How do you approach agents during the querying stage? How do you the one who will champion your work? How important is the pacing of your manuscript in order to keep your readers intrigued? Do you struggle with writing and editing difficult and emotional scenes? We get into all of it with today's special guest: R.F. Kuang.

Her debut novel, "The Poppy War" was recently released and is the first installment in a trilogy that grapples with drugs, shamanism, and China's bloody twentieth century. R.F. immigrated to the U.S. as a child and just graduated from Georgetown University where she studied Chinese history with a focus on Chinese military strategy, collective trauma, and war memorials. In addition to working on the rest of her installments of "The Poppy War" trilogy, she's a 2018 Marshall Scholar and will be heading to the University of Cambridge to do her graduate studies.

Today's episode is proudly brought to you by Fab Fit Fun! (Be sure to use the promo code 'TEA' for $10 off your first box) Sabaa and I pick up where we left off from the first time around and we discuss things that will hit you right in the gut and empower you to make a difference. I'm thrilled to finally share this episode with

Say 'Hi' to R.F. Kuang on Twitter and be sure to head over to her shownotes page. It features highlights covered from her episode along with our favorite quotes. Click here!

Xo,

Yin

---

If you got some awesome takeaways from this episode and would love to show your appreciation, the best way would be through any of the following:

• Help sustain 88 Cups of Tea by making a monthly gift in any amount through our 'tokens of love' page

• Pick up our carefully crafted writing prompts with your gift of $10 or more

• Sign up to receive email updates about 88 Cups of Tea

• Subscribe to us on iTunes and leave a rating and a review

• Hang out with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in our private Facebook group

• Tell your friends about our podcast and why you believe it would benefit them

We dedicate a ton of heart and soul into fostering a space that encourages learning, creativity, growth, and community. The most sincerest thank you for your love and support!

---

Have you checked out our archive of episodes by yet?