Episode 46: The One that Flourishes

by Barry Lyga

The year that was and the year to come, with our best moments of 2015, along with our goals and wishes for 2016. Plus: The Barry Lyga Cheat Method for Fixing Pacing. (This episode is brought to you by the word “Flourish.”)

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Episode 45: The One with Morgan's Memory Problems

by Barry Lyga

Morgan cheats on Barry. Taking stock of what we’ve read this year. Morgan’s memory is terrible. Barry resists going all Campbell on Star Wars. Wisdom from Sylvia Plath. Plus: Great first lines!

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Episode 44: The One with Morgan's R&R

by Barry Lyga

Barry reconsiders NaNoWriMo. Picking Morgan’s brain. Is writing an compulsion? Should it be? Leia walks like crazy and gets a sibling. An update on Morgan’s agent search.

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Episode 43: The One where Morgan Disses Alan Moore

by Barry Lyga

Morgan has a cold. Barry’s dirty little fable succeeds. Leia starts to demand things in no uncertain terms. Why on earth would you combine YA and Dr. Seuss into the same list? Barry rants about lists and awards and why you shouldn’t care. Plus: What book should every 16-year-old American read?

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Episode 42: The One where Barry Drops the Baby

by Barry Lyga

A discussion of NaNoWriMo. A caution about holiday time in publishing and an invocation of Lyga’s Law. Should authors respond to negative reviews? Comparing books to babies. What would Morgan do if someone panned Gillian Anderson? Morgan looks to her past to figure out her future.

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Episode 41: The One where They Argue about "Blazing Saddles"

by Barry Lyga

Why we hate Libba Bray. What special guests would you like to see on the show? Morgan starts a new project. Barry wants to start five new projects. Scheduling time to talk to your spouse. How do you critique something that’s in a genre you don’t like? Plus: A nanny for Leia???

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Episode 40: The One with Libba

by Barry Lyga

Special guest Libba Bray joins the show! We discuss being married to your agent and when your kid wants to be a writer. Texting edits to authors. The glory and the danger of research. Plus: Outlining — threat or menace? Also, the title to the third Diviners book!

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Episode 39: The One where They Fall Back

by Barry Lyga

Daylight Savings Time and babies. Blaming grandmothers. The nature of the good rejection. The crush of work for agents. Does publishing need a rehaul? Why do publishers stay in New York, and should they leave? Plus: We want to hear your favorite opening lines to books!

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Episode 38: The One with a One-Year Old

by Barry Lyga

Mini-tantrums! Barry proves he’s human then talks about blood in the delivery room. Raising joyful children. Cultivating unstructured play for kids. Burnout in the arts. Plus: What do The Leftovers and Younger have in common?

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Episode 37: The One in the Park

by Barry Lyga

Morgan and Barry throw a party. Leia tries sugar for the first time. The surreality of “Happy Birthday.” What should parents do when their kids want to be something crazy when they grow up? The importance of opening chapters and opening sentences, and the pressure related to them.

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Episode 36: The One about Pop Culture

by Barry Lyga

Barry goes to Comic Con; Morgan does not. What happens when your personal nostalgia becomes mega-big business? Bringing babies to comic book conventions. A discussion of the awe-inspiring opening scene of season two of The Leftovers. Badass cavewomen. Barry’s billion-dollar idea.

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Episode 35: The One with No Baby

by Barry Lyga

Our intrepid podcasters take a huge step as parents. Vacation Brain turns out to be Creative Brain. What do you do when you have a great idea to improve your book…that you’ve already submitted? Spouses reading each other’s email. Plus, Morgan reads a newspaper. An actual newspaper.

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Episode 34: The One with Technical Difficulties

by Barry Lyga

Barry is now a Colonel. Leia gets sick for the first time ever. Is Amy Schumer’s book deal ridiculous or merely insane? Barry’s obsession with quoting Stephen King. An insult levied at the entire movie-making and movie-loving world. And Morgan can’t stomach a book.

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Episode 33: The One with Royalties

by Barry Lyga

A serious episode on a weighty issue: Are authors paid enough? Should royalty rates be changed? Also: a discussion on the usefulness of social media, even if/though it doesn’t lead to (meaningful) book sales. And last but not least, we talk about Morgan’s query letter.)

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Episode 32: The One with an Anticlimax

by Barry Lyga

Morgan’s revision saga ends….and a new one begins. It’s OK to cry. Every book is different. What’s it like for spouses to critique each other’s work? Being in denial about your own writing’s flaws. The importance of giving a story time to breathe. Plus: Leia’s up all night for some fun. (We’re up all night to get lucky.)

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Episode 31: The One where Harry Potter and the X-Men are the Same

by Barry Lyga

Dreams: when — or if — you should give up on them. The strange definition of “similar” in Hollywood and in publishing. The dream of publishing versus the reality. Is it weird to thank people for thinking your baby is adorable? Barry finally finishes writing a @&#%^$&* short story. Morgan sees the light at the end of the revision tunnel.

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Episode 30: The One with the World's Wisest Third Grader

by Barry Lyga

The New York Times finally meets our demands. “Who knew women could write books?” Wishing your life away. Is keeping a baby alive “productive?” Leia turns ten months. Participation trophies: threat or menace? Figuring out “the twist” ahead of time.

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Episode 29: The One where Morgan Makes a Comic Book Reference

by Barry Lyga

We finish (?) discussing the New York Times bestsellers list. Leia eats everything imaginable. “Lady guilt is heavy.” Parenting advice and anti-advice. High-chair condoms. Feeling like a one-hit wonder as an author. The tension between what readers like and what writers want to write. Lyga’s Law of Publishing.

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Episode 28: The One that Was Almost Planned

by Barry Lyga

Barry tours with a movie star. Can authors write while on the road? The true authorship of Gone Girl…revealed! Leia takes her first steps toward super-model-hood. What is a good minimum for maternity leave? Plus: Some necessary follow-up on the New York Times bestsellers list…and Barry rants about the Oscars.

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Episode 27: The One where They Both Get Pissed

by Barry Lyga

Some more talk about essays and writing classes. Is there a non-jerk way to self-promote? Why are the same books recommended over and over? Plus, Barry rants about the New York Times bestsellers list…and Morgan agrees!

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