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Latest Episodes:

361: Villains and Villainy, Antagonists and Obstacles: Crafting Conflict in Epic Fantasy — Interview with Tasha Suri Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Tasha Suri.

Tasha is an award-winning author, occasional librarian and cat owner. Her books include the Books of Ambha duology and The Jasmine Throne, (which is out now).

When she isn't writing, Tasha likes to cry over TV shows, buy too many notebooks, and indulge her geeky passion for reading about South Asian history. She lives with her family in a mildly haunted house in London.

In this episode Tasha and I discuss:

Why she wanted to depict different kinds of strength and how she pulled it off.
Her advice for tying together multiple points of view. (Her novel has ten POVs!)
How to write a book proposal for a novel and other advice for getting published.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: www.diymfa.com/361

360: Unpacking Memories for a Memoir— Interview with Jas Rawlinson Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jas Rawlinson.

Jas is a best-selling author, book coach, and resilience speaker who specialises in stories that change lives. Growing up in a small country town, Jas first fell in love with the power of literature as a young girl, and would often disappear into the world of writing to escape from the family violence in her home. It was here that she made a promise to one day find a way to support other survivors and victims of domestic violence; and in 2016, she fulfilled that promise by co-founding Brisbane's first permanent domestic violence memorial.

Endorsed by names like Kevin Hines and Lifeline, Jas has been featured across major media outlets including ABC and Authority Magazine, and in 2021, was named as one of Yahoo Finance's top 10 book coaches to watch. She believes that everyone has a story with the power to inspire, impact, and change lives.

In this episode Jas and I discuss:

Why good storytelling is so important to successfully conveying your message.
Common misconceptions about memoir and create a shared vocabulary.
Her advice for writing about difficult memories and the importance of self-care.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

Type For more info and show notes: www.diymfa.com/360

359: Trust, Threat, and Truth: A Journey Through the Craft of Writing - Interview with Jeff Arch May 26, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Arch.

Jeff grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he spent two of his high school years at a boarding school much like the one depicted in his debut novel Attachments, which we'll be discussing today.

In the '70s, he studied film/tv/theater production at Emerson College in Boston and then moved to LA, where he worked as a concert lighting designer and toured the country with national rock and reggae acts while teaching himself to write screenplays on the side.

Years later, he was teaching high school English and running a martial arts school when heard the call to write again. In 1989, he sold the school he'd built, rented a small office, and gave himself one year to write three screenplays.

The second of those―a quirky romantic comedy where the two lovers don't even meet until the very last page―sold almost immediately, and Sleepless in Seattle became a surprise megahit worldwide.

For his screenplay, Jeff was nominated for an Oscar, as well as for Writers Guild and BAFTA awards, among others. His other credits include the Disney adventure film Iron Will, New Line's romantic comedy Sealed With a Kiss, and the independent comedy Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys. His script for Saving Milly, based on Mort Kondracke's searing memoir, earned the 2005 Humanitas Nomination, an honor he treasures.

Jeff is a father, stepfather, father-in-law, and grandfather and is based in Malibu.

In this episode Jeff and I discuss:

His method for moving characters with their own agendas through the plot.
How to avoid the dreaded info dump and his advice for what to do instead.
Why you shouldn't focus on the theme, but should worry about the story instead.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/359

358: Find Your Community and Follow Your Passion - Interview with Thien-Kim Lam May 19, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing my dear friend Thien-Kim Lam.

Thien-Kim writes stories about Vietnamese characters who smash stereotypes and find their happy endings. She and I first connected at an entrepreneurship event and instantly bonded over our love of books and our penchant for challenging the status quo of our respective industries.

Thien-Kim is also the founder of Bawdy Bookworms, a subscription box that pairs sexy romances with erotic toys (featured on NPR, BBC America, and NBC). Plus, she also writes about multicultural parenting at I'm Not the Nanny and has been featured on NBC News Asian America, BBC World, and NPR's All Things Considered. Plus, she has written for Momtastic, YourTango, Frolic, NBC News, and other outlets.

Happy Endings is her debut novel and we'll be discussing it today. Quick heads up before we dive in: when friends like us get together and start chatting about a sexy rom-com featuring a protagonist who sells sex toys… things might go in a non-PG-rated direction. So if you've got kiddos hanging around, now might be a good time to put in some headphones. And if listening to two girlfriends talk about steamy romance and sex toys is not your jam… well, you have been warned.

Okay folks, without further ado, I am super-excited to introduce you to my friend Thien-Kim!

In this episode Thien-Kim and I discuss:

Why she chose to begin her novel with tension between the main love interests.
Giving her protagonist a unique career and how that strengthened the character.
What she learned from having to relaunch her business after pivoting.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/358

357: Layers of World Building in Epic Fantasy - Interview with Suyi Davies Okungbowa May 12, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Suyi Davies Okungbowa.

