From Our Blog
Magical Literature: The Current Popularity of Witches in Novels
It’s October, where the onset of fall, Halloween, and the alleged thinning of the veil between the living and dead initiates interests in ghosts, sorcery, and witches. But in the last few years, there’s been a proliferation of witches in literature, including romance, cozy mystery, science fiction, and urban fantasy, among others—and not just at Halloween. It’s a current trend that’s created a …
Pondering the Pursuit of an MFA? Consider the Pros, the Cons, and the Worth of Your Why
When Black & Published podcast host and author Nikesha Elise Williams queried 12 agents in November of 2022 with her latest manuscript, The Seven Daughters of Dupree, she told herself that if she didn’t receive representation, she would pursue earning an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) degree.
She had plenty of options to choose from; there are 256 low- and full-residency MFA programs across the …
Yay for YA! A Look at Young Adult Fiction
“Teenagers. Everything is so apocalyptic.” —Kami Garcia
Author Kami Garcia hit the nail on the dramatic head with that line from her novel Beautiful Creatures. We can all relate to it because each of us was a teenager once. Our teen selves still live inside us. The proof? How much we tend to like the music from our teenage years (still love Bon Jovi) and how often we share memes that fit our sp…
Blurring the Lines: The Artistic Challenges of Blending Truth and Imagination
Fact and fiction. As a writer of historical novels, I find it endlessly intriguing to play with how to entwine the two. History has always fascinated me—I find the grand tapestry of the past is woven with so many richly colorful and textured threads that help us understand the present. And so, I’ve always enjoyed adding real historical events and real historical figures to my stories, though, f…
We’ve all had that experience of stepping into an elevator, realizing you’re in there with an editor or an agent, and he or she asks you what you’re working on. As you stammer out your long-winded answer (starting off with the classic “Well, it’s complicated”), the moment ends (i.e., the elevator door opens) and said editor or agent goes their way. Could you have made use of that opportunity by…
How to Overcome a Muddling Middle
It is a truth universally acknowledged that stories have a beginning, middle, and an end. For some authors, the beginning of the story gives them trouble as they grapple with whether to start a book in medias res (“in the midst of things”), when the reader and character are plunged into a crucial situation, or by conveying the protagonist’s everyday world so the reader bonds with that character…