brendan’s wife) When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds Rob Weisbach (Brendan’s agent) Leigh Bardugo (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) <span style= "font-weigh

Tue, July 03, 2018

Adrienne Young

Adrienne Young , New York Times bestselling author of SKY IN THE DEEP , talks about having a no-boundaries critique partner relationship, unhealthy (but effective) drafting processes, and how Saturn’s return led to her debut novel.   Adrienne Young Show Notes Edward Scissorhands (movie) Labyrinth (movie) The Nightmare Before Christmas (movie) Beetlejuice (movie) Kristin Dwyer Mysterious Galaxy

Mon, June 25, 2018

Caroline Kepnes

Caroline Kepnes— author of YOU and its sequel HIDDEN BODIES , soon to be a Lifetime drama series starring Penn Badgley— talks about her most recent novel, PROVIDENCE , talks about her Cape Cod sensibility, writing while literally regaining her voice, and having her writing debut in Sassy magazine.   Caroiine Kepnes Show Notes Go here to vote for PROVIDENCE to be the first-ever pick for the Tonight Show Book Club And be sure to tune in to LIFETIME on September, 9, 2018 at 10/9 CT for the premiere of YOU ! Hop on Pop Richard Scarry Beezus and Ramona Judy Blume Sweet Valley High Sassy magazine Christina Kelly (editor of Sassy magazine) “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crowes (song) YM Magazine <a href="https://www.imdb.com/tit

Tue, June 19, 2018

Aminah Mae Safi

Aminah Mae Safi , debut author of NOT THE GIRLS YOU’RE LOOKING FOR , talks about writing hangry characters, trying to make fetch happen in a book, how fantasy stories hold an inherent appeal to children of immigrants, and how artists have to have batshit belief in themselves. Aminah Mae Safi Show Notes Lauren Anderson (first black female ballet dancer, in Houston) Foucault Reza Aslan Inigo Montoya Kirsten Hubbard (her First Draft interview here ) Article about foreign translators talking about interpreting President Trump Emmanuel Macron The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Brandy Colbert The Never-Ending Story (movie) Winter of Fire book by Sherryl Jordan Bachelorette (movie) Mean Girls (movie) <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Lette

Tue, June 12, 2018

Maurene Goo

Maurene Goo, author of SINCE YOU ASKED , I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE and the recently-released THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL , joins me to talk about planning book launches. Then, hear the live audio from when I helped Maurene launch THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL at The Ripped Bodice in Culver City, California.   Maurene Goo Show Notes Brandy Colbert Stephanie Kuehn CVT Soft Serve (food truck) The Ripped Bodice (bookstore) Fierce Reads Riverdale (TV show) Vroman’s Bookstore Edward Cullen Glow (TV show) La Brea Tar Pits Griffith Park Observatory John Cho Jem and the Holograms (movie) The Hindenburg disaster Scott Campbell (illustrator) <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632/"

Tue, June 05, 2018

Morgan Matson

Morgan Matson, New York Times bestselling author of THE UNEXPECTED EVERYTHING , SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE , and her latest YA, SAVE THE DATE , talks about having the eleventh book be the hardest yet, “flashpoint” stories, the Morganverse, her unusual editing process, and writing a book in movies’ clothing.   Morgan Matson 2.0 Show Notes The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson For Better or For Worse (comic strip) Noises Off by Michael Frayn Morgan’s first First Draft episode Katie Finn (Morgan’s alter ego) Foxtrot (comic strip) Calvin & Hobbes (comic strip) Doonsebury (comic strip) Justin Chanda , Vice President and Publisher at Simon and Schuster Diya Mishra Father of the Bride (movie) <a href= "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088128/?ref_=nv

Thu, May 24, 2018

Francesca Lia Block

Francesca Lia Block , author of more than 25 books, including seminal YA novel Weetzie Bat, talks about her most recent book, THE THORN NECKLACE , a memoir-driven guide to healing through the craft of writing. Francesca talks about meshing her life with that of her most favorite character, shares some incredibly useful writing exercises, and talks about *when* to do research.   Francesca Lia Block Show Notes Joni Mitchell Harry Houdini Linda Venis , former head of the UCLA extension Writers Program H.D., “ Sea Rose ” The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Jill Alexander Essbaum Fairies in the Kitchen: The Weetzie Bat Cookbook by Carmen Staton and Francesca Lia Block The Midnight Disease by Alice W. Flaherty Hypergraphia Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives by Louise DeSalvo Bird by Bird: Some Instructions

Tue, May 22, 2018

Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, soon-to-be-married couple and co-authors of debut, ALWAYS NEVER YOURS (out now!), talk about the joke that brought them together, having co-writing modeled for them by Emily’s parents, and the fact that “whom” will never be in a YA contemporary. Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley Show Notes Cormac and Marianne Wibberley , screenwriting couple who wrote films such as National Treasure Why Won’t You Date Me (podcast) with Nicole Byer 21 Jump Street (movie) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Tue, May 22, 2018

Becky Albertalli

Becky Albertalli , New York Times bestselling author of LEAH ON THE OFF BEAT , SIMON VERSUS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA , and co-author of WHAT IF IT’S US , with Adam Silvera, due out in October. Becky talks about how seeing Simon become a movie made her want to write more cinematically, how good AND bad news can be paralyzing while you are revising on deadline, her number one OTP, and retconning her own series and characters.   Becky Albertalli Show Notes Margot Wood from Epic Reads Greg Berlanti Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger who wrote This is Us (TV show) and the script for Love, Simon Isaac Klausner Aminah Mae Safi Adam Silvera (listen to his First Draft interview here ) Brooks Sherman More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera <a href="http://www.johngree

Tue, May 15, 2018

Victoria Aveyard

Victoria Aveyard , whose latest novel, WAR STORM , is the final volume in the New York Times best-selling RED QUEEN series, talks about how Harry Potter led her to value fat books, balancing fan expectations with the demands of story, promo vs. creative mode, and staying hydrated on planes.   Victoria Aveyard 2.0 Show Notes Victoria Aveyard’s first First Draft podcast Suzie Townsend (literary agent) New Leaf Literary Scrivener Avengers: Infinity War (movie) Empire podcast about Infinity War The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien The Mark Duplass interview on Pete Holmes’ You Made it Weird Podcast

Tue, May 08, 2018

Britta Lundin

Britta Lundin , whose debut novel SHIP IT , is out now, talks about being a TV writer ( Riverdale ), choosing to tell queer stories, and being shaped by her fandoms. 

Tue, May 01, 2018

YALLWEST producers Shane Pangburn and Tori Hill

Shane Pangburn and Tori Hill , producers of the YALLWEST book festival, on starting operations off a wedding budget, sending S.O.S. emails, and operating in good faith with festival organizers. Tori Hill and Shane Pangburn, producers of YALLWEST, Show Notes Margaret Stohl Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia Pseudonymous Bosch Lewis Peterson, co-author of Cats vs. Robots with Margaret Stohl YALLFest Blue Bicycle Books Santa Monica Public Library Teen ambassadors Maret Orliss , Associate Director of Programming at the LA Times (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Writeopia Labs

Tue, April 24, 2018

Kirsten Hubbard

Kirsten Hubbard , author of YA novels Like Mandarin and Wanderlove , as well as middle grade novels Watch the Sky , Race the Night , and most recently, Secrets of Topsea: A Friendly Town That’s Almost Always By the Ocean (as Kir Fox, co-written with Michelle Schusterman , as M. Shelley Coats), talks about the time both of our lives simultaneously blew up, and how we helped each other rebuild. Also: how having a twin means she’s always written for an audience, the pleasures of re-reading, and writing with ADHD.   Kirsten Hubbard Show Notes Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) Egmont USA closing Kaitlin Ward (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar Welcome to Night Vale (podcast) <a href="http://www.newleaf

Tue, April 17, 2018

Maret Orliss

Maret Orliss , Associate Director of Events Programming for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books , talks about how authors can stand out to festival programmers, what the L.A. Times is doing in response to sexual harassment accusations in the book world, and the best Margaret Atwood festival story.   Maret Orliss Show Notes Cecil Castellucci Lisa Yee The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman Reading Aloud , Nate Corddry’s books podcast Brandy Colbert Amy Spalding John Scalzi Roxane Gay Jacqueline Woodson Far From the Tree by Robin Benway Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show

Tue, April 10, 2018

Sara Saedi

Sara Saedi , author of NEVER EVER and its sequel, THE LOST KIDS (out today!), as well as YA memoir AMERICANIZED: REBEL WITHOUT A GREEN CARD , talks about her earliest boy-meets-girl story, how being the child of immigrants made her write her first screenplay, soap operas as writing boot camp,the blessing of living in the time of email, and putting a narrative onto your own life.   Sara Saedi Show Notes Cocktail (movie) Rain Man (movie) The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin Brooke Bowman She’s All That (movie) M. Night Shyalaman Tom Jacobson (producer) The Goodwin Games (TV show) How I Met Your Mother (TV show) Carter Bays Craig Thomas Scott Foley <a href= "http://foundry

Thu, April 05, 2018

Ava Dellaira

Ava Dellaira --whose most recent novel, In Search of Us , is out now!--talks about adapting her first novel into a screenplay, the mixed blessing of selling on proposal, and how she never could have written this book after becoming a mother.   Ava Dellaira 2.0 Show Notes Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower The Perks of Being a Wallflower (movie) The Fault in Our Stars (movie) Twilight (movie) The Maze Runner (movie) Paper Towns (movie) This Is Us (TV show)

Tue, April 03, 2018

Ep 132: Amy Spalding

Amy Spalding --whose most recent novel, THE SUMMER OF JORDI PEREZ (AND THE BEST BURGER IN LOS ANGELES) , is out today!--talks about the experience of changing publishers, how book promo is becoming more like movie promo, finding a story by combining ideas, and having more queer rom-coms.   Amy Spalding 2.0 Show Notes Amy’s first episode on First Draft The Fault in Our Stars by John Green Scriptnotes with John August and Craig Mazin Love, Simon (movie) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Kissing Jessica Stein (movie) Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertali Sky Pony (publisher) Fun Home by Alison Bechdel Fun Home (musical) The Last Five Years (music

Wed, March 28, 2018

Alex R. Kahler

Alex R. Kahler ,  author of RUNEBINDER and its sequel, RUNEBREAKER (out in November) the CIRQUE DES IMMORTALES series, THE PALE QUEEN series, the RAVENBORN series, and forthcoming middle grade book, THE COLLECTOR . Alex talks about t he burden of taking your work with you, reimagining previous work, the freelance lifestyle, and getting off social media.   Alex R. Kahler 2.0 Show Notes Alex’s first First Draft episode Alex’s B&N Teen blog post Westworld (tv series) Zan Romanoff’s tinyletter

Tue, March 27, 2018

Farrah Penn

Farrah Penn , debut author of Twelve Steps to Normal , on not loving learning how to read, almost giving up on her book after her father passed, and the injustice of having a trailer full of your things stolen in Arizona.   Farrah Penn Show Notes Hooked on Phonics American Girl books Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (TV movie) Wendy Tolliver Agent Query Query Tracker The Hunger Games Suzie Townsend (literary agent) Fine Print Literary Stephanie Perkins Sarah Dessen Fall Out Boy Panic! At the Disco I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo Corrie Shatto <a href= "https://www.lbyr.com/titles/emily-x-r-pan/

Tue, March 13, 2018

Tomi Adeyemi

Tomi Adeyemi, debut author of Children of Blood and Bone , on thinking she hated reading and writing, spite creativity, and how fantasy helped protect her from the raw pain in her book. Tomi Adeyemi Show Notes The Hunger Games (movie)  Tomi’s blog post, " Why I Write: Telling a Story That Matters ." Black Panther Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV show) Ryan Coogler (director) Launch (podcast) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds Sign up for Tomi’s newsletter

Tue, March 13, 2018

Lianne Oelke

Lianne Oelke , debut author of NICE TRY, JANE SINNER (out now!) talks about rewriting her diary, the life-changing impact of good beta readers, and writing YA in Canada. Lianne Oelke Show Notes Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Alice, I Think by Susan Juby Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell American Panda by Gloria Chao The Big F by Maggie M. Martin Fat Girl on a Plane by Kelly DuVoss Becky Albertalli Brooks Sherman Kat and Meg Conquer the World by Anna Priemaza

Tue, February 27, 2018

Dhonielle Clayton 2.0

Dhonielle Clayton , New York Times bestselling author of The Belles (out now!) talks about her teacup obsession, the hell that is Act II Part II, and revision versus Revision.   Dhonielle Clayton 2.0 Show Notes Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman Dhonielle's first First Draft interview here Elissa Sussman (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Delia*s cataloge Prognosis: Love & Death by Sona Charaipotra (hear her First Draft interview here ) Kieran Scott , editor at Disney Emily Meehan , publisher at Disney Cynthia Leitich-Smith (listen to her First Draft interview here ) The Trouble with Shooting Stars by Megan Cannistra Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh Sister Wives Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Outlander (TV show) <a href= "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2262532/?

