Queries, Qualms, & Quirks
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Queries, Qualms, & Quirks asks published authors to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication. Author Sarah Nicolas interviews authors of all genres about how they got started writing, their writing process, getting their book deal, and their experiences with publication.
90 Episodes
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Magical Realist Author Angel Di Zhang joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss recording her own audiobook, having an editor who gets your vision, Pitch Wars, writing books that you don't want, the joy in writing a perfect sentence, querying too early, the two sentence critique that led to a rewrite, and getting sidetracked by the wrong feedback.
Angel Di Zhang was born in northeast China, and raised in China, England, Canada and the United States. She was educated in the joint BA-MIA program at Columbia University, and is a painter and an internationally exhibited fine art photographer.
Angel lives in a secret garden near Toronto.
Angel: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Indigo | US Purchase
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Cookbook Author Jules Sherred joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss query tracker, a fortuitous agent connection, the two-year overnight project, selling out on Amazon on pub day, breaking the rules, ripping out readers' guts, getting in trouble for his writing, and the problem with a quick publication schedule.
Jules Sherred works as a commercial food photographer and stylist, writer and recipe developer, journalist, and outspoken advocate for disability and trans rights. His website Disabled Kitchen and Garden and his cookbook CRIP UP THE KITCHEN were born out of the need to include disabled people in the conversation around food.
Jules: Query | Website | Mastodon | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM
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Romance Author Romi Moondi joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss zigzags and backtracks, amassing over a hundred rejections, signing with the wrong agent, self-publishing, the tyranny of best of lists, feeling responsible for representing your entire community, the one soundtrack she has to listen to for every book, and the friends who’ve been with her through it all.
Romi Moondi is a Canadian author whose 2022 diverse contemporary romance, 24 Hours in Paris, received a Publishers Weekly starred review and was the Publishers Weekly 2022 #1 Summer Romance Read. 24 Hours in Italy, the follow up to 24 Hours in Paris, also received a Publishers Weekly starred review and will be released on July 18th, 2023.
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MG Author Sarah Kapit joins Queries, Qualms, and Quirks to discuss switching agents, using networking, a slow build over time, accepting her writing process, the highs and lows of publishing, what you deserve from an agent, and the joy when kids love your book.
Sarah Kapit is the author of several books for young readers. Her novel Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! earned the Schneider Family Honor and Washington State Book Award. Sarah's most recent book, Second Chance Summer, came out from Macmillan on May 23, 2023.
Sarah: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM
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Kidlit and Romance Author Tanisia Moore joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss wanting her kids to see her have a life, a two week deal, getting an R&R from a friend, dispelling the dream agent, switching agents, the danger of #writingcommunity twitter, rejection being part of the journey, celebrating all the parts, and how not selling a book doesn't mean your art is bad.
Known affectionately as “your family’s favorite author,” Tanisia “Tee” Moore writes uplifting work for all ages. For young adult readers, her debut book with co-author Lyn Miller-Lachmann in the Women of Power series profiling women filmmakers was announced in November 2020. For adults, she is the author of After the Storm, an inspiring contemporary romance novel of redemption and restoration. Tee has been published in the Alabama News, Medium, and Readers Digest, as well as a TEDx talk on motherhood and entrepreneurship.
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Young Adult Author Jesmeen Kaur Deo joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss finding community in fanfiction, inspiration from Richelle Mead, reading Query Shark in high school, having a book die on submission and then having a quick pre-empt sale, advice from Nora Roberts, and finding balance.
Jesmeen Kaur Deo grew up in northern British Columbia, where she spent most of her childhood daydreaming. She loves books that can make her laugh and tug at her heartstrings in the same paragraph. When not wrapped up in stories, she can be found biking, playing the harmonium, or struggling to open jars. TJ Powar Has Something to Prove is her debut novel.
Jesmeen: Query | Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM
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YA & MG Author Kalyn Josephson joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss how Lani Taylor inspired her writing, Scooby Doo fanfic, three books that should have never been queried, an offer after an R&R, how no writing is ever wasted, and the subjectiveness of the industry.
Kalyn Josephson is a fantasy author living in the California Bay Area. She loves books, cats, books with cats, and making up other worlds to live in for a while. THE STORM CROW duology is out now.
Kalyn: Query | Website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM
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Young Adult author Brian D. Kennedy joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss having three agents, the insult that led to a genre change, the Goldilocks of submission strategy, worrying you’ll never be good enough, feeling the negative ten times more, all the snacks, a ten year journey, no shortcuts,
Brian D. Kennedy lives in New York City with his husband and their miniature Schnauzer. When not writing, he can be found working at an LGBTQ nonprofit and obsessing over all things Dolly Parton. A Little Bit Country is his debut novel.
Brian: Query | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM
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Middle Grade Author & Illustrator Derrick Chow joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss how agent referrals aren't the end all, the courage it takes to show your work to another person for the first time, how an auction isn't all about the money, the joy of meeting young readers, all the distractions that come after a contract is signed, avoiding scammy publishers, and more.
Derrick Chow is an author, illustrator, and comic creator. His short stories have been featured in several comic anthologies; and his illustrations appear in newspapers, magazines, and books across North America. His debut middle-grade horror novel, RAVENOUS THINGS, from Disney-Hyperion is out now.
Derrick: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM
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Short Story and Literary Author Allegra Hyde joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss submitting without an agent, having agents reach out to her, the book deal that felt like a miracle, the difference from working with a university press, letting go as an author, over-researching, over-revising, and how community is everything.
Allegra Hyde's newest book, the story collection THE LAST CATASTROPHE, will be published this March by Vintage. She is also the author of the novel ELEUTHERIA, which was named a "Best Book of 2022" by The New Yorker, and the story collection OF THIS NEW WORLD, which won the John Simmons Short Fiction Award. She currently teaches at Oberlin College.
