Sarah Nicolas's Blog, page 3

MG Graphic Novel Author Elizabeth Agyemang and the Missing Piece

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

MG Graphic Novel Author Elizabeth Agyemang joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss video game fan fiction, multiple R&Rs, querying her future agent while in high school, a lot of rewriting, and focusing on the things you can control.

Elizabeth Agyemang is the author and illustrator of Fibbed, a middle grade graphic novel published by Razorbill, and Heart-Shaped Lies, a young adult novel coming from Delacorte. When she isn’t gushing over books or comics, she spends her free time dissecting classic movies and playing Final Fantasy.

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Published on March 30, 2023 01:00

Agent Office Hours with ALL the Tobias Agents

Join us for a video Q&A #askagent session!

Participating agents include: Lane Heymont, Natascha Morris, Sarah Fisk, Kelly Dyksterhouse, Jacqueline Lipton, Ann Rose, Stefanie Rossitto, and literary manager Eric C. Jones.

Ask about querying, how to get a literary agent, how to get published, and more. No pitches, please.

Register to Receive a Reminder (optional)

Or Watch Here

FAQ

Q: Will live captioning be available?

A: Yes!

Q: Will the recording be available to watch later if I can’t make it?

A: Yes! use the “Watch Here” link above.

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Published on March 24, 2023 15:00

Fantasy and Thriller Author Chelsea Mueller and The Queen of Google

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

Fantasy and Thriller Author Chelsea Mueller joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss book blogging, going to editorial five times with no book deal, keeping your eyes on your own paper, different processes for different genres, and the importance of perseverance.

Chelsea Mueller writes gritty, twisty fantasy and thriller novels for adults and teens. She’s best known for the YALSA Reluctant Reader Pick PROM HOUSE and her gritty Soul Charmer urban fantasy series. She loves bad cover songs, good fight scenes, and every soapy YA drama Netflix can put in her queue. Chelsea lives in Texas and has been known to say y’all.

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Published on March 23, 2023 01:00

Young Adult Author Rosiee Thor and So Many New Words

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

Young Adult Author Rosiee Thor joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss how failure is part of the process, teenage Marie Lu, Inkpop, signing with an agent who doesn’t represent her genre, feeling a bit stagnant, refusing to give up on publishing, and finding the groups that nourish instead of drain you.

Rosiee Thor began her career as a storyteller by demanding to tell her mother bedtime stories instead of the other way around. She spent her childhood reading by flashlight in the closet until she came out as queer. She lives in Oregon with a dog, two cats, and an abundance of plants. She is the author of Tarnished Are The Stars, Fire Becomes Her, The Meaning of Pride, and Life is Strange: Steph’s Story.

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Read the full transcript.

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Published on March 16, 2023 01:00

Middle Grade Author Sarah Allen and A Decade of Querying and Failing

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

Middle Grade Author Sarah Allen joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss coming up in the time of author blogs, being over eager, hundreds of rejections, being scared to write the book you want, leaving an agent, learning to be bolder, and balancing the boldness with kindness.

Sarah Allen is a poet and author of books for young readers. Her upcoming middle grade horror, THE NIGHTMARE HOUSE, releases in August of 2023. Her first book, WHAT STARS ARE MADE OF, was an ALA Notable Book of 2020 and Whitney Award Winner, and her second, BREATHING UNDERWATER, was a Jr. Library Guild Selection for 2021. Born and raised in Utah, she received an MFA in creative writing from Brigham Young University, and now lives in the midwest. She spends her non-writing time watching David Attenborough documentaries and singing show-tunes too loudly, and she’s a lover of leather jackets, grizzly bears, and Colin Firth.

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Read the full transcript.

Search for “Queries, Qualms, & Quirks” on your favorite podcast app to listen or listen on YouTube.

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Published on March 09, 2023 00:00

Fantasy Author R.R. Virdi and the Seven Year Grind

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

Fantasy Author R.R. Virdi joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss the cover his mom designed, the difference between indie and trad, seeing the sign at Barnes and Noble, the importance of asking questions, how delays snowball, and how publishing is different for everybody.

R.R. Virdi is a usa today bestseller, two time dragon award-finalist and nebula award finalist. He is the author of urban fantasy series, The Grave Report, and the new South Asian Epic Fantasy series from TOR books, Tales of Tremaine

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Published on March 02, 2023 00:00

Middle Grade Author Esme Symes-Smith and the Million-Revision Unicorn

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

Middle Grade Author Esme Symes-Smith joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss genre labels, the two-glass-of-wine query, how NaNoWriMo prepared them for publishing, inspiration from Tamora Pierce, waiting for the other shoe to drop, the fanfiction gateway, making excuses for yourself,

Esme Symes-Smith grew up in the Southwest of England, got their degree in Literature and Creative Writing in Wales, and now lives in Missouri with their wife and furbabies. SIR CALLIE is their first novel.

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Published on February 23, 2023 00:00

Young Adult Author Laura Taylor Namey and the MSWL Tweet That Changed Everything

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

Young Adult Author Laura Taylor Namey joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss learning to write a novel by writing one, the pitfall of comparison, longevity as an author, romanticizing publishing, and doing things backward.

Laura Taylor Namey is the New York Times and international bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, The Library of Lost Things, When We Were Them, and two forthcoming titles. A proud Cuban-American, she can be found hunting for vintage treasures and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two children.

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Read the full transcript.

Search for “Queries, Qualms, & Quirks” on your favorite podcast app to listen or listen on YouTube.

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Published on February 16, 2023 00:00

Middle Grade Author PJ Gardner and the Idea Machine

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

Middle Grade Author PJ Gardner joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss coming to writing late in life, how querying is like boxing, writing as a calling, how promoting for MG is different from promoting for YA, querying with old data, taking big risks but expecting safe results, and how the success goalposts always move.

PJ Gardner has never met a talking animal, but that hasn’t stopped her from writing about them. She’s the author of the middle grade Horace & Bunwinkle series and her next book, The Great Zoodini comes out in early 2024. She lives in Southern California with her husband and sons, and their Boston Terriers, Rosie and Rocky. She also writes under the name PJ Switzer.

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Read the full transcript.

Search for “Queries, Qualms, & Quirks” on your favorite podcast app to listen or listen on YouTube.

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Published on February 09, 2023 00:00

Young Adult Author Sarah Suk and Query Trenching

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication.

Young Adult Author Sarah Suk joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss the writing group that started it all, Author Mentor Match, how being on submission was harder than querying, realizing her community is not her competition, worrying if anything’s going to work out, and the importance of writer and non-writer friends.

Sarah Suk lives in Vancouver, Canada, where she writes stories and admires mountains. She is the author of young adult novels Made in Korea and The Space Between Here and Now, as well as the co-writer of John Cho’s middle grade novel Troublemaker. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water, taking film photos, or eating a bowl of bingsu.