Tue, February 13, 2018

Amy Andelson & Emily Meyer

Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer , screenwriters with their debut young adult novel, LAYOVER , out now!, on being housecats, blurring the line between best friends and collaborators, their annual “corporate retreat” road trip, and complementing each other emotionally through the editing process.   Amy Anderson and Emily Meyer Show Notes Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert Louisa May Alcott Edith Wharton I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Alison Raskin (listen to their First Draft interview here ) Gossip Girl (TV show) John M. Chu (director) the Step Up movies The Great Gatsby (the Baz Lurhman film) Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List (movie) Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist by David Leviathan and Rachel Cohn (sp) John Green Twilight by Stephenie Meyer The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins John Hughes <a href="http://www.booksoup.com/" ta

Wed, February 07, 2018

Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings , co-authors of the New York Times bestselling sci-fi novel ZENITH , talk about battling dyslexia/ADD and chronic fatigue, why Lindsay dedicates every book she writes to her father, thinking that writers were cyborgs and/or holograms, deciding to co-write over text, and leaving the subject of their book up to a Twitter poll (but then ignoring it).   Sasha Alsburg and Lindsay Cummings SHIP IT by Britta Lundin The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings City of Bones (movie) Lily Collins Firefly (TV show) Sasha’s book tube channel, ABookUtopia Lindsay’s book tube channel Guardians of the Galaxy (movie) Peter Knapp at Park Literary <a href="https://twitter.com/JoSVolpe" target= "_blank" re

Tue, January 30, 2018

John August

John August —screenwriter known for Go, Big Fish, and more, and host of the Scriptnotes podcast —on his debut middle grade adventure novel, ARLO FINCH IN THE VALLEY OF FIRE (out Feb. 6!). John talks about the tricks authors have that screenwriters don’t, what made him think of recording his entire process of writing, selling, and debuting ARLO, the shadow of Harry Potter over all MG, and podcasting as an American art form.   John August Show Notes Go (movie) Big Fish (movie) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (movie) Aladdin (movie) Scriptnotes (podcast) Launch (podcast) Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Three Investigators (book) Premiere Magazine Nora Ephron Steven Soderbergh Sex Lies and Videotape (movie) Star Trek: The Next Generation Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Charlie’s Angels (movie) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle <a href= "https://www

Thu, January 25, 2018

Jasmine Guillory

Jasmine Guillory , debut author of The Wedding Date (out Jan. 30!), on being an extroverted writer, using the notes app to take the pressure off starting a new book, the importance of stillness, and how romance novels can instruct us about affirmative consent.   Jasmine Guillory Show Notes Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber The Toast The “Shoe” books, starting with Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) Amy Spalding (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Jennifer Laughran , agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency NaNoWriMo’s Camp NaNoWriMo Holly Root (literary agent) Bridesmaids (movie) Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins The Ripped Bodice romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice's diversity survey in EW and in The New York Times Kate Hart’s <a href= "http://www.katehart

Fri, January 19, 2018

Sarah Tarkoff

Sarah Tarkoff , debut author of SINLESS (out now!), talks about writing for TV and movies, made-up religions, the Dunning Kruger graph, and being inspired to start writing a novel by a nine-year-old. Sarah Tarkoff Show Notes 2018 First Draft calendar - order yours now! Kirsten Hubbard Arrow (TV show) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (movie) Jane the Virgin (TV show) Eastwick (TV show) Maggie Friedman (show runner of Eastiwck) Wendy Mericle (EP on Arrow) Mistresses (TV show) Josh Reims (Mistresses) Gossip Girl (TV show) Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Chris Evans on Twitter Jenny Slate Willem Dafoe Dunning-Kruger effect The announcement that SINLESS has been optioned for TV! Raiders of the Lost Ark (Indiana

Thu, January 11, 2018

Special Episode (feat. Kayla Olson, Courtney Summers, Michelle Schusterman, Alison Cherry, and Lindsay Ribar)

A very special episode where I give podcasting tips and answer some questions, Kayla Olson and Courtney Summers join to give book recommendations, and authors Michelle Schusterman , Alison Cherry , and Lindsay Ribar discuss co-writing, selling, and editing their YA novel, The Pros of Cons .   Special Episode (feat. Kayla Olson, Courtney Summers, Michelle Schusterman, Alison Cherry, and Lindsay Ribar) Zoom H2N Zoom H4N I said Audible and I meant Audacity! GarageBand Libsyn Art19 SquareSpace Subscribe to the First Draft newsletter Maurene Goo Grace and the Fever by Zan Romanoff (listen to her First Draft interview here) The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson (listen to her First Draft interview here) This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson Gray Wolf Island by Tracey Neithercott <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33876440-this-mortal-coil?ac=1&from_search=true"

Wed, January 03, 2018

Michael Dante DiMartino

Michael Dante DiMartino , co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender and author of Rebel Genius and its sequel, Warrior Genius , on being obsessed with 50s art, how Avatar was pitched perfectly wrong, writing art as magic, and starting to write by hand.   Michael Dante DiMartino Show Notes The 2018 First Draft calendar Kirsten Hubbard William S. Burroughs Beat poetry Garfield (comic) Bloom County (comic) Abstract expressionism Jackson Pollock Mark Rothko Willem de Kooning Brian Konietzko , co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender King of the Hill (TV show) Beavis and Butthead (TV show) Atomic Love Family Guy (TV show) Mission Hill (TV show) Invader Zim (TV

Wed, December 20, 2017

Ben Acker

Ben Acker , co-creator and writer for The Thrilling Adventure Hour , and writer for TV, comic books, and a series of Star Wars middle grade novels, including Star Wars: Join the Resistance . Ben and I talk about giving himself his first job, how a ukulele solo got him a gig writing at Marvel, and shares the definitions of art that he can’t shake.   Ben Acker Show Notes Robert Lynn Asprin's The Myth series The Xanth series by Piers Anthony The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon Watchmen (movie) Ben Blacker , co-creator of Thrilling Adventure Hour and co-author of Star Wars: Join the Resistance Raiders of the Lost Ark (movie) The Tick (comic) Kids in the Hall (TV show) Monty Python and the Flying Circus Mr. Show with Bob and David (TV show) Will & Grace (TV show) Mad About You (TV show) Roseanne (TV show) Paul Reiser Buffy the Vampire Slayer  (TV show) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Guide" target="_b

Tue, December 12, 2017

Penguin's Stephanie Sabol and authors sharing their most-recommended books.

Stephanie Sabol , Executive Director, Brand Management at  Penguin Young Readers , talks about The Penguin Hotline , and writer friends share their most recommended books.  Stephanie Sabol and Book Recommendation Episode Stephanie Sabol The Penguin Hotline Who is Bruce Springsteen? by Stephanie Sabol The Who Was? series Where is the Solar System? What Was the Titanic? Jeff Kinney Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore The Graceling series by Kristin Cashore Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Turtles All the Way Down by John Green Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thu, November 30, 2017

Will Kostakis

Will Kostakis , who makes his U.S. debut with The Sidekicks and has two books, The First Third and Loathing Lola , published in his native Australia, talks about approaching every book like it could be his last, spite writing, being the writer he is today because of a personal tragedy, and the difference between the Australian and U.S. YA markets. Will Kostakis Show Notes   Will’s blog post about coming out Will’s blog post about being disinvited from a school because he came out " After He Came Out, A Catholic School Told This Author His New Book Was 'Inappropriate,' " the Buzzfeed article about Will coming out Amie Kaufman (listen to her First Draft interview here ) and Jay Kristoff , authors of The  Illuminae  Files series Garth Nix Melina Marchetta

Tue, November 28, 2017

Jasmine Warga

Jasmine Warga , author of My Heart and Other Black Holes and her newest, Here We Are Now , on reading teaching empathy and complexly imagining others’ internal worlds, family mythologies as social currency, the glorification of happiness, and the trouble with idolizing your friends.   Jasmine Warga Show Notes Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler (listen to his First Draft interview here) Vote for your favorite First Draft quotes from 2017 ! Then stay tuned for your chance to pre-order the First Draft 2018 Calendar! Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Elin Hilderbrand The Jungle Book (movie) Harry Potter  by J.K. Rowling " Why Everyone Should Read Harry Potter ," in Scientific American, featuring a study showing that people who read Harry Potter have more empathy Gabriel Garcia Marquez Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show) Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Virginia Woolf <p

Tue, November 21, 2017

Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater —author of The Raven Boys cycle , The Scorpio Races , the Shiver series, and her newest, All the Crooked Saints —talks growing up in a Celtic Von Trapp family band, not being a cozy child, wanting to be the author in the airport, and writing a book to a playlist.   Maggie Stiefvater Show Notes Vote for your favorite First Draft quotes for the upcoming 2018 calendar ! Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton   Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper Yeats and Lady Gregory Flux (publishing house) Isabel Allende Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Tue, November 14, 2017

Brandy Colbert

Brandy Colbert , author of Pointe and her newest, Little and Lion , on exploring non-traditional families, her nocturnal writing schedule, and having a productive hibernation.   Brandy Colbert 2.0 Show Notes Listen to Brandy’s first First Draft interview here Dahlia Adler " The Pain of the Watermelon Joke ," by Jacqueline Woodson An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michaelangelo and Me by Ellen Forney Stephanie Perkins Stephanie Kuehn (listen to her First Draft interview here )   Kelly Jensen The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Dear Martin by Nic Stone Jason Reynolds The Belles by  Dhonielle Clayton American Street by Ibi

Tue, October 31, 2017

Liara Tamani

Liara Tamani , debut author of CALLING MY NAME , on getting out of the cycle of ruthless academic achievement to find her passion, shedding old belief systems, fighting against the guilt and shame instilled in girls at very young ages, and the importance of numbers to her creative life.   Liara Tamani Show Notes The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Girlfriends (TV show) Courtney Summers (listen to her First Draft episode here or read the transcript ) The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks SOLD by Patricia McCormick The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Alone with All That Could Happen: Rethinking Conventional Wisdom about the Craft of Fiction by David Jauss (writing craft) The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White

Tue, October 24, 2017

Anna-Marie McLemore

Anna-Marie McLemore , author of THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS , which was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut Award, and WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS , which was long-listed for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature and was a Stonewall Honor Book. This month, Anna-Marie released her newest novel WILD BEAUTY .  She talks about funerals as a place to reinforce collective memories, waiting for that glowing laptop to let you know it’s time to write a novel, and writing a gender nonconforming stud.   Anna-Marie McLemore Show Notes Dhonielle Clayton (listen to her First Draft episode here or read the transcript here ) We Need Diverse Books Taylor Martindale Kean (literary agent) Sara Zarr (listen to her First Draft interview here or read the transcript here ) Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed Samantha Mabry (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Saundra Mitchell ALL OUT edited by Saundra Mitchell Sherman Alexie Sona Charaipotra (listen to <a href= "http://firstdraftw

Mon, October 16, 2017

Leigh Bardugo 2.0

Leigh Bardugo , New York Times bestselling author of the SHADOW AND BONE series, spinoff duology SIX OF CROWS and CROOKED KINGDOM , and THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS , a series of short stories set in that world. She’s also a bestseller for WONDER WOMAN: WARBRINGER . Leigh talks about writing a character who shares her disability, talking some truths about Wonder Woman’s creator, writing a walking talking teenaged apocalypse, how going to an all girls’ school gave her a little insight into Themyscira.   Leigh Bardugo Show Notes Listen to Leigh’s first First Draft interview here Apollo Robbins: The Gentleman Thief The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, CA The Advocate David Copperfield BEA (BookExpo America) " The Witch of Duva: A Ravkan Folk Tale ," Leigh’s story posted to Tor.com Sara Kipin (illustrator of Language of Thorns) Natalie C. Sousa Ellen Duda Erin Stein Danielle Paige (listen to <a href= "http://firstdraftwithsarahenni.tumblr.com/

Bonus · Fri, October 13, 2017

Special Ep: Fall 2017

Answering listener questions, book recommendations from Sarah Enni , Veronica Roth , and Maurene Goo , and writing advice from Susan Dennard ! Special Episode - Fall 2017 - Show Notes Susan Dennard , New York Times bestselling author of the Truthwitch series and the Something Strange and Deadly series Sign up for the Misfits & Daydreamers newsletter here ! Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo Uprooted by Naomi Novik Veronica Roth Maurene Goo The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory What Happened by Hillary Clinton Roxane Gay’s review of The Wedding Date Roxane Gay’s picture with Channing Tatum Warcross by Marie Lu <p cla

Thu, October 12, 2017

Robin Benway

Robin Benway , author of National Book Award for Young People’s Literature finalist Far From the Tree —as well as Audrey, Wait! and Emmy & Oliver , among others—returns to the podcast this week to talk about wondering if she was still an author, having Big Feelings about publishing careers, and gets in a sweet feminist rant.   Robin Benway Show Notes The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory Susan Dennard , author of the NYTimes best-selling Truthwitch series, as well as the Something Strange and Deadly series Susan's writing advice newsletter, Misfits & Daydreamers ( sign up now! ) Listen to Robin’s first First Draft interview here Kristen Pettit (editor at Harper Collins) “ Cosmic Love ” by Florence and the Machine   The e-mail Robin sent to her editor with the idea for Far From the Tree Gretchen McNeill (listen to her First Draft interview here)   Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft episodes <a href= "http://firstdraftwithsarahenni.tumblr.com/post/142694894256/ep-

Fri, October 06, 2017

Dan Santat

Dan Santat , Caldecott Award-winning author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend , talks about his newest picture book, After the Fall , an immigrant kid learning about Santa Claus, writing books that reveal other people’s stories, how much anxiety sucks, and the different ways he is interpreting Asian identity in his work.   Dan Santat Show Notes Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore Kirsten Hubbard Connie Hsu (editor at Roaring Brook; read an interview with Connie and Dan here ) Garfield (comic) Lion King (movie) The ArtCenter College of Design   SCBWI , The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Arthur A. Levine , children's book author, editor, and publisher Maya (software) Akira (manga comic) written and illustrated by  Katsuhiro Otomo Appleseed (manga comic) written and illustrated by  Masamune Shirow Sidekicks by Dan Santat <a href= "https://w

Tue, September 26, 2017

Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin

Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin , New York Times best-selling co-authors of I Hate Everyone But You , talk about the dangers of walking and reading, differentiating character from author, what REALLY makes readers uncomfortable, and writing a friendship rom-com.   Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin Show Notes Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea The Waterboy (movie) Carrie by Stephen King " The Price of Nice Nails ," the New York Times feature story about nail salons   Robert Rodriguez (director and producer) Quentin Tarantino (director and writer) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green Issa Rae (actress, writer, producer) Desperate Housewives (TV show) Friday Night Lights (TV show) Victoria Aveyard (listen to her First Draft interview here ) District 9 (movie) Star Trek (tv show) Legally Blonde</

Tue, September 19, 2017

Marie Lu

Marie Lu , New York Times bestselling author of the LEGEND and the YOUNG ELITES series, talks about her newest book, WARCROSS as well as BATMAN: NIGHTWALKER and the forthcoming KINGDOM OF BACK . Marie chats about the lag between the eternal optimism of tech and moral questioning of its powers, how writing about evil characters was almost too much for her, and the responsibility of writing a real woman’s story.   Marie Lu 2.0 Show Notes Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke Marie Lu’s first First Draft interview Zelda (video game) Tahereh Mafi (listen to her First Draft episode here or read the transcript here ) Assassin’s Creed (video game) Street Fighter (video game) Mortal Kombat (video game) World of Warcraft (video game) Overwatch (video game) Battlefield (video game) Call of Duty (video game) <a href= "https://en.

