Elsie Chapman: The Pain of Publishing

Today’s guest is Elsie Chapman, whose work includes the YA Sci-Fi series DUALED and DIVIDED, as well as the upcoming ALONG THE INDIGO. Born and raised in western Canada and a graduate of UBC with a degree in English Literature, Elsie Chapman currently lives in Tokyo with her family. 

Elsie joins host Mindy McGinnis  to talk about how so much of the pain of publishing goes unspoken, the luck of hitting a trend, the downside of that trend falling out of style, writing the book of your heart even when you know it might not get published, and putting together teams for theme focused anthologies.

Gwenda Bond: Writing Mentors

Host Mindy McGinnis chats with guest Gwenda Bond, whose work includes the Lois Lane series, and the Cirque American series. She also co-writes the Supernormal Sleuthing Service with her husband author Christopher Rowe. She has written for Publishers Weekly, Locus, and the Los Angeles Times, among others, has been a guest on NPR’s Weekend Edition, and has an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Gwenda joined Mindy to talk about mentors who helped direct her path early on, the long wait of three years between becoming agented and her first sale, co-authoring a middle-grade series with her husband, and giving herself permission to not work constantly once she became a full-time author. 

September Roundup & How Important Research Is In Fiction

In the September roundup episode host Mindy McGinnis shares how important research can be when writing fiction, even to the point of helping jump start the ever-frightening writer's block.