First Draft with Sarah Enni LIVE and more!
How was your summer?? Mine was lovely. In some ways wildly productive, and in other ways it was mostly spent daydreaming. That's okay. Our stories get told, somehow, some way.
There are some really exciting things coming up for First Draft this fall - first and foremost, a live taping on Friday, September 20 to kick off YA-Hoo Fest in Chattagnooga! Read on for more info, some cool recent press, and of course a roundup of amazing recent episodes!
📆 Upcoming Events
📣 Fun clips & interviews!
🎧 Recent can't-miss First Draft episodes
✔️ Recs for ALL the media I consumed in August!
💎Plenty of links for you to buy TELL ME EVERYTHING!
🗓️ Upcoming Events 🗓️
I can't wait for this awesome live event, held in conjunction with the YA-HOO Fest in Chattanooga, TN on September 20-21, 2019! I'll chat with Rick Yancey, Cindy Pon, and Justin A. Reynolds! We will play games, have a fun conversation, and answer audience questions! Reserve your tix now!
📣 Clips & Interviews 📣
I went to Burning Man! It was my fourth Burn in a row, and in so many ways it was the best one yet. While I was getting ready to leave Reno for the desert, I spoke to Refinery 29 about spirituality at Burning Man, including the project that has been the theme of my camp for the last three years: a cult!
There was some other fun press, too:
Pretty Progressive named First Draft as one of its Inspiring Podcasts for Women in Their 20s, saying the podcast is "like Longform meets Bullseye, but from the perspective of a female YA author who meticulously walks us through her guests' lives and moves them to talk about their work in ways they've never shared before."
On StorytimeTeen I answer an actual teen's question about what to do when you overbook yourself (now if only I would take my own advice....).
Vulture listed First Draft as one of the shows they're listening to!
🎧 Recent First Draft Episodes 🎧
David Yoon
David Yoon, debut author of Frankly in Love, talks about how writing a rom-com turned into writing about his greatest fears; portraying aspirational male friendships; and working to be able to write from a place of unconditional love.
Listen to our interview here, on iTunes, or on Spotify!
Mary H. K. Choi
Mary H. K. Choi, New York Times bestselling author of Emergency Contact, and host of podcasts Hey, Cool Job and Hey, Cool Life!. Her newest YA contemporary book, New York Times bestseller Permanent Record, is out now! We talk about addiction and fiction, loving and writing boys who fight against toxic masculinity, and fighting against “I’ll be perfect when…” thoughts.
Listen to our interview here, on iTunes, or on Spotify!
...and August was a month of amazing live episodes!
Stephanie Perkins and Sarah Enni
It was such a joy to have an event with Stephanie Perkins, New York Times bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss, editor of My True Love Gave to Me, and many more. We met at Malaprop’s, Stephanie’s local bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina, to discuss villains in contemporary stories, our favorite podcasts, and the upcoming Netflix movie based on Stephanie’s most recent novel, There’s Someone Inside Your House!
Listen to the episode here, or on iTunes or Spotify!
Sara Farizan, Katie Cotugno, and Sarah Enni
I was thrilled to do an event with Sara Farizan--author of Here to Stay, Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel, and If You Could Be Mine--and Katie Cotugno--New York Times bestselling author of How to Love, 99 Days, Top Ten, and Fireworks. We met at Trident Booksellers and Cafe, Sara and Katie’s local bookstore in Boston, to discuss sexy first responders for all your needs, writing humor in contemporary stories, and letting characters make mistakes.
Listen to the episode here, or on iTunes or Spotify!
Kendare Blake, Somaiya Daud, and Sarah Enni
Pantsing and world building with Kendare Blake, author of the Three Dark Queens trilogy and Anna Dressed in Blood; Somaiya Daud, author of Mirage; and Sarah Enni, author of Tell Me Everything and host of this podcast! This episode is audio from the March 2019 event at The University Bookstore in Seattle, Washington.
Listen to the episode here, or on iTunes or Spotify!
Siobhan Vivian, Jessica Brody, Kami Garcia, Stephanie Kate Strohm and Sarah Enni
Young Adult romcoms were the subject of the “Pitter Patter: Writing Fresh Love Stories” panel at YALLFest on Nov. 8, 2018. Hear contemporary romance writers compare makeout daydreams, talk about writing love in a time of #MeToo, and the lack of appreciation for stories with happy endings. Featuirng: Kami Garcia, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Siobhan Vivian, and Jessica Brody.
Listen to the episode here, or on iTunes or Spotify!
📌 Recommendations 📌
🎙 Podcasts 🎙
Over My Dead Body (Tally): When I was sewing, packing, hot-gluing and doing a thousand other things to get ready for Burning Man, I went on a total true crime binge. This season of the Over My Dead Body podcast focuses on a Florida lawyer who was shot dead in the midst of a messy, contentious divorce. I have thoughts about how it was presented, but overall the story is interesting and I got emotional more than once.
Up and Vanished: Another one of my true crime binges -- again, I have thoughts about how this entire show was conceived and executed, but it was interesting enough, and the added layer of knowing a little about how it turned out gave the journey some layers.
🔊 Audiobooks 🔊
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou: Okay, I am full-blown obsessed with the story of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes. I recommend The Drop Out podcast series about it (skip the HBO doc, it is garbage), but the book was -- as promised -- even more of a soap opera. The audiobook was well-read and I could NOT stop listening!
Educated by Tara Westover: I had a lot of thoughts about this memoir (to hear them all, stay tuned to The Stacks podcast!!!), but the writing is gorgeous, and this audiobook had me absolutely wrapped up. It's excellently read, and I took many extra walks around the block to hear how it all ended up.
📽️ Films 📽️
No time for reviews, but here is a list of the movies and documentaries I watched while working on Burning Man stuff - I was rarely disappointed!
💅 ICYMI 💅
