Write Or Die Podcast

Get The Honeys, by Ryan La Sala!  Come chat with us on the BABC discord: https://discord.gg/Mhw92TUdMG Buy our books: Witchlings (and join the Witchlings discord!) Ghost Squad  Reverie  Be Dazzled  The Honeys Find us online!   Follow Us on Social Media: Ryan: Twitter | Instagram | TikTok Claribel: Twitter | Instagram | TikTok --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/writeordiepodcast/support

THANK YOU to all of our WorDies! We love you! Kat & Claribel say goodbye to Write or Die by listening to snippets from past episodes and discussing the advice they’ve received along the way from amazing past guests including S.Jae Jones, Alex Aster, Victoria Aveyard, Tiffany Jackson, Phil Stamper and More! Then they read listener comments and answer some last “Ask Us Anything” questions! Thank you to all the WorDies who’ve joined us on this journey! Our hope is that you keep this community going even after the podcast is done! Topics discussed include: Separating “author” from “writer” Fake it til you make it mindset Social media and mental health Envy and jealousy in publishing Switching agents Focusing on your craft MENTIONS: • THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US by Aaron H. Aceves • LIGHTLARK by Alex Aster • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • ORDER Witchlings • FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • www.k

Kat & Claribel say goodbye to Write or Die by listening to snippets from past episodes and discussing the advice they’ve received along the way from amazing past guests including Daniel Jose Older, Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, Ayana Gray, Mark Oshiro, and More! Topics discussed include: Messy first draft. How to get into drafting mode. Being wary of generalized advice. Finding community. Being a BIPOC author. Parasocial relationships in publishing. • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • ORDER Witchlings Buy Claribel a coffee on Claribel's Ko-fi • FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • www.katchowrites.com • ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom • Check out Kat’s Books Buy Kat a coffee on Kat's Ko-fi • FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram  • Write or Die Episodes • Join our WorDie community! • Learn more about Write or Die  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/writeordiepodcast/support

Claribel & Kat discuss what "success" means in publishing (and what it definitely does not mean). Then they interview Vita Ayala about their journey into writing comics, how the Metropolitan Museum of Art is super haunted, being inspired by Octavia Butler as a kid, and the difference between comics and prose writing.  ABOUT VITA: Vita Ayala (they/them) is a trans non-binary Afro-Puerto Rican writer born and bred in New York City, where they grew up dreaming dreams of dancing on far away worlds, fighting monsters on the block, and racing fish along the bottom of the ocean. Before Vita began freelancing as a writer, they worked in book retail, event coordination, building management, baking, and museum security (day and graveyard shift). They’ve broken at least one of every bone in their body, which means they can feel the rain coming. Vita writes both comics and prose fiction, and has written for publishers such as: Black Mask Studios, DC (comics), Dynamite, IDW, Image Comics, Macmillan, Marvel Comics

Claribel interviews Kat about her young adult k-pop romcom, Once Upon a K-Prom. They chat all things k-pop (including Kat’s first k-pop loves), what inspired the book, whether Kat included BTS in K-Prom, and more! ABOUT KAT: Kat Cho used to hide books under the bathroom sink and then sneak in there to read after bedtime. Her parents pretended not to know. This helped when she decided to write a dinosaur time-travel novel at the tender age of nine. Sadly, that book was not published. Kat and her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, NBC, Refinery 29, and Seventeen. Her books include the Penguin One World One Book 2019 Selection, Wicked Fox, and its internationally bestselling sequel, Vicious Spirits. As well as  the upcoming romcom Once Upon a K-Prom (Disney, 2022). She currently lives and works in NYC and spends her free time trying to figure out what kind of puppy to adopt. • FOLLOW KAT: Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • BUY Once Upon a K-Prom • BUY Wicked Fox • BUY Vicious

Claribel & Kat talk about pressures on authors every time a new book comes out & how publishing relationships naturally change over time. Then they interview Traci Chee about her path to publication, behind-the-scenes of finding out her book was a Printz Award Honor, and her newest Fantasy, A Thousand Steps into Night! BIO: Traci Chee is a best-selling and award-winning author of books for young people, including the instant New York Times best seller and Kirkus Prize Finalist The Reader and Printz Honor Book, Walter Award Honoree, and National Book Award Finalist We Are Not Free. Her newest book is A Thousand Steps into Night, a Japanese-influenced young adult fantasy. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, egg painting, gardening, and hosting game nights for family and friends. She lives in California with her fast dog. • FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram MENTIONS: • Epic Reads Egg Video • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Cl

Claribel & Kat discuss a conversation the saw online about being “satisfied” with your author career vs being “happy” as an author. Then they interview Laekan Zea Kemp about her publishing journey. How she started off self-publishing and transitioned into traditional publishing. And what it’s been like writing across multiple genres and age categories! Content Warning: Discussions of grief/parental death/cancer ABOUT LAEKAN: Laekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. She’s also the creator and host of the Author Pep Talks podcast, as well as a contributor to the Las Musas podcast. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicanx grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health. Her debut novel, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BITTER & SWEET is out now from Little Brown Young Readers. • FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram BUY Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet BUY Heartbreak Sy

