In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each review two query letters, in the process discussing overexplaining and taking the readers out of the scene; leaning into your scene from a reader’s perspective; having a very clear idea of the major dramatic question that is specific to the protagonist’s plot journey; prioritizing a character's interiority over their noticing other characters’ reactions to things; avoiding head-hopping; ensuring specific details are where they need to be placed; starting in the right place; making sure your character has a goal of some sort in the opening pages; connecting with zingy social commentary in a story; and integrating setup within the action of the story.After which, Bianca chats with Richard Osman, multi-million copy bestselling author of The Thursday Murder Club series, about why his novels have appealed to such a wide demographic; how he came up with his premise; why he chose the POV structure for the novel that he did; writing social commentary subtly; techniques for making readers connect with so-called unlikeable characters. Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.com and www.theshitaboutwriting.Richard can be found at @richardosman on Twitter.Leftie's podcast can be found at: https://leftie-aubes-writing-podcast.simplecast.com/Our Sponsors:* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/tsnotyaw* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/tsnotyaw* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.