Write Or Die Podcast

Bonus Episode: The Honeys by Ryan La Sala Aug 19, 2022

Get The Honeys, by Ryan La Sala!

Come chat with us on the BABC discord: https://discord.gg/Mhw92TUdMG

Buy our books:

Witchlings (and join the Witchlings discord!)

Follow Us on Social Media:

Ryan: Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

Claribel: Twitter| Instagram | TikTok

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E24: Write or Die & FINAL_Final_Episode_Really.doc Jun 27, 2022

THANK YOU to all of our WorDies! We love you!

Kat & Claribel say goodbye to Write or Die by listening to snippets from past episodes and discussing the advice they’ve received along the way from amazing past guests including S.Jae Jones, Alex Aster, Victoria Aveyard, Tiffany Jackson, Phil Stamper and More! Then they read listener comments and answer some last “Ask Us Anything” questions! Thank you to all the WorDies who’ve joined us on this journey! Our hope is that you keep this community going even after the podcast is done!

Topics discussed include:

Separating “author” from “writer”
Fake it til you make it mindset
Social media and mental health
Envy and jealousy in publishing
Switching agents
Focusing on your craft

MENTIONS:

• THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US by Aaron H. Aceves

• LIGHTLARK by Alex Aster

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• ORDER Witchlings

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E23: Write or Die & The Final Episode (part 1) Jun 13, 2022

Kat & Claribel say goodbye to Write or Die by listening to snippets from past episodes and discussing the advice they’ve received along the way from amazing past guests including Daniel Jose Older, Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, Ayana Gray, Mark Oshiro, and More! Topics discussed include:

Messy first draft.
How to get into drafting mode.
Being wary of generalized advice.
Finding community.
Being a BIPOC author.
Parasocial relationships in publishing.

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• ORDER Witchlings

Buy Claribel a coffee on Claribel's Ko-fi

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom

• Check out Kat’s Books

Buy Kat a coffee on Kat's Ko-fi

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E22: Vita Ayala & The Met is Super Haunted May 30, 2022

Claribel & Kat discuss what "success" means in publishing (and what it definitely does not mean). Then they interview Vita Ayala about their journey into writing comics, how the Metropolitan Museum of Art is super haunted, being inspired by Octavia Butler as a kid, and the difference between comics and prose writing.

ABOUT VITA: Vita Ayala (they/them) is a trans non-binary Afro-Puerto Rican writer born and bred in New York City, where they grew up dreaming dreams of dancing on far away worlds, fighting monsters on the block, and racing fish along the bottom of the ocean. Before Vita began freelancing as a writer, they worked in book retail, event coordination, building management, baking, and museum security (day and graveyard shift). They’ve broken at least one of every bone in their body, which means they can feel the rain coming. Vita writes both comics and prose fiction, and has written for publishers such as: Black Mask Studios, DC (comics), Dynamite, IDW, Image Comics, Macmillan, Marvel Comics, Realm, Valiant, and Vault Comics. Vita currently resides in New York City with their wife and cat sons.

• FOLLOW VITA: Website | Twitter

Buy New Mutants Vol. 1 (New Mutants, 1) by Vita Ayala

Buy New Mutants Vol. 2 (New Mutants, 2) by Vita Ayala

Buy Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space

Buy Submerged by Vita Ayala

Listen to Marvel's Jessica Jones: Playing with Fire

MENTIONS:

• DAWN by Octavia Butler

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• BUY Once Upon a K-Prom

• Check out Kat’s Books

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E21: Kat Cho & Suga’s Diss Track May 16, 2022

Claribel interviews Kat about her young adult k-pop romcom, Once Upon a K-Prom. They chat all things k-pop (including Kat’s first k-pop loves), what inspired the book, whether Kat included BTS in K-Prom, and more!

ABOUT KAT: Kat Cho used to hide books under the bathroom sink and then sneak in there to read after bedtime. Her parents pretended not to know. This helped when she decided to write a dinosaur time-travel novel at the tender age of nine. Sadly, that book was not published. Kat and her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, NBC, Refinery 29, and Seventeen. Her books include the Penguin One World One Book 2019 Selection, Wicked Fox, and its internationally bestselling sequel, Vicious Spirits. As well as the upcoming romcom Once Upon a K-Prom (Disney, 2022). She currently lives and works in NYC and spends her free time trying to figure out what kind of puppy to adopt.

• FOLLOW KAT: Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• BUY Once Upon a K-Prom

• BUY Wicked Fox

• BUY Vicious Spirits

MENTIONS:

• K-Prom Playlist

• Robbie’s Playlist

• Elena’s Playlist

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E20: Traci Chee & The Epic Reads Egg Video May 02, 2022

Claribel & Kat talk about pressures on authors every time a new book comes out & how publishing relationships naturally change over time. Then they interview Traci Chee about her path to publication, behind-the-scenes of finding out her book was a Printz Award Honor, and her newest Fantasy, A Thousand Steps into Night!

BIO: Traci Chee is a best-selling and award-winning author of books for young people, including the instant New York Times best seller and Kirkus Prize Finalist The Reader and Printz Honor Book, Walter Award Honoree, and National Book Award Finalist We Are Not Free. Her newest book is A Thousand Steps into Night, a Japanese-influenced young adult fantasy. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, egg painting, gardening, and hosting game nights for family and friends. She lives in California with her fast dog.

• FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram

MENTIONS:

• Epic Reads Egg Video

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E19: Laekan Zea Kemp & Just Pre-Ask For An Extension Apr 18, 2022

Claribel & Kat discuss a conversation the saw online about being “satisfied” with your author career vs being “happy” as an author. Then they interview Laekan Zea Kemp about her publishing journey. How she started off self-publishing and transitioned into traditional publishing. And what it’s been like writing across multiple genres and age categories!

Content Warning: Discussions of grief/parental death/cancer

ABOUT LAEKAN: Laekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. She’s also the creator and host of the Author Pep Talks podcast, as well as a contributor to the Las Musas podcast. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicanx grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health. Her debut novel, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BITTER & SWEET is out now from Little Brown Young Readers.

• FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet

BUY Heartbreak Symphony

MENTIONS:

• Stray Kids

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E18: Claribel A. Ortega & #WitchlingsBook Apr 04, 2022

Kat interviews Claribel about the process of writing and publishing their second middle grade (and first series!). How publishing a second book feels different. How expectations change as your career progresses. And working on not “giving weight to the negative”

ABOUT CLARIBEL: New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author, Claribel A. Ortega is a former reporter who writes middle-grade and young adult fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she's not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic, and video games into books, she’s co-hosting her podcast Bad Author Book Club and helping authors navigate publishing with her consulting business GIFGRRL. Claribel is a Marvel contributor and has been featured on Buzzfeed, Bustle, Good Morning America and Deadline.

Claribel’s debut middle grade novel Ghost Squad is out now from Scholastic and is being made into a feature film. Her forthcoming books include Witchlings (Scholastic) and the graphic novel Frizzy (First Second). You can find her on Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok @Claribel_Ortega and on her website at claribelortega.com.

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok | Website

• BUY Witchlings

• BUY Ghost Squad

• BUY This is Our Rainbow

• BUY Reclaim the Stars

• Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

MENTIONS:

• Neverending Story Gmork

• S2 E20: Claribel Ortega & I'm Expecting a Payoff Jesus

• S2 E21: Claribel Ortega & the Bi-Annual Clickbait

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E17: Judy I. Lin & Walking Away From Bad Situations Mar 21, 2022

Claribel & Kat talk about book promo they’ve done that they think was worth it, and what they don’t think they’ll do again. Then they talk to debut author, Judy I. Lin about her debut fantasy, trying out IP, and eventually choosing to go the traditional route instead.

ABOUT JUDY: Judy I. Lin was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Canada with her family at a young age. She grew up with her nose in a book and loved to escape to imaginary worlds. She now works as an occupational therapist, and still spends her nights dreaming up imaginary worlds of her own. She lives on the Canadian prairies with her husband and daughter. A Magic Steeped in Poison is her debut novel.

• FOLLOW JUDY: website | Twitter | Instagram

• Buy A Magic Steeped in Poison

• Buy A Venom Dark and Sweet

MENTIONS:

• Canva

• After Effects

• Envato Elements

• Book Brush

• Sija Hong - illustrator

• DVCon - Claribel A Ortega How to Put Together a Media Kit [cc]

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E16: Alexis Castellanos & The Story Web We Weave Mar 14, 2022

Claribel & Kat talk about Author-Reviewer “relationships” and what’s okay to do and what to stay away from. Then they interview debut graphic novelist, Alexis Castellanos about how she used family stories to flesh out and inspire her debut graphic novel.

ABOUT ALEX: Alexis Castellanos was born and raised in Florida where she enjoyed sunny days, dramatic thunderstorms, and delicious Cuban food. After graduating from college, she moved to New York City and worked as a scenic artist, bringing theatrical sets to life with a little bit of paint and a whole lot of ingenuity. She currently works as a graphic designer by day and spends her nights dreaming up stories. She lives in Seattle with her partner and her extremely photogenic cat, Belle. Isla to Island is her first graphic novel.

• FOLLOW ALEX: website | Twitter | Instagram

• Spellcaster Designs

• BUY Isla to Island

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E15: Deborah Falaye & Put Yourself Out There Feb 28, 2022

Claribel & Kat discuss their thoughts on jumping back into promoting their new books! Then they interview their PitchWars mentee about her upcoming seering fantasy debut, BLOOD SCION!

ABOUT DEBORAH: Deborah Falaye is a Nigerian Canadian young adult author. She grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where she spent her time devouring African Literature, pestering her grandma for folktales, and tricking her grandfather into watching Passions every night. When she’s not writing about fierce Black girls with bad-ass magic, she can be found obsessing over all things reality TV. Deborah currently lives in Toronto with her husband and their partner-in-crime yorkie, Major.

• FOLLOW : Twitter | Instagram

• BUY Blood Scion

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E14: Malinda Lo & I Just Do Gay Things Feb 14, 2022

Claribel & Kat discuss how they decide on what project to work on next. And then they interview Award Winning and NYT Bestselling author, Malinda Lo, about her experience in the industry, her advocacy for diversity in kidlit, and what it was like going back to a shelved project and revising it years later for publication.

ABOUT MALINDA: Malinda Lo is the National Book Award-winning, bestselling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which which was named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, and was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. Her debut novel Ash, a Sapphic retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and was a Kirkus Best Book for Children and Teens. She has been a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Malinda’s short fiction and nonfiction has been published by The New York Times, NPR, Autostraddle, The Horn Book, and multiple anthologies. She lives in Massachusetts with her partner and their dog.

• FOLLOW MALINDA: website | Twitter | Instagram

• Last Night At the Telegraph Club

• Add A Scatter of Light on Goodreads

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E13: Write or Die Live Feb 07, 2022

This is a bonus episode of Write or Die! Originally recorded live as part of DVCon (a free virtual writing conference for diverse creators), Claribel & Kat read your anonymously submitted publishing stories and questions!

MENTIONS:

• DVCon

• Watch DVCon panels

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E12: Wendy Xu & Shut Up, Do Your Work, & Stay Off Goodreads Jan 31, 2022

Claribel & Kat interview illustrator Wendy Xu about how she first got into illustrating comics, how her work in publishing prepared her for her publication journey, and advice on properly crediting artists for their work!

ABOUT WENDY: Wendy Xu is an award-nominated Brooklyn-based illustrator and comics artist with three upcoming graphic novels from Harper Collins. She is the co-creator of "Mooncakes", a young adult fantasy graphic novel published in 2019 from Lion Forge Comics/Oni Press. Her work has been featured on Catapult, Barnes & Noble Sci-fi/Fantasy Blog, and Tor.com, among other places.

• FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram

• Buy Mooncakes

• Buy Tidesong

• Add The Infinity Particle on Goodreads

MENTIONS:

• Lynda Barry

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (March 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E11: Sarah Raughley & Even Heroes Aren’t Perfect Jan 17, 2022

Claribel & Kat catch up with each other and talk about the emotional ups and downs of building an author career. (CW: brief discussion of trauma) Then they interview Sarah Raughley about what it was like to get published in the before-times, differences she’s felt releasing her newest series during the pandemic, and how she researched the lives of Black people in 19th century Britain for her book, THE BONES OF RUIN.

