Episodes
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Suspension of Disbelief with Emily X.R. Pan
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Caitlin, Aliah, and Kristen chat with Emily X.R. Pan about magic in contemporary books and suspension of disbelief (as well as throwing down a gauntlet in the never-ending prologue debate!). To find the signed and stenciled edge edition the podcast put together for her new book An Arrow to the Moon, visit our shop.
Emily X.R. Pan is the New York Times bestselling author of THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER, which won the APALA Honor Award and the Walter Honor Award. It was also a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize, longlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 Best YA Books of All Time. Emily co-created the FORESHADOW anthology, teaches creative writing, and lives on Lenape land (in Brooklyn, New York). Her sophomore novel, AN ARROW TO THE MOON, launched April 12, 2022 (Check it out here!!). Find her on Twitter and Instagram: @exrpan.
You can find the chapter we critique here.
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Building Characters with V.E. Schwab
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
V.E. Schwab joins the podcasters to chat about how to build a character who is instantly sympathetic and fits into your story.
A big welcome to Victoria “V.E.” Schwab. Schwab is the #1 NYT, USA, and Indie bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Their work has received critical acclaim, been translated into over two dozen languages, and been optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name – is currently in the works at Netflix with Emma Roberts’ Belletrist Productions producing. Schwab’s most recent book, YA fantasy Gallant, just came out at the beginning of March. To learn more about it (or Victoria!) check out her website.
The special edition of Gallant Lit Service put together with stenciled edges and a signed bookplate can be found here (be sure to check it out!).
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
The Publishing Rollercoaster with Kristen Ciccarelli
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Kristen Ciccarelli joins Caitlin, Kristen, and Aliah to talk about how publishing journeys look from the inside and how to manage the rough moments and celebrate the good.
Kristen was born and raised on her grandfather’s grape farm. She spent her childhood running amok through his vineyards and adventuring in the deep, dark woods behind his house. Before writing books full-time, Kristen was an artisanal bread baker, an indie bookseller, and a ceramic artist. Her first novel, The Last Namsara, was an international bestseller and has been translated into 12 languages. Her new contemporary fantasy, Edgewood, released on March 1st (and you can find out more about her and it here!)
To read the first chapter we critique and look through our notes, go here.
You can always follow us on Instagram (which is mostly where we are!!), and if you haven't checked out the special edition we're doing for our new Lit Service Book of the month (stenciled edges!!! They're so pretty!) you should probably go check out our shop now!!
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Bonus Episode: A Baker’s Guide to Robber Pie with Liana Tan
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Actress extraordinaire Liana Tan joins Caitlin for a special reading Caitlin's middle grade fantasy debut, A Baker's Guide to Robber Pie, which is out now!
Liana has been involved in all sorts of fun acting projects and is a radio personality in Idaho. You can find her on instagram and follow her cool lifestyle show here.
If you want to see the episode Caitlin did (about writer's block!) it's here.
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Genre Bending with Tara Goedjen
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Tara Goedjen joins the podcast to chat about the do's and don'ts of mixing genres. She's the author of The Breathless and No Beauties or Monsters which is a mystery/paranormal mash up that will make you not want to stop reading. You can find out more about Tara and her books here.
To read the chapter we critiqued with all our notes, go here.
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Bonus Episode: A Deep Dive into Arcane
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Join Caitlin, Kristen, and Aliah as they discuss some of the cool storytelling elements used in Netflix's new series, Arcane.
If you want to read twelve pages of Caitlin and Kristen lauding/arguing/not understanding/beings stupid about some of the things the writers, animators, and others involved did, you're welcome to it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mQrrDsc9pBwvPFDv_flGj7nELO1UZ9XcQpqtzmrEjjw/edit?usp=sharing
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Some News!
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Hello out there to all you lovely podcast listeners!
Thank you so much for your support and for listening during this exciting year! Hope you have lovely holidays and we'll be back in 2022!
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
5.23 Magic as an Allegory with Adrienne Tooley
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Adrienne Tooley joins the Lit Service cast to chat about why magic makes such a great tool for allegory in stories, especially when it comes to mental health.
Adrienne Tooley grew up in Southern California, majored in musical theater in Pittsburgh, and now lives in Brooklyn with her wife, six guitars, and a banjo. In addition to writing novels, she is a singer/songwriter who has currently released three indie-folk EPs. You can check out her debut novel, SWEET & BITTER MAGIC (as well as more about Adrienne!) here. Her second novel, SOFI AND THE BONE SONG, will release April 19, 2022 and you should definitely preorder it here.
If you'd like to read the chapter we critique with all our notes, you can find it here.
Wednesday Nov 24, 2021
5.22 Working with a Publicist with Morgan Rath
Wednesday Nov 24, 2021
Wednesday Nov 24, 2021
Morgan Rath, senior publicist at Macmillan Children's publishing, joins Caitlin this week to talk about what a publicist actually does, what authors can expect while working with one, and things authors can do on their own or to help a publicist get the word out about your book.
No first chapter critique this week! Let us know on social media or e-mail to let us know why you listen to the show--do you like the critiques? Do you prefer the behind the scenes in publishing episodes or the craft discussions? Who would you like to hear from on the show?
Wednesday Nov 10, 2021
5.21 Fake Politics
Wednesday Nov 10, 2021
Wednesday Nov 10, 2021