In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique three query letters. During the segment, they discuss the need for physicality of movement as well as inner life in opening pages; 'wrong shoe theory' to emphasize the importance of making surprising choices as a storyteller; causality when writing about plot points in a query; and the need for character depth.After which, Bianca interviews Chantel Guertin, author of It Happened One Christmas. The two discuss the various genres in which Chantel writes; how her holiday romcom came about; keeping your characters' perspectives in line with who they are as people; breaking common rom-com genre expectations; tips for balancing genre tropes with putting a unique spin on them; the difference in mindset when writing YA versus an adult novel; and determining whether a novel should be YA or adult fiction. Find us on our socials:Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyraInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo ask a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAWMore information about Chantel can be found at: https://www.chantelguertin.com/She's on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/chantelguertin/?hl=en and TikTok at: https://www.tiktok.com/@chantelguertinOur 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.