Writer Unboxed

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 Surely they’d know more than I; after all, I’m unpublished, uninterviewed, and my credentials in this arena stem chiefly from nosiness.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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If you missed part 1 of my interview with author Jael McHenry–when we discussed revisions, evolutions and Midnight Cry Brownies–please click here, illuminate yourself, then come back. Cool Breaking News: WU contributor Jael McHenry’s debut novel, The Kitchen Daughter, which releases in just four days on April 12th, has a gorgeous review in the May [...]

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Valued WU contributor and former Writer’s Digest publisher Jane Friedman has a book out! Called The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations, Jane’s book promises to be “a definitive and comprehensive view on how book publishing will evolve and transform.” I’m glad she agreed to a Take Five interview here so we can all learn a [...]

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I am particularly thrilled to present this interview to you today. I’ve known Jael McHenry for quite a while now. We became familiar with each other on the Backspace forum, and when she began looking for an agent–and became interested in my agent, Elisabeth Weed–we came to know each other better. Jael is that alchemist’s [...]

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Today’s guest is Larry Brooks, whose blog–Storyfix.com–was recently named along with Writer Unboxed as one of the top ten blogs for writers by Write to Done. Larry isn’t only a blogger extraordinaire; he’s an author who’s released a new book on the craft of fiction a few short weeks ago called The Six Core Competencies [...]

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WU contributor and agent Donald Maass is known for his keen understanding of story and the craft of writing. His previous books, including Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction, are favorites on savvy writer’s shelves, and for good reason: They’re full of gems that can help you conceive of a better story, [...]

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