Kat interviews Claribel about the process of writing and publishing their second middle grade (and first series!). How publishing a second book feels different. How expectations change as your career progresses. And working on not “giving weight to the negative” ABOUT CLARIBEL: New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author, Claribel A. Ortega is a former reporter who writes middle-grade and young adult fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she's not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic, and video games into books, she’s co-hosting her podcast Bad Author Book Club and helping authors navigate publishing with her consulting business GIFGRRL. Claribel is a Marvel contributor and has been featured on Buzzfeed, Bustle, Good Morning America and Deadline. Claribel’s debut middle grade novel Ghost Squad is out now from Scholastic and is being made into a feature film. Her forthcoming books include Witchlings (Scholastic) and the graphic novel Frizzy (First Second). You can find

Claribel & Kat talk about book promo they’ve done that they think was worth it, and what they don’t think they’ll do again. Then they talk to debut author, Judy I. Lin about her debut fantasy, trying out IP, and eventually choosing to go the traditional route instead. ABOUT JUDY: Judy I. Lin was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Canada with her family at a young age. She grew up with her nose in a book and loved to escape to imaginary worlds. She now works as an occupational therapist, and still spends her nights dreaming up imaginary worlds of her own. She lives on the Canadian prairies with her husband and daughter. A Magic Steeped in Poison is her debut novel. • FOLLOW JUDY: website | Twitter | Instagram • Buy A Magic Steeped in Poison • Buy A Venom Dark and Sweet MENTIONS: • Canva • After Effects • Envato Elements • Book Brush • Sija Hong - illustrator • DVCon - Claribel A Ortega How to Put Together a Media Kit [cc] • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Ch

Claribel & Kat talk about Author-Reviewer “relationships” and what’s okay to do and what to stay away from. Then they interview debut graphic novelist, Alexis Castellanos about how she used family stories to flesh out and inspire her debut graphic novel. ABOUT ALEX: Alexis Castellanos was born and raised in Florida where she enjoyed sunny days, dramatic thunderstorms, and delicious Cuban food. After graduating from college, she moved to New York City and worked as a scenic artist, bringing theatrical sets to life with a little bit of paint and a whole lot of ingenuity. She currently works as a graphic designer by day and spends her nights dreaming up stories. She lives in Seattle with her partner and her extremely photogenic cat, Belle. Isla to Island is her first graphic novel. • FOLLOW ALEX: website | Twitter | Instagram • Spellcaster Designs • BUY Isla to Island • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • PRE-ORDER Witchlings

Claribel & Kat discuss their thoughts on jumping back into promoting their new books! Then they interview their PitchWars mentee about her upcoming seering fantasy debut, BLOOD SCION! ABOUT DEBORAH: Deborah Falaye is a Nigerian Canadian young adult author. She grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where she spent her time devouring African Literature, pestering her grandma for folktales, and tricking her grandfather into watching Passions every night. When she’s not writing about fierce Black girls with bad-ass magic, she can be found obsessing over all things reality TV. Deborah currently lives in Toronto with her husband and their partner-in-crime yorkie, Major. • FOLLOW : Twitter | Instagram • BUY Blood Scion • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic) • FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • www.katchowrites.com • PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney) • Check o

Claribel & Kat discuss how they decide on what project to work on next. And then they interview Award Winning and NYT Bestselling author, Malinda Lo, about her experience in the industry, her advocacy for diversity in kidlit, and what it was like going back to a shelved project and revising it years later for publication. ABOUT MALINDA: Malinda Lo is the National Book Award-winning, bestselling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which which was named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, and was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. Her debut novel Ash, a Sapphic retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and was a Kirkus Best Book for Children and Teens. She has been a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Malinda’s short fiction and nonfiction has been published by The New York Times,

This is a bonus episode of Write or Die! Originally recorded live as part of DVCon (a free virtual writing conference for diverse creators), Claribel & Kat read your anonymously submitted publishing stories and questions! MENTIONS: • DVCon • Watch DVCon panels • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic) • FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • www.katchowrites.com • PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney) • Check out Kat’s Books • FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram  • Write or Die Episodes • Join our WorDie community! • Learn more about Write or Die  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/writeordiepodcast/support

Claribel & Kat interview illustrator Wendy Xu about how she first got into illustrating comics, how her work in publishing prepared her for her publication journey, and advice on properly crediting artists for their work! ABOUT WENDY: Wendy Xu is an award-nominated Brooklyn-based illustrator and comics artist with three upcoming graphic novels from Harper Collins. She is the co-creator of "Mooncakes", a young adult fantasy graphic novel published in 2019 from Lion Forge Comics/Oni Press. Her work has been featured on Catapult, Barnes & Noble Sci-fi/Fantasy Blog, and Tor.com, among other places. • FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram • Buy Mooncakes • Buy Tidesong • Add The Infinity Particle on Goodreads MENTIONS: • Lynda Barry • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • PRE-ORDER Witchlings (March 2022, Scholastic) • FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • www.katchowrites.com • PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (Ma

Claribel & Kat catch up with each other and talk about the emotional ups and downs of building an author career. (CW: brief discussion of trauma) Then they interview Sarah Raughley about what it was like to get published in the before-times, differences she’s felt releasing her newest series during the pandemic, and how she researched the lives of Black people in 19th century Britain for her book, THE BONES OF RUIN. ABOUT SARAH: Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. Sarah has been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel and works in the community doing writing workshops for youths and adults. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her a doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to g

Happy New Year! Claribel & Kat discuss some fun news in their author careers and chat about new year and resolutions. Then they interview debut author, Akshaya Raman about her highly anticipated Fantasy, The Ivory Key. How she dealt with doubt during her query journey  and how she made writing friends. ABOUT AKSHAYA: Akshaya Raman fell in love with writing when she wrote her first story at the age of ten. Though she graduated from UC Davis with a degree in biology, she gave up pursuing a career in science to write books. She is a co-founder and contributor to Writer’s Block Party, a group blog about writing and publishing, and has served on the planning teams of several book festivals. She lives in the Bay Area with an actual scaredy cat, and in her free time, she enjoys baking, traveling, and watching too much reality TV. FOLLOW AKSHAYA: website | Twitter | Instagram • BUY The Ivory Key MENTIONS Fave "untraditional" success stories: • S4 E7 Emiko Jean & We Don't Need Permission to Write • S2 E1:

This week, Claribel & Kat discuss what they learned about their writing and author journeys in 2021. Then they answer listener questions about how to survive querying, Self-publishing, how they first got into writing, when to change agents, and more. Plus bonus chat about K-Dramas and K-pop! MENTIONS: WRITING PODCASTS • The Writing Show with Paula B. • 88 Cups of Tea • First Draft with Sarah Enni • Minorities in Publishing • Pub(lishing) Crawl Podcast (Archive) MOVIE • Authors Anonymous K-DRAMAS • Boys Over Flowers • W: Two Worlds • Winter Sonata K-POP • Claribel’s K-Pop suggestions: BTS, Twice, CL • Kat’s K-Pop suggestions: Big Bang, SHINee, Stray Kids • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic) • FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • www.katchowrites.com • PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney) • Check out Kat’s Books • FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram&

Claribel & Kat discuss mentorship programs, both formal and informal! Then they chat with Maisie Chan about her experience publishing her debut Middle Grade and the differences between the UK and US publishing market. ABOUT MAISIE: Maisie Chan is a British Chinese children's author from Birmingham. She loves dim sum, yoga and travelling. She has written early readers for Hachette and Big Cat Collins, and has a collection of myths and legends out with Scholastic. She is the author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths (U.K.) also known as Danny Chung Sums It Up (U.S.), and the Tiger Warrior chapter book series (M Chan). She runs Bubble Tea Writers Network to support and encourage writers of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) descent in the U.K. She has a dog called Miko, who has very big eyes and wakes up too early. She has a large old school hip hop collection. She lives in Glasgow with her family. • FOLLOW MAISIE: website | Twitter | Instagram Buy Danny Chung Sums It Up (US) Buy Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths (UK

Claribel & Kat talk about how to prepare for panels & some quick tips on how to answer interview questions. Then they interview NYT Bestselling author Emiko Jean about her publishing journey, how publishing has changed since she first queried in 2011, and what it’s been like building an author career. Emiko’s BIO: When Emiko is not writing, she is reading. Most of her friends are imaginary. Before she became a writer she was an entomologist (fancy name for bug catcher), a candle maker, a florist, and most recently a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She loves the rain. • FOLLOW : website | Instagram MENTIONS: • BUY Tokyo Ever After • BUY Empress of All Seasons • BUY We’ll Never Be Apart • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic) • FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • www.katchowrites.com • PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (Ma

Claribel and Kat answer a listener's question about publishing events, what it’s like to organize events like DVPit/DVCon, and some tips about attending events. Then they chat with Alex Aster about her author journey, discuss going viral on TikTok and whether it’s worthwhile for authors to join. Plus Alex gives us some Authortok tips! ALEX’S BIO: Alex Aster is an author and graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing. The Emblem Island series is inspired by the Latin American myths her Colombian grandmother told her as a child before bedtime. • FOLLOW : website | TikTok • BUY Curse of the Night Witch • ADD Lightlark on Goodreads • FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok • www.claribelortega.com • Check out all of Claribel’s books • PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic) • FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok • www.katchowrites.com • PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney) • Check out Kat’s Books •