Marissa chats with Alyssa Colman about her Gilded Magic middle grade fantasy duology and her upcoming WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW in this jam-packed middle grade focused episode. Also discussed: the hallmarks of middle grade (themes, tone, voice), word counts, heavy and difficult themes in middle grade books, voice, humor, creating sympathetic characters, how middle grade characters defeat their villains, magic systems, standing out in a crowded market, and so much more!Jennifer Laughran’s post ab...

Marissa and Joanne get together to tape this special episode (less than 24 hours after they met in person for the very first time!) as they embark on their LET IT GLOW tour! They answer listener-submitted questions on topics like their origin stories, the origin story for LET IT GLOW, writing fanfiction, the inside story on their collaboration, what they love about the characters, their favorite scenes and what they loved best about the process, how they started working together, a couple fav...

Marissa chats with Jill Tew about her debut dystopian romance, THE DIVIDING SKY. Also discussed in this episode: making the transition from the corporate world to writing sci-fi inspired by the corporate world, sci-fi worldbuilding, sci-fi as a cautionary tale (“if this goes on”), plotting out romance to make it feel organic, the irony of promoting a book about taking time and not getting caught up in social media—on social media, Jill’s Afronauts podcast, and so much more!The Afronauts Podca...

Marissa chats with Hari Conner about their queer regency graphic novel rom-com, I SHALL NEVER FALL IN LOVE. Also discussed in this episode: a non-typical (is there such a thing as typical?) road to finding an agent, mining real world history and Jane Austen texts for influences, using comics to make historical stories feel relatable, historical research for both text and illustration, the process of drafting a graphic novel, being the mastermind behind creating game books, and more!Note: The ...

Marissa chats with Amanda M. Helander about her debut romantasy, DIVINE MORTALS. Also discussed in this episode: how keeping diaries can be a first step in a writing career, publishing timelines and how there’s no such thing as typical, the frustration of fitting books into age categories and writing books in their margins, worldbuilding, planning for a duology, mining breadcrumbs from book one to create threads in book two, embracing limitations in characters, writing to make yourself happy,...

Marissa chats with Sabaa Tahir about the first book in her new YA fantasy duology, HEIR. Also discussed in this episode: Yosemite National Park, using the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) technique, how the final, typeset draft can be a place where momentum requires deeper revisions (much to publishers’ chagrin), adding unexpected twists midway through a book to surprise the reader, the power of self-bribery, using our world to influence world-building and so much more!Yosemite National Park:...

Marissa chats with A. R. Vishny about her debut paranormal YA romance, NIGHT OWLS. Also discussed in this episode: the popularity of getting started with fanfiction, how much timing can matter in the submission process, the recent trend (again!) of vampires, the inherent challenges of writing vampire romance, the importance of knowing a character’s bagel order, creating a strong sense of place using real locations for inspiration, and so much more!Cinder winery: https://cinderwines.com/ ...

In this bonus craft episode, Marissa shares her steps and processes for revisions. Hint: they begin in the drafting process! Also discussed: celebrating milestones and accomplishments, the importance of letting a project simmer, how to know when to jump back in, making a plan to tackle revisions and the different methods, how many rounds of revisions are typical, things to watch for in each pass, crutch words and how to get rid of them, and so much more! The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org...

Marissa chats with Tigest Girma about her debut, a YA romantic vampire novel, IMMORTAL DARK. Also discussed in this episode: struggling with the young adult/new adult/adult labels, making the change to age down a book and characters and what that entails, writing morally gray characters, crafting an extreme enemies to lovers romantic storyline, creating a found family ensemble, planning subsequent books in a trilogy (second book syndrome is a thing!), and more!Bonus: a new book announcement f...

Marissa chats with Adalyn Grace about WISTERIA, the conclusion to her Belladonna trilogy. Also discussed in this episode: the love of and uses for Pinterest, the phenomenon of finishing a book and forgetting having written it, writing a series with differing POVs, the rare book that’s “easy” to write, turning concepts into characters, favorite tropes, lush worldbuilding, and so much more. Bonus: A new book announcement!Neopets: https://www.neopets.com/MW definition of reify: https://www.merri...

Marissa chats with Julian Winters about his latest YA romance, PRINCE OF THE PALISADES. Also discussed in this episode: how fanfiction is a great way to get started in writing, the sometimes difficult elements of crafting a contemporary royal story, writing romance and the importance of creating moments when characters are vulnerable, how challenging it can be bringing conflict to a contemporary story, creating relatable and lovable secondary characters—including badass female characters, and...

Marissa chats with Remy Lai about her new illustrated sketch diary, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. Also discussed in this episode: why kids relate to horror, the importance of capturing the tone of the book on the cover and determining appropriate content for a young audience, making important design choices like font and color, deciding on a story’s format, Ouija boards, and so much more!The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgPurchasing your books through our webstore at Bookshop.org supports independent b...

