First Draft With Sarah Enni

Take a siesta with Kiersten White, New York Times best-selling author of the PARANORMALCY series, MIND GAMES, THE CHAOS OF STARS and more, as she talks about the challenge of balancing writing with kids, the fresh new challenge that every book brings, and hear her read some amazing(ly hilarious) high school poetry!   Kiersten White Show Notes   Natalie Whipple, Stephanie Perkins Kiersten’s blog Erica Sussman Jim Di Bartolo Laini Taylor   LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES by Laini Taylor with illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo

One of my favorite humans, Kate Hart is author of AFTER THE FALL, due out in 2016 from FSG, and is basically everywhere on the internet. She and I took a break from a marathon Twilight series re-watch to talk witches and talking birds, what a gross word “networking” is, and finding the courage to tell our stories. Also Twilight.   Kate Hart Show Notes Badass Ladies You Should Know (my interview here!) Field Trip Friday YA cover statistics Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer Tim O’Brien Zilpha Keatley Snyder A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle Absolute Write Katie Alender Corinne Jackson Myra McEntire Kirsten Hubbard Kate's agent Michelle Andelman Natural State Treehouses, Kate's family treehouse business!  R&R = revise and resubmit THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood "The Yellow Wallpaper" by by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Sylvia Plath DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor  Stacked, librarian book blog   Kelly Jensen

Imagine yourself in sunny San Diego as Stephanie Diaz, author of EXTRACTION and its sequel, REBELLION, out February 10, talks about moving from film to books, querying before high school, and the scary reality of moving cross-country. Stephanie Diaz Show Notes THE EGYPT GAME by Zilpha Keatley Snyder HIS DARK MATERIALS by Phillip Pullman IF I STAY and WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman Cristin Terrill Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner THIS SHATTERED WORLD, and its sequel, THESE BROKEN STARS Firefly (TV show) LEGEND by Marie Lu Battlestar Galactica WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard   OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord

Grab a seat poolside with Erin Jade Lange, author of BUTTER, DEAD ENDS, and the forthcoming REBEL BULLY GEEK PARIAH, as she talks about abandoning the Midwest, the lasting impacts of bullying, and her personal vendetta against "Larry" McAfee. Erin Jade Lange Show Notes Dark Heart (from Care Bears) John McAfee Abraham Biggs WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson Ilsa Bick (ASHES)   Gemma Burgess (agent)

Have a sunny afternoon coffee with me and Victoria Aveyard, debut author of RED QUEEN (out Feb. 10!), as we discuss the Venn diagram of her screenwriting and author careers, why Hollywood won’t make the next Star Wars without novelists, and Pokemon (obviously)! Victoria Aveyard Show Notes FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY by E.L. James WOOL by Hugh Howey Suzie Townsend, Pouya Shahbazian, and Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary Gennifer Hutchison, screenwriter for THE RED QUEEN Looper (film)

Take a champagne break as I chat with Megan Shepherd, author of A COLD LEGACY, the final installment of THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER series (out Jan. 27), about the magic of Asheville, Jack versus Sawyer, and the allure of historical fantasy over mimosas! Megan Shepherd Show Notes Beth Revis, Meagan Spooner Blog post of Megan’s YA book event at her parents’ book store STOLEN by Lucy Christopher Alvina Ling (Editor-in-Chief, Little, Brown) THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU by H.G. Wells THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley FEAR STREET by R.L. Stine THE CAGE, the first book in Megan’s next series, out May 26! The Chocolate Lounge in Asheville Malaprops

I was in nerd heaven chatting with Margaret Stohl, co-author of the New York Times best-selling BEAUTIFUL CREATURES series, author of ICONS and IDOLS, and hard at work at the YA novel based on Marvel’s Black Widow. The frenetic energy of an evil genius, and the degrees to match, Margie talked  about her experiences being the only girl in the room for her years running a video game company, always checking wardrobes for Narnia, and the origin of YALLFest/YALLWest. Margaret Stohl Show Notes Y’ALLFest Tiger Beat Y’ALLWest Psuedonymous Bosch  Jeffrey Wright (actor) Eudora Welty William Wordsworth, Clark Coolidge Ron Howard (actor/director) Zork: Nemesis, Zork: Grand Inquisitor (video games) Melissa de la Cruz Kami Garcia THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE C.S. Lewis THE DARK IS RISING by Susan Cooper Diana Wynne Jones Apocalypse (video game) Gayle Forman CHILDHOOD’S END by Arthur C. Clarke Marie Lu Ned Vizzini (his obituary) Cassandra Clare Fracesca Lia Block HARRY BOSCH series by Michael Conneley Holly Bl

YA author Julie Murphy, who wrote SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY and has a new book, DUMPLIN’, coming out this year from Balzer + Bray, meets me in Texas to talk epic homecoming mums, unlikeable characters, and how she thought Twilight was a boy band. Julie Murphy Show Notes ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins Drop Dead Gorgeous (film) TITHE by Holly Black WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr Kristin Travenio (Irving County Library YA librarian) Blue Valentine (film) “Jolene” by Dolly Parton   Alessandra Balzer at Balzer + Bray

Katie Coyle, debut author of VIVIAN APPLE AT THE END OF THE WORLD, talks about how Thorin Oakenshield taught her she wasn’t cut out to act, writing ghosts and magic into her hometown, and how Neil Gaiman gave her her big break.   Katie Coyle Show Notes Katie’s wedding picture in which she and her friend re-enact THE HOBBIT PRETTY MONSTERS by Kelly Link Neil Gaiman’s tumblr The Young Writer’s Prize by Hot Key Press Cathy Day, represented by Sarah Burnes, professor at Pitt Rachel Fershleiser of Tumblr THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANK LANDAU BANKS by E Lockhart Tavi from Rookie Welcome to Nightvale I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith

Boisterous, eloquent, and just the tiniest bit zany, Cynthia Leitich Smith, New York Times best-selling author of TANTALIZE and RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME, took me out for tacos and taught me a thing or twelve. I loved hearing her wise words on diversity in YA, paying it forward with newer writers, and writing 200 drafts of a single picture book.   Cynthia Leitich Smith Show Notes Dear Sugar Kathi Appelt  and Austin SCBWI Greg Leitich Smith Varian Johnson, Don Tate Brett Hartman JINGLE DANCER Ming Doyle, illustrator for Cynthia’s graphic novels Deborah Noyse at Candlewick press (editor) SANTA KNOWS illustrated by Steve Bjorkman (edited by Mark McVeigh at Dutton) HOLLER LOUDLY TWILIGHT Joss Whedon FERAL PRIDE Sara Zarr  Ellen Oh’s post on Cynsations FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsburg Judy Blume  

Myra McEntire, author of the HOURGLASS series, is as refreshing as a cool glass of sweet tea, and it was a joy to sit with her and talk British TV, living with intention, and handling life’s unexpected curveballs.    Myra McEntire Show Notes The Kingsport Mets Trixie Belden series  Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris WTF With Marc Maron (podcast) Stuff You Should Know (podcast) Stuff You Missed In History Class (podcast) The Spy Museum podcast, SpyCast Mental Illness Happy Hour (podcast) The Domestic CEO (podcast) Get It Done Guy's Quick Dirty Tips (podcast) The Savvy Psychologist (podcast) Welcome to Night Vale (podcast) SIMS homeless blog, Alice and Kev, The Story of Being Homeless in The SIMS 3 Horton Foote Keeping Up Appearnces (BBC sitcom) Absolutely Fabulous Vampire Diaries Kevin Williamson (writer for VD) SUPERFUDGE by Judy Blume Stephanie Perkins THE SHADOW GATE, Myra McEntire’s middle grade series on Storybird with Molly O’Neill Veronica Roth CJ Redwine, Jodi Meadows, MG Buehrlen, Courtney C

The delightful Alison Cherry, author of RED and FOR REAL (out December 9!) talks traumatic revision experiences, life foreshadowing, “guerrilla friending” — and her cats give us some all-star background purring.   Alison Cherry Show Notes Author Solutions Literary agent Holly Root Strauss opera, Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow) Lorrie Moore Harvard Bookstore CHAOS WALKING trilogy by Patrick Ness Wendy Loggia, Executive Editor at Random House Children's Books/Delacorte Press  The Amazing Race Project Greenlight Survivor Pete Holmes Caela Carter, MY BEST FRIEND MAYBE Corey Ann Haydu Kirsten Hubbard Lindsay Ribar Kara Thomas (Taylor) Maureen Johnson, "Don't be afraid to suck."   Holly Root, "Keep your eyes on your own paper."

Talking with the wise and lovely Courtney C. Stevens, author of FAKING NORMAL and THE BLUE-HAIRED BOY, about building a writing community, writing how rock climbing made her a better writer. Courtney C Stevens Show Notes Stephenie Meyer SCBWI Ruta Sepetys and Sharon Cameron Harper Impulse series Rae Ann Parker, Kristin Tubb, Hannah Dills  Margie Lawson

Talking to Kaitlin Ward, whose debut novel BLEEDING EARTH is due out in Fall 2015, about the SIMS, teen horror, how she recovered from losing her first agent, and what video games inspire her.   Kaitlin Ward Show Notes WHEEL OF TIME series by Robert Jordan THE GIVER by Lois Lowry THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Phillip Pullman REDWALL by Brian Jacques MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien ERAGON by Christopher Paolini Realmz The SIMS TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer Absolute Write YA Highway THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers (and the sequel, PLEASE REMAIN CALM) Goosebumps, Fear Street, Christopher Pike Are You Afraid of the Dark? Michelle Schusterman (listen to her First Draft interview here!) ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell Upton Sinclair

