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Write Or Die Podcast

Write Or Die Podcast

By Claribel A. Ortega & Kat Cho

The Write or Die Podcast shares the real stories about what it takes to become an author – the gritty, infuriating, pull your hair out because it’s been years – stories of writers who didn’t give up despite it all, and are now living out their dream. It’s hosted by NYT & #1 Indie bestselling author Claribel A. Ortega and NYT & international bestselling author Kat Cho and releases every other Monday!
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Bonus Episode: The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Write Or Die PodcastAug 19, 2022

00:00
17:05
Bonus Episode: The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Bonus Episode: The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Get The Honeys, by Ryan La Sala! 

Come chat with us on the BABC discord: https://discord.gg/Mhw92TUdMG

Buy our books:

Witchlings (and join the Witchlings discord!)

Ghost Squad 

Reverie 

Be Dazzled 

The Honeys

Find us online!  

Follow Us on Social Media:

Ryan: Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

Claribel: Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

Aug 19, 202217:05
S4 E24: Write or Die & FINAL_Final_Episode_Really.doc
Jun 27, 202201:36:57
S4 E23: Write or Die & The Final Episode (part 1)
Jun 13, 202201:13:13
S4 E22: Vita Ayala & The Met is Super Haunted

S4 E22: Vita Ayala & The Met is Super Haunted

Claribel & Kat discuss what "success" means in publishing (and what it definitely does not mean). Then they interview Vita Ayala about their journey into writing comics, how the Metropolitan Museum of Art is super haunted, being inspired by Octavia Butler as a kid, and the difference between comics and prose writing. 

ABOUT VITA: Vita Ayala (they/them) is a trans non-binary Afro-Puerto Rican writer born and bred in New York City, where they grew up dreaming dreams of dancing on far away worlds, fighting monsters on the block, and racing fish along the bottom of the ocean. Before Vita began freelancing as a writer, they worked in book retail, event coordination, building management, baking, and museum security (day and graveyard shift). They’ve broken at least one of every bone in their body, which means they can feel the rain coming. Vita writes both comics and prose fiction, and has written for publishers such as: Black Mask Studios, DC (comics), Dynamite, IDW, Image Comics, Macmillan, Marvel Comics, Realm, Valiant, and Vault Comics. Vita currently resides in New York City with their wife and cat sons.

• FOLLOW VITA: Website | Twitter 

Buy New Mutants Vol. 1 (New Mutants, 1) by Vita Ayala

Buy New Mutants Vol. 2 (New Mutants, 2) by Vita Ayala

Buy Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space

Buy Submerged by Vita Ayala 

Listen to Marvel's Jessica Jones: Playing with Fire

MENTIONS:

DAWN by Octavia Butler

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• BUY Once Upon a K-Prom

• Check out Kat’s Books


May 30, 202201:30:15
S4 E21: Kat Cho & Suga’s Diss Track
May 16, 202246:55
S4 E20: Traci Chee & The Epic Reads Egg Video
May 02, 202201:13:44
S4 E19: Laekan Zea Kemp & Just Pre-Ask For An Extension

S4 E19: Laekan Zea Kemp & Just Pre-Ask For An Extension

Claribel & Kat discuss a conversation the saw online about being “satisfied” with your author career vs being “happy” as an author. Then they interview Laekan Zea Kemp about her publishing journey. How she started off self-publishing and transitioned into traditional publishing. And what it’s been like writing across multiple genres and age categories!

Content Warning: Discussions of grief/parental death/cancer

ABOUT LAEKAN: Laekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. She’s also the creator and host of the Author Pep Talks podcast, as well as a contributor to the Las Musas podcast. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicanx grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health. Her debut novel, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BITTER & SWEET is out now from Little Brown Young Readers.

• FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet

BUY Heartbreak Symphony

MENTIONS:

Stray Kids

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Learn more about Write or Die 

Apr 18, 202201:25:37
S4 E18: Claribel A. Ortega & #WitchlingsBook

S4 E18: Claribel A. Ortega & #WitchlingsBook

Kat interviews Claribel about the process of writing and publishing their second middle grade (and first series!). How publishing a second book feels different. How expectations change as your career progresses. And working on not “giving weight to the negative”

ABOUT CLARIBEL: New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author, Claribel A. Ortega is a former reporter who writes middle-grade and young adult fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she's not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic, and video games into books, she’s co-hosting her podcast Bad Author Book Club and helping authors navigate publishing with her consulting business GIFGRRL. Claribel is a Marvel contributor and has been featured on Buzzfeed, Bustle, Good Morning America and Deadline.

Claribel’s debut middle grade novel Ghost Squad is out now from Scholastic and is being made into a feature film. Her forthcoming books include Witchlings (Scholastic) and the graphic novel Frizzy (First Second). You can find her on Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok @Claribel_Ortega and on her website at claribelortega.com.

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok | Website

• BUY Witchlings

• BUY Ghost Squad

• BUY This is Our Rainbow

• BUY Reclaim the Stars

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

MENTIONS:

Neverending Story Gmork

• S2 E20: Claribel Ortega & I'm Expecting a Payoff Jesus

• S2 E21: Claribel Ortega & the Bi-Annual Clickbait


• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Learn more about Write or Die 

Apr 04, 202201:00:28
S4 E17: Judy I. Lin & Walking Away From Bad Situations
Mar 21, 202201:07:56
S4 E16: Alexis Castellanos & The Story Web We Weave
Mar 14, 202201:26:51
S4 E15: Deborah Falaye & Put Yourself Out There
Feb 28, 202201:19:31
S4 E14: Malinda Lo & I Just Do Gay Things

S4 E14: Malinda Lo & I Just Do Gay Things

Claribel & Kat discuss how they decide on what project to work on next. And then they interview Award Winning and NYT Bestselling author, Malinda Lo, about her experience in the industry, her advocacy for diversity in kidlit, and what it was like going back to a shelved project and revising it years later for publication.

ABOUT MALINDA: Malinda Lo is the National Book Award-winning, bestselling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which which was named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, and was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. Her debut novel Ash, a Sapphic retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and was a Kirkus Best Book for Children and Teens. She has been a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Malinda’s short fiction and nonfiction has been published by The New York Times, NPR, Autostraddle, The Horn Book, and multiple anthologies. She lives in Massachusetts with her partner and their dog.

• FOLLOW MALINDA: website | Twitter | Instagram

Last Night At the Telegraph Club

Add A Scatter of Light on Goodreads

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 5, 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 17, 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Feb 14, 202201:31:51
S4 E13: Write or Die Live
Feb 07, 202259:48
S4 E12: Wendy Xu & Shut Up, Do Your Work, & Stay Off Goodreads
Jan 31, 202246:34
S4 E11: Sarah Raughley & Even Heroes Aren’t Perfect

S4 E11: Sarah Raughley & Even Heroes Aren’t Perfect

Claribel & Kat catch up with each other and talk about the emotional ups and downs of building an author career. (CW: brief discussion of trauma) Then they interview Sarah Raughley about what it was like to get published in the before-times, differences she’s felt releasing her newest series during the pandemic, and how she researched the lives of Black people in 19th century Britain for her book, THE BONES OF RUIN.

ABOUT SARAH: Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. Sarah has been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel and works in the community doing writing workshops for youths and adults. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her a doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all.

• FOLLOW : website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY The Bones of Ruin (The Bones of Ruin #1)

BUY Fate Of Flames (The Effigies #1)

MENTIONS:

Black Victorians, Black Victoriana by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Jan 17, 202201:01:54
S4 E10: Akshaya Raman & A Bed Full of Snakes

S4 E10: Akshaya Raman & A Bed Full of Snakes

Happy New Year! Claribel & Kat discuss some fun news in their author careers and chat about new year and resolutions. Then they interview debut author, Akshaya Raman about her highly anticipated Fantasy, The Ivory Key. How she dealt with doubt during her query journey  and how she made writing friends.

ABOUT AKSHAYA: Akshaya Raman fell in love with writing when she wrote her first story at the age of ten. Though she graduated from UC Davis with a degree in biology, she gave up pursuing a career in science to write books. She is a co-founder and contributor to Writer’s Block Party, a group blog about writing and publishing, and has served on the planning teams of several book festivals. She lives in the Bay Area with an actual scaredy cat, and in her free time, she enjoys baking, traveling, and watching too much reality TV.

