In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with S.H. Cotugno about their YA graphic novel, THE GLASS SCIENTISTS, based on the popular webcomic of the same name, inspired by the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. Also discussed: collaborating with others and how to leave space for other people’s creativity, the relatability of Jekyll and Hyde and the feeling of not fitting into specific categories, the appeal of Victorian settings, the accessibility and evolution of webcomics and transitioning the content to a graphic novel, creating a large cast of characters and keeping track of them, the comic sans technique (brilliant!), the difficulty in avoiding reviews, and so much more.

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In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with Kalyn Josephson about her latest YA fantasy, THIS DARK DESCENT. Also discussed: how technical writing can help with creative and novel writing, using Jewish mythology as inspiration for fantasy (golems!), the joy in worldbuilding, how all fantasy books should have a map, how to decide whose point of view to write scenes in when crafting a multiple POV story, the intrigue of morally gray characters, balancing multiple book releases with a day job, and so much more!

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In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with John Connolly about THE LAND OF LOST THINGS, his long-anticipated companion to THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS. Also discussed: how being a journalist can help and/or hinder being a novelist, the concept of writing being a muscle, how even many books into a career you may recognize planning would make it easier to write, but still will never do it, reading reviews of your own books, the draw of fairy tales and why they are so enduring, and so much more!

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In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with Kristen Simmons about her YA horror, FIND HIM WHERE YOU LEFT HIM DEAD, which has been described (by past guest Kendare Blake!) as “Jumanji but Japanese-inspired”. Also discussed: How rejection can be deeply painful but that being a writer is what you are, regardless of the outside reaction to your work, leveling up as a writer, the challenge and fun in writing a large cast of characters and multiple POVs, deciding how much mythology to use in a book that has deep cultural inspirations, crafting a game and challenges with the kinds of prizes that no one wants, and so much more! 

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Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with Kayvion Lewis about her new YA heist thriller, THIEVES’ GAMBIT. Also discussed: books coming out of dreams, creating a cast of characters when being a plot-first type of writer, the importance of revision in layering characters and refining complicated details (heists!), letting the world around you influence the writing, no matter how random it may seem at first, the newly coined “Point and See” method, transitioning from one book to the next and how much to include to catch up readers without adding info-dumps, the circle of inspiration from one generation to the next, and more!

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Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with Elizabeth Lim about her latest YA fantasy, HER RADIANT CURSE. Also discussed: the popularity of Sailor Moon Fan Fiction, the connections between writing music and writing words, combining Western fairy tales with East Asian folklore, how authentic and true to the source material to be when using historical places and time periods as inspirations for fantasy, writing sister stories, the magic of Disney movies, and so much more.

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Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with Aisha Saeed about her latest YA magical realism (with a bit of fantasy and romance), FORTY WORDS FOR LOVE. Also discussed: the origins and impact of the We Need Diverse Books organization, how there’s been much progress in creating more representation and diverse books but there’s always more work to be done, what it means to write the book of your heart, using fantasy to give distance and perspective on real world issues, how things can happen that you have no control over, but that you do have control over the books you write, and so much more!

We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) https://diversebooks.org/ 
Beth Pickens MAKE YOUR ART, NO MATTER WHAT https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781452182957 

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In this special bonus episode, Marissa chats with C.J. Redwine and Mary Weber (who was first a guest in episode 8) about their online and sometimes in-person writing craft community, The Writer’s Sanctuary, how it came to be and what they do. Also discussed: tips on creating a joy-filled writing life, avoiding negativity pitfalls like perfectionism, comparison, and the pressure to perform to expectations. They also discuss advocating for ourselves and asking for what we need, even if that means requesting more time (rubber balls vs. glass balls – brilliant!), and so much more!

The Writer's Sanctuary: https://www.the-writers-sanctuary.com/

Query: Everything You Need To Get Started, Get Noticed, and Get Signed by C. J. Redwine: https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781499642735

The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org
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Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with Rachael Lippincott about her new YA, pitched as a sapphic Bridgerton meets Freaky Friday rom-com, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND PITTSBURGH. Also discussed in this episode: the challenges of working on very distinct points of view, using music to get into a character’s POV, how deep to go into the research when writing a historical, the desire to time-travel back to the Regency era – knowing much of it might be romanticized, the pros and cons of co-writing books with others -  including a spouse - and more! 

The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org
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Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with J. Elle about her YA contemporary fantasy, House of Marionne. Also discussed: throwing off the pressure to write what you think you should write and writing books for yourself, expansive worldbuilding with depth and breadth to support a trilogy - even including appendices, creating complicated, flawed love interests, adding an additional POV that shows a different side of the world the main characters live in, and so much more.

The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org
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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/