88 Cups of Tea

Warm welcome to our new listeners!

Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Adalyn Grace's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of the launch day for her debut novel "All the Stars and Teeth"!

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Adalyn graduated from Arizona State University when she was nineteen years old. She spent four years working in live theater and acted as the managing editor of a nonprofit newspaper before studying storytelling as an intern for Nickelodeon animation's popular series The Legend of Korra. All the Stars and Teeth is her debut novel.

We kick off our conversation talking about her experience as a debut author, giving us a behind-the-scenes look into a day in her life prepping for her book's release while still meeting deadlines for her second novel. She shares her journey from working at Nickelodeon to discovering her career as a novelist, and how she found beta-readers and critique partners who've become an intrinsic part of her writing journey. We then dive into her debut novel All the Stars and Teeth where she gives us a snapshot of the story, the empowering inspiration behind it, and a look into her world-building and research process. We talk about the importance of keeping your characters' motivations clear, how your debut novel can set the tone for your writing career, and important questions to think about when picking the right literary agent for you and your story. And later, we chat about her revision process and the revision technique that helped her weave plots and subplots together in a large world, how she tackles significant revisions with her editor, and tips for creating your writing schedule.

Please say 'Hi' to Adalyn on Twitter! https://twitter.com/adalyngrace_

Head over to Adalyn's shownotes page to download the exclusive writing prompt she created for our listeners over at https://88cupsoftea.com/adalyn-grace . You'll also find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!

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Diggin the books you're discovering from our podcast episodes? You'll love learning about Lamar Giles and his debut novel NOT SO PURE AND SIMPLE. Be sure to tune into Lamar's interview segment that's proudly brought to you by Epic Reads at the top of this episode and be inspired by his advice on reaching your writing goals!

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Grace is a NY Times bestselling author and illustrator who won the Newbery Honor for her book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Her other award-winning books include When the Sea Turned to Silver, Starry River of the Sky, The Year of the Dog, and her upcoming novel Mulan: Before the Sword!

Grace and I kick off the conversation with how she found her passion for writing and illustrating children's books and the steps she took to turn her dream into a thriving career. She gives us a behind-the-scenes look into her TEDx talk where she highlights the significance of multicultural literature on personal identity and development. She shares an exciting snapshot of her upcoming novel Mulan: Before the Sword that sets the stage for Disney's upcoming live-action movie Mulan. We then dive into her research process and how she managed the book's tight deadline, all while giving us crucial advice on how to juggle deadlines all while staying true to your story. We then discuss plotting strong character arcs, why writing retreats are crucial to Grace's livelihood as a writer, and you'll be happy to hear that we also touch on finances in this conversation.

Please say 'Hi' to Grace on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/pacylin

Head over to Grace's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/grace-lin ‎to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. And be sure to catch her Instagram story takeover by heading over to Instagram.com/88cupsoftea!

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!

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Abigail is the author of her debut novel Loveboat, Taipei which just released this week!

Abigail and I kick off the conversation talking about how she discovered her love for storytelling at such a young age and how it inspired her career path working in law, business, and being an author. She shares her experience showing her family her writing for the first time and how her vulnerability strengthened her craft. We then dive into her debut novel, Loveboat, Taipei and chat about the inspiration behind the story and how she crafted her characters by drawing from personal experience. She reflects on getting her MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts and spills her top three takeaways from the program that helped boost confidence in her writing. And later, we talk about her adventurous research process, how to pick the best editor for your story, and tips on finding time to write with an insanely busy schedule.

Storytellers, be sure to download the writing prompt that Abigail created just for our community by heading over to her shownotes page at 88cupsoftea.com/abigail-hing-wen. You'll also find bonus content over in her shownotes page with things that tie in with our conversation. And be sure to catch Abigail's Instagram story takeover by heading over to Instagram.com/88cupsoftea! If you'd love a chance at winning a copy of "Loveboat, Taipei", be sure to check out our Instagram stories for directions!

Please say 'Hi' to Abigail on Twitter! https://twitter.com/abigailhingwen

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/abigail-hing-wen/‎ ‎to download her writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!

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Cassandra is the award-winning author of City of Bones – the first book of her Mortal Instruments series – The Infernal Devices series, The Dark Artifices series, The Magisterium Series and many more novels.

Cassandra and I kick off our conversation chatting about her recent travels around Southeast Asia, and this will be a very fun part of the conversation for those of you who love to travel or would love to travel one day in the near future. We continue to talk about her storytelling journey and touch on ways to bring in income while writing your novel. We dive into the inspiration behind her first novel City of Bones and discuss the emotional side of writing. Towards the end, we talk about querying, the importance of reading through your contracts and being aware of your legal rights, and how to best manage stressful deadlines while still taking care of yourself. Later, she shares how to prevent yourself from giving up on your career when you're feeling down, and she shares her favorite writing technique that'll help you reach your writing goals.

Please say 'Hi' to Cassandra on Twitter! https://twitter.com/cassieclare

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/cassandra-clare/‎. ‎to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!

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Laura is a personal finance expert, an author of many books including her book Debt-Free Blueprint, and the founder and host of Money Girl podcast where Laura shares personal finance, real estate, and investing tips to help listeners live a richer life.