Tue, September 12, 2017

Emily Ziff Griffin

Emily Ziff Griffin , debut author of LIGHT YEARS , talks about her childhood dream of being a dancing lawyer, gifs and art semiotics, the unquantifiable fairy dust that makes some art transcend, and how teenagers experience time differently.   Emily Ziff Griffin Show Notes Phillip Seymour Hoffman   The Angelika Film Center The Creative Fire by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, including her thoughts on creativity and the myth of Persephone Frozen (movie) Moana (movie) Wonder Woman (movie) Study about emojis and linguists Virginia Heffernan , journalist and writer Wet Hot American Summer (movie) Capote (movie)  

Wed, September 06, 2017

Sabaa Tahir

Sabaa Tahir , NY Times bestselling author of the An Ember in the Ashes series , shares spooky happenings in the desert hometown, waxes poetic about good journalistic writing, and talks giving suffering children a happy ending in her books, being an eight-year overnight success, and writing books in elbows of time.   Sabaa Tahir Show Notes The Shannara series by Terry Brooks Dragon Riders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey Ansel Adams (photographer) Stranger Things (TV show) Seven Daughters and Seven Suns by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy " Living a Half-Life While Waiting for Those Lost ," the Washington Post story about women in Kashmir Image of Liberian child soldier wearing a teddy bear backpack , Georges Gobet/Getty Images Holly Goldberg Sloan Margaret Stohl (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here ) Melissa de la Cruz George R. R. Martin “ gardener or architect ” <a href="https://twitter.com/hale

Tue, August 15, 2017

Jeramey Kraatz

Jeramey Kraatz , author of middle grade series The Cloak Society and Space Runners , on how superhero cartoons got him into reading, writing hamster stories as birthday presents, the difference between middle grade and young adult, and being more productive with a full-time job.   Jeramey Kraatz Show Notes Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes X Men (cartoon TV series) Batman (cartoon TV series) The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs  Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud Joan Didion Meghan Daum David Sedaris Soman Chainani The Southern Festival of Books   Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling The Incredibles (movie) My Hero Academia  (anime series) <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/book/sho

Wed, August 02, 2017

Lauren Strasnick

Lauren Strasnick , author of 16 Ways to Break a Heart (out now!) and Then You Were Gone , Nothing Like You , and Her and Me and You , talks about gift wrapping her young adults books out of embarrassment, admitting to being “so deeply lazy,” envying actors, and writers as gremlins. Lauren Strasnick Show Notes Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block Deenie by Judy Blume Forever... by Judy Blume Beverly Cleary Norma Klein Christopher Pike The Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews Stephen King Party of Five (TV show) Law & Order Writing Pad Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld Twins by Marcy Dermansky

Wed, July 26, 2017

Kara Thomas

Catch up with Kara Thomas , author of Little Monsters (out July 25!), The Darkest Corners , and the Prep School Confidential series about leaning in to a dark personal place with her writing, solving the mystery of Law & Order in the last five minutes, the exploitation of “dramatic re-enactments,” and when stories evade our best-laid plans.   Kara Thomas Show Notes Prep School Confidential series by Kara Taylor (now Kara Thomas) Paradise Lost (documentary) Disappeared (TV series) Serial (podcast) The Jinx (documentary) The Keepers (documentary) My Favorite Murder (podcast) Sword and Scale (podcast) Mommy Dead and Dearest (documentary) Munchausen syndrome (Factitious disorder) Crohn’s disease Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich CLUE (board game) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098844/" target

Tue, July 11, 2017

Danielle Paige

Danielle Paige, New York Times best-selling author of the Dorothy Must Die and Stealing Snow series, on writing scripts for her Barbies, how the OJ trial cost her a career in soaps, and longing for rom-coms.   Danielle Paige Show Notes Paper magazine Matt Bomer (actor) Paul Wesley (actor) Hayden Panetierre (actor) Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin One Tree Hill (TV show) Shonda Rhimes Grey’s Anatomy (TV show) Scandal (TV show) House of Cards (TV show) The Avengers (movie) Wonder Woman (movie) Wonder Woman (TV show) The Writers Guild Al Roker L. Frank Baum (author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) <a href= "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/?

Tue, June 27, 2017

Sara Goodman

Sara Goodman , editorial director for Wednesday Books , a new imprint from St. Martin’s Press featuring crossover, coming-of-age stories. She talks about finding a career in publishing in spite of herself, getting up at 5 a.m. to read, and the never-ending hunt for voice.   Sara Goodman Show Notes Peter Halley (artist) Stephen King George R. R. Martin Judy Blume Beverly Cleary Anne Rice Joan Didion Christopher Schelling (agent with Selectric Artists) Augusten Burroughs Jennifer Enderlin Courtney Summers (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher Twilight by Stephenie Meyer The Hunger Games<

Wed, June 21, 2017

Jennifer E. Smith

A lovely conversation with Jennifer E. Smith , author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight , The Geography of You and Me , and Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between , and her most recent novel, Windfall . She talks about the teacher who made all the difference, and some key questions, like: are we all always writing the same story? And can you be an optimist and believe in fate?   Jennifer E Smith Show Notes Lauren Graham Mary Higgins Clark John Grisham The Babysitters’ Club by Ann M. Martin Saddle Club by Bonnie Bryant Black Stallion by Walter Farley Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Frederick Busch  Elizabeth Strout Justin Cronin <a href= "https://www.goodr

Wed, June 14, 2017

LA Times Festival of Books, BEA, and BookCon Minisode

More lightning-round interviews with authors at the Los Angeles Festival of Books, BookExpo America, and BookCon festivals, including: Brandy Colbert; David Connis; Dhonielle Clayton; E. Katherine Kottaras; Holly Black; Jennifer E. Smith; Jessica Morgan; Kiersten White; Karuna Riazi; Laini Taylor; Maggie Stiefvater; Maurene Goo; Morgan Matson; Nic Stone; Renee Ahdieh; Robin Benway; Samantha Mabry; Soman Chainani; Susan Dennard; Victoria Aveyard; and Zan Romanoff. LATFoB/BEA/BookCon Minisode Show Notes Brandy Colbert (listen to her First Draft interview here ), author of Pointe and the forthcoming Little and Lion ) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas David Connis , author of the forthcoming The Temptation of Adam   Dhonielle Clayton , co-author of the Tiny, Pretty Things series and author of the forthcoming The Belles (listen to her First Draft interview here , or read the transcript ) E. Katherine Kottaras , author of How to Be Brave and The Best Possible Answer The Education of Margot Sanchez<

Tue, May 30, 2017

Maurene Goo 2.0

Maurene Goo , author of I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE (out today!) on putting being an author on hold, writing the food tour of Los Angeles, and the 30-minute sprints that saved her deadline.   Maurene Goo 2.0 Show Notes Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation (TV show) The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar by Roald Dahl Save the Cat by Blake Snyder Since You Asked by Maurene Goo Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show) Renee Ahdieh (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Stephanie Kuehn (listen to her First Draft podcast here ) Shonda Rhimes Amy Spalding (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Sparky by Jenny Ofill and Chris Appelhans A Greyhound, a Groundhog by Emily Jenkins and Chris Appelhans Tahereh Mafi (listen to her First Draft interview here , or <a hr

Tue, May 23, 2017

Kayla Olson

Kayla Olson , debut author of THE SANDCASTLE EMPIRE , out June 6, on writing secret songs in middle school, hearing the rhythm of books, words as a puzzle, writing to the same thunderstorm for years and years, and the closest she ever came to quitting.   Kayla Olson Show Notes Sara Zarr’s episode of First Draft   The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin Full House (TV show) Fuller House (TV show) Patty Griffin (musician) Sandra McCraken (musician) NaNoWriMo  (National Novel Writing Month) MyWriteClub.com LOST (TV show) Libba Bray Story Engineering and Tips for Writing Your Novel with Larry Brooks (video) Story Engineering by Larry Brooks The War of Art by Steven Pressfield 

Tue, May 16, 2017

Sandhya Menon

Sandhya Menon , debut author of WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI (out May 30 and available for pre-order now !) talks up libraries that run on guilt, candy bar scenes, and what to do when you hit a major slump.   Sandhya Menon Show Notes Lilliam Rivera (listen to her First Draft interview here , and get the transcript here ) The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Ruebén Martinez , winner of the LA Times Festival of Books' 2017 Innovator Award  "Candy Bar Scenes" idea by Holly Lisle Jenny Han ( listen to her First Draft interview here , and get the transcript here ) Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sofie Kinsella Morgan Matson ( listen to her First Draft interview here , and get the transcript here) Stephanie Perkins

Tue, May 09, 2017

Renée Ahdieh

Renée Ahdieh , New York Times best-selling author of The Wrath and the Dawn series, and whose new series kicks off with the release of Flame in the Mist , out May 16, joins me to talk about straddling two worlds poorly, finding the music in language, fearless internet personas, id books, and publishing as a ‘pride-swallowing siege.’ (Plus, a cameo from Sarah Nicole Lemon , author of Done Dirt Cheap !)   Renee Ahdieh Show Notes Explosions in the Sky Sheherazade Op. 35 , a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nas The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene Sarah Nicole Lemon J.K. Rowling Star Wars score by John Williams Gustav Holst’s The Planets The Imperial March by John Williams Mars, Bringer of War by Gustav Holst Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better ,featured in Annie, Get Your Gun Tool Metallica <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Human+Bell" targ

Tue, April 25, 2017

Courtney Summers

Courtney Summers - author of SOME GIRLS ARE , CRACKED UP TO BE , ALL THE RAGE , and more - breaks down getting published with her spite novel, consistently wanting it all, writing a book that fits around a feeling, and never really moving on from her books.   Courtney Summers Show Notes YALLFEST Archie comics The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch YALLWEST The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews She’s All That (movie) “ Right About Now ” by Fatboy Slim Competency Quadrant (Four Stages of Competency) The Chocolate War by Robert Cromier Flannery O’Connor Left 4 Dead (video game) Night of the Living Dead (movie) The Passage by Justin Cronin World War Z (movie) <a href= "

Tue, April 18, 2017

Margaret Stohl 2.0

Join me for a second go-round with Margaret Stohl , New York Times best-selling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series and the YA adaptations of Marvel's Black Widow, whose most recent novel, Royce Rolls , is out now! We discuss writing this book as a joke, the Kardashians as a delivery system, the reverse-outlining method, and overcoming inherited ways of thinking.    Margaret Stohl 2.0 Show Notes “ Los Angeles I’m Yours ” by The Decemberists The Kardashians new Zelda, Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch Arden Rose (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Richelle Mead Raymond Chandler   Richard Pryor Little House on the Prairie (TV show) Starline Tours Jennifer Garner Alyson Hannigan , Willow from Buffy Captain Marvel Tony Stark <a href=

Tue, April 11, 2017

Sara Zarr

Listen to YA superstar Sara Zarr  (whose newest novel, GEM & DIXIE , is out now!) talk about the first time she encountered “smart” as an epithet, getting career advice from  Chris Crutcher , and very nearly giving up on writing altogether.   Sara Zarr Show Notes This Creative Life , Sara’s podcast series Ring of Endless Light  by Madeleine L'Engle Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien Beverly Cleary Marilyn Sachs The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Lord of the Flies by William Golding The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier A Separate Peace by John Knowles <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12942.Judy_Blume" target= "_bl

Tue, April 04, 2017

Arden Rose

Hang with me and YouTube star , actress , and debut author Arden Rose ( ALMOST ADULTING is out now!) about the sometimes insidious nature of the beauty industry, things we wish we could tell our younger selves, the scourge of tribalism, and more! Arden Rose Show Notes Let’s Learn Japanese (TV show) Dr. Seuss Redwall by Brian Jacques  J.R.R. Tolkien The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Eragon by Christopher Paolini TED talk with former member of the Westboro Baptist , Megan Phelps-Roper " The Most Hated Family in America ," the Westboro Baptist documentaries by Louis Theroux   Myers-Briggs Type Indicator PewDiePie Bossypants by Tina Fey Yes Please by Amy Poehler  

