Guest: Chelsea Bobulski - All I Want for Christmas (Series)

In this week’s episode Marissa chats with John Schu about his semi-autobiographical novel in verse, LOUDER THAN HUNGER. Also discussed: the difficulty in determining an age label for a book, writing a fictionalized account of your own experiences instead of a memoir and deciding when and how much to fictionalize, the healing power of writing from a place of vulnerability, making the choice to write in verse, struggling with compliments and so much more.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode Marissa chats with debut author and podcaster Bethanie Finger about her YA historical fantasy, MORE THAN LIFE. Also discussed in this episode: expedited series releases, being a pantser, even when worldbuilding, finding the magic in editing, short chapters, the effectiveness of writing exercises and sprints, the Prince Kai Fan Pod, the importance of setting boundaries, taking breaks, and asking for help, and so much more.

Show notes: 

The Prince Kai Fan Pod: https://princekaifanpod.wixsite.com/website 

Follow Litjoy for info about The Heartless Annotated Special Edition: https://www.instagram.com/litjoycrate

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode Marissa chats with literary agent, coach, and now author, Lucinda Halpern, about her new book, GET SIGNED: FIND AN AGENT, LAND A BOOK DEAL, AND BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR. Also discussed in this jam-packed episode: the varied job of representing authors, why the query letter is the most important document a writer will ever create, the three keys to getting an agent and a subsequent book deal (and how you may not need all three), BIG ideas, how agents also have to face rejection, common errors made in query letters, the reminder that agents are humans, and so much more!

Show notes: 

As mentioned in the episode, check out this Free gift for our listeners from Lucinda.

For agent research: Publishers Marketplace: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/ 

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode Marissa chats with Hafsah Faizal about her latest YA fantasy heist, the first of a new duology, A TEMPEST OF TEA. Also discussed in this episode: how a non-reader can turn into a reader and then a published author, planning out a heist when being mostly a pantser, struggling with doubts and imposter syndrome, planning out romance, worldbuilding and the wisdom of editors, the benefits of time and space away from a project, and so much more!

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode Marissa chats with Dinesh Thiru about his debut YA fantasy adventure, INTO THE SUNKEN CITY. Also discussed in this episode: how a gag project can inspire a writing career, retelling a literary classic (TREASURE ISLAND) in a postapocalyptic setting, how much of the source material to use, and creating a more modern diverse cast of characters, being conscious about your setting and sensory details, using real maps and biology to make the setting and details feel real, creating the voice of colorful characters, balancing being a stay at home parent with the writing, and so much more!

 Show notes: 

The Artists’ Way – Julia Cameron https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9780143129257 

The official MM merchandise shops: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/happywriterstore

https://thehappywriter.creator-spring.com/ 

https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-happy-writer 

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode, the first of the 2024 season, Marissa chats about her brand-new book, WITH A LITTLE LUCK, the companion to INSTANT KARMA. Featured in this episode are two special guests: Chuck Gonzales, the illustrator for the comic book pages inside WITH A LITTLE LUCK, and Stacy Carolan, the book’s audio edition narrator. 

 Discussed in this episode: the process of illustrating graphic novel panels (in black and white) as spot illustrations through a novel, illustrating a story within a story, the challenges of some of the finer details of illustrations, how the pandemic inspired the move into audiobook narration, behind the scenes of being an audiobook narrator, starting out in the industry, how narration is more acting and not merely reading a book, what makes audiobook narration fun, and so much more.

 Also in this episode, a special exclusive clip of the WITH A LITTLE LUCK audiobook!

Show notes: 

Chuck Gonzales, Illustrator https://chuckgonzales.com, https://www.instagram.com/cgonzaillo/

Stacy Carolan, Audio book narrator https://www.mrstacycarolan.com/ 

The official Marissa Meyer/The Happy Writer merchandise shops: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/happywriterstore

https://thehappywriter.creator-spring.com/ 

https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-happy-writer 

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/