STORYBEAST

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests who are an expert within their area of storytelling. Rebecca Ross writes fantasy novels for teens and adults. She lives in the Appalachian foothills of Northeast Georgia with her husband, their lively Australian Shepherd, and an endless pile of books. THE QUEEN'S RISING duology, SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG, DREAMS LIE BEN...

The Beasts are BACK. Welcome to season 2 of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. For the next several months, the co-hosts will be joined by the incredible Nadine Flint as the trio dives into the magic of narrative. You'll hear about:  Who Nadine Flint is The meet-cute for the three friends Scientist Gabi makes it all make sense What it...

Welcome to the final episode of Storybeast's season 1, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. This episode is all about recent writing victories and this past season. WARNING: episode contains A LOT OF SNACKS.   You'll hear about:  Courtney's announcement of her book. Sign up here for an ARC this summer. This is perfect for romantasy readers...

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests who are an expert within their area of storytelling. Amanda Linsmeier has been a book nerd as long as she can remember, and it was that great love of reading—especially R.L. Stine books and fairytales—that eventually brought her to writing her own things. A self-proclaimed wimp, she finds courage in making up stories that sca...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. This episode is all about uplifting each other when we need the boost and personal tools to keep going. WARNING: episode contains HIGH BANTER.   You'll hear about:  Types of list-making as a means to keep going when in the face of doubt  Empathy and...

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Hannah Whitten has been writing to amuse herself since she could hold a pen, and sometime in high school, figured out that what amused her might also amuse others. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, making music, or attempting to bake. She lives in an old farmhouse in...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. This episode is all about politics, romance, and the human condition. You'll hear about: Politics of every sort--family, the world, romantic and platonic pairings, and internal politics of the self The intersection of romance and politics and how power can shape or infl...

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling.  David J. Peterson is an author and language creator. He's created languages for many television shows and films, such as HBO's GAME OF THRONES, the CW's THE 100, Netflix's THE WITCHER, and Marvel's DOCTOR STRANGE. Lately he has been doing all his work with his amazin...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. This episode is all about what makes a "satisfying ending" and what we really mean by that. You'll hear about: An honest discussion between the duo about the difficulties of balancing their lives, storytelling, and friendship with such a time difference.  John Trub...

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Ken Liu is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the NEBULA, HUGO, and WORLD FANTASY awards, he wrote the DANDELION DYNASTY, a silkpunk epic fantasy series (starting with The GRACE OF KINGS), as well as short story collections THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. This episode is all about powering through Act 2! You'll hear about: Ghabiba's "mirror moment" alliteration appreciation. Leigh Bardugo's wisdom on the relationship you have with your story. The allure of shiny story trinkets. Courtney's garlic stew metaphor. A referenc...

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Jacquetta Nammar Feldman is a children’s author and lives in Austin, Texas. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, and she’s currently a candidate for a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the V...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. This episode is all about feedback! If you've written your draft and are nervous or excited for the next step, or if you're wondering about how to give feedback to be helpful -- this is for you. In this episode, you'll hear: about goals, no goals, and aspirational words...

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Samantha M. Bailey is the USA TODAY and #1 nationally bestselling author of WOMAN ON THE EDGE, which has sold in eleven countries to date, and the instant #1 national bestseller, WATCH OUT FOR HER. She is also a journalist and freelance editor; her work has appeared i...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story.  In this episode, you'll hear:  the co-hosts navigate their long distance relationship, in which Ghabiba is now in Africa and Courtney chugs caffeine at 5 A.M. Courtney and Ghabiba listen to Deore's song, Soul Tie , and talk about gathering sparks of crea...

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Lourdes Montes was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico and currently resides in Charleston, SC. When she’s not being a cool YA librarian, she’s reading, doing homework for her MLIS, eating snacks, trying to talk someone into reading Gideon the Ninth or attempting to write...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. In this episode, the co-hosts talk about cozy books, books they love, and give some revision updates! Here, you will find: An example of bad exposition, in which Courtney frequently says, " as you know, Bob "  The pair's definition of a "cozy book" Authors and book...

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Emily Rath is a romance and fantasy author of THE SECOND SONS DUET, WHISKEY AND SIN, and the forthcoming ALCOTT HALL (Winter 2023). She is repped by Susan Valazquez at JABberwocky. A university professor by day, Emily lives in Florida with her husband, son, and cat. T...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. In this episode, the co-hosts talk about revision! Here, you will find: Practical tips to work through your revision, including a reference to our episode on community Ghabiba's thoughts on how to sit down and get the work done Courtney's oath to finish this revision by...

Welcome to another Storybeast LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Faisal G. Binzagr is a creative writer, consultant, and music journalist based in Saudi Arabia. He enjoys storytelling in many forms, whether it's long-form fiction, theatre, poetry, or narrative design for video games.  Since completing his Certificate in Filmm...

Welcome back to another episode of Storybeast, where Courtney Shack and Ghabiba Weston discuss the transformative power of story. In this episode, the co-hosts talk about community. Here, you will find: Practical tips to gain a community if you don't have one (yet) Lots of feelings Conversation on how to meet people, whether it is at a workshop, online, at a local bookstore, or at a larger event l...

Welcome to another Storybeast LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Laura Thomas is a writer , TEDx speaker, and the founder of Next Level Story , where she is a professional editor and ghostwriter. Her first book, The Magic of Well-Being: A Modern Guide to Lasting Happiness, distills masterful advice for living a better life, a...

Ever wondered how to build atmosphere and what makes a good surprise? Ghabiba and Courtney dig into the concept of surprise and expectation in this follow up to their interview with Maya Chesley .  In this episode:  Courtney and Ghabiba chat about what makes surprises work for them (and when it doesn't). Ghabiba uses Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey to showcase an example of atmos...

Welcome to our first LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Maya Chesley is a Fulbright ETA scholarship recipient and a Pushcart Prize nominee. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from Johns Hopkins University. Their work has been published in various journals and magazines, including The New Yorker , where they curren...

In this episode of Storybeast, co-hosts Courtney and Ghabiba discuss the power and importance of beginnings. You’ll hear about: The dynamic relationship between creating stories and their impact on the creator.  How a good hook reels Courtney in. Examples of good beginnings and how they relate to endings. Special mentions are V.E. Scwhab’s The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, N.K. Jemisin’s the Fift...