In today's bumper Bonus Episode, in an incredibly emotional interview, Bianca talks with Carol Major, author of the memoir The Asparagus Wars, about the difference between cerebral writing and visceral writing; the reliability of memory; the importance of being intentional; allowing the reader to become a part of the story; creating meaning for the reader (not just the memoirist); why people read memoirs; the journey of finding the meaning of your story while writing it; dealing with the potential fallout after publishing a memoir; writing with integrity; and the awards Carol has won.

Carly and CeCe are joined by Andrea Guevara, an author branding expert, to take your questions, and in the process discussing acceptable word count; social media presence; the concept of stakes; querying for feedback; examples of novels that excel in interiority; red flags for agents; the journey to publication; defining your genre; and pen names.

Bianca chats with Patti Callahan Henry, bestselling author of Surviving Savannah, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, and The Secret Book of Flora Lea, about how much heavy lifting the first line, paragraph, and pages need to do; omniscient POV in the opening chapter; knowing how to open a book; drawing on myths and legends to spark a story; writing on a line level; the gardening vs architecture of writing a story; ensuring both past and present timelines have a story-forward plot; and writing a book within a book.

Finally, Bianca chats with Emilie Sommer from East City Book Shop and RJ Witherow of Parnassus Books as they give comps recommendations.

Find us on our socials:

Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra

Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writing

Facebook: @tsnotyaw

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Carol can be found at https://www.writingtable.space/

Andrea can be found on Instagram at @brand.strength and @theandreaguevara

Patti can be found at https://www.patticallahanhenry.com/ She's on Twitter @pcalhenry and Instagram @pattichenry.

Parnassus Books can be found at www.parnassusbooks.net and on Instagram at @parnassusbooks

Emilie can be found at @emiliegsommer on Instagram and East City Book Shop can be found at www.eastcitybookshop.com.