By Abigail K. Perry
The podcast currently has 23 episodes available.
Welcome back to Story Effect and an extra big thank to all my listeners for tuning in for this and every episode. I’m Abagail K. Perry, host of Story Effect and developmental editor with literary agency, teaching, and film experience. Today, I want to take this time to let listeners know that I will be taking a short break from podcasting in order to welcome my first baby into this world. I’m a few days past my due date and excited to meet him and her, but also anticipate that I will be quite busy in the upcoming weeks, so podcasting will have to go on hold.
However when I return, I do have exciting plans for evolving Story Effect into an especially resourceful and insightful podcast for writers. If you’ve listened to Story Effect episodes with associate literary agent Stephanie Winter and literary agent Maria Vicente, you probably know that I had the good fortune to work at P.S. Literary Agency for two years. During this time, I spent one year as an editorial intern working directly with Carly Watters, VP and Senior Literary Agent of P.S. Literary, and another year as P.S. Literacy’s Agency Relations Assistant. Although after these two years I decided to pursue my own creative and editorial endeavors instead of a career as a literary agent, I cannot express how grateful I am for the lessons and invaluable mentorship I received at PSLA, all of which taught me a tremendous amount about the literary agent role, query process, editing, the publishing world, and more.
As I evaluated Story Effect and podcasting, and how I could service writers with our shared passion for storytelling and my unique experiences, I decided...
Why not adapt the Story Effect podcast into a niched podcast that can help writers tackle the query process? One of the important steps a writer needs to master during the query process is finding the right agent for them. This research can be intimidating and sometimes difficult to accomplish, so, when I return from maternity leave, I’m dedicating my podcasting skills and literary agency knowledge to helping writers do exactly this: find the agent that is best for them—the dream agent he or she would love to query.
Not only will this new podcast provide tips on how to champion the query process, but it will also share conversations with specific literary agents on their favorite stories and manuscript wish lists, so that writers stop wasting their time querying the wrong agent, and start listening to personalized conversations that can identify if certain aspects of a writer’s manuscript is right for a specific agent.
If you are a writer and have literary agents or query questions you’d like to learn more about, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me during my brief time away from the microphone. Email me at abigailkperry [AT] gmail [DOT] com with any questions or comments.
Until then, visit my website at www.abigailkperry.com for more on me, my editing services, podcast, writing workshops, writing blog, and other strategies and advice on writing, editing, querying, and reading like a writer. I can’t wait to return to podcasting this fall with this evolved idea. To be informed about the release of this new podcast, sign up for my Story Effect email list, or stop by my website for new posts.
I wish you all the best of health, happiness, and creativity, and look forward to sharing my podcast’s new conversations with literary agents and their story favorites soon. Thank you, and be well.
This week on Story Effect, Abigail Perry talks to Literary Agent Maria Vicente about two stories with timeless themes and characters that have stuck with Maria since she was 12 years old. Featuring Jerry Spinelli’s New York Times bestseller Stargirl (the film adaption recently produced by and featured on Disney+) and the film Josie and the Pussycats, Maria explores how these stories unravel some universal experiences in life, like teenagers learning how to stay true to themselves in a society urging them to conform, and how female friendships are just as valuable and complicated as romantic relationships.
Maria also shares information about one of her favorite mediums to represent: graphic novels–and other books she loves to represent.
Email Abigail at abigailkperry [AT] gmail [DOT] com to continue the conversation, and don’t forget to check out Maria’s website for more information on her and her client’s creative works.
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Want to read Stargirl? Purchase it on Amazon or your local bookstore, and then check out the film adaption on Disney+.
Buy It On: *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
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Interested in some other topics discussed in this episode? Explore these resources for your own creative journey.
