Allison Tait

Allison Tait talks about the writing process for her middle-grade novel The First Summer of Callie McGee. We discussed writing craft aspects including: - what you need to include (or exclude!) to make the novel age appropriate - how to balance character arcs with the external plot - the difference between a child-led versus a parent-led purchase - how to find your ‘writing age’ - pacing the novel at scene level - what a novel opening needs to include - the hallmarks of good middle-grade fiction - writing a mystery story for children aged 8-12 (including the necessity of red herrings!) - how blogging can help you find your fiction writing voice and why there’s still a place for blogging in an author’s marketing mix. You’ll find links to buy both paperback and ebook versions of The First Summer of Callie McGee here. ABOUT ALLISON TAIT Allison Tait (A.L. Tait) is the internationally published bestselling author of middle-grade adventure series The Mapmaker Chronicles the Ateban Cipher novels, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. Her latest novel THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE is a ‘cosy middle-grade mystery’ (out now). Find out more. A multi-genre writer, creative writing teacher and speaker with many years’ experience in magazines, newspapers and online publishing, Allison is co-host of the top-rating Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and former co-host of the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast. She lives on the south coast of NSW (Australia) with her family. A little bit more… The Fire Star (A Maven & Reeve Mystery) was published in September 2020, and was a Notable book in the CBCA Children’s Book Of The Year Awards 2021. The Wolf’s Howl (Maven & Reeve #2) was published in August 2021 in Australia and July 2022 in the USA. For more information about the Maven & Reeve Mystery novels, plus teachers’ notes and other resources, click here. Website: https://allisontait.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisontaitwriter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllisonTaitWriter Your Kids Next Read: https://childrensbooksdaily.com/podcast/ Write with Allison Tait Membership Group: https://allisontait.com/writing-group-membership/ To enter this month’s competition, head to Writers Book Club Instagram or Facebook and look for the giveaway post. Order The First Summer of Callie McGee here. Order The Hummingbird Effect by Kate Mildenhall here. This podcast is recorded on the beautiful, unceded lands of the Garigal people of the Eora nation. Full show notes available at writersbookclubpodcast.com