FOLLOW AKSHAYA: website | Twitter | Instagram

• BUY The Ivory Key

MENTIONS

Fave "untraditional" success stories:

S4 E7 Emiko Jean & We Don't Need Permission to Write

S2 E1: Susan Dennard & #UghJay!

• S1 E23: Karen M McManus & The Haunted Airbnb

Halloween Bonus: Holly Black & Black Pond Revelations and Weird Stuff

FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (April 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

Join our WorDie community!

Learn more about Write or Die 

Jan 03, 202201:21:44
S4 E9: Claribel & Kat & WorD’s Last Holiday Episode!
Dec 13, 202101:05:07
S4 E8: Maisie Chan & Danny Chung Has Two Titles

S4 E8: Maisie Chan & Danny Chung Has Two Titles

Claribel & Kat discuss mentorship programs, both formal and informal! Then they chat with Maisie Chan about her experience publishing her debut Middle Grade and the differences between the UK and US publishing market.

ABOUT MAISIE: Maisie Chan is a British Chinese children's author from Birmingham. She loves dim sum, yoga and travelling. She has written early readers for Hachette and Big Cat Collins, and has a collection of myths and legends out with Scholastic. She is the author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths (U.K.) also known as Danny Chung Sums It Up (U.S.), and the Tiger Warrior chapter book series (M Chan). She runs Bubble Tea Writers Network to support and encourage writers of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) descent in the U.K. She has a dog called Miko, who has very big eyes and wakes up too early. She has a large old school hip hop collection. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

• FOLLOW MAISIE: website | Twitter | Instagram

Buy Danny Chung Sums It Up (US)

Buy Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths (UK)

MENTIONS:

DVMentor

DVDebut

WNDB Mentorship

Author Mentor Match

PitchWars

When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Learn more about Write or Die 

Nov 22, 202101:05:08
S4 E7: Emiko Jean & We Don’t Need Permission to Write
Nov 01, 202157:32
S4 E6: Alex Aster & Cursed Islands Are My Brand
Oct 18, 202101:18:53
S4 E5: Shanna Miles & Categories Are Arbitrary

S4 E5: Shanna Miles & Categories Are Arbitrary

Oct 04, 202101:11:19
S4 E4: Ayana Gray & Claribel Ortega Saw My Tweet!
Sep 27, 202101:32:52
S4 E3: Graci Kim & Kiwis Just Want to Make Friends

S4 E3: Graci Kim & Kiwis Just Want to Make Friends

Claribel and Kat give updates on their upcoming books (Witchlings and Once Upon a K-Prom) and discuss comparison in publishing and how it disproportionately affects BIPOC. Then they interview bestselling author Graci Kim about her journey into publication and how she learned to embrace her Korean name and identity!

CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of death of a child at 27:12 point. Skip to 28:54 to avoid that discussion.

GRACI BIO: Graci Kim is a bestselling author of magic-infused middle grade books, who was vine-picked in Korea and sun-ripened in New Zealand.

Her Korean mythology-inspired debut, The Last Fallen Star, published by Disney Hyperion (Rick Riordan Presents) and the first in the Gifted Clans trilogy, became an instant US bestseller. It was named by Indigo as a Best Book of 2021, was an Amazon Best Book Ages 9-12, and was selected by Publishers Lunch as a 2021 Buzz Book. Called a “sparkling yarn” by Entertainment Weekly, the book has been featured in TIME Magazine for Kids, Hypable, and Publishers Weekly; and has been optioned by the Disney Channel for a live-action television series.

• FOLLOW GRACI: website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY The Last Fallen Star

PRE-ORDER The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities 

MENTIONS:

• Graci’s TedTalk “The Hidden Power Behind Our Names

Beach Read by Emily Henry

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Sep 21, 202101:10:39
S4 E2: Jason June & Getting Kicked In The Face by Kylie Minogue
Sep 13, 202101:12:28
S4 E1: Misa Sugiura & Inviting Your Entire Mailing List

S4 E1: Misa Sugiura & Inviting Your Entire Mailing List

Aug 30, 202101:07:17
S3 E26: Liselle Sambury & The Werewolf Romance
Jun 14, 202101:41:29
S3 E25: Anna Meriano & Sorry Literary Fiction
May 31, 202101:17:51
S3 E24: Rita Williams Garcia & All Vibes, No Plot

S3 E24: Rita Williams Garcia & All Vibes, No Plot

Claribel and Kat discuss how they make promo that’s fun for them and which incorporates their personalities. Then they talk to hilarious bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia about what it was like when she first got started in publishing, how she goes back and forth between Middle Grade & Adult, and some great advice for authors at all level!