ABOUT SARAH: Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. Sarah has been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel and works in the community doing writing workshops for youths and adults. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her a doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all.

• FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY The Bones of Ruin (The Bones of Ruin #1)

BUY Fate Of Flames (The Effigies #1)

MENTIONS:

• Black Victorians, Black Victoriana by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E10: Akshaya Raman & A Bed Full of Snakes Jan 03, 2022

Happy New Year! Claribel & Kat discuss some fun news in their author careers and chat about new year and resolutions. Then they interview debut author, Akshaya Raman about her highly anticipated Fantasy, The Ivory Key. How she dealt with doubt during her query journey and how she made writing friends.

ABOUT AKSHAYA: Akshaya Raman fell in love with writing when she wrote her first story at the age of ten. Though she graduated from UC Davis with a degree in biology, she gave up pursuing a career in science to write books. She is a co-founder and contributor to Writer’s Block Party, a group blog about writing and publishing, and has served on the planning teams of several book festivals. She lives in the Bay Area with an actual scaredy cat, and in her free time, she enjoys baking, traveling, and watching too much reality TV.

FOLLOW AKSHAYA: website | Twitter | Instagram

• BUYThe Ivory Key

MENTIONS

Fave "untraditional" success stories:

• S4 E7 Emiko Jean & We Don't Need Permission to Write

• S2 E1: Susan Dennard & #UghJay!

• S1 E23: Karen M McManus & The Haunted Airbnb

• Halloween Bonus: Holly Black & Black Pond Revelations and Weird Stuff

FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E9: Claribel & Kat & WorD’s Last Holiday Episode! Dec 13, 2021

This week, Claribel & Kat discuss what they learned about their writing and author journeys in 2021. Then they answer listener questions about how to survive querying, Self-publishing, how they first got into writing, when to change agents, and more. Plus bonus chat about K-Dramas and K-pop!

MENTIONS:

WRITING PODCASTS

• The Writing Show with Paula B.

• 88 Cups of Tea

• First Draft with Sarah Enni

• Minorities in Publishing

• Pub(lishing) Crawl Podcast (Archive)

MOVIE

• Authors Anonymous

K-DRAMAS

• Boys Over Flowers

• W: Two Worlds

• Winter Sonata

K-POP

• Claribel’s K-Pop suggestions: BTS, Twice, CL

• Kat’s K-Pop suggestions: Big Bang, SHINee, Stray Kids

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E8: Maisie Chan & Danny Chung Has Two Titles Nov 22, 2021

Claribel & Kat discuss mentorship programs, both formal and informal! Then they chat with Maisie Chan about her experience publishing her debut Middle Grade and the differences between the UK and US publishing market.

ABOUT MAISIE: Maisie Chan is a British Chinese children's author from Birmingham. She loves dim sum, yoga and travelling. She has written early readers for Hachette and Big Cat Collins, and has a collection of myths and legends out with Scholastic. She is the author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths (U.K.) also known as Danny Chung Sums It Up (U.S.), and the Tiger Warrior chapter book series (M Chan). She runs Bubble Tea Writers Network to support and encourage writers of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) descent in the U.K. She has a dog called Miko, who has very big eyes and wakes up too early. She has a large old school hip hop collection. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

• FOLLOW MAISIE: website | Twitter | Instagram

Buy Danny Chung Sums It Up (US)

Buy Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths (UK)

MENTIONS:

• DVMentor

• DVDebut

• WNDB Mentorship

• Author Mentor Match

• PitchWars

• When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E7: Emiko Jean & We Don’t Need Permission to Write Nov 01, 2021

Claribel & Kat talk about how to prepare for panels & some quick tips on how to answer interview questions. Then they interview NYT Bestselling author Emiko Jean about her publishing journey, how publishing has changed since she first queried in 2011, and what it’s been like building an author career.

Emiko’s BIO: When Emiko is not writing, she is reading. Most of her friends are imaginary. Before she became a writer she was an entomologist (fancy name for bug catcher), a candle maker, a florist, and most recently a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She loves the rain.

• FOLLOW : website | Instagram

MENTIONS:

• BUY Tokyo Ever After

• BUY Empress of All Seasons

• BUY We’ll Never Be Apart

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S4 E6: Alex Aster & Cursed Islands Are My Brand Oct 18, 2021

Claribel and Kat answer a listener's question about publishing events, what it’s like to organize events like DVPit/DVCon, and some tips about attending events. Then they chat with Alex Aster about her author journey, discuss going viral on TikTok and whether it’s worthwhile for authors to join. Plus Alex gives us some Authortok tips!

ALEX’S BIO: Alex Aster is an author and graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing. The Emblem Island series is inspired by the Latin American myths her Colombian grandmother told her as a child before bedtime.

• FOLLOW : website | TikTok

• BUY Curse of the Night Witch

• ADD Lightlark on Goodreads

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• www.katchowrites.com

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S4 E5: Shanna Miles & Categories Are Arbitrary Oct 04, 2021

Claribel & Kat discuss author responsibility as public figures with platforms, brought to you by Kat’s k-pop obsession with Stray Kids. Then they interview Shanna Miles about her hybrid journey, starting out with self-publishing, and then getting an agent and being traditionally published. Shanna gives some practical advice for anyone considering self-publishing, discusses diversity in publishing, and how YA “trends” are cyclical!

BIO: Shanna Miles is an author, reviewer and librarian who lives in Georgia with her two daughters, and educator husband and advocates tirelessly for appropriate representation for marginalized people in children’s fiction. Her passion is Paranormal Romance, but she also has a deep affinity for diverse Science Fiction like that of Octavia Butler and Sherri L. Smith. “For All Time” is Shanna Miles’ latest work.

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• BUY For All Time

• BUY Willow Born

MENTIONS:

• Ingram Spark Self Publishing Tools

• Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

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• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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• www.katchowrites.com

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S4 E4: Ayana Gray & Claribel Ortega Saw My Tweet! Sep 27, 2021

Claribel & Kat discuss burnout and some of the coping mechanisms they’ve found helpful to get them through. Then they interview debut author, Ayana Gray about the path it took to find the courage to write, how her path “crossed” Claribel & Kat’s along the way, and her highly anticipated debut novel, BEASTS OF PREY.

CW: Discussions of death of a loved one and grief at 21:45 time point. Fast forward past that to 25:03 if this is triggering.

Ayana BIO: Ayana Gray is an author of speculative works and lover of all things monsters, mythos, and #MelaninMagic. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas where she reads avidly, follows Formula 1 racing, and worries over her adopted baby black rhino, Apollo. Her highly anticipated young adult debut, BEASTS OF PREY, is coming out with Penguin Random House!

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BUY Beasts of Prey

MENTIONS:

• Highlights Foundation

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• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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S4 E3: Graci Kim & Kiwis Just Want to Make Friends Sep 21, 2021

Claribel and Kat give updates on their upcoming books (Witchlings and Once Upon a K-Prom) and discuss comparison in publishing and how it disproportionately affects BIPOC. Then they interview bestselling author Graci Kim about her journey into publication and how she learned to embrace her Korean name and identity!

CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of death of a child at 27:12 point. Skip to 28:54 to avoid that discussion.

GRACI BIO: Graci Kim is a bestselling author of magic-infused middle grade books, who was vine-picked in Korea and sun-ripened in New Zealand.

Her Korean mythology-inspired debut, The Last Fallen Star, published by Disney Hyperion (Rick Riordan Presents) and the first in the Gifted Clans trilogy, became an instant US bestseller. It was named by Indigo as a Best Book of 2021, was an Amazon Best Book Ages 9-12, and was selected by Publishers Lunch as a 2021 Buzz Book. Called a “sparkling yarn” by Entertainment Weekly, the book has been featured in TIME Magazine for Kids, Hypable, and Publishers Weekly; and has been optioned by the Disney Channel for a live-action television series.

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BUY The Last Fallen Star

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MENTIONS:

• Graci’s TedTalk “The Hidden Power Behind Our Names”

• Beach Read by Emily Henry

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S4 E2: Jason June & Getting Kicked In The Face by Kylie Minogue Sep 13, 2021

Claribel & Kat answer a listener question about writing character voice and perspective. Then they interview Jason June about getting kicked in the face by Kylie Minogue and the journey from writing Picture Books to writing Young Adult!

BIO: Jason June is a gay, genderqueer, list-making, Virgo Sun, Taurus Moon, Pokémon-playing writer living in Austin, TX. If he had a Gay Agenda, "marry the love of your life", "be mom to two extremely pampered Pomeranians," and "get accidentally kicked in the face by Kylie Minogue as an extra in her music video" would all be crossed off.

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MENTIONS:

• Buy Jay’s Gay Agenda

• Buy Whobert Whover, Owl Detective

• The Art of Character

• The Emotional Craft of Fiction

• Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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S4 E1: Misa Sugiura & Inviting Your Entire Mailing List Aug 30, 2021

We’re Back! In the season 4 premiere, Kat and Claribel share what they did over summer break and share big news about the future of Write or Die. Then they interview Misa Sugiura about her publishing journey, differences between releasing a book in 2021 vs before 2020, and creating boundaries between author identity and private personal life.

BIO: Misa Sugiura’s ancestors include a poet, a priestess, a samurai, and a stowaway. Her first novel It’s Not Like It’s A Secret, won the Asian Pacific Islander American Librarians’ Association’s Award for Young Adult Literature; Her latest book, Love & Other Natural Disasters has been praised by the American Library Association as "hilariously awkward" and "honestly poignant."

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BUY Love and Other Natural Disasters

BUY It’s Not Like It’s A Secret

MENTIONS:

• Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

• Becky Albertalli’s post about Queer Gatekeeping

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• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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• www.katchowrites.com

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S3 E26: Liselle Sambury & The Werewolf Romance Jun 14, 2021

In the Season Finale episode, Claribel and Kat answer some listener questions about drafting, querying, and submission. Then they interview debut author Liselle Sambury about her early writing, learning and growing from past mistakes, and how she uses YouTube to connect to the community

LISELLE BIO:

Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian-Canadian author who grew up in Toronto, and her brand of writing can be described as “messy Black girls in fantasy situations.” In her free time, she shares helpful tips for upcoming writers and details of her publishing journey through a YouTube channel dedicated to helping demystify the sometimes complicated business of being an author.

• FOLLOW Liselle: website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

BUY Blood Like Magic

ADD Butcherbirds on Goodreads

MENTIONS:

• Kate from Paper Fury

• Liselle’s Video about her learning experience with problematic narratives

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• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S3 E25: Anna Meriano & Sorry Literary Fiction May 31, 2021

Claribel and Kat talk about “parasocial relationships” and how it affects authors and their mental health. Then they talk to Anna Meriano about IP, MFA’s and her new book about fandom and fans reclaiming safe spaces for themselves!

Bio:

Anna Meriano grew up in Houston, Texas, with an older brother and a younger brother but (tragically) no sisters. She graduated from Rice University with a degree in English and earned her MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in writing for children from the New School in New York. She has taught creative writing and high school English and works as a writing tutor. Anna likes reading, knitting, playing full-contact quidditch, and translating English song lyrics into Spanish and vice-versa. Her favorite baked goods are the kind that don't fly away before you eat them.

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• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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S3 E24: Rita Williams Garcia & All Vibes, No Plot May 24, 2021

Claribel and Kat discuss how they make promo that’s fun for them and which incorporates their personalities. Then they talk to hilarious bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia about what it was like when she first got started in publishing, how she goes back and forth between Middle Grade & Adult, and some great advice for authors at all level!

BIO:

Rita Williams-Garcia is the New York Times bestselling author of novels for young adults and middle grade readers. Her most recent novel, Gone Crazy in Alabama ends the saga of the Gaither Sisters, who appear in One Crazy Summer and PS Be Eleven. Her novels have been recipients of numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award Finalists, Newbery Honor Book, Junior Library Guild, and the Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction. She served on faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children MFA Program and she resides in Queens, New York.

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BUY A Sitting in St. James

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• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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S3 E23: Editor Shelly Romero Is A Goth Golden Retriever May 17, 2021

Kat and Claribel talk a little about their personal writing processes. And then they interview Shelly Romero an editor at Scholastic about what she looks for in submissions, how you can support BIPOC authors, and the realities of the day-to-day life of editors!

SHELLY BIO:

Shelly Romero is an assistant editor at Scholastic Press, where she is looking to build a list comprised of predominantly BIPOC and traditionally marginalized authors. She graduated from Stephens College with a bachelor’s degree in English and attended the 2017 NYU Summer Publishing Institute. She is a member of Latinx in Publishing, People of Color in Publishing, and a junior mentor for Representation Matters Mentorship Program. She was selected as Publishers Weekly Star Watch 2020 Honoree, which “shines a light on innovative, talented professionals from all parts of the industry.” Born and raised in Miami by Honduran parents, she now resides in New York City where is she is forever chasing the perfect café Cubano and pan tostado.

• Follow Shelly Online: website | Twitter

Mentions:

• Add Witchlings by Claribel a. Ortega on Goodreads

• Add Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho on Goodreads

• Add Frizzy/Rizos by Claribel a. Ortega on Goodreads

• Shelly explains Acquisitions meetings, Launch, and Sales Conference from an editor’s perspective!

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• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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• www.katchowrites.com

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S3 E22: Sarah Dass & Persuasion Is Our Favorite Austen Book May 10, 2021

Kat & Claribel discuss some writing and productivity tools that have been helping them write lately. Then they talk to Sarah Dass about her debut romance WHERE THE RHYTHM TAKES YOU, doing a retelling, and what it felt like being in an auction for her debut book

Bio: Sarah Dass was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago.

A graduate of the University of the West Indies and University College London, she works as an Office Administrator by day and writes stories about growing up in the Caribbean by night.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing, or taking walks with her dachshund. The only thing she loves more than a lazy day at home is exploring new countries.

Her debut novel, WHERE THE RHYTHM TAKES YOU, a YA contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, will be published by Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins in 2021.

• Follow Sarah Online: website | Twitter | Instagram

Order WHERE THE RHYTHM TAKES YOU

Mentions:

• Kingsley Nebechi’s Instagram

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• www.claribelortega.com

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• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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S3 E 21: Victoria Aveyard Is a Map Nerd May 03, 2021

Kat and Claribel discuss making friends and friend groups in publishing. And then they interview NYT Bestselling author, Victoria Aveyard about her writing process, starting a brand new series after spending so long in one world, how film school influences her writing process, and how she’s liking TikTok!

VICTORIAS BIO: Victoria Aveyard is an author and screenwriter, born and raised in a small town in Western Massachusetts. Both her parents are public school teachers, as well as avid film, television, and literature fans. Victoria grew up on a steady diet The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and LOST. She pursued a degree in Writing for Film & Television at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. After graduating college in 2012, Victoria moved home from Los Angeles and began writing the manuscript that would become Red Queen.

She has since published four #1 New York Times bestselling and USA Today bestselling books, two New York Times bestselling novellas, a New York Times bestselling short story collection.

She lives full-time in Los Angeles and is hard at work on her next young adult fantasy series. The first installment is Realm Breaker!

• FOLLOW VICTORIA: website | Twitter | Instagram

Mentions:

• thread on making friends on twitter: https://twitter.com/Claribel_Ortega/status/1273357320928530437

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• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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S3 E20: Heidi Heilig & Everyone Put Pets in Your Headshot Apr 26, 2021

Claribel and Kat discuss the idea of looking back on your old writing and seeing how far you’ve come. Plus, they touch on the idea that the industry should shift to look at the story and not at the trends. Then they interview Heidi Heilig, author of the Shadow Players trilogy, about her journey with publishing, creating conscientious communities, and how the publishing community has changed since she first published 5 years ago. Plus some discussion about trilogies vs duologies and how real life events influence our writing.

BIO:

Heidi grew up in Hawaii where she rode horses and raised peacocks, and then she moved to New York City and grew up even more, as one tends to do. Her favorite thing, outside of writing, is travel, and she has haggled for rugs in Morocco, hiked the trails of the Ko’olau Valley, and huddled in a tent in Africa while lions roared in the dark.

She holds an MFA from New York University in Musical Theatre Writing, of all things, and she’s written books and lyrics for shows including The Time Travelers Convention, Under Construction, and The Hole. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and sons. They do not own a cat.

• FOLLOW HEIDI: website | Twitter | Instagram

• Order ON THIS UNWORTHY SCAFFOLD (Shadow Players #3)

• Order THE GIRL FROM EERYWHERE

MENTIONS:

• Query Shark

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• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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• www.katchowrites.com

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S3 E19: Becky Albertalli & Staying Connected to Readers Apr 19, 2021

Kat and Claribel discuss staying on track and Kat gets honest about her ADHD diagnosis and how it affects her author habits and life. Then they interview the beloved Becky Albertalli. Becky discusses her experiences with co-writing, what it was like watching her fandom grow, and the surreal experience of having her book adapted into film! Plus some down-to-earth advice on how authors experience doubt and connect with each other.

BECKY BIO:

Becky Albertalli is the author of William C. Morris Award winner and National Book Award longlist title, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (now a major motion picture, Love, Simon); the acclaimed The Upside of Unrequited; and the New York Times bestsellers Leah on the Offbeat, What If It’s Us (cowritten with Adam Silvera), Yes No Maybe So (cowritten with Aisha Saeed), and Love, Creekwood: A Simonverse Novella. Becky lives with her family in Atlanta.

• FOLLOW BECKY ONLINE: Website | Twitter | Instagram

• ORDER KATE IN WAITING

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• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

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• www.katchowrites.com

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• Check out Kat’s Books

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S3 E18: N.G. Peltier & Self Publishing Hybrid Apr 18, 2021

Claribel and Kat discuss the misperception that all authors need to be doing a lot of promotion for their own books and constantly be on social media. Then they interview N.G. Peltier about her decision to self-publish her debut romance but how their agent worked on their behalf to create a unique hybrid situation.

N.G. PELTIER BIO:

N.G. Peltier is an anime watching, book reading, video-game playing, story writing kinda girl.

A devourer of words and books from a young age, she enjoys writing romance and creeping people out with the Caribbean folklore stories she grew up hearing.

A Trinidadian born and raised, she currently lives in Trinidad with her mountain of ideas and characters battling each other for whose story gets told next.

• FOLLOW N.G. ONLINE: website | Twitter | Instagram

• Buy SWEETHAND by N.G. Peltier

• Buy UK Paperback of SWEETHAND

MENTIONS:

• Kacen Callender Blog Post: Social Media Expectations

• Kacen Callender: The Humanization of Authors

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

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S3 E17: Preeti Chhibber & This Episode Is About Titanic Apr 05, 2021

Claribel and Kat discuss what “growing as a writer” means to them. Then they interview the hilarious and charming Preeti Chhibber about her time working on the other side of the table in publishing, go on a (long) tangent about the Titanic, what it was like writing IP for huge franchises like Spider-Man and Star Wars, and that one time she made Jake Gyllenhall laugh (twice!)

BIO:

Called “Spider-Man super fan and author” by Publishers Weekly, Preeti Chhibber is a YA author, speaker, and freelance writer. She worked as a publishing professional. She has written for SYFY, Polygon, BookRiot, BookRiot Comics, The Nerds of Color, and The Mary Sue, among others. Her debut original middle-grade, Orientation (Marvel’s Avenger’s Assembly #1) came out from Scholastic in August 2020 and her first picture book, A Jedi You Will Be was released by Disney this fall, she is also featured in the forthcoming YA and Adult anthologies Battle of the Bands (Candlewick, Fall 2021) and Stone Sword Table (Random House, 2022).

• FOLLOW PREETI: website | Twitter | Instagram
MENTIONS:

• Buy Marvel’s Avengers Assembly #1: Orientation

• Buy Marvel’s Avengers Assembly #2: The Sinister Substitute

• Buy A Jedi You Will Be

• Pre-Order Battle of the Bands (Candlewick, Fall 2021)

• Pre-Order Stone Sword Table (Random House, 2021)

• Mostly we just mention Titanic...

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S3 E16: Anna-Marie McLemore & The Gay Gatsby Mar 22, 2021

Kat and Claribel chat about Whisper Networks, what they are, why they exist, and how to use them. Then they interview the amazing Anna-Marie McLemore about their Magical Realism books, how they incorporate their heart and identity into their stories, and how they embrace their weird!

Bio:

Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them) is the author of THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS, WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS, WILD BEAUTY, BLANCA & ROJA, DARK AND DEEPEST RED, MISS METEOR (co-authored with Tehlor Kay Mejia) and the forthcoming THE MIRROR SEASON. A lot of what they write could be called magical realism. Much of it is inspired by fairy tales. Almost all of their stories find their heart in the traditions they grew up in and the communities they belong to.

• Follow Anna-Marie Online: website | Twitter

• Buy The Mirror Season

Mentions:

• Celebrity Book Club

• True Beauty

• Busted

• Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Podcast Website

• Join our WorDie community!

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S3 E15: Book Twitter Manual: Handbook for Mortals Mar 08, 2021

Kat and Claribel discuss the Book Twitter scandal that happened around the book HANDBOOK FOR MORTALS the NYT Bestseller’s List in 2017

Mentions:

• Handbook for Mortals author fires back after publishing fiasco https://ew.com/books/2017/08/26/handbook-for-mortals-lani-sarem/

• An Anniversary of a Scandal: One Year After Lani Sarem https://bookriot.com/lani-sarem-scandal-anniversary/

• Jenny Trout Recaps of HANDBOOK: http://jennytrout.com/?p=11574

• Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube| TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• Check out Kat’s Books

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

• Write or Die Podcast Website

• Join our WorDie community!

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S3 E14: Kosoko Jackson & ...That's Weird Feb 22, 2021

Claribel & Kat discuss joining TikTok. Then they interview Kosoko Jackson about his debut sci-fi romance YESTERDAY IS HISTORY, how to push a trope to new limits, and writing in Adult romance after writing primarily in YA. Plus some advice from Kosoko's day job in Social Media marketing and content creation!

KOSOKO BIO:

Kosoko Jackson is a digital media specialist, focusing on digital storytelling, email, social and SMS marketing, and a freelance political journalist. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium, Thought Catalog, The Advocate, and some literary magazines. When not writing YA novels that champion holistic representation of black queer youth across genres, he can be found obsessing over movies, drinking his (umpteenth) London Fog, or spending far too much time on Twitter. His YA debut, YESTERDAY IS HISTORY, is out now, published by SourceBooks Fire and his adult #OwnVoices queer Romcom, I’M SO (NOT) OVER YOU will come out in 2022, by Berkley Romance.

• FOLLOW KOSOKO ONLINE: website | Twitter | Instagram

MENTIONS:

Add WITCHLINGS on Goodreads

Claribel’s TikTok

Kat’s TikTok

Order YESTERDAY IS HISTORY

Add I’M SO (NOT) OVER YOU on Goodreads

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL ONLINE: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

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• www.katchowrites.com

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• Write or Die Podcast Website

• Join our WorDie community!

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S3 E13: Book Twitter Manual: Introduction, I Was Hacked & Please Stop Scrolling Feb 08, 2021

Claribel and Kat dive into some Book Twitter news and gossip for your entertainment and education.

Mentions:

CP
Punching Down
Avoiding language used to target BIPOC
Twitter Advice
Expectations for how interact with readers/bloggers
Remember, teens are our readers
MSWL
"I was hacked"
"Please stop scrolling"

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

www.katchowrites.com

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Write or Die Podcast Website

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S3 E12: Emily XR Pan & Nova Ren Suma & The Right Debut Book Jan 25, 2021

Claribel & Kat look back on how far they’ve come since 2016 & how their goals for their author careers have changed in 5 years. Then they talk with NYT Bestselling authors & co-founders of FORESHADOW: A Serial YA Anthology, Emily XR Pan & Nova Ren Suma about how they became friends & advice about how to find your voice!

