Morgan Matson, New York Times bestselling author of THE UNEXPECTED EVERYTHING , SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE , and her latest YA, SAVE THE DATE , talks about having the eleventh book be the hardest yet, “flashpoint” stories, the Morganverse, her unusual editing process, and writing a book in movies’ clothing. Morgan Matson 2.0 Show Notes The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson For Better or For Worse (comic strip) Noises Off by Michael Frayn Morgan’s first First Draft episode Katie Finn (Morgan’s a...
Jun 05, 2018•56 min•Ep. 143
Francesca Lia Block , author of more than 25 books, including seminal YA novel Weetzie Bat, talks about her most recent book, THE THORN NECKLACE , a memoir-driven guide to healing through the craft of writing. Francesca talks about meshing her life with that of her most favorite character, shares some incredibly useful writing exercises, and talks about *when* to do research. Francesca Lia Block Show Notes Joni Mitchell Harry Houdini Linda Venis , former head of the UCLA extension Writers Progra...
May 24, 2018•42 min•Ep. 141
Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, soon-to-be-married couple and co-authors of debut, ALWAYS NEVER YOURS (out now!), talk about the joke that brought them together, having co-writing modeled for them by Emily’s parents, and the fact that “whom” will never be in a YA contemporary. Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley Show Notes Cormac and Marianne Wibberley , screenwriting couple who wrote films such as National Treasure Why Won’t You Date Me (podcast) with Nicole Byer 21 Jump Stre...
May 22, 2018•51 min•Ep. 140
Becky Albertalli , New York Times bestselling author of LEAH ON THE OFF BEAT , SIMON VERSUS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA , and co-author of WHAT IF IT’S US , with Adam Silvera, due out in October. Becky talks about how seeing Simon become a movie made her want to write more cinematically, how good AND bad news can be paralyzing while you are revising on deadline, her number one OTP, and retconning her own series and characters. Becky Albertalli Show Notes Margot Wood from Epic Reads Greg Berlanti Isa...
May 22, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 142
Victoria Aveyard , whose latest novel, WAR STORM , is the final volume in the New York Times best-selling RED QUEEN series, talks about how Harry Potter led her to value fat books, balancing fan expectations with the demands of story, promo vs. creative mode, and staying hydrated on planes. Victoria Aveyard 2.0 Show Notes Victoria Aveyard’s first First Draft podcast Suzie Townsend (literary agent) New Leaf Literary Scrivener Avengers: Infinity War (movie) Empire podcast about Infinity War The Lo...
May 15, 2018•47 min•Ep. 139
Britta Lundin , whose debut novel SHIP IT , is out now, talks about being a TV writer ( Riverdale ), choosing to tell queer stories, and being shaped by her fandoms.
May 08, 2018•57 min•Ep. 138
Shane Pangburn and Tori Hill , producers of the YALLWEST book festival, on starting operations off a wedding budget, sending S.O.S. emails, and operating in good faith with festival organizers. Tori Hill and Shane Pangburn, producers of YALLWEST, Show Notes Margaret Stohl Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia Pseudonymous Bosch Lewis Peterson, co-author of Cats vs. Robots with Margaret Stohl YALLFest Blue Bicycle Books Santa Monica Public Library Teen ambassadors Maret Orliss , A...
May 01, 2018•56 min•Ep. 137
Kirsten Hubbard , author of YA novels Like Mandarin and Wanderlove , as well as middle grade novels Watch the Sky , Race the Night , and most recently, Secrets of Topsea: A Friendly Town That’s Almost Always By the Ocean (as Kir Fox, co-written with Michelle Schusterman , as M. Shelley Coats), talks about the time both of our lives simultaneously blew up, and how we helped each other rebuild. Also: how having a twin means she’s always written for an audience, the pleasures of re-reading, and wri...
Apr 24, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 136
Maret Orliss , Associate Director of Events Programming for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books , talks about how authors can stand out to festival programmers, what the L.A. Times is doing in response to sexual harassment accusations in the book world, and the best Margaret Atwood festival story. Maret Orliss Show Notes Cecil Castellucci Lisa Yee The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman Reading Aloud , Nate Corddry’s books podcast Brandy Colbert Amy Spa...
Apr 17, 2018•47 min•Ep. 135
Sara Saedi , author of NEVER EVER and its sequel, THE LOST KIDS (out today!), as well as YA memoir AMERICANIZED: REBEL WITHOUT A GREEN CARD , talks about her earliest boy-meets-girl story, how being the child of immigrants made her write her first screenplay, soap operas as writing boot camp,the blessing of living in the time of email, and putting a narrative onto your own life. Sara Saedi Show Notes Cocktail (movie) Rain Man (movie) The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin Brooke Bowman She’s All...
Apr 10, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 134
Ava Dellaira --whose most recent novel, In Search of Us , is out now!--talks about adapting her first novel into a screenplay, the mixed blessing of selling on proposal, and how she never could have written this book after becoming a mother. Ava Dellaira 2.0 Show Notes Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower The Perks of Being a Wallflower (movie) The Fault in Our Stars (movie) Twilight (movie) The Maze Runner (movie) Paper Towns (movie...
Apr 05, 2018•45 min•Ep. 133
Amy Spalding --whose most recent novel, THE SUMMER OF JORDI PEREZ (AND THE BEST BURGER IN LOS ANGELES) , is out today!--talks about the experience of changing publishers, how book promo is becoming more like movie promo, finding a story by combining ideas, and having more queer rom-coms. Amy Spalding 2.0 Show Notes Amy’s first episode on First Draft The Fault in Our Stars by John Green Scriptnotes with John August and Craig Mazin Love, Simon (movie) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Kissing Jessic...
Apr 03, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 132
Alex R. Kahler , author of RUNEBINDER and its sequel, RUNEBREAKER (out in November) the CIRQUE DES IMMORTALES series, THE PALE QUEEN series, the RAVENBORN series, and forthcoming middle grade book, THE COLLECTOR . Alex talks about the burden of taking your work with you, reimagining previous work, the freelance lifestyle, and getting off social media. Alex R. Kahler 2.0 Show Notes Alex’s first First Draft episode Alex’s B&N Teen blog post Westworld (tv series) Zan Romanoff’s tinyletter...
Mar 28, 2018•53 min•Ep. 131
Farrah Penn , debut author of Twelve Steps to Normal , on not loving learning how to read, almost giving up on her book after her father passed, and the injustice of having a trailer full of your things stolen in Arizona. Farrah Penn Show Notes Hooked on Phonics American Girl books Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (TV movie) Wendy Tolliver Agent Query Query Tracker The Hunger Games Suzie Townsend (literary agent) Fine Print Literary Stephanie Perkins Sarah Dessen Fall Out Boy Panic! At the Disco ...
Mar 27, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 130
Tomi Adeyemi, debut author of Children of Blood and Bone , on thinking she hated reading and writing, spite creativity, and how fantasy helped protect her from the raw pain in her book. Tomi Adeyemi Show Notes The Hunger Games (movie) Tomi’s blog post, " Why I Write: Telling a Story That Matters ." Black Panther Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV show) Ryan Coogler (director) Launch (podcast) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds Sign up for Tomi’s newsletter...
Mar 13, 2018•51 min•Ep. 129
Lianne Oelke , debut author of NICE TRY, JANE SINNER (out now!) talks about rewriting her diary, the life-changing impact of good beta readers, and writing YA in Canada. Lianne Oelke Show Notes Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Alice, I Think by Susan Juby Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell American Panda by Gloria Chao The Big F by Maggie M. Martin Fat Girl on a Plane by Kelly DuVoss Becky Albertalli Brooks Sherman Kat and Meg Conquer the World by Anna Priemaza...
Mar 13, 2018•58 min•Ep. 128
Dhonielle Clayton , New York Times bestselling author of The Belles (out now!) talks about her teacup obsession, the hell that is Act II Part II, and revision versus Revision. Dhonielle Clayton 2.0 Show Notes Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman Dhonielle's first First Draft interview here Elissa Sussman (listen to her First Draft interview here ) Delia*s cataloge Prognosis: Love & Death by Sona Charaipotra (hear her First Draft interview here ) Kieran Scott , editor at Disney Emily Meehan , pub...
Feb 27, 2018•43 min•Ep. 127
Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer , screenwriters with their debut young adult novel, LAYOVER , out now!, on being housecats, blurring the line between best friends and collaborators, their annual “corporate retreat” road trip, and complementing each other emotionally through the editing process. Amy Anderson and Emily Meyer Show Notes Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert Louisa May Alcott Edith Wharton I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Alison Raskin (listen to their First Draft interview here ) G...
Feb 13, 2018•45 min•Ep. 126
Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings , co-authors of the New York Times bestselling sci-fi novel ZENITH , talk about battling dyslexia/ADD and chronic fatigue, why Lindsay dedicates every book she writes to her father, thinking that writers were cyborgs and/or holograms, deciding to co-write over text, and leaving the subject of their book up to a Twitter poll (but then ignoring it). Sasha Alsburg and Lindsay Cummings SHIP IT by Britta Lundin The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan The Chronicles...
Feb 07, 2018•50 min•Ep. 125
John August —screenwriter known for Go, Big Fish, and more, and host of the Scriptnotes podcast —on his debut middle grade adventure novel, ARLO FINCH IN THE VALLEY OF FIRE (out Feb. 6!). John talks about the tricks authors have that screenwriters don’t, what made him think of recording his entire process of writing, selling, and debuting ARLO, the shadow of Harry Potter over all MG, and podcasting as an American art form. John August Show Notes Go (movie) Big Fish (movie) Charlie and the Chocol...
Jan 30, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 124
Jasmine Guillory , debut author of The Wedding Date (out Jan. 30!), on being an extroverted writer, using the notes app to take the pressure off starting a new book, the importance of stillness, and how romance novels can instruct us about affirmative consent. Jasmine Guillory Show Notes Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber The Toast The “Shoe” books, starting with Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Cali...
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 123
Sarah Tarkoff , debut author of SINLESS (out now!), talks about writing for TV and movies, made-up religions, the Dunning Kruger graph, and being inspired to start writing a novel by a nine-year-old. Sarah Tarkoff Show Notes 2018 First Draft calendar - order yours now! Kirsten Hubbard Arrow (TV show) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (movie) Jane the Virgin (TV show) Eastwick (TV show) Maggie Friedman (show runner of Eastiwck) Wendy Mericle (EP on Arrow) Mistresses (TV show) Josh Reims (Mist...
Jan 19, 2018•58 min•Ep. 122
A very special episode where I give podcasting tips and answer some questions, Kayla Olson and Courtney Summers join to give book recommendations, and authors Michelle Schusterman , Alison Cherry , and Lindsay Ribar discuss co-writing, selling, and editing their YA novel, The Pros of Cons . Special Episode (feat. Kayla Olson, Courtney Summers, Michelle Schusterman, Alison Cherry, and Lindsay Ribar) Zoom H2N Zoom H4N I said Audible and I meant Audacity! GarageBand Libsyn Art19 SquareSpace Subscri...
Jan 11, 2018•42 min
Michael Dante DiMartino , co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender and author of Rebel Genius and its sequel, Warrior Genius , on being obsessed with 50s art, how Avatar was pitched perfectly wrong, writing art as magic, and starting to write by hand. Michael Dante DiMartino Show Notes The 2018 First Draft calendar Kirsten Hubbard William S. Burroughs Beat poetry Garfield (comic) Bloom County (comic) Abstract expressionism Jackson Pollock Mark Rothko Willem de Kooning Brian Konietzko , co-creato...
Jan 03, 2018•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 121
Ben Acker , co-creator and writer for The Thrilling Adventure Hour , and writer for TV, comic books, and a series of Star Wars middle grade novels, including Star Wars: Join the Resistance . Ben and I talk about giving himself his first job, how a ukulele solo got him a gig writing at Marvel, and shares the definitions of art that he can’t shake. Ben Acker Show Notes Robert Lynn Asprin's The Myth series The Xanth series by Piers Anthony The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon Watchmen (movie) Ben Bl...
Dec 20, 2017•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 120
Stephanie Sabol , Executive Director, Brand Management at Penguin Young Readers , talks about The Penguin Hotline , and writer friends share their most recommended books. Stephanie Sabol and Book Recommendation Episode Stephanie Sabol The Penguin Hotline Who is Bruce Springsteen? by Stephanie Sabol The Who Was? series Where is the Solar System? What Was the Titanic? Jeff Kinney Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore The Graceling series by Kristin Cashore Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Salt ...
Dec 12, 2017•45 min•Ep. 119
Will Kostakis , who makes his U.S. debut with The Sidekicks and has two books, The First Third and Loathing Lola , published in his native Australia, talks about approaching every book like it could be his last, spite writing, being the writer he is today because of a personal tragedy, and the difference between the Australian and U.S. YA markets. Will Kostakis Show Notes Will’s blog post about coming out Will’s blog post about being disinvited from a school because he came out " After He Came O...
Nov 30, 2017•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 118
Jasmine Warga , author of My Heart and Other Black Holes and her newest, Here We Are Now , on reading teaching empathy and complexly imagining others’ internal worlds, family mythologies as social currency, the glorification of happiness, and the trouble with idolizing your friends. Jasmine Warga Show Notes Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler (listen to his First Draft interview here) Vote for your favorite First Draft quotes from 2017 ! Then stay tuned for your chance to pre-order the First Draft 2018...
Nov 28, 2017•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 117
Maggie Stiefvater —author of The Raven Boys cycle , The Scorpio Races , the Shiver series, and her newest, All the Crooked Saints —talks growing up in a Celtic Von Trapp family band, not being a cozy child, wanting to be the author in the airport, and writing a book to a playlist. Maggie Stiefvater Show Notes Vote for your favorite First Draft quotes for the upcoming 2018 calendar ! Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle The Da...
Nov 21, 2017•39 min•Ep. 116
Brandy Colbert , author of Pointe and her newest, Little and Lion , on exploring non-traditional families, her nocturnal writing schedule, and having a productive hibernation. Brandy Colbert 2.0 Show Notes Listen to Brandy’s first First Draft interview here Dahlia Adler " The Pain of the Watermelon Joke ," by Jacqueline Woodson An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michaelangelo and Me by Ellen Forney Stephanie Perkins Stephanie Kuehn ...
Nov 14, 2017•52 min•Ep. 115
