Lit Service

4.1 I Made It All Up with Emily Duncan

The Lit Service crew chats with NYT Bestseller Emily Duncan about how she approaches researching high fantasy. Emily A. Duncan is the New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints. She was born and raised in Ohio and works as a youth services librarian. She received a Master’s degree in library science from Kent State University, which mostly taught her how to find obscure Slavic folklore texts through interlibrary loan systems. When not reading or writing, she enjoys playing copious amounts of video games and dungeons and dragons. She is represented by Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.

To check out the submission we critique, go to our website www.litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation. You can also find submission guidelines there if you would like your own first chapter critique.

Bonus Episode: Behind the Scenes in Publishing with Tony Daniel

Due to a recording snafu, we are posting a bonus episode early! Tony Daniel, who is a senior editor at Baen publishing, chatted with the podcasters about some things that go on behind the scenes when it comes to books being acquired and published.

The chapter we critiqued with Rebecca Ross is available on our website with all our notes.

3.21 Getting Those Hobbits Out the Door

Caitlin, Cameron, and Kristen talk in depth about how inciting incidents relate to character and how people accidentally mess them up.

3.20 Character is Setting with Tony Daniel

The Lit Service Crew chats with Tony Daniel about how to approach building a character and how that interacts with setting.

Tony Daniel is a senior editor at Baen Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. He is also an award-winning author (a few of his titles: Guardian of Night, Metaplanetary, Superluminal, Earthling, Warpath, and the two Star Trek Original Series novels, Devil’s Bargain and Savage Trade), a co-writer of screenplays for monster movies that appear on the SyFy and Chiller Channels, and the founder, writer, and director of theatrical and audio drama group Automatic Vaudeville, with many appearances on WBAI radio in New York City.

3.19 How to Not Discover Witches

Cameron, Kristen, Aliah, and Caitlin chat about POV usage and how to best make your choices fit the kind of story you want to tell.

Bonus Episode: Kate Watson Query and FanX Q&A

Another in our series of query letters that succeeded (and then went on to become published books) Enjoy Kate Watson (author of Seeking Mansfield) reading the query that landed her an agent, and then some questions we answered at Salt Lake ComicCon/FanX this last September.

3.18 The Emperor King's Assassin with Ben Grange

Ben Grange, agent at the L. Perkins agency, joins the Lit Service crew to talk about what "high concept" means, why everyone talks about high concept books, and why it's important to be able to put together a high concept-ish pitch for your book even if it isn't a high concept story.

3.17 Save the Dragons with Jodi Meadows

Caitlin, Cameron, and Aliah discuss with Jodi Meadows why books need themes, where themes come from, and how to make the ones that creep up on you seem intentional.

Jodi Meadows wants to be a ferret when she grows up and she has no self-control when it comes to yarn, ink, or outer space. Still, she manages to write books. She is the author of the INCARNATE Trilogy, the ORPHAN QUEEN Duology, and the FALLEN ISLES Trilogy (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen), and a coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers MY LADY JANE and MY PLAIN JANE (HarperTeen).

If you'd like to see the text of the submission we critique, you can find it on our website: https://litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation

If you are in need of a first chapter critique yourself, check our website to see who our upcoming guests are, check our submission guidelines, and send us your work!

3.16 Heebie Jeebie Research with Susan R. Matthews

The Lit Service Crew chats with Susan R. Matthews about seeking out in person experiences that inform the sensory detail, blocking, and the plausibility of your planned plot. Extra points that in person experience gives you the heebie jeebies.

Special welcome to our guest Susan R. Matthews, whose debut novel An Exchange of Hostages was nominated for the 1997 Philip K. Dick Award and for the 1998 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer; She’s since written eight other books in this dystopian space opera series, plus many other books.

If you'd like a first chapter critique from us, want to check out our writing group finder, or join our community, #litnation, check out our website: litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation

3.15 Magic Systems 101 (and when to throw them out)

The Lit Service crew recorded live at FanX Salt Lake City ComiCon with Sara B. Larson and Kathryn Purdie.

Sara B. Larson is the author of the acclaimed YA fantasy DEFY trilogy (DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE) and the DARK BREAKS THE DAWN duology (DARK BREAKS THE DAWN and BRIGHT BURNS THE NIGHT). She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook.

Kathryn Purdie is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Burning Glass series and the forthcoming Bone Crier’s Moon duology.

If you'd like a first chapter critique from the Lit Service Crew, check out our submission guidelines here: https://litservicepodcast.wixsite.com/litnation/submissions

Check our website to read the full text of the chapter we read along with all our notes and notes on the different books we mention througout the podcast.