In our conversation, Laura shares how she discovered her passion for personal finance that kick-started her blogging, podcasting, self-publishing, and PR career. She chats about how she created her own opportunities to grow her podcast and gain representation from Quick and Dirty Tips Network. We then dive into Laura's experience self-publishing where she shares invaluable marketing tips like how to take charge of your marketing plan, creative ways to utilize your social media platforms, and how to establish a marketing budget. And later, she dishes some real-talk on side hustles, taxes, and becoming debt-free.

Please say 'Hi' to Laura on Twitter! https://twitter.com/LauraAdams

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/laura-adams/. ‎to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!

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Marissa is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Renegades, Archenemies, Heartless, The Lunar Chronicles, and her newly released novel, Supernova, the final book of her Renegades series.

In our conversation, Marissa shares how she intuitively navigates the business side of the publishing world while also giving us a snapshot of her inspiring writing and querying process for her novel Cinder. If you're about to jump into the querying trenches - you definitely don't want to miss this part of our conversation. We then chat about support systems and their important role in our creative pursuits, why it's so crucial to carve out time for fun in our writing process, and how diverse representation in children's literacy is helping to change negative stigmas. Further into our conversation, we chat about The Lunar Chronicles series, how she transitions from one popular series to another, and how to balance crafting rich worlds and character development.

Please say 'Hi' to Marissa on Twitter! https://twitter.com/marissa_meyer

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/marissa-meyer/. ‎to download her writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!

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Kelly is the award-winning author of The Girl Who Drank The Moon, The Witch's Boy, Iron Hearted Violet, and The Mostly True Story of Jack, as well as the novella, The Unlicensed Magician. She has been on the New York Times bestseller list for a bunch of weeks now, as well as the Indie Besteller list. She was also a McKnight Artist's Fellowship recipient in Children's Literature.

In our conversation, we talk about Kelly's love for telling stories out loud and how this shaped her writing process. We walk down memory lane of her life adventures that impacted her creative career path to becoming a best selling author and the lessons that helped her write with love and affection. Further in, we discuss how to instill a creative headspace, the importance of giving yourself a break during your drafting process, and powerful revision tools to help you overcome self-doubt. And later on, she pulls back the curtain and gives us a peek into how she forms her stories, crafts her dynamic character settings, and creates a community that helps her through tough days.

Storytellers, be sure to check out the incredible writing prompt that Kelly crafted just for our community. The prompt will help you write without fear and spark some new ideas for your stories. To download it, head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/kelly-barnhill.

Please say 'Hi' to Kelly on Twitter! https://twitter.com/kellybarnhill

Head over to her shownotes page athttps://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/kelly-barnhill ‎to download her writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!

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Maggie is the #1 NYT Bestselling author of The Raven Cycle series, the Shiver trilogy, The Scorpio Races, and other novels for young people and adults.

In our conversation, Maggie shares her love for storytelling and gives us a snapshot of her self-taught journey to becoming a best selling author. She chats about her love of music and how she weaves that in with her love of writing. We talk about the most difficult challenge Maggie's had in her life and from that, we were inspired to discuss how to overcome brain fog and emotional fatigue to reach your writing goals. Further into our conversation, we chat about breaking down societal norms in her writing, how to craft vivid descriptions in your stories for emotional resonance, and how she plotted out her series that still gave her freedom to explore other storylines. She also shares the biggest piece of advice for debut writers that you don't want to miss.

Be sure to check out the writing prompt that Maggie took the time to exclusive create for our community at the bottom of the page. Her writing prompt will help you if you're stuck on the very first chapter of a new project.

Please say 'Hi' to Maggie on Twitter! https://twitter.com/mstiefvater

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/maggie-stiefvater/ ‎to download her writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. We even have an Instagram story takeover by today's guest Christine Riccio so make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/.

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Christine is a Youtuber and New York Times Best Selling author, Her Youtube channel PolandbananasBOOKS has nearly half a million book-loving subscribers. She makes comedic book reviews, vlogs, sketches, and writing videos chronicling the creation of her own novel, Again, But Better. She's also one of the three YouTubers behind BOOKSPLOSION- Youtube's longest-running book club!

In our conversation, we talk about Christine's journey to becoming a best selling author and one of the most influential booktubers. She gives us a behind-the-scenes look into how she started her YouTube career, her writing and filming process, and how she works around her busy schedule. Further into our conversation, we talk about tangible actions you can take to shift into a writing mindset and the importance of self-care. She shares advice on growing your platform and reaching your writing goals, and we discuss her novel Again, but Better.

Please say 'Hi' to Christine on Twitter! https://twitter.com/xtineMAY

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/christine-riccio/to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors!

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Juliette is a creative director based in South Korea. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and in 2017 she established her own creative agency Studio Juli-ette, which specializes in identity design and packaging. Juliette is the artist who designed 88 Cups of Tea's lovely new logo and brand identity.

In our conversation, we talk about how she discovered her love for storytelling through design and art that inspired her to attend Rhode Island School of Design working. She shares the steps she took to open her own design studio and how important it was to lean on her support system throughout the entire process. Further in, we dive into what brought us together to design 88 Cups of Tea's new logo and brand identity. She shares a behind-the-scenes look into the design process and how we worked together to create a logo that perfectly highlights 88 Cups of Tea's uplifting values of community, fun, creativity, and love. She shares all the hidden nuances within the logo you might not catch at a first glance. And later, she shares what she hopes people feel when they see our new logo.

Please say 'Hi' to Juliette on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/studio.juliette/

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/podcast/juliette-kim/to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.