Emily X.R. Pan is the New York Times bestselling author of THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER, which won the APALA Honor Award and the Walter Honor Award, received six starred reviews, was an L.A. Times Book Prize finalist, and was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. She co-created the FORESHADOW anthology and lives on Lenape land in Brooklyn, New York.

Nova Ren Suma is the author of A Room Away from the Wolves and the #1 New York Times bestselling The Walls Around Us, both finalists for an Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She also wrote the novels Imaginary Girls, 17 & Gone, and Dani Noir and is co-editor of the story & writing craft anthology FORESHADOW: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading & Writing YA. She has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University and teaches creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and Vermont College of Fine Arts. She grew up in the Hudson Valley, spent most of her adult life in New York City, and now lives in Philadelphia.

Follow Nova Online: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Follow Emily Online: Website | Twitter | Instagram

MENTIONS

Emily’s Fashion suggestions:

Nova Ren’s Bookstore suggestions:

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Write or Die Podcast Website

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S3 E11: Claribel & Kat & Words Matter Jan 11, 2021

Claribel and Kat discuss some current events and how they’re coping. As well as how powerful words can be, and how important it is for us to take responsibility for them.

MENTIONS:

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!
Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)
Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads
www.katchowrites.com

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S3 E10: Claribel & Kat & End-of-the-Year Check-In Dec 14, 2020

Claribel and Kat discuss 2020, what it was like for Claribel to debut this year, and some trends they’ve noticed in the community. Plus, they discuss methods to try to allow for self-care and positivity in your life as potential coping mechanisms when going through a hard time. And how to cultivate better work habits for themselves as full-time writers.

Mentions:

Claribel’s GMA appearance

Read Free Hexel

DVCon

DivBookFest

Romance is a Bonus Book

W: Two Worlds

Boys over Flowers

Mystic Pop Up Bar

Spinning Silver

To Kill a Kingdom

Magic for Liars

The Gravity of Us

Be Dazzled

All of Us Villains

Silence of Bones

These Violent Delights

Stand Up, Yumi Chung

Lore Olympus

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

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S3 E9: Chloe Gong & Shakespeare’s Ghost is Looking Out For You Nov 30, 2020

Claribel and Kat discuss #PublishingPaidMe and break down why it’s such an important conversation in publishing. Then they interview NYT bestselling debut author, Chloe Gong about These Violent Delights, her Chinese retelling of Romeo and Juliet in historical Shanghai! We discuss how she got into writing (and how writing for herself helped her write a unique story) and her research process for both the setting and historical time period she chose to set her debut novel.

Bio:

Chloe Gong is a student at the University of Pennsylvania, studying English and international relations. During her breaks, she’s either at home in New Zealand or visiting her many relatives in Shanghai. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear when “Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best plays and doesn’t deserve its slander in pop culture” is chanted into a mirror three times.

Follow Chloe Gong online: Twitter | Instagram | Website

Order THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS

Mentions:

PublishingPaidMe

Discussed: Profit & Loss (P&L), Advances

Twitter apologises for ‘racist’ image-cropping algorithm

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

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S3 E8: Nikki Barthelmess & Growing With Your Agent Nov 16, 2020

Kat and Claribel talk about virtual events and how to avoid burn out. They they talk to YA author Nikki Barthelmess about how her life inspired her novels, how she ended up working with her two agents when her original agent’s assistant was promoted and became her agent!

Bio:

Nikki Barthelmess is an author of young adult books, including THE QUIET YOU CARRY (out now!), QUIET NO MORE (Flux, fall 2020), and EVERYTHING WITHIN AND IN BETWEEN (HarperChildren’s, fall 2021). Nikki entered foster care in Nevada at twelve and spent the next six years living in six different towns. During this time, Nikki found solace in books, her journal, and the teachers who encouraged her as a writer. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Nikki lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, daughter, and pride-and-joy Corgi pup.

Follow Nikki online: Twitter | Instagram | Website

Buy The Quiet You Carry

Buy Quiet No More

Mentions:

Sarah Gerton (agent at Curtis Brown)

Welcome Home Anthology

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

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S3 E7: Mara Fitzgerald & So Much Wisdom With This Episode Oct 19, 2020

Claribel and Kat discuss why problematic books keep getting published and why the publishing industry has to hold itself accountable beforehand so this stops happening. Then they interview Mara Fitzgerald about her debut YA fantasy, BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL, and how being true to her voice helped her write the book that got her an […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S3 E6: Paola Mendoza, Abby Sher & Please Vote! Oct 05, 2020

Claribel and Kat discuss how to refill the creative well (especially considering how stressful current events are on the creative mind). Then they interview NYT bestselling author and activist Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher about their new YA novel Sanctuary, making a statement with your art, envisioning a diverse future where we center minority narratives.

Bio: Abby Sher is a writer and performer whose work has appeared in Modern Love: 50 True and Extraordinary Tales of Desire, Deceit, and Devotion and Behind the Bedroom Door: Getting it, Giving it, Loving it, Missing it as well as in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Self, Jane, Elle, HeeB and Redbook. She is also the author of the young adult novel Kissing Snowflakes. Abby has written and performed for the Second City in Chicago and the Upright Citizen’s Brigade and Magnet Theater in New York. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

Follow Abby Online: Twitter | Instagram | Website

Bio: Paola Mendoza is a film director, activist, author, and artist working at the leading edge of human rights. A co-founder of the Women's March, Paola served as its Artistic Director and co-authored the New York Times bestseller Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Around the World.

Follow Paola Online: Twitter | Instagram

Order Sanctuary

Mentions:

Register to Vote: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Vote by mail: http://votesaveamerica.com/everylastvote/

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

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S3 E5: Alechia Dow & Don’t Ever Lick Your Checks Sep 21, 2020

This week, Claribel and Kat talk about who to follow on social media to learn more about the industry and writing as well as how to discuss authentic representation with your writer friends or as a sensitivity reader. Then they interview debut sci-fi author Alechia Dow on what it was like writing her amazing novel The Sound of Stars, Debuting while living abroad, and her amazing booky cookies!

ABOUT ALECHIA:

Alechia Dow is a former pastry chef, food critic, culinary teacher, and Youth Services librarian. When not writing YA sci-fi featuring determined black girls (like herself), you can find her having epic dance parties with her daughter, baking, mentoring, or taking teeny adventures around Europe.

Follow Alechia: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Alechia’s Books:

THE SOUND OF STARS

THE KINDRED

Mentions:

Booky Cookies

Writing in the Margins Mentorship

https://www.patreon.com/writeordiepodcast

Dahlia Adler

Susan Dennard

Alexandra Bracken

Patrice Caldwell (agent)

Shelly Romero (editor)

Beth Phelan (agent)

Suzie Townsend (agent)

Latinx in Pub

POC in Pub

LasMusas

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S3 E4: Alexis Henderson & A Fear Factor of Seven Sep 08, 2020

Claribel & Kat discuss IP (Intellectual Property) and recent Twitter discourse. Then they interview fantasy horror author, Alexis Henderson, about her debut novel The Year of the Witching, what it was like going on sub as a crossover YA/Adult and what went into her decision to go with an adult imprint over YA. And we […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S3 E3: Janella Angeles & Emailing Andrew Lloyd Webber Aug 24, 2020

Episode Description: Claribel and Kat discuss recent Twitter discourse about sharing good news and professional jealousy. How to deal with these feelings and refer to amazing advice from Holly Black’s WorD episode about jealousy! Then they talk to Janella Angeles about her debut Where Dreams Descend, what it feels like to pick yourself up after […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S3 E2: Shveta Thakrar & I Thought Office Jobs Would be Like TV Aug 10, 2020

Episode Description: Claribel and Kat talk about the rising discussions of diversity in publishing (both in the talent and behind-the-scenes) and how these aren’t new talks but they’re finally being taken more seriously and how it’s felt being constantly dismissed as POC in the industry (plus some Anti-Racist Resources). Then they talk to the wonderful […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S3 E1: Claribel, Kat & What We Did on Summer Break! Aug 03, 2020

Episode Description: Our Season 3 premiere! We discuss what we’ve been up to this summer and our new podcast format! Mentions: Claribel’s Twitch Claribel on Good Morning America WorD Patreon: www.patreon.com/writeordiepodcast Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube Order GHOST SQUAD Add FRIZZY on Goodreads www.claribelortega.com Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter| Instagram | […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2 E27: Natasha Diaz & Bat Mixedvah May 25, 2020

Claribel and Kat chat about submission and how lonely it can feel. And then they talk to Natasha Diaz about her writing journey from college to writing for a start-up production company to debuting last year with her novel, Color Me In.

Bio:

Natasha Díaz is a born and raised New Yorker, currently residing in Brooklyn, NY with her tall husband where she spends most of her days writing with no pants on and alternating between E.R. and Grey’s Anatomy binges. Natasha works as an author and screenwriter, her debut novel, Color Me In is out now with Random House/Delacorte Press.

Follow Natasha: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Mentions:

Frizzy

Submission Resources Kat Found while on Sub:

Pub Crawl

Submission Hell It’s True -- S.H.I.T.

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add GHOST SQUAD on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter| Instagram | YouTube

Order Kat’s debut, WICKED FOX!

Pre-Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

www.katchowrites.com

Write or Die Podcast Website

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S2 E26: Rachel Stuhler & Christmas Magic Every Ten Pages May 18, 2020

Today Kat & Claribel discuss virtual online book events and festivals & Claribel’s new K-drama journey! Plus they interview the amazing writer, Rachel Stuhler, and talk about how she got into writing screenplays for Hallmark and Lifetime and her book Absolutely True Lies! Bio: Rachel Stuhler hails from Rochester, NY, the home of the hot […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2 E25: justin a. reynolds & When the Tables Have Turned May 11, 2020

Claribel & Kat discuss current events in publishing including their feelings about the new Twilight novel. And when and how to reach out to an agent’s clients. Then they interview justin a. reynolds, the author of the acclaimed debut novel, Opposite of Always, and the upcoming Early Departures. They discuss his publishing journey and how […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2 E24: Write Or Drink (Part 2) May 04, 2020

In a continuation of last week, here’s part 2 of Write or Drink!We received a request from a WorDy to do a Q&A while drinking cocktails and we aim to please! So we asked for questions on Patreon, Facebook, and Twitter and ended up recording so much that it became TWO episodes! Follow Claribel Ortega […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2 E23: Write or Drink (Part 1) Apr 27, 2020

We received a request from a WorDy to do a Q&A while drinking cocktails and we aim to please! So we asked for questions on Patreon, Facebook, and Twitter and ended up recording so much that it will be TWO episodes! Here’s part 1 of Write or Drink! Mentions: Kat’s Word Count Video Follow Claribel […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2 E22: June Hur & All We Talk About Is Murder Apr 20, 2020

We answer some AMAs about pre-order campaigns and skin care. Then we interview debut author, June Hur about her YA Historical mystery novel, writing as a diaspora author, and what it feels to debut these days! Bio: June Hur was born in South Korea, raised in Canada, and studied History and Literature at the University […] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2 E21: Claribel A. Ortega & The Bi-Annual Clickbait Apr 13, 2020

Part Two of Kat’s interview with Claribel about her publishing journey! She talks about GHOST SQUAD, how it feels to debut, her social media presence, and how she build up her community!

Bio:

Claribel A. Ortega is a former reporter who writes YA & MG fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she’s not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic and video games into books, she’s filming videos for her YouTube channel or making GIFS for her small graphic design business, GIFGRRL.

Mentions:

Ghost Squad Virtual Launch

The One Where I Get Catfished By a Publisher

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add GHOST SQUAD on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter| Instagram | YouTube

Order Kat’s debut, WICKED FOX!

Pre-Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

www.katchowrites.com

Write or Die Podcast Website

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S2 E20: Claribel Ortega & I'm Expecting a Payoff, Jesus! Apr 06, 2020

For our 2 year anniversary we present the episode you’ve all been waiting for! Kat interviews Claribel about her publishing journey, how she once got catfished, how she got her agent and book deals! Plus Kat and Claribel discuss the reality behind the “YA is dead” conversation that comes up every once in awhile.

