Queries, Qualms, & Quirks

Literary Fiction Author Kirthana Ramisetti joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss how she accidentally got a songwriter credit, an overnight success 20 years in the making, bucking trends, finding the social media that works for you, how quarantine changed her writing process, and what TV show inspired a character's name.

Kirthana Ramisetti is the author of Dava Shastri's Last Day, a Good Morning America Book Club pick. A former entertainment reporter, she has had her work published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic and more.

Kirthana: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM

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Mystery Author Kathleen Marple Kalb joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss querying in high school, getting rejections while sitting in a hospital waiting room, debuting in a pandemic, how Law & Order helps our writing, how working in news rooms has influenced her writing, writing headlines, and the importance of knowing your genre.

Kathleen Marple Kalb describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. A weekend anchor at 1010 WINS Radio in New York, she writes mysteries for Kensington and Crooked Lane Books as well as short stories. She, her husband and son live in a Connecticut house owned by their cat.

Kathleen: Query | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM

Aka Nikki Knight: Twitter | Facebook | Amazon

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Thriller Author Ashley Winstead joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss dreams deferred, not getting into an MFA, feeling like a Pitch Wars Showcase failure, how much easier writing the second book was, the importance of writing friends, making up new things to worry about, and having the courage to be the writer you want to be.

Ashley Winstead is the author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, which has received positive reviews from the New York Times and Publishers Weekly, among others, and has been named one of the best debuts of the year by CrimeReads and Library Journal. She has a PhD in English and lives in Houston.

Ashley: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM

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Romance Author Ruby Barrett joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss having your best friend as your first reader, Pitch Wars, learning about story structure, the importance of feedback, being inspired by a tweet, jealousy vs envy, the benefit of your friends getting published before you, how unemployment lead to her new career, how music inspires her writing.

Ruby Barrett (she/her) writes steamy romances about big feelings. She is the author of HOT COPY, and the forthcoming THE ROMANCE RECIPE.

She lives in Ottawa, Canada with her daughter and her husband.

Ruby: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | IndieBound | Libro FM

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Correction: CrossFit athlete Katrin Davidsdottir went on to win the event discussed on this episode.

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Romance Author Charish Reid joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss writing with ADHD, getting an agent and publication offer at the same time, reading reviews, putting things in perspective, the benefit of series in romance, preparing for the next book contract, writing bad poetry, and the need for external validation. ✦ 

Charish Reid is the author of three contemporary romance novels: The Write Escape, Hearts on Hold, and (Trust) Falling for You. She and her husband currently live in Sweden, teaching and exploring their new town. ✦ 

Charish: Query | Website | Twitter | Amazon | IndieBound | Libro FM ✦

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Young Adult Author Kyrie McCauley joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss finding a supportive community early on, sobbing at her first edit letter, writing about tough topics, writing at the zoo, Pitch Wars, the mountains and valleys of publishing, and what she misses about querying. ✦ 

Kyrie McCauley is the author of If These Wings Could Fly and We Can Be Heroes. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her family, three rescue cats, and a dog that eats books and is never sorry. ✦ 

Kyrie: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM ✦ 

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Mystery Author Leslie Budewitz joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss the lawyer to writer pipeline, Sisters in Crime, when the struggle was finding publishing information instead of curating it, the pre-internet writing community, writing fiction feeling too daunting at first, publishing as a business, and not having a linear path. ✦ 

Leslie Budewitz is a three-time Agatha Award winner and the best-selling author of the Spice Shop mysteries, set in Seattle, and the Food Lovers’ Village mysteries, set in NW Montana, where she lives. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody suspense. Leslie is a Mystery Writers of America board member and a past president of Sisters in Crime. ✦ 

Leslie: Query | Website | Facebook | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound  ✦ 

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Young Adult Author Dante Medema joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss having a massive earthquake the day your book goes to auction, being overwhelmed by writers conferences, knowing when a book is the one, the non-glamorous life of an author, ten years to overnight success, debuting during a pandemic, and separating the business from your ego. ✦ 

Dante Medema is the author of THE TRUTH PROJECT and MESSAGE NOT FOUND. When she isn’t writing she can be found chasing her dogs and four daughters around Alaska, obsessing over aliens, or embarrassing herself on Tiktok. ✦ 

Dante: Query | Website | Twitter | TikTok | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM ✦ 

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Romance Author Farah Heron joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss the benefits of being a joiner, the problem with being Canadian, DVPit, finding your genre, the important of publicists, deciding if writing is worth the stress, the danger of self-rejection, being a chapter President during the RWA implosion, and nothing being more important than the writing. ✦ 

Farah Heron is a critically acclaimed author of romance and romcoms.. Her recent release, Accidentally Engaged, was praised in Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, NPR, Glamour magazine, and has been named one of the year's best romances by Vulture. Her YA debut, Tahira in Bloom, will be out November 1, 2021. ✦ 

Farah: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | LibroFM ✦ 

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Horror Author Jessica Lewis joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss going from self-insert fanfiction to original fiction, the support of NaNoWriMo buddies, entering all the publishing contests, Pitch Wars, the pressure of writing for money, mental health, and trouble coming up with titles. ✦ 

Jessica Lewis is a Black author and receptionist. She lives with her way-funnier-than-her grandmother in Alabama. When she isn't writing or working, she enjoys watching cooking or HGTV-type home shows and playing farming sims. ✦ 

Jessica: Query | Website | Twitter | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM ✦ 

If links aren't clickable, find them here: https://bit.ly/qqqjessicalewis ✦ 

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