“You have to acknowledge to yourself that you will fail — we all...

“You have to acknowledge to yourself that you will fail — we all fail — and you will try again because you are the only person who can tell your own story. Stare into the messiness and the loneliness and hold on to that part of you that will not stop demanding expression.” 

—Alaya Dawn Johnson, author and NaNoWriMo Pep Talker

Alaya (rhymes with “papaya”) lives, writes, cooks and (perhaps most importantly) eats in Mexico City. Her literary loves are all forms of speculative fiction, historical fiction, and the occasional highbrow novel. She plays the guitar badly and eats very well, particularly during canning season. She has published six novels for adults and young adults, including The Summer Prince , which was longlisted for the National Book Award in 2013, and Love Is the Drug , nominated for the Norton award.

Read Alaya’s full Pep Talk. Quote image designed and illustrated by Jenny D. Williams.