The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer

For our 125th episode, Marissa and Joanne talk all things query letters! Answering listener-submitted questions, we cover such topics as:

How do you know when you're ready to query?
How do you find an …

Marissa chats with Britney S. Lewis about her surreal zombie romance - THE UNDEAD TRUTH OF US - as well as working with underlying metaphors in your fiction, and how your themes might change and expa…

Marissa chats with Alicia Thompson about her contemporary romance - LOVE IN THE TIME OF SERIAL KILLERS - as well as some of the benefits and challenges of writing your romance in first person point o…

Marissa chats with Gina Chen about her debut fantasy - VIOLET MADE OF THORNS - as well as how readers tend to pick up on themes and symbolism that speak to them, regardless of what the writer might h…

Marissa chats with Melissa See about her YA contemporary romance - YOU, ME, AND OUR HEARTSTRINGS - as well as how life experiences like drama and theater (and playing Dungeons and Dragons!) can benef…

Marissa chats with Derrick Chow about his debut middle grade - RAVENOUS THINGS - as well as how fiction, and horror in particular, can help young readers who are experiencing  periods of grief (and h…

Marissa chats with Sara Ella about her new Alice-inspired retelling - THE WONDERLAND TRIALS - as well as some of the unique challenges that come with writing retellings, such as deciding what liberti…

Marissa chats with Rebecca Barrow about her YA murder mystery - BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE - as well as looking at the types of books you like to read to help you decide what you should be writing; the h…

Marissa chats with Rachel Menard about her debut Greek Myth-inspired fantasy - GAME OF STRENGTH AND STORM - as well as making the tough decision to put a novel on the backburner, which is not the sam…

Marissa chats with Hannah Orenstein about her new romance - MEANT TO BE MINE - as well as how the beloved genre ideals of "fate" and "soul mates" can come with their own problems, and how to leverage…

Marissa chats with Namina Forna about her new YA fantasy - THE MERCILESS ONES - as well as the deeper meanings that books can have for readers, and why it is so powerful to feel seen in the stories w…

Marissa chats with Nova McBee about her young adult suspense series - CALCULATED - as well as why receiving rejections is actually a good thing that will help set you up for success; listening to you…

Marissa chats with Stephan Lee about his new contemporary YA - K-POP REVOLUTION - as well as the difficult decision to leave your (second) dream job in order to pursue your ultimate dream of becoming…

Marissa chats with Lindsay Eagar about her new middle grade novel - THE PATRON THIEF OF BREAD - as well as taking a trip to the bookstore in order to determine your primary genre; how to beat the que…

Marissa chats with TJ Alexander about their debut romance - CHEF'S KISS - as well as some suggestions for writing luscious food descriptions, including actually testing out some of the recipes you're…

Marissa chats with J.C. Cervantes about her YA contemporary romance - FLIRTING WITH FATE - as well as coming up with five "pinch points" in your story to build suspense and challenge your protagonist…

Marissa chats with Hanna Alkaf about her new YA murder mystery - QUEEN OF THE TILES - as well as some challenges that are unique to the mystery genre, and how writing a mystery plot is a bit like con…

Marissa chats with Emily J. Taylor about her debut YA fantasy - HOTEL MAGNIFIQUE - as well as writing a "setting-first" book by treating your setting as a character, with its own backstory and person…

Marissa chats with Erin Entrada Kelly about her new middle grade contemporary - THOSE KIDS FROM FAWN CREEK - as well as including a multitude of points of view in your novel and how to give a unique …

Marissa chats with JC Peterson about her debut YA contemporary - BEING MARY BENNET - as well as the truth universally acknowledged that it can be difficult to talk to family and friends about your wr…