Thu, March 30, 2017

Kayla Cagan

Kayla Cagan , whose debut novel PIPER PERISH is out now, on fighting the green monster, the ultimatum that led to her first book deal, and how she wrote a book one day at a time (30 minutes a day).   Kayla Cagan Show Notes Eugene O’Neill Leave it to Beaver (TV show) Dukes of Hazard (TV show) Choose Your Own Adventure Sweet Valley High The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy The Emperor's New Clothes The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Stephen F Austin State University Samuel Beckett (playwright) The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel The Zoo Story by Edward Albee  Marsha Norman (playwright) Christoher Durang David Lindsay-Abaire  (playwright) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Auburn" target="_blank"

Tue, March 21, 2017

North Texas Teen Book Festival Special Episode

The 100th episode of the First Draft podcast—wow!! Several of the amazing authors who attended the North Texas Teen Book Festival answer lightning-round questions from listeners! Continue to support the podcast and help it grow by subscribing on iTunes (and leaving a rating or review!), following it on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram , signing up for the newsletter , and spreading the word about First Draft using the hashtag #TryPod ! Thank you so, so, so much for listening   North Texas Teen Book Festival Show Notes   R. L. Stine , author of the Goosebumps series Victoria Aveyard , author of the Red Queen series. The most recent book in the series, King’s Cage , is out now! (listen to her full First Draft interview here !) Maurene Goo , author of Since You Asked and the forthcoming K-Drama rom-com, I Believe In A Thing Called Love , out May 30! (listen to her full First Draft interview here !) Kate Hart , author of <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22847526-

Tue, March 14, 2017

Sarah Nicole Lemon

Get a hot weather beverage and relax on a porch with me and Sarah Nicole Lemon , whose debut novel DONE DIRT CHEAP (out now!) talks about being a 14-year-old high school junior, writing books in secret, motorcycle clubs, and Appalachian female revenge. Sarah Nicole Lemon Show Notes The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Bill Gothard Barbara Poelle  (literary agent) Holly Root  (literary agent) Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Sons of Anarchy (TV show) YALLFest Renee Ahdieh Ozzy Osbourne Better Call Saul (TV show) King Minos John Green Ray Bradbury

Wed, March 08, 2017

Special Episode with Sara from Adventures in YA

A special co-episode with Sara from Adventures in YA where we talk about the podcasting process. Sara and I discuss our equipment, software, workflow, and promo processes, and touch a bit on feeling like we’re shouting into the void, and also tips for moderating at book festivals and other events.   Adventures in Podcasting Show Notes Adventures in YA Sara  Kristin Treviño The North Texas Teen Book Festival #TryPod Adventures with Words (podcast) Kate and Rob's off-shoot British YA show (podcast) Man Booker Prize Fresh Air with Terry Gross You Made It Weird WTF with Marc Maron This Creative Life with Sara Zarr Behringer Q1202USB 12-Channel Mixer Behringer Microamp Ha400 Ultra-Compact 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KW2YEI/ref=oh_au

Tue, February 28, 2017

Lilliam Rivera

Lilliam Rivera (whose debut young adult novel THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ, is out now!) shares her first memories of walking to the library, talks about interning at Rolling Stone, the theatricality of funerals, and who wear masks (and why). Lilliam Rivera Show Notes UCLA Extension Gabriel Garcia Marquez Toni Morrison DROWN by Junot Diaz Ana Castillo Sandra María Esteves The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz “Between Going and Staying” by Lilliam Rivera ( an interview with Lilliam about the short story here ) Shirley Temple Al Watt The 90-Day Novel Judy Blume Laila Lalami Pulitzer Prize-nominated Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler  

Tue, February 21, 2017

Renée Watson

The super-savvy, super-smart author Renée Watson (her most recent young adult novel, PIECING ME TOGETHER , is out now!) and founder of the I, Too Arts Collective , talks taking herself seriously as a writer from a young age, creative therapy for young people, and finding people who are about something.   Renée Watson Show Notes An article about Mulugeta Seraw , an Ethiopian student killed by three neo-Nazis in Portland. Richard Scarry's Bedtime Stories Judy Blume BEEZUS AND RAMONA by Beverly Cleary Lucille Clifton (poet) Gwendolyn Brooks (poet) Langston Hughes   Zora Neale Hurston Toni Morrison A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN   by Renée Watson   THIS SIDE OF HOME by Renée Watson Sarah McCarry   WHAT MOMMA LEFT ME by Renée Watson <a href="http://community

Tue, February 14, 2017

Sarah Jae-Jones

Let’s break it down with Sarah Jae-Jones , debut author of WINTERSONG , podcaster at large with the PubCrawl Podcast , and former editor at St. Martin’s Press, as she talks about learning to write to avoid Korean school, the possible titles for her memoir on publishing, evil threshold magic, and the not-entirely-nice ways that publishing surprised her.   Sarah Jae-Jones Show Notes Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Kongji and Patzzi Pride and Prejudice (BBC miniseries) Goosebumps by R.L. Stine Sesame Street Kristin Nelson’s blog Pub Rants JJ’s podcast co-host, Kelly Van Sant Al Zukerman , chairman of Writer’s House Simplenote Dropbox Scrivener Marie Lu ( listen to her First Draft interview here !) JJ’s blog post about writing the sequel

Fri, February 10, 2017

Rhoda Belleza

The delightful Rhoda Belleza , debut author of EMPRESS OF A THOUSAND SKIES , on being a slow reader, hating dress codes, working with teens to develop professional skills, and magical trolls who hide things in your house.    Rhoda Belleza Show Notes My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV show) Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls The Babysitters Club by Anne M Martin Gwen Stefani Sanctuary Art Center in Seattle Ray Bradbury Planned Parenthood ( donate here! ) Susan G. Komen Foundation AOL MapQuest YWCA Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Pena Paper Lantern Lit Kami Garcia Tiffany Liao (editor at Razorbill ) Macmillan Children’s

Wed, January 25, 2017

Veronica Roth Minisode

Hello from Veronica Roth’s tour in support of her new book, Carve the Mark ! Veronica invited me to go with her on tour as emcee, and we take a break after one of our shows to talk about entering an alternate dimension in the Atlanta airport, amazing bookstore dogs, and when we first learned the power of language. Veronica Roth minisode Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth How Did This Get Made Mary Todd Lincoln’s instagram Colson Whitehead Zadie Smith “ Depression Beard ” from Supernatural Binti by Nnedi Okorafor Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza After the Fall by Kate Hart Donate to RAINN in honor of After the Fall! Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (and its sequel One Dark

Tue, January 10, 2017

Veronica Roth

Author of the DIVERGENT series  Veronica Roth  - whose new book, CARVE THE MARK , is out Jan. 17 - returns to the podcast to update me on what she’s been up to since her last episode, giving her story ideas code names, why she’s obsessed with iron grates over windows, and why she decided her next novel should be set in space.   Veronica Roth Show Notes Listen to her previous First Draft interview here ! FOUR , the collection of Divergent short stories The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling " Inertia ," Veronica’s short story in the Summer Days and Summer Nights anthology, edited by Stephanie Perkins Baba Yaga Teen Vogue Illuminae by Amie Kaufman (listen to her First Draft podcast here) and Jay Kristofftx  

Tue, January 03, 2017

D.J. MacHale

Join me as I talk to D.J. MacHale , author of dozens of middle grade novels , including THE CURSE OF THE BOGGIN , first book in his new series THE LIBRARY, out now! DJ also created and wrote the Nickelodeon series ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?  He talks about writing and starring in a 90-minute original Marx Brothers movie, outlining 10 books in a week, and taking critique from his mother.   DJ MacHale Show Notes BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA by Katherine Paterson  Dr Seuss Dr. No Alfred Hitchcock’s scary short story compilations Ernest Hemingway ABC after school special Seasonal Differences Uta Hagen , actress in seasonal differences Encyclopedia Brown Chris Cross (TV show) The Shining by Stephen King Are You Afraid of the Dark podcasts: Nostalgianauts revisit the TV series Are You Afraid of the Snark , comedians doing live commentary on episodes <a href= "https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/needabiggershow/episodes/2013-10-24T10_34_28-07_00" target="_blank" rel="noope

Tue, December 06, 2016

Sona Charaipotra

Hear Sona Charaipotra , co-author of TINY PRETTY THINGS and SHINY BROKEN PIECES and co-founder of CAKE Literary , talks about her Halloween welcome to the U.S., being married to your greatest accountability partner, and fostering mentorship. Sona Charaipotra Show Notes Bollywood The Partition of India The Babysitter’s Club by Anne M. Martin The Vampire Diaries (TV show) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Dhonielle Clayton (listen to her First Draft interview here )   Bombay Talkie by Ameen Amir Judy Blume Arranged Marriage by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri YA authors Siobhan Vivian , Jenny Han (listen to her First Draft interview here ), <a href="https://twitter.com/coebooth" target="_blank" rel= "noopener

Tue, November 29, 2016

Amie Kaufman

Hear Amie Kaufman , New York Times best-selling co-author of the STARBOUND trilogy and the ILLUMINAE series , talk shipwrecks and her favorite sound, how science fiction is fantasy for the real world, using "shenanigans ensue" as a plotting device, and my new favorite thing: the “shut up and take my money” list.   Amie Kaufman show notes THIS SHATTERED WORLD by Amie and Meagan Spooner (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Enid Blyton THE BOXCAR CHILDREN by Gertrude Chandler Warner THE BABY SITTERS' ISLAND ADVENTURE  The Baby Sitters' Club Super Special #4 by Ann M. Martin Gravity (film) THE HORSE AND HIS BOY by C.S. Lewis 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by Jules Verne Anne McCaffrey, THE DRAGON RIDERS OF PERN , THE TOWER AND THE HIVE series Alan Lee , iliustrator of THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien Star Trek: The Next Generation  (TV series) <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10352973-skylark?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blan

Tue, November 08, 2016

Special Election Episode

Some past and future First Draft interviewees share their stories about voting, how their characters would vote, love of stickers, and one story of a jujutsu-master suffragette! Special Election Podcast Show Notes Morgan Matson , author of THE UNEXPECTED EVERYTHING , AMY AND ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR , and more (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Elana K. Arnold , author of INFANDOUS , FAR FROM FAIR , the forthcoming WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF , and more (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Sabaa Tahir , author of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES and A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT Mackenzi Lee , author of THIS MONSTROUS THING and THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Brandy Colbert , author of POINTE and the forthcoming LITTLE AND LION  (listen to <a href= "http://firstdraftwithsarahe

Wed, November 02, 2016

Josephine Angelini

Join me and Josephine Angelini , author of the STARCROSSED trilogy, and the WORLDWALKER series (the finale, WITCH’S PYRE , is out now!), as we talk about houses burning down, trading a diary for writing fiction, and how long you can avoid the reality that you are meant to write.   Josephine Angelini Show Notes MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley Details on the sexual assault allegations against Bradley by her daughter Anne McCaffrey DRAGON RIDERS OF PERN DARKOVER series by Marion Zimmer Bradley Ursula le Guin A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA GRACELING by Kristin Cashore ON THE JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta

Wed, October 26, 2016

Ransom Riggs

Join me and Ransom Riggs , New York Times best-selling author of MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN - which was recently released as a major motion picture - and the new selection of short stories, TALES OF THE PECULIAR , as we talk about living side by side with the past, making friends with the neighbor kids, and the freedom of having no expectations. Ransom Riggs Show Notes Yertle the Turtle  by Dr. Seuss The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis Stephen King Dragonlance  (video game) The Legend of Zelda  (video game) The Terminator (movie) The Shining (movie) Friday the 13th (movie) Win Wenders (filmmaker) Kenyon College (and their alumni magazine's interview with Ransom here !) USC Cinematic Arts The Sherlock Holmes Handbook <a href= "http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21578.

