Story of the Book: Recent Episodes
Hayley Chewins + Lindsay Eagar
Story of the Book is a podcast where middle grade, YA and picture book authors tell the stories of their books from beginning to end. Where did the idea come from? How did drafting go? What were revisions like? How did the book go from being a manuscript on a computer to an Actual, Real Book? All of that—and more—with our wonderful guests.
Here at Story of the Book, we've been taking an unplanned hiatus. (Sorry to have disappeared on you all!) BUT we have an incredible bonus episode for you today with Katherine Locke, author of WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS?: A BOOK ABOUT PRONOUNS. If you've ever wanted to write a picture book, Katherine shares so much wisdom in this interview about creating picture books that really shine. We adored this book and conversation, and we hope you will, too!
Buy WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS? A BOOK ABOUT PRONOUNS here.
Follow Katherine on Twitter and Instagram.
Katherine Locke lives and writes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with their feline overlords and their addiction to chai lattes. They are the author of the critically-acclaimed This Rebel Heart, The Girl with the Red Balloon, a 2018 Sydney Taylor Honor Book and 2018 Carolyn W. Field Honor Book, as well as The Spy with the Red Balloon. They are the co-editor and contributor to This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them and Us, which had three starred reviews and made Kirkus Review’s Best Middle Grade of 2021 list, as well as It's A Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes and Other Jewish Stories. They also contributed to Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens and Out Now: Queer We Go Again. They are the author of picture books Bedtime for Superheroes, What Are Your Words? A Book About Pronouns, and Being Friends with Dragons. They can be found online at KatherineLockeBooks.com and @bibliogato on Twitter and Instagram.
In this final episode of Story of the Book Season 2, we're talking to the amazing Axie Oh, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO FELL BENEATH THE SEA (Feiwel & Friends, 2022). We chatted to Axie about so many great topics, including her writing process, querying with a first draft, taking 8 years to publish a book, and the allure of fairy tale retellings. We loved this conversation, and we hope you do, too!
Axie Oh is a first generation Korean American, born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California – San Diego and holds an MFA from Lesley University in Writing for Young People. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with her puppy, Toro. Axie is the NYT bestselling author of REBEL SEOUL (Tu Books, 2017), ROGUE HEART (Tu Books, 2019), XOXO (HarperTeen, 2021) and THE GIRL WHO FELL BENEATH THE SEA (Feiwel & Friends, 2022).
Check out Axie's website!
Follow her on Twitter and Instagram!
The wonderful Rena Rossner joins us to talk about how she wrote her debut YA crossover novel, THE SISTERS OF THE WINTER WOOD (Orbit, 2018). Rena has so much wisdom to share about writing the book only you can write, why novels in verse are so powerful, and writing scenes out of order. We also go into her submission story -- which includes getting to acquisitions twice with no success -- and the struggle of writing her second book, THE LIGHT OF THE MIDNIGHT STARS (Orbit, 2021).
Rena Rossner hails from Miami Beach, Florida. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University's Writing Seminars program, Trinity College, Dublin, and she holds a MA in history from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her debut novel, The Sisters of the Winter Wood, was listed as "One of the 100 Best Books" of the year by Publisher's Weekly. She currently lives in Israel, where she works as a Literary Agent at The Deborah Harris Agency. Her grandparents and great grandparents immigrated to the USA from Hungary, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova - their stories, together with her love of Jewish mythology and fantasy, inspire her work.
Check out Rena's website.
Follow her on Twitter!
Rena is a literary agent at The Deborah Harris Agency. Her manuscript wish list page is here.
(Mild expletives in this episode)
We have a conversation with the brilliant Maggie Thrash about her graphic memoir, LOST SOUL BE AT PEACE. Maggie has tons to say about using pictures when words fall short, writing minor books of your heart while working on that one big hard project, and the pitfalls of believing you must be on social media to be a successful writer.
Maggie Thrash is the author of the critically-acclaimed graphic memoirs Honor Girl (a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nominee) and Lost Soul, Be At Peace. Her fiction works include the noir-ish mysteries Strange Truth and Strange Lies, which are set at an oppressive Southern prep school. On her podcast Creep Daze, Thrash discusses Dawson’s Creek and the Twilight Saga. Her webcomic, The Cure for Desire, which is currently active, is a gossipy, funny and earnest exploration of the LGBTQ+ literary scene.
HONOR GIRL by Maggie Thrash
Maggie's webcomics
Sara Zarr's podcast for creatives
Snail illuminations
Part TWO of our conversation with the generous and brilliant Kaylan Adair! As an executive editor at Candlewick Press, Kaylan is brimming with information about the acquisitions process, P&Rs, revisions, the importance of authorial voice, editor burnout, and more! She walks us through what it was like to find HOUR OF THE BEES in her inbox, and what it takes for an editor to bring a book all the way to publication. Since this is such a meaty conversation, we’ve split it into TWO PARTS. (This is Part 2.) Both parts are out now!
