Interview by Alicia Cole Sofia Samatar is the author of the novel A Stranger in Olondria, the Hugo and Nebula nominated short story “Selkie Stories Are for Losers,” and other works. She is the winner of the John W. Campbell Award,…
A Conversation with Lucy Hounsom
Interview by Alicia Cole In between writing fantasy novels, Lucy Hounsom works as a bookseller for Waterstones. She has a BA in English & Creative Writing from the University of London and went on to complete the MA in Creative…
How to Really Write That Book (The Finishing Touch) – Part 3
The Finale You’ve put words on a page. Thousands of them and hundreds of lines. Take a minute to look at the word count at the bottom of your screen. Yes. You did this. And just like standing on top…
How to Really Write That Book – Part 1
Yes, there are parts and I’ll tell you why. It takes more than a good idea to make it onto the NYT best-seller list. There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re going to eat an elephant, do it…
A Conversation with Marsha A. Moore
A Conversation with Marsha A. Moore: Author of The Enchanted Bookstore Legends Series BF: Can you describe your journey to publishing your first book? MM: I didn’t aim to be a fiction author. My path evolved to this end. While growing…
A Conversation with NYT Bestselling Author, Omar Tyree
A Conversation with New York Times Bestselling Author, Omar Tyree BF: According to the bio on your website, you discovered your passion as a writer while you were a pharmacy major at the University of Pittsburgh. What exactly spawned this…
A Conversation with Jaime Reed
A Conversation with Jaime Reed: Author of Living Violet BF: Your first novel, Living Violet (Book 1 in The Cambion Chronicles) released at the end of last year. How (if at all) has your life changed since being published? JR: Surprisingly,…
A Conversation with Jennifer Hillier
A Conversation with Jennifer Hillier: Author of Creep BF: Your debut novel, Creep, came out last year. It has been described as a dark and intense psychological thriller. What draws you to dark fiction? Have you tried writing in another…
A Conversation with K.M. Walton
A Conversation with K.M. Walton: Author of Cracked K.M. Walton is not only a talented writer, but she’s also an inspiration—and we’re not just saying that because she shares a literary agent with one of our coeditors. Despite years of…
You Are a Writer: Dress the Part
Some say you are what you eat, while for others it’s all about what you wear. We can achieve a lot in our fiction by how we dress our characters: clothes can indicate setting, either geographical or historical; can reflect…
Rejection Equals Success
This week I received my first rejection of 2014. This may sound odd, but I hope it’s the first of many. You see, receiving rejections means two very good things. First, my work is out there in the world being…
The Writer’s Slow Sprint
Last week I wrote about how sleeping better can help to eke out a little more writing time per day. This week, I’ve been thinking about slowing down. I struggle with being realistic sometimes. I want to write a novel…