BIO:

Rita Williams-Garcia is the New York Times bestselling author of novels for young adults and middle grade readers.  Her most recent novel, Gone Crazy in Alabama ends the saga of the Gaither Sisters, who appear in One Crazy Summer and PS Be Eleven.  Her novels have been recipients of numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award Finalists, Newbery Honor Book, Junior Library Guild, and the Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction.  She served on faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children MFA Program and she resides in Queens, New York.

• FOLLOW Rita: website | Twitter | Instagram

BUY A Sitting in St. James

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Learn more about Write or Die 

May 24, 202101:14:33
S3 E23: Editor Shelly Romero Is A Goth Golden Retriever

S3 E23: Editor Shelly Romero Is A Goth Golden Retriever

Kat and Claribel talk a little about their personal writing processes. And then they interview Shelly Romero an editor at Scholastic about what she looks for in submissions, how you can support BIPOC authors, and the realities of the day-to-day life of editors!

SHELLY BIO:

Shelly Romero is an assistant editor at Scholastic Press, where she is looking to build a list comprised of predominantly BIPOC and traditionally marginalized authors. She graduated from Stephens College with a bachelor’s degree in English and attended the 2017 NYU Summer Publishing Institute. She is a member of Latinx in Publishing, People of Color in Publishing, and a junior mentor for Representation Matters Mentorship Program. She was selected as Publishers Weekly Star Watch 2020 Honoree, which “shines a light on innovative, talented professionals from all parts of the industry.” Born and raised in Miami by Honduran parents, she now resides in New York City where is she is forever chasing the perfect café Cubano and pan tostado.

• Follow Shelly Online: website | Twitter

Mentions:

• Add Witchlings by Claribel a. Ortega on Goodreads

• Add Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho on Goodreads

• Add Frizzy/Rizos by Claribel a. Ortega on Goodreads

• Shelly explains Acquisitions meetings, Launch, and Sales Conference from an editor’s perspective!

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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May 17, 202101:17:37
S3 E22: Sarah Dass & Persuasion Is Our Favorite Austen Book

S3 E22: Sarah Dass & Persuasion Is Our Favorite Austen Book

May 10, 202101:15:41
S3 E 21: Victoria Aveyard Is a Map Nerd

S3 E 21: Victoria Aveyard Is a Map Nerd

Kat and Claribel discuss making friends and friend groups in publishing. And then they interview NYT Bestselling author, Victoria Aveyard about her writing process, starting a brand new series after spending so long in one world, how film school influences her writing process, and how she’s liking TikTok!

VICTORIAS BIO: Victoria Aveyard is an author and screenwriter, born and raised in a small town in Western Massachusetts. Both her parents are public school teachers, as well as avid film, television, and literature fans. Victoria grew up on a steady diet The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and LOST. She pursued a degree in Writing for Film & Television at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. After graduating college in 2012, Victoria moved home from Los Angeles and began writing the manuscript that would become Red Queen.

She has since published four #1 New York Times bestselling and USA Today bestselling books, two New York Times bestselling novellas, a New York Times bestselling short story collection.

She lives full-time in Los Angeles and is hard at work on her next young adult fantasy series. The first installment is Realm Breaker!

• FOLLOW VICTORIA: website | Twitter | Instagram

Mentions:

• thread on making friends on twitter: https://twitter.com/Claribel_Ortega/status/1273357320928530437

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Learn more about Write or Die 

May 03, 202101:15:27
S3 E20: Heidi Heilig & Everyone Put Pets in Your Headshot

S3 E20: Heidi Heilig & Everyone Put Pets in Your Headshot

Claribel and Kat discuss the idea of looking back on your old writing and seeing how far you’ve come. Plus, they touch on the idea that the industry should shift to look at the story and not at the trends. Then they interview Heidi Heilig, author of the Shadow Players trilogy, about her journey with publishing, creating conscientious communities, and how the publishing community has changed since she first published 5 years ago. Plus some discussion about trilogies vs duologies and how real life events influence our writing.

