#126: Save The Cat! Troubleshooting Common Pl...

If you’ve stepped away from your novel for a few weeks, or even a few months, getting back into writing can feel a lot harder than it should.Maybe you open your draft, scroll through a few pages, and wonder where you were even going with the story. Maybe you feel like you need to ...  Show more

Learn what makes cozy fiction work—and how to balance warmth, tension, character growth, and community to create the hopeful reading experience cozy readers expect.You know the feeling a cozy book gives you—warm, safe, like a world you don't want to leave. But when you sit down t ...  Show more

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 challenges of pitching complex narratives, from maintaining clarity to grounding readers in emotional depth. The discussion digs int ...  Show more

In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two queries each, in the process discussing the pros and cons of epistolary novels; the #ownvoices term being retired; baiting the reader in the opening pages; having too much character description and not enough plot in the qu ...  Show more

In today's Books with Hooks, CeCe and Carly discuss what agents look for with a resubmission; the issue with starting with themes in a query letter; the need for your plot and stakes to have a 'domino' effect; infusing character description with emotionality; the need for specifi ...  Show more

In today’s Books with Hooks segment, the hosts, Bianca, Carly and CeCe, analyze two query letters submitted by aspiring authors, one of which is a memoir and the other a YA steampunk query. They provide detailed feedback on the structure, content, and emotional depth of the lette ...  Show more