Bio:

Claribel A. Ortega is a former reporter who writes YA & MG fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she’s not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic and video games into books, she’s filming videos for her YouTube channel or making GIFS for her small graphic design business, GIFGRRL.

Mentions:

Ghost Squad Virtual Launch

The One Where I Get Catfished By a Publisher

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add GHOST SQUAD on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter| Instagram | YouTube

Order Kat’s debut, WICKED FOX!

Pre-Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

www.katchowrites.com

Write or Die Podcast Website

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S2 E19: Isabel Ibañez & What Did Claribel Want to Say? Mar 16, 2020

Claribel and Kat discuss current events and how things currently happening in publishing might be making some authors feel uncertainty. Then they interview Isabel Ibañez about her path to publication and how she came up with the very personal topic of her debut novel, Woven in Moonlight, inspired by recent Bolivian events and her family’s experience.

Bio:

Isabel Ibañez was born in Boca Raton, Florida and is the proud daughter of two Bolivian immigrants. A true word nerd, she received her degree in creative writing and has been a Pitch Wars mentor for three years. Isabel is an avid movie goer and loves hosting family and friends around the dinner table. She currently lives in Winter Park, Florida with her husband, their adorable dog, and a serious collection of books.

Follow Isabel: Twitter | Instagram | Website

Mentions:

Woven in Moonlight

Written in Starlight

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S2 E18: Victoria Lee & A Write Or Die Exclusive Secret Mar 09, 2020

We talk about the financial reality of becoming a writer/author and how writing full-time might not be right for everyone. Then we interview Victoria Lee, the author of The Fever King and The Electric Heir. We discuss what it was like to be traditionally published at a new kind of publisher and what it felt like working with Amazon.

BIO:

Victoria Lee grew up in Durham, North Carolina, where they spent twelve ascetic years as a vegetarian before discovering spicy chicken wings are, in fact, a delicacy. They’ve been a state finalist competitive pianist, a hitchhiker, a pizza connoisseur, an EMT, an expat in China and Sweden, and a science doctoral student. They’re also a bit of a snob about fancy whisky.

Victoria writes early in the morning, then spends the rest of the day trying to impress their border collie puppy and make their experiments work.

They are represented by Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.

Mentions:

A dirty secret: you can only be a writer if you can afford it

Follow Victoria: Twitter | Website

Victoria’s Books: http://victorialeewrites.com/books/

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S2 E17: Marie Rutkoski and The Personal Is The Most Artistic Mar 02, 2020

In this episode we discuss the dangers of comparison in publishing and we interview the amazing NYT Bestselling author, Marie Rutkoski, about her new book The Midnight Lie and what it feels like writing a book in the same world as a previous series but with a very personal aspect.

Bio:

Marie Rutkoski is a New York Times bestselling author of several novels for children and young adults. She grew up in Illinois as the oldest of four children, and has lived in Moscow, Prague, and Paris.

She holds degrees from the University of Iowa and Harvard University, and is now a professor of English literature at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Shakespeare, children’s literature, and fiction writing. She lives in Brooklyn with her family and two cats, Cloud and Firefly.

Mentions:

Follow Marie: Twitter | Instagram | Website

Holly Black Write or Die Episode

The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The economic concept of The Winner’s Curse

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

Malinda Lo

Katherine Locke

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Pre-Order GHOST SQUAD

Add GHOST SQUAD on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter| Instagram | YouTube

Order Kat’s debut, WICKED FOX!

Pre-Order VICIOUS SPIRITS

www.katchowrites.com

Write or Die Podcast Website

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S2 E16: Nafiza Azad & using anger as writing fuel Feb 24, 2020

We answer some more AMA’s including how authors do their own promo and outside insight about Street Teams. Then Kat & Claribel interview Nafiza Azad, the author of Morris Award Finalist Novel, Candle and the Flame. We talk about her experience learning creative writing in school, getting her agent, and what it felt like to […]

Bio: Nafiza Azad was born in Fiji and spent the first seventeen years of her life as a self-styled Pacific Islander. Now she identifies as an Indo-Fijian Muslim Canadian, which means she is often navigating multiple identities. Nafiza has a love for languages and currently speaks four. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Children's Literature from the University of British Columbia and co-runs The Book Wars (thebookwars.ca), a website dedicated to all things children's literature. Nafiza currently lives in British Columbia with her family.

Mentions:

Follow Nafiza: Twitter | Instagram

YALSA announces 2020 William C. Morris Award finalists

Morris Award Finalists

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S2E15: Karuna Riazi & Going Out of Order Feb 17, 2020

Kat and Claribel discuss what it’s like to work on multiple projects at a time and how to meet multiple deadlines. They also interview author Karuna Riazi about debuting with a book packager, querying after you’ve already debuted, and why she decided to go to an MFA program!

Bio: Karuna Riazi is a born and raised New Yorker, with a loving, large extended family and the rather trying experience of being the eldest sibling in her particular clan.Besides pursuing a BA in English literature from Hofstra University, she is an online diversity advocate, blogger, and publishing intern.Karuna is fond of tea, baking new delectable treats for friends and family to relish, Korean dramas, and writing about tough girls forging their own paths toward their destinies. She is the author of The Gauntlet and The Battle.

Mentions:

Follow Karuna: Twitter | Website

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

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S2E14: Agent Barbara Poelle & Poelling it Feb 10, 2020

Claribel and Kat answer some AMA’s (including talking about their skincare routine!) They also interview the amazingly funny literary agent Barbara Poelle about her past as a stand-up comic, her life as a literary agent, how to live life with humility and humor, and rage push-ups.

Follow Barbara: Website | Twitter

Mentions:

WBP Questions to ask Agents

Cerave

Cetaphil

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

Innisfree Orchid line

Mamonde Rose Water Toner

Ole Henriksen C-Rush™ Brightening Double Crème

Missha Sunstick

The Face Shop Sunstick

Klairs Supple Preparation Toner

Writer’s Block Party Blog post about making writing friends part 1 and part 2

Funny You Should Ask: Mostly Serious Answers to Mostly Serious Questions About the Publishing Industry

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

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S2E13: Agent Quressa Robinson & All Her Inbox Secrets Feb 03, 2020

Claribel and Kat discuss current events including conversations around American Dirt. They also interview Literary Agent Quressa Robinson about her path to becoming an agent, what she thinks the industry should do to provide support to POC, and her MSWL!

Follow Quressa: Twitter | Website

Mentions:

https://blog.leeandlow.com/2020/01/28/2019diversitybaselinesurvey/

Original ‘American Dirt’ review by Myriam Gurba

NPR interview about American Dirt

‘American Dirt’ Isn’t Just Bad — Its Best Parts Are Cribbed From Latino Writers by David J Schmidt (Huffington Post)

Cummin’s Non-Mexican Crap by David Bowles (Medium)

Novels by Mexican and Latinx Authors to read:

Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande

Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario

Across the Wire by Luis Alberto Urrea

By the Lake of Sleeping Children by Luis Alberto Urrea

A Cup of Water Under My Bed by Daisy Hernandez

Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sánchez

We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

SCBWI events/workshops

Nelson Literary Agency

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E12: Ronni Davis & Sims or Die Jan 27, 2020

Kat & Claribel talk about what *not* to do when you get a bad review. Ronni Davis joins us to talk about her publishing journey, how publishing has changed in the past decade, how publishing is part of the entertainment industry, and writing black girls who get to be the romantic lead getting their Happily Ever After.

Mslexia link: www.exacteditions.com/mslexia

Use code WRITEORDIE20 at checkout for 20% off!

Bio:

Ronni Davis grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where she tried her best to fit in—and failed miserably.

Now she lives in Chicago with her husband Adam and her son Aidan. By day she copy edits everything from TV commercials to billboards, and by night she writes contemporary teen novels about brown girls falling in love. When she’s not writing, you can catch her playing the Sims, eating too much candy, or planning her next trip to Disney World.

Her debut novel, WHEN THE STARS LEAD TO YOU, is out with Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Follow Ronni Davis: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Mentions:

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

We Need Diverse Books

Cambion Chronicles

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E11: Amanda Foody & Selfies of Readers Crying Jan 20, 2020

Claribel and Kat talk about New Year’s Resolutions and Claribel explains her postcard method! Plus we talk to Amanda Foody about her publishing journey, having multiple agents and her thoughts about debuting with a Middle Grade after writing multiple books in Young Adult.

About Amanda Foody:

Amanda Foody has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. After a double life as an accountant preparing taxes for multinational corporations, she now spends her free time brewing and fermenting foods much more easily obtained at her local grocery store. She lives in Boston, MA with a hoard of books guarded by the most vicious of feline companions, Jelly Bean.

Her books include Daughter of the Burning City, Ace of Shades and King of Fools. The next installment of The Shadow Game series, Queen of Volts, releases on September 1, 2020. Her Middle Grade debut The Accidental Apprentice (the first in her new Wilderlore series) comes out Spring 2021 Margaret K McElderry Books at Simon & Schuster!

Follow Amanda Foody online : Website | Instagram | Twitter

Podcast Mentions:

DivBookFest

DivBookFest GoFundMe

Daughter of the Burning City

Ace of Shades

Queen of Volts

The Accidental Apprentice

Boston Teen Author Festival

“Anything that matters to you, you can make it matter again even after you’ve shelved it. You can always come back to something.” — Amanda Foody

Mslexia link: www.exacteditions.com/mslexia

Use code WRITEORDIE20 at checkout for 20% off!

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E10: Holiday Special 2019 Dec 09, 2019

In this holiday special episode we talk about end of the year reflections, the dreaded end of the year blues, look back on where the podcast started and read emails from listeners about Write or Die!

Podcast Mentions: The Write Stuff Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-write-stuff/id1113762043

88 Cups of Tea Podcast http://88cupsoftea.com/

Minorities in Publishing Podcast https://minoritiesinpublishing.tumblr.com/

Pubcrawl Podcast https://www.publishingcrawl.com/category/pubcrawl-podcast/

Frizzy Graphic Novel https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47906920-rizos

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E9: Ryan La Sala & Bedazzling Your Eggs Dec 02, 2019

This week, Kat & Claribel discuss social anxiety at book events plus we bring back Ryan La Sala to talk about what’s changed in his life since he’s announced his book deal and how he uses videos, fashion, and bedazzled eggs to build his social media presence!

Bio:

Ryan La Sala is a fantasy writer rooted in the northeast United States. His first book, REVERIE, is a YA fantasy due for publication with Sourcebooks FIRE on December 3, 2019. It’s about what happens when your dreams chase you back, and yes it has a drag queen sorceress as the villain.

You can find out more about REVERIE on Ryan’s site here (including where to order!), or you can check out reviews/info on Goodreads, here.

Follow Ryan La Sala

Twitter | Instagram

http://www.ryanlasala.com/reverie/

Podcast Mentions:

Beth Phelan https://twitter.com/beth_phelan

#Dvpit http://www.dvpit.com/

https://www.thenerddaily.com/ryan-la-sala-author-interview/

The Right to Bear Arms , a Betsy DeVos Fanfiction

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E7: Amanda Joy & You Have to Gas Yourself Up Nov 18, 2019

This week, we answer listener questions and talk to DVPit alum and author of A RIVER OF ROYAL BLOOD, Amanda Joy about what it’s like going to auction & having a following on bookstagram before becoming an author !

Bio:

Amanda Joy’s unending love of fantasy and children’s literature was sparked when her father gifted her a set of the Chronicles of Narnia. Years later, her older brother gave her the Wheel of Time series, which went on to inspire her to create her own worlds. Amanda has an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School, and lives in Chicago with her dog Luna. Her debut novel A RIVER OF ROYAL BLOOD is out now.

Follow Amanda Joy:

Instagram | Twitter

https://www.amandajoywrites.com/

Podcast Mentions:

Beth Phelan https://twitter.com/beth_phelan

#DVPit http://www.dvpit.com/

Wheel of time Chronicles of Narnia

Mslexia link: www.exacteditions.com/mslexia

Use code WRITEORDIE20 at checkout for 20% off!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E7: Melissa de la Cruz & Look Where the Bench is Now Nov 11, 2019

In this week’s episode Kat and Claribel talk about taking on IP projects versus working on your original ideas PLUS an interview with bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz where we chat about genre jumping, an editor lunch that led to a rejection and her new novel THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!

