First Draft with Sarah Enni

Bea and Leah Koch, two sisters who co-own The Ripped Bodice, the only brick and mortar bookstore in the U.S. to sell exclusively romance titles, who were named 2017 RWA Steffie Walker Booksellers of the Year by the Romance Writers of America and recently struck an overall deal with Sony Pictures. I loved what Bea and Leah had to say about being activist booksellers, retraining romance readers, and becoming advocates for representation and change in publishing.

Bea and Leah Koch, owners of The Ripped Bodice, Show Notes

Women and Children First (bookstore in Illinois)

The Ripped Bodice Kickstarter

Preeti Chhibber (of Scholastic)

Word bookstore's Romance Book Club

Greenlight (bookstore in Brooklyn)

Ashley C. Ford (author and editor running the Green Light romance book club)

The Ripped Bodice State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Report (2016 and 2017) (The New York Times artiicle detailing the report's findings, "In Love With Romance Novels, But Not Their Lack of Diversity")

Vivian Stevens (editor of romance novels)

Beverly Jenkins (romance author)

RWA (Romance Writers Association)

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (listen to Associate Director of Event Programming for LATFoB, Maret Orliss, here)

Tiffany D. Jackson—author of ALLEGEDLY, whose latest book, MONDAY'S NOT COMING, is out now! Her next book, LET ME HEAR A RHYME, is due out May 21, 2019!—talks about still considering herself a newbie writer, the allure of horror stories, and being honest about the emotions of publishing.

Tiffany Jackson Show Notes

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Get Out (movie)

American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Laini Taylor is a National Book Award finalist for Lips Touch Three Times, New York Times bestseller for the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, and Printz Honoree for Strange the Dreamer and its sequel, Muse of Nightmares, out now!

Laini Taylor Show Notes

John Grisham

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

Victoria Aveyard (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here)

Jim di Bartolo, illustrator and Laini's husband

SCBWI

The National Book Award

Arthur Levine, publisher at Scholastic

In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim di Bartolo

Printz Award

Laini's Ladies

Sarah Dessen

Victoria Schwab (listen to her First Draft podcast here)

Holly Black

Cassie Clare

Sarah Rees Brennan

Kelly Link

Libba Bray (listen to her First Draft podcasts here and here)

Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft podcasts here and here and here)

Gentleman and Phantoms, Laini's story which appears in the Foretold anthology

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer, Laini's story which appears in the My True Love Gave to Me anthology

Tochi Onyebuchi, author of CROWN OF THUNDER, the second book in the BEASTS MADE OF NIGHT series--which is out now--talks about the audacity of new writers' ideas, writing himself and his family into a book for the first time, and being an award-winning witness.

Tochi Onyebuchi Show Notes

The Los Angeles TImes Festival of Books (listen to my interview with the festival's Associate Director of Events Programming, Maret Orliss, here)

Korn

Linkin Park

The Wikipedia entry of Nigerian-Americans

Lie Down In Darkness by William Styron

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

Renee Ahdieh (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo (manga)

The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault

Eugène Delacroix, French Romantic artist

Sabaa Tahir (listen to her First Draft podcast here)

Marie Lu (listen to her First Draft podcast interviews here and here)

Leigh Bardugo (listen to her FIrst Draft podcast interview here)

Black Panther (movie)

Afrofuturism

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (listen to her First Draft podcast here)

John Cheever

Mad Men (TV show) Paul Thomas Anderson (filmmaker)

Sam Maggs, author of A FANGIRL'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY: A Handbook for Geek Girls and WONDER WOMEN: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History, talks about her most recent book, GIRL SQUADS, a non-fiction collection of 20 female friendships that changed history. Sam shares the Google search that kicked off the new book, the surprising (and alarming) stories she stumbled on while researching GIRL SQUADS, and deploying her pronunciation skills for the audiobook.

