From Spark to Shelf

Today I talk about every writer's favorite (or most dreaded?) month of the year: National Novel Writing Month! Formed by Chris Baty in 1999, National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo) "is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes in the transformational power of creativity. We provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page." So much more than just 50,000 words in a month!

Follow me on social media:

*Twitter: Jenna DeVillier ✨ (@JennaDevillier) / Twitter

*Facebook: Jenna DeVillier | Facebook

*Instagram: Jenna DeVillier (@jennadevillierwrites) • Instagram photos and videos

*Tiktok: Jenna DeVillier ✨ (@jennadevillierwrites) TikTok | Watch Jenna DeVillier ✨'s Newest TikTok Videos

*Jenna DeVillier – YA Fantasy Writer

Episode 3 will be released on November 16! I hope you join us. As always, stay inspired, and happy querying!

Today I talk about the annual writing mentorship contest PitchWars! PitchWars was launched by Brenda Drake in 2012 (boy, was I off with my guess of 2014 in the episode!), and has since grown into the biggest writing contest around. And now that we're in the midst of the waiting period for those who submitted this year, I thought I would talk about what PitchWars is, how to stay sane during the wait, and why, even if you don't get a single request, it's not because you're a bad writer (honest!).

Mentions:

*Pitch Wars

*Xiran Jay Zhao/IRON WIDOW

*Rosiee Thor/TARNISHED ARE THE STARS

*Basic Pitches Podcast

Follow me on social media:

*Twitter: Jenna DeVillier ✨ (@JennaDevillier) / Twitter

*Facebook: Jenna DeVillier | Facebook

*Instagram: Jenna DeVillier (@jennadevillierwrites) • Instagram photos and videos

*Tiktok: Jenna DeVillier ✨ (@jennadevillierwrites) TikTok | Watch Jenna DeVillier ✨'s Newest TikTok Videos

*Jenna DeVillier – YA Fantasy Writer

Episode 2 will be released on October 26! I hope you join us. As always, stay inspired, and happy querying!

Today I talk to querying fantasy writer Morgan Hazelwood! Morgan is known, especially in the YA community, for her community building through the PitchWars hopefuls Facebook groups. In this episode we discuss:

*How she came to be an admin for the PitchWars groups on Facebook ("I like helping people")

*Her love of writing fantasy across all age categories

*Using fantasy to explore what it means to be human

*The importance of taking intentional breaks!

*#PITCHWARRIORS | Facebook || Pitch Wars YA Subgroup | Facebook

Follow Morgan on social media:

Twitter: morganHazelwood (@MorganHzlwood) / Twitter

Instagram: Morgan Hazelwood (@morganhazelwood) • Instagram photos and videos

Facebook: Morgan Hazelwood: Author Page | Facebook

Podcast: Writing Tips and Writerly Musings (fireside.fm)

Youtube: Morgan Hazelwood - YouTube

Morgan Hazelwood: Writer In Progress – Sharing Writing Tips & Writerly Musings

Follow me on social media:

*Twitter: Jenna DeVillier ✨ (@JennaDevillier) / Twitter

*Facebook: Jenna DeVillier | Facebook

*Instagram: Jenna DeVillier (@jennadevillierwrites) • Instagram photos and videos

*Jenna DeVillier – YA Fantasy Writer

Episode 7 will be released on June 29! I hope you join us. As always, stay inspired, and happy querying!

Today I talk to hybrid YA author Dawn Husted! Dawn is represented by Tabatha Pope of SBR Media, and recently went on submission for the first time! In this episode we discuss:

*Her experience as a hybrid author (self-published and now agented and seeking traditional publication)

*The wide range of genres she writes in and her love for darker stories

*Her non-traditional querying story

*The YA alien romance she's on submission with... YES PLEASE

*The Emotion Thesaurus

Follow Dawn on social media:

Twitter: Dawn Husted ♎️ (@TheDawnHusted) / Twitter

Instagram: Dawn Husted 🌞🌥🌬's (@thedawnhusted) profile on Instagram

Facebook: Dawn Husted - Home | Facebook

Tiktok: Dawn Husted, YA Author (@thedawnhusted) TikTok

Dawn Husted - Home

Follow me on social media:

*Twitter: Jenna DeVillier ✨ (@JennaDevillier) / Twitter

*Facebook: Jenna DeVillier | Facebook

*Instagram: Jenna DeVillier (@jennadevillierwrites) • Instagram photos and videos

*Jenna DeVillier – YA Fantasy Writer

Episode 6 will be released on June 15! I hope you join us. As always, stay inspired, and happy querying!

Today I talk to middle grade author Megan Reyes! Megan is represented by Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary, and recently announced her first book deal! Megan's debut middle grade, HEROES OF HAVENSONG, will be released by Labyrinth Road (PRH) in Fall 2022. In this episode we discuss:

*Our mutual respect for the age categories we write (MG for Megan, YA for Jenna)

*Her 300 query rejections over 5 manuscripts

*How she ended up signing with her amazing agent Joanna!