About Melissa:

Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, #1 Publisher’s Weekly and #1 IndieBound bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages. Her more than thirty books have also topped the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and have been published in over twenty countries.

In addition to her literary work, Melissa is the co-founder of YALLWEST, and the co-director of YALLFEST, two of the largest teen book festivals in the country. She is also on the Advisory Board of Facing History, which reaches five million school children nationwide with a curriculum devoted to teaching empathy and social justice.

Melissa de la Cruz lives in West Hollywood, California with her husband and daughter.

Follow Melissa online:

website: melissa-delacruz.com

twitter: https://twitter.com/Melissadelacruz

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormelissadelacruz/

BUY THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

Podcast mentions:

Pubcrawl Podcast

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E6: Axie Oh & 90s Kpop Nov 04, 2019

This week Kat & Claribel talk to Axie Oh, the New Visions Award winning author of Rebel Seoul & Rogue Heart! Axie discusses submitting to the New Visions contest, MFA programs, and the experience of writing her own heritage into her novels! Plus lots of k-pop fangirling!

About Axie Oh: Axie Oh is a first generation Korean American, born in NYC and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California – San Diego and holds an MFA from Lesley University in Writing for Young People. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with her puppy, Toro.

Podcast Mentions:

Rebel Seoul

Rogue Heart

Round table writers block party

New Visions award

Lesley MFA in creative writing

Follow Axie online: Twitter | Instagram

www.axieoh.com

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

Ghostober S2 E4: Ellen Oh & Staring at Your Inbox Oct 28, 2019

This week, Claribel and Kat talk about Frankfurt and what goes on at one of the most important events in the book world plus an interview with the legendary Ellen Oh where she dishes about writing creepy middle grade, social media, and her new book The Dragon Egg Princess.

About Ellen:

Ellen Oh is a former adjunct college instructor and lawyer with an insatiable curiosity for ancient Asian history. She loves martial arts films, K-pop, K-dramas, and cooking shows, and is a rabid fan of the Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra series. Ellen is the co-founder of We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in children’s literature. She is the author of the middle grade novel The Spirit Hunters, Spirit Hunters: The Island of Monsters, and the YA fantasy trilogy The Prophecy Series. Originally from New York City, Ellen lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and three children and has yet to satisfy her quest for a decent bagel.

Follow Ellen online: Tumblr | Instagram | Website

Buy Ellen’s books

Podcast Mentions:

CCBC 2017 Multicultural Statistics: http://ccblogc.blogspot.com/2018/02/ccbc-2017-multicultural-statistics.html

THE DIVERSITY GAP IN CHILDREN’S BOOK PUBLISHING, 2018: https://blog.leeandlow.com/2018/05/10/the-diversity-gap-in-childrens-book-publishing-2018/

“When you’re used to privilege, Equality feels like oppression.” (uncredited, https://quoteinvestigator.com/2016/10/24/privilege/)

https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062091093/prophecy/

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

Ghostober S2 E3: Kerri Maniscalco & The Zombie Prep School Oct 21, 2019

This week, we talk about hyping yourself at book events and conferences and interview NYT Bestselling author, Kerri Maniscalco about her new book Kingdom of the Wicked, serial killers and being a murderino!

About Kerri:

Kerri Maniscalcogrew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats.

She is the #1 NYT and USA Today bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and the forthcoming Kingdom of the Wicked.

Podcast Mentions:

Ryan LaSala

Justin A. Reynolds

Catacombe dei Cappuccini

The Devil In the White City

Follow Kerri online: website|Twitter |Instagram

Buy her books!

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

Ghostober S2 E2: Christine Lynn Herman & There’s Something In the Woods Oct 14, 2019

This week we talk about the agent author relationship plus an interview with author of The Devouring Gray, Christine Lynn Herman where she dishes about The Sims, her publishing & Pitch Wars journey and how she got through one of the darkest times in her life.

About Christine:

Born in New York City but raised around the world, Christine Lynn Herman subscribes to the firm philosophy that home is where her books are. Her debut YA novel, THE DEVOURING GRAY, was an Indies Introduce and Indie Next Top Ten Pick. It is available now from Disney-Hyperion (US) and Titan Books (UK), with a sequel to follow in 2020.

Follow Christine online: Twitter | Instagram | Website

Buy The Devouring Gray!

Podcast Mentions:

Pitchwars – https://pitchwars.org/

Pitmad – https://pitchwars.org/pitmad/

https://www.powells.com/post/original-essays/into-the-gray

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

GHOSTOBER S2 E1: Leigh Bardugo & Michelle’s Couch Oct 07, 2019

This week, Claribel and Kat talk all about being on submission and the dangers of judging authors based on their perceived standing in the publishing world. PLUS we talk to THE LEIGH BARDUGO about her publishing journey, the new Shadow and Bone series, interacting with fandom and her new adult book, Ninth House!

About Leigh:

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse. With over three million copies sold worldwide, her Grishaverse spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, The Language of Thorns, and King of Scars—with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including The Best of Tor.com and the Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and the forthcoming Ninth House.

Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Southern California, and graduated from Yale University. These days she lives and writes in Los Angeles. For information on new releases and appearances, sign up for Leigh’s newsletter.

Pick up Ninth House!

Follow Leigh online : Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Podcast Mentions:

Ghostober Episode 4: S. Jae-Jones & Who Are You Romancing?

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E5: Michael Mammay & Claribel’s Terrible 1st Draft Sep 30, 2019

This week we talk about Twitter burn out, finding balance with social media and interview adult military Sci-Fi author Michael Mammay who drags Claribel’s first drafts and talks about starting your writing career after a whole other career!

About Michael:

Michael Mammay is a science fiction writer. He is a retired army officer and a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He has a master’s degree in military history, and he currently teaches American literature. He is a veteran of Desert Storm, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His debut novel, Planetside came out in July, 2018, and was selected as a Library Journal best book of 2018. The audio book, narrated by RC Bray, was nominated for an Audie award. The sequel, Spaceside, hit the shelves on August 27th, 2019. Michael lives with his wife in Georgia.

Follow Michael Online:

Twitter | Website

Podcast Mentions:

@blondewithab00k | Follow her on Youtube!

Sample Will for Intellectual Property

Dan Koboldt

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E4: Agent Jim McCarthy Rejected Both of Us Sep 23, 2019

This week Kat breaks down her debut experience and we talk to literary agent Jim McCarthy who takes us on a day in the life of a literary agent and answers your questions!

About Jim:

Jim McCarthy interned for Dystel, Goderich & Bourret while studying urban design at New York University. Upon graduating, Jim realized he would much rather continue working with books than make the jump (as he had originally intended) to the field of city planning. Eighteen years later, he remains at DG&B as a VP and agent. As an avid fiction reader, his interests encompass both literary and commercial works in the adult, young adult, and middle grade categories. He is particularly interested in literary fiction, underrepresented voices, fantasy, mysteries, romance, anything unusual or unexpected, and any book that makes him cry or laugh out loud. In addition to fiction he is also interested in narrative nonfiction whether it be memoir, historical, science, pop culture, or just a darn good polemic.

Submissions Guidelines

Follow Jim on Twitter

Mentions:

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Jenny Han

Swati Teerdhala

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E3: Editor Rebecca Kuss & What The Heck Does a Scout Do? Sep 16, 2019

In this week’s episode we talk publishing trends with former scout and current editor Rebecca Kuss, plus trusting the timing of your own writing journey.
Please note this episode was recorded in April 2019.

About Rebecca:

A lover of hush puppies, Claudia Kishi, and Nora Ephron movies, Rebecca Kuss was born to a Korean mother and Jewish father in the heart of the south. She attended the University of Wisconsin, where her parents thought she was pre-med, but where she actually spent the majority of her time getting lost in the library stacks. She has a master’s degree in children’s and young adult literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where her research focused on race and representation and her thesis was an in-depth exploration of the publishing industry’s #ownvoices movement. Previously the Co-Director of children’s book scouting with Maria B Campbell Associates, Rebecca now champions diverse and marginalized voices as an Associate Editor and the Director of Recruitment & Acquisitions with Glasstown Entertainment, an all-female creative development and production company.

Follow Rebecca online: Twitter

Podcast mentions:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Laini Taylor

@LifeinFiction

Victoria Aveyard

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E2: Katy Rose Pool & There Will Come a Sequel Sep 09, 2019

On this week’s episode Claribel and Kat talk about having hobbies outside of publishing, the author as a brand and an interview with Katy Rose Pool author of THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS where she talks about her long revision process, becoming friends with Kat and her obsession with Animorphs!

About Katy:

Katy Rose Pool is a writer living in Berkeley, California. She grew up in Los Angeles, where her screenwriter father taught her about three act structure, characterization, and inciting incidents all before she could tie her shoes. Katy studied history and English at UC Berkeley. She enjoys breakfast sandwiches, fancy cocktails, rooting for the Golden State Warriors, and books that set her on fire.

Katy is represented by Alexandra Machinist and Hillary Jacobson at ICM Partners.

Her debut novel There Will Come a Darkness is out now from Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan.

Buy THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS!

Follow Katy online: Twitter | Instagram

Podcast mentions:
Adam Silvera

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S2E1: Susan Dennard & #UghJay Sep 02, 2019

In this week’s episode Kat & Claribel talk all about author burn out, taking breaks and what projects they’re currently working on plus an interview with NYT Bestselling author of the Witchlands series, Susan Dennard!

Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. Working in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to you yet, Asia!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.

She is the author of the Something Strange and Deadly series, as well as the New York Times bestselling Witchlands series, and she also hosts the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits & Daydreamers. When not writing, she is slaying darkspawn (on her PS4) or earning bruises at the dojo.

She lives in the Midwestern US with her French husband, two spoiled dogs, and two grouchy cats. Learn more about her on her twitter, instagram, or newsletter.

Podcast mentions:

Tasha Suri

EMPIRE OF SAND (2018), Upcoming: REALM OF ASH (Nov. 2019 Get her books! Link: https://tashasuri.com/books/

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writeordiepodcast/support

S1E35: Tiffany D. Jackson & A Handbook for Writers May 20, 2019

Tiffany D. Jackson is the critically acclaimed author of YA novels including the NAACP Image Award-nominated ALLEGEDLY and MONDAY’S NOT COMING, a Walter Dean Myers Honored Book and Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner.She received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, her master of arts in media studies from the New School, and has over a decade in TV/Film experience. The Brooklyn native is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves, most likely multitasking. Her forthcoming novel, LET ME HEAR A RHYME (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books) releases May 21st, 2019.

Order LET ME HEAR A RHYME

Follow Tiffany online!

Facebook| Twitter | Instagram

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

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S1E34: Tara Sim & Just Let Girls Love Their String Cheese Men Apr 30, 2019

Tara Sim is the author of SCAVENGE THE STARS (Disney-Hyperion) and the TIMEKEEPER trilogy (Sky Pony Press) and writer of all things magic. She can often be found in the wilds of the Bay Area, California.

When she’s not writing about mischievous boys in clock towers, Tara spends her time drinking tea, wrangling cats, and occasionally singing opera. Despite her bio-luminescent skin, she is half-Indian and eats way too many samosas.

Tara is represented by Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

Name pronunciation: “tar-ah” (not “terr-ah”).

Pre-Order SCAVENGE THE STARS

Follow Tara online:

Twitter | Instagram |Goodreads

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

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S1E33: Joan He & A Slice of Life Apr 15, 2019

I’m horrible at bios so let’s do a fact list instead:

As a second-generation Chinese American, I was raised on a diet of Chinese cartoons and dramas. Journey to the West was basically my Sponge Bob.
I’m a recent grad of the University of Pennsylvania, where I majored in Psychology and minored in East Asian Language and Cultures.
Cats and wombats for life.
The weirder the story, the better.
I should really be sponsored by Starbucks.
I am represented by John Cusick of Folio Lit.

Follow Joan online:

Twitter @joanhewrites | Instagram

Buy Joan's Books!

