Sarah Nicolas's Blog, page 9

QQQ: Middle Grade Author Deva Fagan and the Long Dark Night of the Soul

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 Deva Fagan joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss having a contract cancelled, leaving multiple agents, feeling like a failure despite selling three books, how referrals aren’t a golden ticket, when your fears come to pass, and asking for what you need.

Deva Fagan is the author of middle grade fantasy novels Nightingale, Rival Magic and more. She lives in Maine with her husband and her dog. When she’s not writing she spends her time reading, playing video games, doing geometry, and drinking copious amounts of tea.

Deva: Query Text | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop: Nightingale — Rival Magic | Libro.fm | IndieBound

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

QQQ: Speculative Fiction Author EJ Wenstrom and Selling a Dystopian in a Dystopia

Speculative Fiction author EJ Wenstrom joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss taking a chance on a small press, not being too precious with your work, the zero draft method, not staying with an agent who’s not a good fit, writing off trend, and positive ADHD representation.

E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including her new release, the young adult dystopian novel Departures.

EJ: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Amazon | IndieBound | Bookshop

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lms, & Quirks” on your favorite podcast app to listen or listen on YouTube.

QQQ: Science Fiction Author Mike Chen and the Sports Reporter to Novelist Pipeline

Science Fiction Author Mike Chen  joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss resurrecting shelved novels, querying transitioning from paper to digital, going to acquisitions five times in 20 months, releasing a pandemic book just before a pandemic started, acquisitions nerves, drafting in layers, and getting better with every attempt. 

Mike Chen is the author of We Could Be Heroes, Here And Now And Then, and A Beginning At The End. He has contributed to Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View and covered geek culture for sites such as Tor.com, The Mary Sue, and StarTrek.com. In previous lives, he has been a musician, DJ, aerospace engineer, and credentialed NHL reporter. Mike lives in the Bay Area with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals.

Mike: Query | Website | Twitter | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM | IndieBound

Links from Mike:

What Happens After You Get a Literary AgentAn In-Depth Look at His Query LetterA Post About His Book Deal

QQQ Home Base | Support on Patreon

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

QQQ: Thriller Author Tammy Euliano and Putting Yourself Out There

Thriller Author Tammy Euliano joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss putting yourself out there, getting killer author blurbs, the way writing is harder than being a doctor, the exercise that gets her unstuck, and the importance of writing community 

Tammy’s writing is inspired by her day job as a physician, researcher and educator at the University of Florida. Her short fiction has been recognized by Glimmer Train, Flame Tree Press, Flash Fiction Magazine, and others. Her debut medical thriller, “Fatal Intent,” was published by Oceanview in March, 2021.

Tammy: Query Text | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro.fm | Amazon 

QQQ Home Base | Support on Patreon

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

QQQ: MG Author Adrianna Cuevas and the Successful Conference Pitch

Middle Grade author Adrianna Cuevas joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss writing for a specific audience, the kindness of other writers, making massive revisions, writing with the television on, and fear of not being good enough.

Adrianna Cuevas is the author of the Pura Belpre honor book The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez and the upcoming Cuba in My Pocket. She is a first-generation Cuban-American originally from Miami, Florida. A former Spanish and ESOL teacher, Adrianna currently resides in Austin, Texas with her husband and son.

Adrianna: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop: The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez | Cuba in my Pocket | Libro FM | IndieBound

QQQ Home Base | Support on Patreon

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

QQQ: Historical Romance Author Royaline Sing and Her Literary Agent Sara Megibow

Historical romance author Royaline Sing and her literary agent Sara Megibow join Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss querying an agent with a publication offer in-hand, Sara’s normal submission-reading process, finding the time to write, breaking the rules, trusting your partners, and surprises being the norm in the publishing industry.

Royaline Sing writes through the noise of my lovely two kids, a very supportive husband, and a bank job where numbers rule. She is currently writing Historical Romances, with heroines setting their own norms and coming toe-to-toe with heroes worth loving. She is a huge fan of Bollywood romantic movies and Marvel.

Sara Megibow is a literary agent with kt literary out of Highlands Ranch, CO. She has worked in publishing since 2006 and represents New York Times bestsellers authors including Margaret Rogerson, Roni Loren, Jason M. Hough and Jaleigh Johnson. She specializes in launching debut authors and working on long-term career development and profit strategy with them. 

Royaline: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Linktree | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM | IndieBound

Sara: kt literary | Twitter

QQQ Home Base | Support on Patreon

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

QQQ: Picture Book Author Tara Lazar and Rebelling Against Routine

Picture Book Author Tara Lazar joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss how to do picture book market research, writing in between wiping baby butts, publishing surprises, coming up with book titles before anything else, figuring out what works for you, and not having a writing schedule.

Street magic performer. Award-winning ice sculptor. Hog-calling champion. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been. Instead, she writes stories for children featuring quirky characters and hilarious happenings. Tara writes the 7 ATE 9 series of picture books from Little Brown, illustrated by Ross MacDonald. Her latest book is BLOOP with illustrator Mike Boldt, about an alien who comes to conquer earth but thinks the dogs are in charge!

Tara: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound

QQQ Home Base | Support on Patreon

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

QQQ: Contemporary Fiction Author Suzanne Park and A Thousand Rejections

Contemporary Fiction Author Suzanne Park joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss going to acquisitions (multiple times) without getting a book deal, repurposing life stories for fiction, the impact writing for standup has on her novels, the lack of a linear path after Pitch Wars, and amassing a thousand rejections.

Suzanne Park is a Korean-American author who was born and raised in Tennessee. In her former life as a stand up comedian, Suzanne appeared on BET, was the winner of the Seattle Sierra Mist Comedy Competition, and was a semi-finalist in NBC’s “Stand Up For Diversity” showcase. 

Suzanne: Query Text | Website | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM | IndieBound

QQQ Home Base | Support on Patreon

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

QQQ: Romance Author Kait Ballenger and the Literal Elevator Pitch

Romance novelist Kait Ballenger joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss not meeting publisher’s sales expectations,  writing on the tail end of a trend, getting a starred review without knowing what it means, only writing what you love, and getting an agent after a literal elevator pitch.

Kait Ballenger is the award-winning author of the Seven Range Shifter paranormal romance series, where she weaves captivating tales of dark, sexy heroes who are cowboys by day, wolf shifters by night. When Kait’s not writing “intense and riveting” paranormal plots or “high-voltage” love scenes that make even seasoned romance readers blush, she can usually be found with her nose buried in a good book. She lives in Florida with her husband and two young sons.

Kait: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM

QQQ Home Base | Support on Patreon

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

QQQ: Mystery Author Susan Elia MacNeal and Rolling with the Punches

Mystery Author Susan Elia MacNeal joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss almost giving up, how being a writer is like being a boxer, writing a cocktail book while pregnant, and publishing a book with a slow start but a long tail.

Susan Elia MacNeal is the author of The New York Times, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly and USA Today-bestselling Maggie Hope mystery series, starting with the Edgar Award-nominated and Barry Award-winning MR. CHURCHILL’S SECRETARY, which is now in its 23nd printing. Her most recent book is THE HOLLYWOOD SPY, which just came out on July 6.

Susan: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM

QQQ Home Base | Support on Patreon

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