The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer

Marissa chats with Amy Kim Kibuishi and Kazu Kibuishi about their graphic novels - REALM OF THE BLUE MIST: BOOK ONE OF THE REMA CHRONICLES and AMULET - as well as the bittersweetness of reaching the end of a decades-long project; why romance might be more "acceptable" in middle grade graphic novels than prose novels (though Marissa would love to see more romance in both!); the state of t...

Marissa chats with Axie Oh about her new contemporary romance - XOXO - as well as... K-Pop! The music, the phenomenon, and our personal BTS biases. On the writing front, we talk about using music as inspiration and curating a book's playlist before or after you've written it; why celebrity romances call for a strong protagonist with dreams of their own; choosing to write in genres that y...

Marissa chats with Brandie June about her debut YA novel - GOLD SPUN - as well as All Things Rumpelstiltskin! We compare and contrast our different takes on this beloved fairy tale, covering topics that range from giving our protagonists more agency and independence, to deciding how villainous (or swoony...) to make Rumpelstiltskin and the King. Also: how uplifting - or not - to make the ending of...

Marissa chats with Basil and Kevin Sylvester about their co-written middle grade novel - THE FABULOUS ZED WATSON - as well as writing aspirational "weird kid" characters that can help encourage self-acceptance in readers; the power of brainstorming as a duo and how receiving instant feedback and bouncing ideas off each other can make for speedier writing; one method for dividing the work...

Marissa chats with Emiko Jean about her contemporary romance - TOKYO EVER AFTER - as well as channeling your inner teen to write an authentic (and potentially hilarious) protagonist; developing a romance around two characters who are polar opposites, and watching the sparks fly; casting off the idea that we only get "one shot" at a publishing career, and how to pivot after a post-debut r...

Marissa chats with Liselle Sambury about her debut futuristic fantasy - BLOOD LIKE MAGIC - as well as integrating fantasy and science-fiction in a way that the magic and technology work with, and not against, each other; deciding what to cut and what not to cut when it comes to revisions, and making sure your "fun" scenes are important to the overall plot;  writing big family dynamics, p...

Marissa chats with Maureen Johnson about her newest murder mystery - THE BOX IN THE WOODS - and her recently released Cruella De Vil origin novel - HELLO, CRUEL HEART - as well as the in-depth mechanics of plotting and planning a complex mystery story; some discussion of The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death by Frances Glessner Lee (so! fascinating!); thoughts on what makes for a good mystery,...

Marissa chats with Arnée Flores about her debut middle grade fantasy - THE FIREBIRD SONG - as well as the importance of preparing for and practicing your elevator pitch; how to handle it when an agent or editor asks you to drastically trim your manuscript's word count - and one idea for what to do with all the content that gets taken out; how focusing on dramatic chapter endings can improve t...

Marissa chats with Adiba Jaigirdar about her new YA contemporary romance - HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING - as well as bringing the beloved "fake relationship" romantic trope into sapphic love stories and how publishers are finally picking up on this need in the market; using specific accents and lilts to influence your character voices; one super clever social media strategy...

For our first live-recorded event, Marissa joins Tricia Levenseller for the launch of her new YA fantasy novel - BLADE OF SECRETS. Topics include: developing a protagonist with social anxiety, and how we put so much of ourselves into our characters; drawing on popular epic fantasy tropes while maintaining a fun, light-hearted vibe; some tips for writing those oh-so-popular hate-to-love romances; a...

Marissa chats with Emery Lee about their debut YA novel - MEET CUTE DIARY - as well as crafting a heartwarming romance that does not rely on traditional romantic tropes; knocking out those fast first drafts (in Emery's case - REALLY fast first drafts!) in order to quiet your inner perfectionist and maintain that initial burst of inspiration; writing the story of your heart, even if it goes ag...

Marissa chats with Lizzy Mason about her new YA novel - BETWEEN THE BLISS AND ME - as well as writing song lyrics and how it's not the same thing as writing poetry; tackling ethical dilemmas in your fiction that encourage your readers to ask big questions; using journaling as a method for working through periods of grief; and keeping notes of things you love about the book you're writing...

