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I’m so excited to collaborate with Quarterly to bring you today’s episode featuring Beth Revis! Beth is a New York Times bestselling author most widely recognized for her book series "Across the Universe" which was selected as a Teen Top Ten novel by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), long-listed for the Carnegie Medal, and featured as a Book of the Month from Seventeen Magazine. In her latest title, "A World Without You", Beth guides us through a complex look at loss and grief through a lens of mental illness. Lucasfilm tapped Beth to write the backstory of Jyn Erso in her newest book "Rebel Rising" releasing in May. Beth also had the honor of being the very first curator for Quarterly’s YA fiction subscription box. They are the only book subscription curated by authors just for readers like you and I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that Quarterly created an exclusive special just for our 88 Cups of Tea community where you’ll save $8 off your subscription box by entering promo code “88cups” at check-out!
In today’s episode, we dive right into how Beth drew inspiration from her career as a teacher for her book series "Across the Universe". We also take a closer look at the inspiration behind "A World Without You". We discuss how being a part of online writing communities can instill confidence for your writing, and we explore how to cope with the far-too-common mindset of not feeling like we’re good enough, and moving past that imposter syndrome as a writer. Click here to go directly to Beth's shownotes page that lists all of her amazing recommended resources.
For listeners who are all about getting down and dirty with the technical topics, you’re going to LOVE Beth’s writing tips. We dive into her research methods for crafting science fiction novels and how to write strong background characters. She guides us in approaching emotional scenes that are difficult to get through, and step-by-step advice on the world building process. Beth even jumps in with tips for writing unreliable characters, how to send out query letters, and earning income while pursuing your art.
Say "Hi" to Beth on Twitter!
Happy listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
PPS. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!
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If you'd love to support our show and rock your Limited Edition 88 Cups of Tea mug (signed by yours truly), click here for more info. Thank you so much in advance for showing your love and supporting our show!
If you're looking to feel right at home with a close-knit group of encouraging and supportive writers, join our private Facebook group by clicking here. We have weekly check-ins about our creative work, book recs, and live Facebook videos of unboxing book packages. We also share previews of upcoming episodes and you can submit listener-questions for upcoming interviews.
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“Make sure that your world is just not pristine, make it dirty and make it really lived in.” -Beth Revis (Click to tweet)
“The more new experiences you have, the more stories you’ll have to tell." -Beth Revis (Click to tweet)
"There’s a value in failure that I think people often ignore and forget because failure teaches us to not give up." -Beth Revis (Click to tweet)
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Beth Revis grew up in the Appalachian mountains with a cemetery in her backyard, which is probably why she prefers her stories to be dark and full of twists. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe trilogy, which has been translated into over twenty languages. Beth lives in a house full of boys—her husband, son, and two massive dogs—and she forces them all to watch reruns of Firefly and Doctor Who.
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I’m so excited to have Jeff Zentner on the show! Jeff is the William C. Morris award-winning author of his debut novel “The Serpent King”. His debut was also selected as a New York Times notable book, and an Amazon Best Book of the year. Both Buzzfeed and Mashable named “The Serpent King” as one of the Best YA books of 2016! Click here to go directly to Jeff's shownotes page that lists all of his awesome recommended resources.
His second novel, “Goodbye Days” was recently released to rave reviews. Time magazine selected “Goodbye Days” as one of the five new books that guide young readers through hardships and struggles with lessons in resilience and hope.
In today’s episode, we dive right into the inspiration behind “The Serpent King” and “Goodbye Days”. Jeff walks us through his thought process while writing authentic voices for his characters. We dive even further into step-by-step advice on building strong characters and improving character development.
Jeff shares tips on approaching difficult scenes that challenge readers, and how to write about grief in fiction. We also discuss how storytelling inspires empathy and why it’s necessary for writers to carve out protected time for their writing.
Happy listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
PPS. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!
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"Write what fascinates you, and write who you love." -Jeff Zentner (Click to tweet)
"You can be creative around the edges of a normal life." -Jeff Zentner (Click to tweet)
"You’ve got to commit to getting words on the page and you have to commit to finishing what you started." -Jeff Zentner (Click to tweet)
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Click here to grab your Limited Edition & signed 88 Cups of Tea mug! Thank you in advance for your love and support for our show!
