We meet Jennifer de Leon as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, on August 4. Though Jennifer has been writing for years, she quickly learns that there’s a lot about Capital-P-Publishing that she doesn’t know.

We meet Holly Root, literary agent and founder of Root Literary.

Seth Fishman, he’s an author and literary agent with The Gernert Company and manager of their West Coast office.

Rufi Thorpe, author of The Girls from Corona del Mar and Dear Fang: With Love, talks about her new novel, The Knockout Queen, out now!

This week is a new mailbag episode, where I--along with a very special guest--will answer listener questions! Joining me today is Justin A. Reynolds, author of Opposite of Always, whose new YA, Early Departures, will be out September 22!

Claire Comstock-Gay is the author of weekly horoscopes for New York magazine’s The Cut, and her debut book about astrology, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, is out now.

We meet Jennifer de Leon as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, on August 4. Though Jennifer has been writing for years, she quickly learns that there’s a lot about Capital-P-Publishing that she doesn’t know. (Hear her First Draft interview here.)

For some publishing basics, we turn to Courtney Maum, author of Costalgere, I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, and more. Her most recent book, Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book is a comprehensive guide for new authors.

Jennifer De Leon is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Framingham State University, and a GrubStreet instructor and board member. Her debut young adult novel, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, is out from Atheneum/Simon & Schuster on August 4, 2020.

Edan Lepucki, New York Times bestselling author of California and Woman No. 17. Edan’s latest project is Mothers Before, a collection of essays and photographs based on the popular Instagram Mothers Before, which Edan created. She is also the co-host, with fellow writer Amelia Morris, of the podcast Mom Rage.

Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series, the Carve the Mark duology, and the short story collection, The End and Other Beginnings, talks about her first adult fantasy novel, The Chosen Ones.

Zan Romanoff, journalist and author of A Song to Take the World Apart, and Grace and the Fever, whose newest YA novel, Look, is out now!

Tochi Onyebuchi is the author of Beasts Made of Night, its sequel Crown of Thunder, War Girls and its forthcoming sequel, Rebel Sisters (out in October), and his adult fiction debut Riot Baby, published by Tor.com in January 2020.