Tue, October 18, 2016

Tahereh Mafi

Join Tahereh Mafi, New York Times best-selling author of FURTHERMORE (out now!) and the SHATTER ME  series, as we discuss childhoods full of new starts and goodbyes, the ways contemporary books can feel like fantasy, and writing 5,000 words every single day for two years (!). Tahereh Mafi Show Notes Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling Judy Blume Absolute Write forums Kami Garcia Julie Strauss-Gabel

Thu, September 22, 2016

Zan Romanoff

Hear Zan Romanoff , whose brilliant debut novel A SONG TO TAKE THE WORLD APART is out now, talk about using her Yale diploma to ward off Hanson haters, generational trauma, the terrifying power of puberty, and her follow-up novel, GRACE AND THE FEVER (May 2017)!   Zan Romanoff show notes Kate Hart (listen to her First Draft episode here ) The Iowa Review The Babysitter’s Club by Anne M. Martin Anne McCaffrey Frank McCourt Winnie-the-Pooh Hanson, “ Mmmbop ” Dawson’s Creek (TV series) Brenna Yovanoff, PLACES NO ONE KNOWS Don Delillo " California Girls ," Zan’s piece in the Paris Review about Joan Didion Girl Crush Zine , by  Jenna Wortham  & Thessaly La Force Writing Workshop LA Edan Lepucki   "<a href= "http://www.themillions.com/2016/09

Tue, August 09, 2016

Leila Howland

Leila Howland , author of NANTUCKET BLUE , THE FORGET-ME-NOT SUMMER , and its sequel THE BRIGHTEST STARS OF SUMMER (and the forthcoming HELLO, SUNSHINE , due out next summer!), talks writing hiatus, learning structure from screenwriting, and finding inspiration in well-intentioned missteps. Leila Howland Show Notes STUART LITTLE by E.B. White A LITTLE PRINCESS  and THE SECRET GARDEN  by Frances Hodgson Burnett  HEIDI by Johanna Spyri THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien  THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame Young Frankenstein (movie) Sara Crowe (agent) SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder 10 Cloverfield Lane (movie) The Godfather (movie) THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LAUNDAU BANKS by E. Lockhart Lost It by Kristin Tracy <a href= "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt147

Tue, July 26, 2016

Jenny Han

Join me and Jenny Han , New York Times best-selling author of the TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE series and the SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY series, among other things, about reading in the bathtub, how food is political, intense first love, and mixing friendship and money by co-writing with your best friend.   Jenny Han Show Notes   DEAR MR HENSHAW by Beverly Cleary BEEZUS AND RAMONA by Beverly Cleary HATCHET by Gary Paulsen THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C. S. Lewis THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E. L. Konigsburg Leigh Bardugo (listen to her First Draft interview here ) My So-Called Life (TV show) Romeo + Juliet (movie) Basketball Diaries (movie) Titanic (movie) Silence of the Lambs (movie) X Files (TV show) Law & Order (TV show) <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/721.John_Grisham?from_search=true" target="_blank" rel="noop

Tue, July 19, 2016

Dhonielle Clatyton

Hang with me and Dhonielle Clayton , co-author of TINY PRETTY THINGS and its sequel, SHINY BROKEN PIECES (out now!), as well as author of forthcoming series THE BELLES (spring ’17). She talks about weekly childhood trips to the bookstore, being a writing n00b, accidentally getting a boarding school job, and writing to arrested development. And don't forget to take the First Draft Podcast listener survey !   Dhonielle Clayton Show Notes X Men THE PAHNTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster Virginia Hamilton Walter Dean Myers I WANT MY HAT BACK by Jon Klassen Hillary Homzie The Hanging Garden (group of writers on Tumblr) David Leviathan Sarah Weeks The Longstockings: Jenny Han , Coe Booth , Siobhan Vivian , Lisa Graff Tin House Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Tue, June 21, 2016

Lance Rubin

Grab a beer with me and Lance Rubin , author of DENTON LITTLE’S DEATHDATE and its sequel, DENTON LITTLE’S STILL NOT DEAD (Feb. ’17!) while we talk improvising teen dramas, the importance of establishing reader expectations, and the ephemeral nature of art.   Lance Rubin Show Notes HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOON by Frank Asch PEE WEE SCOUTS Judy Delton MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN by Bruce Coville Louis Sachar THE STINKY CHEESE MAN by Jon Sciezka Beverly Cleary Judy Blume JURASSIC PARK by Michael Crichton Dick Francis  ( Is Dick Francis a horse? ) Mary Higgins Clark WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN Mr. Show (TV show) Upright Citizens Brigade Ray Munoz (his friend, of The Lance and Ray Podcast ) <a href= "http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767052-the-hunger-games?ac=1&from_search=true" targ

Tue, June 14, 2016

Lindsey Klingele

Join me and Lindsey Klingele , debut author of THE MARKED GIRL , as we discuss magical forests, being in the room where stories happen, and our favorite portals.   Lindsey Klingele Show Notes First Draft Live 2 , with Lindsey THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis Amie Kaufman Ann M. Martin Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show) Veronica Mars x (TV Show) X-Men (comic) Philip Roth   That article about watching Vinyl instead of Game of Thrones , written by Jeffrey Sconce, an associate professor of film and media studies at Northwestern University   The Lying Game (TV Show) Twisted (TV Show) Chuck Pratt, Jr. (Melrose Place) Homeland Security hires science fiction writers to identify possible future threats The Last Bookstore <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/chil

Wed, June 08, 2016

Julie Buxbaum

Pretend to be an adult with Julie Buxbaum ,New York Times best-selling author of TELL ME THREE THINGS , THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE , and AFTER YOU , who chats with me about gathering at the AMPM market, creating myths about yourself, and writing parent hate mail (to your own parents). Julie Buxbaum show notes Laurence H. Tribe , Harvard Law professor Elaine Koster , literary agent THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini Lauren Groff's quote about balancing work and motherhood (from The New Yorker)

Mon, May 30, 2016

YALLWEST 2016

A mashup of lightning-round interviews conducted at the YALLWEST festival with Susane Colasanti , Kody Keplinger , Alexandra Bracken , Kiersten White , Gwenda Bond , Adi Alsaid , Margot Wood , Stephanie Kuehn , Jessica Spotswood , Brendan Reichs , Robin Benway , Ellen Oh , Amy Tintera , Maurene Goo , Marie Lu , Victoria Aveyard , Erin Bowman and Seth Fishman . YALLWEST 2016 episode show notes The LATFoB First Draft show Alexandra Bracken, THE DARKEST MINDS , PASSENGER , A NEW HOPE: THE PRINCESS, THE SCOUNDREL, AND THE FARMBOY Kiersten White, PARANORMALCY , AND I DARKEN (listen to her full First Draft interview here )</p

Wed, May 25, 2016

Morgan Matson

Morgan Matson , New York Times best-selling author of THE UNEXPECTED EVERYTHING , AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR and SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE , among others, on reading on the bathroom floor, death defying road trips, and being forced to think of book ideas because Twitter is down.   Morgan Matson Show Notes Vroman’s bookstore Christopher Pike Judy Blume R.L. Stine FEAR STREET SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS by Ann Brashares THE PRINCESS DIARIES by Meg Cabot WRITING DOWN THE BONES by Natalie Goldberg Stephanie Kuehn (listen to her First Draft interview here ) David Levithan Jenny Han Siobhan Vivian Coe Booth Melissa C. Walker David Benioff (show runner Game of Thrones), <a href= "http:/

Tue, April 19, 2016

L.A. Times Festival of Books Roundup

Lightning round questions with some of the fantastic authors I came across at the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, including Susan Dennard, Ransom Riggs, M.A. Larson, Tahereh Mafi, Maggie Hall, Danielle Paige, Victoria Aveyard, Kara Thomas, Maurene Goo, and Julie Buxbaum! Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Roundup Show Notes   Susan Dennard , author of the SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY series and TRUTHWITCH Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica (TV show) Mal from Firefly (TV show) BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young THE CATHEDRAL OF THE WILD by Boyd Varty Ransom Riggs author of MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez M.A. Larson author of THE PENNYROYAL ACADEMY Tahereh Mafi SHATTER ME  series and FURTHERMORE RainyMood.com <a href="https://twitter.com/MaggieEHall" target

Tue, April 12, 2016

Maurene Goo

Hang out with kittens, wild parrots, and Maurene Goo , author of SINCE YOU ASKED and a forthcoming K-Drama romcom , due out in 2017! We talk about writing fan fiction of her own life, letting teen girls be silly, and not being able to deny being an L.A. girl.   Maurene Goo Show Notes Elvis Costello THE GOOD EARTH by Pearl S. Buck THE BABYSITTER’S CLUB books by Ann M. Martin Mary Higgins Clark V. C. Andrews Charles Dickens Robin Benway (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Felicity (TV show) THE PRINCESS DIARIES by Meg Cabot GOSSIP GIRL by Cecily von Ziegesar DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth (listen to her First Draft interview here ) John Green   David Sedaris How Did This Get

Tue, March 29, 2016

Jessi Kirby

This episode is the audio equivalent of a spray tan! Join me and Jessi Kirby , author of THINGS WE KNOW BY HEART , GOLDEN , IN HONOR , and MOONGLASS , as we discuss human hearts, the lasting impact of inspiring teachers, and what actual IRL teens are reading. Jessi Kirby Show Notes FRECKLE JUICE , TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING by Judy Blume Herman Hesse SIDDHARTHA , NARCISSUS AND GOLDMUND NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA by Robert K. Massie Robin Benway (listen to her First Draft interview here )   THE AWAKENING by Kate Chopin Kerry Winfrey’s blog Year of Romcoms Nora Ephron Compatible immune systems Gail Godwin HEART  

Tue, March 22, 2016

Victoria Schwab

Victoria Schwab (also known as V. E. Schwab), New York Times bestselling author of A GATHERING OF SHADOWS , VICIOUS , THE ARCHIVED , and more!, talks about the slippery nature of memory, book-writing amnesia, why editorial letters should be more like stacked Oreos, and feeding the fanfic trolls.    Victoria Schwab Show Notes Kristin Kittscher (hear her First Draft interview here ) Harpeth Hall Robert Ludlum, THE BOURNE IDENTITY Kelly Link, GET IN TROUBLE Victoria’s sticker system Susanna Clarke JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL Neil Gaiman NEVERWHERE Victoria Aveyard (listen to her on First Draft Live here , and her First Draft interview here ) Holly Black   SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller  

Wed, March 16, 2016

Elana K. Arnold

Talking to Elana K. Arnold (author of FAR FROM FAIR , out now!, as well as INFANDOUS and THE QUESTION OF MIRACLES ) about literal and metaphysical skin suits, sex on the page, whether we write FOR teens or ABOUT teens, and middle grade as a happy place.   Elana K. Arnold Show Notes Cheryl Strayed , “ The Love of My Life ,” TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS Sarah MCarry (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Madonna Cyndi Lauper ROOM (and the movie ) Mark Childress CRAZY IN ALABAMA Thelma & Louise (movie) SPLENDOR by Elana K. Arnold Squaw Valley Community of Writers STORY by Robert McKee TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer   <a href= "http://therumpus.net/2010/08/dear-sugar-

Tue, March 08, 2016

Alex Kahler

The prolific and amazing A.R.Kahler , author of SHADES OF DARKNESS (out now!) among many many other things, sits for what is my favorite interview because I got to say, “Where was the circus?”   Alex Kahler Show Notes Neil Gaiman Phillip Pullman The Aerial Angels Dollhouse (TV show) by Joss Whedon 47 North Kirsten Hubbard You Must Remember This (Charles Manson podcast) WITCH EYES by Scott Tracy   C. Alexander London ’s First Draft podcast  

Tue, March 01, 2016

First Draft LIVE

First Draft Live Show Notes Victoria Aveyard RED QUEEN , GLASS SWORD Elissa Sussman , STRAY , BURN Lindsey Klingele , THE MARKED GIRL Maurene Goo , SINCE YOU ASKED Kirsten Hubbard , RACE THE NIGHT , WATCH THE SKY , WANDERLOVE , LIKE MANDARIN Skylight Books Isaac Asimov ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine The Legand of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time DEALING WITH DRAGONS by Patricia C. Wrede Alexandra Bracken <a href= "http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21947304-a-new-hope?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_bla

Tue, February 16, 2016

Isabel Quintero

Isabel Quintero, Morris Award winner for GABI, A GIRL IN PIECES, talks getting in trouble for reading in the dark, the final straw that took her away from teaching high school, and when a life crisis almost made her into a pastry chef. Isabel Quintero Show Notes Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish e e cummings “anyhow lived in a pretty how town” Michele Serros William Carlos Williams Walt Whitman Pablo Neruda John Steinbeck M. Night Shyamalan FAT KID RULES THE WORLD by K.L. Going OF THE DUST by Karen Hesse CRANK by Ellen Hopkins DIARY OF A WIMPY KID by Jeff Kinney

Tue, February 02, 2016

Ava Dellaira

Ava Dellaira , author of LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD , talks writing a book from a great title, hibernating with poetry in Iowa, and we enjoy a little bit of Greek pop music for spice. Ava Dellaira Leigh Bardugo called Ava “deep as a well” in her First Draft interview Nirvana (band) Lisa Loeb, “ Sandalwood ,” “ Stay ,” The Counting Crows, “ Anna Begins ” U2, “ One ” Stephen Chbosky, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER River Phoenix (actor) Jennifer Egan  

Wed, January 27, 2016

Elissa Sussman

Elissa Sussman , author of STRAY and its sequel BURN , discusses the “f—k page” of her teen journal, how ‘guilty pleasure’ is a gross term, and what three things every writer needs. Elissa Sussman Show Notes RENT (musical) Archie comics Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin Roswell (TV show) X-Files (TV show) Battlestar Galactica (TV show) Star Trek (TV show) REDWALL by Brian Jacques DEALING WITH DRAGONS by Patricia C. Wrede 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (movie) The Secret World of Alex Mack (TV show) Downstage (program at Sarah Lawrence) Adrienne Dawes (playwright) Vagina Monologues Angels in America (play)   <p

Thu, January 14, 2016

Kristen Kittscher

Hear the lovely Kristen Kittscher , author of THE WIG IN THE WINDOW and THE TIARA ON THE TERRACE  talk about getting kicked out of high school, writing characters who are getting all growed up, and visualizing our inner writer. Kristen Kittscher Show Notes Danielle Steele Mary Higgins Clark Ellen Emerson White , THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER HELTER SKELTER by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry STUART LITTLE by E.B. White THE STAND by Stephen King WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams Au Revoir Les Enfants (movie)   Umberto Echo, THE NAME OF THE ROSE Write To The Finish (online class) Taos Writing Conference Kirsten Miller, KIKI STRIKE and <a href= "http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20172134-nightmares" target= "_blank"