I meet up with Stephanie Kuehn at a lovely holiday retreat in Vermont, where she set her Morris-award-winning debut, CHARM AND STRANGE. Steph is deeply thoughtful and incredibly silly in equal measure, which makes her simply delightful. As we sat on a back porch with kids playing in a nearby hammock, we talked about Steph’s boarding school days, romanticizing Vermont, movie making, how starting to run gave her the confidence to start writing, and the experience of winning the Morris Award. I also refer to Mark Zuckerberg as a “millionaire.” Sorry for the downgrade, Zucks. Stephanie Kuehn Show Notes Debra Driza Corrine Jackson Veronica Roth THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt COMMITTING JOURNALISM by Dannie Martin and Peter Y. Sussman Dannie Martin The Wicker Man (film) The Conformist (film) Vertigo (film)

The conversation continues, with Libba Bray, Printz award-winning YA author of THE DIVINERS and GOING BOVINE, discussing how she came to children's literature, the struggle to balance honesty with self-preservation, and writing with depression. Libba Bray Part 2 Show Notes Laurie Halse Anderson David Levithan Rachel Cohn Francesca Lia Block Angela Johnson Aaron Zimmerman, New York Writers Coalition Ann Brashares Sweet Sixteen Cecily von Ziegesar Holly Black SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder Save The Movie, by Peter Suderman in Slate (the "why are all movies the same?" article) Cynthia Leitich Smith Scott Westerfeld Justine Larbalestier John Green Nova Ren Suma Robin Wasserman Emily Lockhart Maureen Johnson Barry Lyga C. Alexander (Sandy) London Adele Griffin Matt de la Pena Shannon Hale Sara Zarr Jon Skovron Maggie Stiefvater Judy Blume "Miles and Miles of No Man's Land," Libba Bray’s post about depression Stephanie Perkins' blog post about depression "The Shame of Depression," by Myra McEntire HELTER SKELTER 

The only thing better than getting to chat with YA icon Libba Bray (author of New York Times best-selling series A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY, Printz award-winner GOING BOVINE, and genuinely terrifying historical paranormal THE DIVINERS, among others) about writing was getting to chat with her about life. Libba is as hilarious as she is wise, and our conversation was so fun, I decided to cut it into two parts rather than leave an hour or more on the cutting-room floor. In this episode, Libba talks about having her rock collection stolen as a kid, that one time Wes Anderson helped stage a play she wrote, and talks about how growing up in Texas set her head at a certain tilt. Libba Bray Show Notes Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa Citizen Kane The Legend of Boggy Creek The Planet of the Apes American Gigolo The Exorcist Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe Lois Lowry (her BEA speech) CHARLOTTE'S WEB by E.B. White I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS by Maya Angelou THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD by Zora Neale Hurston FOR

Meeting with Natalie Standiford was like stepping into a world where all my teen fantasies about what life as a writer would look like (amazing NY apartment, effortlessly chic clothes, a separate office with built-in shelves and a bass amp in the corner). It was only made better by the fact that Natalie’s books - HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT, THE BOY ON THE BRIDGE, CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS and so many more - are beautiful, thoughtful, and filled with quirky nuance, just like the books I dreamed (dream!) of writing. Natalie is so sweet and welcoming, and had wise, wise words about building up an immunity to writer’s block, writing about real-world fairylands, and finding creative release outside the written word.   Natalie Standiford Show Notes FEAR STREET (THE CHEATER; LIGHTS OUT; THE SECRET; THE BURNING; THE FEAR STREET SAGA) Sarah Burnes, agent at The Gernet Co., who represents Natalie (and me!) Annie Hall, film Jane O’Connor, FANCY NANCY Hilary Knight (illustrator of Eloise) ASTRONAUTS ARE SLEEPI

Q&A Show Notes Support the podcast here! Find podcast extras here! Jenn from Appleton video NAME OF THE ROSE, Natasha Romanov comic by Marjorie Lu Junot Diaz BookPeople in Austin The Strand in NYC Parnassus Books in Nashville The Last Bookstore in LA Politics and Prose in D.C., and Modern Times coffeeshop NIMONA by Noelle Stevenson (aka Gingerhaze) Alison Cherry   HYPERBOLE AND A HALF by Allie Bosh

Cat Winters, author of Morris Award finalist IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS and THE CURE FOR DREAMING (out Oct. 14!) is kind, thoughtful, and soft-spoken, but don’t be surprised if she tells you she was wandering the Oregon woods on the last full moon. Cat Winters Show Notes   The Mandrell Sisters The Smurfs THE THORN BIRDS by Colleen McCullough Judy Blume REBECCA by Daphne Du Marier SCBWI (The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Boardwalk Empire The Watcher in the Woods (Disney movie) Something Wicked This Way Comes (movie) SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury THE GHOST NEXT DOOR by Wylly Folk St. John The Cottingly Sisters The Man Who Believed In Fairies, article on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Tom Huntington Kristen Lawrence Halloween Carols ("Dark Glass") THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern SLASHER GIRLS AND MONSTER BOYS from Jessica Garrison at Dial DRACULA by Bram Stoker