An Interview with Noah Lemelson
Authors love to have their work validated (don’t people in general?) and fellow 2021 Debuts author Noah Lemelson is in the thick of that validation. His debut novel, The Sightless City, released in July, and readers are enjoying it. Screenwriter Gary Goldman wrote, “The Sightless City is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Fantasy, dieselpunk, and…
Read MoreAn Interview with Alison Cochrun
2021 Debuts author Alison Cochrun is flying high these days. Her debut novel, The Charm Offensive, released last week to great praise. The book garnered a starred review from Booklist and Bookpage, and Library Journal said “this novel shines, especially for readers underrepresented or underappreciated in mainstream romance.” Always a sucker for a good love…
Read MoreBringing Your Characters to Life!
A few weeks ago, a friend and I were talking about writing. “I love writing character sketches,” I said. “I’m not really sure why. Character-driven stories aren’t really my thing.” My friend’s eyes widened. “They’re not? Um, you totally write character-driven stories.” Until then, I had no idea. Truly. I mean, I knew I didn’t…
Read MoreAn Interview with Julee Balko
Readers agree that 2021 Debuts author Julee Balko knows how to write relationships. One reviewer wrote of her debut novel, The Things We Keep, that Julee crafted “a story with really complicated family dynamics,” while another reader said, “Complex relationships can really take a toll on us . . . The author has brilliantly written…
Read MoreTalking to the Animals
When the girls were around six months old (or maybe a bit younger), one of Tim’s fellow graduate students bought them an extra large Pooh Bear. By extra large, I simply mean he outranked them by quite a bit. (Pooh never outweighed them, but he certainly stood taller, since on his back paws, Pooh stands…
Read MoreAn Interview with J.S. Dewes
2021 Debuts author J.S. Dewes is knee-deep (or higher!) in publishing mania. Still on cloud nine from the release of her debut novel, The Last Watch (April 2021), J.S. had the thrill of seeing the second in the series—The Exiled Fleet—launch last week. And don’t worry, fans . . . the series isn’t finished yet!…
Read MoreLessons I Hope They Learned
The girls leave for college today. As in, they might never step foot permanently into this house again. (Sniff.) This day would have occurred last year around this time, but thanks to COVID-19, Zoe and Talia chose (and had no choice at first) to work remotely for their entire first year. As much as I’m…
Read MoreAn Interview with Jenn Bouchard
2021 Debuts author Jenn Bouchard takes her readers on a culinary adventure in her debut novel, First Course. In fact, the tagline for the book reads, “Second acts can be delicious,” and the story centers on Janie Whitman, who cooks up comfort food for her and her family. Jenn herself is an “avid cook,” and…
Read MoreAn Interview with Sarah Adlakha
2021 Debuts author Sarah Adlakha has a lot to smile about these days. Her debut novel, She Wouldn’t Change a Thing, released last week, and already, it’s doing very well. Prior to publication, it landed on CNN’s “The Best New Books of August 2021,” which included some big names like Stephen King and Sandra Brown,…
Read MoreAn Interview with Sarah Zachrich Jeng
Fellow 2021 Debuts author Sarah Zachrich Jeng is flying high. Her debut novel, The Other Me, launched yesterday, and it’s quickly gaining praise. Samantha Downing wrote of the book, “The definition of unputdownable . . . A fresh story, quick pacing, intriguing characters,” while PopSugar called it a “Black Mirror-esque rabbit hole.” Having read the…
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