The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
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The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
This is a podcast for emerging writers who want to improve the quality of their work and learn more about the publishing industry. Your one host, Bianca Marais (the bestselling author of 'The Witches of Moonshyne Manor') interviews authors, agents, editors and just about anyone and everyone...
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Quiet Stories, Big Stakes
In this week’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe dig into two thought-provoking queries — one about addiction and redemption, the other about love, pow...
Shooting the Shit: About the hidden side of best-of-year lists, AI worries, and the "midlist bestseller"
In this week’s Shooting the Shit, Carly and CeCe dive into the chaos that is publishing in December—best-of-year lists, midlist “bestsellers,” AI anxi...
Plotting With Fate
In this episode, Carly welcomes her co-writing clients Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman — authors of ‘10,000 Light Years from OK’ — to talk about thei...
Shooting the Shit: About agent burnout and the problems facing small publishers and booksellers
Carly and CeCe are back—one in snowy Canada, one in flower-crown Hawaii—and they’re diving into burnout, the business of books, and the spicy gossip t...
The Pinball Effect in Fiction
In this Books with Hooks episode, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe dig into two submissions—a YA fantasy query and a memoir/nonfiction hybrid. They unpack why...
November Bonus Episode
In part one of November’s bonus episode, bestselling author Patricia Sands joins Bianca to share how she started writing at 65, indie-pubbed her way t...
When Writing Gets Personal: Two Authors on Vulnerability and Voice
In part one of this week’s author interview, CeCe Lyra connects with clinical psychologist, couples therapist, and bestselling author Dr. Tracy Dalgle...
Shooting the Shit...Live from Hawaii! About turning down offers and how best to work with your literary agent.
CeCe’s in island mode, Carly’s snowed in—and the publishing chat is heating up. From lost luggage and red-eye flights to turning down book deals and n...
Murder, Metafiction, and Query Letter Mayhem
Carly and CeCe are back (with a little Blue Jays banter to start) to dive into two fresh query letters. In this episode, the hosts critique a historic...
Shooting the Shit Live From LA! About Page to Screen and NaNoWriMo
Carly’s reporting live from Los Angeles and CeCe’s just back from a rom-com-gone-wrong trip to Ottawa (complete with flight chaos and airport bathroom...
Success after 800 Rejections!
Author and agent Jenna Satterthwaite joins Bianca to talk about her new thriller ‘The New Year’s Party’, a murder mystery packed with secrets, friends...
Shooting the Shit About Winning Author Mindsets and Agent Submission Timelines
They are back! CeCe’s in Ottawa, Carly’s in LA — but the tea is still hot! They break down Q3 book sales (romance + thrillers took a hit), talk timing...
When Reality TV Meets Cli-Fi: Hooks, Depth, and the Dreaded Coincidence
In this episode of Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe hold down the fort while Bianca is away—and things get delightfully silly. The duo dig into two ve...
October Bonus Episode
In this month’s bonus episode, award-winning author Amber McBride joins Bianca to talk about ‘The Leaving Room’ — a YA novel in verse that unfolds ent...
For The Love of Writing
This week on the podcast (listen to it here or watch it on YouTube!), Bianca interviews Hannah Mary McKinnon about her latest thriller, A Killer Motiv...
Shooting the Shit: About publishing’s ghosting problem and when sales are “not good”
It’s Fall in publishing — which means colds, caffeine, and chaos. Carly and CeCe catch up after a whirlwind few weeks to unpack two hot topics from li...
Balancing Emotional Depth and Action In Your Story
In this episode of Books with Hooks, author Judith Jaeger puts her query letter for ‘The Family We Choose’ in the spotlight. Carly and CeCe dig into w...
Shooting the Shit: About digital first book deals and negative experiences with writers' contests.
In this episode, Carly and CeCe spill all on their latest conference adventures, dive into the fast-changing world of digital-first publishing, and ta...
Insights from Marjan Kamali and Kirsten Miller
Today’s author interview episode features two interviews! The first is with Kirsten Miller, author of The Women of Wild Hill, and the second is with M...
Shooting the Shit About External Publicity, Publishing in the age of Kickstarter, and the alleged gambling problem
They’re back! Carly and CeCe are talking about all things publishing — the chaos, the business, and the fun.