BIO:

Heidi grew up in Hawaii where she rode horses and raised peacocks, and then she moved to New York City and grew up even more, as one tends to do. Her favorite thing, outside of writing, is travel, and she has haggled for rugs in Morocco, hiked the trails of the Ko’olau Valley, and huddled in a tent in Africa while lions roared in the dark.

She holds an MFA from New York University in Musical Theatre Writing, of all things, and she’s written books and lyrics for shows including The Time Travelers Convention, Under Construction, and The Hole. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and sons. They do not own a cat.

• FOLLOW HEIDI: website | Twitter | Instagram

Order ON THIS UNWORTHY SCAFFOLD (Shadow Players #3)

• Order THE GIRL FROM EERYWHERE

MENTIONS:

• Query Shark

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Episodes

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Apr 26, 202101:21:15
S3 E19: Becky Albertalli & Staying Connected to Readers

S3 E19: Becky Albertalli & Staying Connected to Readers

Apr 19, 202101:37:13
S3 E18: N.G. Peltier & Self Publishing Hybrid
Apr 18, 202101:07:30
S3 E17: Preeti Chhibber & This Episode Is About Titanic

S3 E17: Preeti Chhibber & This Episode Is About Titanic

Claribel and Kat discuss what “growing as a writer” means to them. Then they interview the hilarious and charming Preeti Chhibber about her time working on the other side of the table in publishing, go on a (long) tangent about the Titanic, what it was like writing IP for huge franchises like Spider-Man and Star Wars, and that one time she made Jake Gyllenhall laugh (twice!)

BIO:

Called “Spider-Man super fan and author” by Publishers Weekly, Preeti Chhibber is a YA author, speaker, and freelance writer. She worked as a publishing professional. She has written for SYFY, Polygon, BookRiot, BookRiot Comics, The Nerds of Color, and The Mary Sue, among others. Her debut original middle-grade, Orientation (Marvel’s Avenger’s Assembly #1) came out from Scholastic in August 2020 and her first picture book, A Jedi You Will Be was released by Disney this fall, she is also featured in the forthcoming YA and Adult anthologies Battle of the Bands (Candlewick, Fall 2021) and Stone Sword Table (Random House, 2022).

• FOLLOW PREETI: website | Twitter | Instagram

MENTIONS:

• Buy Marvel’s Avengers Assembly #1: Orientation

• Buy Marvel’s Avengers Assembly #2: The Sinister Substitute

• Buy A Jedi You Will Be

• Pre-Order Battle of the Bands (Candlewick, Fall 2021)

• Pre-Order Stone Sword Table (Random House, 2021)

• Mostly we just mention Titanic...

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• Check out all of Claribel’s books

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• FOLLOW KAT: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Check out Kat’s Books

• FOLLOW WRITE OR DIE: Twitter | Instagram 

Apr 05, 202101:29:43
S3 E16: Anna-Marie McLemore & The Gay Gatsby

S3 E16: Anna-Marie McLemore & The Gay Gatsby

Kat and Claribel chat about Whisper Networks, what they are, why they exist, and how to use them. Then they interview the amazing Anna-Marie McLemore about their Magical Realism books, how they incorporate their heart and identity into their stories, and how they embrace their weird!

Bio:

Anna-Marie McLemore (they/them) is the author of THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS, WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS, WILD BEAUTY, BLANCA & ROJA, DARK AND DEEPEST RED, MISS METEOR (co-authored with Tehlor Kay Mejia) and the forthcoming THE MIRROR SEASON. A lot of what they write could be called magical realism. Much of it is inspired by fairy tales. Almost all of their stories find their heart in the traditions they grew up in and the communities they belong to.

• Follow Anna-Marie Online: website | Twitter

• Buy The Mirror Season

Mentions:

• Celebrity Book Club

• True Beauty

• Busted

• Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• PRE-ORDER Witchlings (Feb 2022, Scholastic)

• Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

• PRE-ORDER Once Upon a K-Prom (May 2022, Disney)

• Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community! 

