EVA DES LAURIERS joins the Lit Service cast to chat about how she approaches writing characters based on her background in psychology and sociology and how authors can approach writing teen characters with authenticity.

Eva is the author of YA Romance, I Wish You Would (Holt, BYR). She’s a diehard romantic who holds both an MSW and BA in psychology. As a clinical social worker, she had the privilege of working with the vibrant and complicated teens for whom she now writes. She co-hosts a writing and mental health podcast with fellow author Katryn Bury called Write Where It Hurts. A White-Chicana California girl with the ocean in her veins, she lives and writes in Oakland, California with her husband, who also happens to be the boy she sat next to in eleventh grade Calculus, their two children, and her collection of kissing books. Find her on Instagram @evadeslaurbooks

Caitlin chats with Holly Black about building characters and her newest book The Prisoner's Throne.

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels, including the Novels of Elfhame, THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN, the Spiderwick Chronicles, and her adult debut, BOOK OF NIGHT. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.

You can find the special editions set of the duology here.

What do you do once you've finished your first draft? Immediately send it to every agent and publisher you can find contact info for? Put it in a drawer? Maybe something in between. Caitlin, Aliah, and Kristen chat about how they approach a second draft.

Don't forget to check out Caitlin's newest release, He Who Breaks the Earth

Caitlin, Aliah, and Kristen chat about how to approach writing a satisfying and exciting ending.

Don't miss Caitlin's new release from Simon and Schuster, He Who Breaks the Earth

Martha Wells joins to podcast to chat about how to write characters your readers will love. Martha has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, The Death of the Necromancer, the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy, The Murderbot Diaries series, media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, and Locus Awards, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the BSFA Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in twenty-five languages. Her newest book, Witch King is out now (find it here!).

Margaret Owen joins Caitlin, Aliah, and Kristen to chat about how to help your action to rise naturally and how to raise stakes.

Margaret is the author of The Merciful Crow, The Faithless Hawk, Little Thieves, Painted Devils which releases May 16th, and A Grimoire of Grave Fates which releases in June.

The "How Dire Is It" chart Margaret mentions can be found here.

Kristen, Caitlin, and Aliah chat about what goes into the middle of a book.

We all hit moments where a shiny new project suddenly feels more like work. Aliah, Caitlin, and Kristen discuss strategies that allow the slog to become a little easier.