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Author and Poet Meg Eden Kuyatt joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss getting her first agent in high school, how writing is like gardening, holding your projects loosely, writing out of order, and regretting acting on impatience.
Meg Eden Kuyatt is a 2020 Pitch Wars mentee, and teaches creative writing at colleges and writing centers. She is the author of the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature winning poetry collection “Drowning in the Floating World” (Press 53, 2020) and children’s novels, most recently “Good Different,” a JLG Gold Standard selection (Scholastic, 2023).
Meg: Query | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro FM
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MG Graphic Novel Author Elizabeth Agyemang joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss video game fan fiction, multiple R&Rs, querying her future agent while in high school, a lot of rewriting, and focusing on the things you can control.
Elizabeth Agyemang is the author and illustrator of Fibbed, a middle grade graphic novel published by Razorbill, and Heart-Shaped Lies, a young adult novel coming from Delacorte. When she isn’t gushing over books or comics, she spends her free time dissecting classic movies and playing Final Fantasy.
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1Fantasy and Thriller Author Chelsea Mueller joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss book blogging, going to editorial five times with no book deal, keeping your eyes on your own paper, different processes for different genres, and the importance of perseverance.
Chelsea Mueller writes gritty, twisty fantasy and thriller novels for adults and teens. She's best known for the YALSA Reluctant Reader Pick PROM HOUSE and her gritty Soul Charmer urban fantasy series. She loves bad cover songs, good fight scenes, and every soapy YA drama Netflix can put in her queue. Chelsea lives in Texas and has been known to say y’all.
Chelsea: Query | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM
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Young Adult Author Rosiee Thor joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss how failure is part of the process, teenage Marie Lu, Inkpop, signing with an agent who doesn’t represent her genre, feeling a bit stagnant, refusing to give up on publishing, and finding the groups that nourish instead of drain you.
Rosiee Thor began her career as a storyteller by demanding to tell her mother bedtime stories instead of the other way around. She spent her childhood reading by flashlight in the closet until she came out as queer. She lives in Oregon with a dog, two cats, and an abundance of plants. She is the author of Tarnished Are The Stars, Fire Becomes Her, The Meaning of Pride, and Life is Strange: Steph’s Story.
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Middle Grade Author Sarah Allen joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss coming up in the time of author blogs, being over eager, hundreds of rejections, being scared to write the book you want, leaving an agent, learning to be bolder, and balancing the boldness with kindness.
Sarah Allen is a poet and author of books for young readers. Her upcoming middle grade horror, THE NIGHTMARE HOUSE, releases in August of 2023. Her first book, WHAT STARS ARE MADE OF, was an ALA Notable Book of 2020 and Whitney Award Winner, and her second, BREATHING UNDERWATER, was a Jr. Library Guild Selection for 2021. Born and raised in Utah, she received an MFA in creative writing from Brigham Young University, and now lives in the midwest. She spends her non-writing time watching David Attenborough documentaries and singing show-tunes too loudly, and she’s a lover of leather jackets, grizzly bears, and Colin Firth.
Sarah: Query | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM
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Fantasy Author R.R. Virdi joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss the cover his mom designed, the difference between indie and trad, seeing the sign at Barnes and Noble, the importance of asking questions, how delays snowball, and how publishing is different for everybody.
R.R. Virdi is a usa today bestseller, two time dragon award-finalist and nebula award finalist. He is the author of urban fantasy series, The Grave Report, and the new South Asian Epic Fantasy series from TOR books, Tales of Tremaine
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Middle Grade Author Esme Symes-Smith joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss genre labels, the two-glass-of-wine query, how NaNoWriMo prepared them for publishing, inspiration from Tamora Pierce, waiting for the other shoe to drop, the fanfiction gateway, making excuses for yourself,
Esme Symes-Smith grew up in the Southwest of England, got their degree in Literature and Creative Writing in Wales, and now lives in Missouri with their wife and furbabies. SIR CALLIE is their first novel.
Esme: Query | Website | Twitter | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM
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Young Adult Author Laura Taylor Namey joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss learning to write a novel by writing one, the pitfall of comparison, longevity as an author, romanticizing publishing, and doing things backward.
Laura Taylor Namey is the New York Times and international bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, The Library of Lost Things, When We Were Them, and two forthcoming titles. A proud Cuban-American, she can be found hunting for vintage treasures and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two children.
Laura: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM
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Young Adult Author Sarah Suk joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss the writing group that started it all, Author Mentor Match, how being on submission was harder than querying, realizing her community is not her competition, worrying if anything's going to work out, and the importance of writer and non-writer friends.
Sarah Suk lives in Vancouver, Canada, where she writes stories and admires mountains. She is the author of young adult novels Made in Korea and The Space Between Here and Now, as well as the co-writer of John Cho’s middle grade novel Troublemaker. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water, taking film photos, or eating a bowl of bingsu.
Sarah: Query | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM
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Women’s Fiction Author Sierra Godfrey joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss how it's okay if you need longer than other writers, selling a book quickly by doing ten years pre-work, having your agent leave the business, why writers truly need agents, feelings of inadequacy, comparison being the thief of joy, and the importance of learning the market.
Sierra Godfrey is the author of A Very Typical Family (Sourcebooks) and a forthcoming title in September 2023. She was born in Santa Cruz, California and has lived many places, including Santorini, Greece. She loves hiking, watching soothing British farmland shows, and thinking of stories about messy families. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family, which includes a dog, two cats, and a turtle, all of which seemed like a good idea at the time.
Sierra: Query | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound | Libro FM
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