Heard about our upcoming beta challenge and would love a spot? The deadline to join is on Monday, February 25th by 9pm EST (6pm PST). Send us an email at HELLO[AT]88CUPSOFTEA[DOT]COM and in the subject line, write “I’m in!” and we’ll follow up with the next steps.

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Would you be curious to hear how masters of their craft build vivid worlds alongside their characters? Or how to overcome the pressures of getting your work published? We dive into it all with Samantha Shannon!

Samantha is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bone Season series. Film and TV rights have been acquired by Imaginarium Studios and her work has been translated into twenty-six languages. Her upcoming novel, The Priory of the Orange Tree, is her fourth novel and her first outside of The Bone Season series and will be released on February 26th.

In our conversation, we discuss her commitment to writing at a young age and overcoming fears through writing. She shares her research process, how she approaches world building, and how to best manage writing goals. She also shares a snapshot of her upcoming novel, The Priory of the Orange Tree and answers some great listener questions. 

Say 'Hi' to Samantha Shannon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/say_shannon

For a list of all the books and resources mentioned in this episode along with the timestamps for each highlight, head over to the shownotes page: https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/samantha-shannon

If you’d love to keep 88 Cups of Tea going strong, please consider supporting us through our Patreon membership. We added EARLY ACCESS TO INTERVIEWS for our Super Storyteller patrons in the $8.88 tier. Your kind support at any level of our tiers is so helpful. A heartfelt thank you in advance.

https://www.patreon.com/88cupsoftea

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Have you ever let rejection prevent you from pursuing your passion? How do you find the courage to let go of fear to pursue your dreams? We talk about overcoming rejection and so much more with Julie Dao!

Julie Dao is a Vietnamese-American fantasy author who is best known for her Rise of the Empress series, an Asian retelling of the fairy tale Snow White. In her series is Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and her newly released sequel, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix. 

In our conversation, Julie gives us an inside peek into the world of her Rise of the Empress duology. She walks us through the ups and downs of her querying and publishing journey all while sharing invaluable advice on picking yourself back up after facing rejection. She also talks about the importance of bringing forth Asian-American representation in her stories, shares her writing process, and gives great tips for writers on reaching their writings goals.

Say 'Hi' to Julie Dao on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jules_writes 

To access Julie Dao's writing prompt for our Storytellers, the time stamps of highlights throughout her episode and more, head over to Julie's shownotes page: 88CUPSOFTEA.COM/PODCAST/JULIE-DAO