All Episodes

Ep. 109: Katherine Applegate (The One and Only Ivan) on writing and her latest book, Wombat Waiting

Ep. 108: Philip Stead (A Potion, A Powder, A Little Bit of Magic) on Writing and Illustrating Whimsical Stories

Ep. 107: Filling the Gap: Why We Need More Young Teen Lit

Ep. 106: Aaron Starmer (You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This) On Writing a Book That's Weird In a Good Way

Ep. 105: Jasmine Warga (The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan) on Zero Drafts and Writing From an Animal's Perspective

Ep. 104: N. West Moss (Birdy) on Finding Joy After Loss

Ep. 103: Beth Ferry (Growing Home) On Loving Your Own Story

[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 75: James Ponti (Part 2) (City Spies) on Writing a Bestselling Middle Grade Series

[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 74: James Ponti (Part 1) (City Spies) on Writing a Bestselling Middle Grade Series

Ep. 102: Simon Stephenson (The Snowman Code) on both Screenwriting and Novel Writing

Ep. 101: John Schu (Louder Than Hunger) on Connection and Compassion in Storytelling

Ep. 100: Michelle Knudsen (Into the Wild Magic) on The Importance of Persistence in Writing

[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 66: Jordan Kopy (Theodora Hendrix) on Turning Traditional Monster Tropes on their Heads

Ep. 99: Second Year Podcasting Anniversary - Come with me behind the scenes - how it started, how it's going, and what's next.

Ep. 98: Melissa Dassori on Second Books and Magic in Storytelling

Ep. 97: McCall Hoyle (Forever Ripley) on Exploring the Bond Between Dogs and Kids

Ep. 96: Jamie Sumner (Schooled) on Embracing Imperfection in the Creative Process

Ep. 95: Cordelia Jensen (Lilac and the Switchback) on Crafting a Novel-In-Verse

Ep. 94: Alyssa Colman (Where Only Storms Grow) on Historical Fiction With and Without Magic

Ep. 93: Pablo Cartaya (A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation) on Connecting With Readers Through Shared Experiences

Ep. 92: Tiffany D. Jackson (Blood in the Water) on Writing MG After Success in YA

Ep. 91: J.E. Thomas (The AI Incident) on Engaging Children in Conversations about Artificial Intelligence

Ep. 90: Amanda Zieba (WordNerd) on Hybrid Publishing and Creating Resources for Teachers

Ep. 89: Shannon Balloon and Karen Reeder (BookHuddle Podcast) On Our Favorite MG Books of the Year (So Far)

Ep. 88: Meg Medina (Graciela in the Abyss) on Diving into a Fantasy World

[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 34: Joel Brigham on Query Letters and First Pages

Ep. 87: Katherine Marsh (the Medusa series) on Monsters, Myths, and a Girl Protagonist

Ep. 86: Erin Entrada Kelly (At Last She Stood) on Her Foray into Nonfiction

Ep. 85: Kate O'Shaughnessy (The Wrong Way Home) on Community and Belonging

Ep. 84: Dianne K. Salerni (The Tontine Caper) on Writing Humor and an Omniscient Narrator

Ep. 83: Lauren Wolk (Candle Island) on the Importance of Setting in Her Novels

Ep: 82: Marie Benedict (The Secrets of Lovelace Academy) on Infusing Historical Fiction with Adventure.

[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 46: Literary Agent Alexander Slater on Publishing in Middle Grade

[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 58: Gayle Forman (Not Nothing) on Seeing Stories From Different Perspectives

Ep. 81: Debbi Michiko Florence (Last Chance Academy) on Writing a Middle Grade Mystery Series.

Ep. 80: Lisa Schmid (Hart & Souls) on Non-Scary Ghost Stories and Podcasting

Ep. 79: Britnee Meiser (All My Bests) on Writing Realistic Middle Grade Romance

Ep. 78: Megan E. Freeman (Alone and Away) on Her Books, Her Inspiration, and the Question Everyone is Asking . . Will There Be a Third?

Ep. 77: Kyle Lukoff (A World Worth Saving) on Writing Adventure, Jewish Folklore, and Trans Youth in Middle Grade.

Ep. 76: Wendelin Van Draanen (Flipped) on Writing From the Heart

[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 31: Megan Reyes (Heroes of Havensong) on Writing a Fantasy with Four Points of View

Ep. 75: James Ponti (Part 2) (The Sherlock Society) on the Joy of Storytelling

Ep. 74: James Ponti (Part 1) (City Spies) on Crafting Spy Novels and the Inspiration Behind His Work

Ep. 73: Kimberly Newton Fusco (The Secret of Honeycake) on Finding Your Voice

Ep. 72: Meera Trehan (Snow) on Writing a Story where a Fantasy World and the Real World Collide

Ep 71: Gloria L. Huang (Kaya of the Ocean) on the Beauty of Imperfection in Life and Storytelling

[Listen Again] Ep. 8: Joel Brigham on Six Things Every Story Needs to Succeed

[Listen Again] Ep. 30: Becca Wierwille (Road Trip Rescue) on Independently Publishing a Middle Grade Novel

[Listen Again] Ep. 36: Barbara Dee (Unstuck) on Writer's Block and Writing for Upper Middle Grade Readers

[Listen Again] Ep. 21: Jessica Vitalis (Coyote Queen) on Crafting Stories from Personal Experiences

Ep. 70: Claire Swinarski (Take It From The Top) on Musical Theater, Friendship, and her Writing Process.

Ep. 69: Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy (Let It Glow) on Writing a Happy, Holiday Story

Ep. 68: Joel Brigham on Writing a First Draft Fast

Ep. 67: Erin Becker (Crushing It) on Sports, Crushes, and Character Development in Middle Grade

Ep. 65: Joan Reardon (The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters) on Exploring Spooky Themes in Middle Grade Books

Ep. 64: Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (The Bletchley Riddle) on Uncovering the Secrets of Bletchley Park

Ep. 63: Kate DiCamillo (The Hotel Balzaar) on Putting Your Heart On The Page

Ep. 62: Damara Allen (The Skeleton Flute) on Crafting a Spooky Middle Grade Novel

Ep. 61: Polly Horvath (Library Girl) on Libraries, Literary Awards, and Writing

Ep. 60: Sarah Allen (Monster Tree) on Writing Monsters in Middle Grade

Ep. 59: Robyn Field (Peony Watercolor's Wish for Sun and Moon) and Karin Hoyle on Publishing with a Small Press

Ep. 57: Matthew Landis on Making History Exciting and Embarking on an RV Adventure Across America

Ep. 56: Adam Rosenbaum on Navigating Grief and Ghosts in Middle Grade

Ep. 55: Amar Shah on Writing a Middle Grade Sports Book

Ep. 54: Jennifer Blecher (Listen to This) on Writing Big Emotions - Including for Boys

Ep. 53: Nedda Lewers on Writing Fantasy That Shows Children the Bigger World

Ep. 52: Caroline Carlson on Writing a Funny and Adventurous Anti-Fairy Tale

Ep. 51: Rhonda Roumani on the Power of Art as Activism in her Debut Middle Grade

Ep. 50: Gennifer Choldenko on Persistence, Collaboration, and Writing a Page-Turner

Ep. 49: Ritu Hemnani on Verse Novels, TED Talks, and the Partition of India

Ep. 48: Dan Gemeinhart on Coyote Sunrise and his Love of Storytelling

Ep. 47: Kirby Larson and Quinn Wyatt on Chronic Illness, Empathy, and Writing

[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 45: Justina Chen (With Twice the Love, Dessie Mai) on Identity, Belonging, and Twinning.

Ep. 44: Alicia D. Williams on Grief, Toxic Masculinity, and the Power of Friendship

Ep. 43: Literary Agents 101 with Author Polly Holyoke

Ep. 42: Laurie Morrison (Keeping Pace) on Sports, Romance, and High-Achieving Kids in Upper Middle Grade

Ep. 41: Colleen Oakes on Being a Second Favorite Daughter and Selling a Middle Grade Book on Proposal

Ep. 40: Allie Millington (Olivetti) on Writing from the Perspective of a Typewriter

Ep. 39: Ali Terese on Period Equity, Taking Action, and Humor in Writing.

Ep. 38: Ridley Pearson on Writing for Disney and Not Being Afraid to Write Wrong

Ep. 37: Emily Barth Isler on Music and Neurodiversity in Middle Grade

Ep. 35: Ruth Behar on Writing Middle Grade, Being a Cultural Anthropologist, and Salsa Dancing

Ep. 33: Hena Khan on Sharing her Pakistani Culture Through Books

Ep. 32: MarcyKate Connolly and Kathryn Holmes on Aliens and UFOs

Ep. 29: Polly Holyoke on World Building in Fantasy and Inspiring Kids to Write

Ep. 28: Mindy Nichols Wendell on Never Giving up on Following a Dream

Ep. 27: Nashae Jones (Courtesy of Cupid) on Writing Rom-Coms for Middle Grade

Ep. 26: Tui T. Sutherland on Writing her Bestselling Wings of Fire Series.

Ep. 25: Taylor Tyng on Turning a Dreamstarter into a Middle Grade Series

Ep. 24: Sally Morgridge, Senior Editor at Holiday House, on Submissions and the Editorial Process

Ep. 23: Arianne Costner on Injecting Humor into Middle Grade

Ep: 22: Andrew Auseon on How Gaming Inspires his Writing

Ep. 20: Kaija Langley on Writing a Middle Grade Novel-in-Verse

Ep. 19: Shannon Messenger on Her Bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities Series

Ep. 18: Alison Weiss, Acquisitions Editor at Pixel+Ink, on the Process of Publishing a Middle Grade Series

Ep. 17: Janae Marks on Baking, Writing, and Zoe Washington's Latest Endeavor

Ep. 16: Zoe Tokushige on IP Projects, Diversity in Middle Grade, and Writing What Makes you Interested

Ep. 15: Elisa Stone Leahy on the Power of Fiction to Express Truth

Ep. 14: Tamika Burgess on Writing and her Black Panamanian Culture

Ep. 13: Chad Lucas on Writing for Upper Middle Grade Readers

Ep. 12: Karen S. Chow on NaNoWriMo, Pitch Events, and More

Ep. 11: Rachel Renée Russell and Nikki Russell on creating the NYT Bestselling Dork Diaries Series

Ep. 10: Ally Malinenko on Middle Grade Horror

Ep. 9: Lora Senf on Spooky Stories and Trusting Kids

Ep. 7: Suzanne Supplee on Writing Middle Grade After YA

Ep. 6: Margaret Peterson Haddix on Middle Grade Mysteries and More

Ep. 5: Kate Albus on Writing History into Middle Grade

Ep. 4: Alysa Wishingrad on Writing for Upper Middle Grade Readers

Ep. 3: Laura Segal Stegman on Finding Your Inner Voice

Ep. 2: Claire Swinarski on Balancing Realism and Hope in Middle Grade

Ep. 1: Doan Phuong Nguyen on Finding Inspiration in her Family's Past

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