Suyi is a Nigerian author of fantasy, science fiction and other speculative works inspired by his West-African origins. His new novel, Son of the Storm, is the first in the epic fantasy trilogy called The Nameless Republic, and he is also author of the acclaimed and award-winning godpunk fantasy novel David Mogo.

His shorter fiction and essays have appeared internationally in various periodicals and anthologies, including Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda and Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy. He has taught writing at the University of Arizona and spoken at various venues and institutions in the US and beyond.

In this episode Suyi and I discuss:

How to create intricate contradictions within characters and the plot of your story.
The role narrator and point of view play in the meaning and importance of a story.
Why he used a marketplace as a foundation for building his story's world.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/357

356: Doodling for Writers - Interview with Rebecca Fish Ewan May 05, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rebecca Fish Ewan.

Poet and cartoonist, Rebecca's passion is mingling text with visual art, primarily in ink and watercolor, to tell stories of place and memory. Her hybrid-form work has appeared in After the Art, Brevity, Crab Fat, Survivor Zine, Hip Mama, Mutha, TNB, Punctuate & Under the Gum Tree. Her illustrations and essay, "The Deepest Place on Earth," were published in the Literary Kitchen anthology, Places Like Home. She was also a long-time DIY MFA columnist, writing about books with words and pictures, and she continues as part of our extended team as a contributor at large.

Rebecca has an MFA in creative writing from ASU, where she has been a landscape design professor for 25+ years. She grew up in Berkeley, California, and lives with her family in Arizona. Her book-length work includes A Land Between, By the Forces of Gravity, Water Marks, and her new book, Doodling for Writers, which released October 2020.

In this episode Rebecca and I discuss:

How writers can get out of their own way and reclaim their love of drawing.
Why writers need to embrace searching as a part of the writing process.
The importance of finding tools you love (and she shares her favorites!).

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/356

355: Weaving Together History, Folklore, and Fairy Tale - Interview with Rena Rossner Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rena Rossner.

Rena hails from Miami Beach, Florida. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars Program and holds an MA in history from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her debut novel, The Sisters of the Winter Wood was listed as "One of the 100 Best Books" of the year by Publisher's Weekly.

She currently lives in Israel with her husband, five children, and a pug, where she works as a literary agent. Her grandparents and great grandparents are from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, and Romania. Their stories inspire her work.

Today we'll be discussing her latest novel, The Light of the Midnight Stars.

In this episode Rena and I discuss:

Why narration is the element that most directly connects the reader to the story.
Her process for creating different voices and making them each distinct.
How she juggles being a literary agent with her writing career (and personal life!).

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/355

354: Character, Conflict, and World Building in Fantasy - Interview with C.L. Clark Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing C.L. Clark.

Cherae graduated from Indiana University's creative writing MFA and was a 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow. In addition to writing, she has had various jobs as she's traveled the world, including: personal trainer, English teacher, editor, or some combination thereof.

When she's not writing or working, she's learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and post-colonial history. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in FIYAH, PodCastle, Uncanny, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies and she is now one of the co-editors at PodCastle and editor of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) Blog.

In this episode C.L. and I discuss:

How to identify which character is the protagonist and whether there can be two.
The relationship between magic, religion, and technology and how she uses it.
Different ways to handle conflict and the approach she takes in her writing.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/354

353: Making the Shift from YA Romance to Adult Thriller - Interview with David Yoon Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing David Yoon.

David is the author of the New York Times bestseller Frankly In Love, as well as the upcoming YA novel Super Fake Love Song and adult thriller Version Zero. He also drew the illustrations for his wife Nicola Yoon's #1 New York Times bestseller Everything, Everything.

He and his wife are also heading up a new imprint of Random House Children's Books called Joy Revolution. This imprint will debut in 2022 and will be devoted to publishing teen love stories by and about people of color.

In this episode David and I discuss:

Why he decided to write a book for adults after success in the YA genre.
Uncovering your central dramatic question and how to explore it in your writing.
His process for "Marie Kondo-ing" his brain and what he does with the space.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/353

352: You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton! - Interview with Chuck Wendig Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing someone I have the honor of considering both a colleague and friend, Chuck Wendig.

Chuck is the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers, Star Wars: Aftermath, the Miriam Black thrillers, and the Atlanta Burns books, as well as Zer0es and Invasive, alongside other works across comics, games, film, and more.

He was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and an alum of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, and he served as the co-writer of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus. He is also known for his popular blog, terribleminds, and he's one of the few people I follow on Twitter and actually read what they post. He has also written books about writing such as Damn Fine Story, and today we'll be talking about his latest book, a collection of inspirational nuggets titled: You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton!

In this episode Chuck and I discuss:

The inspiration behind his latest book, which began as a series of tweets.
How good writing subverts readers' expectations in some way.
Why you shouldn't take any one piece of writing advice too seriously.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/352

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