Mar 22, 202101:14:04
S3 E15: Book Twitter Manual: Handbook for Mortals
Mar 08, 202138:27
S3 E14: Kosoko Jackson & ...That's Weird

S3 E14: Kosoko Jackson & ...That's Weird

Claribel & Kat discuss joining TikTok. Then they interview Kosoko Jackson about his debut sci-fi romance YESTERDAY IS HISTORY, how to push a trope to new limits, and writing in Adult romance after writing primarily in YA. Plus some advice from Kosoko's day job in Social Media marketing and content creation!

KOSOKO BIO:

Kosoko Jackson is a digital media specialist, focusing on digital storytelling, email, social and SMS marketing, and a freelance political journalist. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium, Thought Catalog, The Advocate, and some literary magazines. When not writing YA novels that champion holistic representation of black queer youth across genres, he can be found obsessing over movies, drinking his (umpteenth) London Fog, or spending far too much time on Twitter. His YA debut, YESTERDAY IS HISTORY, is out now, published by SourceBooks Fire and his adult #OwnVoices queer Romcom, I’M SO (NOT) OVER YOU will come out in 2022, by Berkley Romance.

• FOLLOW KOSOKO ONLINE: website | Twitter | Instagram

MENTIONS:

Add WITCHLINGS on Goodreads

Claribel’s TikTok

Kat’s TikTok

Order YESTERDAY IS HISTORY

Add I’M SO (NOT) OVER YOU on Goodreads

• FOLLOW CLARIBEL ONLINE: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

www.claribelortega.com

• FOLLOW KAT ONLINE: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

www.katchowrites.com

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Write or Die Podcast Website

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Feb 22, 202157:07
S3 E13: Book Twitter Manual: Introduction, I Was Hacked & Please Stop Scrolling
Feb 08, 202154:48
S3 E12: Emily XR Pan & Nova Ren Suma & The Right Debut Book

S3 E12: Emily XR Pan & Nova Ren Suma & The Right Debut Book

Claribel & Kat look back on how far they’ve come since 2016 & how their goals for their author careers have changed in 5 years. Then they talk with NYT Bestselling authors & co-founders of FORESHADOW: A Serial YA Anthology, Emily XR Pan & Nova Ren Suma about how they became friends & advice about how to find your voice!

Emily X.R. Pan is the New York Times bestselling author of THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER, which won the APALA Honor Award and the Walter Honor Award, received six starred reviews, was an L.A. Times Book Prize finalist, and was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. She co-created the FORESHADOW anthology and lives on Lenape land in Brooklyn, New York.

Nova Ren Suma is the author of A Room Away from the Wolves and the #1 New York Times bestselling The Walls Around Us, both finalists for an Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She also wrote the novels Imaginary Girls, 17 & Gone, and Dani Noir and is co-editor of the story & writing craft anthology FORESHADOW: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading & Writing YA. She has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University and teaches creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and Vermont College of Fine Arts. She grew up in the Hudson Valley, spent most of her adult life in New York City, and now lives in Philadelphia.

Follow Nova Online: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Follow Emily Online: Website | Twitter | Instagram

MENTIONS

Emily’s Fashion suggestions:

Nova Ren’s Bookstore suggestions:

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Write or Die Podcast Website

Jan 25, 202101:21:46
S3 E11: Claribel & Kat & Words Matter
Jan 11, 202147:42
S3 E10: Claribel & Kat & End-of-the-Year Check-In
Dec 14, 202001:15:36
S3 E9: Chloe Gong & Shakespeare’s Ghost is Looking Out For You

S3 E9: Chloe Gong & Shakespeare’s Ghost is Looking Out For You

Claribel and Kat discuss #PublishingPaidMe and break down why it’s such an important conversation in publishing. Then they interview NYT bestselling debut author, Chloe Gong about These Violent Delights, her Chinese retelling of Romeo and Juliet in historical Shanghai! We discuss how she got into writing (and how writing for herself helped her write a unique story) and her research process for both the setting and historical time period she chose to set her debut novel.

Bio:

Chloe Gong is a student at the University of Pennsylvania, studying English and international relations. During her breaks, she’s either at home in New Zealand or visiting her many relatives in Shanghai. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear when “Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best plays and doesn’t deserve its slander in pop culture” is chanted into a mirror three times.

