Participating in NaNoWriMo: No
Previously participated in NaNoWriMo: Yes
Advice for NaNoWriMo: Set a time to get away from the place where your daily life will distract you (because it will!)
Character-building tips: Go beyond the character details and dive deep into their emotions/inner life. Have your main character write a letter to another character or you (as the author) from an emotional moment and see what comes out.
Favorite place to write: Bookstore/library or a cabin in the mountains (if I can get one!)
Favorite café/bookshop: Highlands Bookstore in Brevard, North Carolina
Favorite beverage while writing: Hot tea
Favorite genre to read: Middle grade contemporary
Favorite genre to write: Lyrical nonfiction picture books
Check out our review of Fraiser’s picture book Moon Tree and the accompanying author interview!
Participating in NaNoWriMo: No
Previously participated in NaNoWriMo: No
Advice for NaNoWriMo: I hear it’s good to have a rough outline or tent poles. But I haven’t done NaNoWriMo… yet. It’s a bucket list item for me.
Character-building tips: Try writing diary entries from the perspective of your character. What do they take notice of and why?
Favorite place to write: Home
Favorite café/bookshop: Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, California
Favorite beverage while writing: Hot tea
Favorite genre to read: Young adult or middle grade realistic fiction
Favorite genre to write: Picture books
Check out our review of Khiani’s novel Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions!
Participating in NaNoWriMo: No
Previously participated in NaNoWriMo: No
Character-building tips: I like to ask myself two questions about a character: 1) What’s their deepest wound/core misbelief about themselves or the world? 2) What situation can I put them in to force them to most directly address that wound/misbelief?
Favorite place to write: Home
Favorite café/bookshop: The Wandering Jellyfish in Niwot, Colorado
Favorite beverage while writing: Matcha latte with lavender
Favorite genre to read: Romance
Favorite genre to write: Romance
Check out our review of O’Clover’s novel The Someday Daughter!
Participating in NaNoWriMo: No
Previously participated in NaNoWriMo: Yes
Advice for NaNoWriMo: Preparation makes a huge difference. Planning through pre-writing and plotting can help keep you on track to succeed. Also, when you finish for the day, take some time and write some notes about what you plan to write the next day. Even a sentence or two can really help.
Favorite place to write: Home
Favorite café/bookshop: The King’s English in Salt Lake City, Utah, is an amazing place to discover new books and authors. The owners are very supportive of authors.
Favorite beverage while writing: Ice water
Favorite genre to read: Mystery/suspense
Favorite genre to write: Mystery
Check out our reviews of Johnson’s novels Help Wanted, Must Love Books and The Winterton Deception 1: Final Word, as well as the accompanying author interview!
Participating in NaNoWriMo: No
Previously participated in NaNoWriMo: No
Advice for NaNoWriMo: Set reasonable goals, and don’t beat yourself up if life gets in the way!
Favorite place to write: Home
Favorite café/bookshop: Words Worth Books in Waterloo, Ontario
Favorite beverage while writing: Water
Favorite genre to read: Anything as long as it’s compelling!
Favorite genre to write: Anything as long as it’s compelling!
Check out our review of Vitalis’ novel The Wolf’s Curse and the accompanying author interview!
Participating in NaNoWriMo: Yes
Previously participated in NaNoWriMo: Yes
Advice for NaNoWriMo: The community of writers is where the wealth is. Tap into it. I met my best critique partner there.
Character-building tips: When you get brave and tap deeply into your own feelings, that’s when your characters can come alive. You won’t know them till you know yourself.
Favorite place to write: Bookstore/library
Favorite café/bookshop: Breakwater Books in Guilford, Connecticut
Favorite beverage while writing: Water
Favorite genre to read: Literary fiction
Favorite genre to write: Middle grade fiction
Check out our review of Kenna’s novels Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm and Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade!
Emilee Ceuninck, Lead Writer & Editor, & Natalie Hsu & Kelly Marry, Co-Social Media Leads