Insights from NYT Bestselling Authors, Ali Hazelwood and Kiley Reid

Feb 1, 2024

Bestselling authors Ali Hazelwood and Kiley Reid share insights in this podcast. They discuss Ali's unconventional path to finding an agent, reader fascination with vampires and werewolves, and tips for writing steamy scenes. Kiley talks about her journey to publication, breaking the rules with character introductions, and strategies for writing authentic dialogue. Both authors emphasize the importance of specificity and creating multifaceted characters.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Factor Meals ad, Introduction, and Books with Hooks

01:45 • 4min

Analyzing the Strength of a Book's Hook

05:25 • 21min

Query Letter for a Fantasy Novel

26:23 • 18min

Supporting Kids' French Immersion Homework and Introducing Rosetta Stone

44:42 • 3min

The World of Fan Fiction

47:47 • 13min

Getting a Book Deal and the Plot of 'Bride'

01:01:02 • 5min

Exploring the Alpha Male Trope and Modern Day Feminism

01:06:04 • 2min

Developing a Complex and Multifaceted Character

01:08:16 • 6min

Creating Chemistry Between Characters and Breaking Writing Rules

01:14:00 • 2min

The Journey to Writing 'Such a Fun Age'

01:16:17 • 23min

In today's Books with Hooks, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe discuss the need for specificity with regard to plot details when you have a more psychological book/concept; avoiding too much backstory in the opening pages; the need for your first chapter to be as strong as your prologue (if you have one); being as specific about your genre as possible; and how emotionality adds layers to your work.

After which, we have two author interviews.

Bianca first interviews NYT bestselling Ali Hazelwood, author of Bride and The Love Hypothesis. They discuss how Ali started writing fanfiction; the unconventional way she got her agent; Ali's submission experience with The Love Hypothesis; reader fascination with vampires and werewolves; how Ali tackled world-building in Bride; writing an 'alpha male' trope that still aligns with feminism; how Ali approached making her prickly main character more sympathetic; and Ali's advice for writing steamy scenes.

After which Bianca interviews Kiley Reid, author of the NYT bestseller, Such a Fun Age, and her latest, Come & Get It. They discuss Kiley's journey to publication; her choice of inciting incident for both of her novels; how she successfully 'broke the rules' with regards to character introduction in the first chapter; her strategies for writing authentic dialogue; leaning into specificity through action beats within dialogue; Kiley's 'signature move' involving the introduction of backstory; and tips for writing a quieter novel, but with strong, 'loud' undercurrents.

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Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

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More information about Ali can be found at: https://alihazelwood.com/

She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/alihazelwood/?hl=en

Kiley is on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kileyreid/?hl=en and on Twitter at

https://twitter.com/kileyreid

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