88 Cups of Tea

Warm welcome, Storytellers! If you’re looking for a super intimate space where you can meet fellow storytellers and experience what it’s like to be a part of our community, come hang out with us in our private Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea. We check in with each other on the daily, and have weekly threads where you can update each other about your work-in-progress, along with swapping recommendations for books and tv shows, and there’s a whole lot more that happens in there. Join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/! --------------------------------------- We are thrilled to announce we are beginning the process of building out 88 Cups of Tea’s volunteer positions and would love to hear from you if you’re passionate about 88 Cups of Tea and want to be a part of building out our future. Fill out our application here: https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/  --------------------------------------- Tochi Onyebuchi is the author of Beasts Made of Night, its sequel Crown of Thunder, War Girls, Riot Baby, and its sequel and his newest novel Rebel Sisters. In our conversation, we explore Tochi's writing process, the ways it’s evolved over time, and how he continues to find joy in the process. Tochi shares how to cultivate a specific kind of confidence that enables us to bring our story ideas to life, and how to maintain that confidence to pave way for equity in publishing. Join us for a conversation filled with crafting advice from overcoming your writing fears to plotting intricate threads in your stories and much more. Please say 'Hi' to Tochi on Twitter! https://twitter.com/tochitruestory Head over to his shownotes page at : https://88cupsoftea.com/tochi-onyebuchi to download his writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in his episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ If you’re looking for a super intimate space where you can meet fellow storytellers and experience what it’s like to be a part of our community, come hang out with us in our private Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea. We check in with each other on the daily, and have weekly threads where you can update each other about your work-in-progress, along with swapping recommendations for books and tv shows, and there’s a whole lot more that happens in there. Join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/! --------------------------------------- We are thrilled to announce we are beginning the process of building out 88 Cups of Tea’s volunteer positions and would love to hear from you if you’re passionate about 88 Cups of Tea and want to be a part of building out our future. Fill out our application here: https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/  --------------------------------------- Stacey Lee is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including Outrun the Moon, Under a Painted Sky, The Secret of a Heart Note, and her most recent novel, The Downstairs Girl. In our conversation, Stacey reflects on how she cultivated her inner confidence as a storyteller at a young age and how it's continued to grow throughout her writing career. She opens up about the invaluable writing strategies she learned as a lawyer that helps her see the importance of every single word on the page and craft authenticity in her characters. Filled with crafting advice on detailed research processes, using metaphors to write strong protagonists, finding critique partners, and more, our conversation will be sure to spark inspiration and joy. Please say 'Hi' to Stacey on Twitter! https://twitter.com/staceyleeauthor Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/stacey-lee to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ If you’re looking for a super intimate space where you can meet fellow storytellers and experience what it’s like to be a part of our community, come hang out with us in our private Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea. We check in with each other on the daily, and have weekly threads where you can update each other about your work-in-progress, along with swapping recommendations for books and tv shows, and there’s a whole lot more that happens in there. Join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/! --------------------------------------- We are thrilled to announce we are beginning the process of building out 88 Cups of Tea’s volunteer positions and would love to hear from you if you’re passionate about 88 Cups of Tea and want to be a part of building out our future. Fill out our application here: https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/  --------------------------------------- Kat Cho is the international bestselling author of Wicked Fox and Vicious Spirits and the co-host of the Write or Die Podcast. In our conversation, we reflect on our experiences navigating the pandemic as a human, a creative, and an author. Kat shines a light on the act of writing as a transformative source of solace and joy in the most challenging of times as we discuss her journey moving through grief, and fleshing out her stories that emerged from the rawest heartbreak that evolved into the most powerful form of hope. In a conversation lined with transparency and vulnerability, Kat shares wisdom on the human experience beyond her years.  Please say 'Hi' to Kat on Twitter! https://twitter.com/KatCho  Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/kat-cho to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, you can follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. And join our private Facebook group to experience the warmth and encouragement of our community first-hand!  --------------------------------------- In this special edition 88 Cups of Tea podcast episode, we feature National Book Award Finalist Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam of The Exonerated Five in conversation with 88 Cups of Tea guest-host Lelina Chang, an advocate whose work is focused on the intersection of racial equity and environmental justice. In 1989, Dr. Yusef Salaam was just fifteen years old when he was tried and convicted in the “Central Park Jogger Case” along with four other Black and Latino boys. The Exonerated Five spent between seven to 13 years behind bars, until their sentences were overturned in 2002. Since then, they received a multi-million-dollar settlement from the City of New York for its injustice and were profiled in award-winning films, including The Central Park Five documentary from Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon and the award-winning Netflix limited series When They See Us, written and directed by Ava DuVernay. In our podcast episode, Lelina interviews Yusef and Ibi about their newest co-authored novel in verse Punching the Air and how the book came to fruition. Yusef talks about the power of self-purpose and hope and how his spiritual journey was mirrored through the main character Amal while Ibi shares how she embraced and holistically weaved Yusef‘s stories and philosophies to craft a story told from a young Muslim, Black boy’s point of view. Further in, they break down and analyze two influential poems in the novel that speak to Yusef’s experience being boxed in with his thoughts and his own devices in his jail cell, and the power DNA has to tie individuals to the collective injustices of the past. Ibi shares how crafting her poems in different shapes and forms helps bring to life the meaning of the poems on the page. And later, they discuss what it means to bring about diversity with diversity and the crucial work that still needs to be done to create a holistic representation of communities of color in the literary world. Please say 'Hi' to Yusef Salaam on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dr_yusefsalaam Please say 'Hi' to Ibi Zoboi on Twitter! https://twitter.com/ibizoboi Head over to their shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/yusef-and-ibi/ to find the resources and books mentioned in their episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ You can follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious to hear stories from our listeners about what 88 Cups of Tea means to them? Want to discover the exciting future of 88 Cups of Tea that involves becoming a nonprofit to better serve the storyteller community? Or the four big pillars we'll be implementing over the next five years? We talk about it all in our special 5-year anniversary episode. We turned five years old this month! To celebrate this huge milestone, we held a zoom party with our storytellers to reminisce on all the good times we've had over the years, celebrate the accomplishments our community has made, and to share the exciting future 88 Cups of Tea has in store. So for today's episode, we're sharing the audio recording from that zoom party so you can join in on the festivities. Throughout the episode, you'll hear my journey from when the idea of starting 88 Cups of Tea popped into my head, to interviewing my first few guests, to growing into a community full of sportive and inspiring creatives. You'll get a behind-the-scenes look of podcasting around the world and all the work that is done behind each episode. I share some of my most meaningful memories throughout the years and the special interactions I have been so lucky to have with our community and you'll hear messages directly from a few of our storytellers. And towards the end, I share 88 Cups of Tea's future of receiving a receiving 501(c)(3) status to better serve the community by launching new initiatives and increasing in-person and online engagement through mentoring, in-depth learning, and community-building. --------------------------------------- Win Prizes From Your Favorite Literary Agents We've teamed up with three of your favorite and top most-requested literary agents Joanna Volpe, Suzie Townsend, and Holly Root for special prizes in honor of our milestone anniversary. We're thrilled to gift three winners from our community with a prize that leaves an inspiring impact on your storytelling journey. Prizes include: A 20-minute phone call with Holly Root to answer your most burning questions about the industry A critique of your query letter and the first five pages of your story by Suzie Townsend A 20-minute phone call with Joanna Volpe along with a critique of your query letter and the first five pages To enter for a chance to win one of our 5-year anniversary prizes, visit https://88cupsoftea.com/fiveyears to find the link to fill out a submission form.  --------------------------------------- Volunteer with 88 Cups of Tea Over the years, our storytellers have asked how they can help contribute to our podcast through writing, editing, and other creative and practical ways. We are thrilled to announce that we are now accepting volunteers to be a part of our team and to help grow 88 Cups of Tea!  If you're interested in volunteering, be sure to fill out our volunteer application form over at https://88cupsoftea.com/fiveyears --------------------------------------- Head over to our shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/fiveyears to find the resources and books mentioned in the episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the conversation.  

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ You can follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious about the different roles of an editor? How they help authors transform their stories and make them come alive? How about the ways to break into the publishing industry as an editor or literary agent? Or tips for crafting a strong query letter and the value a literary agent will bring to your career? We talk about it all and more with Molly O'Neill. Molly is a literary agent with Root Literary. Books that Molly has worked on have gone on to become #1 New York Times Bestsellers, have been made into major motion pictures, and received countless awards, honors, and accolades. Most recently, her clients’ books have been honored to receive National Book Awards longlist nomination, the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, the Schneider Family Book Award, and as ALA Odyssey Honors for Audiobooks and Goodreads Choice Awards nominees, among many others.  In part 2 of our conversation, we discuss how she discovers and pursues new writing talent and matches them with the best editor to help their stories come alive. She shares how an author’s social media presence and writing competition victories can be a path to grabbing a literary agent’s attention but it’s not the only journey an aspiring author has to take and that spending your energy on making your writing the best it can be is the most important aspect. Further in, Molly talks about the query letters that have stood out to her the most and tips for improving your own query letters. She lists helpful writing and publishing resources you won’t want to miss, how supporting and contributing to the publishing community will help you create connections and opportunities, and smart financial moves to make when you receive your first book advance. And later, we talk about how your relationship with writing can change when your writing hobby turns into your job, the role self-awareness plays as you’re trying to reach your writing goals, and strategies for finding inspiration and uncovering the story you've always been meant to tell. Please say 'Hi' to Molly on Twitter! https://twitter.com/molly_oneill Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/molly-oneill to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ You can follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious about the different roles of an editor? How they help authors transform their stories and make them come alive? How about the ways to break into the publishing industry as an editor or literary agent? We talk about it all and more with Molly O’Neill. Molly is a literary agent with Root Literary. Books that Molly has worked on have gone on to become #1 New York Times Bestsellers, have been made into major motion pictures, and received countless awards, honors, and accolades. Most recently, her clients’ books have been honored to receive National Book Awards longlist nomination, the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, the Schneider Family Book Award, and as ALA Odyssey Honors for Audiobooks and Goodreads Choice Awards nominees, among many others.  Molly shared so much wisdom, industry-knowledge, and publishing advice that we had to make her episode a two-parter!  In the first part of our conversation, Molly talks about the power of story and how it helped created bonds between her and her loved ones. She talks about her love for children’s books, how the publishing industry helps establish relationships between stories and humans, and the steps she took to break into the publishing industry. Further in, she discusses how she became the editor for the Divergent Series and the importance of editing or representing books you love versus books that are on-trend. She gives us an in-depth look at the many roles editors hold like helping authors’ stories come alive on the page, acting as the book’s advocate to sales reps, and being an advocate for the readers so they have a great reading experience. And later, Molly begins to tell us how she moved from editor to literary agent! Please say 'Hi' to Molly on Twitter! https://twitter.com/molly_oneill Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/molly-oneill to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ You can follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Want to learn experimental and playful ways to reinvent your writing process? How to confront your perfectionism when crafting your first draft? Or the ways building patterns can help you tap into your emotional needs? We talk about it all and more with Elizabeth Acevedo. Elizabeth is the New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X, With the Fire on High, and Clap When You Land. Her critically-acclaimed debut novel, The Poet X, won the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. She is also the recipient of the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Fiction, the CILIP Carnegie Medal, and the Boston Globe-Hornbook Award. She was also honored with the 2019 Pure Belpré Author Award for celebrating, affirming, and portraying Latinx culture and experience.   In our conversation, we discuss the important role that routine plays in our writing process and how it can help us connect deeper with our characters. Elizabeth shares her experience rebuilding and relearning her own routine during this pandemic and how forgiveness, kindness, and focusing on what is in her control has helped her throughout this difficult time. We then talk about disrupting our priorities to give ourselves permission to slow down and rest. And later, we discuss strategies to help us confront our writing fears and push past perfectionism to allow us to see the beauty in the entire journey from the first draft to the finished piece. Please say 'Hi' to Elizabeth on Twitter! https://twitter.com/AcevedoWrites Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/elizabeth-acevedo to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/   You can follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious to discover the best practices for character development and plotting when crafting a series? Or how to know when it’s time to start or stop writing your story? How about the important role inspirational research serves when trying to get to the heart of your story? We talk about it all and more with Daniel José Older. Daniel is the New York Times bestselling author of the Middle-Grade historical fantasy series Dactyl Hill Squad, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, Star Wars: Last Shot, and the award-winning Young Adult series the Shadowshaper Cypher, which won the International Latino Book Award and was shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize in Young Readers’ Literature, the Andre Norton Award, the Locus, the Mythopoeic Award, and named one of Esquire’s 80 Books Every Person Should Read.  We begin our conversation discussing how he discovered his creative voice at a young age through drawing, music, and storytelling. We learn about his college days and becoming an EMT to keep him financially stable while working on his craft. We have an honest conversation about the uncertainty of relying on your writing as your main source of income and the moments of instability that it can bring.   Further in, Daniel talks about his path to becoming a published author, pushing past rejection, and the importance of mentorship and community during this time. He shares plotting and character development tips for writing a series and the important role inspirational research serves when crafting your stories.  And later, we talk about how writing is about listening to yourself and to those around you, being intentional about knowing when to start and stop your story, and why it’s crucial to understand what’s most important in your story so you can be committed to the things that matter the most and be flexible to change other parts to ultimately get to the heart of your story.  Please say 'Hi' to Daniel on Twitter! https://twitter.com/djolder Head over to his shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/daniel-jose-older to find the resources and books mentioned in his episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Hi Storytellers, listen in on the latest episode split into two different segments.  First segment, it's just you and me. Head over to our page of resources as mentioned in this segment: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ Second segment, we're pulling our conversation with Jacqueline Woodson out of the archives.  Please say 'Hi' to Jacqueline on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/JackieWoodson Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/jacqueline-woodson to find books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Kelly’s episode is edited from a livestream we recorded back in March. Please note that the audio quality isn’t as clear as it’s pulled from our livestream, and you’ll hear some popping sounds in the background which were notifications from the live commenting during the livestream, but the content is so important especially during these times so don’t let the audio quality get in the way!  If you’d like to watch our full 2-hour live streamed conversation, head on over to Kelly’s shownotes page at 88cupsoftea.com/kelly-yang! --------------------------------------- How do we move through these arduous times? How are writers sustaining creativity? How does one determine when there’s enough research to begin drafting? We discuss these topics and more with Kelly Yang. Kelly is the award-wining author of Front Desk, the winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature, her newly released YA novel Parachutes, and her upcoming book and sequel of Front Desk - Three Keys.  Kelly and I kick off our conversation diving into Kelly’s experience during Covid-19 as an Asian-American, how she is feeding her creativity during this challenging time, ways she is trying to keep herself and her family emotionally healthy, and how she has redefined her self-care. She also shares ways in which we all can help combat the horrible racism and discrimination in our communities brought about from Covid-19. Further in, she shares her writing journey and her experience so far publishing Asian-American stories. She gives us a snapshot of her newly released novel Parachutes and a glimpse into her research process drawing from personal experiences and gathering stories from other parachute children. We discuss how to determine when you have compiled enough research to jump into your story, and how drafting the first few chapters of a story idea before committing to writing the whole book can help you figure out if it’s the perfect story for you. And later, Kelly drops some real-talk about making an income as a creative, shares her golden rule in life that’ll inspire you to not give up on your projects, and steps you can take to reach your writing goals, especially during this challenging time. Please say 'Hi' to Kelly on Twitter! https://twitter.com/kellyyanghk Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/kelly-yang to download Kelly's writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Have you been researching different ways to strengthen your craft? Or how to build tension in stories? How about strategies for finding time to finish your manuscript? We talk about it all and more with Marie Rutkoski. Marie Rutkoski is the author of The Shadow Society, the Kronos Chronicles, and the New York Times-bestselling Winner’s Trilogy. We begin our conversation by discussing her love for storytelling and the role her family played in inspiring her to craft stories. We'll learn how writing her dissertation in college taught her how to structure a novel and inspire the idea behind her first novel. We then move on to discuss her newly published novel The Midnight Lie, her experience crafting a queer romance, and her heartwarming coming out story. She shares how hiring a freelance editor can help strengthen your novel before entering the querying process, how to craft persistent tension in your story, and how to avoid cultural appropriation and underrepresentation when writing about a culture separate from your own. And later, we discuss a writing strategy that can help you craft your novel while working full time and unique ways you can practice the art of storytelling away from the page. Please say 'Hi' to Marie on Twitter! https://twitter.com/marierutkoski Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/marie-rutkoski to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- We Love Our 88 Cups of Tea Sponsors Did you know we collaborated with VCFA’s MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults to curate a thoughtful series of intimate essays and podcast episodes so you can feel empowered throughout your writing journey? Click here to explore the published pieces. Vermont College of Fine Arts is a global community of artists continuously redefining what it means to be an arts college. They’re accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education and offers the Master of Fine Arts degree in a variety of fields, including Writing, Writing for Children & Young Adults, and Writing & Publishing, along with an International MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation. With low-residency and fully residential options, VCFA has the graduate program to fit your needs. Be sure to learn more about VCFA by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Curious about breaking into the publishing industry and becoming a literary agent? Or how to craft the best query letter for your story? How about the common mistakes to avoid as a new author navigating the publishing world? We talk about it all and more with Linda Camacho. Linda is a literary agent with a B.S. in Communication from Cornell University and an MFA in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She’s held various positions at Penguin Random House, Dorchester, Simon and Schuster, Writers House, and Prospect Agency. Now at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, Linda is looking for MG, YA, and adult fiction across all genres (especially upmarket, women’s fiction/romance, and literary horror); she’s also seeking select graphic novel writer-illustrators. We kick off the conversation talking about horror movies and how they sparked her love for storytelling inspiring her publishing career. We discuss the publishing world and the different roles she had that lead her to become a literary agent. From this conversation, she shares how crucial it is to uplift your community, not take any opportunities for granted, be relentlessly persistent in your creative pursuits, and to know your worth. Further in, we talk about how to create lasting diversity in publishing. And later, Linda chats about her experience getting her MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and how her degree helped strengthen her skills as a literary agent and communicate better editorially with her clients. We dive into how to improve your query letter, the common mistakes new authors make navigating the publishing industry, and how to avoid them. Please say 'Hi' to Linda on Twitter! https://twitter.com/lindarandom Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/linda-camacho to download one of her favorite query letters and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

I have this hope of documenting what we're collectively going through in our daily lives and how we're coping during this time as Storytellers at a global-scale. I record my conversation with each storyteller for 15 minutes every single day for 30 days. Each Sunday evening over the course of these 30 days, I'm releasing a bonus weekend podcast episode that features a raw, uncut compilation of all conversations from that full week in hopes these diary-like audio entries bring you a sense of belonging. I imagine this to be a time capsule of our experiences, our stories, our hopes, fears, dreams, wishes, yearnings, real-time perspectives during a truly unparalleled time-- our concerted voices woven together into a digital tapestry.  We've been receiving an overwhelming amount of submissions to be a part of this and if you'd love your chance, head over here to submit your info: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV Xo, Yin

Warm welcome to our new listeners, and welcome back long-time listeners.  Here's the link to join our free self-guided accountability group for the month of April: https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsofteaselfguidedaccountabilityapril2020/ If you'd love a chance to be one of the voices in the 30-consecutive days of recording for our collective stories throughout this time, head over here to submit: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV  Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Samira Ahmed's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of her writing life! --------------------------------------- Curious to discover creative ways to fit in time for your writing even with a busy schedule? How to be more kind to yourself during your writing journey? Or how to craft dual POVs in your novel? We talk about it all and more with Samira Ahmed. Samira is the author of Love, Hate & Other Filters, Internment, and her newest novel that just released in early April – Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know. Her poetry, essays, and short stories have appeared in anthologies including: Take the Mic, Color Outside the Lines, Ink Knows No Borders, Who Will Speak for America, This is What a Librarian Looks Like, and the forthcoming Vampires Never Get Old and A Universe of Stories. In Samira’s episode, we discuss her childhood experience growing up in small-town America, how different groups of people are targeted throughout history, and how to safely confront racism by using our power and privilege for a purpose. We then unpack Samira’s career path from working in education to becoming a full-time writer, how she learned to construct a novel, how she discovered the inner workings of the publishing world, and what the process of finding a literary agent was like for her.  We talk about creative ways to fit in time for your writing even with a busy schedule, the importance of saying “yes” to yourself and your dreams, and why it’s crucial to be gentle with the language you use towards your writing, especially with your first draft. Further in, we chat about her newly released novel Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know, the inspiration behind the story, and her writing process for crafting dual POVs. And Samira wraps up our conversation with a creative assignment for our listeners that will help you make progress towards your writing goals! Please say 'Hi' to Samira on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/sam_aye_ahm/ Head over to Samira's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/samira-ahmed/‎ to download her writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

I have this hope of documenting what we're collectively going through in our daily lives and how we're coping during this time as Storytellers at a global-scale. I record my conversation with each storyteller for 15 minutes every single day for 30 days. Each Sunday evening over the course of these 30 days, I'm releasing a bonus weekend podcast episode that features a raw, uncut compilation of all conversations from that full week in hopes these diary-like audio entries bring you a sense of belonging. I imagine this to be a time capsule of our experiences, our stories, our hopes, fears, dreams, wishes, yearnings, real-time perspectives during a truly unparalleled time-- our concerted voices woven together into a digital tapestry.  We've been receiving an overwhelming amount of submissions to be a part of this and if you'd love your chance, head over here to submit your info: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV Xo, Yin

Hey, we received an overwhelming amount of submissions to be a part of this. If you'd also love a chance to be a voice, head over here to submit your info: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV

Warm welcome to our new listeners, and welcome back long-time listeners.  Here's the link to join our free self-guided accountability group for the month of April: https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsofteaselfguidedaccountabilityapril2020/ If you'd love a chance to be one of the voices in the 30-consecutive days of recording for our collective stories throughout this time, head over here to submit: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV  Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Sara Zarr's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of her writing life! --------------------------------------- Are you curious about how to lean into the slower periods and making the most out of that time? How about learning more about publishing deadlines and how to best ask for an extension? Or strategies to help you move closer to your writing goals? We talk about it all and more with Sara Zarr. Sarah is the acclaimed young adult author of Gem & Dixie, The Lucy Variations, Story of a Girl, and her upcoming novel Goodbye from Nowhere. She’s a National Book Award finalist and two-time Utah Book Award winner. Her novels have been variously named to annual best books lists of the American Library Association, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, the Guardian, the New York Public Library, and the Los Angeles Public Library and have been translated into many languages. She is a MacDowell Colony Fellow and has served as a judge for the National Book Awards. Sara and I kick off our conversation discussing her emotional and courageous journey to becoming a full-time author and the importance of creating a life that supports your writing. She drops some real-talk on how to financially support yourself and your writing career and how to sustain it long-term. We then dive into the importance of community and a support system to lean on as your career evolves. Further in, we chat about publishing deadlines and how to best make use of the low times during the publishing process to grow other projects or work other jobs to bring in more income. She shares her experience shifting publishers and editors for her book Gem & Dixie and how she stopped herself from going down the bitterness and resentfulness path and chose a gratitude mindset instead. We talk about how important it is to not compare yourself to others on social media and ration your social media use. And later, we chat about her upcoming YA novel Goodbye from Nowhere and her first nonfiction novel Courageous Creativity. She shares the invaluable tip of removing expiration dates you’ve put on your writing goals. And we wrap up our conversation discussing her writing process and the steps that help get her writing flowing.  Please say 'Hi' to Sara on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/sarazarrbooks/ Head over to Sara's shownotes page at  https://88cupsoftea.com/sara-zarr to download her writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners! Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Libba Bray's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of her writing life!  --------------------------------------- Curious to discover how leaning into your emotions can strengthen your writing? How about the actionable steps to reach your writing goals? Or tips for creating a financially viable marketing plan for your novel? We talk about it all and much more with Akemi Dawn Bowman. Akemi is the award-winning author of "Starfish", "Summer Bird Blue", and her newly released novel "Harley in the Sky" which just released on March 10th. It’s been particularly hard on our writing and book community, so please show support however you can, and if you are able, order a copy!  She is also a Ravenclaw and Star Wars enthusiast, who served in the US Navy for five years and has a BA in social sciences from UNLV. We kick off our conversation discussing her career path from joining the navy to falling back in love with writing, and ultimately pursuing storytelling full-time as a published author. We discuss how she developed the perseverance to grapple with all the rejections that come along with the querying process and continue on to have a very honest conversation about her mental health, finding the right support system, and how to be a great ally for others. We then dive into how she juggles being the best mom she can to her children, showing up as a partner to her significant other, and a writer while maintaining a healthy mental state by prioritizing what’s most important to her, giving herself permission to slow down and take breaks, and cutting out toxic relationships both in-person and online. She shares how leaning into her emotions helps her craft such beautiful and immersive stories, how her writing voice and character development has changed throughout her career, and her experience being an author with multiple published novels. And later, we get into some real-talk about book sales, contracts, and self-marketing. We wrap up the conversation with a small but powerful step you can take to reach your writing goals.  Please say 'Hi' to Akemi on Instagram! instagram.com/akemidawnbowman/ Head over to Akemi's shownotes page at  https://88cupsoftea.com/akemi-dawn-bowman/ to download her writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- We Love Our 88 Cups of Tea Sponsors Did you know we collaborated with VCFA’s MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults to curate a thoughtful series of intimate essays and podcast episodes so you can feel empowered throughout your writing journey? Click here to explore the published pieces. Vermont College of Fine Arts is a global community of artists continuously redefining what it means to be an arts college. They’re accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education and offers the Master of Fine Arts degree in a variety of fields, including Writing, Writing for Children & Young Adults, and Writing & Publishing, along with an International MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation. With low-residency and fully residential options, VCFA has the graduate program to fit your needs. Be sure to learn more about VCFA by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Curious to discover ways an MFA program can strengthen your writing craft and provide a thriving community of writers to lean on for the well-being of your creative life? Wondering how to pick yourself up during those heart wrenching bouts of self-doubt during writing setbacks? How about a strong dose of writing advice about creating powerful first-person POV? We talk about it all and more with Kekla Magoon. Kekla is an award-winning author who has published over a dozen novels for children and young adults, including The Season of Styx Malone, The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, Light It Up, and X: A Novel. She received an NAACP Image Award, three Coretta Scott King Honors, the Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, has been long listed for the National Book Award, and more. Kekla holds an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts where she now serves on faculty. In our conversation, Kekla and I jump right in and talk about her love for stories and how being absorbed into a narrative can help you make better sense of the world around you and bring you comfort in times of uncertainty. We dive into her career path to becoming an author and how she discovered Vermont College of Fine Arts where she got her MFA. She shares her childhood experience and discovering her identity which influenced her passion for acknowledging the grey areas, the reality of racial bias, and cognitive dissonance in her writing. Later we dive deeper into her experience at VCFA and how the MFA program helped evolve her writing, grew her reading and critiquing skills, and provided her with a supportive writing community. We wrap up our conversation by discussing how to be compassionate towards yourself during writing setbacks, along with tips to help you move past moments of frustration, and advice for crafting your characters in the first person. Please say 'Hi' to Kekla on Twitter! https://twitter.com/keklamagoon Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/kekla-magoon/‎ to download the writing prompt she made special for our community and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners! Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Libba Bray's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of her writing life!  --------------------------------------- Curious to discover how to productively take feedback to help you reach your writing goals? Or how to know when it's time to let go of a project? Or strategies to help push yourself out of your comfort zone? How about ways to balance finances as an artist? We talk about it all and more with Libba Bray. Libba is the New York Times bestselling author of The Gemma Doyle trilogy, the Michael L. Printz Award-winning Going Bovine, the L.A. Times Book Prize finalist Beauty Queens, and The Diviners series which includes the fourth and final book in the series, The King of Crows, out now! In our conversation, Libba and I talk about what it was like living and surviving in NYC when she first moved from Texas and dive into her first love of playwriting and the realities of producing a play. We then get into some real talk about money planning in creative fields and how to make an income while still making time for your craft. We discuss how she began writing YA novels, the steps she took to learn the structure of a novel and discover her writing process, and how learning to receive and give feedback can help shape your writing style.  And later in the episode, we go into detail about knowing when it's time to move on from a project, I know there's a lot of listeners in our Facebook group who've been wondering about this, so pay special attention to Libba's experiences and advice and hopefully, it'll help guide you with your decision-making. We wrap up our conversation by discussing how to best work with your writing partners so it's a win-win relationship, and how writing has helped Libba to make sense of her place in the world.  Please say 'Hi' to Libba on Twitter! https://twitter.com/libbabray Head over to Libbas's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/libba-bray to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners! Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Adalyn Grace's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of the launch day for her debut novel "All the Stars and Teeth"! --------------------------------------- Curious to discover how to find the right critique partner for your story? Or ways to craft multiple magic systems in your novel? How about the revision technique that'll help you weave together multiple plots? We talk about it all and much more with Adalyn Grace. Adalyn graduated from Arizona State University when she was nineteen years old. She spent four years working in live theater and acted as the managing editor of a nonprofit newspaper before studying storytelling as an intern for Nickelodeon animation’s popular series The Legend of Korra. All the Stars and Teeth is her debut novel. We kick off our conversation talking about her experience as a debut author, giving us a behind-the-scenes look into a day in her life prepping for her book’s release while still meeting deadlines for her second novel. She shares her journey from working at Nickelodeon to discovering her career as a novelist, and how she found beta-readers and critique partners who’ve become an intrinsic part of her writing journey. We then dive into her debut novel All the Stars and Teeth where she gives us a snapshot of the story, the empowering inspiration behind it, and a look into her world-building and research process. We talk about the importance of keeping your characters’ motivations clear, how your debut novel can set the tone for your writing career, and important questions to think about when picking the right literary agent for you and your story. And later, we chat about her revision process and the revision technique that helped her weave plots and subplots together in a large world, how she tackles significant revisions with her editor, and tips for creating your writing schedule. Please say 'Hi' to Adalyn on Twitter! https://twitter.com/adalyngrace_ Head over to Adalyn's shownotes page to download the exclusive writing prompt she created for our listeners over at https://88cupsoftea.com/adalyn-grace . You'll also find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover! --------------------------------------- Diggin the books you're discovering from our podcast episodes? You'll love learning about Lamar Giles and his debut novel Epic Reads at the top of this episode and be inspired by his advice on reaching your writing goals! --------------------------------------- Want to discover how to manage strict deadlines or how to best ask for an extension? How about a plotting technique that'll help you build strong character arcs? Or all the ways a writing retreat can help you reach your writing goals? We talk about it all and much more with Grace Lin. Grace is a NY Times bestselling author and illustrator who won the Newbery Honor for her book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Her other award-winning books include When the Sea Turned to Silver, Starry River of the Sky, The Year of the Dog, and her upcoming novel Mulan: Before the Sword! Grace and I kick off the conversation with how she found her passion for writing and illustrating children’s books and the steps she took to turn her dream into a thriving career. She gives us a behind-the-scenes look into her TEDx talk where she highlights the significance of multicultural literature on personal identity and development. She shares an exciting snapshot of her upcoming novel Mulan: Before the Sword that sets the stage for Disney’s upcoming live-action movie Mulan. We then dive into her research process and how she managed the book’s tight deadline, all while giving us crucial advice on how to juggle deadlines all while staying true to your story. We then discuss plotting strong character arcs, why writing retreats are crucial to Grace’s livelihood as a writer, and you’ll be happy to hear that we also touch on finances in this conversation.  Please say 'Hi' to Grace on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/pacylin Head over to Grace's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/grace-lin ‎to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. And be sure to catch her Instagram story takeover by heading over to Instagram.com/88cupsoftea! 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious about choosing the best editor for your story? Ways to carve out writing time amidst a busy schedule? Or how about crafting strong characters? We talk about it all and more with Abigail Hing Wen. Abigail is the author of her debut novel Loveboat, Taipei which just released this week!  Abigail and I kick off the conversation talking about how she discovered her love for storytelling at such a young age and how it inspired her career path working in law, business, and being an author. She shares her experience showing her family her writing for the first time and how her vulnerability strengthened her craft. We then dive into her debut novel, Loveboat, Taipei and chat about the inspiration behind the story and how she crafted her characters by drawing from personal experience. She reflects on getting her MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts and spills her top three takeaways from the program that helped boost confidence in her writing. And later, we talk about her adventurous research process, how to pick the best editor for your story, and tips on finding time to write with an insanely busy schedule.  Storytellers, be sure to download the writing prompt that Abigail created just for our community by heading over to her shownotes page at 88cupsoftea.com/abigail-hing-wen. You’ll also find bonus content over in her shownotes page with things that tie in with our conversation. And be sure to catch Abigail’s Instagram story takeover by heading over to Instagram.com/88cupsoftea! If you’d love a chance at winning a copy of “Loveboat, Taipei”, be sure to check out our Instagram stories for directions!   Please say 'Hi' to Abigail on Twitter! https://twitter.com/abigailhingwen Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/abigail-hing-wen/‎ ‎to download her writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious to learn how to inspire creativity during challenging times? Or ways to manage strict deadlines while still practicing self-care? We talk about it all and more with Cassandra Clare. Cassandra is the award-winning author of City of Bones – the first book of her Mortal Instruments series – The Infernal Devices series, The Dark Artifices series, The Magisterium Series and many more novels. Cassandra and I kick off our conversation chatting about her recent travels around Southeast Asia, and this will be a very fun part of the conversation for those of you who love to travel or would love to travel one day in the near future. We continue to talk about her storytelling journey and touch on ways to bring in income while writing your novel. We dive into the inspiration behind her first novel City of Bones and discuss the emotional side of writing. Towards the end, we talk about querying, the importance of reading through your contracts and being aware of your legal rights, and how to best manage stressful deadlines while still taking care of yourself. Later, she shares how to prevent yourself from giving up on your career when you’re feeling down, and she shares her favorite writing technique that’ll help you reach your writing goals.  Please say 'Hi' to Cassandra on Twitter! https://twitter.com/cassieclare Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/cassandra-clare/‎. ‎to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious about self-publishing your novel and creating a successful marketing plan? Or bringing in a side income with your writing? How about tips on becoming debt-free? We talk about it all and more with Laura Adams. Laura is a personal finance expert, an author of many books including her book Debt-Free Blueprint, and the founder and host of Money Girl podcast where Laura shares personal finance, real estate, and investing tips to help listeners live a richer life. In our conversation, Laura shares how she discovered her passion for personal finance that kick-started her blogging, podcasting, self-publishing, and PR career. She chats about how she created her own opportunities to grow her podcast and gain representation from Quick and Dirty Tips Network. We then dive into Laura’s experience self-publishing where she shares invaluable marketing tips like how to take charge of your marketing plan, creative ways to utilize your social media platforms, and how to establish a marketing budget. And later, she dishes some real-talk on side hustles, taxes, and becoming debt-free. Please say 'Hi' to Laura on Twitter! https://twitter.com/LauraAdams Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/laura-adams/. ‎to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious about crafting rich settings and characters in your stories? How about becoming a better critique partner and giving valuable feedback? Or how sparking more joy in your life can leave an impactful influence on your craft? We talk about it all and more with Marissa Meyer. Marissa is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Renegades, Archenemies, Heartless, The Lunar Chronicles, and her newly released novel, Supernova, the final book of her Renegades series.  In our conversation, Marissa shares how she intuitively navigates the business side of the publishing world while also giving us a snapshot of her inspiring writing and querying process for her novel Cinder. If you’re about to jump into the querying trenches - you definitely don’t want to miss this part of our conversation. We then chat about support systems and their important role in our creative pursuits, why it’s so crucial to carve out time for fun in our writing process, and how diverse representation in children’s literacy is helping to change negative stigmas. Further into our conversation, we chat about The Lunar Chronicles series, how she transitions from one popular series to another, and how to balance crafting rich worlds and character development. Storytellers, be sure to check out the incredible writing prompt that Marissa crafted just for our community. To download it, head over to her shownotes page at  https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/marissa-meyer/. Please say 'Hi' to Marissa on Twitter! https://twitter.com/marissa_meyer Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/marissa-meyer/. ‎to download her writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious to learn how to overcome self-doubt during your revision process? Or ways to instill a creative headspace? How about tips for crafting dynamic character settings? We talk about it all and more with Kelly Barnhill. Kelly is the award-winning author of The Girl Who Drank The Moon, The Witch's Boy, Iron Hearted Violet, and The Mostly True Story of Jack, as well as the novella, The Unlicensed Magician. She has been on the New York Times bestseller list for a bunch of weeks now, as well as the Indie Besteller list. She was also a McKnight Artist's Fellowship recipient in Children's Literature. In our conversation, we talk about Kelly’s love for telling stories out loud and how this shaped her writing process. We walk down memory lane of her life adventures that impacted her creative career path to becoming a best selling author and the lessons that helped her write with love and affection. Further in, we discuss how to instill a creative headspace, the importance of giving yourself a break during your drafting process, and powerful revision tools to help you overcome self-doubt. And later on, she pulls back the curtain and gives us a peek into how she forms her stories, crafts her dynamic character settings, and creates a community that helps her through tough days.  Storytellers, be sure to check out the incredible writing prompt that Kelly crafted just for our community. The prompt will help you write without fear and spark some new ideas for your stories. To download it, head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/kelly-barnhill. Please say 'Hi' to Kelly on Twitter! https://twitter.com/kellybarnhill Head over to her shownotes page athttps://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/kelly-barnhill ‎to download her writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Having trouble pushing past emotional fatigue and brain fog to reach your writing goals? Yearning to craft vivid characters with emotional resonance? Seeking writing tips on plotting a series that still gives you the freedom to explore different storylines? We talk about it all and more with Maggie Stiefvater. Maggie is the #1 NYT Bestselling author of The Raven Cycle series, the Shiver trilogy, The Scorpio Races, and other novels for young people and adults. In our conversation, Maggie shares her love for storytelling and gives us a snapshot of her self-taught journey to becoming a best selling author. She chats about her love of music and how she weaves that in with her love of writing. We talk about the most difficult challenge Maggie’s had in her life and from that, we were inspired to discuss how to overcome brain fog and emotional fatigue to reach your writing goals. Further into our conversation, we chat about breaking down societal norms in her writing, how to craft vivid descriptions in your stories for emotional resonance, and how she plotted out her series that still gave her freedom to explore other storylines. She also shares the biggest piece of advice for debut writers that you don’t want to miss.   Be sure to check out the writing prompt that Maggie took the time to exclusive create for our community at the bottom of the page. Her writing prompt will help you if you’re stuck on the very first chapter of a new project. Please say 'Hi' to Maggie on Twitter! https://twitter.com/mstiefvater Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/maggie-stiefvater/ ‎to download her writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. We even have an Instagram story takeover by today’s guest Christine Riccio so make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/.  --------------------------------------- Curious about juggling multiple creative pursuits around a busy schedule? How about tangible actions you can take to shift into a productive mindset? We talk about it all and more with Christine Riccio. Christine is a Youtuber and New York Times Best Selling author, Her Youtube channel PolandbananasBOOKS has nearly half a million book-loving subscribers. She makes comedic book reviews, vlogs, sketches, and writing videos chronicling the creation of her own novel, Again, But Better. She’s also one of the three YouTubers behind BOOKSPLOSION- Youtube’s longest-running book club! In our conversation, we talk about Christine’s journey to becoming a best selling author and one of the most influential booktubers. She gives us a behind-the-scenes look into how she started her YouTube career, her writing and filming process, and how she works around her busy schedule. Further into our conversation, we talk about tangible actions you can take to shift into a writing mindset and the importance of self-care. She shares advice on growing your platform and reaching your writing goals, and we discuss her novel Again, but Better. Please say 'Hi' to Christine on Twitter! https://twitter.com/xtineMAY Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/christine-riccio/to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors!  --------------------------------------- Curious to learn what goes into designing a new brand identity? Want a behind-the-scenes look into the creative process of 88 Cups of Tea's new logo? Eager to discover all the hidden messages in our logo that perfectly highlights our community values? We talk about it all and more with designer Juliette Kim. Juliette is a creative director based in South Korea. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and in 2017 she established her own creative agency Studio Juli-ette, which specializes in identity design and packaging. Juliette is the artist who designed 88 Cups of Tea's lovely new logo and brand identity. In our conversation, we talk about how she discovered her love for storytelling through design and art that inspired her to attend Rhode Island School of Design working. She shares the steps she took to open her own design studio and how important it was to lean on her support system throughout the entire process. Further in, we dive into what brought us together to design 88 Cups of Tea’s new logo and brand identity. She shares a behind-the-scenes look into the design process and how we worked together to create a logo that perfectly highlights 88 Cups of Tea’s uplifting values of community, fun, creativity, and love. She shares all the hidden nuances within the logo you might not catch at a first glance. And later, she shares what she hopes people feel when they see our new logo.  Please say 'Hi' to Juliette on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/studio.juliette/ Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/juliette-kim/to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors!  --------------------------------------- Curious to discover ways to uncover your inner voice? Or how to embrace vulnerability when telling your story? How about ways to practice self-care when crafting difficult scenes? We talk about it all and more with Jasmin Kaur. Jasmin is a writer, illustrator, and spoken word artist exploring themes of feminism, womanhood, social justice and love, acts as a means of healing and reclaiming identity. She was named The Tempests' 40 Women to Watch in 2019 and has been celebrated at the American Music Awards. Her debut poetry and prose collection, "When You Ask Me Where I’m Going" releases October 1st.  In our conversation brought to you by Epic Reads, we talk about Jasmin’s love for story and her passion for highlighting her identity and creating representation in her art. We also talk about how she uncovered her inner authentic voice, ways to recognize when you're holding back and self-censoring your writing voice, and how to amplify your vulnerability so it flows naturally in your writing. We discuss her highly-anticipated debut "When You Ask Me Where I’m Going" and why she chose to format the book’s structure the way she did. Be sure to keep your ears out for Jasmin's powerful poetry reading in the later half of this episode. Afterwards, head over to our Instagram @88CupsOfTea ‘cause Jasmin will be taking over our Instagram Stories on Monday, September 30th! Say 'Hi' to Jasmin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jusmunkaur Head over to her shownotes page at 88cupsoftea.com/podcast/jasmin-kaur/ to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Curious to learn the power story can have in our healing processes? How about tips on navigating the financial side of the publishing industry? Or ways to vividly craft emotion in your story? We talk about it all and more with author Jason Reynolds. Jason is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of his many books including When I Was the Greatest, Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys (co-written with Brendan Kiely), As Brave as You, For Every One, the Track series, Long Way Down, which received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor, and his upcoming novel Look Both Ways. In our conversation, we dive into the power of story and its ability to help work through hardships and trauma. We discuss writing from instincts when describing feelings and emotions, defining the sweet spot between science and soul in stories and the role this sweet spot plays in his editing process. Further into our conversation, we talk about survivor’s remorse as successful artists, how creating a lane for marginalized voices through access creates opportunities, and he unveils the financial side of the publishing industry.  Say 'Hi' to Jason Reynolds on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonReynolds83 Head over to Jason's shownotes page at  https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/jason-reynolds/ to find the resources and books mentioned in his episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. --- If you enjoyed this episode and would love to support our show, Patreon is the best way! Patrons at certain tiers get early access to full, uncut interviews and fantastic extended interviews from previous podcast episodes! If you’re not yet a Patron and you’d love early access to these interviews in addition to other cool benefits (snailmail, Storyteller Welcome Box, livestream hangouts with bookhaul and mystery box giveaways, etc.) head on over to patreon.com/88cupsoftea to sign up!   

Hey Storytellers!  Here's a bonus episode to fill you in on all the details about Pitch Wars.  This episode features Brenda Drake (founder), Sarah Nicolas (managing director), Kellye Garrett (board member), Adalyn Grace, Graci Kim, and Susan Lee.  The shownotes page for this episode will be available in a few hours, please check back for quotables, highlights throughout the episode with time markers, the guests' biographies, and the list of resources mentioned throughout! 88CUPSOFTEA.COM/PODCAST/PITCH-WARS  

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Curious to discover ways to get into the writing groove? How about advice on working with smaller publishing houses? Or best practices for co-authoring a novel? We talk about it all and much more with Ally Condie! Ally is the author of The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe, Summerlost, Atlantia, and the critically acclaimed Matched trilogy, a  #1 New York Times and international bestseller.   In our conversation, Ally shares the heartfelt story of how she fell in love with storytelling and her journey to becoming a best-selling author. We discuss working with smaller publishing companies, how to embrace rejection to reach your writing goals, and we get into the nitty-gritty of Ally’s writing and editing process. We continue on to talk about how she finds time to write with such a busy schedule and the tools she uses to get into the writing mindset. She dives into the details of her newest novel The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe and the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of what sparked that idea. And towards the end, Ally talks about her experience getting her master's degree she always wanted, what exciting projects she’s currently working on - including a co-authored novel, and ways you can use writing to make a change in the world. Say 'Hi' to Ally Condie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/allycondie Head over to Ally's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/ally-condie/ to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. --- If you enjoyed this episode and would love to support our show, Patreon is the best way! Patrons at certain tiers get early access to full, uncut interviews and fantastic extended interviews from previous podcast episodes! If you’re not yet a Patron and you’d love early access to these interviews in addition to other cool benefits (snailmail, Storyteller Welcome Box, livestream hangouts with bookhaul and mystery box giveaways, etc.) head on over to patreon.com/88cupsoftea to sign up! 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Curious to know how you can draw inspiration for your story during your research process? Or how to not let setbacks in your writing process create writer's block? How about strategies to help you craft smooth transitions in your story? We talk about it all and much more with Madeline Miller! Madeline is the New York Times bestselling author of The Song of Achilles and her most recent, critically-acclaimed novel, Circe, which is currently being adapted for an 8-episode series for HBO Max.  In our conversation, we dive deep into how Madeline fell in love with Greek mythology and found her passion to craft strong female characters in classical settings. We discuss how crucial it is to change the narrative by creating the core of strong female characters, what to do when facing setbacks in your writing process, and strategies to lure out new ideas for your stories. Madeline also shares advice on crafting a seamless narrative when the plot has gaps, and how leaning on your characters can help you create smooth transitions. Further into our conversation, we discuss the importance of finding your support system and creating a research process that works best for your voice.  Say 'Hi' to Madeline Miller on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeline.e.miller Head over to Madeline's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/madeline-miller/ to download the first 1,000 words of her newest novel Circe! You’ll also find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. --- If you enjoyed this episode and would love to support our show, Patreon is the best way! Patrons at certain tiers get early access to our full, uncut interview with Rachel Hawkins and early access to author Madeline Miller's episode this month along with a collection of fantastic extended interviews from previous podcast episodes! If you’re not yet a Patron and you’d love early access to these interviews in addition to other cool benefits (snailmail, Storyteller Welcome Box, livestream hangouts with bookhaul and mystery box giveaways, etc.) head on over to patreon.com/88cupsoftea to sign up! 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Ever wondered how to create a successful querying process? Or ways to cope with rejection as a writer? How about tips for nurturing a strong relationship with a literary agent? We talk about it all and so much more with Rachel Hawkins. Rachel is the author of Rebel Belle, the New York Times bestselling series Hex Hall, Prince Charming, and its sequel and Rachel’s newest book, Her Royal Highness.  In our conversation, Rachel shares how she fell in love with storytelling and her journey to becoming an author. She dives into her querying process and discusses key advice on how to cope with rejection. We talk about finding the right agent for you and your story and how to maintain a great agent to author relationship, how to work with your editor to strengthen your plot, and the game-changing writing advice to help you achieve your writing goals. She also gives us a snapshot of her newest book Her Royal Highness and shares the inspiration behind it. Say 'Hi' to Rachel Hawkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LadyHawkins Head over to JL's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/rachel-hawkins to download her writing prompt exclusively provided for our community! You’ll also find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. --- If you enjoyed this episode and would love to support our show, Patreon is the best way! Patrons at certain tiers get early access to our full, uncut interview with Rachel Hawkins and early access to author Madeline Miller's episode this month along with a collection of fantastic extended interviews from previous podcast episodes! If you’re not yet a Patron and you’d love early access to these interviews in addition to other cool benefits (snailmail, Storyteller Welcome Box, livestream hangouts with bookhaul and mystery box giveaways, etc.) head on over to patreon.com/88cupsoftea to sign up! 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Did you know we collaborated with Gotham Writers for JL's episode?  Gotham Writers teaches creative writing classes online and in NYC where they’ve built an incredible reputation for nearly 30 years and guess what? Their first-ever Gotham Writers conference is dedicated to arming you with all the knowledge and actionable feedback to best help you land a literary agent. This is a one-of-a-kind experience that puts like-minded people who are at the stage of finding an agent in an intimate and productive setting. And to top it off, there’s free happy hour!  The conference takes place at the Ace Hotel in NYC on Friday, October 25th and Saturday, October 26th. On Day 1, you get to learn from eye-opening and entertaining panels and presentations. And Day 2, get ready to roll up your sleeves at their pitching roundtables. We especially love this because the writers attending Day 2 all have to apply and be pre-selected to attend. Click here to learn more and be sure to grab your spot! ---------------------------------------  Curious to know what steps you can take to break into the publishing world? How about ways you can catch a literary agent's attention? We talk about it all and so more with JL Stermer! JL is a literary agent at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. A born and bred New Yorker, JL has lived in Manhattan her whole life and is a lover of all things art & culture, people watching, and Donut Pub doughnuts. She is looking for voices that reflect the world as it changes, stories that share the human experience of life, love, growth, and achievement. And they don’t have to all be serious–having fun is important to her! She is adding to her non-fiction list in both YA and adult categories with smart pop-culture, comedy/satire, fashion, health & wellness, self-help, and memoir. She’s also growing her fiction list (a bit more selectively) and is looking for adult and some YA coming-of-age, humor, dark and edgy stories, and new and original voices in commercial and upmarket. She also thinks graphic novels are really cool. In our conversation, we dive into how JL fell in love with storytelling and the journey she took to making her literary agent career at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. come to fruition. We talk about being open to new opportunities and being vulnerable when asking for advice and help to break into your career. She then gives us an honest look into the finances of being an agent at all levels, how she knows which clients she wants to work with, and the importance of marketing yourself and making connections. She explains what “backlist” and “earning out the check” means in the publishing world and discusses the culture at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. And later, we talk about the classes she teaches at Gotham Writers and all about the upcoming Gotham Writers Conference. Say 'Hi' to JL Stermer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlstermer Head over to JL's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/jl-stermer/ to download the cheat sheet of “do's and don’ts when querying an agent” that JL exclusively provided for our community! You’ll also find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. --- If you enjoyed this episode and would love to support our show, Patreon is the best way! Patrons at certain tiers get early access to extended interviews with Rachel Hawkins and New Leaf literary agent JL Stermer this month along with a collection of fantastic extended interviews from previous podcast episodes! If you’re not yet a Patron and you’d love early access to these interviews in addition to other cool benefits (snailmail, Storyteller Welcome Box, livestream hangouts with bookhaul and mystery box giveaways, etc.) head on over to patreon.com/88cupsoftea to sign up! 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Did you know we collaborated with VCFA's MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults to curate a thoughtful series of intimate essays and podcast episodes so you can feel empowered throughout your writing journey? Click here to explore the published pieces. Vermont College of Fine Arts is a global community of artists continuously redefining what it means to be an arts college. They're accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education and offers the Master of Fine Arts degree in a variety of fields, including Writing, Writing for Children & Young Adults, and Writing & Publishing, along with an International MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation. With low-residency and fully residential options, VCFA has the graduate program to fit your needs. Be sure to learn more about VCFA by clicking here! ---------------------------------------  Curious to learn how to push past roadblocks that are preventing you from crafting your story? How about tips for developing complicated plots? Or ways to discover confidence in your writing voice? We talk about it all and more with Amy Rose Capetta! Amy is the award-winning YA fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery author of The Lost Coast, Echo After Echo, The Brilliant Death, bestselling novel Once & Future co-written with her partner Cori McCarthy, her highly anticipated novel The Storm of Life (her sequel to The Brilliant Death), and more. She's also the co-founder of the Rainbow Writers Workshop, the first-ever workshop for YA and middle-grade LGBTQIAP writers. In our conversation, Amy shares how she fell in love with storytelling and turned that passion into her writing career. She spills plot structure exercises that will help you see the bigger picture to move past roadblocks in your story. We dive into how a writing MFA helped Amy discover confidence in recognizing and trusting her writing voice, strengthen her revision process, and find a supportive writing community that’s very similar to the arts communities that she loves. Further into our conversation, we discuss the inspiration behind Amy's past novels and her writing process. She shares crafting advice on how to begin a story when you have too many ideas in your head. She gets into the nitty-gritty about writing a large cast of supportive characters and how to not distract the readers from the main story, shares incredible tips for aspiring queer writers, and explains her world-building method for developing complicated plots.  Say 'Hi' to Amy Rose Capetta on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyRoseCapetta  Head over to Amy's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/amy-rose-capetta/ to find all the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.  --- If you enjoyed this episode and would love to support our show, Patreon is the best way! Patrons at certain tiers get early access to extended interviews with Rachel Hawkins and New Leaf literary agent JL Stermer this month along with a collection of fantastic extended interviews from previous podcast episodes! If you’re not yet a Patron and you’d love early access to these interviews in addition to other cool benefits (snailmail, Storyteller Welcome Box, livestream hangouts with bookhaul and mystery box giveaways, etc.) head on over to patreon.com/88cupsoftea to sign up! 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Did you know we collaborated with VCFA's MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults to curate a thoughtful series of intimate essays and podcast episodes so you can feel empowered throughout your writing journey? Click here to explore the published pieces. Vermont College of Fine Arts is a global community of artists continuously redefining what it means to be an arts college. They’re accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education and offers the Master of Fine Arts degree in a variety of fields, including Writing, Writing for Children & Young Adults, and Writing & Publishing, along with an International MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation. With low-residency and fully residential options, VCFA has the graduate program to fit your needs. Be sure to learn more about VCFA by clicking here! ---------------------------------------  This episode contains content and discussion about suicide. If this topic is triggering or upsetting for you, please skip this episode. Thank you. Curious about crafting your stories with vibrancy? Ever wondered what kind of work goes into building powerful vignettes? How about the role that community serves in your creative pursuits? We talk about it all and much more with An Na. Na is the author of "The Place Between Breaths", "The Fold", "Wait for Me", and "A Step from Heaven", which was a National Book Award Finalist and won the Michael L. Printz Award. Her honors include the International Reading Association Award and the Parents Choice Gold Award. Her books have been named as ALA Best Books for Young Adults and a New York Times Notable Book. And she also teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA. In her episode, Na shares how she fell in love with storytelling, giving us a peek into her childhood, and the heartwarming impact that representation has in the world. We dive into her writing process for vignettes and how she builds upon emotions and feelings to craft her scenes. She shares her experience serving on the National Book Awards committee and what the selection process looks like behind the curtain. She tells her story of grief and heartbreak that inspired her novel "The Place Between Breaths", we discuss the harmful narratives created around mental illness, and she stresses the importance of mental health resources. We then continue to dig into her experience writing for TV, the steps you can take to break into TV writing, and the important role that community serves in your creative pursuits and how you can find that through an MFA experience. Say 'Hi' to An Na on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anwriting/ Head over to Na's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/an-na/ to find all the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.  --- If you enjoyed this episode and would love to support our show, Patreon is the best way! Patrons at certain tiers get early access to extended interviews with Rachel Hawkins and New Leaf literary agent JL Stermer this month along with a collection of fantastic extended interviews from previous podcast episodes! If you’re not yet a Patron and you’d love early access to these interviews in addition to other cool benefits (snailmail, Storyteller Welcome Box, livestream hangouts with bookhaul and mystery box giveaways, etc.) head on over to patreon.com/88cupsoftea to sign up! 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Did you know we have a Patreon page!? Right now all Super Storytellers signed up at our “Silkie Chickens with Balloons” or “Snails with Mail” tier over in our Patreon get early access to interviews with Rachel Hawkins and literary agent JL Stermer this month! So, if you’re not yet a Super Storyteller and you’d love early access to these interviews in addition to other cool benefits, head on over to patreon.com/88cupsoftea and become a Patron at the “Silkie Chickens with Balloons” tier or our “Snails with Mail” tier.   --------------------------------------- For today’s new episode, we’ve partnered with Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a superfood company whose mission is to take over the world with their delicious coffees, teas, and cacaos that are all made with functional mushrooms and adaptogens. Head over to foursigmatic.com/88cupsoftea to learn more and get 15% off your order. Thank you to our listeners for supporting a brand we love and a brand that believes in the work that we do here at 88 Cups of Tea. A special thank you to our sponsors and collaborators who help keep our show running! ---------------------------------------  Are you curious about sustaining career longevity in your creative pursuits? How about ways to evolve your craft from story to story? Or how to develop strong romantic arcs? We talk about it all and so much more with Sarah Dessen! Sarah is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels for teens, which have received numerous awards and rave reviews. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and have sold millions of copies worldwide. She’s the recipient of the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for outstanding contribution to young adult literature for her novels like Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, What Happened to Goodbye, and more. In our conversation, we dive into how Sarah fell in love with storytelling and how her writing has evolved throughout her career. We discuss what it’s like to write for yourself versus writing to please others, and how her mother-daughter relationships in her books are inspired by her relationship with her own mother and daughter. She shares how embracing both the good and bad parts of ourselves in our writing can help us begin to heal, and the importance of seeking help when we need it. She then talks all about her most recent novel, The Rest Of The Story, and shares a behind the scenes look into the writing and publishing process. And later in our conversation, she walks us through her experience of changing publishers, shares tips on crafting romantic arcs, talks balancing finances and your craft, and how to overcome writer’s block. Say 'Hi' to Sarah Dessen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahdessen. Head over to Sarah's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/sarah-dessen/ to find all the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.  --- 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!

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, share your wins and join in on 88 Cups of Tea related discussions! 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! --------------------------------------- For today’s new episode, we’ve partnered with Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a superfood company whose mission is to take over the world with their delicious coffees, teas, and cacaos that are all made with functional mushrooms and adaptogens. Head over to foursigmatic.com/88cupsoftea to learn more and get 15% off your order. Thank you to our listeners for supporting a brand we love and a brand that believes in the work that we do here at 88 Cups of Tea. A special thank you to our sponsors and collaborators who help keep our show running! ---------------------------------------  Curious to know how novels are adapted for TV and film? Or what book packaging is and how it fits into the publishing process? How about best practices for creative collaboration? We dive into it and more with Sona Charaipotra! Sona is the author of her upcoming solo debut, Symptoms of a Heartbreak, and the co-author of Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Pieces. In addition to writing novels, Sona also worked as a celebrity reporter and editor at People and TeenPeople magazine and contributed to publications like the New York Times and TeenVogue. She’s also the co-founder of CAKE Literary, a boutique book packaging company. In our conversation, she shares how she came to be a storyteller through screenwriting and fiction writing. We dive into how she adapts novels for film and TV along with a peek into her screenwriting process. She shares her thoughts on how our streaming culture creates space for YA and diverse content to thrive and reach wider audiences. We unpack CAKE Literary, from discussing what book packaging is and where it fits into the publishing process, to digging deep into CAKE’s mission on creating organic diversity through high-concept reads. Further into our conversation, we talk about best practices for listeners interested in co-authoring and seeking writing partners. Sona also gives us a snapshot of her highly anticipated novel Symptoms of a Heartbreak, and shares her best tips on overcoming writer’s block! Say 'Hi' to Sona Charaipotra on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sona_c Head over to Sona's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/sona-charaipotra/ to download a writing prompt she created just for 88 Cups of Tea listeners! You’ll also find all the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.  --- 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!

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, share your wins and join in on 88 Cups of Tea related discussions! 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! --------------------------------------- For today’s new episode, we’ve partnered with Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a superfood company whose mission is to take over the world with their delicious coffees, teas, and cacaos that are all made with functional mushrooms and adaptogens. Head over to foursigmatic.com/88cupsoftea to learn more and get 15% off your order. Thank you to our listeners for supporting a brand we love and a brand that believes in the work that we do here at 88 Cups of Tea. A special thank you to our sponsors and collaborators who help keep our show running! ---------------------------------------  Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a literary agent? Or how a literary agent sells a manuscript? How about tips on improving your query letter? We discuss these topics and much more with Thao Le! Thao is a literary agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She represents Children’s books and Young Adult across many genres, and in the adult realm represents romantic leaning Fantasy and Light Science Fiction. Thao’s clients include NYT bestselling fantasy author Roshani Chokshi, NYT bestselling contemporary Young Adult author Sandhya Menon, Indie bestselling picture book author-illustrator Jessie Sima, and many more. In our conversation, we dive deep into how Thao found her passion for stories and the steps she took to become a literary agent. We discuss how she learned to sell manuscripts, we walk through different kinds of book deals, get into details like what sub rights are in contracts, and shine some light on the financial side of being a literary agent. We talk about commercial hooks in query letters and her experience as a marginalized literary agent and a champion for representation. And Thao unpacks some of her favorite query letters and why they stood out to her. (P.S. You can download these query letters on her shownotes page!)  Special note about this episode: A lot has changed from the time of the original interview back in January to the time of the release of Thao's podcast episode in May. As of March this year, Thao has changed to full-time agenting and no longer handles royalties for the agency. Everything in Thao's episode is accurate for when our interview took place. ENJOY! Say 'Hi' to Thao Le on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThaoLe8 Head over to Thao’s shownotes page at 88cupsoftea.com/podcast/thao-le to download three of Thao’s favorite query letters that caught her eye! You’ll also find all the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation! --- 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!

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, share your wins and join in on 88 Cups of Tea related discussions! 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! --------------------------------------- For today’s new episode, we’ve partnered with Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a superfood company whose mission is to take over the world with their delicious coffees, teas, and cacaos that are all made with functional mushrooms and adaptogens. Head over to foursigmatic.com/88cupsoftea to learn more and get 15% off your order! ---------------------------------------  Curious to know what goes into building vibrant worlds? How about crafting bold characters? Or where to find inspiration for your stories by combing through your day-to-day? We discuss these topics in detail and explore even more with Naomi Novik! Naomi is the Nebula-award winning author known for her novels Uprooted and Spinning Silver and her Temeraire Series. She is also a founder of the Organization for Transformative Works and the Archive of Our Own website.  In our conversation, she shares her love for the Fandom Community and how it helped her discover her passion for technology and writing. We dive deep into how she weaves together computer programing and storytelling to create her art, how she tackles her writing process to help her worlds come alive, and she gives us an inside look into her research process for historical fiction. She also shares her invaluable 3 cardinal rules for writing to help you improve your craft. And at the very end of our conversation, she chats about the exciting project she’s currently working on! Say 'Hi' to Naomi Novik on Twitter: https://twitter.com/naominovik To access Naomi's shownotes page to find all the resources and books mentioned in her episode, shareable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation go to  https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/naomi-novik/  --- 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!

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, share your wins and join in on 88 Cups of Tea related discussions! 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! --------------------------------------- For today’s new episode, we’ve partnered with Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a superfood company whose mission is to take over the world with their delicious coffees, teas, and cacaos that are all made with functional mushrooms and adaptogens. Head over to foursigmatic.com/88cupsoftea to learn more and get 15% off your order! ---------------------------------------  What are some resources to visit to help towards healing and recovery from sexual violence? How do we discover strength through our writing process and use kindness in our revision process? What are some ways to approach sensitive topics during the research process? We take a deep-dive in our conversation with Laurie Halse Anderson. Laurie is an award-winning young adult author widely known for her novels Speak and Chains, both of which are National Book Award finalists. In her newly released poetry memoir, Shout, she shares deeply personal stories to advocate for survivors of sexual assault and highlight how little our society has changed to help combat sexual assault and support victims. In our conversation, we discuss the importance of community and creating a safer culture, how we can work towards healing from the damages from sexual violence, and the ways sharing your pain and emotional truths can give you strength. Further into the episode, we talk about writing and the difference between inspiration and craft and how she uses kindness in her revision process. We dive into censorship and why it’s crucial for stories like Shout to be available to younger audiences, ways to approach sensitive research topics, and strategies on grappling with rejection. Say 'Hi' to Laurie Halse Anderson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/halseanderson  To access Laurie’s shownotes page to find all the resources and books mentioned in her episode, shareable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation go to www.88cupsoftea.com/podcast/laurie-halse-anderson --- 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!   

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your WIP, share your wins and join in on 88 Cups of Tea related discussions! 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! --------------------------------------- For today’s new episode, we’ve partnered with Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a superfood company whose mission is to take over the world with their delicious coffees, teas, and cacaos that are all made with functional mushrooms and adaptogens. Head over to foursigmatic.com/88cupsoftea to learn more and get 15% off your order! ---------------------------------------  Curious about breaking into Hollywood as a screenwriter? Or how to best co-author a novel? How about crafting a sound story architecture to free yourself from writer’s block? We talk about it all and much more with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar! Alfred and Miles are screenwriters and showrunners who’ve worked extensively in film and television. This iconic duo is known for creating the TV series Smallville and their latest show, Into the Badlands, on AMC Network and The Shannara Chronicles. They’ve also worked on films like Spider-Man 2, I Am Number Four, Lethal Weapon 4, and many more. More recently, Alfred and Miles have paired up to co-write their first novel, Double Exposure, which was released last month. In our conversation, we talk about how Alfred and Miles came together as a writing pair and sold their first screenplay. They share what they’ve learned about navigating the film and screenwriting world and how they landed their agent. We dive deep into the importance of learning how to take criticism and surrounding yourself with a network of honest people you trust. We get a sneak peek into their co-authoring writing process and learn character building tips that will help you elevate your genre. Say 'Hi' to Alfred Gough on Twitter:https://twitter.com/TheRealAlGough Say 'Hi' to Miles Millar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MilesMillar  Be sure to head over to their shownotes page for all the resources and time stamps of highlights mentioned throughout the episode: https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/alfred-gough-miles-millar/ --- 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!

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 --------------------------------------- How do you define success as a writer? What does it mean to trust your gut during your revision process? What are some ways we can create an impact with our stories? We talk about it all and much more with A.S. King! Amy, also known as A.S. King, is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of Please Ignore Vera Dietz, Ask the Passengers, Still Life With Tornado, I Crawl Through It, and her newest, and very anticipated, novel Dig which will be released on March 26th, 2019. In our conversation, we talk about balancing humility and ego, defining success, and finding confidence as a writer. She dives deep into what it means to be privileged and how we can be an ally to those whose experiences are different from our own. She shares powerful crafting advice on building out strong characters and trusting your gut during your revision process. And she gives us a sneak peek into her newest novel Dig and the history that sparked its inspiration. Say 'Hi' to A.S. King on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AS_King  To access A.S. King's writing prompt, the list of all the books and resources mentioned in her episode, along with the timestamps for each highlight, head over to the shownotes page: https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/as-king/ 

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 --------------------------------------- For today’s new episode, we’ve partnered with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. They’re producing Bookish in the ‘Burgh, the Northeast’s newest teen book festival on March 23rd and 24th.  Head over to TrustArts.org/bookish to learn more! --------------------------------------- Have you ever struggled with juggling a full-time job and staying inspired to pursue your creative goals? Or how about keeping yourself disciplined to reach your writing goals? We talk about it all and so much more with Kelsey Ford! Kelsey is the creator of Bookish in the ‘Burgh,’ Pittsburgh’s first teen book festival, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. She is also a contemporary fantasy author represented by Jessica Mileo at InkWell Management and one of our very own Storytellers and listener of 88 Cups of Tes for over three years. During our conversation, Kelsey shares her journey as a writer, her experience querying and getting a literary agent, and how she balances her full-time job with her writing all while sharing amazing crafting advice. She also talks about Bookish in the ‘Burgh” and gives us a behind-the-scenes look into what inspired her to create the festival, the planning and research behind it, and what events will take place during the festival. Say 'Hi' to Kelsey Ford on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kelseylynnford Be sure to head over to her shownotes page for all the resources and time stamps of highlights mentioned throughout the episode: https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/kelsey-ford

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 --------------------------------------- For today’s new episode, we’ve partnered with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. They’re producing Bookish in the ‘Burgh, the Northeast’s newest teen book festival on March 23rd and 24th.  Head over to TrustArts.org/bookish to learn more! --------------------------------------- Have can we use storytelling to heal when grieving? What does it mean to own your writing and find confidence in your unique writing voice? We dive into it and much more with Sarah Enni! Sarah is the author of TELL ME EVERYTHING and her short story THE BLESSING OF LITTLE WANTS featured in the New York Times bestselling anthology, BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO HATE ME. Sarah is also the host of the podcast FIRST DRAFT where she shares meaningful conversations with other storytellers about their unique perspectives on the creative process, and to provide more transparency about the professional side of artistic endeavors. In our conversation, we talk about vulnerability and finding comfort and strength through stories. We dig deep into Sarah’s writing process, where she draws inspiration from, the importance of humility as a writer, and tips on managing your time. And we discuss the development process of her debut novel TELL ME EVERYTHING. Say 'Hi' to Sarah Enni on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahenni Check out her podcast 'First Draft Podcast' on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FirstDraftPod To access Sarah's writing prompt, the list of all the books and resources mentioned in her episode, along with the timestamps for each highlight, head over to the shownotes page: https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/sarah-enni

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. --------------------------------------- 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 --------------------------------------- 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