Marissa chats with Adiba Jaigirdar about her new YA contemporary romance - HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING - as well as bringing the beloved "fake relationship" romantic trope into sapphic love stories and how publishers are finally picking up on this need in the market; using specific accents and lilts to influence your character voices; one super clever social media strategy that makes use of cross-promotion with other authors; and the little-talked-about phenomenon of the "second book depression" (not to be confused with the sophomore slump), which is probably more common than we think and might be exacerbated by pandemic book releases. (Note: if you're feeling it, you are not alone!)

Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer

Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377

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