This week on Story Effect, Abigail Perry talks to Production Assistant Amanda Boisselle and her cousin and fellow The Good Place fan, Michael Lambert, about her favorite TV sitcom, The Good Place. Packed with brilliant insight on how this show epitomizes how to infuse humor with moral messages and why its brilliant cast of flawed characters illustrates perfect character transformation, this conversation is sure to touch the hearts and minds of listeners. WARNING! There are *SPOILERS* in this episode, so if you haven't seen The Good Place, make sure to either skip over parts of the conversation prefacing spoiler alerts, or download it for a future listen after you've completed the series.
Email Abigail at abigailkperry [AT] gmail [DOT] com to continue the conversation. Seriously, this is a story favorite of hers and she'd love to talk to you about it!
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Interested in some other topics discussed in this podcast? Explore these resources for your own creative journey.
This week on Story Effect, Abigail Perry talks to Associate Agent Stephanie Winter about her latest Upmarket obsession, The Heard (by Andrea Bartz), and other story favorites, including Jane Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice, and poet Andrea Gibson's work. With these, she explores how writers can connect readers to a story with strong characters, plot, and emotions. She also spends time discussing what literary agents can do for an author’s career, and the importance of encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit and diverse representation in books.
Email Abigail at abigailkperry [AT] gmail [DOT] com to continue the conversation.
Buy THE HERD by Andrea Bartz on:
*Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
Interested in some other topics discussed in this podcast? Explore these resources for your own creative journey.
This week on Story Effect, Abigail promotes five Middle Grade and Young Adult books about black protagonists and by black authors. Featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling black authors writing for teens today, these stories shed light on the teen black experience in America, and provide a variety of interesting tales for girls and boys alike. Add these to your summer reading list, and purchase at your local bookstore or borrow them from the library to support black authors, while simultaneously encouraging your growth and learning.
Books covered in this podcast induce:
This week’s episode of Story Effect promotes children’s books and coloring books with black protagonists and/or that encourage discussions about race. As parents add books to their children’s bookshelves, it’s important to include stories with diverse casts. From board books to coloring books, these six choices promote positive messages and push conversations about a need for equality, giving parents an opportunity to teach children how to continually work at being antiracist.
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Feminist Baby: He's a Feminist Too! by Loryn Brantz
BUY IT! *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
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The Big Bed by Bunmi Laditan
BUY IT! *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
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Anti-racism Starts with Me! A Coloring Book for Kids by Kadeesha Bryant
BUY IT! *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
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Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
BUY IT! *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
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Radiant Child by Jakava Steptoe
BUY IT! *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
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Don't You Know You're Beautiful Just the Way You Are? by G.A. Sealy
BUY IT! *Amazon *Barnes and Noble
Out of continued respect for current events, I’m dedicating this month’s Story Effect episodes to amplifying melanated voices and encouraging discussions about race. This week, I share two fiction and two nonfiction books, some of which I’ve read and others that I’m eager to read. Because I want to direct your attention to these authors, this episode’s show notes consist of a plethora of resources about these stories and interviews from the authors. I sincerely hope you take some time to check them out.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode and support these amazing authors and their stories If you’d like to continue the conversation on how to educate ourselves on race, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at abigailkperry [AT] gmail [DOT] COM.
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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
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Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Purchase The Hate U Give on *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
*Angie Thomas on the inspiration behind the novel
*NBC News on the powerful messages of The Hate U Give
WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin Diangelo
NOTE: Although not a black author, Robin Diangelo’s book White Fragility is a wonderful display of how she began to recognize her own unconscious bias–and how all white people can work towards becoming anti-racist by recognizing the same unconscious bias in themselves.
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In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
Purchase White Fragility on *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
*Robin Diangelo on White Fragility
THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett
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The Vignes twin sist
This week, I’ve decided to delay the episode out of respect for current events. I thank you for your patience and hope you’ll stay tuned for next week’s episode, where I will plan to promote stories and resources from melanated voices in support of black people. I am also actively seeking more black guests for the show, and want to turn our attention towards books and movies with diverse protagonists and casts. If you’d be interested in coming on the show in the future, please reach out to me at abigailkperry [AT] gmail [DOT] COM.
Although I do not have an extended episode this week, I do want to share two insightful resources from black creators from this week that everyone should listen to.
The first is an interview hosted by Nic Stone, author of Dear Martin, Nic’s New York Times bestseller is about a high school senior in a predominantly white school who starts writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after he experiences a dangerous encounter with police officers. This week, Nic hosted five amazing interviews on race with an editorial director and bestselling authors. This list included Pete Forester, Jodi Picoult, Brenda Kiely, Tiffany Jewell, and D. Watkins. Nic has posted all of the interviews on her IG account @nicstone, and I sincerely recommend you check these out for your own education and growth.
Purchase DEAR MARTIN on *Amazon *IndieBound *Barnes and Noble
The other video I’d like to draw your attention to is from Ivirlei Brookes, a Business and Mindset Coach and founder of Mavenelle, a company where Ivirlei shares her experiences, tips, advice, and resources for creative women seeking to uplevel their experience.
All of Ivirlei’s advice in this video is invaluable; some of her thoughts I wanted to reinforce in this episode are how white people can do more (and need to do more) than donate, post #blacklivesmatter, and be publicly with black people and against racism. We need to commit ourselves to doing the work. Some of the recommendations Ivirlei shared are included in this short episode, but I sincerely recommend you visit Ivirlei's IG page and watch her video for yourself.
In an effort to do better, I will be dedicating this month to promoting stories by black authors and creators in the upcoming weeks. These episodes will not follow the traditional interview format with guests. Instead, I will be researching and promoting stories/books/movies/work from black authors and creatives. I hope that you will listen to these episodes and support these authors, creatives, and voices.
Thank you for committing to doing the work with me, I look forward to sharing upcoming episodes that will amplify melanated voices.
Named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in the world, bestselling author Jeff Kinney has touched millions with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and his generous contributions that continually create goodness and inspire reading across the globe.
In this exciting episode of Story Effect, Abigail talks to Jeff about the inspiration behind The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and how the generic drawings of the Heffley family have connected with people around the world. Since the first Wimpy Kid book published in 2007, the series has printed more than 200 million copies of the series worldwide. It also has been a fixture on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, and has remained on the New York Times bestseller lists since the publication of the first book, for more than 500 weeks total. The books are currently available in 76 editions in 64 languages–and continue to empower relationships between parents and children with their stories shared in books and on the screen.
Additionally! Jeff’s upcoming animation series featuring The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will premiere on Disney+ soon — only some of the exciting new stories we can expect from Jeff.
Listen to this episode to learn about the tremendous value generic comics and characters have in their ability to connect with a diverse people, and why it’s important to find humor in every day life. Email Abigail at abigailkperry [AT] gmail [DOT] com to continue the conversation.
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Interested in some other topics discussed in this podcast? Explore these resources for your own creative journey.
“The right way to be sexual is the way that feels best to you.” Lisa Wade, an educator and author who will formally join Tulane University as an Associate Professor of sociology and gender and sexuality studies in 2021, discusses her book American Hookup and the new culture of sex on campus. Rising above “misinformation and moralizing,” this episode focuses on Lisa’s rigorous research about the evolution of dating and the context of hookups on campus–and how this can both empower and harm students.
Presented with scholarly, unbiased observations, Lisa reflects on her book’s ideas based on the journals of 101 students, all who willingly shared their experiences in hookup culture with Lisa for her research. With this information, Lisa has mapped out an “emotional landscape marked by unequal pleasures, competition for status, and sexual violence.” Factors such as privilege, racial and sexual minorities, a common pattern of unfriendliness following hookups, the pressure to “opt in” when you want to “opt out,” and the context of hookups are all considered.
Listen to this episode to learn about a timely and important culture we need to discuss, as well as ways people can consider moving forward. Email Abigail at abigailkperry [AT] gmail [DOT] com to continue the conversation.
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Want to read American Hookup for yourself? Find it on Amazon, IndieBound, or Barnes and Noble.
Interested in some other topics discussed in this podcast? Explore these resources for your own creative journey.
The podcast currently has 23 episodes available.