Episode 69: The One where They’re Alone in the House

Leia discovers the curse of imagination. A lovely email from a friend. Working on spec: Should you? When? Why? “Money flows to the writer.” Find the mistake in The Secret Sea and win a prize! Morgan guests on another podcast — shock! Horror!

Links:

• Pretend Play | What to Expect
• Separation Anxiety
• Why swearing is good for you — Quartz
• Rejection, Part 14 - News From MENews From ME
• Writer Beware®: The Blog: PublishAmerica Is Now America Star Books
• The Secret Sea | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Pete Hautman - Home
• Barry and Pete Hautmann commiserate on errors in their books
• Barry regrets an idea he didn’t use in Bang
• Folklore.org: Real Artists Ship
• Morgan on All the Social Ladies podcast
• Telling the Right Stories at the Right Time - Forbes
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 68: The One where Leia Drops the F-Bomb

Leia burns up. Barry has a long talk with himself. Morgan asks the audience for advice. The power of positive thinking turns out to backfire. Do you lose yourself as a person when you become a parent? Cursing around your children: Great idea or greatest idea?

Links:

• Watch President Barack Obama Full Speech At The DNC 2016 - YouTube
• Watch Hillary Clinton's full speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention - YouTube
• Thinking positive is a surprisingly risky manoeuvre | Aeon Essays
• "I Learned It By Watching You" Anti-Drug PSA - YouTube
• Barry tweets about Leia's first word possibly being f*ck
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 67: The One with Another One on the Way

Barry and Morgan (and Leia!) survive their move! Barry surrenders to day care, with plenty of guilt. A rant about professionalism. Giving up on a manuscript. New projects for Morgan and Barry.

Links:

• Eugene’s comment on Leia’s sleeping and baby nightmares
• Pregnancy Brain: Myth or Reality?
• On Being an Aging Children’s Writer - Just Thinking
• Morgan Recommends: The Diviners by Libba Bray | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Morgan is Reading: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Morgan is Also Reading: Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Barry is Reading: In the After by Demitria Lunetta | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 66: The One Right Before the Move

The Orlando shooting, bad conference experiences, home improvement woes, and a baby that won’t sleep. Also: Barry and Morgan each start working on new projects!

Links:

• Orlando nightclub shooting: Read about the victims - Orlando Sentinel
• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• WubbaNub | WubbaNub Infant Pacifiers
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 65: The One with Melissa

Special guest Melissa Walker (UNBREAK MY HEART, LET’S PRETEND WE NEVER MET) fills in for Morgan! We discuss different ways of getting published, writing with more than one kid, and how writing a book doesn’t prepare you for the next one. Plus: On spec vs. proposal, and the horror of ranking.

Links:

• Melissa’s website
• Carolyn Mackler
• Doug Stewart at Sterling Lord
• Sassy magazine
• Episode 20: The One where Leia Goes to a Bar Mitzvah (and we talk about the value of twenty minutes)
• Pomodoro Technique
• Batcave - DC Database - Wikia
• Barry’s Goodreads rank (scroll down to "Average Rating")
• Sale on Unbreak My Heart ebook! | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks
• Melissa Recommends: What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Melissa Also Recommends: The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Barry Recommends: When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 64: The One where They’re Moving

Familiarity breeds contempt…for your own book. Sensitivity readers. You can’t make everybody happy. Leia reverses her position on sleep. And a big announcement.

Links:

• Barry’s tweet about hating his book
• Sensitivity Readers — Writing in the Margins
• 4 out of 5 dentists...
• Bizarro World
• Growing Pains Episode #150: "There Must Be a Pony"
• SCBWI New Jersey | 2016 June Conference
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 63: The One with Sensible Screentime

Morgan damns Barry with faint praise. Mornings! Showers! Is the “limit your kid’s screentime” notion an anti-feminist plot? Barry’s theory that multiple TVs lead to divorce. Plus, Morgan preps for her first writing conference…and makes a soul-searching confession.

Links:

• This Mom Is Extraordinarily Tired Of Making Dinner
• The debate over screen time is really about moms, not kids.
• Appliances and their impact: the ownership of domestic technology and time spent on household work
• Bitch Sesh: A Real Housewives Breakdown by Earwolf on iTunes
• SCBWI New Jersey | 2016 June Conference
• Goodreads | Claudia and the Sad Good-bye (The Baby-sitters Club, #26) by Ann M. Martin (This is the book where Claudia's grandmother dies.)
• ASU | The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 62: The One with Eight Followers, Maybe Twelve

Morgan is obsessed with Snapchat. Follow-up on programming your brain and baby paranoia. Leia climbs on a truck. Vacations are good. New ideas for stories! The scourge of outlining. Morgan publishes an essay. Pitching vs. blogging. The frustration of being ignored by editors and agents.

Links:

• This 10-Minute Routine Will Increase Your Clarity And Creativity — Life Learning — Medium
• Melissa Walker
• Episode 61: The One without a Daddy Blogosphere
• Imperious Leader - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Writing in Real Life — Episode 35: The One with No Baby
• The Weekend Novelist by Robert Ray | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks
• Morgan's piece on Hello, Giggles: I bought a bunch of ~vintage~ teen magazines on eBay to relive my teenage years
• Morgan’s HuffPo piece: How to Get Married at Work
• Morgan’s Pop Matters piece: Reflections on Tori Amos and the Feminist Movement | PopMatters
• Morgan’s blog
• Contract delays: Writing in Real Life — Episode 60: The One with Sylvia Plath on Zoloft
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 61: The One without a Daddy Blogosphere

Does a debut have to be big? Guess what: Your sales aren’t determined by the quality of your book. Are celebrity memoirs worth the massive cost? Morgan has opinions about Captain America: Civil War. The (missing) narrative of the Stay-At-Home Dad.

Links:

• Debut novels: Why new authors are making millions | EW.com
• Mad Men - Don breaks up with Dr. Faye Miller over the phone - YouTube "I hope she knows you only like the beginnings of things."
• Captain America: Civil War
• Black Panther
• The Great Darkness Saga
• Earth-1/Earth-2
• What It’s Like When a Stay-at-Home Dad Goes Back to Work
• Mr. Mom
• Three Men and a Baby
• Daddy Day Care
• Why Do We Teach Girls That It’s Cute to Be Scared? - The New York Times
• Barry is Reading: Plastic Man by Kyle Baker | Amazon (Vol.1) | Amazon (Vol. 2) | Comixology
• Morgan Recommends: Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 60: The One with Sylvia Plath on Zoloft

Leia visits the doctor three times in four days. Revisiting Lyga’s Law of Publishing: Barry signs a contract and explains why it takes so long. Science says: writers and psychotics are the same. (Morgan disagrees.) Don’t be a jerk on the internet. Morgan psyches out Barry. Barry goes nuts over a new book.

Links:

• Writing in Real Life — Episode 33: The One with Royalties
• The Neurological Similarities Between Successful Writers And The Mentally Ill | Thought Catalog
• http://www.warrenzevon.com/
• Paula Abdul - Opposites Attract - YouTube
• When You Become The Person You Hate On The Internet : All Tech Considered : NPR
• How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life - The New York Times
• archive.org
• Morgan Recommends: Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• 24 Things No One Tells You About Book Publishing
• Curtis Sittenfeld’s ‘Eligible’ Updates Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ - The New York Times
• Sittenfeld’s response: So Eligible got a solidly bad review from The... - Curtis Sittenfeld
• Internationally Bestselling Author Tess Gerritsen
• Barry Recommends: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Do parents have a special talent for writing for kids? From our very first episode! -- Writing in Real Life — Episode 1: The One that Came First
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 59: The One with a Note under the Door

Does living in close quarters give neighbors permission to tell parents when a baby is crying too much? Morgan’s new career aspiration. Reese Witherspoon is on Goodreads—who knew? Does being a writer ruin your ability to enjoy reading for its own sake?