Tue, December 08, 2015

Amy Plum and Lenore Appelhans

The wondrous Amy Plum (author of the DIE FOR ME series, the AFTER THE END series, and DREAMFALL , due out in 2017) and Lenore Appelhans (author of the MEMORY CHRONICLES series) share stories of starting their literary careers writing letters, the false reality of social media, and psychopaths (real ones).   Amy Plum & Lenore Appelhans Show Notes Vermont College of Fine Arts SCBWI J.R.R. Tolkien Madelein L’Engle, A WRINKLE IN TIME Robert A. Heinlein (SF writer) Isaac Asimov C.S. Lewis Ursula LeGuin Emma Trevayne, CODA   Flatliners  (movie) Wes Craven’s THEY  (movie) The Far Side by Gary Larson  

Wed, December 02, 2015

Kendare Blake

Pour a glass of wine to keep up with me and Kendare Blake , author of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD , the Goddess War series , SLEEPWALK SOCIETY , and the forthcoming THREE DARK CROWNS (due out in 2016), as we talk about her training as a stock trader, screeds about Superman, and living with anxiety. Kendare Blake Show Notes Stephen King, On Writing Anne Rice , Prince Lestat Fear Street, Freeze Tag Silent Hill (video game) Supernatural (TV show)    

Tue, November 17, 2015

The Fug Girls, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Pour a strong drink and leave your denim culottes at home for this conversation with Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan , who together make up blogging and writing duo the Fug Girls (of Go Fug Yourself )! We talk about how terrible the new X Files is going to be, hear behind the scenes stories about America’s Next Top Model, talk writing as a team, and ask the universe for an oral history of how Summer '07 was the best time Hollywood gossip ever.   Fug Girls Show Notes Pamela Ribon Television Without Pity (previously Mighty Big TV) Tough Enough (MTV show) Judging Amy BrilliantButCancelled.com Wolf Lake  (TV show) Linda Holmes , NPR's pop culture reporter Richard Glatzer (director, Still Alice) Morgan Spurlock Sleepover (movie) Brooks Barnes (formerly WSJ, New York Times) The Royals (TV show) Fug Girls articles on The Toast

Tue, November 10, 2015

Leigh Bardugo

Get red lipstick and fill up a goblet to enjoy this chat, wherein Leigh Bardugo , New York Times best-selling author of The Grisha series  and the newest book in that world, SIX OF CROWS , talks about being a childhood outsider, making rules for magic, and profesh makeup tips. Leigh Bardugo Show Notes Inside Out (film) DUNE by Frank Herbert Jacqueline Kerry , author of KUSHIEL'S DART Ava Dellaira Aziz Ansari and Eric Klineberg, MODERN ROMANCE NK Jemisin Writing with Color  

Tue, November 03, 2015

First Draft LIVE

For the first First Draft Live event on October 30, Marie Lu  (NYT best-selling author of the LEGEND trilogy, THE YOUNG ELITES and its sequel, THE ROSE SOCIETY ), Margaret Stohl  (NYT best-selling co-author of the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES series, author of ICONS , IDOLS , and of Marvel's Black Widow's YA adaptation, FOREVER RED ), Anna Carey  (author of the EVE trilogy, and YA thriller BLACKBIRD and its sequel DEADFALL ), and Kali Wallace  (debut author of SHALLOW GRAVES , due out in January 2016!) got together at Vroman’s bookstore in Pasadena to talk about scary stories and why we love them. Also! Listen to full First Draft interviews with Marie Lu ; Margaret Stohl ; and Anna Carey . I want to thank three local authors and members of the First Draft Live team for making this

Tue, October 20, 2015

Samantha Mabry

Join me and Samantha Mabry , debut author of A FIERCE AND SUBTLE POISON *, in Dallas discussing JFK assassination conspiracy theories, grandmothers warnings about witches, and being close but not too close to dangerous things. *Note: In the show, Sam refers to A FIERCE AND SUBTLE poison by its earlier title, LEAVES. Samantha Mabry Show Notes LIBRA by Don Delillo Annie Dillard Jo Ann Beard Susan Orlean HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS by Isabelle Alende Louise Erdrich Salman Rushdie Gabriel Garcia Marquez Dennis Covington, SALVATION ON SAND MOUNTAIN Most Haunted (TV show) Nathaniel Hawthorne, RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER Esmerelda Santiago CONQUISTADORA William Carlos Williams, The Fountain of Eternal Youth (essay) Donald Judd (NY based artist who built Marfa) <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/author

Tue, October 13, 2015

Stephanie Kuehnert

Join me in chatting with Stephanie Kuehnert , author of BALLADS OF SUBURBIA and I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE and a forthcoming memoir of her teen years. We talk about promises made to cats, heart cities, and Riot Grrl. Stephanie Kuehnert Show Notes Richard Hugo House Story Studio (Chicago, IL) The Replacements Laura Ingalls Wilder Riot Grrl Girl Power! by Hillary Carlip Stephanie’s essays on Rookie Sleater-Kinney Francesca Lia Block   Joe Meno, HAIRSTYLES OF THE DAMNED Susie X, illiustrator The Writer's Center , Bethesda, MD Pete Holmes’ podcast, You Made It Weird  

Tue, September 29, 2015

Amy Lukavics

Amy Lukavics , debut author of YA horror DAUGHTERS UNTO DEVILS , talks about the appeal of truly scary stories, creepy kids, the tiny details that can drive an entire story, and “candy bar” scenes.   Amy Lukavics Show Notes Kirsten Hubbard PAINT IT BLACK by Janet Fitch GOOSEBUMPS , FEAR STREET , R.L. Stine FULL DARK, NO STARS Stephen King IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS by Cat Winters (listen to her First Draft interview ) BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by April Tucholke Katy Perry “ California Gurls ” The Red Dragon (movie) The Woman in Black (movie) Stephanie Perkins’ Love List Storm of the Century , written by Stephen King MISERY by Stephen King <a href= "http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5300.Laura_Ingalls_Wilder?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_bl

Tue, September 22, 2015

Aaron Hartzler

Talking to Aaron Hartzler , author of WHAT WE SAW (out Sept. 22!) and RAPTURE PRACTICE , about YA memoir, desert hippies, and taking others off the hook for your happiness. Aaron Hartzler Show Notes Teen Read Week Ellen Hopkins Nicky Weinstock DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY by Erik Larson MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL by John Berendt The New Yorker: The Lessons of Steubenville ; Life After Steubenville ; Trial by Twitter Dan Savage Josh Sundquist WE SHOULD HANG OUT SOMETIME: EMBARRASSINGLY, A TRUE STORY Paige Rawl, Ali Benjamin POSITIVE: A MEMOIR POPULAR: VINTAGE WISDOM FOR A MODERN GEEK by Maya Van Wagenen Nic Sheff TWEAK: GROWING UP ON METHAMPHETAMINES Kate Sullivan , Senior Editor of YA & MG books at Delacorte <a href= "http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/693208.The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of

Tue, September 15, 2015

Mackenzi Lee

Do you know the difference between a blacksmith and a ferrier? Mackenzi Lee , debut author of THIS MONSTROUS THING  (out Sept. 22!), does! Learn about that, Mary Shelley, and so much more in our Harvard Square conversation!   Mackenzi Lee Show Notes The Coop  in Harvard Square Pirates of the Caribbean  (movie) THE STRANGER  by Albert Camus The War of the Roses Avi, author of THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE , and  CRISPIN: THE CORSS OF LEAD Richard Peck,  A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO THE GOOSE GIRL  by Shannon Hale Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me Margaret Murphy  (British crime fiction) DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE  by Laini Taylor IMAGINARY GIRLS  by Nova Ren Suma THE THIEF LORD  by Cornelia Funke LEVIATHAN  by Scott Westerfeld Mary Wollstonecraft  A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN

Tue, September 08, 2015

Nicola Yoon

Nicola Yoon , debut author of EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING , talks about her secret foosball skills, the mix tape that won her husband over, and the 4 AM fish that turned her book into an unusual story.   Nicola Yoon Show Notes Nicola Yoon’s one-sentence story  on The Butter  by  Roxanne Gay Life is Strange (video game) Final Fantasy  (video game) ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS  by Stephanie Perkins Wendy Wunder ,  THE PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES Charlotte Huang   FOR THE RECORD The Fearless 15ers SCBWI Brandy Colbert Veronica Roth,  her First Draft Podcast Harold and Kumar  (movie) Before Sunrise  (movie)

Thu, August 20, 2015

C. Alexander London

Take a siesta with fast-talking goofball C. Alexander London , author of new middle grade series THE WILD ONES , talk diverse sci-fi with smooth-talker Alex London, and even get a glimpse of the elusive non-fiction writer Charles London in the first interview with a built-in drinking game! Also: adorable dog noises. C Alexander London Show Notes IT  by Stephen King REDWALL  by Brian Jacques Refugees International Anna Freud  child psychologist Robert Coles  child psychiatrist at Harvard THE LITTLE PRINCE  by Antoine de Saint-Exupery ONE DAY THE SOLDIERS CAME  by Charles London Sterling Lord Jack Kerouac Walter Lord A NIGHT TO REMEMBER  and  DAY OF INFAMY Blood Diamond  (movie) Chris Crutcher Scott Westerfeld Upton Sinclair  THE JUNGLE David Levithan Truman National Security

Thu, August 13, 2015

Adi Alsaid

In which I refer to the trajectory of the life of Adi Alsaid , author of LET’S GET LOST  and NEVER, ALWAYS, SOMETIMES  as his “plot line,” we discuss the power of imaginary places, and he answers my hundreds of questions about being trilingual. Enjoy! Adi Alsaid Show Notes ABC Children’s Institute ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE  by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Stephen King Kurt Vonnegut Calvin and Hobbes  by Bill Watterson Emilia Rhodes  with Alloy Entertainment Katie McGarry She’s All That  (movie) Meg Wolitzer Ellen Oh Jandy Nelson THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER  by Leslye Walton Victoria Schwab SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA  by Becky Albertali

Tue, August 04, 2015

Brandy Colbert

Little did I know when I met up with Brandy Colbert , author of POINTE  and LITTLE AND LION , due out 2017, that I was meeting my future roommate and one of my best writing buddies. She's the cat's pajamas, and I hope you enjoy our convo as much as I did! Brandy Colbert Show Notes Sweet Valley High Clueless  (movie) NaNoWriMo  (National Novel Writing Month) Verla Kay's Blue Boards CRACKED UP TO BE  by Courtney Summers LIVING DEAD GIRL  by Elizabeth Scott Center Stage  (movie) Brandy’s post on Nova Ren Suma’s blog about the book of her heart I Know My First Name Is Steven  (movie) ZZ Packer  DRINKING COFFEE ELSEWHERE Colson Whitehead  SAG HARBOR Coe Booth Varian Johnson Matt de la Pena Jacqueline Woodson Judy Blume’s <a href= "http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/512428.Iggies_House?from_search=true&search_version=service_impr" targe

Tue, July 28, 2015

Sarah McCarry

Drink 'em if you got 'em: Join me and Sarah McCarry  (aka The Rejectionist), author of ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS , DIRTY WINGS , and the third book in the trilogy, ABOUT A GIRL , as we talk about mosh pits, the gift of anonymity, and waiting for the end of the world in a temperate rain forest. HEADS UP -- this interview has significant background noise, so I'm providing a transcript of our entire conversation  (even more than appears in the audio episode)!   Sarah McCarry Show Notes HARRIET THE SPY  by Louise Fitzhugh THE SECRET HISTORY  by Donna Tartt TAM LIN by Pamela Dean Sara Goodman  at St Martin’s THE INTERN (aka Hilary T Smith,  listen to her First Draft interview here) <a href= "https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAAahUKEwijyrz8__7GAhXIEJIKHZHvBcg&url=htt

Wed, July 22, 2015

Nina LaCour

Nina LaCour , author of Morris Award nominated HOLD STILL , THE DISENCHANTMENTS , and EVERYTHING LEADS TO YOU , is a freaking delight. Join us as we discuss west coast travels, novels springing from one beautiful sentence, and Nina’s story about a school visit that makes me cry every time I hear it.   Nina LaCour Show Notes John Green  LOOKING FOR ALASKA SPEAK  by Laurie Halse Anderson FAT KID RULES THE WORLD  by K.L. Going THE FIRST PART LAST  by Angela Johnson FOREVER  by Judy Blume Zoetrope All Story fiction contest Joan Didion Michele Bachmann Southern Poverty Law Council  National Center for Lesbian Rights Stephanie Perkins Sarah Dessen Katie Byron Like Crazy  (movie)   <a href= "http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19547856

Tue, June 30, 2015

John Corey Whaley

Apply SPF 70 and get into the shade with me and  John Corey Whaley , author of Printz and Morris award-winning  WHERE THINGS COME BACK  and National Book Award finalist for  NOGGIN , while we talk about vague endings in teenage stories, the magic of librarians, and when books just don’t work. John Corey Whaley Show Notes Printz Award Morris Award Jessica Love , and  her First Draft interview THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER  by Stephen Chbosky THE CATCHER IN THE RYE  by J.D. Salinger ALLEGIANT  by Veronica Roth ( her First Draft podcast interview ) Maggie Stiefvater Daniel Handler SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE  by Kurt Vonnegut Holly Goldberg Sloan  COUNTING BY SEVENS