When your book gets called out for being problematic, Part I

When your book gets called out for being problematic, Part II

Book Friends Forever Podcast

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S1E31: Elizabeth Lim & Sending Agents Your Diary Apr 01, 2019

Elizabeth Lim grew up on a hearty staple of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Her passion for storytelling began around age 10, when she started writing fanfics for Sailor Moon, Sweet Valley, and Star Wars, and posted them online to discover, “Wow, people actually read my stuff. And that’s kinda cool!” But after one of her teachers told her she had “too much voice” in her essays, Elizabeth took a break from creative writing to focus on not flunking English.

Over the years, Elizabeth became a film and video game composer, and even went so far as to get a doctorate in music composition. But she always missed writing, and she turned to penning stories when she needed a breather from grad school. One day, she decided to write and finish a novel — for kicks, at first, then things became serious — and she hasn’t looked back since.

Elizabeth loves classic film scores, books with a good romance, food (she currently has a soft spot for arepas and Ethiopian food), the color turquoise, overcast skies, English muffins, cycling, and baking. She grew up in Northern California, with a brief stint in Tokyo, Japan, but now lives in New York City with her husband and their daughter.

Elizabeth graduated from Harvard College with a degree in music and a secondary in East Asian Studies, and completed her graduate degrees at The Juilliard School.

She is represented by Gina Maccoby of the Gina Maccoby Literary Agency.

Follow Elizabeth Online: Twitter @lizlim | https://www.elizabethlim.com/

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S1E30: Cori McCarthy, Amy Rose Capetta & Passing Out At Your Book Launch Mar 26, 2019

Amy Rose Capetta [she/her] is an author of YA fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery. Her first novel, Entangled, was a BEA Buzz Book and along with a sequel, Unmade, comprises a space duet. Echo After Echo,a queer love story wrapped in a murder mystery and set on Broadway, earned two starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild Selection. The Brilliant Death, an Italian-inspired fantasy novel, also received two stars and was a chosen as a JLG selection and a Kirkus Best YA Book of the Year. Upcoming titles: Once & Future (co-written with Cori McCarthy, March 2019), The Lost Coast (May 2019) and The Storm of Life (sequel to The Brilliant Death, Fall 2019). She lives in Vermont with her partner and their young son.

Cori McCarthy is the acclaimed author of four young adult novels, as well as a forthcoming coauthored space fantasy duology, a futuristic middle grade series, and a nonfiction picture book about Arab American poet Kahlil Gibran.

Kirkus hailed their lyrical science fiction debut The Color of Rain as “an elegantly written and emotionally cathartic page-turner.” Their futuristic thriller Breaking Sky is in development to become a major motion picture, and their contemporary You Were Here combines word art poetry, graphic novel, and prose.

Cori lives in Vermont with their partner, YA author Amy Rose Capetta, and young child.

Follow Cori on Twitter: @CoriMcCarthy

Follow Amy Rose on Twitter: @AmyRoseCapetta

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S1E29: Tehlor Kay Mejia & Tammy from Tim Hortons Mar 19, 2019

Tehlor Kay Mejia is an author and Oregon native in love with the alpine meadows and evergreen forests of her home state, where she lives with her daughter. When she’s not writing, you can find her plucking at her guitar, stealing rosemary sprigs from overgrown gardens, or trying to make the perfect vegan tamale. She is active in the Latinx lit community, and passionate about representation for marginalized teens in media.
Her short fiction appears in the All Out and Toil & Trouble anthologies from Inkyard Press, and her debut YA fantasy novel, We Set the Dark on Fire, is out February 26, 2019 from Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins with a sequel to follow in 2020. Her middle grade fantasy debut, Paola Santiago and the Drowned Palace, is forthcoming from Rick Riordan Presents/Disney Hyperion.
You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @tehlorkay.

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S1E28: Helen Hoang & Properly Destroying Your Readers Feb 25, 2019

Helen Hoang is that shy person who never talks. Until she does. And the worst things fly out of her mouth. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been addicted ever since.

In 2016, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in line with what was previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Her journey inspired THE KISS QUOTIENT.

She currently lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.

Helen is represented by Kim Lionetti of BookEnds Literary Agency.

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S1E27: Zoey Castile & This One is Really NSFW Feb 18, 2019

Zoey Castile was born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, New York. She started writing in her teens and pursued that love in her studies at Hunter College and the University of Montana. For nearly a decade, she worked as a bartender, hostess, and manager in New York City’s nightlife. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ZoeyCastile. You can also email her at ZoeyCastile@gmail.com.

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S1E26: Nina Moreno & It Should’ve Been Joey’s Creek Feb 11, 2019

Southern bruja and sleepy gemini, Nina Moreno was born and raised in Miami until a hurricane sent her family toward the pines of Georgia where she picked up an accent. She’s a proud University of Florida Gator who once had her dream job of shelving books at the library. Inspired by the folklore and stories passed down to her from her Cuban and Colombian family, she now writes about Latinas chasing their dreams, falling in love, and navigating life in the hyphen. She lives by a swamp outside of Orlando where she enjoys listening to carefully curated playlists, hunting through thrift stores, drinking too much Cuban coffee, and walking into the sea every chance she gets. DON’T DATE ROSA SANTOS is her first novel. She is represented by Laura Crockett of TriadaUs.

Follow Nina online!

• Twitter • Goodreads • Facebook • Las Musas

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S1E25: Alyssa Cole & The Problem With The Word Smirk Feb 04, 2019

Alyssa Cole is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and SFF romance. Her Civil War-set espionage romance AN EXTRAORDINARY UNION was chosen as the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award’s Best Book of 2017 and the American Library Association’s RUSA Best Romance for 2018. She’s contributed to publications including Bustle, Shondaland, The Toast, Vulture, RT Book Reviews, and Heroes and Heartbreakers, and her books have received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Library Journal, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets. When she’s not working, she can usually be found watching anime with her husband or wrangling their menagerie of animals.

She is represnted by Lucienne Diver at The Knight Agency.

Connect with Alyssa online at https://alyssacole.com/

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S1E24: Lamar Giles & Puddles Can’t Host Podcasts Jan 28, 2019

Lamar Gilesis a well published author and a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. Lamar has two novels forthcoming in 2019: his debut middle grade fantasy THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER (Versify / HMH) and his fourth YA thriller SPIN (Scholastic).

Lamar Giles is a two-time Edgar Award finalist in the YA category, for his debut YA thriller FAKE ID (HarperCollins, 2014), and his second YA thriller, ENDANGERED (HarperCollins, 2015). His third YA thriller, OVERTURNED (Scholastic, 2017) received this glowing New York Times review, and was named a Kirkus Best Book of 2017. You can see the book trailer for OVERTURNED here. FAKE ID has been optioned by Sony Pictures (not yet announced).

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S1E23: Karen M. McManus & The Haunted Airbnb Jan 21, 2019

Karen M. McManus is the author of the young adult thriller One of Us Is Lying, which spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into 38 languages worldwide. Her second book, Two Can Keep a Secret, will be released in January 2019.  Karen lives in Massachusetts with her son. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University, which she uses to draft fake news stories for her novels.

You can find Karen at @writerkmc on Twitter and Instagram.

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2018 Holiday Episode: We Tweet the Most When We’re on Hiatus Dec 31, 2018

Join us for the last Write or Die episode of 2018 where we read your letters about the podcast, talk about imposter syndrome, hyping your friends, unhealthy comparisons, murder and what’s up next for 2019! Thanks for all your support this year!!

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S1E22: Mason Deaver And There’s Never a Good Time to Go On Sub Dec 03, 2018

Mason Deaver is a non-binary author who lives in Charlotte, NC, where the word ‘y’all’ is used in abundance. Typically, they’re writing incredibly queer stories, but when they decide to take a break, they love gardening and baking.

‘I Wish You All the Best’ is their debut novel.

Follow Mason online!

Instagram: @mason_ deaver |

Twitter: @masondeaver

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S1E21: Laura Sebastian & The Great Publishing Bake Off (Kat's first co-host episode) Nov 16, 2018

Kat joins Claribel to co-host the podcast for the first time and we interview author Laura Sebastian!

Laura Sebastian was born and raised in South Florida (the Redlands and Key Largo) and has always loved telling stories–many apologies to her little brother who often got in trouble because of them. No copies of her first book, a Cinderella retelling about angels circa 2nd grade, remain. Thankfully.

After getting her BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design, she moved to New York City thinking that she would stay for a couple of years before going somewhere better suited for a small-town, sun-loving girl. Five years later, she’s still here and madly in love with it.

When Laura isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, baking cookies or cupcakes, buying more clothes than her overstuffed closet can fit, or forcing her lazy dog Neville to take a walk.

Her debut ASH PRINCESS, the start of a YA fantasy trilogy, released April 24th, 2018 from Delacorte (Random House) and debuted on the NYT Bestseller list.

LADY SMOKE, the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that was “made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir” ( Bustle ), is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people. LADY SMOKE is out February 5th, 2019.

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S1E20: Natasha Ngan & Just Being Glad to Have a Forking Deal Nov 09, 2018

Natasha Ngan is a writer and yoga teacher. She grew up between Malaysia, where the Chinese side of her family is from, and the UK. This multicultural upbringing continues to influence her writing, and she is passionate about bringing diverse stories to teens. Natasha studied Geography at the University of Cambridge before working as a social media consultant and fashion blogger.

She recently moved to Paris, where she likes to imagine she drifts stylishly from brasserie to brasserie, notepad in one hand, wineglass in the other. In reality, she spends most of her time getting lost on the metro and confusing locals with her French.

She is represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary. Her YA novels THE ELITES and THE MEMORY KEEPERS are out now from Hot Key Books, and GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE will be published in October 2018 by Jimmy Patterson/Little Brown (US) and Hodder & Stoughton (UK). Head on over to the Books page for more info!

Natasha is also co-owner of fashion, travel and lifestyle blog Girl in the Lens.

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S1E19: Samira Ahmed & The Truth About Expiration Dates on Dreams Nov 02, 2018

Born in Bombay India and raised outside of Chicago, Illinois, Samira spent countless hours at the library in her small hometown nestled in an oversized armchair next to an old Victorian fireplace with her nose in an Agatha Christie novel or re-reading Little Women, hoping that Jo would somehow end up with Laurie this time. Samira always loved to write—especially poetry–but never actually dreamed of becoming a writer until she was an adult and an idea for a story captured her imagination and wouldn’t let go.

Samira is the New York Times bestselling author of Love, Hate, & Other Filters and the forthcoming,Internment(March 2019) and Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know (January 2020).

These days, Samira lives in Chicago, Illinois. When she’s not writing or reading, she can be found on her lifelong quest for the perfect pastry.

Follow Samira online

Twitter @sam_aye_ahm

Instagram @sam_aye_ahm

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Halloween Bonus Episode: Holly Black, Pond Revelations and Weird Stuff! Oct 31, 2018

Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Magisterium series (with Cassandra Clare) and The Darkest Part of the Forest. She has been a a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award, the Mythopoeic Award and a Newbery Honor. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret door.

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Buy her books! THEY’RE FANTASTIC!

Craft book mentioned in this episode

2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love

Writing the Breakout Novel: Insider Advice for Taking Your Fiction to the Next Level

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Ghostober E4: S. Jae-Jones & Who Are You Romancing? Oct 26, 2018

S. Jae-Jones was born and raised in sunny Los Angeles, where she spent summers on the beach and winters on the slope until she was convinced by Sesame Street (and university) to move to New York City. A native Angelena and a New Yorker at heart, she now lives in Dixie, where she is comfortably growing fat on grits and barbecue. When not writing, she can be find rock-climbing, skydiving, taking photographs, drawing pictures, and dragging her dog on ridiculously long hikes.

Follow JJ online!

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/

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Ghostober E3: Kat Cho & The Monthly Whale Fight Oct 19, 2018

Kat Cho used to hide books under the bathroom sink and then sneak in there to read after bedtime. Her parents pretended not to know. This helped when she decided to write a dinosaur time-travel novel at the tender age of nine. Sadly, that book was not published. She currently works in NYC as an editorial assistant. Kat’s YA contemporary fantasy debut, WICKED FOX, comes out with Putnam Books for Young Readers/Penguin in 2019.

