First Draft With Sarah Enni

Marie Lu is small only in a strictly physical sense. Her books are big - New York Times best-seller big - and her creativity, both as a novelist and an artist, is awe-inspiring. The written word taught Marie a new language, got her through high school, led her to take a chance on leading a creative life at a pivotal moment as college came to an end, and is now giving her the chance to see the world. Marie has truly inspiring things to say about when to recognize that you aren’t good enough for a story, how her visual thinking shows in her work, and what the push for diversity in YA has taught her. Marie Lu Show Notes IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes David Eddings Terry Brooks Kristin Nelson, Marie’s agent Pike’s Peak Writer’s Conference The graphic novel of Rachelle Mead’s VAMPIRE ACADEMY  Heather Brewer’s vampire series, EIGHTH GRADE BITES Kaari with Caravan Studios Rainbow Rowell’s project writing a graphic novel Kiersten White and Jim DiBartolo on IN THE SHADOWS #WeNeedDiverseBooks Ellen

A chat with Beth Revis, author of the New York Times best-selling ACROSS THE UNIVERSE series, including a new book from that world, THE BODY ELECTRIC, due out Oct. 7! Beth talks about the ten years she spent writing before her breakout novel, and how invaluable the writing community has been to keeping her sane.  Beth Revis Show Notes The Biltmore Estate The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis Sweet Valley High series The Babysitter’s Club series THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe NIGHT by Elie Weisel DEAD MAN’S HAND, edited by John Joseph Adams PETTICOATS AND PISTOLS, edited by Jessica Spotswood Firefly, television show Jessica Spotswood, Marie Lu, Andrea Creamer  Beth’s Pinterest board PAPER HEARTS Wattpad HYPERBOLE AND A HALF by Allie Brosh   RUIN AND RISING by Leigh Bardugo

Meagan Spooner, author of LARK ASCENDING (out Oct. 1!), the final installment of the Skylark Trilogy, and is co-author of the Starbound Trilogy with Amie Kaufman. Meagan is bright, cheery and welcoming, with the self-assuredness of a girl who has crossed the globe more than once. We talk about her roots in the theater, how fairy tales are the OG fanfic, and that one time her house burned down. Meagan Spooner Show Notes STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert A. Heinlein CONTACT by Carl Sagan THE GIVER by Lois Lowry THE DRAGON RIDERS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey Odyssey writing workshops Claire Legrand (listen to her podcast interview here!) Shel Silverstein SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL by Louis Sachar and Adam McCauley IN A DARK, DARK ROOM by Alvin Schwartz and Dirk Zimmer Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner The Tolkien quote about the "leaf-mould of the mind" Sarah Maas, Susan Dennard, Amie Kaufman, Erin Bowman

Rachel Fershleiser Show Notes Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in NY Eat Your Feelings: Stories of Food, Jews & Your Mom, with Jami Attenberg and friends Booksmith, Book People, and Tattered Cover (bookstores) Stock Tips zine Kickstarter Tumblr's Reblog Book Club ELEANOR AND PARK and FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell Gingerhaze on Tumblr (Noelle Stevenson) Simini Blocker on Tumblr Ampersand from YadyKates on Etsy YA Highway on Tumblr WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign GoBookYourself I, Too, Am Harvard Planned Parenthood Saved Me Emily Schultz, author of JOYLAND, Spending Stephen King’s Money Maureen Johnson, Coverflip  SO MUCH PRETTY by Cara Hoffman President Obama Tumblr Q&A YA author Leigh Bardugo Hot Key Books Young Writers competition, previous winner Katie Coyle Bookstalker Last Night’s Reading Emily Books Emily Hughes, who runs Random House’s Tumblr Veronica Roth THE MAN OF MY DREAMS by Curtis Sittenfeld Nick Harkaway Jennifer Close Tana French, Gillian Flynn, Megan Abbott, Laura Lippman THE UNKNOWNS by Gabriel Ro

Gretchen McNeil, author of YA books POSSESS, TEN, 3:59, and GET EVEN (out this week, from Baltzer + Bray!) welcomed me to her home in L.A. for a great conversation about the pros and cons of fast drafting, grassroots marketing, and how to balance being a writer and an extrovert. And her adorable puppy Wolfgang makes an appearance, too! Gretchen McNeil Show Notes The 24 Italian Opera songs TITHE by Holly Black WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr Stanislavski acting questions Nosferatu Boris Karloff Amy Lukavics T.S. Ferguson (Amy's editor at Harlequin TEEN) Stephanie Perkins Leigh Bardugo RT = Romantic Times Book Lover's Convention ALA = American Library Association Cindy Pon Diane Setterfield, THE THIRTEENTH TALE