Marissa chats with Lisa Fipps about her debut middle grade novel - STARFISH - as well as letting your instincts, not the market, guide your writing choices; why middle grade novels are uniquely positioned to give young readers tools for dealing with bullies and body image (among other things); deciding when to give closure or redemption to your antagonistic characters and when to leave things unre...

Marissa chats with Tirzah Price about her debut novel - PRIDE AND PREMEDITATION - as well as deepening your romantic storylines by considering each conversation from your love interest's perspective; using Excel spreadsheets to plot a murder mystery and keep your clues organized; immersing yourself in the source material for a retelling in order to stay true to the original characters, even i...

Marissa chats with Tanaz Bhathena about her YA fantasy duology - HUNTED BY THE SKY and RISING LIKE A STORM - as well as developing complex magic systems that continuously surprise and delight the reader; including an element of prophecy in your novel to foreshadow elements of the plot while simultaneously setting up an unexpected twist; how making a genre shift can be frightening, but there are be...

Marissa chats with Leigh Bardugo about her new fantasy novel - RULE OF WOLVES - as well as how it's okay to feel like we're in over our heads with our writing projects, and how these challenges can be a sign that you're on the right path; lots of wonderful craft-talk, including tips on developing backstories, coming up with that just-right metaphor, and writing death scenes that sti...

Marissa chats with Ally Carter about her new middle grade novel - WINTERBORNE HOME FOR MAYHEM AND MYSTERY - and her guide for young writers - DEAR ALLY, HOW DO YOU WRITE A BOOK? - as well as how the young adult market has changed over the past fifteen years and what that might have meant for Ally's debut series; some tips for writing heists and action sequences (hint: the simple solution is o...

Marissa chats with Anna-Marie McLemore about their newest YA magical realism novel - THE MIRROR SEASON - as well as those absolutely enchanted moments when the research brings the missing pieces of a story together in the most serendipitous way; how rewriting fairy tales can be an empowering act for readers and writers who don't often see themselves represented in the widely known versions of...

Marissa chats with Jennifer A. Nielsen about her new middle grade historical novel - RESCUE - as well as how historical fiction is a great tool for showing kids and teens how exciting history actually is; the fascinating neuroscience that reveals how reading in elementary and middle school is intrinsically different than reading as an adult; how a character's voice can be uncovered by letting...

Marissa chats with Isabel Ibañez about her YA fantasy duology - WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT and WRITTEN IN STARLIGHT - as well as how family stories and history can contribute to your research and add a deeply personal element to the storytelling process; developing strong character arcs when your protagonist's world views are being constantly challenged; using revisions to highlight powerful themes a...

Marissa chats with Alexandra Monir about her newest YA novel - BLACK CANARY: BREAKING SILENCE - the latest in the DC Icons series, as well as Alexandra's inspiring story of taking chances and going after what you want; the various ways that music can inspire our creativity and influence storytelling; how superhero tales provide an excellent gateway for talking about real-world struggles, and...

Marissa chats with Loan Le about her debut YA contemporary romance - A PHO LOVE STORY - as well as developing character arcs for teen protagonists who don't start off with a life plan; writing about food, and all the joy, meaning, and history it can encompass; some great advice from Loan's editorial background, including how rejections are actually a good thing; how trusting in your plan...

Marissa chats with Ellie Cypher about her debut YA fantasy western - THE GIRL FROM SHADOW SPRINGS - as well as some tips for writing settings that are harsh and barren, and how we can use that setting to mirror the hero's journey; using wildlife documentaries and real-world accounts to bring worlds to life with surprising details and complexity; the concerns that writers face when combining u...

Marissa is joined by two co-hosts - her daughters, Sloane and Delaney! - to chat with Natasha Wing about her NIGHT BEFORE picture book series. We talked about how the standard length of picture books has gotten shorter over time, which both challenges writers and encourages tighter, stronger narratives; some techniques for adapting a well-known story for a contemporary audience; the amount of time...

In this bonus episode, I invited my good friend Rori Shay, author of the Elected Trilogy, to join me for an open discussion about writing during periods of grief and sadness. We talked about using "grief work" as a method for coping with the loss of a loved one; how we can channel feelings of sadness and anger into our writing to both add emotional depth to our stories and help us proces...