S1 E10: Joy McCullough and Trusting Your Intuition

Today we welcome Joy McCullough. Joy debuted with a young adult novel in verse, Blood Water Paint, which went on to win numerous awards and honors. Since then, she has written picture books, middle grade, and more young adult. She’s also a playwright! Her latest novel is a middle grade novel, Basil and Dahlia: A Tragic Tale of Sinister Sweetness. We discuss how this was her first novel on submission (but not first to publish), writing a loose fairy tale retelling, unique narrators, and the power of trusting your gut. Further down in the description you can read more about the book, where to buy your own copy, a writing challenge, and what we are doing next. You can listen to the podcast above or on Apple Podcasts. We also have transcripts available if listening is not for you. Note: Transcripts on Substack are only available in the web version, not the app. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readtowritekidlit.substack.com