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Ghostober E2: India Hill, Karen Strong & The Ghost Sugar Daddy Oct 13, 2018

More about Karen Strong:

Born and raised in the rural South, Karen Strong has a passion for writing for kids and teens — focusing on black girls who explore the realms of adventure and mystery with a dash of spooky.

Add JUST SOUTH OF HOME on Goodreads!

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More about India Hill:

A 26-year-old Southern Belle who came back down south after living in NYC and working at HBO. My day job is in Social Media, and my passion is writing. I LOVE to write – I’m agented and am working on a couple of fiction projects. I’m a Freelance Writer as well – my words have been in Teen Vogue, Essence, Sesi Mag, and The Everygirl.

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Ghostober E1: Ryan Douglass and The Reverse Advance Oct 06, 2018

Ryan Douglass is an author and freelance writer with a BA from Hofstra University. His debut YA novel, Jake in the Box, is forthcoming from Putnam/Penguin in the Spring of 2020. He lives in Atlanta, GA.

Follow Ryan online!

Ryan’s website

On Twitter @ryandouglassw

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S1E18: Summer Heacock & The Douche Canoe Sep 28, 2018

Summer Heacock is an author of women's contemporary fiction, mom to two scampy kidlings and wife to an amazingly understanding husband. THE AWKWARD PATH TO GETTING LUCKY (7/25/2017, MIRA) is her debut novel.

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S1E17: L.L. McKinney & Princess Peach Sep 21, 2018

Leatrice “Elle” McKinney, writing as L.L. McKinney, is a poet and active member of the kidlit community. She’s an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtag #WhatWoCWritersHear. She’s spent time in the slush by serving as a reader for agents and participating as a judge in various online writing contests.

Elle’s also a gamer, Blerd, and adamant Hei Hei stan, living in Kansas, surrounded by more nieces and nephews than she knows what to do with. Aside from rockin’ the Favorite Aunt thing, she spends her free time plagued by her cat–Sir Chester Fluffmire Boopsnoot Purrington Wigglebottom Flooferson III, esquire, Baron o’Butterscotch or #SirChester for short–or defending the realm from the enemies of Azeroth. FOR THE HORDE!

A BLADE SO BLACK is her debut novel.

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S1E16: Rachel Lynn Solomon & I Definitely Had Unreasonable Expectations Sep 14, 2018

Rachel is a Seattle native who loves rainy days, tap dancing, and red lipstick. In high school, she sang and played keyboard in an all-girl band, and she was once part of a group of people who broke a Guinness World Record for the most natural redheads in one place.

She has written for newspapers, produced a radio show that aired in the middle of the night, and worked for NPR. Currently she works as a freelance editor.

These days, she writes young adult novels about ambitious, complicated, sometimes unlikable girls who are trying their best.

Representation: Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency

Rachel’s Books:

You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone

Our Year of Maybe

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On Twitter

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Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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S1E15: Akemi Dawn Bowman and The Worst Book Unboxing Aug 24, 2018

Akemi Dawn Bowman is the author of Starfish (a William C. Morris Award Finalist)and Summer Bird Blue (out September 11th, 2018). She’s a proud Ravenclaw and Star Wars enthusiast, who served in the US Navy for five years and has a BA in social sciences from UNLV. Originally from Las Vegas, she currently lives in Scotland with her husband, two children, and their Pekingese mix.

Buy STARFISH

Pre-Order SUMMER BIRD BLUE

Add HARLEY IN THE SKY on Goodreads!

Follow Akemi online!

http://akemidawnbowman.com/

Twitter: @akemidawn

Instagram: @akemidawnbowman/

SFF PIT

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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S1E14: Sonia Hartl & The Hot Santa Aug 17, 2018

Find out how author Sonia Hartl found a literary agent, and a book deal after years of rejection and disappointment.

More about Sonia’s upcoming book HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME:

Ashley Hearn at Page Street has bought Sonia Hartl’s debut contemporary YA novel, Have a Little Faith in Me, pitched as Firsts meets Saved! When CeCe’s born-again boyfriend dumps her after they have sex, she follows him to Jesus camp to win him back, though she knows nothing about Christianity. But when he shows up with a new girlfriend—a True Believer—she must face the truth about her feelings, and about the night she lost her virginity. Publication is set for fall 2019; Rebecca Podos at the Rees Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.

Add HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME on Goodreads

Follow Sonia online!

Twitter: @SoniaHartl1

Website: http://www.soniahartl.com/

Add HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME on Goodreads

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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S1E13: Tochi Onyebuchi & The Red Headed Genre Kid Aug 03, 2018

Tochi Onyebuchi wrote about fifteen books in just as many genres before he found his way to publishing success. Come listen to our chat, learn how his book BEASTS MADE OF NIGHT came to be and more!

Follow Tochi Online!

Twitter: @TochiTrueStory

Preorder CROWN OF THUNDER!

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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S1E12: Suzie Townsend & Ten Questions with a Literary Agent Jul 27, 2018

This week I interview my agent Suzie Townsend and ask her ten listener questions, find out what she’s looking for in her inbox and what to avoid when querying agents!

Prior to joining New Leaf, Suzie graduated film school, earned her Masters of Education, taught high school English, and coached a swim team. In her spare time, she read everything she could, which prompted her move to publishing. She got her start as an intern at FinePrint Literary Management where she was hired as an assistant before making the move to literary agent. She’s been part of the team at New Leaf Literary & Media since its inception in 2012.

Suzie represents all brands of children’s and adult fiction. She loves women’s fiction, all subgenres of romance, fantasy, and crime fiction. On the children’s side, she particularly loves YA and MG. Suzie loves strong characters and voice-driven stories that break out of the typical tropes of their genres, and she’s always looking for unique new voices in stories.

Follow Suzie online!

Twitter: @sztownsend81

Tumblr: suzietownsend.tumblr.com/

Instagram:@sztownsend81

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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S1E11: Rena Barron & The Rise to Pitchwars Stardom Jul 20, 2018

Rena Barron got over twenty revise and resubmits and way more rejections on her road to finding success during Pitch Wars. Find out how she went from the query trenches to having two series deals after ten years of querying and learn more about her young adult fantasy debut THE LAST WITCH DOCTOR and her middle grade MAYA AND THE RISING DARK!

Follow Rena Online!

Twitter: @renathedreamer

Website: renabarron.com

Instagram: @renathedreamer

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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S1E10: Jennifer Dugan & Signs from Nicki Minaj Jul 14, 2018

After seven years of false starts and rejections, find out how Jennifer Dugan beat the odds, learned to embrace her bisexual identity in her writing and got a book deal for her upcoming debut, HOT DOG GIRL!

Follow Jennifer online!

Add Hot Dog Girl to Goodreads!

Twitter: @JL_Dugan

DVpit

https://absolutewrite.com/

http://pred-ed.com/

http://pitchwars.org/pitmad/

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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Write or Die Podcast Website

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S1E8: Phil Stamper & The Not So Secret Zelda Fan Fic Jun 22, 2018

Join me and this week’s guest Phil Stamper as we talk Zelda fan fic, leaving your first agent, taking down Lani Sarem and his upcoming debut THE GRAVITY OF US!

Follow Phil on social media!

https://www.wattpad.com/user/stampepk

https://philstamper.com/

Twitter: @stampepk

Facebook: @authorphilstamper

Instagram: @stampepk

Goodreads: @philstamper

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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Write or Die Podcast Website

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S1E7: Roselle Lim & The Weird Celebratory Spring Rolls Jun 15, 2018

Roselle Lim wrote seven manuscripts before she felt ready to query but when she finally did, publishing took her on a roller coaster ride to hell. Find out how she queried over two hundred agents and then went on to sell her debut NATALIE TAN’S BOOK OF LUCK AND FORTUNE at auction to Penguin/Berkley!

Follow Roselle online!

Add Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune on Goodreads!

Follow Beth on Twitter

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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Write or Die Podcast Website

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S1E6: Zoraida Córdova & The Deadline Dilemma Jun 01, 2018

BRUJA BORN is out June 5th but before Zoraida Córdova found success writing about witches, she had to traverse publishing in the days before We Need Diverse Books and deal with frustrating rejections. Listen to her journey here (she’s written SO MANY BOOKS OMGOSH) and get a Write or Die exclusive about a secret middle grade project!

Links:

Zoraida Córdova’s Website

Follow Zoraida on Twitter

Zoraida’s Instagram

Get the Brooklyn Brujas Series!

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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Write or Die Podcast Website

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S1E5: Mark Oshiro & The Ghosting Agent May 25, 2018

Mark Oshiro’s book ANGER IS A GIFT came out this week from TOR TEEN but before he had a publishing deal & a great agent, he had to revise an entire book on a flight, overcome an agent disappearing on him and crush a complete overhaul and genre change of his novel. Hear his story and listen to me laugh way too much in this week’s episode! Please remember to subscribe and leave me a review!!!

Buy ANGER IS A GIFT!

Follow Mark on Social Media:

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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Write or Die Podcast Website

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S1E4: Ryan La Sala‏ & The Thirst Trap Legacy May 18, 2018

Ryan La Sala recently announced a two book deal including his 2019 YA debut REVERIE! Find out how he queried and got a book deal all while dealing with a chronic illness. PLUS learn some exclusive info about his second book coming from Sourcebooks!

Links:

Add Reverie on Goodreads!

Ryan’s Website

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow Ryan on Instagram

Follow Kosoko Jackson on Twitter

Ryan’s Sailor Moon Fan Fic

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!

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S1E3: Julie C. Dao‏ & The Secret Harry Potter Fan Fic May 11, 2018

After years of rejection and almost giving up, to a success story that’s good enough to be a fairytale, Julie C. Dao‏ shares her uphill climb to getting one of my favorite YA books FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS published.

Links:

juliedao.com

Follow Julie on Twitter

FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS

Pre-Order KINGDOM OF THE BLAZING PHOENIX

Pumpkin Patch Princess

Pitch Wars

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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Join our WorDie community!

For anyone wondering who the mysterious Patrice is we talk about around the 38 minute mark Patrice Caldwell is definitely someone you should be following! Follow her!

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S1E2: Isabel Sterling & The Super Nerdy Mom Joke Wrapped In Cat Hair Apr 27, 2018

Find out how author Isabel Sterling got a deal for her witchy book series despite parting ways with her first agent, writing a buttload of books that went nowhere and almost losing all hope! Oh and her dog ate all her socks. WTF!

Links:

Follow Isabel on Twitter

Isabelsterling.com

Add THESE WITCHES DON’T BURN to Goodreads

Dear Martin Nic Stone

Long Way Down Jason Reynolds

American Panda Gloria Chao

Unspoken Sarah Rees Brennan

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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S1E1: Daniel José Older & The Actual Motherf’ing Biggest Children’s Publisher in the Galaxy Apr 20, 2018

Find out how author Daniel José Older got his start in publishing and how he overcame rejection to become a New York Times Bestselling author and overall badass.

Please remember to subscribe and leave me a review! It helps!!

Links:

Sierra Santiago and the Invisible City

http://danieljoseolder.net/

Follow Daniel Twitter

Pre-Order Dactyl Hill Squad

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

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WRITE OR DIE: Episode Zero Mar 08, 2018

Welcome to episode zero of The write or die podcast , a podcast that’s going to give you a real, unfiltered look behind the curtain of publishing. So many of the stories we hear are about the authors who are “overnight successes” but I wanted to highlight the stories that I hear every day from people in the community – writers who struggled to get an agent, to get their stories noticed or sold to a publisher, who almost gave up but didn’t. Being an author is hard, and it can also be very lonely but I’m here to let you know you’re NOT alone and that the struggle you’re enduring right now to reach your goal, is a lot more common than you think and believe it or not, it can definitely lead to success.

I’ll be sharing stories and interviews with published and agented authors, giving you writing advice and even answering your burning anonymous questions, on the air.

Subscribe to the Write or Die Podcast now and be sure to follow me on Twitter @Claribel_Ortega for more info and to be the first to know when episode one drops, this summer.

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community!