Sam Maggs Show Notes

The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, CA

Wonder Women by Sam Maggs

Zohra, the all-female orchestra in Afghanistan

1964 Japanese women's volleyball team

Magical Beatdown by Jen Woodall, illustrator

Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of DEAR MARTIN, talks about her newest young adult novel, ODD ONE OUT, out October 9! Nic talks about lies of imagination versus lies of convenience, "high taste" readers, and the benefits of eavesdropping.

Nic Stone Show Notes

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Brandy Colbert (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here)

Spelman College

"Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors," a friendship theory by Rudine Sims Bishop

Christopher Myers and Chris Jackson, publishers of their own imprints at Random House

Kwame Alexander

Mae Carol Jemison (Astronaut)

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Divergent by Veronica Roth (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

John Green

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD. (president of Spellman University)

Sarah Dessen

Rena Rossner (NIc Stone's agent at The Deborah Harris Agency)

Phoebe Yeh, Nic's editor

Jordan Davis, a young black man killed in Florida over loud music

Walter Dean Myers

Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel

Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

Aminah Mae Safi (listen to her First Draft podcast here)

Mindy Kaling

Alex London--author of the Proxy Series, the Wild Ones series, and more, about his new young adult novel, BLACK WINGS BEATING--talks about the patriarchal influence on narrative structure, considering queer heroism, being terrified of coming back to YA, and why Jonathan Franzen owes him a thank you note.

Alex London Show Notes

Alex London's first episode of First Draft

The Wild Ones

Junior Library Guild

The Adventures of Wrong Man and Power Girl

Hope Nation edited by Rose Brock

Ursula K. le Guin

H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald

The Once and Future King by T. H. White

Mike Dupuy Hawk Food

Mary Fran Rash, Owner of Main Street Books in St. Charles, MO

YALLFEST

Adam Gidwitz

Neal Shusterman

Jason Reynolds Will Kostakis (listen to his First Draft episode here)

Sara Farizan, author of IF YOU COULD BE MINE and TELL ME AGAIN HOW A CRUSH SHOULD FEEL, talks about her newest novel, HERE TO STAY, out now! Sara talks about love as a human rights issue, writing action sequences, and why she chose not to write in Charles Barkley's voice.

Sara Farizan Show Notes

New England Mobile Book Fair

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Sesame Street

The Office (TV show)

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

John Irving

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here and here)

Books, Inc. (bookstore in SF)

Reggie Miller (former NBA player and commentator)

Kevin Harlan (NBA commentator)

The murder of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Matthew Shepard

Stephen Curry (NBA player)

Charles Barkley (NBA player)

Daria Morgendorffer (Daria TV show)

Nova Ren Suma, New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us, Imaginary Girls, and more, talks about her newest novel, A Room Away From the Wolves, out now! Nova shares what she learned from ghostwriting, talks about finding New York through the myths of her mother, and talks about discovering her strange self.

Nova Ren Suma show notes

Imaginary Girls

Margaret Atwood

Fear of Flying by Erica Jong

Mary Higgins Clark

Antioch College

Feathered by Laura Kasischke

Francesca Lia Block (listen to her First Draft episode here)

Laura Ruby

Bennett Madison

The MacDowell Colony

Micol Ostow (author)

Kate Angelella (editor at Simon and Schuster)

Good Morning Midnight by Jean Rhys

Yaddo (artist's colony)

Poets & Writers magazine

Courtney Summers, author of many books including CRACKED UP TO BE, THIS IS NOT A TEST, ALL THE RAGE, and her newest novel which comes out today, SADIE, talks about not wanting to do a book a year again, seeing her career shift 10 years in, how she thinks about her abrupt endings, sticking with the heart of the novel, and podcasts.

Courtney Summers 2.0 Show Notes

Hear Courtney's first First Draft interview (with bonus Veronica Roth) here!

PLEASE REMAIN CALM, the ebook sequel to THIS IS NOT A TEST

Serial (podcast)

S Town (podcast)

Sara Goodman, Courtney's editor at Wednesday Books (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Emily Hainsworth (author)

Interstellar (movie)

Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here and here)

Tell Me Everything by Sarah Enni