What did you think of this episode?

Writing for Middle Grade isn’t as easy as you might think. Today’s guest shares her top five tips to help you be successful. 

Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. I’m your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. I’m so glad you’re listening in. During this episode, you’ll learn about … Top Five Tips for Writing Successful Middle Grade books.

My industry expert is Taryn Souders. Taryn’s middle grade novels have been named to over 25 state award lists. Her book, Coop Knows the Scoop, was a 2021 Edgar Award nominee for Best Juvenile mystery novel and a Maud Hart Lovelace Honor book. The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle won the Florida Book Award and was both an Agatha Award and an Anthony Award nominee.  

Alright, let’s head into our content for today.

Top Five Tips for Writing Successful Middle Grade:

1. KNOW your audience! 
2. Don’t have a bad-looking cover. 
3. Don’t preach. 
4. You HAVE to have high stakes and tension.
5. Study dialogue. 

Taryn Souder's new book is releasing in January 2026. It's called SECRETS OF THE BROKEN HOUSE (Sourcebooks Young Readers)

You can find out more about Taryn below

Website: www.tarynsouders.com

X : https://x.com/TarynSouders

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taryn.souders

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

 Books Taryn recommends:

-The Fort by Gordon Korman

-The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

-Wild Robot by Peter Brown.

Linda suggests any book by Taryn Souders! 

The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle

Coop Knows the Scoop

How to (Almost) Ruin Your Summer

REGISTER for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference

REGISTER for the Florida Christian Writers Conference

Info on the 2025 FCWC

Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#1 Podcast in the "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers in 2024".

Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast