YOUR WRITING BESTIES
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YOUR WRITING BESTIES •
YOUR WRITING BESTIES
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YOUR WRITING BESTIES •
Jess and Hannah discuss how to be intentional about the editorial choices you make when working on your novel. No matter what genre you're working in, intentionality is important to the craft. Hannah and Jess explain intentionality, give literary examples, provide practical tips for being intentional as a writer, and more!
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Genres can often be confusing when you're trying to find a way to apply the concept to your book. How do you know which genre is the best fit? What about when it feels like genres are blending together? Why is genre important, and how does it impact my bottom line as an author? Hannah and Jess answer these questions and more!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Infographic on Literary, Upmarket, and Commercial Fiction (Carly Watters)
Join Hannah and Jess as they interview Nicole Meier and Gretchen Schaffer of Book Works about all things author platform! How do you start one? When do you start one? What do you post? Do you need a social media following to be successful? Gretchen and Nicole answer these questions and more!
Nicole Meier and Gretchen Schaffer are the duo behind Book Works, dedicated to empowering authors through expert book coaching and branding strategies. Part book coaches, part branding experts, they help fiction writers develop strong author platforms and pitch strategies to stand out in the writing world.
Nicole Meier is a certified book coach and author of four upmarket novels, including The House of Bradbury, The Girl Made of Clay, The Second Chance Supper Club, and City of Books. Her books have been recognized by Booklist, Refinery29, BookBub, and Popsugar. She also hosts the Steps to Story podcast for emerging novelists.
Gretchen Schaffer is a seasoned marketing and PR strategist with experience at industry-leading companies like Adobe, Microsoft, Meta, and Sony. She has crafted innovative campaigns that elevate visibility and brand presence. Now, she channels her expertise into the literary world, helping authors position themselves for success, build their audience, and create compelling pitches that capture attention. Her passion lies in elevating new voices and ensuring writers step confidently into the publishing landscape.
Together, Nicole and Gretchen provide the strategic guidance, industry insight, and encouragement fiction writers need to build their platforms, connect with readers, and confidently pitch their work.
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Jess and Hannah discuss their top four books of the first quarter of the year, each bringing an honorary mention as well!
We want to make a note to apologize for Jess's audio quality, as she was recording this during a thunderstorm and sounds like she's a First Time Caller into a radio show. (Pun fully intended.)
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Hannah's Book Picks:
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christine Lefteri
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
First Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Jess's Book Picks:
Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Hannah and Jess discuss the details of what goes into choosing comp titles for your book, what agents are looking for versus publishers, and a few tips on how to find titles to get you started.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Penguin Random House on Comp Titles
In this episode, Hannah and Jess interview author Carmela Dutra, an author releasing a traditionally published novel this fall. She gives insight into the querying process and how she knew her agent was the one, and warns against common mistakes in querying.
Hailing from the Bay Area of California, Carmela Dutra cherishes her family, rainy days, and making others laugh.
After years of working on her award-winning indie children’s picture books, she transitioned into crafting cozy mysteries filled with emotion, humor and heart.
When she's not penning her latest tale, Carmela enjoys sketching, sipping copious amounts of coffee, and over-cuddling her allergy-inducing cats and dog. She shares her life with her best friend and husband, raising two dinosaur-obsessed sons. A lover of alternative rock, Carmela often writes to its rhythm and finds comfort in rewatching The Big Bang Theory and M*A*S*H.
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Hannah and Jess discuss the mental toll of querying and how to prepare, give suggestions on what resources assist the querying process, talk about how to strategize and find agents, and so much more! Plus, Jess provides a fun "hack" for the inevitable rejections authors face in the process.
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Sarah Penner: Getting the Most Out of QueryTracker
Olivie Blake: Everything I Know About Querying
Alyssa Matesic: Strategic Tips for Querying Agents
Hannah and Jess get specific about the key points of writing a query letter, what to include, what to exclude, and more!
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Hannah and Jess answer anonymously submitted questions about all parts of the writing process. Want your question to be featured next round? Don't forget to fill out our form with anything you want us to address in the podcast!
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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City Summer, Country Summer by Kiese Laymon (author) and Alexis Franklin (illustrator)
Hannah and Jess navigate the tricky world of log lines and elevator pitches: what they are, what purpose they serve, and what best to include within them. They also give real-world examples of log lines and discuss why they work.
TW: There is mention of SA in this episode. Hannah will prepare anyone who needs to skip, and gives the appropriate amount of time to fast forward.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Guest interviewer Jordan asks Jess and Hannah about their writing journeys, spoiler-free synopses of their books, and even asks about the most unconventional writing advice they've gotten!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
Hannah and Jess explore the ever-elusive concept of authorial voice, bringing practical advice to an abstract conversation, and talking through real examples.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Jess and Hannah discuss the signs they follow when deciding if the manuscript is truly finished, as well as different strategies to make sure you're getting the most out of your editing time before it's time to move to the next phase.
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Hannah and Jess discuss the importance of seeking feedback as well as taking it, spend a bit of time discussing sensitivity readers, give input on how to get the most of alpha and beta readers, and discuss the value of critique partners and feedback groups.
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Jane Friedman: What to Ask Your Beta Readers
Between the Lines: Feedback Partners
Jess and Hannah discuss the second pass of editing: how to edit at the line level, what to look for, and all that comes with a deeper dive into edits!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
Hannah and Jess discuss the first phase of editing, where you consider elements like story structure, world building (setting), character, and more. They discuss their own approaches and share important must-haves for this phase of the process.
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
Hannah and Jess discuss how they each approach preparing their manuscripts to be edited. They also talk about the difference between different types of editing, and give suggestions on how to approach this "pre-edit" process in a way that works best for you!
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Join Hannah and Jess as they interview their FIRST guest on the podcast. They talk all things writing process!
Aubrey B. (Aubrey Reverie) was born and raised in a working-class, small Appalachian town, and like most kids from the sticks, dreamt of leaving that town in the dust the day she turned 18.
She got as far as West Virginia University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a minor in Creative Writing. While enrolled, she placed as runner up in the university’s Waitman Barbe Creative Writing Awards with a piece of creative nonfiction, and had an essay published by NPR’s This I Believe programming. Two months after graduation, while working in corporate communications, she re-enrolled to study Digital Marketing Communications at the graduate level in the Reed College of Media, earning a master’s certificate. (Go Mountaineers).
She spent 15 years as a professional writer and digital marketer, specializing in feature writing and digital storytelling, while continuing to write creatively in her free time. Her current focus is on full time creative authorship.
Aubrey lives with her husband (her high school sweetheart) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and can usually be found barefoot and slightly feral, tending to her flower gardens and chatting with the bees.
Her creative writing style is heavily influenced by the grit of her upbringing, including themes of resilience, poverty, dark humor, and the overwhelming ache of the human condition. As an eternal pessimistic optimist, her stories (usually) have happy endings.
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Inclusive Writing & Editing Resources
Hannah and Jess discuss what themes and symbols are, as well as how to incorporate them in your draft after you've finished writing it.
And Jess would like to make sure the record is corrected: she is 65th on the list for her Onyx Storm library hold.
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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Fixing your draft isn't always easy; where does one begin? This series hopes to help you figure out where to start. Hannah and Jess talk all things pace, dialogue, and repetition in plot!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
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