In today’s episode, Fiona Davis joins Bianca, Carly, and CeCe to critique Books with Hooks submissions while also talking about her latest novel, The Spectacular. During the episode, they discuss achieving NYT Bestselling status several times over; having messy story setups and high stakes; interiority and emotionality; ensuring there are obstacles in the main character’s way right from the start; knowing what the main character wants; passive query letters; why having more plot and less talk of themes in a query letter matters; not starting in an obvious place; having description accomplish more than one thing; researching and choosing a setting; outlining and reverse outlining; and using peripheral characters brilliantly.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.comMore information about Fiona can be found at https://www.fionadavisbooks.com/. She's on Instagram http://instagram.com/fionadavisauthor, and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FionaDavisAuthorOur 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.