Follow Chloe Gong online: Twitter | Instagram | Website

Order THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS

Mentions:

PublishingPaidMe

Discussed: Profit & Loss (P&L), Advances

Twitter apologises for ‘racist’ image-cropping algorithm

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

Add ONCE UPON A K-PROM on Goodreads

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community! 

Nov 30, 202053:18
S3 E8: Nikki Barthelmess & Growing With Your Agent
Nov 16, 202001:05:28
S3 E7: Mara Fitzgerald & So Much Wisdom With This Episode

S3 E7: Mara Fitzgerald & So Much Wisdom With This Episode

Claribel and Kat discuss why problematic books keep getting published and why the publishing industry has to hold itself accountable beforehand so this stops happening. Then they interview Mara Fitzgerald about her debut YA fantasy, BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL, and how being true to her voice helped her write the book that got her an […]
Oct 19, 202001:26:15
S3 E6: Paola Mendoza, Abby Sher & Please Vote!

S3 E6: Paola Mendoza, Abby Sher & Please Vote!

Claribel and Kat discuss how to refill the creative well (especially considering how stressful current events are on the creative mind). Then they interview NYT bestselling author and activist Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher about their new YA novel Sanctuary, making a statement with your art, envisioning a diverse future where we center minority narratives.

Bio: Abby Sher is a writer and performer whose work has appeared in Modern Love: 50 True and Extraordinary Tales of Desire, Deceit, and Devotion and Behind the Bedroom Door: Getting it, Giving it, Loving it, Missing it as well as in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Self, Jane, Elle, HeeB and Redbook. She is also the author of the young adult novel Kissing Snowflakes. Abby has written and performed for the Second City in Chicago and the Upright Citizen’s Brigade and Magnet Theater in New York. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

Follow Abby Online: Twitter | Instagram | Website

Bio: Paola Mendoza is a film director, activist, author, and artist working at the leading edge of human rights. A co-founder of the Women's March, Paola served as its Artistic Director and co-authored the New York Times bestseller Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Around the World.

Follow Paola Online: Twitter | Instagram

Order Sanctuary

Mentions:

Register to Vote: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Vote by mail: http://votesaveamerica.com/everylastvote/

Follow Claribel Ortega online: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Order GHOST SQUAD

Add FRIZZY on Goodreads

www.claribelortega.com

Follow Kat Cho online: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Order WICKED FOX!

Order VICIOUS SPIRITS (sequel to WICKED FOX)

www.katchowrites.com

Follow Write or Die online: Twitter | Instagram 

Write or Die Podcast Website

Join our WorDie community! 

Oct 05, 202058:52
S3 E5: Alechia Dow & Don’t Ever Lick Your Checks
Sep 21, 202001:17:24
S3 E4: Alexis Henderson & A Fear Factor of Seven

S3 E4: Alexis Henderson & A Fear Factor of Seven

Claribel & Kat discuss IP (Intellectual Property) and recent Twitter discourse. Then they interview fantasy horror author, Alexis Henderson, about her debut novel The Year of the Witching, what it was like going on sub as a crossover YA/Adult and what went into her decision to go with an adult imprint over YA. And we […]
Sep 08, 202052:32
S3 E3: Janella Angeles & Emailing Andrew Lloyd Webber

S3 E3: Janella Angeles & Emailing Andrew Lloyd Webber

Episode Description: Claribel and Kat discuss recent Twitter discourse about sharing good news and professional jealousy. How to deal with these feelings and refer to amazing advice from Holly Black’s WorD episode about jealousy! Then they talk to Janella Angeles about her debut Where Dreams Descend, what it feels like to pick yourself up after […]
Aug 24, 202001:38:35
S3 E2: Shveta Thakrar & I Thought Office Jobs Would be Like TV

S3 E2: Shveta Thakrar & I Thought Office Jobs Would be Like TV

Episode Description: Claribel and Kat talk about the rising discussions of diversity in publishing (both in the talent and behind-the-scenes) and how these aren’t new talks but they’re finally being taken more seriously and how it’s felt being constantly dismissed as POC in the industry (plus some Anti-Racist Resources). Then they talk to the wonderful […]
Aug 10, 202053:39