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We have Ruta Sepetys on 88 Cups of Tea this week! Ruta is a New York Times bestseller and a Carnegie Medal winning crossover author whose critically acclaimed novels are read by both teens and adults. Ruta was awarded The Rockefeller Foundation’s prestigious Bellagio Center writing residency for her historical novel “Salt to the Sea”. The feature film adaptations of “Salt to the Sea” and her debut “Between Shades of Gray” are also on their way to theaters.

In our conversation, we talk about the real-life details that inspired “Salt to the Sea” and Ruta’s emotional process while writing the novel. We walk through a massive deep-dive of her research process, and she shares tips on interviewing techniques along with advice on how to respectfully approach people to interview for your own novels.

For our craft-focused listeners, you’re going to love our discussion about writing from multiple POVs and how to master each voice. Along that same topic, Ruta shares why it’s important for listeners to not shy away from writing dark and emotional POVs. We also touch on how she writes emotionally challenging characters.

Further into our conversation, we cover the role of rejection and how failure helps to set us up for future success, and how admitting your fears can help you move beyond them.

Say 'Hi' to Ruta on Twitter and check out the books/resources mentioned in her episode by clicking here!

Happy listening!

Xo,

Yin

PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!

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