Roshani Chokshi is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling novel, “The Star-Touched Queen”, and “A Crown of Wishes”, and her recently released middle grade debut "Aru Shah and the End of Time".
In today’s episode, we discuss ALL things "Aru Shah and the End of Time", from the story inspiration to the research process and Roshani’s world building. We touch on adapting mythology and folklore into your story and how to craft lush and vivid descriptions.
Further into our conversation, we talk about the importance of sharing your work and being open to critical feedback as a writer, and Roshani shares advice on maintaining your author brand while writing across different age groups.
Say 'Hi' to Roshani on Twitter! She will also be taking over our Instagram stories for the release of her episode and it’s going to be so much fun! Be sure to catch her takeover on Instagram by clicking here. We're teaming up with Roshani and her team to giveaway a copy of "Aru Shah and the End of Time" to TWO lucky winners, so look out for the directions in our Instagram stories.
Roshani also created a wonderful writing prompt exclusive for our community, scroll down to the bottom of this page to download your copy.
Happy listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
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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 work-in-progress, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things, join our private Facebook group! You can really feel the love and support in our 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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Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here!
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“I realized I was writing around my own stories trying to write what I saw in the world when what I needed to be doing was write what I didn’t see and what I wanted to see.”
-Roshani Chokshi (Click to tweet!)
“What is the thing that I really want to read and how would I want it presented to me?”
-Roshani Chokshi (Click to tweet!)
“The minute that I waver on the voice, I’ve lost the whole thread of the story. It doesn’t matter if the plot is there. If the voice isn’t there, the soul of it’s gone.”
-Roshani Chokshi (Click to tweet!)
“Find time just to refresh your soul with someone else’s words.”
-Roshani Chokshi (Click to tweet!)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
Roshani’s journey to becoming a bestselling author
The importance of sharing your work and being open to critical feedback as a writer
A discussion on all things “Aru Shah and The End of Time”
How to respectfully adapt mythology and folklore into your story
Advice on maintaining your author brand while writing across different age groups
Tips on crafting lush and vivid descriptions in your stories
Roshani walk us through the research process for her world building
Ashleigh Gardner is the Deputy General Manager, Wattpad Studios, Publishing. She works with Wattpad writers and publishers around the world to turn Wattpad stories into books. Ashleigh creates meaningful promotional and editorial partnerships with the publishing industry by leveraging the data and insights from the more than 400 million story uploads on Wattpad. This also helps publishers everywhere find exciting new voices and transform their business with data-driven decision-making.
In today’s episode proudly brought to you by Wattpad, we get into the nitty gritty about all things Wattpad and how it benefits the writers and readers in our community. We dig deep into Ashleigh’s role at Wattpad and her personal journey that led her there and she shares advice on how to begin a career in the publishing world.
We continue to discuss how Wattpad builds readerships and audiences for their writers, how it’s a space for authors to instantly interact with your audience and receive feedback, how to use Wattpad to help the research and editing process as an author, and how its features can help our community virtually connect with writing groups to share ideas and encourage one another.
Ashleigh unpacks the relationships Wattpad has with publishers to connect users with the publishing world and we discuss the most popular current trends that she sees at the company and how they’re able to discover these trends. She also walks us through the steps you can take to increase your story’s popularity on Wattpad and we discuss the kinds of questions you should ask a publisher when they approach you and your story.
Happy Listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
---
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!
---
Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your work-in-progress, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things, join our private Facebook group! You can really feel the love and support in our community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
---
Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here!
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“You don’t need to wait for anyone to do this with you, you can go out and do it on your own.”
-Ashleigh Gardner (Click to tweet)
“As soon as you get it out and post it, you can go back and change it. Just plowing through that first draft, not spending a lot of time re-editing things you’ve written already, that would be my biggest piece of advice.”
-Ashleigh Gardner (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
Arvin Ahmadi is the author of “Down and Across”. From Buzzfeed, “Ahmadi writes with head and heart, captivating readers with passages that leap beautifully from the pages.” Publishers Weekly describes his debut as “witty, smart, and inspiring” and The Washington Post says it’s a “humorous” and “deeply human coming-of-age story.”
In today’s episode, Arvin walks us through the inspiration behind “Down and Across”. We unpack how to manage writing difficult and emotional scenes with your characters, how to maintain authenticity in your story throughout your editing process, and how to improve your craft through reading within your genre.
We also discuss why it’s crucial to seek feedback from your writing community, and Arvin shares tips on writing in a first-person point of view that’s different from your own.
Please say 'Hi' to Arvin on Twitter and he'll be taking over our Instagram stories for the release of his episode and it’s going to be SO much fun! Be sure to catch his takeover on Instagram by clicking here.
We also announce some H-U-G-E 88 Cups of Tea news in the intro of Arvin's episode. Don't forget to respond to the announcement by hitting us up on Twitter by clicking here! And help us spread the word about our announcement by sharing about it on social media!
Happy Listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
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We recently restocked our limited edition 88 Cups of Tea mugs with only ONE box of mugs. We are creating a different line of 88 Cups of Tea mugs each year and they'll be available for a limited amount of time! We first announced this in our private FB group and I can’t believe our last box of mugs are already halfway gone. If you'd love a mug for yourself before they are completely sold out for GOOD, head over here. Our mugs are AWESOME at giving you a boost in morale throughout your day!
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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!
---
Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your work-in-progress, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things, join our private Facebook group! You can really feel the love and support in our community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
---
Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here!
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“This is the book where I learned to write a book.”
-Arvin Ahmadi (Click to tweet)
“You build out this world in your head. As a writer, why would you crush that for your reader, this world that they’ve imagined and characters that have become so real to them?”
-Arvin Ahmadi (Click to tweet)
“My first draft was very raw and very authentic and kind of poorly written too. Of course I went through ten, eleven, twelve drafts before I even sold to Penguin and a lot of that was trying to maintain that authenticity while fiddling with the structure to make it a better book.”
-Arvin Ahmadi (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
https://www.patreon.com/88cupsoftea
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John Boyne is the author of over 15 books and short stories. His New York Times bestselling novel, "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", was an international bestseller, selling more than nine million copies worldwide. In today’s episode, we discuss his newest novel, “The Heart’s Invisible Furies”, a New York Times Readers’ Favorite Books of 2017.
We kick off the conversation by having John take us back to the earliest memory of how he first fell in love with storytelling. John shares the inspiration behind “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” and walks us through his unique structure of the novel. We go into detail about the history of human rights activism in Ireland, what his creative research process is like, and how he discovers fresh ideas for his stories.
We also discuss how the important role humor can play in historical novels, how to create emotional distance when writing about darker topics, and advice on finding your own voice and style of writing.
Say 'Hi' to John on Twitter and be sure to download his wriitng prompt exclusive for our 88 Cups of Tea community by heading over to his shownotes and 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!
---
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!
---
Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your work-in-progress, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things, join our private Facebook group! You can really feel the love and support in our community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
---
Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here!
---
“Even as a child, the acts of reading and writing were always completely connected to me.” -John Boyne (Click to tweet)
“I don’t remember a time where I actively decided to be a writer, it was just always a part of who I was.” -John Boyne (Click to tweet)
“You can be a good mimic, but eventually you have to have your own voice and your own style of writing.” -John Boyne (Click to tweet)
“Good writing will find its audience.” -John Boyne (Click to tweet)
“If you are reading and writing all the time, if your brain is engaged with fiction constantly, then you become more attuned to ideas.” -John Boyne (Click to tweet)
“As hard work as writing novels is, I think we should always enjoy the process of writing them.” -John Boyne (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
https://www.patreon.com/88cupsoftea
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You have no idea how excited I am to have Tomi Adeyemi on our show! Tomi is the author of Children of Blood and Bone, a West African-inspired fantasy debut and the first novel in her trilogy that conjures a world of magic and danger, perfect for any of you fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir. It’s been described as “powerful” and “captivating” and Tomi has been hailed as one of the most promising voices in young adult fiction. Entertainment Weekly describes “Children of Blood and Bone” as “a phenomenon” and it landed one of the biggest YA debut novel publishing deals ever. Way before her novel was even released, her entire fantasy trilogy landed a deal to be made into movies produced by the team at Fox 2000 and Temple Hill Productions, the same team who produced the movies “The Fault in Our Stars,” and “Twilight”. “Children of Blood and Bone” releases on March 6th so be sure to grab yourselves a copy to see what everyone’s talking about!
In today’s episode, we discuss ALL things “Children of Blood and Bone”, from the story behind the title, to her research, and writing process. Tomi even shares her resources that helped her world building process in the novel.
We discuss how Tomi’s awareness of poor representation in her earlier stories inspired her to craft strong representation for her readers, why it’s crucial to recognize our responsibility to give younger generations true representation that creates self-love, and the power a story has to create empathy in humanity and to open our eyes to possibility.
For those of you who are currently writing your own manuscripts, you’ll really appreciate all of the helpful and detailed advice Tomi shares for our storyteller community. She walks us through how to craft character descriptions, all about first drafts, how to use rejections to further your story’s success, advice on finding mentors and editors who can help get your story to where you want it to be, and so much more.
Say 'Hi' to Tomi on Twitter and she'll be taking over our Instagram stories for the release of her episode and it’s going to be AWESOME. Be sure to catch her takeover 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!
---
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!
---
Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your work-in-progress, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things, join our private Facebook group! You can really feel the love and support in our community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group!
---
Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here!
---
“Storytelling became this way to get everything I wanted, so I just kept doing it.”
-Tomi Adeyemi (Click to tweet)
“Books are amazing. You explain something so internal, but in such a universal way, that everybody can understand it.”
-Tomi Adeyemi (Click to tweet)
“The best editors help you write the story you thought you wrote the first time.”
-Tomi Adeyemi (Click to tweet)
“It has been a dream, but it has also been a crazy amount of work, as it should be.”
-Tomi Adeyemi (Click to tweet)
“The more you write and the more you revise, the more you discover exactly what you need.”
-Tomi Adeyemi (Click to tweet)
“When you arm yourself with knowledge, everything feels possible.”
-Tomi Adeyemi (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE: