My guests are award-winning author-illustrator Grace Lin and editor-in-chief of Little Brown Books for Young Readers Alvina Ling. Both are accomplished children's book pros, lifelong besties, AND hosts of the popular podcast Book Friends Forever. They both have a LOT to say about all things Kids Books. We're going to get into stuff like how the industry has changed over the years, how to confront Burnout, and so much more. Plus, of course, lots and LOTS of book recommendations, and what we're obsessed with. Enjoy it! And, wishing Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and Happy Almost-New-Year to us ALL!

Guest agent Molly O'Neill from Root Literary joins me and we take it back to basics, talking about query letters and debunking some myths. We also dig into what the pandemic has been like for the publishing industry from our points of view. And Molly recommends some awesome books for your holiday purchasing pleasure! Finally, we get super-over-excited about TV shows: Ted Lasso, The Crown, and Queen's Gambit.

I check in with my friend Suzanna, the co-owner and buyer for Oblong Books and Music in Rhinebeck and Millerton, NY. She talks about how the bookstore has weathered these wild times, what has changed, and what booksellers have learned -- and together, we give AWESOME BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS! Get your pencil and paper ready and prepare to order awesome gifts for the holidays (and treats for yourself, too!)

Today we're talking pop culture! If you insert specific pop culture references in your work, how do you walk the line between seeming current now, and possibly making your book seem dated a couple years from now... and how DOES a grownup stay current, anyway? How can 1980's TV inform the way you structure your book, and what can superhero stories teach us about crafting a short pitch? All this and more with my special guest, MG and YA novel writing superstar Lamar Giles!

It's a very special episode: Four amazing authors helped me celebrate the Hudson Valley YA Society's 10th Anniversary and launch Christine Heppermann's new novel in verse WHAT GOES UP, in conjunction with Oblong Books & Music's "Oblong Online" event series. Listen in on this great event with Christine Heppermann, Brandy Colbert, Laura Ruby, and Sherri L. Smith. (And please forgive any technical glitches, this was a live event from five locations and something of an experiment!)

As you may have noticed, the podcast took a little hiatus - but we're back, baby! This episode, I give a little "state of the publishing industry" address, where I answer some burning listener questions about how the pandemic is affecting publishing. My special guest is picture book author Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, who talks about shaking up expectations and other important lessons for picture book authors (and, actually, ALL authors!), and tells us all about her latest picture book, YOUR NAME IS A SONG. Plus, I dig a bit into the results of the latest CCBC Diversity numbers.

Author Rebecca Stead (WHEN YOU REACH ME, LIAR AND SPY, among others) joins me to talk about her creative process -- as well as such important topics as revision with book maps, finding an authentic voice, giving yourself permission to suck, shutting down your inner critic, the annoyingness of the word "tween", and the restorative power of watching other people bake things. I'll also let her tell you a bit about her latest novel, out this week: THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE!

My guest this week is Hannah Moushabeck, a book marketing wizard from Quarto Books with a life-long history in the book industry. Hannah and I chat about ways for you to get the word out about your book, and what your publisher is doing, as well as social media 101, and so much more. ​PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded several weeks ago, in the Before-Time when we still had lively bookstores and libraries. Much of the valuable info herein will still apply, but some of it, well.... bear it in mind for when the "shelter-in-place" orders lift. I'll be updating with "Corona-Time" info as I have it.

My guest is publicist Tracy van Straaten, who will pull the curtain back and reveal everything you've always wanted to know about Book Publicity but were afraid to ask! (Well, maybe not everything. But a LOT OF STUFF!) Including how to best work with your in-house publicist, when hiring an outside publicist might be the right move, and much more.

My guest this week is Kate Messner -- the perfect person to discuss Career Building! Over the past decade she's published over 30 children's books, and has 12 more coming out in 2020 alone. Wowza! We'll talk about how she does it. We also talk about things she WISHES she had known when she was a debut, how to find balance in what can be a wild business, and so much more.