The brilliant Kaylan Adair joins us to talk about life on the other side of the desk! As an executive editor at Candlewick Press, Kaylan is brimming with information about the acquisitions process, P&Rs, revisions, the importance of authorial voice, editor burnout, and more! She walks us through what it was like to find HOUR OF THE BEES in her inbox, and what it takes for an editor to bring a book all the way to publication. Since this is such a meaty conversation, we’ve split it into TWO PARTS. Part One is up now, Part Two will be out next week!
Kaylan Adair is an Executive Editor at Candlewick Press, where she’s worked for the past fifteen years. She acquires and edits everything from board book originals to YA novels. She is drawn to characters first and plots second, and loves nothing more than to be caught up in the stories of characters who seem so real, she aches when she finally has to say goodbye.
Candlewick Press
Check out HOUR OF THE BEES by Lindsay Eagar
The incredible Caroline Starr Rose joins us to talk about how she wrote her nonfiction picture book, A RACE AROUND THE WORLD: THE TRUE STORY OF NELLIE BLY AND ELIZABETH BISLAND (illustrated by Alexandra Bye). Caroline has so much wisdom to share about the different levels of historical fiction, thinking of yourself as a storyteller rather than an authority, and allowing curiosity to shape your projects. We had so much fun recording this conversation and we hope you love it!
Caroline Starr Rose is a middle grade and picture book author whose books have been ALA-ALSC Notable, Junior Library Guild, ABA New Voices, Kids’ Indie Next, Amazon’s Best Books of the Month for Kids, and Bank Street College of Education Best Books selections. In addition, her books have been nominated for almost two dozen state award lists. Caroline was named a Publisher’s Weekly Flying Start Author for her debut novel, May B. She spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico and taught social studies and English in four different states. Caroline now lives with her husband and two sons in New Mexico.
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Books that Caroline mentions in this episode:
THREADS OF PEACE: HOW MOHANDAS GANDHI AND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CHANGED THE WORLD by Uma Krishnaswami
MAUD: A NOVEL INSPIRED BY THE LIFE OF L.M. MONTGOMERY by Melanie J. Fishbane
EIGHTY DAYS: NELLIE BLY AND ELIZABETH BISLAND'S HISTORY-MAKING RACE AROUND THE WORLD by Matthew Goodman
BAD NEWS FOR OUTLAWS: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF BASS REEVES, DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Confetti time! We're back for Season 2 of Story of the Book!
In this episode, K.A. Reynolds joins us to talk about how she wrote her debut novel, THE LAND OF YESTERDAY (HarperCollins, 2018). We chat about the magic of writing without a plan, doing TWO revise and resubmits for her agent, and getting up at 2.00 a.m. to write. (No, that wasn't a typo!) We hope you love this conversation as much as we do.
K. A. Reynolds's first two novels, THE LAND OF YESTERDAY and THE SPINNER OF DREAMS, are out with HarperCollins now. Her third, IZZY AT THE END OF THE WORLD, is slated for 2023, also with HarperCollins. Her debut picture book, THE BIG WORRY DAY (illustrated by Chloe Dominique) releases with Viking Children's on August 23rd, 2022. She is represented by Thao Le at The Sandra Dijkstra Agency.
Her gorgeous website is here.
Follow her on Twitter. (Her Twitter is awesome.)
Hayley and Lindsay discuss how they've learned to take care of themselves after creative failures.
Hayley and Lindsay talk about living a creative life outside of writing, and why it's imperative to do things just for your soul. This is a bonus holiday episode. We'll be back in February 2022 with a new season of full length episodes.
Hayley and Lindsay talk about the ins and outs of writing middle grade books -- and what makes the category so special. This is a bonus holiday episode. We'll be back in February 2022 with a new season of full length episodes.
Lindsay dives into how she chooses which point of view to write from. This is a bonus holiday episode. We will be back with full length episodes in February 2022.
Hayley chats to Lindsay about how she uses language to build worlds. This is a bonus holiday episode. We'll be back with full length episodes in February 2022.
Lindsay talks us through how she thinks about pacing when she's writing her books. This is a bonus holiday episode. We'll be back with full length episodes of Story of the Book in February 2021!
In this episode of Story of the Book, we talked to Julie about her latest picture book, Yours in Books, out now from Harry N. Abrams. We loved hearing Julie talk about the process of writing a picture book, revising a book 80 times or more, and why she never regrets setting high expectations for her work.
Show notes:
Julie Falatko's website
Buy Yours in Books
Find Yours in Books on Goodreads
Maggie Rogers on writing a song a day
Julie Hedlund's 12 x 12
The Artist's Way
Carter Higgins' picture books
In this episode of Story of the Book, we spoke with Celia about her second middle grade book, Strange Birds, published with Kokila/Penguin in 2019. We loved what Celia had to say about keeping her projects secret until they're rooted, making the writing process tactile with scissors and glue, and the importance of specific representation in novels. This episode is a total delight! Enjoy!
Show notes:
Celia Peréz's website
Buy Strange Birds
Find Strange Birds on Goodreads
Radical Brownies
The Victorian hat feather craze
Judy Blume's Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself
Stand By Me
Celia's thoughts on zining and The First Rule of Punk
Celia's article on Unschooling for 88 Cups of Tea
In this episode of Story of the Book, Christine Day walks us through how she wrote her second middle grade novel, The Sea in Winter, which was published by Heartdrum in January 2021. We talk about second book syndrome, writing middle grade stories that don't get rid of the parents, and why there's never a perfect time to write a book. We loved this conversation and we hope you do, too!
