The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer

For our 125th episode, Marissa and Joanne talk all things query letters! Answering listener-submitted questions, we cover such topics as: How do you know when you're ready to query? How do you find an agent to query? Should you send your query letter in batches? How do you find relevant comp titles? How do you step back and get a big picture view of your pitch? What do you put in your bio if...

Marissa chats with Britney S. Lewis about her surreal zombie romance - THE UNDEAD TRUTH OF US - as well as working with underlying metaphors in your fiction, and how your themes might change and expand as you explore the deeper meanings of your story; balancing poetic prose and surreal descriptions with authentic dialogue and characters; writing heart-wrenching scenes that have the power to make y...

Marissa chats with Alicia Thompson about her contemporary romance - LOVE IN THE TIME OF SERIAL KILLERS - as well as some of the benefits and challenges of writing your romance in first person point of view; a more informal approach to outlining your novel; infusing your character's voice with your own unique sense of humor, to hilarious effect; striking a balance between sustained romantic te...

Marissa chats with Gina Chen about her debut fantasy - VIOLET MADE OF THORNS - as well as how readers tend to pick up on themes and symbolism that speak to them, regardless of what the writer might have intended; using fun relationship dynamics and internal conflicts (such as clashing personalities and varying moral codes) to enhance an enemies-to-lovers trope; some things to consider when includi...

Marissa chats with Melissa See about her YA contemporary romance - YOU, ME, AND OUR HEARTSTRINGS - as well as how life experiences like drama and theater (and playing Dungeons and Dragons!) can benefit your writing career in unexpected ways; treating your disabled characters with the authenticity and respect they deserve, and reframing your own perspective to avoid disability sensationalism in you...

Marissa chats with Derrick Chow about his debut middle grade - RAVENOUS THINGS - as well as how fiction, and horror in particular, can help young readers who are experiencing  periods of grief (and how writing fiction can help us work through our own difficult emotions, too); considering the growth and character arcs of not only your protagonist, but supporting characters as well, and how they can...

Marissa chats with Sara Ella about her new Alice-inspired retelling - THE WONDERLAND TRIALS - as well as some of the unique challenges that come with writing retellings, such as deciding what liberties you can take with the original source material that will both surprise and satisfy your readers; keeping a checklist to ensure you're being true to your vision and including all the ideas and d...

Marissa chats with Rebecca Barrow about her YA murder mystery - BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE - as well as looking at the types of books you like to read to help you decide what you should be writing; the huge role that voice can play in achieving a stark, chilling vibe for your mystery or thriller; how to develop both settings and characters that have layers, depth, and secrets; using your protagonist&a...

Marissa chats with Rachel Menard about her debut Greek Myth-inspired fantasy - GAME OF STRENGTH AND STORM - as well as making the tough decision to put a novel on the backburner, which is not the same thing on giving up on it entirely; how imagining your story in a totally different genre can lead to unique and unexpected developments in your worldbuilding; writing a retelling that will surprise r...

Marissa chats with Hannah Orenstein about her new romance - MEANT TO BE MINE - as well as how the beloved genre ideals of "fate" and "soul mates" can come with their own problems, and how to leverage those to add believable conflict in your romance; crafting lush settings that will whisk your readers away while also introducing that aspirational lifestyle element that many read...

Marissa chats with Namina Forna about her new YA fantasy - THE MERCILESS ONES - as well as the deeper meanings that books can have for readers, and why it is so powerful to feel seen in the stories we read; upping the stakes over the course of a series by delving deeper into the world and its various systems with every book; honoring the importance of female friendships in young adult fiction, and...

Marissa chats with Nova McBee about her young adult suspense series - CALCULATED - as well as why receiving rejections is actually a good thing that will help set you up for success; listening to your intuition, especially when it comes to making difficult career decisions (like possibly turning down an agent's offer of representation in order to hold out for "the one"); how going o...

Marissa chats with Stephan Lee about his new contemporary YA - K-POP REVOLUTION - as well as the difficult decision to leave your (second) dream job in order to pursue your ultimate dream of becoming a writer; some strategies for giving your ensemble cast of characters great chemistry while making them feel like authentic people; how injecting some sadness into your story can help develop emotiona...

Marissa chats with Lindsay Eagar about her new middle grade novel - THE PATRON THIEF OF BREAD - as well as taking a trip to the bookstore in order to determine your primary genre; how to beat the querying slush pile (and why slush pile statistics aren't really as discouraging as they seem); using an alternate point of view to build on your story's major themes; upping the stakes in a &qu...

Marissa chats with TJ Alexander about their debut romance - CHEF'S KISS - as well as some suggestions for writing luscious food descriptions, including actually testing out some of the recipes you're trying to describe; the oft-told (but debatable?) advice that if you can do anything other than write, then you should do that; considering your story's built-in tension and need for em...

Marissa chats with J.C. Cervantes about her YA contemporary romance - FLIRTING WITH FATE - as well as coming up with five "pinch points" in your story to build suspense and challenge your protagonist; surprising your readers by always looking for places to turn the story on its head, and how sometimes you just need a little more thinking time to let the story unfold; why main characters...

Marissa chats with Hanna Alkaf about her new YA murder mystery - QUEEN OF THE TILES - as well as some challenges that are unique to the mystery genre, and how writing a mystery plot is a bit like conducting an ongoing excavation; what to do when your craft skills aren't yet to the point where you feel you can do your story justice, and how it's okay to set a project aside in order to foc...

Marissa chats with Emily J. Taylor about her debut YA fantasy - HOTEL MAGNIFIQUE - as well as writing a "setting-first" book by treating your setting as a character, with its own backstory and personality; using a variety of sources (many unexpected) to inspire unique setting details; digging deeper into your worldbuilding and magic system with every round of revisions; and constantly as...

Marissa chats with Erin Entrada Kelly about her new middle grade contemporary - THOSE KIDS FROM FAWN CREEK - as well as including a multitude of points of view in your novel and how to give a unique voice and character arc to each one; some different ways to think about how you develop primary versus secondary characters; finding the middle ground when it comes to subtext, so that it is neither to...

Marissa chats with JC Peterson about her debut YA contemporary - BEING MARY BENNET - as well as the truth universally acknowledged that it can be difficult to talk to family and friends about your writing journey, and why it's important to have writers in your life who "get it"; writing character arc-driven books that contain genuine growth, not superficial makeovers, and how the re...

Marissa chats with Joy L. Smith about her debut YA contemporary - TURNING - as well as finding ways to relate to your protagonist in order to capture raw, authentic emotions on the page, and using humor to balance out your book's really intense moments; choosing first person point of view as a way to manipulate what your readers will see and feel throughout the story; how both YouTube and sen...

Marissa chats with Lillie Lainoff about her debut YA novel - ONE FOR ALL - as well as some great tips for researching for historical fiction, such as using knowledgeable consultants and going beyond documents to also referencing objects and artifacts; writing a protagonist with a disability or chronic illness, and the challenges posed by maintaining the authenticity of that illness while keeping t...

Marissa chats with Dallas Woodburn about her new YA contemporary - THANKS, CARISSA, FOR RUINING MY LIFE - as well as not giving up on a book that you really love, no matter how many years or drafts it takes; creating powerful character arcs by determining the endpoint goal, then figuring out the challenges that character will need to face to get there; the interesting challenge of writing a romanc...

Marissa chats with Sarah Winifred Searle about her new graphic novel - THE GREATEST THING - and her contribution to the SERENDIPITY anthology, "Keagan's Heaven on Earth," as well as some reasons that Sailor Moon was so creatively nourishing for many people in our generation; the many different paths one can take to reach their dream of becoming a writer, illustrator, or creator;  ho...

Marissa and her favorite co-hosts - Sloane and Delaney - chat with Lisa Stringfellow about her debut middle grade novel - A COMB OF WISHES - as well as drawing on mermaid stories and folklore from around the world to create merpeople that feel both new and familiar; some of the "rules" of writing middle grade fiction, and how sometimes you need to listen to your own instincts in deciding...