The Secret Library Podcast

Michelle Kuo got a call one day, telling her that her favorite student had been arrested. After college, Michelle Kuo joined Teach for America and moved to the Arkansas Delta. She taught in a school that focused on teaching underserved youth who had been expelled from other schools. Her time there was transformative, both for Michelle and her students. But at the end of her term at Teach for America, she moved away to attend Harvard. Several years later, she got the call that Patrick, one of her most transformed students, had gotten in a fight outside his home and someone had been killed in the fray. Michelle set aside a new job to return to Arkansas and spend time with Patrick during visitation hours and continue teaching him as he awaited trial. She wrote Reading With Patrick about this experience. This book is moving, riveting, and essential all at once. It kept me up at night and I'm still thinking about it months after reading Michelle and Patrick's story. There is still so much work to be done in the American South to improve the lives of so many who live there. Writing about big issues takes courage and integrity, qualities Michelle exemplifies. But beyond these issues that need to be top of mind for everyone, there is the process of writing about issues, writing about real people, and writing about actual lives. We grapple with these topics in this conversation and, while I know there is so much more to say on these topics, anyone who is considering writing a book relating to social justice or about people in their lives will get a healthy primer on both topics in this episode. It's one I know I will return to again for inspiration and guidance from Michelle, who is a total rock star and a philosopher all wrapped up in one. You're going to love her. Happy listening!

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Elaine Castillo broke my brain with something she said on the show. The book she ended up publishing, her debut novel America is not the Heart, was not even close to the same length as the book she wrote. Let me say this again: Elaine Castillo sold her debut novel to a big 5 publisher and then got to spend a year and a half editing it because they believed in the book and wanted Elaine to feel satisfied by the end result. As someone who has always felt novels got sold only when there might be an errant semi-colon or two floating around, this was nothing short of a revelation. Elaine is incredibly open and forthright in this conversation. I was delighted to really get inside her writing process, how she explored point fo view, and the way the characters came together for her. It was a joy to dive into America is Not the Heart, a gorgeous book that is already making waves with the critics. You're in for a real treat this week. Happy listening! Show notes with links | This episode sponsored by the Secret Writeaway

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Everyone has heard the classic trope write what you love. In some cases, I have felt a bit bullied by this concept. "How am I supposed to know what I love most?" I have wondered. I think the best thing you can do to figure this out is to listen to this conversation with Mark Frauenfelder and listen to how he followed what was fascinating to him and wrote books and articles about these things along the way. In this conversation we talk about the day job that Mark escaped to write and it is the worst day job for a writer I have yet heard of. In addition, learn about how Boing Boing was founded. The original office space for the zine version sounds like my version of heaven and I'm sure it will to you, too. Above all, Mark is an incredible role model for making a living from curiosity, enthusiasm, and being willing to dive into a world you don't entirely know yet. His fascination with a variety of topics and being willing to write about them just because he loves learning is both infectious and a great example to the rest of us. If we follow his lead, I think we are in for a lot of amazing books to hit digital and physical shelves very soon.

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Tasha Harrison knows how to make a sex scene, well – sexy.

Up to this point in the show we have stayed in the "safe for work" territory. But if you're writing for adults, eventually you're going to want to dive into adult topics. Like sex scenes. If you've been intimidated by writing sex scenes in your books but feel like you've got some chemistry that warrants one, let Tasha walk you through the process without having to commit the cardinal sin of closing the door on your reader.

This episode is full of juicy details, and is in no way safe for work. There is adult language and steamy subject matter. It was a blast to dive into a somewhat taboo topic and really explore what makes a sex scene work. I know you'll have ideas running through your mind after this episode... I know I wanted to start playing matchmaker with my characters after this recording session. Can't wait to see what happens in your stories after this.

Full show notes with Links | This episode sponsored by Scrivener

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Susannah Conway knows how books get made.

Having authored two and co-authored a third, Susannah has seen the process through, from proposal to publication, three times. She shares about the creation of proposals, how the book evolves from idea to finished manuscript, and how different it is working on a written book versus one that is primarily about the images. I left this conversation so inspired, particularly having learned how much leeway there is to let the idea evolve once you get a book deal. You'll learn how the idea for Londontown and for This I Know changed from what she first envisioned to what finally got published, and how her publishers supported these changes. We talk about writing from the middle, the way books change us, and how to give a project space when you still have the rest of your life happening alongside writing.

And for all you journalers out there, Susannah is a huge champion of journaling as the foundation of her writing life, so get a peek inside her relationship to her magical moleskines as she creates books. If you've ever dreamed of a book proposal and wondered what it's like once you've got the deal, this will shed the light you've been looking for.

Show Notes for Episode 29 with Susannah Conway:

• On writing different types of books - collaborations and alone (1:48)
• Beginning Londontown and the philosophy behind it (3:00)
• The trouble with covers & inside working with a sales team (4:30)
• Photographing London and how locals see the city (5:15)
• The evolution from proposal to finished book (6:00)
• Working with a publisher that trusts your vision & the role of the book creator (8:30)
• Seeing London through Susannah's camera (9:15)
• Falling in love with Londoners (9:55)
• Ethics of street photography (10:40)
• The "real" city vs. the tourist city (11:30)
• Go beyond Leicester square! How to get a feel for the city (12:15)
• Making NYC her own and learning to blend in (13:40)
• The book as an FAQ for the question "Where shall I go?" to cut down on e-mail (14:45)
• The contrast of This I Know, a book that was primarily written (15:15)
• The pressure of a book deal and getting the words down (15:30)
• Writing as a job and work as a commitment (15:55)
• A book deal from a blog post (16:40)
• Writing a proposal & figuring out what the book was going to be (17:55)
• Figuring out chapters, structure and writing (18:30)
• The challenge of non-fiction and book deals (16:40)
• Holding the details lightly (19:15)
• Writing from the middle (19:45)
• The joy of writing with Scrivener & the pain of tracked changes in Word (20:15)
• Balancing a whole life outside of writing with a book project (22:40)
• Editing down photographs for a book (24:15)
• How much time a project deserves (24:15)
• Journaling's relationship to writing a book (24:55)
• Tarot's relationship to creative process & emotional support (27:00)
• Fiction and tarot's potential guidance (27:15)
• On writing from personal experience vs. fiction writing (28:00)
• Choosing to go with strengths in writing & where her writing comes from (29:00)
• Non-fiction and the desire to feel less alone (30:15)
• How blogging changed her world and built community (30:45)
• The vulnerability of books versus blogging (31:40)
• Being critical of our own work (33:45)
• Done vs. perfect (34:00)
• Judging a book by its cover (34:30)
• Hint on Susannah's next course (35:50)
• Fantasy reading escapes (36:25)
• No wireless! (37:45)
• Book & Ink window (38:30)
• Books as drugs (39:30)
• Current gorgeous covers (41:20)
• Kindle vs physical books (42:00)
• Forthcoming books (42:25)
• Self-publishing vs. going with a press (42:45)
• Working with an agent (44:55)
• Yearning for a written book (45:55)
• The platform & what publishers want (46:50)

Show Notes with Links | Sponsored by Muse Monthly

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.book-alchemy.com/subscribe