This week they dive into:
Plu...
Untangling Complex Queries: Writing with Clarity Across Timelines
In this episode of Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe break down a speculative query that juggles multiple timelines and POVs. They explore the craft ch...
September Bonus Episode
It’s bonus episode time! We’re thrilled to welcome back Emilie Sommer for her popular comps segment. But first, Bianca sits down with bestselling aut...
Plausibility: Serendipity and Kismet vs. Coincidence
Bestselling author Bianca Marais sits down with New York Times bestselling author of multiple novels, Marissa Stapley (writing as Julia McKay) to unwr...
Shooting the Shit Live From New York!
Fresh off the People of Publishing Conference in NYC, Carly and CeCe spill all the tea! From why newsletters are hotter than ever, to the high-stakes...
How to Find The Hook in Your Book
In this episode of Books with Hooks, hosts Bianca, Carly and CeCe chat with Leslie, winner of our flash fiction contest, about her query letter for a...
Shooting The Shit: About book blurb culture, how to sell a book in a “tough category” and the Anthropic Settlement
In this episode of Shooting the Shit, Carly and CeCe tackle some of publishing’s messiest realities with their usual mix of honesty and humor. They di...
Intentionality! Intentionality! Intentionality!
In this engaging conversation, Bianca interviews Danya Kukafka, the author of 'Notes on an Execution.' They discuss the inspiration behind the novel,...
Shooting the Shit: Why the industry publishes so many (too many!) books and how to spot a writerly phishing scam
In this episode of Shooting the Shit, Carly and CeCe kick things off with a little post–Labor Day catch-up before diving into the big stuff: staying s...
Pitch Perfect
In this episode of Books with Hooks, literary agents Carly and CeCe get nit-picky with an almost ‘Pitch Perfect’ query submission. They offer insider...
Shooting The Shit about what agents really think about writer’s conferences, how agents get good at their jobs, and what actually sells books right now
In this episode of Shooting The Shit, Carly and CeCe unpack the state of today’s publishing industry—from their latest projects to upcoming conference...
Writing a Voicey Novel
In part one of this week’s episode, Bianca sits down with bestselling author Annie Hartnett to dive into her poignant new novel, ‘The Road to Tender H...
August Bonus Episode
In part one of August’s Bonus Episode, Bianca connects with debut author Jo Morey. In this vibrant conversation,Jo opens up about her novel ‘Lime Juic...
Exploring the Critical to Compassionate Spectrum
In this episode of Books with Hooks, hosts Bianca, Carly, and CeCe dive into a query for the historical mystery ‘A Body at Rest', exploring the impact...
Shooting The Shit: CeCe's new job, agent referrals, and what publishers try to get away with when writer's don't have agents
CeCe drops big news—she’s joining Wendy Sherman Associates! Carly and CeCe dive into what it means for her clients, how agency moves work behind the s...
Karin Slaughter and the Mystery of Character and Rachel Howzell Hall on Switching Genres
In part one of this week’s episode, Bianca sits down with the legendary bestselling author Karin Slaughter to talk about all things dark, twisty, and...
Shooting The Shit: "AI Slop" affecting books, what summers in publishing look like and hustle culture in the year 2025
This week on Shooting the Shit, Carly and CeCe are back with a no-holds-barred convo on everything rocking the publishing world. They dive into how hu...
From Audience to Impact: Crafting a Narrative That Connects
In this special episode of Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by debut author Bryce Thomas to dive into his query letter for ‘Barracuda and t...
Shooting The Shit: About Editors, The "Death" Of The Novel & Authors With The "It" Factor
In this episode of ‘Shooting the Shit’, Carly and CeCe dive into the juicy, unfiltered side of publishing. From the surge in dark romance to how women...
From Books with Hooks to Published Author-How Writing is Rewriting
In this episode, debut author Melissa O’Connor takes us behind the scenes of her publishing journey with ‘The One and Only Vivian Stone.’ She shares h...
July Bonus Episode
In part one of July’s bonus episode, Bianca sits down with debut author Jacqueline Faber for a thoughtful and inspiring conversation. With a rich acad...