In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly discuss small tweaks for an overall 'fantastic' query; a good example of framing and planting curiosity seeds; starting a novel with a scene where the protagonist is waking up; being careful about word choice in a query; being mindful of when you're being vague vs specific; and the importance of showing inner life in your characters. After which, Bianca interviews NYT's bestselling author, Robin Oliveira. They discuss Robin's latest novel, A Wild and Heavenly Place; how long it took her to write; the importance of the research trip to Scotland that Robin took; keeping the 'intention' of a novel centred while writing; torturing your characters, especially in Act Two; leveraging different types of conflict; how cutting plot points is like unravelling a thread, and strategies for 'pulling the thread' successfully; and how to know when a book is finished. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/ https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com To ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting More information about Robin can be found at: https://www.robinoliveira.com/ and she can be found on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/Robin_Oliveira_Author/ Our Sponsors: * Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands