Write Or Die Podcast

Claribel & Kat discuss author responsibility as public figures with platforms, brought to you by Kat’s k-pop obsession with Stray Kids. Then they interview Shanna Miles about her hybrid journey, starting out with self-publishing, and then getting an agent and being traditionally published. Shanna gives some practical advice for anyone considering self-publishing, discusses diversity in publishing, and how YA “trends” are cyclical!

BIO: Shanna Miles is an author, reviewer and librarian who lives in Georgia with her two daughters, and educator husband and advocates tirelessly for appropriate representation for marginalized people in children’s fiction. Her passion is Paranormal Romance, but she also has a deep affinity for diverse Science Fiction like that of Octavia Butler and Sherri L. Smith. “For All Time” is Shanna Miles’ latest work.

FOLLOW SHANNA: website | Twitter | Instagram

• BUY For All Time

• BUY Willow Born

MENTIONS:

• Ingram Spark Self Publishing Tools

• Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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Claribel & Kat discuss burnout and some of the coping mechanisms they’ve found helpful to get them through. Then they interview debut author, Ayana Gray about the path it took to find the courage to write, how her path “crossed” Claribel & Kat’s along the way, and her highly anticipated debut novel, BEASTS OF PREY.

CW: Discussions of death of a loved one and grief at 21:45 time point. Fast forward past that to 25:03 if this is triggering.

Ayana BIO: Ayana Gray is an author of speculative works and lover of all things monsters, mythos, and #MelaninMagic. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas where she reads avidly, follows Formula 1 racing, and worries over her adopted baby black rhino, Apollo. Her highly anticipated young adult debut, BEASTS OF PREY, is coming out with Penguin Random House!

• FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY Beasts of Prey

MENTIONS:

• Highlights Foundation

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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Claribel and Kat give updates on their upcoming books (Witchlings and Once Upon a K-Prom) and discuss comparison in publishing and how it disproportionately affects BIPOC. Then they interview bestselling author Graci Kim about her journey into publication and how she learned to embrace her Korean name and identity!

CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of death of a child at 27:12 point. Skip to 28:54 to avoid that discussion.

GRACI BIO: Graci Kim is a bestselling author of magic-infused middle grade books, who was vine-picked in Korea and sun-ripened in New Zealand.

Her Korean mythology-inspired debut, The Last Fallen Star, published by Disney Hyperion (Rick Riordan Presents) and the first in the Gifted Clans trilogy, became an instant US bestseller. It was named by Indigo as a Best Book of 2021, was an Amazon Best Book Ages 9-12, and was selected by Publishers Lunch as a 2021 Buzz Book. Called a “sparkling yarn” by Entertainment Weekly, the book has been featured in TIME Magazine for Kids, Hypable, and Publishers Weekly; and has been optioned by the Disney Channel for a live-action television series.

• FOLLOW GRACI: website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY The Last Fallen Star

PRE-ORDER The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities 

MENTIONS:

• Graci’s TedTalk “The Hidden Power Behind Our Names”

• Beach Read by Emily Henry

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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Claribel & Kat answer a listener question about writing character voice and perspective. Then they interview Jason June about getting kicked in the face by Kylie Minogue and the journey from writing Picture Books to writing Young Adult!

BIO: Jason June is a gay, genderqueer, list-making, Virgo Sun, Taurus Moon, Pokémon-playing writer living in Austin, TX. If he had a Gay Agenda, "marry the love of your life", "be mom to two extremely pampered Pomeranians," and "get accidentally kicked in the face by Kylie Minogue as an extra in her music video" would all be crossed off.

• FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram

MENTIONS:

• Buy Jay’s Gay Agenda

• Buy Whobert Whover, Owl Detective

• The Art of Character

• The Emotional Craft of Fiction

• Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die 

We’re Back! In the season 4 premiere, Kat and Claribel share what they did over summer break and share big news about the future of Write or Die. Then they interview Misa Sugiura about her publishing journey, differences between releasing a book in 2021 vs before 2020, and creating boundaries between author identity and private personal life.

BIO: Misa Sugiura’s ancestors include a poet, a priestess, a samurai, and a stowaway. Her first novel It’s Not Like It’s A Secret, won the Asian Pacific Islander American Librarians’ Association’s Award for Young Adult Literature; Her latest book, Love & Other Natural Disasters has been praised by the American Library Association as "hilariously awkward" and "honestly poignant."

• FOLLOW : Website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY Love and Other Natural Disasters

BUY It’s Not Like It’s A Secret

MENTIONS:

• Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

• Becky Albertalli’s post about Queer Gatekeeping

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die 

In the Season Finale episode, Claribel and Kat answer some listener questions about drafting, querying, and submission. Then they interview debut author Liselle Sambury about her early writing, learning and growing from past mistakes, and how she uses YouTube to connect to the community

LISELLE BIO:

Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian-Canadian author who grew up in Toronto, and her brand of writing can be described as “messy Black girls in fantasy situations.” In her free time, she shares helpful tips for upcoming writers and details of her publishing journey through a YouTube channel dedicated to helping demystify the sometimes complicated business of being an author.

• FOLLOW Liselle: website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

BUY Blood Like Magic

ADD Butcherbirds on Goodreads

MENTIONS:

• Kate from Paper Fury

• Liselle’s Video about her learning experience with problematic narratives

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die 

Claribel and Kat talk about “parasocial relationships” and how it affects authors and their mental health. Then they talk to Anna Meriano about IP, MFA’s and her new book about fandom and fans reclaiming safe spaces for themselves!

Bio:

Anna Meriano grew up in Houston, Texas, with an older brother and a younger brother but (tragically) no sisters. She graduated from Rice University with a degree in English and earned her MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in writing for children from the New School in New York. She has taught creative writing and high school English and works as a writing tutor. Anna likes reading, knitting, playing full-contact quidditch, and translating English song lyrics into Spanish and vice-versa. Her favorite baked goods are the kind that don't fly away before you eat them.

• Follow Anna Online: website | Twitter

• BUY This is How We Fly

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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• Join our WorDie community!

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Claribel and Kat discuss how they make promo that’s fun for them and which incorporates their personalities. Then they talk to hilarious bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia about what it was like when she first got started in publishing, how she goes back and forth between Middle Grade & Adult, and some great advice for authors at all level!

BIO:

Rita Williams-Garcia is the New York Times bestselling author of novels for young adults and middle grade readers.  Her most recent novel, Gone Crazy in Alabama ends the saga of the Gaither Sisters, who appear in One Crazy Summer and PS Be Eleven.  Her novels have been recipients of numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award Finalists, Newbery Honor Book, Junior Library Guild, and the Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction.  She served on faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children MFA Program and she resides in Queens, New York.

• FOLLOW Rita: website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY A Sitting in St. James

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

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• Write or Die Episodes

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Kat and Claribel talk a little about their personal writing processes. And then they interview Shelly Romero an editor at Scholastic about what she looks for in submissions, how you can support BIPOC authors, and the realities of the day-to-day life of editors!

SHELLY BIO:

Shelly Romero is an assistant editor at Scholastic Press, where she is looking to build a list comprised of predominantly BIPOC and traditionally marginalized authors. She graduated from Stephens College with a bachelor’s degree in English and attended the 2017 NYU Summer Publishing Institute. She is a member of Latinx in Publishing, People of Color in Publishing, and a junior mentor for Representation Matters Mentorship Program. She was selected as Publishers Weekly Star Watch 2020 Honoree, which “shines a light on innovative, talented professionals from all parts of the industry.” Born and raised in Miami by Honduran parents, she now resides in New York City where is she is forever chasing the perfect café Cubano and pan tostado.

• Follow Shelly Online: website | Twitter

Mentions:

• Add Witchlings by Claribel a. Ortega on Goodreads

• Add Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho on Goodreads

• Add Frizzy/Rizos by Claribel a. Ortega on Goodreads

• Shelly explains Acquisitions meetings, Launch, and Sales Conference from an editor’s perspective!

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die 

Kat & Claribel discuss some writing and productivity tools that have been helping them write lately. Then they talk to Sarah Dass about her debut romance WHERE THE RHYTHM TAKES YOU, doing a retelling, and what it felt like being in an auction for her debut book

Bio: Sarah Dass was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago.

A graduate of the University of the West Indies and University College London, she works as an Office Administrator by day and writes stories about growing up in the Caribbean by night.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing, or taking walks with her dachshund. The only thing she loves more than a lazy day at home is exploring new countries.

Her debut novel, WHERE THE RHYTHM TAKES YOU, a YA contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, will be published by Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins in 2021.

• Follow Sarah Online: website | Twitter | Instagram

Order WHERE THE RHYTHM TAKES YOU

Mentions:

• Kingsley Nebechi’s Instagram

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

• www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

• www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

• Write or Die Episodes

• Join our WorDie community!

• Learn more about Write or Die