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5 episodes with caitlin starling
4 episodes with caitlin starling
2 episodes with caitlin starling
2 episodes with caitlin starling
2 episodes with caitlin starling
3 episodes with caitlin starling
3 episodes with caitlin starling
2 episodes with caitlin starling
2 episodes with caitlin starling
Are you seeing double? Jocelyn is on the pod to talk about a topic that sent me into an existential spiral. We're talking doppelgängers and doubles today. Shownotes: https://booksinthefreezer.com Books Mentioned: 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne The Changeling by Victor LaValle The Watchers by A.M. Shine Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan The Jolly Corner by Henry James The Dark Half by Stephen King The Outsider by Stephen King For She is Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Tim Waggoner short story The Double by Dostoevsky The Need by Helen Phillips Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling
Caitlin Starling's novella The Oblivion Bride (Neon Hemlock, 2025) follows Lorelei, an obscure member of the wealthy Steddart family, who suddenly finds herself sole heir after her family begins to fall, relentlessly, to a mysterious curse. In a last-ditch effort to save her family, Lorelei's uncle marries her off to Nephele Corisande, the city state's best War Alchemist, an intimidating soldier who is also Lorelei's best chance at survival. But what begins as a marriage of convenience, quickly becomes something much more. In this interview, Starling describes the influences of horror and fanfiction on her new romance novella. She discusses the roles of aesthetic, magic, and technology in designing the world and plot of her fantasy mystery. We also chat about arranged marriage tropes and the role of class and power in relationships. The Oblivion Bride is an engaging and moving story and it was so much fun discussing it with the author. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/fantasy
Every Friday, we're highlighting a panel from the TBRCon2025 all-virtual SF/F/H convention, looking back on the incredible variety of discussions that we had the honor of hosting. This week, join moderator/author C. M. Caplan and panelists Caitlin Starling, Michael R. Miller, Mahaila Smith, Justin T. Call and Laura Elliott for a panel on “Disabilities in SFF". SUPPORT THE SHOW: - Patreon (for exclusive bonus episodes, author readings, book giveaways and more) - Rate and review SFF Addicts on your platform of choice, and share us with your friends EMAIL US WITH YOUR QUESTIONS & COMMENTS: sffaddictspod@gmail.com FOLLOW SFF ADDICTS: Linktree MUSIC: Intro: "Into The Grid" by MellauSFX Outro: “Galactic Synthwave” by Divion
In this episode of the Fully-Booked podcast, the hosts, Meaghan and Arthur, delve into a new chapter of the podcast. The audience is informed about Shirin's temporary departure due to her pregnancy as Shirin steps away to focus on her growing family, Arthur, co-producer of the Fully-Booked podcast, steps in to co-host alongside Meaghan. This change, while temporary, marks a significant shift in the dynamic of the show. Arthur’s background in coding and his technical contributions to the website bring a fresh perspective to the podcast. The hosts humorously discuss his 60% familiarity with the topics they’ll cover and joke about potential jousting matches for hosting rights when Shirin returns. Despite the change, the team is optimistic about the new direction and is ready to embrace 2025 with fresh content and themes. Kicking Off 2025: A Sci-Fi Focus As the podcast launches into the new year, Meaghan and Arthur introduce a month-long exploration of science fiction. This is a notable shift, as Meaghan admits that she and Shirin have historically read very little of the genre. However, Arthur’s passion for sci-fi provides the perfect opportunity to delve into its rich and diverse discussions. The hosts acknowledge the challenges they faced in planning sci-fi content in the past. With Arthur’s enthusiasm, planning the month’s content was surprisingly straightforward. The podcast promises to cover various aspects of sci-fi, including genre mashups, successful and unsuccessful adaptations, and newer releases. This thematic focus aims to appeal to long-time sci-fi enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Sci-Fi Genre Mashups: Exploring New Horizons One of the main themes of the episode is the exploration of sci-fi genre mashups. Meaghan and Arthur discuss how sci-fi often blends seamlessly with other genres, creating unique storytelling opportunities. They highlight several examples: Sci-Fi and Mystery: The Midsolar Murders series by Mur Lafferty combines amateur sleuthing with extraterrestrial settings. Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter and Wayward Pines series mix speculative fiction with gripping mysteries. Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain explores a medical mystery linked to a satellite crash, blending suspense with scientific intrigue. Sci-Fi and Horror: The hosts delve into the subgenre of sci-fi horror, highlighting works like Caitlin Starling’s The Luminous Dead and David Wellington’s Red Space series (Paradise-1, Revenant X). They also discuss the historical roots of the genre, referencing classics like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend. Sci-Fi and Fantasy: Works like Christopher Paolini’s To Sleep in a Sea of Stars and Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series exemplify the blend of futuristic technology and fantastical elements. Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth series introduces necromancy into a science fiction setting, creating a unique narrative style. Sci-Fi and Historical Fiction: Stephen King’s 11/22/63 combines time travel with the historical backdrop of the Kennedy assassination. Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle explores an alternate history where the Axis powers won World War II. Sci-Fi and Romance: Meaghan and Arthur touch on the lighter side of sci-fi with titles like Alyssa Cole’s The AI Who Loved Me, which combines AI with human connections, and Ruby Dixon’s monster romance series. Sci-Fi in Other Media: Adaptations and Recommendations The hosts transition into discussing sci-fi in other media, particularly film and television. They reference the ongoing Silo series and compare its dystopian elements to works like Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines. Meaghan shares her thoughts on the Alien film franchise, admitting she’s new to many of its sequels. The pair humorously critique the series’ ups and downs, including the divisive Prometheus prequels. The episode also touches on notable sci-fi adaptations and their impact: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch was recently adapted into a TV series. Man in the High Castle adapted for Amazon Prime. The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield blends Cold War intrigue with space exploration. The hosts express excitement about revisiting sci-fi classics and exploring lesser-known gems. They encourage listeners to explore Fully Booked’s website for related articles and reviews from contributors. Looking Ahead with Enthusiasm As the episode concludes, Meaghan and Arthur emphasize the importance of embracing new experiences. They acknowledge that while the month of sci-fi exploration is a departure from their usual fare, it presents an opportunity for growth and discovery. The duo encourages listeners to join them on this journey, whether through reading, watching, or engaging with the content on their website and social media platforms. The hosts’ banter, combined with their genuine curiosity and enthusiasm, sets the tone for an exciting year ahead. With a mix of humor, insight, and personal anecdotes, the episode invites listeners to explore the vast possibilities of sci-fi and its many intersections with other genres. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fall Author Series author Shawntelle Madison joins us on the latest episode of the DMPL Podcast! Madison will be the first author in this year's Fall Author Series, visiting the Central Library on Thursday, September 5, at 7 PM at the Central Library. Her newest book, The Fallen Fruit, comes out on Tuesday, September 3. Show Notes Fall Author Series: Shawntelle Madison Shawntelle Madison books at the library The Fallen Fruit Other books The Fallen Fruit review on Kirkus What Shawntelle's reading: The Next Mrs. Parrish, by Liv Constantine The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling
Happy Pride! Alison is joined in the studio by two special guests, Rhi and Sebastian, who talk about some of their favourite queer reads. Celebrate Pride year-round and embrace your rainbow joy by exploring the huge and diverse range of books and resources at Auckland Libraries. Books mentioned on the show can be requested from the Auckland Libraries catalogue using the links below. Most titles are available in multiple formats. Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis (2023) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=4c671c27-7174-5766-b987-21d5b3817d9b&entityType=FormatGroup Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire (2016-2023) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search?query=%22Wayward%20children%20;%22&searchType=series&pageSize=10 Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (2022) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=26511bf4-ff7f-5440-ab2c-cf43f3d33038&entityType=FormatGroup Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (Eric LaRocca) (2021) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=277e7b95-1d41-5da5-979a-75cf68abe6fe&entityType=FormatGroup The Stars & the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus (2019) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=8fb498da-0d18-5d27-b31b-aaf85ba77ec1&entityType=FormatGroup The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar (2023) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=f762893d-70d3-510c-9d08-a1ddf2455555&entityType=FormatGroup The Seep by Chana Porter (2020) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=49ba1a4d-779d-5f35-92f4-3cdc68bf7dad&entityType=FormatGroup Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (2019) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=4c5beba2-a7b8-56af-a47a-425691d9ba30&entityType=FormatGroup The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling (2019) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=ba919808-bcd9-5dc0-83c9-fa4bba405ef5&entityType=FormatGroup Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly (2021) https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=3acc0d05-1eaa-541b-9e08-c676b4e8acf8&entityType=FormatGroup
Once again, it's time for an awards eligibility roundup! This episode's transcript appears in full below: Hello, and welcome to Tales from the Trunk: Nominating the works that did make it. I'm Hilary B. Bisenieks. Listeners, it's somehow that time of the year again, where awards nominations are upon us, and so I have once again reached out to all the wonderful guests who make this show what it is to round up works they'd like to receive your attention for nominations. To begin, Tales from the Trunk is eligible for the Hugo Award for Best Fancast. Sarah Gailey, who most recently joined me for our 100th episode retrospective, is eligible for Best Graphic Story for Know Your Station, and for Best Fanzine for their excellent Stone Soup. Leigh Harlen, who joined us in August of 2021, is eligible for Best Novella with A Feast for Flies. Dee Holloway, who joined us last May, is eligible in various categories. Her eligibility post is linked in the show notes. Juliet Kemp, who just joined us most recently a few weeks ago, is eligible for Best Novel with The City Revealed; Best Novella with Song, Stone, Scale, Bone; Best Short Story with “Just As You Are;” and Best Series for The Marek Series. Their eligibility post is linked in the show notes. Maya MacGregor, who appeared on the show in April of 2022, is eligible in Best Novel and Best Young Adult Novel categories for The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will. Freya Marske, who appeared here in October of 2021, is eligible for Best Short Story with a version of the very story that she brought to this fine podcast, “One Version of Yourself, At the Speed of Light.” She is also eligible for Best Novel with A Power Unbound and Best Series for The Last Binding. Sam J. Miller, who joined us in January of 2022, is eligible for Best Short Story with "If Someone You Love Has Become a Vurdalak." Premee Mohamed, who last joined us in the summer of 2021, is eligible for No One Will Come Back For Us in various short story collection categories and for “Imagine Yourself Happy” for Best Short Story. Her eligibility post is linked in the show notes. Annalee Newitz, who joined us for a book tour last January is eligible for Best Novel for The Terraformers. Aimee Ogden, who joined us twice last year, most recently in August, is eligible for Best Novella for Emergent Properties. Her eligibility post is linked in the show notes. Malka Older, who joined us at the start of this season in March of last year, is eligible for Best Novella with The Mimicking of Known Successes and for Best Short Story with both “The Plant and the Purist” and “The Dangers We Choose.” C.L. Polk, who last joined us in February of last year, is eligible for Best Novelette with Ivy, Angelica, Bay, which you can read right now on Tor.com. Caitlin Starling, who last joined us in October of last year, is eligible for Best Novel with Last to Leave the Room and Best Short Story for “Caver, Continue.” Her eligibility post is linked in the show notes: Twitter | Bluesky Steve Toase, who joined us back in April of 2021, is eligible for Best Short Story with “Crumpled.” His eligibility post is linked in the show notes. Rem Wigmore, who last joined us in August of 2022, has an eligible novelette, Lightrunner's Gambit, and a novel, Wolfpack. Fran Wilde, who joined us in January of 2021, is eligible for Best Novella for The Book of Gems, Best Short Story for “The Rain Remembers What The Sky Forgets,” and Best Short Story for “No Contingency.” In addition, she would like to recommend From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi, in which “No Contingency” appears, to be considered for anthology and related media categories. Fran, along with Julian Yap, are eligible for Best Editor, Short, for their work at Sunday Morning Transport, which is itself eligible for Best Semiprozine. If you've made it this far, I'd like to sincerely thank you for listening and nominating over the years. Your support means so much to me and all of my guests. Next month, we're closing season five of this show out with a book tour appearance by Canadian author and definitely not a lorge beetle Premee Mohamed and a trunk reading from Jo Miles. Please note that due to some scheduling conflicts, Premee's episode will be releasing on February 8th rather than the 1st. Also, season 6 is almost upon us! I'm still hammering out guests, so stay tuned to see what amazing authors join me! Tales from the Trunk is mixed and produced in beautiful Oakland, California. Our theme music is “Paper Wings,” by Lillian Boyd. You can support the show on patreon at patreon dot com slash trunkcast. All patrons of the show now get a sticker and logo button, along with show outtakes and other content that can't be found anywhere else. You can find the show on Bluesky at trunkcast dot bsky dot social, and I post at hbbisenieks dot bsky dot social. If you like the show, consider taking a moment to rate and review us on your preferred podcast platform. And remember: don't self-reject.
Caitlin Starling returns to Fictitious to talk about her new horror-tinged, sci-fi thriller, LAST TO LEAVE THE ROOM. We talk writing surreal scenes, and using a "load-bearing cat". About Last to Leave the Room The city of San Siroco is sinking. The basement of Dr. Tamsin Rivers, the arrogant, selfish head of the research team assigned to find the source of the subsidence, is sinking faster. As Tamsin grows obsessed with the distorting dimensions of the room at the bottom of the stairs, she finds a door that didn't exist before – and one night, it opens to reveal an exact physical copy of her. This doppelgänger is sweet and biddable where Tamsin is calculating and cruel. It appears fully, terribly human, passing every test Tamsin can devise. But the longer the double exists, the more Tamsin begins to forget pieces of her life, to lose track of time, to grow terrified of the outside world. As her employer grows increasingly suspicious, Tamsin must try to hold herself together long enough to figure out what her double wants from her, and just where the mysterious door leads… LAST TO LEAVE THE ROOM is potent and surreal, horror-inflected science fiction available now from St. Martin's Press: Amazon » Bookshop » » Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Caitlin Starling Caitlin Starling is the nationally bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence, as well as Last to Leave the Room and the Bram Stoker-nominated The Luminous Dead. Her other works include Yellow Jessamine and a Vampire: The Masquerade novella, The Land of Milk and Honey (published in the collection Walk Among Us). Her nonfiction has appeared in Nightmare, Uncanny, and Tor Nightfire. Caitlin also works in narrative design, and has been paid to invent body parts. Website Twitter Instagram BlueSky Amazon » Goodreads Previous Fictitious Conversations with Caitlin Starling The Luminous Dead interview 10 Points to Slytherin: Why Good Fans Love Evil Characters — San Diego Comic Con Panel Vampire: The Masquerade: Walk Among Us interview with Genevieve Gornichec
Happy Halloween!!! We hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween night, but don't forget to go to the store tomorrow and buy a ton of 99% off candy. Grab a suit and join our guide Gyre in these wonderful caves for an adventure into the deep dark depths of your mind with The Luminous Dead. We all float down here...in the water that has flooded some of the tunnels, of course. If you love tight squeezes through solid rock, a maze of tunnels that only lead to more tunnels or tunnelers..., and creepy glowing spores that may or may not be psychedelic in nature, then we have the trip for you! And you would get paid to do it! We're sorry in advance for being idiots, but you probably already knew we were going into this so expect the expected. Don't forget, Next month's book club selection is Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto. We will be back in 2 weeks for more book-talk! Until then, happy reading! Thank you all for following, listening, and reading along with us!! Don't forget to send us your quotes of the week! Hit us up on Instagram/Threads or Gmail (below) with any and all of your thoughts on this week's episode. Enjoy and join us in 2 weeks for more book-talk! Instagram: Bookends_With_Friends Email: BookendsWithFriends@gmail.com Threads: @Bookends_With_Friends
Welcome back to Not That Main Character!! The game that pits two loving friends against each other under the watchful eyed tyrant, Parker Moon. How many questions can you get correct and can you top our Marid impressions? Be sure to pick up your copy of our October book selection, The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling! Thank you all for following, listening, and reading along with us!! Don't forget to send us your quotes of the week! Hit us up on Instagram/Twitter or Gmail (below) with any and all of your thoughts on this week's episode and check out our TikTok for more Bookends content. Instagram: Bookends_With_Friends TikTok: bookendswithfriendspod Email: BookendsWithFriends@gmail.com Twitter: @BookendsPod
In this, the spookiest month, I'm delighted to welcome back to the podcast, Caitlin Starling! Caitlin reads us an excerpt from her terrific forthcoming novel, Last to Leave the Room, coming out October 10th from St. Martin's Press, which leads us into a great conversation about the potential gaps left in for fanfic authors, among other things. Things we mention this episode The Death of Jane Lawrence, The Luminous Dead, Yellow Jessamine, and The Oblivion Bride, by Caitlin Starling Neon Hemlock And What Can We Offer You Tonight, by Premee The Crawling Moon, edited by dave ring Dracula Daily Luminescent Machinations, edited by Rhihannon Rasmussen and dave ring Turks (Final Fantasy VII) Isaac Fellman A Dark Song Archival Quality, by Ivy Noelle Weir and Steenz The White Road, by Sarah Lotz Rotten dot com Third man syndrome Ernest Shackleton The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey Spiderman pointing “Caver Continue,” by Caitlin Starling The Queen's Thief series, by Megan Whalen Turner Severance Shirley Jackson Caitlin's website, insta, and bluesky
We've got an everything episode for you this week! We talk about Spooky Lake Month, some of our favorite upcoming books and how AI is trying to take over the world, of books. Also, bring your calculators because we try to figure out the most expensive books ever auctioned. And Happy #31SpookyStories! Be sure to pick up your copy of our October book selection, The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling! Thank you all for following, listening, and reading along with us!! Don't forget to send us your quotes of the week! Hit us up on Instagram/Twitter or Gmail (below) with any and all of your thoughts on this week's episode and check out our TikTok for more Bookends content. Enjoy and join us in 2 weeks for more book-talk! Instagram: Bookends_With_Friends TikTok: bookendswithfriendspod Email: BookendsWithFriends@gmail.com Twitter: @BookendsPod
Join us this week for an intense deep dive into one of the most harrowing stories in Native American/American history. The Osage Nation became the per capita richest people in the world for a period of time in the early 1900's. Soon after that wealth accumulated, the Osage people were targeted by a murderous conspiracy, of those who claimed to be their friends and family, that to this day remains mostly unsolved. 10's, if not 100's, of Osage were systematically murdered for their money and their rights to the mineral wealth that lay beneath their lands. David Grann takes us through their story of survival, and introduces us to some of the earliest agents of the FBI, during it's tumultuous formative years, as it scrambled to gain credibility and recognition. Let us know your thoughts on Grann's historical review of this saga that newspapers of the time dubbed the Reign of Terror. AND! CONGRATULATIONS to Mattie and Parker!!!!! Don't forget, Next month's bookclub book is The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. We will be back in 2 weeks for more book-talk! Until then, happy reading! Thank you all for following, listening, and reading along with us!! Don't forget to send us your quotes of the week! Hit us up on Instagram/Threads or Gmail (below) with any and all of your thoughts on this week's episode. Enjoy and join us in 2 weeks for more book-talk! Instagram: Bookends_With_Friends Email: BookendsWithFriends@gmail.com Threads: @Bookends_With_Friends
It's that time again…the books we're looking forward to the most publishing September through February! Books and other media mentioned in this episode: Ann's picks: Reykjavík by Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdottír (releases September 5) (buy from Bookshop) – Arnaldur Indriðason books – Parnassus Books – Ann Patchett books – Independent People by Halldór Laxness (buy from Bookshop) Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison (releases September 19) (buy from Bookshop) – Cackle by Rachel Harrison (buy from Bookshop) – The Return by Rachel Harrison (buy from Bookshop) Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot (releases September 19) (buy from Bookshop) – The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones (buy from Bookshop) Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling (releases October 10) (buy from Bookshop) – The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling (buy from Bookshop) Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree (releases November 7) (buy from Bookshop) – Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (buy from Bookshop) The Excitements by C.J. Wray (releases January 30) (buy from Bookshop) – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (buy from Bookshop) – Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (buy from Bookshop) The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (releases February 13) (buy from Bookshop) – The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (buy from Bookshop) The Kamowaga Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai (releases February 13) (buy from Bookshop) – Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (buy from Bookshop) Halle's picks: The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman (releases September 26) (buy from Bookshop) – Bad on Paper (podcast) The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab (releases September 26) (buy from Bookshop) – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (buy from Bookshop) – Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab Family Meal by Bryan Washington (releases October 10) (buy from Bookshop) – Memorial by Bryan Washington (buy from Bookshop) – Lot by Bryan Washington (buy from Bookshop) – Bryan Washington at New York Times Cooking The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok (releases October 10) (buy from Bookshop) – Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (buy from Bookshop) – Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (buy from Bookshop) Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (releases November 7) (buy from Bookshop) – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (buy from Bookshop) – A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas – The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins The Bride Bet by Tessa Dare (releases January 15) (buy from Bookshop) – Girl Meets Duke series by Tessa Dare Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (releases January 9) (buy from Bookshop) Bride by Ali Hazelwood (releases February 6) (buy from Bookshop) – Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (buy from Bookshop) What We're Reading This Week: Ann: Ascension by Nicholas Binge (buy from Bookshop) – Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (buy from Bookshop) – The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (buy from Bookshop) Halle: Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (buy from Bookshop) – The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (buy from Bookshop) – With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (buy from Bookshop) Well-Read on Facebook Well-Read on Twitter Well-Read on Instagram Well-Read on Bookshop
Bar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt; drinking a maple cardamom Old Fashioned with Bull Run bourbon.Damien is reading A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney; drinking Quarter Horse rye whiskey.Ryan is watching Who Invited Them? (2022; dir. Duncan Birmingham); drinking the Bowmore 12 yr. Scotch.If you liked this week's story, watch Pitch Black (2000; dir. David Twohy)/read the novelization by Frank Lauria, or read The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling.Up next: The Horror-Horn by E.F. Benson.Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
Popa HALLics #90 "From Dickens to Dictators"Just in time for the holidays comes a new high-spirited, self-aware musical that reimagines Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" from the ghosts' perspective. Meanwhile, Kate is fascinated by a podcast that explores the origin stories of "the worst humans in history." First up: Hitler. Steaming:"Spirited," Apple TV +. Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds sing and even tapdance as the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell ) tries to convince an "unredeemable" PR sleazeball (Reynolds) to change his ways. With Octavia Spencer."The Crown," Netflix. Season 5 finds the royal family struggling to show their relevance in the 1990s, as Prince Charles and Princess Diana spar in the media. Imelda Staunton now plays Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth Debicki is Princess Di, and Dominic West is Charles. "Andor," Disney +. The most grown-up, complex, nuanced "Star Wars" offering yet traces how a roguish thief (Diego Luna) eventually becomes a hero willing to lay his life on the line for the Rebellion. "House of The Dragon," HBO Max. This worthy prequel to "Game of Thrones" features intrigue, sex, and dragons during the reign of House Targaryen.Podcast:"Behind the Bastards." This podcast delves into the bizarre stories of history's greatest real-life villains, from Hitler forming his monstrous ideology from young adult novels to Saddam Hussein's side gig as a trashy romance novelist. Books::"The Death of Jane Lawrence," by Caitlin Starling. In this acclaimed Gothic horror novel, a young woman's marriage of convenience turns creepy when her new husband forbids her to visit his family estate—and she does."Jade City," by Fonda Lee. This clever mix of "Godfather"-style gang intrigue and fantasy finds clans in an Asian-like nation struggling for power. Contact with jade makes them faster, stronger, more alert—but can also drive them crazy."Sleeping Beauties," by Stephen and Owen King. This page turner asks the question: What would happen to the world if women disappeared from it? Women begin falling asleep, a weird cocoon covering their heads, and not waking up. The men left alone turn to violence. ...Music:The "Spirited" soundtrack got us thinking about all the other holiday musicals we love. Popahallics #90 Playlist contains gems from "A Muppet Christmas Carol," "Elf," "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer," and more—including "Spirited." Listen to it here.
Brea and Mallory talk about how to find books like your favorite shows and movies, interview Tade Thompson, and discuss scary reads! Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!Reading Glasses MerchRecommendations StoreSponsors -Tor BooksJust like Mother by Anne HeltzelStoryworth Links -Reading Glasses Facebook GroupReading Glasses Goodreads GroupAmazon Wish ListNewsletterLibro.fm Watch Brea's New Movie!Tade Thompson's new book!Pre Order Tade Thompson's upcoming bookBooks Mentioned - Tell Me an Ending by Jo HarkinThe Fervor by Alma KatsuThe Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-HallWe Ride Upon Sticks by Quan BarryThe Savage Detectives by Roberto BolaňoThe Embodied Image by Juhani PallasmaaMy Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady HendrixA Head Full of Ghosts by Paul TremblayThe Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion & THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE by Caitlin Starling. This week, Toby tackles a devastating memoir beloved by many: THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING. Will the book leave him Joans-ing for more Didion? Then, Bailey reviews THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE, a modern Gothic horror novel that makes her want to explore the locked room she promised she would avoid. All that, and we discuss typewriter-handed superheroes, sexy Rumpelstiltskin, and our deep, true love of ska.
Enjoy our gothic and horror infused conversation with author Caitlin Starling who answers so many questions about writing The Death of Jane Lawrence. A few highlights include why Crimson Peak was such an inspiration for Caitlin, her definition of the horror genre, whether Jane is actually dead or not, and of course, whether ghosts are real. Follow Caitlin Starling on Instagram, @authorcstarling and on Twitter, @see_starling. To purchase The Death of Jane Lawrence please go to: https://bookshop.org/books/the-death-of-jane-lawrence/9781250272584 To listen to Mandy Weston read the novel, head to Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Death-of-Jane-Lawrence-Audiobook/1250821738 To see the Jane Lawrence fan art, go to @suchamantis' Twitter page: https://twitter.com/suchamantis/status/1446661213769904132?s=21 For Caitlin's Spotify playlist head here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/20ROE0j67Z0Y0GhGloZuoL?si=PSeeplsrReq8vmg1-oigtA&dl_branch=1 Become a Patreon subscriber and you'll get access to the video version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom Follow Ivory Tower Boiler Room on Facebook, @ivorytowerboilerroom, Instagram, @ivorytowerboilerroom, TikTok, @ivorytowerboilerroom, and Twitter, @IvoryBoilerRoom! Email us at ivorytowerboilerroom@gmail.com. We love hearing from you about the podcast and are always interested in interview suggestions. Many thanks to the Ivory Tower Boiler Room podcast team: Andrew Rimby, Executive Director; Mary DiPipi, Chief Contributor; Ceren Usta, Marketing Director Podcast Interns: Nicole Arguello and Kimberly Dallas Thanks to Anne Sophie Andersen, @anne_sophie_andersen, for "Capricorn" (our theme music)! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ivorytowerboilerroom/support
This week, we talk to Caitlin Starling, author of The Luminous Dead and The Death of Jane Lawrence. We touched on the behind-the-scenes of traditional publishing, differences in writing fanfiction and original fiction, disembowelment as a regular motif in her work, and some pro-tips on keeping your beard fresh and fancy when you've been imprisoned due to the wily machinations of your erstwhile psychiatrist. Please be advised that if you find the sound of a dog panting uncomfortable, bees's dog makes an appearance at 1:11, and the noise lasts for about 30 seconds. LINKS- "Why Body Horror is Such an Evocative Tool in Storytelling" by Caitlin Starling- Article about the A.Human exhibit - warning for FEET- The amorous annihilation of will: An examination of Georges Bataille's Death & Sensuality through Bryan Fuller's Hannibal (paywalled; contact for a copy)- "My favorite bit: Caitlin Starling talks about The Death of Jane Lawrence"
Not even a Snowpocalypse could keep the Library Pros™ from bringing you another wild ride of an episode. This month we ask the important questions, like "Is Laurel's Rum Racist?" and "Who Hurt You, Alice Hoffman?". Brittany fangirls over Caitlin Starling, Laurel judges a book by its cover, we meet Ghost Daddy and other Matt aliases, and Heather teaches us the Three Cs: Candles, Cats, and Crows! Some jag-off makes a great pizza and we won't deny we love Ewan McGregor. I mean, who doesn't? Book Mentions: Matt: Foodheim: a Culinary Adventure by Eric Wareheim Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Brittany: Dragon Age: Dark Fortress by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet Laurel: Revelator: a Novel by Daryl Gregory The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides Heather: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman As ever, thank you to Shane Ivers at Silvermansound.com for the use of "VHS Dreams" for our intro and outro music. Contact us at topshelflibrarians@gmail.com, or follow us on twitter @Liboozians.
Well, we made it to the end of this nightmare of a year. And though there has been plenty of horrific stuff along the way – war, plague, corruption … literal armed insurrection, at least the fictional horror has been fun. To commemorate a special year in horror, I'm getting the band back together. Sadie Hartmann, AKA Mother Horror, and Emily Hughes of Tor Nightfire (and various other parishes) join me to talk about the stuff they have loved from the second half** of 2021. **if you missed our coverage of Jan-June, you can find it in episode 46.We pick the books that really stood out for us, plus many more that we enjoyed. We discuss the TV and movies that have shaken and stirred us since July, and we look ahead to the bright (dead)lights of horror to come in the New Year. We also pick apart some thorny issues plaguing the genre, like the ridiculousness of rating books by stars, and my own irritation at everything being compared to Get Out.Each of the books we mention is listed below, including an episode number if it has been previously featured on Talking Scared. Don't look at that yet though; it'll spoil the surprise.Enjoy, and well done for getting through the year. Books pickedMy Heart is a Chainsaw (2021), by Stephen Graham Jones **ep 54Revelator (2021), by Daryl Gregory When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson (2021), ed. by Ellen Datlow **ep 66Cackle (2021), by Rachel Harrison When the Reckoning Comes (2021), by Latanya McQueenThe Spirit Engineer (2021), by A.J West **ep 71Come With Me (2021), by Ronald Malfi **ep 49The Deer Kings (2021), by Wendy N. Wagner **ep 69Chasing the Boogeyman (2021), by Richard Chizmar **ep 52Coming soonManhunt (Feb 2022), by Gretchen Felker-MartinSuch a Pretty Smile (Jan 2022), by Krist DeMeesterAll the White Spaces (Jan 2022), by Ally WilkesOther books mentionedReprieve (2021), by James Han Mattson Lunar Park (2005), by Bret Easton EllisA Touch of Jen (2021), by Beth MorganFlowers for the Sea (2021) , by Zin E. RocklynNightbitch (2021), by Rachel YoderThe Last House on Needless Street (2021), by Catriona Ward **ep30Certain Dark Things (2021), by Silvia Moreno GarciaNothing But Blackened Teeth (2021), by Cassandra Khaw **ep 61The Death of Jane Lawrence (2021), by Caitlin Starling **ep 60Queen of the Cicadas (2021), by V. Castro ** ep 42The Book of Accidents (2021), by Chuck Wendig **ep 48Rovers (2021), by Richard LangeThe Turnout (2021), by Megan AbbottComfort Me with Apples (2021), by Catherynne M. Valente ** ep 62The Glassy Burning Floor of Hell (2021), by Brian Evenson **ep 51Support Talking Scared on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TalkingScaredPod Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, and TikTok Or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Download Novellic on Google Play or Apple Store.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/talkingscaredpod)
Dark Side of the Library Minisode #32: “The Death of Jane Lawrence" by Caitlin Starling Show Notes: (Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you) The Death of Jane Lawrence https://amzn.to/3E2BlSq Caitlin Starling https://www.caitlinstarling.com/ Follow Dark Side of the Library on Facebook and on Instagram! Dark Side of the Library Website
Today the the knights looks The Luminous Dead. Is this cave crawling book worth bring it out in the light of day, or better left burred under ground.
Hello and welcome to Episode Forty Three of Page Turn: the Largo Public Library Podcast. I'm your host, Hannah! If you enjoy the podcast subscribe, tell a friend, or write us a review! The English Language Transcript can be found below But as always we start with Reader's Advisory! The Reader's Advisory for Episode Forty Three is The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling. If you like the sound of The Death of Jane Lawrence you should also check out: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell, and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. My personal favorite Goodreads list The Death of Jane Lawrence is on is Gothic Romantic Suspense of a Bygone Era - Victorian Mansions, Mysterious Manors, Haunted Chateaux, Sinister Castles, Rambling Estates, Governesses, Heiresses, Mistresses, and Brooding Atmospheres. Happy Reading Everyone Today's Library Tidbit comes to us from Research & Access Services Librarian Hilary and is about Bipolar disorder. Hilary has been long been running a program titled Issues that Matter that focuses on problems our society is facing using, mostly, fiction. On November 29th, the program will be reading and discussing The Silver Linings Playbook a book that deals with Bipolar disorder and trauma responses. In the book the main character, Pat, has just come home from a psychiatric hospital where he was hospitalized following a destructive manic outburst. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In additional to bipolar disorder Silver Linings Playbook also has a character who portrays a trauma response, characterized by depression and risky behaviors. Bipolar disorder are disorders that cause shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and ability to function. There are currently three types of Bipolar disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, called the DSM-5, Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, and Cyclothymic Disorder. Each disorder has different diagnostic criteria. I'm going to cut in here to say that I am not a psychiatrist. I do not have a degree in any field of psychology. I cannot and will not diagnose anyone and no one should use any of the following information to diagnose anyone. If you think any of this criteria matches your lived experience please talk to your doctor or a psychiatrist. I know that may be too expensive for a lot of people but if you are in a position to be able to visit a doctor please ask them about your concerns. In order to be diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder a person must have had at least one manic episode. This episode may or may not have been preceded by a hypomanic or major depressive episode. The manic episode cannot be better explained by a different diagnosis. In order to be diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder a person must have had at least one hypomanic episode and at least one major depressive episode and the symptoms of these episodes must cause significant disruption of the person's life. They can never have had a manic episode. The hypomania and depression cannot be better explained by a different diagnosis. In order to be diagnosed with Cyclothymic Disorder a person must have had many periods of both hypomania and depression for at least two years. With the hypomania and the depression sharing the time evenly. The symptoms of these episodes significantly disrupts the person's life. The hypomanis and depression cannot be better explained by a different diagnosis. I am not going to explain mania, hypomania, and depression and the criteria or definition of the Bipolar Disorder will not make much sense. Mania and hypomania have mostly the same symptoms, however, they do not have them to the same degree. Mania is the more severe of the two and can also present with psychosis. However, a manic or hypomanic episode must present with three or more of the following symptoms: abnormally upbeat, jumpy or wired, increased activity,
In this special spooky season episode, Lynette Suckow from the Reference Desk haunts us with Amy Tan, Joe Hill, and books that keep her up at night. Lynette's book recommendation: The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams and Megan Lloyd.
Hello kids. Wanna see a magic trick? Rather than pulling a rabbit from a hat, I offer you Caitlin Starling, author of The Luminous Dead and her new Gothic chiller, The Death of Jane Lawrence. Caitlin's novel takes a familiar Gothic set-up and kicks it around until it is only recognisable from the colour of its blood. Dilapidated house – check. Deceitful husband – check. Magical rites, mysterious walls and ghosts that feed on shame – yeah that's new!We talk all about magical rites and occult practices, but before things get too esoteric and in-the-weeds, we also discuss Hannibal the TV show, whether there is life after death, and how best to incorporate neurodivergence into a dark gothic fantasy. You'll come out of this one, entertained, entranced AND with a whole new reading and viewing list.EnjoyThe Death of Jane Lawrence was published on October 5th by St Martin's Press.Unexplained podcast episode featuring Aleister Crowley:http://www.unexplainedpodcast.com/episodes/2016/6/18/episode-10-the-spaces-that-linger Books discussed on this episode include:Jane Eyre (1847), by Charlotte BrontëWuthering Heights (1847), by Emily BrontëUnder the Pendulum Sun (2017), by Jeanette NgVita Nostra (2007), by Marina and Sergey DyachenkoSupport the show on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TalkingScaredPodCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com.Download Novellic on Google Play or Apple Store.
Tonight we're chatting with Caitlin Starling, author of The Death of Jane Lawrence, out this October from St Martin's Press.Caitlin Starling is a Bram Stoker-nominated author of the Luminous Dead and people have been liking the book to Mexican Gothic and Guillermo Del Tor's Crimson Peak.
Tonight we're chatting with Caitlin Starling, author of The Death of Jane Lawrence, out this October from St Martin's Press.Caitlin Starling is a Bram Stoker-nominated author of the Luminous Dead and people have been liking the book to Mexican Gothic and Guillermo Del Tor's Crimson Peak.
In this special Halloween-themed episode, we discuss: In That Endlessness, Our End by Gemma Files https://bit.ly/2ZN1beT Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge (Request via InterLibrary Loan or Prospector) Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw https://bit.ly/3zXXuzt Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix https://bit.ly/3ilIBAV We didn't quite get to: The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling https://bit.ly/3usxeMa Basketful of Heads by Joe Hill https://bit.ly/3iogfWB The Book of Extraordinary Deaths by Cecilia Ruiz https://bit.ly/2WvCmCU Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach https://bit.ly/2WqVF00
Chapter 3 Podcast - For Readers of Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Romance
As we head into spooky season, let's talk about where to start reading horror. Stephanie from the Books in the Freezer Podcast joined me to talk about her favorite genre. For exclusive bonus content and early access to episodes, consider joining the Chapter 3 Podcast Patreon Looking for a book mentioned in the episode? Check here! *Note that all links are affiliate links from which we earn a commission to support the podcast Books from On My Radar segment: Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray: https://amzn.to/3hEsMF2 The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer: https://amzn.to/3AlLWa8 Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki: https://amzn.to/2XCFGwz A Spindle Splintered by Alix E Harrow: https://amzn.to/3Esz4BC When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles: https://amzn.to/39dmBTM Slewfoot by Brom: https://amzn.to/39fOevr Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry: https://amzn.to/3EwaJur When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson: https://amzn.to/3hL6Qbw Other Books/Authors Mentioned House by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti: https://amzn.to/3zidITG The Oath by Frank Peretti: https://amzn.to/3tNvz3J My Best Friends Exorcism by Grady Hendrix: https://amzn.to/3AkJ3pT Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix: https://amzn.to/3lGgy02 The Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: https://amzn.to/3hIS7xP The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix: https://amzn.to/3zpl4o9 My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones: https://amzn.to/3nXDr1N Dracula by Bram Stoker: https://amzn.to/3lGgD3Q And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: https://amzn.to/3nNkiiL Nightingale by Amy Lukavics: https://amzn.to/3lC0eNv The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics: https://amzn.to/2YYupXC Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant: https://amzn.to/3CnazE2 Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant: https://amzn.to/3nJWkow The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring: https://amzn.to/2XtaBLR Final Girls by Mira Grant: https://amzn.to/3lyzEVM The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch: https://amzn.to/2Xv40Qk The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay: https://amzn.to/3hGYAZU The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling: https://amzn.to/3zkum4Q Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir: https://amzn.to/3hKL8o1 Lakewood by Megan Giddings: https://amzn.to/3nIaOFv Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark: https://amzn.to/3kmlAzj Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer: https://amzn.to/3ClP4mN Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: https://amzn.to/3zobJwW The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson: https://amzn.to/3zfL857 The River has Teeth by Erica Waters: https://amzn.to/2XD3IHN Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand: https://amzn.to/2XD3Oz9 Extasia by Claire Legrand: https://amzn.to/3EvbHHm Lost Boy by Christina Henry: https://amzn.to/3lyAodw Alice by Christina Henry: https://amzn.to/3kjOW1d The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry: https://amzn.to/3hJnmIW My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due: https://amzn.to/3EnkvPH The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig: https://amzn.to/2XENXjr Miriam Black series by Chuck Wendig: https://amzn.to/2XFenBA Burn the Dark by S.A. Hunt: https://amzn.to/2Xtw4nW The Worm and His Kings By Hailey Piper: https://amzn.to/3nOFd5f Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper: https://amzn.to/2Z9L4rp The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson: https://amzn.to/3lCHMV4 American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett: https://amzn.to/2ZcIt01 Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno Garcia: https://amzn.to/3CsdU4J The Gates by John Connolly: https://amzn.to/3lyBki2 Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado: https://amzn.to/3EDHxlw The Thief of Always by Clive Barker: https://amzn.to/2VTJQzk Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok @Chapter3Podcast and you can also find Bethany talking about books on YouTube @BeautifullyBookishBethany. You can now find episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy6yRiktWbWRAFpByrVk-kg Interested in early access to episodes, private Discord channels and other perks? Consider joining the Chapter 3 Patreon! Or join our public Discord. A new episode will be available to download in two weeks! This episode was recorded using a Blue Yeti USB condenser microphone kit: https://amzn.to/342dnqx
We continue our preview show of books we are excited to read this Fall, and we talk about our reading goals for the rest of the year. Books mentioned in this episode: Nice Girl by Catherine Dang, Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Win Me Something by Kyle Lucia Wu, The Corpse Queen by Heather Herrman, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinka, The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling, Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline, Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong, Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn, and Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keepitfictional/message
Discussing a wonderful listener's emailed hot take about I Care A Lot (2021), in which Renaissance defends their love for morally reprehensible women in fictional media and Sunny recommend Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Ellie Cosimano as an alternative piece of media to I Care A Lot (2021) that is intentionally camp and funny thriller about a morally gray woman that is actually written by a woman and not a corny man with even cornier politics. Then we discuss Taylor Swift's latest song, which is a feature. on Big Red Machine's single 'Renegade.' We are both obsessed with it, of course. Finally, Renaissance recommends a throwback classic movie- The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Sunny recommends the sci-fi fantasy novella Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling.Follow us on Twitter @thelavenderpod and send your hot takes to thelavendermenancepodcast@gmail.com!
One of the most popular role-playing properties in the world gets new life with this trio of horror novellas set in Vampire: The Masquerade's World of Darkness by three brilliant talents: Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling The subtle horror and infernal politics of the World of Darkness are shown in a new light in Vampire: The Masquerade: Walk Among Us, an audio-first collection of three novellas that show the terror, hunger, and power of the Kindred as you've never seen them before. In Genevieve Gornichec's A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES, depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness... In Cassandra Khaw's FINE PRINT, an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality... And in Caitlin Starling's THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm. Three very different stories from three amazing, distinct voices, but all with one thing in common: the hunger never stops, and for someone to experience power, many others are going to have to feel pain. VOX VOMITUS: Sometimes, it's not what goes right in the writing process, it's what goes horribly wrong. Host/Literary horror novelist Jennifer Anne Gordon with help from her co-host/author Allison Martine, chat with some of the best authors of the day. www.jenniferannegordon.com www.afictionalhubbard.com www.patreon.com/JenniferAnneGordon @Copyrighted by Authors on the Air
One of the most popular role-playing properties in the world gets new life with this trio of horror novellas set in Vampire: The Masquerade's World of Darkness by three brilliant talents: Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling The subtle horror and infernal politics of the World of Darkness are shown in a new light in Vampire: The Masquerade: Walk Among Us, an audio-first collection of three novellas that show the terror, hunger, and power of the Kindred as you've never seen them before. In Genevieve Gornichec's A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES, depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness... In Cassandra Khaw's FINE PRINT, an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality... And in Caitlin Starling's THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm. Three very different stories from three amazing, distinct voices, but all with one thing in common: the hunger never stops, and for someone to experience power, many others are going to have to feel pain. VOX VOMITUS: Sometimes, it's not what goes right in the writing process, it's what goes horribly wrong. Host/Literary horror novelist Jennifer Anne Gordon with help from her co-host/author Allison Martine, chat with some of the best authors of the day. www.jenniferannegordon.com www.afictionalhubbard.com www.patreon.com/JenniferAnneGordon @Copyrighted by Authors on the Air
One of the most popular role-playing properties in the world gets new life with this trio of horror novellas set in Vampire: The Masquerade's World of Darkness by three brilliant talents: Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling The subtle horror and infernal politics of the World of Darkness are shown in a new light in Vampire: The Masquerade: Walk Among Us, an audio-first collection of three novellas that show the terror, hunger, and power of the Kindred as you've never seen them before. In Genevieve Gornichec's A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES, depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness... In Cassandra Khaw's FINE PRINT, an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality... And in Caitlin Starling's THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm. Three very different stories from three amazing, distinct voices, but all with one thing in common: the hunger never stops, and for someone to experience power, many others are going to have to feel pain. VOX VOMITUS: Sometimes, it's not what goes right in the writing process, it's what goes horribly wrong. Host/Literary horror novelist Jennifer Anne Gordon with help from her co-host/author Allison Martine, chat with some of the best authors of the day. www.jenniferannegordon.com www.afictionalhubbard.com www.patreon.com/JenniferAnneGordon @Copyrighted by Authors on the Air
This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome not one, not two, but THREE authors – Cassandra Khaw, Genevieve Gornichec and Caitlin Starling, who have combined forces in a new collection of stories set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe called Walk Among Us. About Walk Among Us: One of the most popular role-playing properties in the […] The post Episode 489-With Cassandra Khaw, Genevieve Gornichec and Caitlin Starling appeared first on The Functional Nerds.
My guests this episode are Caitlin Starling and Genevieve Gornichec, two of the authors of WALK AMONG US. This collection of novellas is set in the world of VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE, the popular modern horror roleplaying game franchise. (Content note: the third contributing author to this collection, Cassandra Khaw, was scheduled to appear in this interview but had to cancel because of a conflict.) Each of these three novellas explores the world of the Masquerade from unique and unusual angles: a depressed and lonely college student seeking companionship finds herself groomed for radicalization; an arrogant silicon valley data genius seeks eternal life—and influence—through the Embrace, without regard for the price of immortality; and on an Oregon commune, a progressively-minded shepherd tends to their human flock, but ethics and appetite are uncomfortable bedfellows at the secret blood farm. Originally published as an audio-only collection, WALK AMONG US arrives in print and eBook on May 4th from Harper Voyager: Amazon » Bookshop » Barnes & Noble Books-a-Million IndieBound » Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Genevieve Gornichec Genevieve Gornichec earned her degree in history from The Ohio State University, but she got as close to majoring in Vikings as she possibly could, and her study of the Norse myths and Icelandic sagas became her writing inspiration. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio. The Witch’s Heart is her debut novel. Follow Genevieve Gornichec Website Twitter Instagram Amazon Profile » Goodreads About Caitlin Starling Caitlin Starling writes horror-tinged speculative fiction of all flavors. Her first novel, The Luminous Dead, won the LOHF Best Debut Award and was nominated for both the Bram Stoker and Locus Awards. She has two gothic horror tales forthcoming: Yellow Jessamine (novella, Neon Hemlock, out now) and The Death of Jane Lawrence (novel, St Martin’s Press 2021), as well as a novella in the Vampire: The Masquerade audio collection, Walk Among Us. Her nonfiction has appeared in Nightmare and Uncanny. Caitlin also works in narrative design, and has been paid to invent body parts. She’s always on the lookout for new ways to inflict insomnia. Follow Caitlin Starling Website Twitter Instagram Amazon Profile » Goodreads About ‘WALK AMONG US’ One of the most popular role-playing properties in the world gets new life with this trio of horror novellas set in Vampire: The Masquerade’s World of Darkness by three brilliant talents: Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling The subtle horror and infernal politics of the World of Darkness are shown in a new light in Vampire: The Masquerade: Walk Among Us, an audio-first collection of three novellas that show the terror, hunger, and power of the Kindred as you’ve never seen them before. In Genevieve Gornichec’s A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES, depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness… In Cassandra Khaw’s FINE PRINT, an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality… And in Caitlin Starling’s THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm. Three very different stories from three amazing, distinct voices, but all with one thing in common: the hunger never stops, and for someone to experience power, many others are going to have to feel pain.
This time we're talking about Vampire the Masquerade: WALK AMONG US by Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling. Due out May 4, Walk Among Us is a collection of three horror novellas set in “Vampire: The Masquerade's World of Darkness,” a massively popular role-playing game (RPG). Walk Among Us is the next frightening read for those superfans or fans of Anne Rice, True Blood, Twilight, or Buffy.- In Gornichec's “A Sheep Among Wolves,” depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness- In Khaw's “Fine Print,” an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality- In Starling's “The Land of Milk and Honey,” ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm
This time we're talking about Vampire the Masquerade: WALK AMONG US by Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling. Due out May 4, Walk Among Us is a collection of three horror novellas set in “Vampire: The Masquerade's World of Darkness,” a massively popular role-playing game (RPG). Walk Among Us is the next frightening read for those superfans or fans of Anne Rice, True Blood, Twilight, or Buffy.- In Gornichec's “A Sheep Among Wolves,” depression and radicalization go hand-in-hand as a young woman finds companionship in the darkness- In Khaw's “Fine Print,” an arrogant tech bro learns the importance of reading the fine print in the contract for immortality- In Starling's “The Land of Milk and Honey,” ideals and ethics bump heads with appetite on a blood farm
Book NotesMichael recommends: The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey Redshirts by John Scalzi Salvation Day by Kali Wallace Adam recommends: Wires and Nerve v. 1, written by Marissa Meyer; illustrated by Doug Holgate Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon by Takeuchi, Naoko; translated by William Flanagan Land of the Lustrous by Haruko Ichikawa; translated by Alethea Nibley Carrie recommends: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro The Ocean at the End of the Laneby Neil Gaiman The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune Bite Notes Take comfort in a dish of Dutch oven-cooked pot roast while you read Caitlin Starling's anxiety-inducing The Luminous Dead. You can find the recipe in Matty Matheson's Matty Matheson: A Cookbook. Pair Wires and Nerve with Homemade Moon Pies. These are delicious cookies sandwiched with marshmallow crème and dipped in chocolate. If only the characters in The Buried Giant had a batch of Crispy Peanut Butter Treats with Chocolate Chips to fortify them on their quest! Find this recipe in Alicia Silverstone's cookbook The Kind Diet.
Happy October! Welcome to the first of our Hallowe'en spooky episodes, featuring Caitlin Starling's nail-biting science fiction horror, The Luminous Dead. What is truly the most dangerous thing that lies in the caves? Is it the Tunnellers, the monsters who crawl through the caverns, the unknown fungus, or perhaps our protagonist's duplicitous employer? Or maybe ghosts??? Tune in and find out!Also, the protagonist's name is definitely pronounced with a soft "g". Entirely Erin's bad on that one.CW for claustrophobic situations, slight references to gore and amputation, manipulation/gaslightingIntro:Pump Sting by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4251-pump-stingLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Outro:Iron Bacon by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3925-iron-baconLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This month, we're joined by Locus and Bram Stoker Award nominated author, and winner of this year's Ladies in Horror Award, Caitlin Starling (@see_starling @authorcstarling)! Caitlin's new novella, Yellow Jessamine, came out on September 5th from Neon Hemlock Press. We're treated to an excerpt of Caitlin's trunked novel, Untitled Faerie Story, which can be affectionately described as "idiots to lovers," before having a wonderful conversation about the whys and hows of writing horror and how online text-based roleplaying helped to shape Caitlin's writing. Things mentioned in this episode: The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling Valerie Valdes Guild Wars 2 Martha Wells Max Gladstone Clockwork Boys, by T. Kingfisher Raising Steam, by Terry Pratchett (GNU) The California State Railroad Museum Zootopia Megan E. O'Keefe Animal Crossing The Death of Jane Lawrence, by Caitlin Starling Rubber duck debugging Harrow the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir Silk and Steel Join us again on October 16th, when our guest will be Jennifer Mace
Join us for this exceptional episode with guests Eboni Dunbar and Caitlin Starling. These two exceptional authors both have brand new novellas out through Nean Hemlock Press. Throughout the course of the episode, we talked about Stone and Steel, Yellow Jessamine, FIYAH Literary Magazine and FIYAH Con, Neon Hemlock, graphic novel memoirs, fantasy world-building in Fantasy, poisons
In this episode, we welcome back Caitlin Starling, whose appearance in Episode 101 let us delight over her terrifying and intimate THE LUMINOUS DEAD. This time we're all about her new novella, YELLOW JESSAMINE, and we get to talk about some our favorite topics (queer subtexts abound) and learn much more about what makes horror feel like, well, horror. Plus, we have an extended discussion about poison gardens, which are a thing you should absolutely know about. If you'd like to learn more about Caitlin's excellence, check out www.caitlinstarling.com or follow the adventures on Twitter at @see_starling. YELLOW JESSAMINE is available from Neon Hemlock Press at https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/yellow-jessamine, where you can also find out more information about the other 2020 novella quartet authors that we have talked to on this podcast in recent episodes! ------------- Like our content? Our website is www.imaginaries.net, and you can drop us a line at imaginarypod@gmail.com while we are avoiding the tweets. You can listen to our episodes on - iTunes (https://apple.co/3aFR64l) - Spotify (https://spoti.fi/2tERDTD) - Stitcher (https://bit.ly/38ukyZc) and - SoundCloud (https://bit.ly/2TVno5i) as well as find our oldest episodes on YouTube once they have shuffled off these other earthly coils. We'd still love your reviews if you're willing and able, but please put your $$ toward ending police brutality and ending systemic racism. You can celebrate our queer take on science fiction and fantasy by honoring the Black trans women and other diverse peoples who led the charge at Stonewall and elsewhere. On theme, you can put some bucks towards Unicorn Riot, your state's bail fund, and the official George Floyd Memorial Fund.
Caitlin Starling knows a lot about poison. Her new novella, Yellow Jessamine, is about poison. This episode of GHOULISH, coincidentally, is also about poison. This is the poison episode. You have been warned. Order Caitlin Starling's Yellow Jessamine. Check out Starling's book party on September 5th! Pre-order Paul Michael Anderson's slasher novella, Standalone. Buy my new novella, We Need to Do Something. Check out our Bookshop.org page. Browse the books on our webstore. Support us on Patreon. Check out our merch.
We've got a Q&A for this month's bonus episode! Thank you to Miri, Jo, D. H. Dunn, R. K. Duncan, Nina, Diane, Valerie, Sarah, Dave, and Amanda for submitting questions on such short notice! I promise I'll give everyone more than a couple weeks advance warning before I do another of these! Join us again on September 18th, when Caitlin Starling will be on the show!
We're joined this month by Karen Osborne, who reads us her trunked space lighthouse story "Slingshot Protocol." Afterwards, we talk about the fine art of listening to and then not acting on what your beta readers say and keeping your eyes on your own paper. Karen's debut novel, Architects of Memory, comes out on September 8th from Tor books. Join us again on September 4th for another Shelter in Place special, where I'll be answering listener questions, and then on September 18th, when our guest will be author Caitlin Starling!
In this episode, we hear a recording of a virtual program called Don’t Become a Victim: Fraud, Scams, & Elder Abuse. We also talk about what we’re reading. Katie read Here for It R. Eric Thomas (and mentions another book???? twitter) Abby read The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling (and mentioned Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach … Continue reading S.3 Ep. 18 – Don’t Be A Victim: Fraud, Scams, and Elder Abuse →
Katie and Rincey catch up on the news they missed, including lawsuits featuring Dan Brown and the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate, and read some locked room mysteries in honor of not leaving their homes. This episode is sponsored by TBR, Size Zero by Abigail Mangin and The Patient by Jasper DeWitt. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter! Show Notes Adrian McKinty’s thriller The Chain is getting a film adaptation Oscar Isaac is starring in the movie London, which is based on a short story by Jo Nesbo and will be directed by Ben Stiller Blythe Brown has filed a lawsuit against her ex-husband, Dan Brown, for leading a double life during their marriage The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate is suing Netflix over their upcoming Enola Holmes adaptation Maureen Johnson announces a fourth book in the Truly Devious series Books Mentioned No Exit by Taylor Adams Murder in the Crooked House by Soji Shimada, translated by Louise Heal Kawai Home Before Dark by Riley Sager The Shadows by Alex North Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby He Started It by Samantha Downing Murder at the Grand Raj Palace by Vaseem Khan The Janes by Louisa Luna The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling; The Searcher by Tana French Sadie by Courtney Summers; The Deep by Alma Katsu
Author Caitlin Starling joins to discuss "The Silence of the Lambs" and cast her vote for which was better: the film directed by Jonathan Demme or Thomas Harris’s novel. In episode 134, Luke, James, and Caitlin discuss one of history’s most notable horror films and the introduction of the iconic Dr. Hannibal Lector as portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins. Topics: The Luminous Dead x Silence of the Lambs connection, Caitlin’s impressive knowledge about serial killers, Anthony Hopkins acting with his eyeballs, Clarice Starling as audience stand-in, issues with transphobia, FBI public relations, and unpacking winged-symbols throughout! Find Caitlin online: www.caitlinstarling.com Caitlin’s Twitter: @see_starling Buy The Luminous Dead Become a patron for access to exclusive episodes! www.patreon.com/inktofilm Ink to Film's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Feedback: inktofilm@gmail.com Home Base: inktofilm.com Ink to Film Book Club on Goodreads Music: Ross Bugden
We're looking for The Invisible Man this week, that old tale about an a-hole who fakes his own suicide so he can harass his ex until she has a mental breakdown. But before our main feature, we have a ton of horror reviews for you. We're talking Last Shift, Lady Frankenstein, Girl on the Third Floor, Berserker, Bliss, Return of the Living Dead 3, Graveyard Shift, Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks, The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling, and 69 by Tim Meyer.
This week, we're excited to have the opportunity to chat with author Caitlin Starling, who wrote the thrilling genre hybrid The Luminous Dead. The Luminous Dead is a stunning debut novel that all of us at Ink Heist fell in love with when we first read it and it holds a very special place on our "All-time Favorites" shelf. Caitlin creates memorable characters and creates a tense, creepy atmosphere by using the isolation of the caves to drive the plot and create scenes of psychological and physical horrors that will have you on the edge of your seat. We had a lot of fun talking to Caitlin and as always, we take away some very valuable writing advice. During this episode, we talked about interactive elements in storytelling, the blending of sci-fi and horror, how she creates characters, fan fiction, different versions of The Luminous Dead, and writing communities. We also take a deep dive into Portland culture with Shane and Caitlin as our guides and learn about The Goat Blocks and electric lettuce. Check out our conversation with Caitlin now right here on Ink Heist or on your favorite streaming service.
Spelunk into episode 43 to join our conversation on The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. February is space month here at The Book Coven, and we couldn't be more thrilled! We love space, and sci-fi, and we think you'll love the books that we've chosen. Episode 43 has our full, spoiler heavy review of The Luminous Dead. Remember to follow us on Instagram to see our treats @The.Book.Coven and to check out our videos on YouTube!
We would not be ... US ... without you being you, and without those amazing authors who agree to chat with us on the 'cast about bookish things. Many thanks to our seventeen guests from 2019: - Christopher Cokinos (episode 76) - Suyi Davies Okungbowa (episode 78) - Scott Selisker (episode 80) - Deji Bryce Olukotun (episode 81) - Jett Stanton (episode 82) - Sarah Gailey (episode 85) - Kim Stanley Robinson (episode 87) - Mary Robinette Kowal (episode 91) - Jonathan Michael Erickson (episode 92) - Makiia Lucier (episode 93) - Kali Wallace (episode 96) - Steve Brusatte (episode 97) - Molly Gloss (episode 98) - Caitlin Starling (episode 101) - Seanan McGuire (episode 105) - Tristan Palmgren (episode 86, 106 & 107) - CSE Cooney (episode 108) This episode includes brief clips from each guest episode as well as notes about what's coming next from these authors and where to find out more about their books and other projects. We are so excited to speak with more wonderful authors in 2020! But first, stay tuned for next week's 2019 Imaginary Awards! WE. CANNOT. WAIT. Like our content? Our website is www.imaginaries.net, and you can drop us a line at imaginarypod@gmail.com or find us on Twitter at @imaginary_pod. You can listen to our episodes on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and SoundCloud, as well as find all of our back episodes on YouTube once they have shuffled off these other earthly coils. If you would like to help support our work, you can give us a rating or review on whatever platform you use to listen to your podcasts, and if you would like to offset the costs associated with our podcast, you can support us financially at www.ko-fi.com/imaginaries.
Content In our Halloween episode, we discuss horror fiction, including but not limited to, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Caitlin Starling's The Luminous Dead, The Witcher series, and Toni Morrison's Beloved. We also discuss film, video games, art, and yes, drinking too much Jack Daniel's. All that in under thirty minutes! Cast Hosted by Dean Karpowicz, with Ky Richmond. Content Discussed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Schwartz Are you brave enough for Scary Stories?Some boys and girls were at a party one night. There was a graveyard down the street, and they were talking about how scary it was. "Don't ever stand on a grave after dark," one of the boys said. "The person inside will grab you." "A grave doesn't scare me," said one of the girls. "I'll do it right now. . . ." Welcome to the macabre world of Scary Stories, where folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up the most alarming collection of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time. Here is a selection of extraordinarily chilling tales along with spine-tingling illustrations by renowned artist Brett Helquist. The Luminous Dead, Starling A thrilling, atmospheric debut with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival. The Witcher, Sapkowski Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin. And a cold-blooded killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil, and not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth. The international hit that inspired the video game The Witcher. Beloved, Morrison Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but 18 years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe's new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved is a towering achievement. The other material we discussed in the Halloween episode can be found on NPR's list of the Top 100 Horror Stories.
There are many thing to fear about this world (and other worlds) right now, but luckily sentient fungus isn't LITERALLY chasing us through the cramped confines of flooded caves in which lives have already been lost many times before. At least, we sure HOPE not. What IS real and absolutely fantastic is Caitlin Starling's incredible debut work of science fiction horror, "The Luminous Dead." You might already have heard the buzz about this book, and we're here flailing our arms with love to confirm that it really is a smashing good read. A quick warning, though, for our listeners: This episode does contain a couple of spoilers, so we recommend you read the book before listening. On this week's podcast, we speak with Starling about horror, mapping her story (and the underland), the relationship between fear, agency, and intimacy, and the connections between all of these things and the bodies (including queer bodies) that experience them. If you're looking to find out more about Starling and "The Luminous Dead," you can check out her website at www.caitlinstarling.com, on Facebook under the handle CaitlinStarlingAuthor, on Twitter as @see_starling, and on Instagram as @authorcstarling. Like our content? Our website is www.imaginaries.net, and you can drop us a line at imaginarypod@gmail.com or find us on Twitter at @imaginary_pod. You can listen to our episodes on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and SoundCloud, as well as find all of our back episodes on YouTube once they have shuffled off these other earthly coils. If you would like to help support our work, you can give us a rating or review on whatever platform you use to listen to your podcasts, and if you would like to offset the costs associated with our podcast, you can support us financially at www.ko-fi.com/imaginaries.
Hi everyone, and thank you for tuning in to another episode of the We Make Books Podcast - A podcast about writing, publishing, and everything in between! Week Three of Submissions September and the final episode of Agents Week! For Part Three we got we spoke with three more agented authors to hear about their journey and experience in signing with their literary agent. This time we’re chatting with AJ Hackwith, Jennifer Mace, and Nino Cipri who share stories, wisdom, and anecdotes about their paths to signing with a Literary Agent. You can (and should!) check them all out on Twitter, Instagram, and their website, all of which are linked below! In case you’re just joining us, this month is Submissions September on the We Make Books Podcast, we’re doing seven (7!) episodes this month all about the process of submitting your novel. We have a lot of awesome discussions lined up and even some special guests. Here’s what will be coming your way for the month: Week 1 (9/3/2019): Is This Ready For Other People to See?- Submitting Your Manuscript Week 2 (9/10/2019): My Entire Novel in Three Hundred Words - The Dreaded Query Letter Week 3 (9/17/2019): Agents of Literature, Part 1: An Interview with Literary Agent Caitlin McDonald (9/18/2019): Agents of Literature, Part 2: Interviews with Agented Authors (9/19/2019): Agents of Literature Part 3: Interviews with Agented Authors Week 4 (9/24/2019): What is Going On Over There? - The Other Side of the Submissions Process Week 5 (9/30/2019): Now I’m Even More Confused – Submissions September Q&A Episode We Make Books is hosted by Rekka Jay and Kaelyn Considine; Rekka is a published author and Kaelyn is an editor and together they are going to take you through what goes into getting a book out of your head, on to paper, in to the hands of a publisher, and finally on to book store shelves. We Make Books is a podcast for writer and publishers, by writers and publishers and we want to hear from our listeners! Hit us up on our social media, linked below, and send us your questions, comments, concerns, and everyone, let’s be real, we’re two games into it and the Giants’ season is over. Kaelyn would appreciate your support while she waits for hockey season to start. We hope you enjoy We Make Books! Twitter: @WMBCast | @KindofKaelyn | @BittyBittyZap Instagram: @WMBCast Patreon.com/WMBCast And check out this episode’s interviewees! J. Hackwith Represented by Caitlin McDonald https://literallycait.tumblr.com/ of DMLA http://maassagency.com/ https://www.amandahackwith.com https://twitter.com/ajhackwith The Library of the Unwritten https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608277/the-library-of-the-unwritten-by-a-j-hackwith/9781984806376/ === Jennifer Mace Represented by Kurestin Armada https://twitter.com/kurestinarmada of PS Literary https://www.psliterary.com/ https://www.englishmace.com http://twitter.com/englishmace https://www.englishmace.com/fiction/ http://betheserpent.podbean.com/ === Nino Cipri Represented by DongWon Song http://www.dongwonsong.com/ of HMLA http://www.morhaimliterary.com/ https://ninocipri.com/ https://twitter.com/ninocipri Homesick: https://www.dzancbooks.org/our-books/homesick Finna: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250245724 Kaelyn:00:00 Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the, We Make Books Podcast, a show about writing, publishing, and everything in between. And when I say another, it's because this is the third one this week. Rekka:00:10 And I'm Rekka, I write science fiction and fantasy as RJ Theodore. Kaelyn:00:13 I think my name is just third episode. No, I am Kaelyn. I'm the acquisitions editor, Parvus Press. Why did we do this? Rekka:00:21 Hey, you know what? We're going to be so glad when it's done. Kaelyn:00:24 It is good because these were, these were great interviews. So this is the second episode, um, of interviews with. Rekka:00:29 Interviews with authors - Kaelyn:00:29 Interviews with agented authors. So, you know, first episode, if you missed that one, go back and take a listen to that. The, uh, September, Rekka:00:39 How should we even know? Kaelyn:00:39 [laughs] What day is it? Rekka:00:41 Is it September? Kaelyn:00:42 The September 17th episode. Rekka:00:43 Which was with Caitlin McDonald, the Agent. Kaelyn:00:46 Yes. Rekka:00:47 And then on the 18th, yesterday we spoke with Sam Hawk, Tyler Hayes, and Caitlin Starling. And today we are speaking with AJ Hackwith, Jennifer Mace, and Nino Cipri. Kaelyn:00:57 Yes. So, um, second episode of agented author interviews. Uh, you know, how they got them, what, Rekka:01:03 Yeah. Rounding out the experiences that we gathered of people who found agents and then those agents are helping them or have helped them find a home for their manuscript. Kaelyn:01:13 Yeah. And um, some good insights here. Yeah. I think in this set of interviews. So, um, we'll stop talking now because I don't know - Rekka:01:21 To talk. Kaelyn:01:23 Words. Um, so everyone, uh, we hope you enjoy and um, so next week will be the last episode of Submissions September and uh, we're going to be doing what is going on, on the other side of things. Rekka:01:35 Kaelyn's side. Kaelyn:01:35 My side. Rekka:01:36 Yes. Kaelyn:01:36 [laughs evily] You are in my realm now. Rekka:01:41 Well not now. Next week. Kaelyn:01:42 Next week. Yeah. Fair. All right. Well thanks everyone so much for listening and bearing with us through all of this. Enjoy the episode. Music:01:57 [music] AJ: 02:04 I'm Amanda. I write as AJ Hackworth. I have a contemporary fantasy coming out October 1st with Ace called The Library of the Unwritten, I tend to write about mythical stuff and gods and sarcastic and families and all that good kind of good staff. I also have two Scifi romances out as Ada Harper. Um, they both came out last year and the first one is a Conspiracy of Whispers. Rekka:02:29 Cool. And you are represented by an agent. Um, you want to say who and tell us, uh, how you found this agent and why you chose them. AJ: 02:40 Sure. I represented by Caitlin McDonald at the Donald Mass literary agency. I, I found Caitlin via tumbler. That's really what made me, made me reach out with her because she seemed to have a lot of the same interests in likes and fandom interests that I did. I so I thought that she would jive on my writing style and so I reached out to her, um, through the slush pile. Basically I just like queried her and was coming up through the slush. It kind of funny because she had my, full of my book, for 10 months, 11 months. It was a long process. I had actually like had like given up and thrown in the towel and it's never going to happen. And I had pitched the most ridiculous romance I could think of to a Karina Press. And then an offer from them came first, uh, just about the same. It's just about the same time that Caitlin was getting back to me about the full, I'm making an offer. So, uh, it was kind of a weird deal that the book that I queried her with, with not actually the first book that came out, but it's been fantastic. Rekka:03:44 Awesome. Very cool. Okay. When you interact with your agent versus, um, when you interact directly with the editor, with your publisher, um, how would you describe one versus the other and when do you go through Caitlin and when do you go through your editor? AJ: 04:02 I tend to go through Cait, went through Caitlin, whenever there's a disagreement, especially if it's one that's a delicate negotiations, delicate to navigate. Um, I like my relationship with the editor should, uh, is, should usually be in the positive and I cc Caitlin on everything. But if there's something that actually needs to be pushed back on or negotiated with, I definitely sometimes let Caitlin trace the language of that just so she has control of that navigation and I can just be the fun one. Rekka:04:35 She's the bad cop. That was one thing she said. So that's, it's good that you're, um, you're using all the tools you have correctly. It sounds like. AJ: 04:43 Well, you know that takes, that's something you have to learn too. Cause like when I first signed, when we were going through the first uh romances, I was more hesitant. I didn't want to bug my agent. Um, which is a common thing that new writers feel like, you know, you, it's a, it's a change in relationship. Cause when you're querying, you feel like you're trying to impress them and get them to like you and stuff. But then when you are, have signed with them, your business partners and that sometimes is a switch for a lot of writers that they are too hesitant to contact their agent when things come up. Um, and so it took a few times of Caitlin gently say, I should cc me on this. Let me, let me handle this. Um, before I understood, um, how before you look at her communication style and how to make that a real partnership. Rekka:05:28 Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Now. What about before, um, you had the book on contract to a publisher, um, editing, um, pitching, like getting the, the submissions ready. What was the process with your agent in that regard? AJ: 05:45 Um Caitlin's very nice editorial level. Um, for my, for my tastes, we did line edit, we did developmental edit and then a line edit, um, before we put it on submission. Um, and that was just about the right level for me. I think we got it in a really good place and she had, she, she had her, her touches on enough that I felt like, um, it was strong going out into submission. Um, and then when we'er on submission, you know, it's so important to know your communication style with the mission cause it's a nerve wracking process. And I like, you know, when we went on submission I asked Caitlin at the beginning of it is like, whether it's good news or bad news, I just want to update at least once a month. And it can just be a summary. I don't need the specifics because I wanted those people that the rejection language will stick in your brain forever. And you of course, you forget the good stuff people say. So that worked out really well as soon as she just, you know, gave me a monthly summary of where we were at in the process. Rekka:06:42 Okay, cool. So did you work together on um, putting the submission package together? Um, in terms of coming up with the language that you use to pitch the book to the editors? AJ: 06:54 It was pretty hands off. Caitlin came up with all of that. Um, we discussed just basically, um, she gave me a list of which houses she was going to approach in this round. Um, and and kind of the vague genre of how we're pitching this book. Um, you know, like, you know, contemporary, literary, smart commercial, all those different types. So we really had a basic discussion, but Caitlin really ran with it past that point, which is great. [laughs] This whole, you already had to query the book once. Rekka:07:25 Right. You don't want to do it again. AJ: 07:26 Well, magic in itself, the whole submission process. So I'm glad to let an expert have the final say of those things. Rekka:07:33 Okay, great. So it sounds like you feel like you're in good hands. AJ: Yeah, it's been good. Rekka:07:38 Awesome. So if you were talking to, uh, an author who was looking for an agent, what are some tips that you would give that author as far as, uh, whatever part you feel like maybe people have misconceptions with before they get into it? Um, either with the querying, with finding the agent, with negotiating, et cetera. AJ: 08:01 I think querying, um, you just, you gotta be patient, it's a long, long process and um, there's some great guides out there. I think I found, you know, after I signed as agent was the area where there's not as much information and, and resources for people for how this should go and go. I think the biggest advice I would give is to start as you intend to go on, which you know, how you want to communicate and establish that early on with an agent. And if you're wondering whether you should email your agent about something or whether, whether it's okay to email them about something, the answer is yes. Rekka:08:37 Fantastic. There's that power balance. It must be difficult to say like, okay, now, like that power balance is more like we're partners in this now and the power struggle and that you feel when you're querying doesn't evaporate inside your head. AJ: 08:56 Yeah. And it was, it was really, it was, it was a, a tough transition, especially for me because we went right from signing her representation and to negotiating a contract for the romances. Um, so we didn't have that like getting to know you build up of, of um, the editorial process. I joke with Caitlin that I knew we, we broke the ice right away when like my second email to her was, uh, talking about fanfic tropes and how my book shouldn't like have any ref- You know, my joke is like when they're in my email included en-preg in the second email, you knew it was a [laughs] Rekka:09:32 Well that's awesome because I mean, so everyone knows the Caitlin is human now, but she promises us that all agents are, and it does sound like once you get past this strange like, um, professional dance that there is a chance to just like relax and get into the relationship and get to work. AJ: 09:51 Yeah, and I, and I think also one of the things I've seen with a bunch of my friends uh getting agents as well is that your relationship is going to be unique to that agent if you're not best buddies. And tweeting memes at your agent all day, that's okay too. Like, you know, I have a pretty, I mean Caitlin and I have a great relationship but we just keep it pretty professional. You know, I'm not tweeting her about, you know, whatever the Internet's on about current time. Um, whereas other other agents I know like our, our, like our, our much more, much more of a friendship relationship with their, their clients. And so it just depends on the agent and depends on the author. And there's no wrong way to have a relationship we've had with an agent as long as it's the right way for you, Rekka:10:36 For both sides to, yeah, definitely. Awesome. Well thank you so much. I really appreciate your time. And um, why don't you give us your pitch for The Library. AJ: 10:44 Sure. The Library of the Unwritten is the story of the Librarian of the Unwritten Wing, which is the library of all the books that were never quite written. All the stories that were never quite told and it happened to be located in hell Rekka:10:57 Exactly where they go when I failed to write that book. Right? AJ: 11:02 It can feel that way for the author that it's definitely a fantasy about, um, books and writers and readers and also about regret and what happens when your story fails to start. Rekka:11:14 Awesome. So everyone get out there and grab a copy. Thank you, Amanda for joining us today. And um, good luck with everything that you're working on. AJ: 11:24 Thank you very much. It's been great to be here. Macey:11:29 I'm Jennifer Maca. I go by Macy and I am a fantasy author, short story writer, poet and podcaster based out of the Pacific northwest. Despite my accent. Kaelyn:11:42 Wait, that's not what everyone sounds like up there? Macey:11:44 It absolutely is. This is what happens when you move to Seattle. This is the secret. They don't want you to know. Kaelyn:11:49 It's because of the coffee. Macey:11:49 And the rain, I feel. I feel like the rain, helps like really get you in character. Kaelyn:11:55 Gotcha. Well thank you so much for uh, taking some time to talk to us. Macey:12:01 So I'm represented by Kurestin Armada of PA Literary and I guess I have a somewhat normal journey to getting an agent. You know, I did actually query uh, I didn't have an agent descend from the sky and pluck me from Twitter, but I guess it kind of starts with, I went to a workshop called Viable Paradise in 2016 and that was kinda my first step along the road to trying to become a professional author. Right? I had all of these books that I'd been writing for years, but I didn't really know what to do with them. And so this is a workshop that's taught by a bunch of professional authors and editors. And while I was there, they talked about, you know, the query process and that really helped me get together what I wanted to say about my book. And so I actually decided to go out querying with the book that wasn't the one I brought to Viable Paradise because I had two books in my back pocket. And you know, who doesn't? Umm - Kaelyn:13:06 It's, it's very true. I, Macey:13:10 I accidentally did NaNoWriMo every year for eight years running before I decided to try to get published. Kaelyn:13:17 Wait, how does this one accidentally do NaNoWriMo? Macey:13:20 I mean, I kind of describe what I was writing. Like back then as I wasn't trying to write books, I was kind of just like textually role-playing. Kaelyn:13:28 Okay. Macey:13:29 Just I wanted to have adventures and makeup adventures to go on, you know? Kaelyn:13:34 Okay, Gotcha. So, okay. So you were actually just consistently doing this and then certain months you were accidentally falling - okay. All right. Macey:: 13:43 Yeah, yeah. Kaelyn:13:44 That's, that's wonderful. I love it. Macey:13:47 I decided that I was going to start querying in sort of March, 2017 and I had won in an auction, a query critique with someone who used to be an agent. Yeah. It was super great. It was a Amy Boggs and she did really great work for me. But while I was waiting to hear back from her, it was actually Pit Mad. The Twitter contest. Kaelyn:14:09 Yes. Yes. I really love PitMad. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. Macey:14:14 I have so many friends who got their agents that way or at least got one of their offers that way. PitMad is a Twitter like pitch contest where you tweet a very short summary of your book and kind of some hashtags about what genre it is an agents can go through and like the tweets that they want to hear more about. Kaelyn:14:34 Yeah. So it's just, yeah, it's great because it's, it's kind of, I always think of maybe a little bit of a more low pressure situation. It's kind of like, it's like a market almost where it's just like, Hey, I'm here. I got this thing. Macey:14:46 Right. Exactly. And, uh, one of my first was actually from Kursten. Kaelyn:14:53 Oh, okay. Macey:14:54 And she'd actually already been on my list of agents to query because I am an over researcher. And so I had a very detailed list of agents Kaelyn:15:03 Listen, as an acquisitions editor, I appreciate the over researchers. I love hearing like, Hey, I looked you guys up online and I saw you're interested in this. And I'm like, yes, yes. Somebody who who's paying attention, you know? Macey:15:15 And one of the things that I did end up doing, I queried 12 different agents after Kurestin had asked for my manuscript. Um, because you, you keep trying, right? You never know. These things take time. And every one of them I would look through their manuscript wishlist or look through their profile on their agency and make sure to tweak either, you know, which comp titles did I pick or what parts of my book did I highlight? Not In the plot pitch section, but in the like little blurbs section below that in your query letter. And that's where you can kind of do really subtle, um, personalizations Kaelyn:15:51 I don't know if it helped, but it sounds like it did. And if nothing else, it sounds like it didn't hurt. Macey:15:58 Right. So that was in March, Kurestin asked for the first 50 pages from PitMad and then a month later she asked for the full manuscript. And then I think in late July it was, she reached out and said, you know, let's talk, which is the email you are waiting for. And so we had a really great conversation and I followed up with all of the other agents who had had my full and I decided that no, Kurestin is really the one for me. Kaelyn:16:26 So what made you think that Kurestin was really the one for you? This is another thing that we're seeing when we're talking to everyone that they're like, and I just knew I - Macey:16:37 I'm a very analytical person. Um, so I can probably break it down. Kaelyn:16:42 Um, which by the way, you're going to see, you're one of the only authors I know is like, I have some statistics on this. I've given a lot of thought. There's a spreadsheet with a pivot table. And if you look at the corresponding data here. Macey:16:57 Yeah, no like seriously, um, I have so many spreadsheets with so many like cell formulas. I have an entire automated poetry tracking spreadsheet that moves things in and out of the available to sub column based on where they're submitted to and where they're not. Kaelyn:17:13 That's amazing. And I love it as a, as a big fan of excel myself. That is, Yup, that's phenomenal. Macey:17:21 But um for Kurestin, so one of the things for me, I sent out a total of 12 queries over six months and that's a little bit of a low number for some people. I was being very specific when I was researching about who I wanted to query and I was only querying people who represented fantasy and YA and both adult and why a fantasy and who specifically mentioned LGBTQ or queer or gay somewhere in their profile or their manuscript wishlist and that plus, you know, targeting agencies that had a reputation for selling books kind of cut my choices down a lot. But it meant that I was already kind of confident. So I had a fairly short list of agents and so all of them would be really great choices. But for me, Kurestin had a lot of really great editorial things to say about the particular book that I'd sent to her and really understood what I, where it was going. And we also had a conversation about like longer career plans. Did we want to be in this as business partners for the long term because it's not just about will they sign this one book, but do they want to be your career partner? Kaelyn:18:30 Right. Yeah. And that's, that's really important. And I think that's something that not everyone thinks about going into this is this is a business partner. This is a business relationship. And like you both have to be on the same page about what you're expecting out of it. Macey:18:45 Absolutely. And especially since the project that she signed me for, which was a queer, silky, YA novel, it didn't sell. And so now we're moving onto the next project, which I'm super excited about. But like I asked her on the call, what do we do if it doesn't sell? And she says, you know, we keep working and we try the next thing together. And so that was really great to find or have knowledge of an advance and then not be so scared that I was going to disappoint her. Kaelyn:19:14 Do you actually, I just kind of brought up an interesting, uh, the angle that I think author, you know, authors, you guys are so in your own head. Macey:19:23 Yup. Kaelyn:19:23 So some of the most lovely but some of the most anxious people. Macey:19:30 You are not wrong. Kaelyn:19:32 I have ever met, and um, one of the things that you know is the I the self rejection and I the the not good enough. And um, so yeah, disappointing your agent. That's a whole nother level of scary now. Macey:19:46 Isn't it? Kaelyn:19:48 Sp how'd you work through that? Where you've said like? Macey:19:51 Well, so, well one of the things that really great being with Kurestin is we built this kind of community amongst all of her clients called Kurestin's Armada because her last name is Amato and we are dweebs fantastic. And so I have this community of really supportive, amazing fellow clients and we have a little Alack together. And you know, once or twice a week, one of us will go in and be like, I fucked up. She's gonna hate me. And then we're like literally never going to happen. The rest of us know that Kurestin will never hate you, will never hate any of us and we'll fix it. Kurestin still not be mad. You should talk to her and she will help you. And just having someone else who actually knows her be like, no, no, it's fine. Really fix it. Kurestin fixes everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm uh, she, she has done nothing to deserve being saddled with us. Kaelyn:20:57 Well, it sounds like a lovely supportive community and an army nay an armada and the rest, as they say is history. You guys are still working on upcoming projects and you know, that's, that's great. Uh, you know, the ongoing relationship with an agent is so important. Macey:21:20 Right. Kaelyn:21:20 And I think a lot of people when they sign with one are just so excited right off the bat to have their literary agent. It's like, oh, right, I'm going to be with this person for a while. Probably. Macey:21:30 I think it's really hard to get past that initial kind of gut reaction that this is just a stamp of approval. You know, you have gained this status. Kaelyn:21:40 Yeah, it is. It's like, you know, you've completed this quest, here is your - Macey:21:46 Tada. Kaelyn:21:46 Yeah. Um, here is your agent badge to add to your, your book. Um, it's, it's Mewtwo at the end of Pokemon and, but no, because then it's like no, but then you actually have Mewtwo. Macey:22:00 Yeah. You've got to have a relationship with this person who is a human with styles of working with opinions and you need to understand that and not just jump at the first opportunity because it could be a bad one. Kaelyn:22:17 You know, that's so hard. If you're really wanting to get an agent to have to walk away from something and there's no good answer to it, you just kind of have to be aware is really, I think the only way to approach that. Macey:22:34 And I think for me, one of the things that I didn't realize at the time and so kind of lucked into, um, is we were talking a little earlier about how inside our heads authors get and how anxious and I think that in order to stick it out as a writer, you really need to get to know yourself and understand the things that make you more anxious and the things that sues you. And one of the things that's super important is that the communication style of your agent works for you, not against you. I have friends who have, uh, agents that they really, really love, who don't always answer emails and have to be poked with followup things to answer the email. And I'm like, it's great that that works for you. I would have a panic attack, but I would just need curled up in a ball. Like they hate me now Kaelyn:23:27 They're figuring out how to drop contract all together. This is it. Macey:23:34 And that's fine. It's, um, there is no one perfect agent. They're puzzle pieces. Right. Kaelyn:23:41 That's, that's a really good way to describe it. Yeah. And, um, you know, agents that I know and I talked to. I know even just like in my capacity as an editor, I always kind of go to the author and go, what works best for you? If you want to text me questions, that's, that's fine. If you prefer to have like, you know, regular scheduled meetings where we talk about that all at once and that's the only time you hear from me, that's, that's great too. Like I can be flexible. So let me know what works for you because if you're unhappy it's not, this isn't going to work well for anybody. Right. Um, you know, I, the last thing I want to do is be a source of anxiety in your life, right? Yeah, exactly. Macey:24:26 Righ, I have enough of those. Kaelyn:24:27 Exactly. So tell us something, either you wish you had known, you wish other people knew, something you're surprised by about either the process or once you have an agent. Macey:24:37 Hmm. I mean, I think the big one is the communication styles. I have seen agent breakups that have been in large part caused or worsened by that by just a mismatch and just how important it is to understand your own needs before you try to make the sort of commitment. I mean it's not a marriage, but it's a longterm partnership contract. You know what I mean? Kaelyn:25:03 In some cases it's harder to get out of than a marriage. Macey:25:07 Yeah. I mean things get really tangled up once you've sold your money will be coming through that agent forever for that book. Yep. Um, it doesn't have to go away. Kaelyn:25:16 You know what, that's a good point that, uh, I think maybe again, something you don't think about. If you signed a contract for selling your book through an agent and then you and that agent go there, set your separate ways, your money still goes through that agent. Yeah. Does forever. Yup. Because even though you're no longer working with that person, they are technically still your business partner for that particular deal. Yeah. Macey:25:42 They are 15% or whatever their fee is. Kaelyn:25:46 Exactly. Yeah. That's, that's a very good thing to mention. Um, communication style. Yeah. Is very, very important for so many people. And again, I think like you just, when you get the call and you're like, oh my gosh, somebody wants me. Um, Macey:26:04 And I think the other thing is when you're getting those calls and making your decisions, you are setting a pattern for yourself in how you work with that person. And you need to think about setting up a pattern that's going to keep working for you. You need to not be scared to email your agent, right? And that can start early, you know? Um, I pester my agent on Twitter sometimes and gently troll her by suggesting I'm going to write a new book where the entire plot is one Flovence and the Machine's song. Kaelyn:26:37 Um, I mean, you're going to do that though, right? Macey:26:40 Maybe. But then she's like, Macy, that's not what plot means. I'm like, I, I'll fix it later. Kaelyn:26:45 You have some stuff you have to tell us about coming up with you and your life. You're headed to Ireland. Macey:26:52 Yes. My podcast is a finalist for Best Fan Cast at the Hugo's Be The Serpent. And so that's exciting and scary and awesome. Kaelyn:27:01 That's amazing and wonderful and just the greatest thing. Macey:27:05 Yeah, I'm honestly like we, you were completely gobsmacked and amazed just to be on the list and I'm so happy with how many new people have been brought in just to hear a few episodes of the podcast and hopefully stick with us cause I'm really fond of what we do. Kaelyn:27:21 Yeah. So do you want to tell everyone a little bit about like what the podcast is? Macey:27:24 Sure. Kaelyn:27:25 Why it's so awesome. Macey:27:27 It's called Be The Serpent and it is a podcast where three redheaded fantasy authors dissect tropes and patterns and themes in media, in literature, and in fan fiction. Kaelyn:27:40 Do you want to hear three people that just genuinely love and enjoy each other's company. Macey:27:46 And make a lot of dick jokes together. Kaelyn:27:48 And that absolutely that. Come for the friendship - . Macey:27:55 And there's one other thing that's coming up. Myself, Janeen Southard and Danielle Wexler are putting together a Kickstarter, which hopefully should be out in October sometime to fund an anthology of queer ff stories about swords, women and their princess lieges. Kaelyn:28:14 It's going to be amazing. I'm so excited when it was funny because of Rekka had mentioned like, oh, and you have to make sure to remind Macy about the Kickstarter. And so I was like, and hey, tell me about this Kickstarter. Like, oh well it's a ways off still, but here's what it is. And I was like, this is going to be awesome. Macey:28:33 It's going to be so cool. We have so much awesome artwork lined up for people as rewards and stretch goals. And one of our first stretch goals is to hopefully open slush so we can have open call and lots of people can send us their amazing weapons sapphic stories and I can't wait to read all of them Kaelyn:28:54 It's going to be fantastic. A project doesn't, doesn't have a title yet. Macey:28:58 Nope, but we've got some really cool people attached. Um, like Alliette Bardard, Kelly Robson, JY Yang. Kaelyn:29:04 Oh, awesome. That's, that's so great. So, um, yeah, where the Kickstarter is not up yet. There isn't a title yet, but when there is, we'll be sure to put in the show notes and uh, you know, hopefully, you know, you'll have something, you know, we can have put out on Twitter to the masses because that just, it sounds like it's going to be amazing. So, um, okay, well thank you so much for taking the time. Talk to us. Where can people find you? Macey:29:28 I have a website which is EnglishMace.com and I'm on Twitter @EnglishMace and the podcast is Be The Serpent on Podbean, on iTunes, on Google play or wherever you get podcasts. Thank you so much for bringing me. Nino: 29:43 I'm Nino Cipri. Um, I'm a queer and Trans Writer. I've written all kinds of different things, mostly focusing on fiction. Um, I have written screenplays, essays, um, so many angry emails, so many, uh, I have two books that are coming out in the next year. Um, my first collection of short stories is coming out in October. It's called homesick. I'm very excited about that. And then in February, I have haven't developed coming out with Tor.com that's called Finna. I write in a bunch of different genres. The like kind of main main through line is that a lot of my stories have like, they're kind of funny. They have a lot of feelings and they're pretty queer. Um, but I've written like horror, I've written science fiction, I've written like fantasy. I actually wrote a story that's like almost entirely like non genre. There's no spec- the only speculative is that there's like 3 million old or 3 million year old fossils of like intelligent weasels and that's it. Rekka:30:47 That's all you need. Nino: 30:48 That's all I needed. Rekka:30:50 Okay. So with that list of, um, of writing styles and subject matter and genre, um, who was in charge of wrangling your writing career? Nino: 30:59 Uh, I like that wrangling. Um, I am represented by DongWon Song of the Howard Morhaim Agency. Rekka:31:06 And how did you come to choose DongWon? So I actually had kind of a weird journey towards that. I wasn't planning on getting an agent until I had a novel finished, um, which I didn't actually. Um, but in sometime early in the fall, I decided kind of on a whim to enter a contest, uh, like, um, uh, what was it? It was like a short story collection contest with a small press called Dezink. Um, and I had no, like thought that I would win it and then I did and I was shocked and like appalled and I was like, what do you need? Nino: 31:40 Um, but then I had a book deal and then I needed an agent. Um, so I turned as so many millennials do to my friends. Um, and I called a bunch of different people that I knew that all had different agents that I was like, I had been kind of eyeballing them for like, okay, when I start going out and query, I'm going to, I'm going to contact these people. Um, but the fact that I had a book deal like in hand and I needed to sign a contract at some point very soon or reject it, um, kind of sped the process up a lot. So I think I ended up, I talked to a bunch of different friends. I came up with a list of I think like four people who all represented like other writers that I knew pretty well. Um, I asked those friends a lot of questions about like, what the like relationship was like, kind of like exactly like what you're doing. Nino: 32:31 Um, and then ask those friends if they would be willing to, you know, with their agent's permission, like write me a letter of introduction. Um, and I think three of the people, like three of the agents were like, yeah, sure, just like have them email me. Um, and I, one was one of them. I talked to JY Young, um, who is fabulous and awesome and I don't, I don't really know their faces right now because I'm sure everybody knows. Rekka:32:59 Yeah. Nino: 32:59 So it actually ended up coming down to, cause I was talking with a couple of other agents, um, I had to, I got two offers and then ended up going with DongWon. Um, and then almost immediately after like got another book deals. So I feel like I kind of like prove my worth, like, technically? Rekka:33:15 Well no regrets. Right? Nino: 33:18 Yeah. Rekka:33:20 So, um, that's an interesting way to come about having an agent is having the contract first. Um, yeah, which is funny because we think about like the, the power dynamic between the author who is querying and the agent who must, you know, judge and, and accept or, or you know, there's several stages of acceptance with the agent and um, it feels like you kind of get to skip ahead in line a little bit because like, um, not only do you have a book deal, but you also have a little bit of a time pressure that you can leverage to say like, Hey, um, there's a bit of a of a time crunch on this. Could you just let me know real quick? So did, um, so normally when an agent replies to a query, they are requesting a full or a partial or, or some, um, step forward from whatever has been queried. So what were you querying with and what was the next step from there? Nino: 34:15 Like what I sent to DongWon, like the other agents that I was talking to, I sent them like the manuscript for the, um, for the short story collection. Okay. And just be like, this is what is getting published. I think I sent them the contract that was on offer as well. Um, and then I also sent them like, I think the first 10 pages of the novel in progress that I had, which was a young adult horror novel. Um, and it was just like, this is not finished. Just so you know, like just when I tried to be like very, very transparent with that. Like, here's what I've got, here's the first chapter of it, or like the first half of the first chapter. Um, so you can get like an idea of like what I'm, what I'm working on next. Okay. And then I am working on something. Rekka:34:59 And so the contract was an offer for that future novel? Is that what it was or is it the contract for the short story? Nino: 35:05 The contract was for the short story. Rekka:35:06 Okay. Gotcha. Okay. So now you have an agent, you already have a contract, you've already sold a short story. Um, so the agent and you, I'm sorry DongWon and you began to work on that novel together. Is that what the next step is? Nino: 35:22 I should mentioned that all of this was happening when I was in my last year of an MFA program. Yeah. This was, it was like the last six months of it. Rekka:35:30 Okay. Nino: 35:32 So there was like a bunch of different things going on. Um, so on the heels of this offer for the short story collection, um, the novella that was in there was originally in that short story collection. Um, I had also submitted to Tor and Tor.com like novella submission window. Rekka:35:49 Right. Nino: 35:49 Um, and which was like, I double check to make sure that I could do simultaneous submissions and I did. Um, but the thing that people say might happen but never ever will actually happen, happened to me where like I had the offer and I had withdrawn it, um, from Tor immediately. And then like Carl Anglay was just like, I want that. Nino: 36:14 Yeah. So he ended up calling DongWon, DongWon called me. We both called my publisher at the, at Dezink. Just be like, um, so this awkward thing is happening. Yeah. Um, so that was the next thing we actually started working on was something else that like was already the kind of like fell into our lap. Um, which was really nice. And so now, um, like all of that had to be kind of like taken care of. I edited, finished up. Um, so now I'm trying to finish up like revisions on my novel. Um, I finished the first draft. I think this was also my like masters thesis. So I finished the first draft sometime in April I think, and then sends it on to him and like we made a revision plan and yeah, that's what we're working on now. Rekka:37:01 Okay. Alright. So the novels that you have, the books, um, I didn't catch the length that you have coming out in the future. Are these different? Nino: 37:11 Yeah, the short story collection, one novella. And I'm trying to work on a novel and like also there's like a screenplay that's like way over there that I think I was just going to be like, can you just make it fiction? Rekka:37:23 So, um, how is working with DongWon on your novel versus working on the contracts and all the business like communications. Nino: 37:32 So with the other two manuscripts, he was fairly hands off. Um, when we were talking about like, uh, trying to like maneuver one Novella into Tor's hands and then like another novella to this to, to Dezank. Um, he read the like replacement novella cause I was like, you know, this is a pretty rough draft. I didn't, you know, it needs another couple of revisions for sure. Do you want to read it and let me know what you think of it? Like here's my thoughts about it. Um, so he gave me like, he was mostly just like, yeah, I think I agree with basically everything that you, you know, all of your instincts on what through revise are good in my opinion. Um, but he also knew that like, uh, the editor at design would have like a lot more, um, specific feedback. Nino: 38:19 So he was like, here's like the kind of like big picture stuff that I think too you need to work on. Um, the novella, like, because it was already thought, like he was just like, you know, didn't really have any, anything to really say about that one I don't think cause you knew like Carl would be Carl Anglered at Tor would have, you know, his own feedback that he would want implemented. Um, with the novel. He read it and he like, we met for drinks and he was like, okay, we've got like basically one of four ways that you can revise this. Like, and was really good at just trying to figure out first like, what was my vision of this book? Like what did I actually think this was about? And ones that I want it to be. Um, you know, he's like, is this an adult horror novel? Is this young adult or is this about trauma? Um, and it was like we figured out there's like, we like what it was and then how to get it closer to that. Rekka:39:11 Okay, great. So that was all over drinks. You just like hashed it out in person? Nino: 39:15 Pretty much. Yeah. I mean, I, and he said that because he said he wanted to do that because he could tell like there was different directions that it could be, it could go, um, like, and that is easier to figure out in person rather than like over email. Sure. And you don't really appreciate cause yeah, yeah. Email him that. Rekka:39:35 Well plus the back and forth, the time lag and then trying to phrase things correctly without the context of facial expression and volume and enthusiasm is, is different. Okay. Nino: 39:47 When I first signed with him, I was living in Kansas. I'm attempting to move to New York. I have, I'm trying to find a job here. Rekka:39:54 Oh, okay. Nino: 39:55 - permanently, but yeah. Um, even before my partner Nibs lives here, so I was here pretty regularly, like every, I've maybe every other month. Rekka:40:04 Okay. So it wasn't, it wasn't out of your way. It wasn't like come to this expensive conference and then we'll meet and have this, have this meeting. So that's good. Awesome. How often would you say you check in with DongWon? Nino: 40:17 Hmm. He's good at like telling me the things that I need to know. But he also, I think respects the fact that I'm like, you know, we're both very busy people. I'm trying to find a job. He has a bunch of, he's got like several other clients and travels a lot. Yeah. Um, we check in like fairly regularly. I would say like maybe once a month, twice a month, something like that. And he'll send me updates on things like, you know, oh, there was film interest in this thing. Um, I'm just going to let you know. And also here's what you should maybe expect out of that. Which of course was not much, but it's nice. Consider it a complement. Rekka:40:54 Yeah, definitely. Definitely. So if someone you knew was in your position where you were after you won this contest or, um, in the position of somebody who hadn't won anything for, um, their writing yet, but was looking for an agent to represent their work, would you have any tips for that person, what they could expect or what, what you would recommend they do? Nino: 41:15 So in this, I would say like definitely if you have a community like if you know other writers like talk to them about their agents, talk to them about, um, like what are the reasons like that I signed with them. Like what were their expectations going in versus what, um, you, they've learned since then. Like what the reality actually is. Um, and like I and I, I actually have like talked to some people like who are going out, like starting to query it and I'm just like, you should absolutely do what I did. Absolutely. Get your friends for at you like introduction. Rekka:41:49 Yeah. Nino: 41:50 Your friends are willing to and their agents are okay with it. Like right there. Right. Get them to write you introductions. Like, I feel like anything that can kind of like put you a little bit ahead is helpful. Um, and I don't think it's like breaking the rules at least as far as I know. Maybe there are rules, but like, like nobody told me that when I was starting. Rekka:42:10 So, so your tip is, um, no, no rules and just go forward. Nino: 42:15 Well, and I think too, like agents, especially ones that are trying to find like build their client base are really good at like trying to make themselves accessible in various ways with DongWon, like I know that he's really active and like going to cons and like, um, talking to new writers and doing all of these things. So if that opportunity presents itself to like talk to an agent, then yeah, absolutely. Do that. Like go to go to a conference or a convention if that's something that's available to you. Rekka:42:43 Awesome. All right, cool. So community basically is, is the center of the universe for making this happen? Nino: 42:49 That is absolutely, yeah. That's like the, all the advice I ever have about writing comes down to just like just to build, build better in larger communities. Rekka:42:57 Awesome. Nino: 42:58 Yeah. Hunger communities. Rekka:42:59 Yes. 100%. All right. So um, you'll give us the names of the two books before. Just remind us before we let you go. Nino: 43:08 Okay. Yeah, so in October the my short story collection Homesick is going to be released from Dzanc Books. You can preorder it now. Yes, you can absolutely preorder it now. Um, and then Finna, which is a novella is going to be up from tour.com in February. Rekka:43:25 Okay, great. And we will include links to that in our show notes and thank you so much for your time and we really appreciate you coming on and sharing your experience. Cause like you said, learning from your friends, learning from others in the writing community is, is like such a great resource. Nino: 43:38 It is. It is. Oh God. Yeah. I would not be anywhere without my friends. Rekka:43:42 Absolutely. Awesome. Well thank you so much. I really appreciate your time. Nino: 43:46 Thanks you too. Rekka:44:04 Thanks everyone for joining us for another episode of we make books. If you have any questions that you want answered in future episodes or just have questions in general, remember you can find us on Twitter @wmbcast, same for Instagram or WMB cast.com if you find value in the content that we provide, we would really appreciate your support@patreon.com/WMBcast. If you can't provide financial support, we totally understand and what you could really do to help us is spread the word about this podcast. You can do that by sharing a particular episode with a friend who can find it useful. Or if you leave a rating and review at iTunes, it will feed that algorithm and help other people find our podcast too. Of course, you can always retweet our episodes on Twitter. Thank you so much for listening and we will talk to you soon.
Hi everyone, and thank you for tuning in to another episode of the We Make Books Podcast - A podcast about writing, publishing, and everything in between! Week Three of Submissions September and we’re on part two of Agents Week! For this episode we got to talk to three agented authors to hear about their journey and experience in signing with their literary agent. Tyler Hayes, Sam Hawke, and Caitlin Starling were all kind enough to tell us their stories, share their experiences, and even offer some insight and wisdom. You can (and should!) check them all out on Twitter, Instagram, and their website, all of which are linked below! In case you’re just joining us, this month is Submissions September on the We Make Books Podcast! We’re doing seven (7!) episodes this month all about the process of submitting your novel. We have a lot of awesome discussions lined up and even some special guests. Here’s what will be coming your way for the month: Week 1 (9/3/2019): Is This Ready For Other People to See?- Submitting Your Manuscript Week 2 (9/10/2019): My Entire Novel in Three Hundred Words - The Dreaded Query Letter Week 3 (9/17/2019): Agents of Literature, Part 1: An Interview with Literary Agent Caitlin McDonald (9/18/2019): Agents of Literature, Part 2: Interviews with Agented Authors (9/19/2019): Agents of Literature Part 3: Interviews with Agented Authors Week 4 (9/24/2019):What is Going On Over There? - The Other Side of the Submissions Process Week 5 (9/30/2019): Now I’m Even More Confused – Submissions September Q&A Episode We Make Books is hosted by Rekka Jay and Kaelyn Considine; Rekka is a published author and Kaelyn is an editor and together they are going to take you through what goes into getting a book out of your head, on to paper, in to the hands of a publisher, and finally on to book store shelves. We Make Books is a podcast for writer and publishers, by writers and publishers and we want to hear from our listeners! Hit us up on our social media, linked below, and send us your questions, comments, concerns, and well, never mind about the football-related stress relief suggestions, Daniel Jones it is. We hope you enjoy We Make Books! Twitter: @WMBCast | @KindofKaelyn | @BittyBittyZap Instagram: @WMBCast Patreon.com/WMBCast And check out this episode’s interviewees! Tyler Hayes- 00:01:28 - 00:15:34 Represented by Lisa Abellera of Kimberley Cameron & Associates http://www.kimberleycameron.com/lisa-abellera.php https://tyler-hayes.com/ https://twitter.com/the_real_tyler The Imaginary Corpse https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/shop/fantasy/the-imaginary-corpse/ ==== Sam Hawke- 00:15:35 - 00:25:42 Represented by Julie Crisp of Julie Crisp Literary Agency http://www.juliecrisp.co.uk/ https://samhawkewrites.com/ https://twitter.com/samhawkewrites City of Lies: https://samhawkewrites.com/books/buy-sams-books/ === Caitlin Starling- 00:25:43 - 00:40:36 Represented by Caitlin McDonald https://literallycait.tumblr.com/ of DMLA http://maassagency.com/ https://www.caitlinstarling.com/ https://twitter.com/see_starling The Luminous Dead https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062846907/the-luminous-dead/ Rekka:00:01 Welcome back to, we make books, a podcast about writing, publishing and everything in between. I am Rekka and I write science fiction and fantasy as RJ Theodore. Kaelyn:00:10 And I'm Kaelyn. I am the acquisitions editor for Parvus Press. Rekka:00:14 So today is the first of our two episodes where we talk to authors about their experience with their agents, getting their agent and working with them. Kaelyn:00:23 Yeah. And our previous episode we talked to Caitlin McDonald who is an agent, but we wanted to talk to some authors that have agents because hearing an agent is one thing. Hearing an author who has done this is another. Rekka:00:37 So we got a bunch of them. Kaelyn:00:39 Yeah. And um, you're, you'll hear in this, uh, this episode, these three authors all kind of have different paths to this. There really isn't like the standard story of how you got there. Um, we talked to Sam Hawk, Tyler Hayes and Caitlin Starling. Rekka:00:54 Cause they're individual interviews, this episode goes a tiny bit long. Kaelyn:00:57 A bit long. Rekka:00:57 So we'll, we'll make room for the other episodes you've gotta listen to this week and we hope that this week on agents is serving you well and getting you excited. Kaelyn:01:07 So thanks everyone. Enjoy the episode. Speaker 2: 01:13 [music] Tyler: 01:28 My name is Tyler Hayes. Uh, I've been, I've been writing for about 25 years and writing for money for 16 of that. Um, and my, my debut novel, the Imaginary Corpse is coming out from Angry Robot on September 10th. So I'm repped by Lisa Avalara at Kimberly Cameron and Associates. They're up here in northern California near me. So my story is a little bit backwards from typical, um, in that I actually had the offer on the book before I had an agent. Um, I had been following the kind of normal path of query, partial request, full request, reject, reject, reject, reject. Um, so I was piling up rejections, uh, on this book and they were all those like, you're almost there. Types of rejections. Like it was a lot of, I loved this, but I don't know where I'd put it. And so I don't want to offer to represent it when I'm not confident to where I'd place it. Kaelyn:02:27 Okay. As far as rejections go better than others. Tyler: 02:32 Yes, indeed. And I got of course a few, I formed out a few places, but the, the ones that were personalized, we're all like, God, I wish I knew where to put this, but I'm sorry. Kaelyn:02:42 Yeah. Tyler: 02:43 Um, so midway through that, uh, I got the notice for through my writing community, um, that Angry Robot books was doing their open door period, which they do once a year. Um, and I thought, well, worst case I'll be exactly where I am now if they say no, so I'll go ahead and send it and then I'll keep doing what I'm doing. And I just sent it and like made a note, you know, that it had happened and kind of set the, the drop dead date on it just so I knew when to not bother talking to them if something happened. And uh, just kept going and uh, I kept piling up the rejections. I got more and more discouraged. I had a real heart to heart with some of my critique partners and we actually agreed we were going to temporarily trunk the Imaginary Corpse. Um, not because it was bad, but because we're like, probably the problem. Kaelyn:03:33 Wait, Tyler, trunk? You missed a perfectly good myster pun there. Bury! Come on. Tyler: 03:41 Right. You know, we'll see. This is why I take multiple drafts. Um, so, um, so we're talking about, I'm talking about, uh, just burying this thing out in the desert and pulling it out later, basically saying it's good, but probably this will be a better second or third book. This will be an easier book to sell when you have a name to market it on. And um, and I said, you know, I think you've got a point. As much as I love this book, it's probably time to say goodbye. I'll let this set of queries kind of peter out and if none of them end in an offer, uh, I'll say goodbye and we'll move onto the next thing. And literally I made that decision and then came into my office job the next morning and I had an email waiting for me from Angry Robot books saying, we love this and we want to publish it next year. Uh, this was in summer 2018 after I finished biting down on my hand, so I didn't scream in the middle of my office. I, uh, you know, I finished screaming internally, told all the people who you typically tell, oh my God, I've got an offer. And they were, who reminded me do not pass go, get an agent. So I followed up with via three agents at the time, had my query and had not said anything. Tyler: 04:53 Um, oh, that's not true. One hit it asked for a partial. Okay. Um, so I emailed those three, uh, and also one who also told me like, she took like a full request to decide I can't sell this. So I emailed her too, cause why not? And basically I got to, I've got two people who said, no. Uh, I still don't think, I don't feel strongly enough about the project to feel good taking you on. Um, and then I got to, who actually did the infamous agent call? Uh, one of them was Lisa. Um, and, uh, after a, some thought, you know, I did the normal thing. I took the calls, told them both give me a few days. Um, and I went with Lisa basically because of her enthusiasm, um, was a lot of it. Uh, I got on the phone with her and she was enthusiastic. Tyler: 05:39 She was warm and she was kind, and she also took very seriously that I wanted to be a full time writer. Um, and she, and, but she also made sure I knew what kind of work goes into that. She was not like, Oh yeah, we can absolutely get you there. She said, well, okay, we can try, but here's the path that you are going on at that point. Here's when I think it makes sense for you to tell your day job: See Ya. Um, and so that also really won me over. I was like, oh good. She takes me seriously. But she's not, uh, you know, she's not trying to sugar coat it either. She's just saying like, we'll, we'll work to that, but we will work to get there. So, um, so yeah, so that's, that's my story. She gave me an offer, I accepted the offer and we wound up negotiating with angry robot. And here we are. Kaelyn:06:29 That's, I mean, that's fantastic. That, you know, could not have gone more smoothly aside from, you know, all of the other rejections previous to that. Tyler: 06:36 Yeah, absolutely. There, there were a few crying jags, but you know, that's, that's the business. Kaelyn:06:41 It's a rite of passage, you know, if - Tyler: 06:42 Right. Kaelyn:06:43 Um, so because you had that really interesting, you know, sort of path to this, I think people listening to this might hear that and say, why do I then need to, I want to in who I'm going to have to give another percentage of my money to? So obviously you're very excited to have your agent and happy with them. So why were they worth it? That seems like a no brainer. Tyler: 07:07 Okay. So they were worth it because I was not confident in my own negotiation power. Um, I knew that I was not coming from a place of strength in negotiating with a publisher. Um, and I knew I wasn't coming from a place of experience. Um, whereas Lisa, uh, when she spoke to me was immediately like, you know, she, uh, she immediately went, ah, you know, I know what, uh, probably the boiler plate contract looks like, and I know that I can get you something a little bit better in negotiations. I mean, Kaelyn:07:38 Which you'd like to hear. Tyler: 07:40 Yeah, absolutely. Um, and she was not um, just to be clear, I can say of my publisher here that she was not critical Angry Robot. She was just like, I know that this is an opening offer and I can, you know, if I can get you a little bit more in a negotiation, um, and just the relief of no, somebody who knows what they're doing with the business side, we'll be going to bat for that for my rights, for my advance rather than me with my, you know, I know a little something about something, but I'm not an a, I'm not a professional negotiator, you know, rather than me just going, well, I'd like a little bit more please. Kaelyn:08:19 Yeah. Maybe extra money? Yeah, no, it's okay. You know what? I don't need the money. You guys should have it. Yeah. I think that's a good point that you brought up though that um, there's a lot of people don't consider with the agent and everything they're thinking is, you know, advanced royalties, money. There's a lot of other stuff that goes into these, like rights is a huge part of it. What are the agents know these things that, like you said, shoot, I know the boiler plate here. I know what they're going to send you already because I'm sure she's dealt with them. Tyler: 08:47 Yeah. That was the other thing was that I found really helpful was that she was able to also, uh, reassure me about, she was able to explain my contract to me in language that I understood because of course it's written in legal-ese, which exists for a reason, but is hard for a lay person to interpret. And she was able to get on the phone with me and say, so this clause means this, that clause means that. Kaelyn:09:10 Yup. Tyler: 09:10 I understand the wording here is alarming. But actually what they're saying is, um, and, and she was also able to tell me what wasn't, wasn't unusual, you know, she was able to say like, so this clause here, literally every publisher will put this clause in the contract. This clause here is news to me, but possibly it's because they're British, not American. Let me look into that. Kaelyn:09:35 Yeah. Tyler: 09:35 And that was the other thing is she was like, I'll, I'll check with the other people I know who've worked with Angry Robot or other British publishers, make sure that I'm not raising an eyebrow at something that just has to do with UK copyright law, et Cetera. Kaelyn:09:47 Yeah. I, I, well see, it's funny because I'm very involved with the contracts at Parvus. Tyler: 09:51 Right. Kaelyn:09:52 And I'm even sometimes having to go like, wait a second. Okay. Right. Yes. That thing, I remember that now. So yeah, having someone who can walk in and that is so tremendously helpful and important so that you know what you're signing. Tyler: 10:04 Yes. Kaelyn:10:05 So you signed the agreement and then, you know, what came next? Tyler: 10:10 Of course we had the negotiation until we signed. Uh, and then it's been follow up on the negotiation. Um, you know, checking in about stuff like publicity, um, you know, like making sure that I'm aware of what expected next steps are, which Angry Robot, of course, it also has a publicity manager. A shout out to Jenna who is amazing. Um, but, uh, you know, but both of them, both her and Lisa are working with me to say, okay, these are the things we're going to expect you to do. This is the sort of stuff we recommend in Lisa states, ss going: So my authors at a similar level to you, I've had a lot of success doing this and that, so let's try to make sure that's on the schedule. Um, and then kind of the other stuff has been follow up, uh, getting ready for the next project and kind of making sure we're both on the same page about what we're doing next and where we want to go up is of course the answer. Kaelyn:11:03 Yeah. What we're kind of finishing with everyone it advice that you have or something that surprised you about this process. Tyler: 11:11 As far as what surprised me, I think I was, this is going to sound cynical at first, so give me a minute to explain it. I was surprised by how little really matters in a query packet, by which I mean, you know, I, I've mentored several people I've worked with folks. I'm kind of coming up behind me trying to get their debut together and I thought the same things they did. I thought I should in my bio list, everything that was even vaguely tangentially related to writing. Um, I that I should, you know, mention any scholarship I got that might apply to creative writing that I should talk about how much people loved my short stories in high school, that sort of thing. Um, when really what they want in a query is they want a query letter that pops in whatever way they want you to follow their darn directions and they want to see a good book. Kaelyn:12:08 And if you've got something else that's great, but it's gravy. As, as for advice, I guess my biggest advice would be for finding an agent. Um, do your research. Like really look for someone who seems like a good fit. Who, uh, I can, I can highly recommend Query Tracker. I highly recommend manuscriptwishlist.com. Tyler: 12:28 That's a great website. Kaelyn:12:30 Yes. I, uh, I also recommend looking at, uh, like writers conferences and pitch parties and stuff that are happening to find out who's going, not necessarily to go yourself though if you, if that's your bag, fantastic. But I'm not really into the like speed pitching type thing. Um, but that was actually how I found Lisa was I found out she was doing a writer's conference in near me and I went, oh, she's out there. She's actively growing her client list. You know, she is seeking out new people to represent. Tyler: 13:00 This is the type of agent I want to talk to as opposed to just cold emailing agents and going, I think you're looking for someone new. You're not listed as closed. So, um, but also, uh, my biggest thing once you're talking to them, but once you are actually corresponding with agents, whether it's the legendary agent call or just emails, um, look for someone who is a good fit, who feels right to you. And I know that sounds very vague and kind of crystal vibration-y, um, but seriously, look for someone who you talk to and you feel this is a good fit. This is a personality fit because they are your business partner. When it comes down to it. Kaelyn:13:41 You said something very telling when you were talking about why you decided to go with Lisa was that she was excited and enthusiastic. Tyler: 13:49 Yes. Kaelyn:13:50 Working ... do this is, this is a business partner. This is someone that is going to help you be the most successful that you possibly can. And if they're not excited, that's not gonna, probably not going to work out great in the long run. Tyler: 14:05 Yeah, I I knew so related story, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but down the road from the book was at the book was, was finally edited. It was going to proofs. I didn't, they have to touch it anymore. And so Lisa and I had to call about, okay, what's next? And I told her my idea for my next book that I was in the process of writing at the time. And she actually gaspedout loud on the phone. She was like, oh, that sounds amazing. And I was like, see, now I know for sure. I've done the right thing. Kaelyn:14:34 What a gratifying feeling that must have been. Tyler: 14:34 That's what you want. You want that agent - Exactly right. I was like, oh my gosh, you know. Oh good. I really did pick the right person. Like I hadn't, no doubt, but it was that beautiful reaction of like no, good! This, this is a partnership where I know she wants to sell this work because she wants to read it. So the Imaginary Corpse is a weird fantasy about a plush dinosaur and ex-imaginary friend investigating the first serial killer of the imagination. Uh, it is out from Angry Robot books. Uh, you can pick it up from your friendly local bookstore or directly from Angry Robot's website or from the usual online book vendors. Kaelyn:15:07 Okay. Awesome. So yeah, check that out. How can people find you online? Tyler: 15:10 The easiest places to find me are Twitter at, @the_real_Tyler,underscores, between the words. So the underscore real underscore Tyler. Um, or an Instagram @TylerHayesbooks. All one word also on my website, Tyler-Hayes.com. Kaelyn:15:25 Congratulations on the book, I know we're recording in the future, so I will wish you good luck with the book launch and uh, so that sounds fantastic. Tyler: 15:32 Thank you. Rekka:15:34 [sound effect] Sam: 15:35 I'm Sam Book. I'm going to scifi and fantasy writer. My first book City of Lies, came out last year in July and I'm currently working on the sequel. Rekka:15:43 The City of Lies, which I happened to have read is a, uh, an award winning book. I notice you're, you're a little too humble to say, so I'll say it for you. Quadrupl now? Was it four awards now for that one? Sam: 15:56 It has won a few. Yeah. Rekka:15:58 Fantastic. Well, congratulations. So could you tell us who your agent is and how you chose them? Sam: 16:05 Oh, well my agent is Julie Crisp, in London. Um, applied to a whole bunch of agents when I was query and um, ended up having conversations with um, a few different agents in the UK and in the US um, all of whom were really lovely. And, um, all of whom were enthusiastic about my work and um, I got along really well with all of them on the call. I think ultimately I chose Julie, uh, because of her editing background, uh, in particular because I was a very isolated writer. And I really didn't, um, we hadn't really worked with anyone who'd ever edited me before. I've, well I can probably use it. Um, so Julie was the, um, acquisitions editor at UK Tor before she switched to agenting. So she has a really strong editing background. Um, and she has some really strong ideas for changes to the book. Um, so ultimately that was, that was probably the key. Rekka:16:58 Okay, cool. So you, you kind of knew what you wanted out of an agent in addition to your representation and someone who would submit to publishers that might be out of reach. Otherwise, you also like had a strong sense that you needed somebody who was going to be involved in the editorial process with you before that even happened. Sam: 17:17 Yeah, I think that's, that's right. Because as I said, I really hadn't worked that much on my writing with anybody. I'd been very solitary. Rekka:17:25 What was the experience, I assume you, um, made a revision or two on City of Lies before it went out to some. Sam: 17:33 Yeah, so we actually did some pretty enormous revisions on it um, in that time. So we probably took out from when I signed to when we actually went out on sub, it was probably eight or nine months. Rekka:17:45 Okay. New Speaker: 17:45 Cause I do kind of a massive structural change in the where Julie had suggested that I balance the, the two point of view characters differently. So I essentially had to kind of pull the book completely apart, work out what scenes needed to be in what perspective and kind of rebalance, rebalance it and put it all back together again. Which um, is a very, um, look, it was a difficult - Rekka:18:13 Yes. New Speaker: 18:13 process, bit totally worth it in the end. It definitely made it a better book. Rekka:18:17 Um, POV shifts and like tiny adjustments to POVs can make such a rippling effect on a revision pass. New Speaker: 18:25 Oh my God, so much you think it wouldn't be that hard to switch from one to the other, you know singles? It was, it was so hard and so different because the two characters, even though they're quite similar in terms of, um, they'll rise in the same way and they have a kind of similar perspective, um, they still, they still react to situations differently and they differently notice things, different things about a scenario. So, um, changing from one to the other, even it's just not defined. Rekka:18:51 It was not a find and replace of the name. Yeah, New Speaker: 18:52 Not the same thing. Yeah. Rekka:18:54 Yeah. Awesome. Well, okay, so what other kinds of interactions do you have with Julie? Um, in terms of, um, like copy editing or line editing, um, and then the submissions process and, um, what, what do you rely on her for in your author career? New Speaker: 19:14 Well, she kind of, um, pulls me back from the edge when I'm being in giant baby. Rekka:19:19 So emotional support. New Speaker: 19:21 Emotional support, you know that, um, there's a Gif of a little boy holding onto a rope and wailing and crying in what looks like fast running water. And then his guardian comes over and standing up and he's actually sort of standing at thigh high water and it's not dangerous at all. Rekka:19:38 Right. New Speaker: 19:39 That's how I feel about me, me, me sort of panicky about things and her talking me down. Um, yeah. So no, I use it very much. It's, I'm a person who's kind of always my advocate and on my team and helping me, um, get through this sometimes quite challenging business so that in addition to the support she gives me in terms of editing and she still works really, she worked really extensively on the book. Even after we'd signed with a publisher and know a lot of agents would kind of step back at the point of which they've sold the book and say, you know, that's the publisher's job now. I've kind of done my part and Julie very much doesn't do that. Rekka:20:15 And she was involved all the way through the copy editing stage and, and um, basically just anything that I need, she always makes herself available. Um, which has just been really, really invaluable to me. New Speaker: 20:29 Yeah. To know that there's always somebody who's got your back and will reinforce your decisions and stuff like that. Rekka:20:35 Exactly. New Speaker: 20:36 Awesome. Um, so how often do you check in with her? Is this like a weekly or a biweekly or monthly? Rekka:20:45 Uh, it, it depends what's going on. So when there's a lot of stuff going on, we could talk every couple of days when it's just sort of like right now where I'm just drafting a new material. They may, it might be less frequent, but yeah, if you've, when you're on submission, I was checking in quite regularly and when there's a lot of things happening anywhere around the kind of releases, the first book last year was a very busy time and I was harassing her constantly. She's very good about it. Rekka:21:13 And when you were putting the book out in submission, had you worked on the pitches for the publishers together or did you, uh, you know, throw up your hands after you queried agents and say, okay, no, you can do it please. Sam: 21:27 She handled that, that um but entirely. Um, I mean, I think to some extent she used some material that I developed in terms of pitching agents. Um, she, she kind of used some of that in her pitches to publishes, I think. But one of the good things about having an agent, um, is they're kind of preexisting relationships with, with people in the industry and they know what particular editors are looking for and they're kind of in a much better place than I am to know what we'll work on a particular person. So I left that entirely in her. Rekka:22:00 Yeah, I can, I can understand, um, being relieved that you don't have to be part of that process. Um, I'm a micromanager, so I don't know, Sam: 22:10 I'm bad at talking about, about, about what my book is about. Yeah. Rekka:22:12 Yeah. I think every author is guilty of that for sure. So if you were talking to a new author or an unrepresented author who was looking for an agent, what tips would you give them about, um, seeking someone to represent them? Sam: 22:27 I will, I would say there's so much information available now about how to do a good job of pitching and approaching agents, um, that there's really, as long as you're well prepared, there's really no excuse for making dumb mistakes that are gonna get you eliminated before you even get a chance. So take your time and do your research, um, approach the, the, the query letter or whatever you're using to, to approach the person as a business proposal. So you're looking to, to strike up a business relationship with somebody. So you want to sound like a person that they want to do business with. So, you know, don't be a dick. Rekka:23:04 Fair enough. I mean, there it is. Okay. Awesome. So, no, I think that's a great tip. It's like there is, like you said, so much guidance out there, there are tons of blog posts about how to write a query letter. There are, uh, editors and agents who post query letters they've received, you know, that have been scrubbed for identity, but they kind of pick them apart and say like, here's why this isn't working or here's why this is a good example. And then there are plenty of people, um, you know, within anyone's, uh, general, uh, community that could offer advice or can even, you know, um, send people in the direction of a, of an agent that they might be interested in. Yeah. Sam: 23:45 Yeah, I think that's right. The information is there. Um, so don't, you know, don't rush it. But on the other hand you can also over research forever. I probably [laughs] I'm an over preparer. Rekka:23:56 Oh yeah. Sam: 23:56 You don't need like the 11 spreadsheets in one. All the colors probably. Rekka:23:59 Oh, come on. New Speaker: 24:00 I had that. Unless you really love spreadsheets like I do that. Sam: 24:04 Yeah. New Speaker: 24:04 In which case it's a delight. Rekka:24:06 Well, it, they can be calming, right? Like they can be reassuring. Like, look, I have facts. There are cells. Um, why don't you, uh, plug City of Lies again, the award winning City of Lies. Um, so our, our listeners know, um, like basically give us your elevator pitch. Sam: 24:21 Uh, City of Lies is uh basically a closed room murder mystery set, you know, a besieged city. So it's about a couple of siblings whose family are poisoned tasters for their, the ruling family of the city. Um, there at the beginning of the book, their uncle, uh, the current poison taster and the chancellor of the city are both killed by an unknown poison. And then the city falls under the sage, seemingly from its own people and our main characters, the brother and sister have to try to figure out who, who killed their uncle and the chancellor, um, prevent that person from doing the same to the new chancellor and figure out what's happening with the rebellion, um, before that whole city falls, I guess. Rekka:25:05 Yeah. You know, it's funny you say it's a closed roommurder mystery and you're totally right. Even though it's like in an open world city. Um, they are definitely, um, for most of the book confined to a small area and also by their, um, like their class standing. They're expected to stay in certain places. So that's a really interesting way of putting that. New Speaker: 25:22 Yeah, I picked fantasy it's my, my jam, but my other great love is closed door mystery. So this is like my collage to the, the two genres that I love the best. Rekka:25:34 I really appreciate your time and um, thank you so much for coming on and I know everyone's going to go check out that book because they should. Sam: 25:40 No worries. Thanks for having me. Speaker 6: 25:42 [sound effect] Caitlin:25:44 My name is Caitlin Starling. I'm the author of the Luminous Dead, which came out, um, this past April from Harper Voyager. And I also worked as the narrative designer on this strange little show in New York last fall called A Human. Kaelyn:25:57 Interesting. I didn't know that actually. That's very cool. Caitlin:26:00 Yeah, I got to design body parts for money. It was very exciting. Kaelyn:26:03 That is very cool. Caitlin:26:05 So I am repped by Caitlin McDonald, who is over at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. Kaelyn:26:10 Caitlin McDonald is the agent that we interviewed for the previous, uh, yes, the first episode that came out this week. Caitlin:26:16 I may have thrown her. I may have thrown for your way. There's a bunch of Kaitlin's in my emails at all times. It gets very exciting on calls. We actually have to refer to each other as Agent Caitlin and Author Caitlin. So before anything happens, everyone else knows which one that's talking in, which one is referring. Kaelyn:26:31 So, um, that's been really fun. But, um, so I signed with her back in April of 2017 and I had been querying at that point for a little bit over a year and Caitlin McDonald was actually the first agent I ever queried. Um, but it took awhile to get to a full request and then also for her to get to the manuscript after that. So she also ended up being the first one to offer even though I in the meantime queried about 40 other agents. Um, which of course kicked off the following up with everybody else. I ended up getting one other offer, um, and a couple of their near, near misses, but it was between two agents and Caitlin Macdonald was newer and um, had fewer sales under her belt, but we clicked more on several levels, including for me what's really important is, um, being extremely detail oriented and comfortable talking about logistics and practicalities like contracts. Caitlin:27:31 Um, Caitlin McDonald, I'm sure she told you, uh, used to work in contracts. Kaelyn:27:36 Yes. Caitlin:27:37 Pretty much exclusively for a while. So, and I used to work for a lawyer, so it was really nice to basically say, what's your termination clause like? And for her to just send over the boilerplate agency agreement. And we were able to just talk about contracts. Now, I know that's not for everybody because a lot of people see contracts and start screaming internally. Um, but for me, that was a really big determining factor of why I felt so comfortable with going forward. Kaelyn:28:00 Well, and that's actually very interesting to hear because I'm, one of the questions we got or things people ask is, do I just take the first offer that I get? And I've heard other people say, well, you might only get one offer. You had two and you actually had to make a choice. Caitlin:28:15 I did. Yes. Kaelyn:28:15 So that's very interesting to hear - Caitlin:28:17 Which is very difficult. Kaelyn:28:18 Yeah. Um, it's a, it's a big deal in, it's a commitment. It's a potentially very long relationship. So - Caitlin:28:25 Yeah, it was, it was a really hard decision. Um, the other agent who offered, like I alluded to, you had a lot, a lot more years behind her and a lot more sales behind her. Um, and in some ways I clicked with her personally right off the bat faster than I did with Caitlin McDonald. But after talking, having several conversations with both and, um, in particular, Caitlin McDonald's boss, Donna Moss actually was willing to talk to me about what sort of support she had behind her as a new agent. Um, because it's really important for new agents to have, you know, you'd be able to use the connections that their agency has to be able to go to other agents to say, okay, have you ever been in this situation? What did you do? Um, and that made me confident that even though she was newer at the time, that she had the clout behind her to basically put her on an even footing with the other agent and then I could focus on other details. Caitlin:29:15 Um, and then also, I mean, what, I didn't really think about it at the time, but what does become really clear to me that I'm really, um, was really a good move on my part: Caitlin McDonald is queer. I'm queer, I write queer fiction. It's really nice having her in my corner and fully understanding where I'm coming from as opposed to, um, you know, being supportive but not having that same lived experience when I like want to self edit or pull back or go, oh no, is is the reason why we got a rejection because it's too gay. She'll be like, I will, I will fight for you. I will fight anybody who says it's, and it's just really nice to have that. Um, you know, and I hadn't really anticipated needing that, but it's become one of the most, you know, not one of the most, because obviously like business negotiation things are kind of really important because at least I'm getting paid, but it's really important. It's really important on an emotional and a creative level to know that I have that support. Kaelyn:30:11 You know, I think we like to go like, oh well the personal stuff really shouldn't matter. But like it does sometimes and if it's just like, you know, one more thing that makes you more comfortable working with someone that's really important. Caitlin:30:24 Yeah. Especially if you write fiction that is very emotionally based. Kaelyn:30:28 Yes. Caitlin:30:29 Your personal life is gonna be very important to your art. So then you need someone who also understands your personal life so they can see what you're trying to do with your art. Kaelyn:30:36 Yeah. It sounds like you guys have like a fantastic relationship. So what are your, what are your interactions like what do you, how often do you talk and how often do you get in touch for like, I have this problem or I'm worried about this because a lot of authors and agency, agents, excuse me, have different styles of communication. So do you find you're more comfortable being in constant touch or do you just go by what works best for both of you? Caitlin:31:04 I probably bother her more than I technically need to. We actually, we have, um, the way we have the arrangement we've come to is that if I'm asking a question that is substantial that we may need to be able to find the answer to later, it goes by email because email is searchable and sortable. But we also text and that's usually for really quick questions. Um, or just touching basis friends or, you know, we're, I, I wouldn't say that we're friend, friend friends, but we are friendly enough that we check in on each other about personal stuff as well as business stuff. Um, and we try and keep the two streams separate. Um, and like on Instagram, I don't ask her business questions. I just get very excited about the cool pictures that she posts. And so we try and keep some, some pretty formal divisions. Caitlin:31:54 Like I don't want to be, um, impinging on her very scarce personal time if I don't have to. Um, but I also am a bit of an anxious person and so sometimes I will spiral out. I'll need to be like, can you please talk me off the ledge? Because I'm clearly having a problem and I know that it's stupid, but I can't get out of it on my own. And she is very good about stepping in and being like, it's fine and this is why it's fine and it's going to be OK. Um, and, and, and so there's parts where even over two years in, we're still learning. I'm definitely still learning about what is good to bring to her versus what I should probably take care of on my own. And there's times where it goes the other way where I decided that, oh, this is something that I shouldn't bother her with. And it turns out that it's something that she really would have liked to know about two or three weeks ago by the time she ends up finding out. Kaelyn:32:48 Um, I always wonder with agents, and you know, I, I edit books for Parvus as well and um, a lot of our authors don't have agents, so I'm kind of like their point person on a lot of things and it's like there should be a manual that's like, okay, besides all of this, there's gonna be a lot of emotional support involved and - Caitlin:33:06 Yeah. Kaelyn:33:07 How you feel about people texting you, having panic attacks over things that are not a big deal. Can you manage that? Caitlin:33:15 Yeah. Yeah. And it's, and I've, I've apologized to her on many occasions and usually what she does, what she tells me is basically this is part of the job. Like this is a thing that happens. It's a very, it's a very stressful business and there's a lot that's out of your direct control and a lot of it's outside of what you can even see going on at any given time. And so it's really easy to tell yourself stories that are completely wrong and not realize that they're wrong because you can't fact check them. Kaelyn:33:43 Well, I always tell, you know, if I have authors or someone getting in touch with me and they're worried about something and they go, oh, sorry, this is so silly. It's like, no, if you're worked up about it and you're concerned, it's not silly. So we'll figure it out. Caitlin:33:56 I mean, best case scenario is there is a simple answer and you're like, oh, and now it's resolved and now you don't feel that way anymore. Kaelyn:34:02 I feel better Caitlin:34:02 Right. And you feel silly at that point. But also at the same time, look, it was an easy problem to resolve and it's not actually something you need to continue being afraid of. So that's great. Yeah. Kaelyn:34:10 So, um, we're asking everyone, what tips do you have or suggestions or misconceptions about looking for an agent in getting an agent? What do you wish people knew? Caitlin:34:19 This is, it's a big question. Um, but a couple of things that come to mind. The first is to be really thoughtful about who you're querying about if you'd actually want to work with them. Um, and it's because it obviously you feel when you're querying and it's a very real feeling that you are putting everything on the line. And if this doesn't work out, you're setback another year or another two years, whatever else. So it's very scary and it's very like there's, there's a scarcity of options. So you want to maximize the potential for someone saying yes, but at the same time, you really do want someone who wants to represent your work in the way you want it to be represented. Um, and so for instance, when I was querying the Luminous Dead, uh, I had actually reworked it at one point in its revisions as YA because a very good friend of mine said that the themes are there. Caitlin:35:15 Even though I wrote it, I had written it as an adult novel originally and it ended up being published as an adult novel. There was a period where she was like, you know, the themes are there, you could make it, YA has more opportunities for sales, there are more editors and there's more money involved. So consider it. And as a friend who, who writes both YA and adult, so I worked, reworked it as YA and I was querying it as YA, but I didn't really want it to be YA. I just thought I should do that as a business move. And it turns out I got a lot of rejections and probably because I was casting it as YA, because I think that comes through the, you know, if you're, if you're trying to sell a book as something that it's not or that you don't want it to be, you're going to run into some problems. Caitlin:35:55 Um, I was very lucky that when Caitlin and I were originally talking, I said, so how would you feel if we made it an adult and terrified that she would say no because she had, she had taken me on as a YA author and she was like, Oh yeah, it could work either way. What do you want to do here? Or here are the actual considerations on both ends. But in the end it's what you want the piece to be, which was great. Um, but I think I wasted a lot of time and energy querying YA agents who pr- who are fantastic agents, but who would have ever been a good fit for my work in the end. And then I got rejections that were upsetting that I didn't need to get. So definitely like really cultivating that list, even though it makes it feel like you're, you're giving up options and chances is a really great place, is a really good skill to learn? Caitlin:36:43 And it won't be easy and it will be comfortable, but it's, it's worth it. And the other thing that comes to mind is actually more about the query letter itself and a lot of people treat it as just a hurdle that you have to do in order to get past this phase. Kaelyn:36:56 We talk about the same thing where it's like everyone thinks about it as, oh, I just have to, it's just something I've got to do. Caitlin:37:04 It's busy work. It's like it's like a homework assignment, but it turns out you're going to use it, that skill a lot. Kaelyn:37:09 Yes. Caitlin:37:09 That skill set is going to be very important for writing your base pitches. I have found that actually if I write a fake query letter at about the halfway point of a first draft, I can usually find the problems in the first draft by trying to articulate it as a query letter. So I use it as a diagnostic tool almost - Kaelyn:37:24 And that's fantastic. Caitlin:37:25 - and it's a really tricky skill to learn. It's, it will not come naturally, especially if you're writing the query letter after you've done like five rounds of revisions and you know your book forwards and back because you're gonna want to show all the work that you did. But if you can learn how to distill it down like that, it ends up becoming a skill. Like writing a good query letter isn't just to get an agent's attention so they'll read the full. That is part of what it does, but it also teaches them that you can do some of the preliminary work for pitching the book to editors, which makes their lives a little bit easier. And it also proves to you, I'll come with me with a good pitch. Yes, it proves that you know how at least a little bit of how to market your own work, which is always great because you're going to be in situations where you're talking to people you know, maybe face to face where your agent is not there. Caitlin:38:10 For the record, Luminous Dead, so the back cover copy is not my query that got my agent, but it is the query that I wrote for funsies. After we'd done some major revisions and I went, Huh, I wonder if I could write a better query letter now I wrote it, we got the back cover copy from the editor, which was based off of my original query letter, which then became part of my agent's pitch, which became part of the back cover copy. And I went, you know, we can do better. Hey I have this thing right here for you. And now the back cover copy, it's not 100% that obviously because I am not a marketing person and there are certain things that I missed or that I put in the didn't matter. But it is substantially influenced by that. So you know, if you've ever read this, and I'm sure there are lots of publishers who really don't care what the author wants to put on the back cover, but if you've ever like read a back cover copy and gone, hmm, that's not how I would've written it. Guess what? You can learn that skill. Caitlin:39:01 And it will help you in getting an agent in fixing your own work at times and in working with your editor. Kaelyn:39:08 Well thanks so much for talking to us. Tell people where they can find you. Caitlin:39:12 Yeah, so um, I am mainly on Twitter @see_starling. It's a pun, it's a very silly pun. And um, my website is CaitlinStarling.com that has filings that has a couple of sneak peeks of things that I am working on that I will hopefully one day find a home for. It also has those pictures from the body parts design project over in New York. Kaelyn:39:34 Yeah, that's very cool. All right, well thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us. Caitlin:39:39 Absolutely. Rekka:39:40 Thanks everyone for joining us for another episode of we make books. If you have any questions that you want answered in future episodes or just have questions in general, remember you can find us on Twitter @wmbcast, same for Instagram or WMB cast.com if you find value in the content that we provide, we would really appreciate your support@patreon.com/WMBcast. If you can't provide financial support, we totally understand and what you could really do to help us is spread the word about this podcast. You can do that by sharing a particular episode with a friend who can find it useful. Or if you leave a rating and review at iTunes, it will feed that algorithm and help other people find our podcast too. Of course, you can always retweet our episodes on Twitter. Thank you so much for listening and we will talk to you soon.
Content: In this episode, we talk with novelist Caitlin Starling about her first novel, writing speculative fiction & horror, spelunking, and delicious food cartridges (not!). She also gives some great advice for beginning writers. Cast Hosted by Dean Karpowicz with Samantha Alberth, Ryan Spence, Jacqueline Kenny, and Amanda Ledesma. About Caitlin Starling Caitlin Starling is a writer of horror-tinged speculative fiction of all flavors. Her first novel, The Luminous Dead, is out now from HarperVoyager. It tells the story of a caver on a foreign planet who finds herself trapped, with only her wits and the unreliable voice on her radio to help her back to the surface. Caitlin also works in narrative design for interactive theater and games, and has been paid to design body parts. She's always on the lookout for new ways to inflict insomnia. Find more of her work at www.caitlinstarling.com and follow her on Twitter @see-starling. To listen to the episode, click below, and if you want to listen on your phone, we're available on Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. You can also find more episodes of The Pub right here on Straylight.
The Luminous Dead is US-based writer Caitlin Starling's debut novel about a caver on a foreign planet who finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival, a claustrophobic blend of horror and sci-fi. Visit the accompanying article on sublimehorror.com (https://www.sublimehorror.com/caitlinstarling/) to find a link to the book, Caitlin's website, and how you can mathematically prove that Winston Churchill was a carrot.
Caitlin Starling’s debut The Luminous Dead (Harper Voyager, 2019) takes readers along with her young protagonist, Gyre Price, to a place few would voluntarily go—into a deep, pitch-dark cave inhabited by avalanche-inducing, rock-eating worms from which only one human being (among many) has emerged alive. Still, Gyre thinks the risk of scouting for minerals is worth it. Not only does the job pay extraordinarily well, but she’s wearing a state-of-the-art suit, which protects her from the cave’s potentially lethal environment. Normally, there’s a whole team of experts guiding cavers like Gyre, but when she’s deep underground Gyre learns her team consists of only one person—a woman name Em, whose motives and reliability become increasingly murky as the days pass. “The more that it is only Em there with her, the worse things get because Em isn’t sleeping, Gyre isn’t getting to talk to anybody else …, and they’re getting more and more drawn into each other’s problems as opposed to it being a professional sort of interaction,” Starling says. Gyre knows Em only by voice and an occasional video transmission, and yet they form a profoundly intimate—and arguably twisted—bond. It perhaps comes as no surprise that Starling was a teen in the 1990s, forming intense online relationships with people she never met in person. “It's very easy to construct ideas around who that person is and what your relationship is like that can become very tumultuous or intense,” she says. With a single setting and only two main characters, one of her biggest challenges was keeping the plot propulsive. Fortunately, with corpses of dead cavers appearing in unexpected places, massive worms threatening to bury her, and the ever-present possibility that rather than help Gyre, Em wants to kill her, Starling meets that challenge with page-turning ferocity. Rob Wolf is the author of The Alternate Universe and The Escape. He worked for a decade as a journalist, and now serves as director of communications at a non-profit dedicated to justice reform. You can follow him on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Caitlin Starling’s debut The Luminous Dead (Harper Voyager, 2019) takes readers along with her young protagonist, Gyre Price, to a place few would voluntarily go—into a deep, pitch-dark cave inhabited by avalanche-inducing, rock-eating worms from which only one human being (among many) has emerged alive. Still, Gyre thinks the risk of scouting for minerals is worth it. Not only does the job pay extraordinarily well, but she’s wearing a state-of-the-art suit, which protects her from the cave’s potentially lethal environment. Normally, there’s a whole team of experts guiding cavers like Gyre, but when she’s deep underground Gyre learns her team consists of only one person—a woman name Em, whose motives and reliability become increasingly murky as the days pass. “The more that it is only Em there with her, the worse things get because Em isn’t sleeping, Gyre isn’t getting to talk to anybody else …, and they’re getting more and more drawn into each other’s problems as opposed to it being a professional sort of interaction,” Starling says. Gyre knows Em only by voice and an occasional video transmission, and yet they form a profoundly intimate—and arguably twisted—bond. It perhaps comes as no surprise that Starling was a teen in the 1990s, forming intense online relationships with people she never met in person. “It's very easy to construct ideas around who that person is and what your relationship is like that can become very tumultuous or intense,” she says. With a single setting and only two main characters, one of her biggest challenges was keeping the plot propulsive. Fortunately, with corpses of dead cavers appearing in unexpected places, massive worms threatening to bury her, and the ever-present possibility that rather than help Gyre, Em wants to kill her, Starling meets that challenge with page-turning ferocity. Rob Wolf is the author of The Alternate Universe and The Escape. He worked for a decade as a journalist, and now serves as director of communications at a non-profit dedicated to justice reform. You can follow him on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Caitlin Starling’s debut The Luminous Dead (Harper Voyager, 2019) takes readers along with her young protagonist, Gyre Price, to a place few would voluntarily go—into a deep, pitch-dark cave inhabited by avalanche-inducing, rock-eating worms from which only one human being (among many) has emerged alive. Still, Gyre thinks the risk of scouting for minerals is worth it. Not only does the job pay extraordinarily well, but she’s wearing a state-of-the-art suit, which protects her from the cave’s potentially lethal environment. Normally, there’s a whole team of experts guiding cavers like Gyre, but when she’s deep underground Gyre learns her team consists of only one person—a woman name Em, whose motives and reliability become increasingly murky as the days pass. “The more that it is only Em there with her, the worse things get because Em isn’t sleeping, Gyre isn’t getting to talk to anybody else …, and they’re getting more and more drawn into each other’s problems as opposed to it being a professional sort of interaction,” Starling says. Gyre knows Em only by voice and an occasional video transmission, and yet they form a profoundly intimate—and arguably twisted—bond. It perhaps comes as no surprise that Starling was a teen in the 1990s, forming intense online relationships with people she never met in person. “It's very easy to construct ideas around who that person is and what your relationship is like that can become very tumultuous or intense,” she says. With a single setting and only two main characters, one of her biggest challenges was keeping the plot propulsive. Fortunately, with corpses of dead cavers appearing in unexpected places, massive worms threatening to bury her, and the ever-present possibility that rather than help Gyre, Em wants to kill her, Starling meets that challenge with page-turning ferocity. Rob Wolf is the author of The Alternate Universe and The Escape. He worked for a decade as a journalist, and now serves as director of communications at a non-profit dedicated to justice reform. You can follow him on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this podcast Caitlin Starling talks about first round edits, sci-fi horror, A Human Project, and much more. Caitlin Starling Caitlin Starling is a writer of horror-tinged speculative fiction and interactive media. She is based out of Portland, Oregon. Her first novel, The Luminous Dead, comes out from Harper Voyager on April 2, 2019. She … Continue reading
In this podcast Caitlin Starling talks about The Luminous Dead, early life lessons, forthcoming projects, and much more. Caitlin Starling Caitlin Starling is a writer of horror-tinged speculative fiction and interactive media. She is based out of Portland, Oregon. Her first novel, The Luminous Dead, comes out from Harper Voyager on April 2, 2019. She … Continue reading
Caitlin Starling is the author of The Luminous Dead. It's a paranoia-drenched sci-fi tale that follows a young woman named Gyre on a solo expedition into an enigmatic cave system on a far-off planet. Her only companion is Em, a mysterious and often untrustworthy benefactor who guides her from afar via a high tech caving suit. Em's motives, Gyre's history, and the terrifying secrets of the cave tangle in this claustrophobic and emotional decent into discovery and delirium. The Luminous Dead is available now from Harper Voyager.
Sharifah and Jenn discuss Cowboy Bebop, an Octavia Butler adaptation, con-artists and thieves, and more. This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling, and Voices by David Elliott. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS here, or via Apple Podcasts here. The show can also be found on Stitcher here. To get even more SF/F news and recs, sign up for our Swords and Spaceships newsletter! News: Hugo Nominees announced! John Cho and Three More Actors Cast in Netflix’s ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Nnedi Okorafor and Wanuri Kahiu to Adapt Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed for Amazon Books Discussed The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty Want by Cindy Pon Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang
Horrors abound this week, dear listeners! We're talking THE LUMINOUS DEAD by Caitlin Starling and trust me when I say we're shaking in our climbing boots! Also featured: my one Harry Potter quote, things you shouldn't read right before bed, how to feature a ghost, and much more!Click to view: show page on Awesound
Jenn and guest Kelly Jensen discuss reads about anxiety, foodie books, Disney read-alikes, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling, and You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Questions 1. Hi! So, up until recently I hadn’t thought about what “type” of books I like most. The more I read, the more I find myself getting emotionally sucked into books about a dark or otherwise serious subject matter told from a child’s/teen/young person’s point of view. Examples would be Room, and To Kill A Mockingbird. I love “reading between the lines” and picking up on subtle hints and clues to what’s going on in the story, rather than outright descriptions told from an adult or omniscient narrator. I’m a mental health therapist and I work predominantly with teenagers who have been through some sort of, so it’s kind of obvious where my pull towards these books comes from. The book doesn’t have to be about major traumatic events (abuse, neglect, rape, etc), just serious subject matter that a young person is dealing with and trying to interpret and work through. Thank you so much!!!! -Alissa 2. I am looking for African-American, Bi-sexual, and women with disabilities, literature. I love fiction, some fantasy some siFi, romantic suspense, and both mysteries and thrillers. oh and classic literature, and women’s fiction. Some Young Adult is okay. No Paranormal, or aliens having human babies, no cloning, and weird stories. yuck! I am blind so the books must be available in an accessible format. -Melissa 3. Hello. I work at a nonprofit hunger relief organization and am looking for recommendations for our staff book club. Specifically, I am hoping you have some ideas for a graphic novel or graphic nonfiction book about any of the following topics, ideally in combination: food, nutrition, nonprofits, social justice, equity, or inclusion. We have read two books so far, Big Hunger and Behind the Kitchen Door, and have a good list of future options, but I thought it might be nice to try something less wordy at some point. Must be appropriate for discussion in a work setting. Can be something we could read all at once or in installments. Thank you for the tips and for the amazing show! -Leah R 4. I love watching documentaries (my favorite film genre) and reading non fiction as well as science fiction. I recently read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and loved them both. Currently I am reading Going Clear by Lawrence Wright and loving it as well. (Side note, if you haven’t seen the HBO documentary made from the book you are truly missing out) I am worried I wouldn’t be able to find any more weird non fiction & science fiction to read once I am done with Going Clear. Any suggestions would be super helpful. -Kiirah 5. Hi, I’m always on the lookout for great book recommendations for my amazing niece. She loves YA fantasy (Throne of Glass is one of her favorite series) and Disney. Her favorite princess is Mulan, so she really likes strong female characters. She’s African American, so I would love to find a book for her featuring a non-white protagonist, since they are underrepresented in fiction and thus hard to come by. Any help you can give me is wonderful. I hate to give her gift cards for her birthday or Christmas because it feels so impersonal to me. Thanks, -Heather 6. So I need help trying to find books similar to my favorites. I LOVE Marcus Zusak, author of “I Am the Messenger” and “The Book Thief”. I love the writing style, the quip literary remarks, the funny quotes and how the actual physical writing is different (fonts, margins, etc.). I also enjoy how closely I become connected to the characters. They are ones I won’t soon forget. They are both books I’ve read and recommend to everyone and now I’m looking for other books that are as similar to him as possible. -Dallas 7. Hello! I was recently diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and I’m hoping you can recommend some books that have characters with that diagnosis or something similar. I am not picky whether it’s YA, or fantasy, or whatever, but I do tend to lean more towards YA. A memoir would be particularly interesting. Thank you! -Kino Books Discussed The Vela S1 by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, SL Huang, and Rivers Solomon The Handmaid’s Tale Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood and illustrated by Renee Nault Kidlit These Days podcast All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert So Lucky by Nicola Griffith Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri Meal by Blue Dellaquanti, illustrated by Soleil Ho (rec’d by Elisa) Comic Books With Recipes post Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Themby Jennifer Wright The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton The Watch That Ends The Night by Allan Wolfe Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke Final Draft by Riley Redgate Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
Happy Halloween and welcome back to the S’more Sci-Fi Book Club! This week we’re spooking things up by interviewing Horror/Sci-Fi … More
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