Erin Chack is a senior editor at BuzzFeed and the author of “This Is Really Happening”, a profoundly transparent collection of essays written in a sharply observant voice that’s refreshingly candid. Erin describes her book as “an essay collection about the best, the worst, and the weirdest moments” of her life so far.
I'm thrilled this episode is proudly sponsored by 'Libby', a brand new app lovingly developed by Overdrive (a company I've been a fan of for 6 years). Overdrive's vision and mission is to enlighten the world by reading, a vision that also aligns closely with my core beliefs. 'Libby' was designed for readers to discover and borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your library for free. Be sure to click here to learn more and download the app to your phone or tablet!
We kick off our discussion today by talking about how Erin uses comedy to point out the realities of life. She also shares the story of a life-changing email that paved the way to writing her memoir.
Further into our conversation, we unpack why it’s crucial for memoir writers to write with honesty and confidence, and how to prevent self-doubt from holding you back in telling your story. We also talk about the steps Erin took to hone her craft of writing.
I am so excited for you to hear this episode. Erin is one of those down-to-earth, effortlessly funny, and honest peeps you immediately want to become fast friends with after meeting for the first time. I can’t wait for you to form a new friend-crush after hearing her episode.
Say 'Hi' to Erin on Twitter and check out the books/resources mentioned in her episode over at her shownotes page by clicking here! :)
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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Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things. You can really feel the love and support in our Facebook community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
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Would you love to support our show with some 88 Cups of Tea swag? Grab our limited edition mug (signed by yours truly) here!
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“My biggest mistake was ever thinking that my stories aren’t worth telling.” -Erin Chack (Click to Tweet)
“Just start writing because there is no reason to not just dive right in.” -Erin Chack (Click to Tweet)
“It’s about the journey and the way that people can relate to the story.” -Erin Chack (Click to Tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM TODAY'S EPISODE:
https://www.patreon.com/88cupsoftea
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Nina LaCour is the author of the William C. Morris Honor Book, “Hold Still”. Los Angeles Times perfectly describes her writing in which they write, “LaCour has a knack for capturing the unique intensity of teenage characters discovering love, sex and intense friendship for the first time while also giving them talents and interests that make moving into adulthood look cool.” In describing her newest novel, “We Are Okay”, New York Times said her latest book is, “Short, poetic and gorgeously written…The world LaCour creates is fragile but profoundly humane.”
In our conversation proudly brought to you by Sun Basket and 'Libby', Nina shares the personal experiences that inspired “We Are Okay”, and how she weaved her experiences with tragedy into her novel “Hold Still”. We discuss why it’s important to immerse yourself in diverse communities, and how to spark inspiration and motivation for your writing by reading short stories.
We cover the importance of brevity in your story and how subplots may distract your readers from the main ideas. For craft-related topics, we talk about writing strong character relationships, writing about grief, and how to write a captivating ending that remains ambiguous. Nina also shares her personal experience querying literary agents the traditional way.
Say 'Hi' to Nina on Twitter and check out the books/resources mentioned in her episode over at her shownotes page by clicking here! :)
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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Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things. You can really feel the love and support in our Facebook community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
https://www.patreon.com/88cupsoftea
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We have Kiersten White with us this week, the New York Times bestselling author of “And I Darken”, a series that has been compared to Game of Thrones for the YA community. Kiersten and I recorded our conversation late November last year and I couldn’t be more thrilled to finally publish her episode the same month her highly anticipated sequel “Now I Rise” is releasing.
I'm SO excited to share that this episode is proudly sponsored by 'Libby', a brand new app lovingly developed by Overdrive (a company I've been a fan of for 6 years). Overdrive's vision and mission is to enlighten the world by reading, a vision that also aligns closely with my core beliefs. 'Libby' was designed for readers to discover and borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your library for free. Be sure to click here to learn more and download the app to your phone or tablet!
In our conversation today, Kiersten shares the story behind the title “And I Darken”, and walks us through the historical research process for her series. For those of you who love discussions about the craft of writing, you’re going to love our discussion about creating memorable characters. Kiersten goes into detail about crafting a page-turner novel with multi-layered characters, and how to create authentic characters by channeling your inner feelings. We dig even deeper and talk about how understanding your characters’ motivations will help your readers understand your characters’ decisions.
We also discuss how to overcome rejection, and how to grow from it and make it work for you, rather than against you. We unpack the value a strong editor can bring to your manuscript, and the influential ways a writing partner can help strengthen your craft. You’ll even hear tips and advice on finding the writing partner suited for you.
Say 'Hi' to Kiersten on Twitter and check out the books/resources mentioned in her episode over at her shownotes page by clicking here! :)
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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Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things. You can really feel the love and support in our Facebook community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
---
Would you love to support our show with some 88 Cups of Tea swag? Grab our limited edition mug (signed by yours truly) here!
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“Never give your readers a reason to put the book down.” -Kiersten White (Click to tweet)
“Even when I’m not writing I’m thinking about writing.” -Kiersten White (Click to tweet)
“Writing is all moving parts. You can have the exact same goal accomplished in forty different ways.” -Kiersten White (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM KIERSTEN'S EPISODE:
https://www.patreon.com/88cupsoftea
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We have Pete Knapp, Emily Sweet, and Andrea Mai from Park Literary & Media on the show today! This is the very first time we’ve had an interview that features more than one guest at a time. Just imagine what it's like having four people chatting in an interview without any visual cues (our recording was very similar to a phone interview)-- I have to say, it turned about pretty awesome and incredibly informative.
In our conversation brought to you by Sun Basket, we cover how Park Literary & Media works creatively to promote their clients’ brands in new and exciting ways. Pete, Emily, and Andrea give us examples of their roles and responsibilities in the agency and share what they love most about their positions in the publishing world.
For listeners who are in the middle of querying, or will be querying very soon, they share what they hope to find in a query letter and the first pages of the manuscript. You’ll also learn why it’s crucial to clarify the core of your story in your query letter.
I’m so excited for you to learn from this episode.
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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Join our private Facebook group by clicking here!
Click here to head directly to Pete, Emily, and Andrea's shownotes page!
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“Always focus on the craft because the reality is if you keep improving your craft and continue writing your stories, you will get published.” -Pete Knapp
“You can’t understate how important the book is. If you have a really good book, then none of the other stuff is going to matter.” -Emily Sweet
“There are a lot of great ideas and everyone has great intentions but in terms of actually making it happen, the devil is in the details.” -Andrea Mai
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Emily Barr began her career as a journalist at the The Guardian before backpacking for a column assignment which inspired the concept for her first novel Backpack, which then went on to become a New York Times bestseller. After her debut hit, she has written 11 more books for adults and we have her on the show today to discuss her experiences writing her young adult debut The One Memory of Flora Banks, listed as Entertainment Weekly’s Most Anticipated YA Novel of the Year.
In her episode proudly brought to you by BookCon, she shares her experiences working as a journalist for The Guardian writing a column in the sports section before she transitioned into writing novels. We go into detail about her YA debut novel “The One Memory of Flora Banks” and how Norway inspired the setting of her story. We also discuss the research process behind anterograde amnesia and how Emily weaved that into her character’s story.
Further into her episode, we also discuss important non-writing related topics like what it’s like being middle-aged and having to take care of both your children and your parents. And what it truly means to live in the moment.
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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Join our private Facebook group!
Click here to head over to Emily's shownotes page!
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“You made that happen, so it wasn’t really luck.” -Emily Barr (Click to tweet)
“If you do something enough, you get better at it.” -Emily Barr (Click to tweet)
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