Marissa chats with author and life coach Lydia Michaels about her craft book, Write 10K in a Day. Discussed in this practical episode: the challenges of being an indie author/entrepreneur, writer burnout, time poverty – particularly for women, why setting boundaries on word counts is a good idea, signs of burnout, paying attention to ROJ (Return on Joy), and so much more!The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgPurchasing your books through our webstore at Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores....

Marissa chats with Anna Sortino about her latest YA romance, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. Also discussed in this episode: who is the ‘real’ audience we write for, deciding on a single vs dual POV and where the points of view intersect, leaving space in outlines for exploration, layering in character traits and details during revision, writing family dynamics, including disability representation and how to provide context for able-bodied readers, how much personal experience to include, and so much mor...

In this bonus craft episode, Marissa shares her seven best tips and strategies for balancing multiple writing projects. Discussed in this practical episode: how many projects she works on at any given time and what stage in the process they are at, how she prioritizes, what she does in the times when she isn’t or can’t be drafting, and so much more! Extra bonus: This episode also includes upcoming book announcements that you may have missed!The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgPurchasin...

Marissa chats with award-winning author of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, Tomi Adeyemi, about her new third book in the Legacy of Orisha series, CHILDREN OF ANGUISH AND ANARCHY. Also discussed in this episode: the inspiration for Tomi creating The Writer’s Roadmap courses for writers, feeling like you’re finally a career writer, transitioning from a long-term series to something new, the struggle to take breaks when so many ideas are in your brain, imposter syndrome, movie production updates, an...

Marissa chats with the husband-and-wife writing team of Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka about their latest YA adventure heist novel, HEIRESS TAKES ALL. Also discussed in this episode: the process of cowriting and the division of labor that resembles a marriage, carefully and consciously casting a heist book’s ensemble of characters, benefiting from each other’s writing strengths, the benefits of having a cowriter for marketing and events, and so much more! The Happy Writer at ...

In this 200th (!) episode of The Happy Writer Podcast, Marissa (with some help from Joanne) answers many of your burning questions. Topics discussed: dealing with burnout, crafting three-dimensional characters, writing to trends, co-writing, balancing writing with parenting, and so much more. Also included: much-anticipated updates on TLC production, upcoming tours, new books, and yes, a couple of first-time-heard future project reveals! Order and find out more about LET IT GLOW: https:/...

Marissa chats with Alexene Farol Follmuth about her latest contemporary coming-of-age YA romance, TWELFTH KNIGHT. Also discussed: some of the differences between self and traditional publishing and how the two can come together in a career, crafting the ‘unlikeable female character’, using Shakespeare for source material, structuring a romance differently than what’s expected, the challenge of writing technology and social media that could become quickly dated, and so much more!The Happy Writ...

Marissa chats with Tessa Gratton about her new YA fantasy, BLOOD & FURY, the sequel to CHAOS & FLAME, co-written with Justina Ireland. Also discussed: building social justice and important topics into fantasy while also making a book fun, how working on different projects concurrently can be both challenging and inspiring, creating inspiration lists (inspired by ID Lists from past guest Jennifer Lynn Barnes), the process of co-writing and editing each other, pros and cons of writing w...

Marissa chats again with Jessica Brody, author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel about her popular craft books and how she adapted the original Save the Cat screenplay book’s components for novel-writing. Also discussed in this craft-focused episode: how even pantsers can benefit from outlining tips, how having an outline doesn’t mean the story is set in stone, how having an outline can shine a light on problems before a draft makes it harder to fix ...

Marissa chats with Isabel Greenberg about her new Arthurian fantasy graphic novel, YOUNG HAG AND THE WITCHES’ QUEST. Also discussed in this episode: the freedom of creating a first project without the expectation that it will be read, the challenges and allure of retellings and Arthurian legends, the process of creating and revising a graphic novel, how the reading experience of graphic novels is different than for prose, tips for maintaining the writing/life balance, having a pile of comfort...

Marissa chats with Kekla Magoon about her new middle grade time travel fantasy, THE SECRET LIBRARY. Also discussed in this episode: How secrets can take many forms (goats!), writing stories non-linearly, how creating a timeline can help catch inconsistencies and track continuity, how sometimes you need to write the whole book to feel confident enough to try to sell it, mining old files for potential new projects, and so much more!The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgPurchasing your books through o...

Marissa shares her top 10 tips for improving your work-life balance. From starting with a focused to-do list, to reframing goal time frames, to the best way to approach multitasking, and so much more, you’re sure to find something helpful in this practical episode. Note: For more writing-specific productivity tips, you can also check out episode 141 where Marissa and Joanne share their favorite productivity hacks. https://www.buzzsprout.com/950767/12094972168 Hours: You Have More Time Th...