Show notes:
Christine Day's website
Buy The Sea in Winter
Add The Sea in Winter on Goodreads
Christine mentions a landslide that affected the Makah people. You can read more about that here.
Heartdrum, Harper's imprint for Native American authors and stories
Hedgebrook
The restoration of the Elwha River
Christine's chapter book biography of Maria Tallchief, America's first prima ballerina
In this episode of Story of the Book, we talk to Anna-Marie McLemore about how they wrote their upcoming YA novel, Lakelore, which is set to be released March 8, 2022 from Feiwel and Friends. We discuss the complications and joys of writing with a neurodiverse brain about neurodiverse characters, why it's important to ask your editor what's working in your manuscript as well as what isn't working, and how a story can shift beneath your very feet (and why you should let it!).
Show notes:
Buy Lakelore
Add Lakelore on Goodreads
Anna-Marie's website
Alebrijes
Add Self-Made Man on Goodreads
Our logo was designed by Ashley Chewins
Our theme music was written & performed by us.
Trigger warning: This episode of Story of the Book contains discussions about the Holocaust, including mentions of genocide, extermination camps and anti-Semitism. Please take care.
In this episode of Story of the Book, we chat to R.M. Romero about how she wrote her debut middle grade novel, The Dollmaker of Kraków, which came out in September 2017 from Delacorte Press. We talk about the challenge of balancing light and darkness in fiction, using magic to write about trauma, and why Rachael hates it when someone asks her how the magic in her books "works." We loved this conversation with Rachael and we hope you love it, too!
SPOILER WARNING:In this episode, we discuss the plot of The Dollmaker of Kraków in detail.If you hate spoilers, please read the book first! We don’t want to ruin it for you! :)
Show notes:
Buy The Dollmaker of Kraków
Add The Dollmaker of Kraków on Goodreads
Rachael’s website
Rachael visited Auschwitz-Birkenau when she was 18.
NaNoWriMo
Over the Garden Wall
Magical realism
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Schindler’s List
The Grey Zone
Mischlingby Affinity Konar
The Last Days
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A Hoffman
The Nutcracker Prince
Thumbelina
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Terry Pratchett: "The first draft is just you telling yourself the story."
Rachael did a revise and resubmit for her first agent.
Hans Christian Anderson
Lisa Perrin, illustrator
Rabbi Loeb and the Golem of Prague
The Ghosts of Rose Hill is out on May 3rd, 2022.
Add The Ghosts of Rose Hill on Goodreads
Our logo was designed by Ashley Chewins
Our theme music was written & performed by us.
In this episode of Story of the Book, Lindsay Eagar talks us through how she wrote her second middle grade novel, Race to the Bottom of the Sea, which was published by Candlewick Press in October 2017. We talk about starting a book with a list of things you love, what it means to "write what you know" and how, sometimes, telling everyone the ending is a good idea. :)
SPOILER WARNING: In this episode, we discuss the plot of Race to the Bottom of the Sea in detail. If you haven't read the book and you hate spoilers, please read the book before listening! We don't want to ruin it for you! :)
Show notes:
Lindsay's website
Follow Lindsay on Twitter
Follow Lindsay on Instagram
Buy Race to the Bottom of the Sea
Add Race to the Bottom of the Sea on Goodreads
Lindsay's agent is Victoria Marini
Road Dahl
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Ramona Books
Lindsay mentions a Disney movie called Shipwrecked, starring Gabriel Byrne
Jake and the Never Land Pirates
Alexandre Desplat wrote the score for the film adaptation of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Muppet Treasure Island
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Pirates of the Caribbean
Lindsay mention's synaesthesia when she's talking about the use of colour in her work
Kaylan Adair, Lindsay's editor at Candlewick
The origin of the word amateur
Lindsay's hugely successful online writing courses!
Martha Beck
In this episode of Story of the Book, Hayley Chewins tells us how she wrote her second middle grade novel, The Sisters of Straygarden Place, which was published by Candlewick Press in October 2020. We talk about "trying on" different versions of a story, cultivating patience and love for your own personal writing process, and the importance of chasing pleasure and joy.
SPOILER WARNING: In this episode, we discuss the plot of The Sisters of Straygarden Place in detail. If you haven't read the book and you hate spoilers, please read the book before listening! We don't want to ruin it for you! :)
Show notes:
Hayley's website
Follow Hayley on Twitter
Buy The Sisters of Straygarden Place
Add The Sisters of Straygarden Place on Goodreads
Hayley's agent, Patricia Nelson
The movie Crimson Peak
You can read more about Martha Beck's distinction between games and real careers in her book, The Joy Diet (p.138).
Hayley's sister is an athlete and fitness coach
Our theme music was written and performed by...us! (Hayley Chewins & Lindsay Eagar)
Our logo was designed by Ashley Chewins