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What you'll learn from Jeff's episode:
Jeff Zentner is the acclaimed author of The Serpent King. In addition to writing, he is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who has recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. “Goodbye Days” is his love letter to the city of Nashville and the talented people who populate it. He lives in Nashville with his wife and son.
https://www.patreon.com/88cupsoftea
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Meg Cabot is one of the earliest pioneers of the YA genre. She is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of books for adults, teens, and tweens, selling over 25 million copies of her nearly 80 published books. “The Princess Diaries”, one of her most popular series she wrote, was adapted into two hit movies by Disney. Click here to go directly to Meg's shownotes page that has all of her recommended resources linked up!
In today’s episode, we dive right into how real-life events inspired Meg for her “Princess Diaries” book series and she walks us through her newest book, “The Boy Is Back”.
She shares tips on writing stories influenced by life events without offending family and friends, and why it’s necessary to surround yourself with readers and critique partners that are honest with you about your writing. I can’t wait for you to hear how Meg and her writing-friend hold each other accountable and push each other past writing blocks.
Meg also walks us through how to write unique character voices with a structure inspired by social media, and how reading multiple genres can strengthen your writing structure.
Happy listening!
Xo,
Yin
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“I kept working on different things until I finally found something that hit.” -Meg Cabot (click to tweet)
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https://www.patreon.com/88cupsoftea
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Angie Thomas is the author of “The Hate U Give” which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. I'm so excited to have her on the show today! If you haven’t yet, make sure to grab a copy for yourself. I love this book. The movie is also currently in development and is being produced by Fox 2000 and Temple Hill, the same team that produced “The Fault in Our Stars” and the “Maze Runner” franchise. Click here to go directly to Angie's shownotes page that lists out the amazing resources she recommends.
In today’s episode, we discuss the importance of raising diverse voices in the literary world. Angie walks us through the inspiration behind her novel and how music, hip hop, and Tupac played an influential role throughout her writing process.
Angie shares her experiences as a debut author and how creating an online presence will help you build genuine relationships within the writing community. For our craft-focused listeners, Angie shares advice on how to build strong characters for your stories, why research must be a priority to craft authentic diverse characters, and how to craft a successful query letter. Click here to say 'Hi' to Angie on Twitter!
You don’t want to miss out on this episode!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
PPS. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!
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I’m excited to share that we’re in the middle of setting up an online shop for 88 Cups of Tea! We’re working hard at making sure that whatever we offer will add tremendous value to your storytelling process. We’re also going to have some fun 88 Cups of Tea swag available in our online shop. But for now, we set up a temporary Paypal link for those of you who’d love to support our show and rock your 88 Cups of Tea swag. To grab your Limited Edition 88 Cups of Tea mug (signed by yours truly), click here! Thank you in advance for supporting our show!
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“Being disciplined but also not being hard on yourself and finding balance of the two is key to hitting your writing goals.” -Angie Thomas (click to tweet)
“If we want more diverse books, we need more diverse authors.” -Angie Thomas (click to tweet)
“It’s going to get overwhelming but knowing that there are people who’ve been through it and who survived it helps a whole lot.” -Angie Thomas (click to tweet)
“As long as you surround yourself and connect with people and reach out to people, you won’t be alone.” -Angie Thomas (click to tweet)
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Click here to go directly to Angie's shownotes page for more details and info about her episode, including a list of her recommended resources!
We have Heidi Heilig on the show with us today! Heidi is the author of the duology “The Girl From Everywhere” which was listed as a widely-loved and recommended book to read by NPR. The sequel to “The Ship Beyond Time” just released this week and was listed as one of the 35 most anticipated Young Adult novels of the year by Entertainment Weekly!
In today’s episode, we discuss the importance of reading and promoting the work of various authors to encourage diversity, and how to respectfully write about communities outside of your own experience.
Heidi shares the experience of her first heartbreak and how that inspired the themes of romance and time travel in “The Girl From Everywhere”. Further into our conversation, we also touch on mental health stigmas and what we can do to help break down the stereotypes.
For our craft-focused listeners, Heidi shares advice on how to improve your craft, how to find inspiration for your characters, and how to tie multiple historical elements together in your story. We also unpack Heidi’s experience with her editor and how an editor can bring out the best in your writing.
Thank you, Storyteller Tribe, for listening in! If you loved her episode, please let her know on Twitter by clicking here.
For the list of incredible resources mentioned in Heidi's episode, click here!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
PPS. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. Those specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!
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“No one can tell you what to write and what not to write because everyone is their own person.” -Heidi Heilig (Click to tweet)
“You don’t need an MFA to write a novel. You just need to read a lot and to have the will to practice and the time." -Heidi Heilig (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: