The Write Process

A man of duality, Tom Pinchuk has charted the adventures of world-famous kid heroes like Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 and Mattel’s Max Steel while also crafting mature audience comics for Heavy Metal Magazine, among other outlets. His recent graphic novel, Remember Andy Xenon, may reconcile these contradictions, at last. Tom has written for television, comics and everything in-between and, before moving to Los Angeles, dwelled everywhere from Singapore to Syracuse. He delights in obstacle races, escape rooms and in masterminding increasingly elaborate April Fools Day pranks.

Awesome powers? Adventures all over the world? Andy Xenon was the boy hero every kid wished they could be! But then he turned 18 and those powers vanished. No more adventures. What happened? Why? Never getting any explanations, Andy resigned to life as a normal guy… and it’s a quiet misery. Nobody believes he used to be Andy Xenon. People have moved on to new adventurers and, each year, fewer even remember Andy, at all...But one person hasn’t forgotten. A journalist has tracked Andy down for a soul-searching interview. At last, he can set the record straight, review his reckless youth with hard-earned wisdom… and maybe figure out what went wrong. Is it too late for answers? Or can Andy earn a second chance? Remember Andy Xenon is anoff-beat journey of redemption. Sometimes the end of a story is only just the beginning.

Nadiya Chettiar started out as a stage actor and had the rare opportunity of touring as far away as Iran before discovering her true passion lay off the stage and behind the camera. She began her writing career in her native Canada, working for hit comedies such as Netflix's Kim’s Convenience and Workin’ Moms. After relocating to LA, Nadiya landed her first US gig as Executive Story Editor on Life in Pieces. She then moved on to the star-studded animated series, Housebroken, before returning to her stage roots in multi-cam form on Mom. She’s currently a writer/producer on Young Sheldon, where she enjoys writing for one of the best ensembles on TV. Nadiya also loves playing basketball and hitting the beach with her pooch, Pee-wee.

Young Sheldon Season 5, Ep 14: “A Free Scratcher and Feminine Wiles”

Sheldon butts heads with Dr. Lee, a new scientist in the lab; Mary, a devout Southern Baptist, grapples with what to do when she's given a lotto ticket.

Pete Hsu is a Taiwanese American writer based in Pasadena, CA. He is the author of the experimental chapbook, There Is a Man (Tolsun Books). His work has also been featured in several journals and anthologies, including The Asian American Writer’s Workshop’s The Margins, F(r)iction, The Los Angeles Review, and Los Angeles Review of Books. He was a 2017 PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellow, as well as the 2017 PEN in the Community Writer in Residence.

Full of warmth, terror, and unsentimental humor, If I Were the Ocean, I’d Carry You Home, Pete Hsu’s debut story collection, captures the essence of survival in a life set adrift. Children and young people navigate a world where the presence of violence and death rear themselves in everyday places: Vegas casinos, birthday parties, church services, and sunny days at the beach. Each story is a meditation on living in a world not made for us—the pervasive fear, the adaptations, the unexpected longings. A gripping and energetic debut, Hsu’s writing beats with the naked rhythms of an unsettled human heart.

Tembi Locke is the New York Times bestselling author of her memoir From Scratch, an actor, producer, and screenwriter. From Scratch is a Reese’s Book Club pick, an Audie Awards Best Audiobook Finalist, and a Goodreads Best Books Finalist. Along with Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine, Tembi serves as an executive producer and co-writer for the Netflix limited series inspired by her book. Her hope is for her work to inspire people to love more deeply, embrace resilience, and honor the fundamental humanity that connects us all.

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home is a poignant and transformative cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, about how one woman discovered the healing powers of food, family and unexpected grace in her darkest hour. This New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and needed a reminder that life is, after all, delicious.

Jean Chen Ho is a writer and doctoral candidate in Creative Writing and Literature at the University of Southern California, where she is a Dornsife Fellow in fiction. She has an MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and her writing has been published in Guernica, The Rumpus, The Offing, Apogee, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, VIDA, NPR, Buzzfeed, Bitch Magazine, and others. She was born in Taiwan, grew up in Southern California, and lives in Los Angeles.

Fiona and Jane follows best friends since second grade, Fiona Lin and Jane Shen, as they explore the lonely highways and seedy bars of Los Angeles together through their teenage years, surviving unfulfilling romantic encounters, and carrying the scars of their families’ tumultuous pasts with them. Fiona was always destined to leave, her effortless beauty burnished by fierce ambition—qualities that Jane admired and feared in equal measure. When Fiona moves to New York and cares for a sick friend through a breakup with an opportunistic boyfriend, Jane remains in California and grieves her estranged father’s sudden death, in the process alienating an overzealous girlfriend. Strained by distance and unintended betrayals, the women float in and out of each other’s lives, their friendship both a beacon of home and a reminder of all they’ve lost.

Link to book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652717/fiona-and-jane-by-jean-chen-ho/

Socials: twitter.com/jeanho, instagram.com/jeanho66

Alexandra Alessandri is the author of Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela! (Albert Whitman), which won a silver medal in the 2020 Florida Book Awards, and the forthcoming Isabel and Her Colores Go to School (Sleeping Bear Press). The daughter of Colombian immigrants, she is also an Associate Professor of English at Broward College and a poet, with some of her work appearing in The Acentos Review, Rio Grande Review, Atlanta Review, and Young Adult Review Network. She received her BA and MA degrees in English from Florida International University and a Certificate in Fiction Writing from UCLA Extension. When not writing or teaching, Alexandra spends her time daydreaming, relearning the piano, and planning the next great adventure with her family. She lives in Florida with her husband, son, and hairless pup, dreaming of Colombia.

Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela!, illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda, is about a shy little girl, Ava Gabriela, who is visiting her extended family in Colombia for the holidays. She’s excited to take part in family traditions, such as making buñuelos and saying goodbye to el Año Viejo, but being around all her loud relatives in an unfamiliar place makes Ava shy and quiet. How will she find her voice before she misses out on all the New Year’s fun? Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela! is an ode to Alexandra’s culture and to shy kids everywhere. School Library Journal praised the book, saying “This warm #OwnVoices look at Colombian traditions is both universal and deeply personal...Sonda's charming illustrations portray an idyllic finca…[and] The language is just as atmospheric.” Booklist called the illustrations “vibrant,” while Kirkus Reviews awarded the book a starred review, saying, “This gentle family story lets readers know that shyness is nothing to worry about.”

Social Media accounts:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/apalessandri

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apalessandri/

Jennifer J. Chow is the Lefty Award-nominated author of the Sassy Cat Mysteries and the forthcoming L.A. Night Market Mysteries (Berkley/Penguin Random House). The first in the Sassy Cat series, Mimi Lee Gets A Clue, was selected as an Overdrive Recommended Read, a PopSugar Best Summer Beach Read, staff picks for both Richland Library and Changing Hands Bookstore, and as one of BuzzFeed’s Top 5 Books by AAPI authors. Jennifer has also published other Asian-American novels involving secrets and mysteries. She’s active in Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Crime Writers of Color.

In Mimi Lee Cracks the Code, Pixie St. James, one of Mimi’s pet grooming clients, has offered Mimi and her boyfriend, Josh, a getaway at her vacation home, nestled on beautiful Catalina Island. With the island just outside of Los Angeles but still far enough from the hustle and bustle, Mimi, Josh, and their cat Marshmallow (who, of course, wouldn’t be caught dead in a dingy pet hotel) are excited for their relaxing stay. That is, until Pixie’s last renter, Davis D. Argo, turns up dead. Mimi and Josh’s romantic getaway immediately turns into an enormous buzzkill, especially when Pixie asks Mimi for help. The police suspect Pixie, and Mimi knows a thing or two about wrongful allegations. Mimi figures it couldn’t hurt to snoop a little since she’s already there, and soon discovers that a valuable item is missing. Except Pixie isn’t the only one in the neighborhood who has been robbed. There is something strange happening on the island, and Mimi won’t stop until she finds out what it is.

Synopsis & Link:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/605898/mimi-lee-cracks-the-code-by-jennifer-j-chow/9781984805034/

When murder follows Mimi Lee to her romantic island getaway, she puts on her best sleuthing hat with her sassy cat in tow in this adventurous cozy mystery by Jennifer J. Chow.

Social media:

https://twitter.com/JenJChow

https://www.instagram.com/jenjchow/

https://www.facebook.com/JenJChow

Darrin L. Dortch is a comedic writer, hailing from St. Louis, Missouri. His pilot, "Short Changed," won the inaugural Turner/American Black Film Festival TV Writing Contest in 2017. Darrin was a writer for two seasons on TNT’s outrageously delicious dramedy "Claws." Darrin’s first episode of "Claws" was also the directorial debut of star Niecy Nash. Currently, Darrin is an Executive Story Editor on Warner Bros./OWN's, "The Kings of Napa." He has written multiple pitches and spec scripts and is preparing to write his first book and a salacious podcast. Despite his raunchy sense of humor, Darrin has been a born-again Christian for nearly 30 years.

In the Claws episode “Zaddy Was A Rolling Stone,” five diverse, hardworking manicurists try to make ends meet at the Nail Artisan of Manatee County salon in Central Florida, contending with a staid economy while managing perilous personal lives awash in drama. Amidst all the silk wraps, pedicures and polish treatments, salon owner Desna, who lives with and cares for her mentally ill twin brother, leads a staff that includes best friend Jennifer, now sober and raising two kids from a previous relationship; enigmatic Ann, who provides security for the salon; mild-mannered preppy and ex-convict Polly; and Virginia, who becomes easily bored and impatient with her job. Also hanging around the salon are shady redneck Roller; ambulance coach Bryce, Jennifer's husband who is also newly sober; and Uncle Daddy, a dangerous, deeply Catholic and actively bisexual crime boss.

IG and Twitter at @LowBudgetLaughs.

Aminah Mae Safi is a Muslim-American writer who explores art, fiction, feminism, and film. She's the winner of the We Need Diverse Books short story contest. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her partner and two cats. She is the author of NOT THE GIRLS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR (Feiwel and Friends), TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL (Feiwel and Friends), THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT (Feiwel and Friends) and the forthcoming Reclaimed Classics ROBIN HOOD (March 1, 2022).

In This is All Your Fault, Rinn, Daniella and Imogen clock into work at Wild Nights Bookstore on the first day of summer. They’re expecting the hours to drift by the way they always do. Instead, they have to deal with the news that the bookstore is closing. Before the day is out, there’ll be shaved heads, a diva author and a very large shipment of Air Jordans to contend with. It will take all three of them working together if they have any chance to save Wild Nights Bookstore.

Social Media Accounts:

@aminahmae on Instagram

@aminahmae on Twitter (but mostly, I'm on Instagram)

Kenji C. Liu is author of Monsters I Have Been (Alice James Books, 2019), finalist for the California and Maine book awards, and Map of an Onion, national winner of the 2015 Hillary Gravendyk Poetry Prize (Inlandia Institute). His poetry is in numerous journals, anthologies, magazines, and two chapbooks, Craters: A Field Guide (2017) and You Left Without Your Shoes (2009). An alumnus of Kundiman, the Djerassi Resident Artist Program, and the Community of Writers, he lives in Los Ángeles.

Using an invented poetry method called frankenpo (frankenstein poetry), Liu takes existing texts and remixes them, creating multi-faceted poems that investigate the relationship between toxic masculinity and forms of violence plaguing our modern society. It also explores the male-male erotic and marginalized masculinities that are urgently needed as a counterweight to today's dominant hypermasculinity.