Deadline City's Podcast

We're wishing you the best we can while times are rough. It's hard to concentrate but hope that our episodes give you a tiny bit of inspiration. We know that this will pass, we just have to stick through it together. This week we are happy to present Claribel A. Ortega, debut author of the fantastic middle-grade novel GHOST SQUAD. Claribel stopped by Deadline City to talk about what it's like being a debut author and how the publishing industry is constantly changing.

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It's been a tough few weeks. Plans have changed. Routines have been disrupted. The publishing industry, along with many others, have taken a huge hit. This week we decided to talk about how self-isolation has affected our writing routines. Who even wants to think about deadlines at a time like this? But, some people do have to. This episode covers everything from updates to lists of resources to brighten your quarantine, to just plain encouragement that you're not alone.

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To cap off our World Building March, we're heading off to Iceberg Inlet where we break down what a cultural iceberg is in relation to fantasy world and novels. What is deep culture versus surface culture? We also take a look at N.K. Jemisin's talk 'Growing Your Iceberg' to better understand the tools writers use to make fantasy cultures feel real. Bonus! We read the first pages of some excellent fantasy novels like A Darker Shade of Magic and Storm of Locust to prove our points. What are some of your fantasy cultures? Be sure to tell us in the comments or tweet at us.

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Take a stroll with us down Analog Alley. During the third week of our "World Building March" we talk fantasy analogs. When do they work? When do they leave us confused? Writing fantasy means building whole new worlds, but often the authors borrow from pre-existing cultures and countries to paint a picture in your head. We read short excerpts from two novels that really nail their analogs, and give your own tips on how to work on yours. Happy trails!

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World Building March continues! This week we're breaking down the rules of magic by taking a stroll through Magic Ville! Using our own books, The Belles and the Brooklyn Brujas series, we discuss how we created our magical systems. What rules work? What rules don't work? How do we show the reader the stakes without info dumps? How to build a magical system is a huge part of our author tools. We've got more discussion and great examples from books we love. Welcome to Magic Ville.

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Welcome back to Deadline City! March 2020 is going to be dedicated to world-building and we're kicking off the month with brilliant SFF author, Kate Elliott. Kate has authored so many epic series in adult and YA including Court of Fives and Spiritwalkers. Early in the year, we had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with her to dig into how we create the worlds of our novels. When it comes to worldbuilding, we have so much to unpack. Rather than try to fit everything in one episode, we're going to split up the many subjects and give you a month-long masterclass on how we, and our guests, build fantasy worlds. Especially while counting down the days to make our deadlines. Here we kick off with Kate's convo! 

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Adriana Herrera stops by to talk about writing romance novels! What is emotional equity and how does it play a part when you're writing compelling novels? We go through the things that are important to us when we're cobbling together love stories. Romance authors and readers are incredibly passionate about romance so this conversation is dedicated to it! Especially what it is like writing in this genre as women of color. We hope you love it! 

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Presenting: The Deadline City Debut Author Kit! Publishing is an industry that's always evolving. So, how do you crack the code? We're still trying. Even though we feel like seasoned veterans, we're still navigating the big wide world of New York Publishing. We don't have all the answers, and sometimes we feel like every book is another debut. But we're here to share the survival tips that have worked for us over the years in hopes that your journey is a little bit smoother. 

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Welcome back to Deadline City Season 2! We are back with more episodes on writing, publishing, and our general shenanigans. This week we are joined by special guest Sarah Elizabeth Younger. Sarah is an agent specializing in romance and women's fiction at Nancy Yost Literary Agency. She gives us a rundown of popular romance tropes, why they work for us, and how to write them successfully. If you're interested in romance fiction or writing romance, you don't want to miss this episode! 

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Happy New Year! Our last episode of the season is here. Since it's January 1st, 2020, naturally, it's about resolutions. We cover the personal and professional. We give you an insight into our writerly NYE traditions and how we plan to hold ourselves accountable throughout the year. What deadlines are you carrying with you? What books are you dreaming up for the next decade? We wish you a fantastic 2020! 

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