Heidi Schulz Show Notes   Australorp breed of chickens J.M. Barrie, author of PETER PAN and PETER PAN AND WENDY Peter Pan (2003 film) Brooks Sherman, Heidi’s agent John Hendrix, illustrator for HOOK’S REVENGE Heidi’s drawing of a sad robot being launched into space  Claire Legrand, MG author Emma Trevayne, MG author KidLit authors Beverly Cleary, Diana Wynne Jones, and Judy Blume   Authors of creeptastic things, Stephen King and V. C. Andrews

Michelle Schusterman, author of the I HEART BAND series and the forthcoming THE KAT SINCLAIR FILES and MAUDEVILLE, is the kind of girl whose conversation feels more like a hug than a handshake. She’s so open-hearted, curious, and kind, it’s no wonder she’s always worked with middle and high school students, across the globe.  Michelle Schusterman Show Notes Savvy by Ingrid Law Michelle’s agent Sarah Davies Jordan Hamessly, Michelle’s editor   The Coffeehouse Mystery books by Cleo Coyle

My good friend and YA author Kirsten Hubbard takes the mic to ask me a few questions for this mini-episode Q&A! We talk about why the podcast got started, why it's been so irregular to date, where it's going in the future, and a discussion of writing while traveling.

Kara Taylor (soon to be Thomas) has a quick wit and an infectious laugh. In addition to being smart, sharp and funny, she’s a gifted and ambitious writer, crafting YA novels by day (the PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL series and a forthcoming book in 2016 from Random House) and TV shows by night. I caught up with Kara at her home in Long Island, and she gave me the rundown of her almost accidental television writing gig, how having a chip on her shoulder helps get words on the page, and why city life just isn’t for her. Kara Taylor Show Notes Clip from Jon Stewart bit about Long Island wanting to secede Janet Evanovich Article on how much money California is losing because TV and movie productions are locating in other cities. Article on the writer of Lethal Weapon

Claire Legrand has a sweet heart and a dark imagination - a combination that has made for two magical middle grade novels (THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS and THE YEAR OF SHADOWS), and a forthcoming YA, WINTERSPELL, due out September 30 from Simon & Schuster. We met at her home in Princeton, New Jersey to talk scary stories for kids, earning honor badges in life, and finding time amidst the "author" madness to actually write.   Claire LeGrand Show Notes Claire LeGrand’s agent Diana Fox Claire’s blog post about leaving New York Graceling by Kristin Cashore A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley Lucy Ruth Cummins with S&S Sarah Watts, artist for covers with S&S Karl Kwasny, artist for Year of Shadows with S&S E.T.A. Hoffmann's original Nutcracker His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik Story by Robert McKee

  Ellen Oh has been called a force of nature, and it’s true - the woman can get things done. But she’s also a fierce friend and loving mom, whose nearly decade-long quest to publication with debut novel PROPHECY was started because she couldn’t find books that reflected her story, or the Korean history she found so fascinating. Ellen can be series, sure (I mean, she _was_ a lawyer), but her laugh is infectious and she’s a laser-focused ball of energy when it comes to talking about history, how her kids are her toughest critique partners, and of course, spearheading the We Need Diverse Books campaign.

  The lovely Cristin Terrill invited me over to discuss theater, Sir Ian McKellen buying tea, and her recent decision to admit a planned sequel to her debut novel, All Our Yesterdays, was not a workable project. Cristin is funny and quick, and her kindhearted vibe may have something to do with the fact that she knows she has a safety net: dog grooming school.

Petite and a bit quiet, Lindsay Smith has a bit of a mysterious vibe. And once she starts talking, it only gets more interesting! YA's John le Carré, Lindsay is a history buff who is fluent in Russian, and her debut novel, SEKRET, and its follow-up, SKANDAL (due in April 2015 from Roaring Brook Press) explore what would happen if Russia were hiding paranormally-enhanced super-humans behind the iron curtain during the Cold War. Pretty awesome stuff. Lindsay invited me over to talk 20th century politics, the round-the-clock nature of D.C.'s creative types, and the sheer terror of trying to write for adults.

  Caroline Tung Richmond is a smiling, stylin’ ball of endless positive energy, and with her debut novel set to come out in September (THE ONLY THING TO FEAR, 9/30/14 from Scholastic) I was jazzed to meet up with her in Rockville, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Caroline is full of incredible advice for writers in the trenches, and gives us a perspective on how being a new mother is hurting and, in some ways, helping her writing process. Also, she schools me on awesome sci-fi references — though Stark Trek fans should be warned that Caroline admits her memory of Deanna Troi’s fate may be a bit hazy. (But we won’t hold that against her - she has mad TNG cred.)

The inaugural First Draft podcast! A discussion with the lovely Sumayyah Daud, 24-year old author of the forthcoming BEGIN AGAIN, about radical happiness, Bill Shakespeare’s butt jokes, and #WeNeedDiverseBooks.