NATASHA NGAN: On Finding The Courage to Write The Book of Our Hearts

  Have you ever wondered what goes into building strong and vivid fantasy worlds? How to add moments of warmth and humor when writing about darker topics? How about creating space for self-care through your writing? We talk about this and so much more with Natasha Ngan. Natasha is a young adult fiction author known for her novels The Elites, The Memory Keepers, and her most recent novel, Girls of Paper and Fire, that was published in the Fall of 2018 by Jimmy Patterson/Little Brown in the US. and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. She was also the co-owner of the fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog Girl in the Lens. In our conversation with Natasha, we discuss Malaysian culture and how it influences her writing style, the inspiration behind her new novel Girls of Paper and Fire, how she explores self-healing through storytelling, and her expansive and organic world-building process. She also answers listener questions about her research and querying process, crafting strong secondary characters, and interjecting humor around serious topics in her stories.  Say 'Hi' to Natasha on Twitter @girlinthelens To download Natasha's query letter to her literary agent and to access the books and resources mentioned in her episode, head over to: 88CUPSOFTEA.COM/PODCAST/NATASHA-NGAN --------------------------------------- If you love the books mentioned in our podcast, you'll love our sponsor Epic Reads where you can learn more about Ben Philippe and his debut novel THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER --------------------------------------- If you'd love to keep 88 Cups of Tea going strong, please consider supporting us through our Patreon membership. A heartfelt thank you in advance. patreon.com/88cupsoftea Or head to our shop to proudly rock our swag!  88cupsoftea.com/shop/