Your story's theme is its heart, but how do you find yours or decide on one? In this episode, D.C. and Avery discuss the ways in which your throughline and theme play together to underscore your book's core message.----more----

Books mentioned:

• The Longest Autumn, by Amy Avery

So you've finished the initial rush of those first chapters and you're reaching the middle of your story when you hit that wall: the Murky Middle. Today, D.C. and Avery discuss some tips and tricks to get over the mental hurdles and craft-based befuddlement of your book's second act.

You know those extra italicized sentences at the top of chapters? Today Avery and DC talk about epigraphs. Why would you want to use them and what pitfalls should you avoid? They also dip their toes (see what I did there) into footnotes.

Books Mentioned:

• The Stormlight Archive Series, by Brandon Sanderson

Avery and D.C. discuss how they decide which character should be the main point-of-view, when to choose multiple POVs, and how to decide which POV per scene.

Books Mentioned:

• One of Us is Lying, by Karen McManus

Avery and D.C. sit down with Chase Neely, marketing expert and author of the book Every Step Counts: Your Guide to the Challenging Path of Marketing a Book, to discuss that very topic. We share some laughs as we chat about platform, ads, building a brand, networking, hosting events, and more.

Find out more about Chase and Leverage Brands here.

Books mentioned:

• Every Step Counts: Your Guide to the Challenging Path of Marketing a Book, by David Loy and Chase Neely

When rewriting, how do you handle the creeping fear that you're ruining your book? Amy and D.C. discuss their own struggles with those doubts and some techniques for working through them.

When should you set a book aside, and how do you decide if it should be temporary or permanent? Amy and DC discuss their trunked books, ones they should have trunked, and what it's like to pull one out of the trunk.

Avery and D.C. are back! We review two more submissions as well as a surprise third excerpt. 

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Drink Recipes:

Corpse Reviver No 2

• 1oz Lillet Blanc (can substitute St Germain elderflower liqueur)

1. Rinse the inside of a chilled coupe or cocktail glass with absinthe, discard the excess and set the glass aside.

Mocktail

To prepare Fennel/Anise syrup:

• ½ cup water

1. Heat all together in saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar melts completely

Drink Recipe:

• 2oz strong earl grey tea, cooled

1. Shake all well with ice

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Books mentioned:

• Once There Were Wolves, by Charlotte McConaghy

Avery and D.C. discuss a few of the things they wish they had known earlier in their writing and publishing journeys.

Avery and D.C. discuss the evolution of their own writing processes, and what considerations they made that might help you refine your own process in a way that works best for you.