Writer Unboxed

Though not released until September 13th, it’s garnered so much buzz, you might already be familiar with the opening words of Erin Morgenstern’s standalone debut novel, The Night Circus: ~~~ “The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It [...]

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If you missed part 1 of my interview with historical novelist Michelle Diener, when we discussed her international background and writing and research process, click HERE, then come back. Michelle’s brilliantly researched and fast-paced debut novel, a Tudor-set historical called In a Treacherous Court, recently released from Gallery Books. It’s the story of a female [...]

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I’m so pleased to bring you the first part in a two-part interview with today’s guest, Michelle Diener–a woman who was born in England, raised in South Africa, and who currently resides in Australia. Michelle’s debut novel, In a Treacherous Court, released three days ago, published by the Gallery Books imprint of Simon & Schuster. [...]

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Former Washington DC journalist Sarah Pekkanen left the ratrace of covering the political beat and turned her skills to writing women’s fiction novels. Her debut book, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, garnered rave reviews and hit the bestseller lists. Her followup novel, SKIPPING A BEAT, also recieved advanced praise and earned a coveted spot on Oprah’s O Magazine “Pick [...]

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 Sarah Pekkanen seems to have begun her career as a novelist under a charmed star. Her debut novel THE OPPOSITE OF ME, recieved praise from heavy hitters such as Jennifer Weiner, and landed on many Must-Buy lists. Sometimes it’s hard to live up to a big debut, but Pekkanen did so with her followup novel. SKIPPING [...]

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While yesterday’s post focused on strategies an author can employ to turn themselves into an interviewer’s dream candidate, today it’s all about the questioner. Please note my ideals were forged in doctor-patient interviews where magical things could happen with aligned goals and mutual respect. If you think these expectations are insane, you may be right. But [...]

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When writing friends began to ask me for advice about their role in the author interview, I scratched my head even as I did my best to answer their questions. Surely they’d know more than I; after all, I’m unpublished, uninterviewed, and my credentials in this arena stem chiefly from nosiness. However, a quick survey on my blog explained the cause of their [...]

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On the level of professional credentials, my guest today might be described as a former literary agent for Curtis-Brown; a person who excels at Twitter, blogging and Facebook; and one who parlayed that very passion into his position as Social Media Director for CNET. If that weren’t enough, he is now the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE [...]

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Many of you are familiar with my guest today. I’m willing to bet the majority of you have a link in your sidebar to his popular writing blog, begun in his days as a literary agent for Curtis Brown, Ltd. (When I say popular, I mean 150,000 plus hits per month.) These days, Nathan Bransford works [...]

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Last week, we introduced you to YA novelist Alyssa Sheinmel. Known for her authentic storytelling and gripping plots, Alyssa’s latest book, The Lucky Kind, is garnering terrific reviews. I found myself savoring passages that on first glance were so simple yet when peeled back were incredibly deep. It takes a special writer to step back and [...]

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 Alyssa B. Sheinmel has quietly been building a reputation in the YA market for excellence. She came on my radar when her debut novel, The Beautiful Between, garnered a slew of positive reviews and buzz. The New York Post called it “Endearing, realistic and heart-wrenching. Sheinmel offers a thoughtful look at teens,” while Publisher’s Weekly [...]

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Kath here. When prolific thriller author Amanda Stevens guested with Writer Unboxed last October and outlined her Strange Attractor theory of creating a marketable concept (genius!), I knew I wanted to have her back to talk about her newest series The Graveyard Queen, and its lead novel The Restorer (in stores now). Check out the insanely good trailers for The [...]

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