*Her submission story (she went on submission in March 2020.. uh oh) + book deal

*How she connected with her editor Liesa Abrams

*Our Twitter DM support group

*What inspired HEROES OF HAVENSONG

Follow Megan on social media:

Twitter: Megan Reyes (@MReyesWrites) / Twitter

Instagram: Megan Reyes (@mreyeswrites) • Instagram photos and videos

Home (meganreyes.com)

Follow me on social media: 

*Twitter: Jenna DeVillier ✨ (@JennaDevillier) / Twitter

*Facebook: Jenna DeVillier | Facebook

*Instagram: Jenna DeVillier (@jennadevillierwrites) • Instagram photos and videos

*Jenna DeVillier – YA Fantasy Writer

Episode 5 will be released on June 1! I hope you join us. As always, stay inspired, and happy querying!

Today I talk to my first agented author, Christopher Mannino! Chris is represented by Stephen Fraser of the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, and has two books on submission. In this episode we discuss:

*How getting lost in Cornwall and spending time at Oxford (filming location for the Harry Potter movies) inspired his first YA novel, THE SCYTHE WIELDER'S SECRET

*Writing in different age categories

*How your Dream Book can be hard to let go of, but why it's important to pivot when it isn't working

*Why contradictory feedback from agents can actually mean you're getting close!

*Juggling multiple projects at one time to stay inspired and motivated

Follow Christopher Mannino on social media:

*Facebook: Christopher Mannino | Facebook

*Goodreads: Christopher Mannino (Author of School of Deaths) (goodreads.com)

*Amazon: Amazon.com: Christopher Mannino: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

*Christopher Mannino - Home - ChristopherMannino.com

Follow me on social media:

*Twitter: Jenna DeVillier ✨ (@JennaDevillier) / Twitter

*Facebook: Jenna DeVillier | Facebook

*Instagram: Jenna DeVillier (@jennadevillierwrites) • Instagram photos and videos

*Jenna DeVillier – YA Fantasy Writer

Episode 4 will be released on May 18! I hope you join us. As always, stay inspired, and happy querying!

Today I have my first special guest with me, Amanda J. Winter! In this episode we discuss:

*Her writing/querying journey (2:43)

*Her current WIP and the inspiration behind it (5:49)

*Drafting vs. revising and plotting vs. pantsing (spoiler: Amanda loves revising and is a pantser! "I'm trying to be a plotter... it's not really working.")

*The way she finds inspiration through TV shows (She has an idea for an Anne of Green Gables-inspired fantasy! "This would be a cool idea, if I mixed this and this...")

*The rabbit hole of Pinterest inspiration boards (14:00)

*Her advice for querying writers (16:45)

*SEQUELS (18:00)

*Query research (18:50)

*The sad state of our Goodreads challenges (Amanda only read 8 books in 2020 x_x) (24:30)

*Fancast the characters in your WIP! (28:23)

*Draft lengths (Amanda drafts LONG, Jenna drafts short) (32:00)

*The query letter struggle bus (34:00)

*Amanda is drawing a map for her WIP... it is not going well (38:00)

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

*Chloe Gong, author of THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS and the upcoming OUR VIOLENT ENDS (11/16/21) and FOUL LADY FORTUNE (Fall 2022).

-www.thechloegong.com

-Twitter/Instagram/TikTok: @thechloegong

*Erin A. Craig (GIF aesthetics), author of HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS and the upcoming SMALL FAVORS (7/27/21).

-www.erinacraig.com

-Twitter/Instagram: @Penchant4Words

Follow Amanda J. Winter on social media:

*Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @ajwinterbooks

*www.ajwinterbooks.com

Follow me on social media:

*Twitter: @JennaDeVillier

*Facebook/Instagram: @jennadevillierwrites

*www.jennadevillier.com

Episode 3 will be released on May 4! I hope you join us. As always, stay inspired, and happy querying!

In this solo episode, I discuss my own querying journey, from discovering NaNoWriMo in 2011, to my current WIP! Discover the inspiration behind my space fantasy (including a weird meaning for my name?), what I'm excited about in my writing life right now, advice for other querying writers, and why I once cried in my car while dressed as Elizabeth Warren.

Follow me on social media:

Twitter: @jennadevillier

Facebook: @jennadevillierwrites

Instagram: @jennadevillierwrites

Episode 2 will be released on April 20, with my first special guest! I hope you join us. As always, stay inspired, and happy querying!

Welcome to From Spark to Shelf Podcast, a writing podcast that focuses on the journey, not the destination! Hosted by Jenna DeVillier, this bimonthly podcast will include interviews with querying writers where we discuss the dreaded Query Trenches, where authors find their inspiration, and much more. We hope you enjoy!