Wed, June 24, 2015

Anna Carey

Imagine you’re watching a sherbet-colored sunset in the Hollywood hills while enjoying avocado toast with Anna Carey , author of the EVE  trilogy and DEADFALL , the sequel to BLACKBIRD , out now! Anna Carey Show Notes Lorrie Moore Aimee Bender Nicole Krauss Amanda Davis Lisa Papademetriou The Sackett Street Writer's Workshops Julia Fierro 826NYC & the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store Michael Cunningham Etsy print of It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect, it Just Has to Exist,  by Gemma Flack THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING by  Jonathan Safran Foer Ira Glass quote Alison Cherry FOR REAL  ( her First Draft interview ) Stephen King  ON WRITING <a h

Tue, June 16, 2015

Robin Benway

Find a spot to sit in the sun and enjoy my conversation with the lovely Robin Benway , author of AUDREY, WAIT! , THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY & JUNE , the ALSO KNOWN AS  series, and EMMY AND OLIVER , out now!   Robin Benway Show Notes Rob Roberge , author and teacher at UCLA extension Book Soup  in West Hollywood, CA David Leviathan  THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER  by Stephen Chbosky My So-Called Life  (TV Show) Freaks and Geeks  (TV Show) Rachel Cohn , author of YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME  and others, and co-author of  DASH AND LILY'S BOOK OF DARES Rooney’s “ I’m a Terrible Person ” (song) Velvet Underground , Joni Mitchell , Lou Reed , The Smiths ,  Suede Jennifer Rudolph Walsh <a

Tue, June 09, 2015

Adam Silvera

Holy Harry Potter superfans, it’s Adam Silvera ! He calls himself tall for no reason, but I think the reason is he is solidly 6 foot something worth of awesome. Grab a comfy chair and enjoy my delightful chat with the debut author of MORE HAPPY THAN NOT  about his self-made MFA, reppin’ the Bronx, and the theme of choice in all our lives. Adam Silvera Show Notes  Charmed  (TV show) Supernatural  (TV show) SCORPIO RACES  by Maggie Stiefvater Brooks Sherman , Adam’s agent Hannah Ferguson , literary agent WINGER  by Andrew Smith Erin Bowman Figment.com Shelf Awareness Paper Lantern Lit Lauren Oliver NOGGIN  by John Corey Whaley ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE  by Benjamin Alire Saenz SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIEN AGENDA  by  Becky Albertalli ELEAN

Thu, May 14, 2015

Hilary T. Smith

Settle in somewhere quiet and contemplate the beauty around you with Hilary T Smith , author of WILD AWAKE  and A SENSE OF THE INFINITE , out May 19!  Hilary T Smith Show Notes WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE : EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BIPOLAR BUT WERE TOO FREAKED OUT TO ASK Hilary’s  guest post on YA Highway about how to be a nomad DUNE  by Frank Herbert

Fri, May 08, 2015

Corey Ann Haydu

Petite in stature, big in life experience and YA book feels, join me and Corey Ann Haydu , author of OCD LOVE STORY , LIFE BY COMMITTEE , and MAKING PRETTY , out May 12, as we talk acting, traveling, loneliness, and the shifting, shifty concept of “work.” Corey Ann Haydu Show Notes Sylvia Plath Corey’s  essay on loneliness SAVVY  by Ingrid Law LITTLE BROTHER  by Cory Doctorow RULES FOR STEALING STARS , Corey's new middle grade book, due out September 2015 Susan Van Metre , teacher at the New School MFA program BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA  by Katherine Paterson   THE LAST OF THE REALLY GREAT WHANGDOODLES  by Julie Andrews Edwards

Thu, April 23, 2015

Kristin Halbrook

Get your taste buds ready for a walk through a farmer’s market, and a kitchen-based adventure with Kristin Halbrook , author of NOBODY BUT US  and EVERY LAST PROMISE  (out now!).  Kristin Halbrook Show Notes TWILIGHT  by Stephenie Meyer BALLADS OF SUBURBIA  by Stephanie Kuehnert Bechdel Test HOW I LIVE NOW  by Meg Rosoff JELLICOE ROAD  by Melina Marchetta HOW TO WRITE THE BREAK OUT NOVEL  by Donald Maass  

Thu, April 16, 2015

Erin Bowman

Join me and Erin Bowman , author of the TAKEN  trilogy—the final book, FORGED , is out now!—and the forthcoming VENGEANCE ROAD  as we talk imposter syndrome, the lasting impact of Harry Potter, and how the Internet made living in the woods way less lonely. Erin Bowman Show Notes Gibson’s bookstore REWORK (book about startups) by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson Pub Rants , Kristin Nelson’s agency website Nathan Brantford Caroline Richmond Sara Crowe Sarah J. Maas Susan Dennard Pub(lishing) Crawl Firefly  (TV show) Gillian Flynn Tana French   STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST  by Austin Kleon

Tue, April 07, 2015

Amy Spalding

Get yourself a Big Gulp of caffeine and sit back as Amy Spalding , author of THE REECE MALCOLM LIST , INK IS THICKER THAN WATER , and KISSING TED CALLAHAN (AND OTHER GUYS) , out April 7, talks discovering voice, diving into experiences that scare you, and how soon her books will let you travel every neighborhood in LA without leaving the couch. Amy Spalding Show Notes THE PRINCESS DIARIES  by Meg Cabot Lois Lowry Studio City tattoo  ( Mike Erwin ) NICK AND NORA’S INFINITE PLAYLIST  by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan Easy A (film) LOST   Style Smoothie

Tue, March 31, 2015

Amy Tintera

Join me as I chat with Amy Tintera , author of REBOOT  and REBEL , and the forthcoming RUINED  series (due out Summer 2016!), about how screenplays are more than just dialogue, living in every time zone in the U.S., and embarking on new starts. Amy Tintera Show Notes Garden State  (movie) DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE  by Laini Taylor Nathan Bransford , QueryShark ,  Absolute Write SHATTER ME  by Tahereh Mafi THE SELECTION  by Kiera Cass CINDER  by Marissa Meyer DIVERGENT  by Veronica Roth SHADOW AND BONE  by Leigh Bardugo THRONE OF GLASS  by Sarah J Maas GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS  by Rae Carson GAME OF THRONES  by George R R Martin IF I STAY </span

Wed, March 18, 2015

Veronica Roth

Grab a Fiji water and a pillow mint and imagine you’re in a Boston hotel room with me and Veronica Roth , author New York Times bestselling DIVERGENT  series, as we talk about writing being the way grown-ups get to play pretend, embracing critique, and marveling at people who think first drafts are fun.

Fri, March 13, 2015

Jessica Love

Join me and Jessica Love, author of PUSH GIRL and the forthcoming IN REAL LIFE, as we hang with her dogs on a sun-soaked southern California balcony to talk pen pals, world travels, and hear what slang the kids are using these days. Jessica Love Show Notes Brand New “ Sic Transit Gloria ” the inspiration for her first NaNo book  Punchline (band) “ Ghostie ,” “ Universe ” Blue of Colors (band) “ Your Face ”  THIS LULLABY  by Sarah Dessen Spalding University   STORY  by Robert McFee THE ART OF FICTION  by John Gardner Push Girls  on Sundance Catfish  (TV show) DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE  by Laini Taylor Sumayyah Daud Jessica BS ( @JeskuhBS ) Rainbow Rowell 500 Days of Summer  (movie) BEAUTIFUL ADDICTIONS  by Season Vining Melissa Landers  YA sci-fi (four adult romances under Macy Beckett )  

Tue, March 03, 2015

Kiersten White

Take a siesta with Kiersten White , New York Times best-selling author of the PARANORMALCY  series, MIND GAMES , THE CHAOS OF STARS  and more, as she talks about the challenge of balancing writing with kids, the fresh new challenge that every book brings, and hear her read some amazing(ly hilarious) high school poetry!   Kiersten White Show Notes   Natalie Whipple ,  Stephanie Perkins Kiersten’s blog Erica Sussman Jim Di Bartolo Laini Taylor   LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES  by Laini Taylor with illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo

Tue, February 24, 2015

Kate Hart

One of my favorite humans, Kate Hart  is author of AFTER THE FALL , due out in 2016 from FSG, and is basically everywhere on the internet. She and I took a break from a marathon Twilight series re-watch to talk witches and talking birds, what a gross word “networking” is, and finding the courage to tell our stories. Also Twilight.   Kate Hart Show Notes Badass Ladies You Should Know  ( my interview here !) Field Trip Friday YA cover statistics Twilight series  by  Stephenie Meyer Tim O’Brien Zilpha Keatley Snyder A WRINKLE IN TIME  by  Madeleine L'Engle Absolute Write Katie Alender Corinne Jackson Myra McEntire Kirsten Hubbard Kate's agent  Michelle Andelman Natural State Treehouses , Kate's family treehouse business!  R&R = revise and resubmit <a href= "https://www.goo

Tue, February 24, 2015

Stephanie Diaz

Imagine yourself in sunny San Diego as Stephanie Diaz , author of EXTRACTION  and its sequel, REBELLION , out February 10, talks about moving from film to books, querying before high school, and the scary reality of moving cross-country. Stephanie Diaz Show Notes THE EGYPT GAME by  Zilpha Keatley Snyder HIS DARK MATERIALS  by Phillip Pullman IF I STAY  and WHERE SHE WENT  by Gayle Forman Cristin Terrill Amie Kaufman  and Meagan Spooner   THIS SHATTERED WORLD , and its sequel,  THESE BROKEN STARS Firefly  (TV show) LEGEND  by  Marie Lu Battlestar Galactica WANDERLOVE  by  Kirsten Hubbard   OPEN R

Tue, February 17, 2015

Erin Jade Lange

Grab a seat poolside with Erin Jade Lange, author of BUTTER , DEAD ENDS , and the forthcoming REBEL BULLY GEEK PARIAH , as she talks about abandoning the Midwest, the lasting impacts of bullying, and her personal vendetta against "Larry" McAfee. Erin Jade Lange Show Notes Dark Heart  (from Care Bears) John McAfee Abraham Biggs WINTERGIRLS  by Laurie Halse Anderson Ilsa Bick (ASHES)   Gemma Burgess  (agent)

Fri, February 13, 2015

Victoria Aveyard

Have a sunny afternoon coffee with me and Victoria Aveyard , debut author of RED QUEEN  (out Feb. 10!), as we discuss the Venn diagram of her screenwriting and author careers, why Hollywood won’t make the next Star Wars without novelists, and Pokemon (obviously)! Victoria Aveyard Show Notes FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY  by E.L. James WOOL  by Hugh Howey Suzie Townsend, Pouya Shahbazian, and Joanna Volpe of  New Leaf Literary Gennifer Hutchison , screenwriter for THE RED QUEEN Looper (film)

Tue, January 27, 2015

Megan Shepherd

Take a champagne break as I chat with Megan Shepherd , author of A COLD LEGACY , the final installment of THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER  series (out Jan. 27), about the magic of Asheville, Jack versus Sawyer, and the allure of historical fantasy over mimosas! Megan Shepherd Show Notes Beth Revis , Meagan Spooner Blog post of Megan’s YA book event at her parents’ book store STOLEN  by Lucy Christopher Alvina Ling  (Editor-in-Chief, Little, Brown) THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU  by H.G. Wells THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE  by Robert Louis Stevenson FRANKENSTEIN  by Mary Shelley FEAR STREET  by R.L. Stine THE CAGE , the first book in Megan’s next series, out May 26! The Chocolate Lounge  in Asheville Malaprops

Tue, January 20, 2015

Margaret Stohl

I was in nerd heaven chatting with Margaret Stohl , co-author of the New York Times best-selling BEAUTIFUL CREATURES  series, author of ICONS  and IDOLS , and hard at work at the YA novel based on Marvel’s Black Widow . The frenetic energy of an evil genius, and the degrees to match, Margie talked  about her experiences being the only girl in the room for her years running a video game company, always checking wardrobes for Narnia, and the origin of YALLFest / YALLWest . Margaret Stohl Show Notes Y’ALLFest Tiger Beat Y’ALLWest Psuedonymous Bosch  Jeffrey Wright  (actor) Eudora Welty William Wordsworth ,  Clark Coolidge Ron Howard  (actor/director) Zork: Nemesis ,  Zork: Grand Inquisitor  (video games) Melissa de la Cruz Kami Garcia THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE C.S. Lewis THE DARK IS RISING  by Susan Cooper Diana Wynne Jones Apocalypse  (video game) Gayle Forman CHILDHOOD’S END  by Arthur C. Clarke Marie Lu Ned

Tue, January 13, 2015

Julie Murphy

YA author Julie Murphy , who wrote SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY  and has a new book, DUMPLIN’ , coming out this year from Balzer + Bray, meets me in Texas to talk epic homecoming mums, unlikeable characters, and how she thought Twilight was a boy band. Julie Murphy Show Notes ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS  by Stephanie Perkins Drop Dead Gorgeous  (film) TITHE  by Holly Black WICKED LOVELY  by Melissa Marr Kristin Travenio  (Irving County Library YA librarian) Blue Valentine  (film) “ Jolene ” by Dolly Parton   Alessandra Balzer  at Balzer + Bray

Wed, January 07, 2015

Katie Coyle

Katie Coyle , debut author of VIVIAN APPLE AT THE END OF THE WORLD , talks about how Thorin Oakenshield taught her she wasn’t cut out to act, writing ghosts and magic into her hometown, and how Neil Gaiman gave her her big break.   Katie Coyle Show Notes Katie’s  wedding picture in which she and her friend re-enact THE HOBBIT PRETTY MONSTERS  by Kelly Link Neil Gaiman’s tumblr The Young Writer’s Prize  by Hot Key Press Cathy Day , represented by Sarah Burnes , professor at Pitt Rachel Fershleiser  of Tumblr THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANK LANDAU BANKS  by E Lockhart Tavi from Rookie Welcome to Nightvale I CAPTURE THE CASTLE  by Dodie Smith

Tue, December 23, 2014

Cynthia Leitich Smith

Boisterous, eloquent, and just the tiniest bit zany, Cynthia Leitich Smith , New York Times best-selling author of TANTALIZE  and RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME , took me out for tacos and taught me a thing or twelve. I loved hearing her wise words on diversity in YA, paying it forward with newer writers, and writing 200 drafts of a single picture book.   Cynthia Leitich Smith Show Notes Dear Sugar Kathi Appelt  and  Austin SCBWI Greg Leitich Smith Varian Johnson ,  Don Tate Brett Hartman JINGLE DANCER Ming Doyle , illustrator for Cynthia’s graphic novels Deborah Noyse  at Candlewick press (editor) SANTA KNOWS  illustrated by Steve Bjorkman  (edited by Mark McVeigh  at Dutton) HOLLER LOUDLY TWILIGHT Joss Whedon FERAL PRIDE

Tue, December 16, 2014

Myra McEntire

Myra McEntire , author of the HOURGLASS  series, is as refreshing as a cool glass of sweet tea, and it was a joy to sit with her and talk British TV, living with intention, and handling life’s unexpected curveballs.    Myra McEntire Show Notes The Kingsport Mets Trixie Belden  series  Sookie Stackhouse  series by Charlaine Harris WTF With Marc Maron  (podcast) Stuff You Should Know  (podcast) Stuff You Missed In History Class  (podcast) The Spy Museum podcast,  SpyCast Mental Illness Happy Hour  (podcast) The Domestic CEO  (podcast) Get It Done Guy's Quick Dirty Tips  (podcast) The Savvy Psychologist  (podcast) Welcome to Night Vale  (podcast) SIMS homeless blog,  Alice and Kev, The Story of Being Homeless in The SIMS 3 Horton Foote Keeping Up Appearnces  (BBC sitcom) Absolutely Fabulous Vampire Diaries Kevin Williamson  (writer for VD) <a href= "

Fri, December 12, 2014

Alison Cherry

The delightful Alison Cherry , author of RED  and FOR REAL  (out December 9!) talks traumatic revision experiences, life foreshadowing, “guerrilla friending” — and her cats give us some all-star background purring.   Alison Cherry Show Notes Author Solutions Literary agent  Holly Root Strauss opera, Die Frau ohne Schatten  (The Woman without a Shadow) Lorrie Moore Harvard Bookstore CHAOS WALKING  trilogy by  Patrick Ness Wendy Loggia , Executive Editor at Random House Children's Books/Delacorte Press  The Amazing Race Project Greenlight Survivor Pete Holmes Caela Carter ,  MY BEST FRIEND MAYBE Corey Ann Haydu Kirsten Hubbard Lindsay Ribar Kara Thomas  (Taylor) Maureen Johnson , "<a hr

Tue, December 02, 2014

Courtney C. Stevens

Talking with the wise and lovely Courtney C. Stevens , author of FAKING NORMAL  and THE BLUE-HAIRED BOY , about building a writing community, writing how rock climbing made her a better writer. Courtney C Stevens Show Notes Stephenie Meyer SCBWI Ruta Sepetys  and  Sharon Cameron Harper Impulse  series Rae Ann Parker , Kristin Tubb ,  Hannah Dills  Margie Lawson

Thu, November 20, 2014

Kaitlin Ward

Talking to Kaitlin Ward , whose debut novel BLEEDING EARTH  is due out in Fall 2015, about the SIMS, teen horror, how she recovered from losing her first agent, and what video games inspire her.   Kaitlin Ward Show Notes WHEEL OF TIME  series by Robert Jordan THE GIVER  by Lois Lowry THE GOLDEN COMPASS  by Phillip Pullman REDWALL  by Brian Jacques MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH  by Robert C. O'Brien ERAGON  by Christopher Paolini Realmz The SIMS TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer Absolute Write YA Highway THIS IS NOT A TEST  by Courtney Summers (and the sequel, PLEASE REMAIN CALM ) Goosebumps , Fear Street ,  Christopher Pike Are You Afraid of the Dark? Michelle Schusterman  (listen to her <a href="http://firstdraftwithsarahenni.tumblr.c

Wed, November 12, 2014

Stephanie Kuehn

I meet up with Stephanie Kuehn  at a lovely holiday retreat in Vermont, where she set her Morris-award-winning debut, CHARM AND STRANGE . Steph is deeply thoughtful and incredibly silly in equal measure, which makes her simply delightful. As we sat on a back porch with kids playing in a nearby hammock, we talked about Steph’s boarding school days, romanticizing Vermont, movie making, how starting to run gave her the confidence to start writing, and the experience of winning the Morris Award. I also refer to Mark Zuckerberg as a “millionaire.” Sorry for the downgrade, Zucks. Stephanie Kuehn Show Notes Debra Driza Corrine Jackson Veronica Roth THE SECRET HISTORY  by Donna Tartt COMMITTING JOURNALISM  by Dannie Martin and Peter Y. Sussman Dannie Martin The Wicker Man  (film) The Conformist  (film) Vertigo  (film)

Fri, November 07, 2014

Libba Bray (Part 2)

The conversation continues, with Libba Bray , Printz award-winning YA author of THE DIVINERS  and GOING BOVINE , discussing how she came to children's literature, the struggle to balance honesty with self-preservation, and writing with depression. Libba Bray Part 2 Show Notes Laurie Halse Anderson David Levithan Rachel Cohn Francesca Lia Block Angela Johnson Aaron Zimmerman , New York Writers Coalition Ann Brashares Sweet Sixteen Cecily von Ziegesar Holly Black SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder Save The Movie , by Peter Suderman in Slate (the "why are all movies the same?" article) Cynthia Leitich Smith Scott Westerfeld Justine Larbalestier John Green Nova Ren Suma Robin Wasserman Emily Lockhart Maureen Johnson Barry Lyga C. Alexander (Sandy) London Adele Griffin Matt de la Pena Shannon Hale Sara Zarr <a href= "https://twit

Tue, November 04, 2014

Libba Bray (Part 1)

The only thing better than getting to chat with YA icon Libba Bray  (author of New York Times best-selling series A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY , Printz award-winner GOING BOVINE , and genuinely terrifying historical paranormal THE DIVINERS , among others) about writing was getting to chat with her about life. Libba is as hilarious as she is wise, and our conversation was so fun, I decided to cut it into two parts rather than leave an hour or more on the cutting-room floor. In this episode, Libba talks about having her rock collection stolen as a kid, that one time Wes Anderson helped stage a play she wrote, and talks about how growing up in Texas set her head at a certain tilt. Libba Bray Show Notes Seven Samurai,  directed by Akira Kurosawa Citizen Kane The Legend of Boggy Creek The Planet of the Apes American Gigolo The Exorcist Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe Lois Lowry  ( her BEA speech ) CHARLOTTE'S WEB  by E.B. White I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS  by Maya Angelou THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD  by Zora Neale Hurston FOR WH

Mon, October 20, 2014

Natalie Standiford

Meeting with Natalie Standiford  was like stepping into a world where all my teen fantasies about what life as a writer would look like (amazing NY apartment, effortlessly chic clothes, a separate office with built-in shelves and a bass amp in the corner). It was only made better by the fact that Natalie’s books - HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT , THE BOY ON THE BRIDGE , CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS  and so many more - are beautiful, thoughtful, and filled with quirky nuance, just like the books I dreamed (dream!) of writing. Natalie is so sweet and welcoming, and had wise, wise words about building up an immunity to writer’s block, writing about real-world fairylands, and finding creative release outside the written word.   Natalie Standiford Show Notes FEAR STREET ( THE CHEATER ; LIGHTS OUT ; THE SECRET ; THE BURNING ; THE FEAR STREET SAGA ) Sarah Burnes , agent at The Gernet Co., who represents Natalie (and me!) Annie Hall , film Jane O’Connor,  FANCY NANCY Hilary Knight  (illustrator of Eloise) ASTRONAUTS ARE SLEEPING Parachute Publishing GOSSIP GIRL  by Cecily von Ziegesar <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/890143.The_Clique?ac=1" ta

Thu, October 16, 2014

Minisode Q&A

Q&A Show Notes Support the podcast here! Find podcast extras here! Jenn from Appleton video NAME OF THE ROSE , Natasha Romanov comic by  Marjorie Lu Junot Diaz BookPeople  in Austin The Strand  in NYC Parnassus Books  in Nashville The Last Bookstore  in LA Politics and Prose  in D.C., and  Modern Times coffeeshop NIMONA  by Noelle Stevenson (aka Gingerhaze) Alison Cherry   HYPERBOLE AND A HALF  by Allie Bosh

Mon, October 13, 2014

Cat Winters

Cat Winters, author of Morris Award finalist IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS and THE CURE FOR DREAMING (out Oct. 14!) is kind, thoughtful, and soft-spoken, but don’t be surprised if she tells you she was wandering the Oregon woods on the last full moon. Cat Winters Show Notes   The Mandrell Sisters The Smurfs THE THORN BIRDS  by Colleen McCullough Judy Blume REBECCA  by Daphne Du Marier SCBWI (The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Boardwalk Empire The Watcher in the Woods (Disney movie) Something Wicked This Way Comes  (movie) SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES  by Ray Bradbury THE GHOST NEXT DOOR  by Wylly Folk St. John The Cottingly Sisters The Man Who Believed In Fairies , article on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Tom Huntington Kristen Lawrence  Halloween Carols (" Dark Glass ") THE NIGHT CIRCUS  by Erin Morgenstern SLASHER GIRLS AND MONSTER BOYS  from Jessica Garrison at Dial <a href= "https://w

Mon, October 06, 2014

Marie Lu

Marie Lu is small only in a strictly physical sense. Her books are big - New York Times best-seller big - and her creativity, both as a novelist and an artist, is awe-inspiring. The written word taught Marie a new language, got her through high school, led her to take a chance on leading a creative life at a pivotal moment as college came to an end, and is now giving her the chance to see the world. Marie has truly inspiring things to say about when to recognize that you aren’t good enough for a story, how her visual thinking shows in her work, and what the push for diversity in YA has taught her. Marie Lu Show Notes IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT  by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes David Eddings Terry Brooks Kristin Nelson,  Marie’s agent Pike’s Peak Writer’s Conference The graphic novel of Rachelle Mead’s VAMPIRE ACADEMY   Heather Brewer’s vampire series,  EIGHTH GRADE BITES Kaari with  Caravan Studios Rainbow Rowell’s project  writing a graphic novel Kiersten White and Jim DiBartolo on  IN THE SHADOWS # WeNeedDiverseBooks Ellen Oh THE JOY LUCK CLUB  by Amy Tan "Yes, No, Meh"  With Marie and Veronica Roth on CNN

Thu, October 02, 2014

Beth Revis

A chat with Beth Revis , author of the New York Times best-selling ACROSS THE UNIVERSE  series, including a new book from that world, THE BODY ELECTRIC , due out Oct. 7! Beth talks about the ten years she spent writing before her breakout novel, and how invaluable the writing community has been to keeping her sane.  Beth Revis Show Notes The Biltmore Estate The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis Sweet Valley High  series The Babysitter’s Club  series THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe NIGHT by Elie Weisel DEAD MAN’S HAND , edited by John Joseph Adams PETTICOATS AND PISTOLS , edited by Jessica Spotswood Firefly , television show Jessica Spotswood , Marie Lu ,  Andrea Creamer  Beth’s  Pinterest board PAPER HEARTS Wattpad HYPERBOLE AND A HALF  by Allie Brosh   <a href= "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1

Mon, September 29, 2014

Meagan Spooner

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 !) Shel Silverstein 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 <a href= "http://books.google.com/books?id=ES0Hs75IVg0C&lpg=PA122&ots=NLfpLNvrUZ&dq=One%20writes%20such%20a%20story%20not%20out%20of%20the%20leaves%20of%20trees%20still%20to%20be%20

Wed, September 24, 2014

Rachel Fershleiser

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 GoBookYourself I, Too, Am Harvard Planned Parenthood Saved Me Emily Schultz , author of  JOYLAND ,  Spending Stephen King’s Money Maureen Johnson , <a href= "http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maureen

Fri, September 19, 2014

Gretchen McNeil

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 The  24 Italian Opera songs TITHE  by Holly Black WICKED LOVELY  by Melissa Marr Stanislavski acting questions Nosferatu Boris Karloff <p style= "margin-bottom: 1.3em; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Ro

Mon, September 15, 2014

Episode 10: Heidi Schulz

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, August 22, 2014

Episode 9: Michelle Schusterman

Michelle Schusterman , author of the I HEART BAND series and the forthcoming THE KAT SINCLAIR FILE S 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, August 13, 2014

Minisode: Q&A

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, August 08, 2014

Episode 8: Kara Taylor

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 Janet Evanovich 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, August 06, 2014

Episode 7: Claire Legrand

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, July 25, 2014

Episode 6: Ellen Oh

  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, July 23, 2014

Episode 5: Cristin Terrill

  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, July 22, 2014

Episode 4: Lindsay Smith

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, July 14, 2014

Episode 3: Caroline Tung Richmond

  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, July 10, 2014

Episode 2: Robin Talley

Sun, July 06, 2014

Episode 1: Sumayyah Daud

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.