Links:

• The Happiest Baby Homepage | Happiest Baby | Sleep, Colic, and Health Solutions
• Family extremely offended after neighbors leave nasty note about their crying baby - AOL
• Reese Witherspoon’s New Role: Power Broker - WSJ
• #AskHerMore: How the Media Talks to Women On the Red Carpet - The Representation ProjectThe Representation Project
• Hugo - Awards - IMDb
• My Childless Year — Barry Lyga Dot Com
• Center Stage (2000) - IMDb
• Morgan is Reading: Vivian Apple at the End of the World by Katie Coyle | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• The Secret Sea preorders: Amazon | BN.com
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 58: The One that Ends with a Bang

Writing advice — it’s everywhere. But is any of it actually useful? Or even from this century? Morgan invented Pinterest. Barry and Morgan reveal their parenting philosophy. Also: Barry’s new book!

Links:

• Michael Arndt About The 5 Steps He Learned at Pixar to Write a Good Beginning - mentorless
• Agent Jennifer Laughran’s “not for me” tweet
• Writing Advice #1: A Million Bad Words — Barry Lyga Dot Com
• Mary's "pantsing" tweet
• Barry’s ancient keyboard
• Some Babies Are Just Easier Than Others - The New York Times
• Is Attachment Parenting a Traditionalist Plot? -- The Cut
• The Secret Sea preorders: Amazon | BN.com
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 57: The One with Morgan’s Apple Watch

Can walking make you a better writer? Thoreau and Rowling think so! Why is there so much contradictory advice for authors? Morgan feels stressed. Why Barry goes to the gym every day. The glory of a speaker in the shower. Plus: The secret to making your kids behave. (Seriously. No joke.)

Links:

• To Become a Better Writer, Be a Frequent Walker | Psychology Today
• Henry David Thoreau - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Writing Advice #1: A Million Bad Words — Barry Lyga Dot Com
• Apple celebrates 40th anniversary with Beer Bash DJ'd by Zane Lowe
• Apple Watch - Apple
• Sorry Folks, But Standing Desks May Not Make You Any Healthier
• Amazon.com: SoundBot SB510 HD Water Resistant Bluetooth 3.0 Shower Speaker
• The Alan Kazdin Method for Making Your Children Behave - The Atlantic
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 56: The One with Too Much Data

Barry’s nightmare comes true, as the Netflix model approaches publishing. Morgan counsels calm, but c’mon — it’s Barry. An extended discussion of data in publishing, and we want YOUR opinions. Plus: Barry has an epiphany about revisions and reveals (again) what a horrible, egotistical monster he is.

Links:

• Moneyball for Book Publishers: A Detailed Look at How We Read - The New York Times
• Writing in Real Life — Episode 15: The One where Leia Flirts
• Inaccurate Bookscan Stats and the Plight of the Midlist Author | A Distant Soil by Colleen Doran
• Henry's Hard Soda
• Tell us what you think about data in publishing
• John Byrne on "Growing Roses"
• Morgan is Reading: The Witches: Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiff | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Barry is Reading: The Singing Bone by Beth Hahn | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 55: The One where Morgan Dances

What, when, and how should you share about your kids on social media? Do they have a say in it? Are Barry and Morgan hypocrites for talking about Leia on the show? Being alone in the house when you have kids. Morgan reads the comments on an article.

Links:

• In the Air Tonight : snopes.com
• Super Grover 2.0 - Muppet Wiki - Wikia
• Don't Post About Me on Social Media, Children Say - The New York Times
• STFU, Parents
• David After Dentist video
• Dance it out — Morgan Baden
• It's a Lot More Fun to Play Make-Believe With Your Kids If You're Slightly High on Weed  | Jezebel
• "I haven't had sex in a very long time."
• Meat Loaf - I Would Do Anything For Love - YouTube
• Barry is Reading: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Morgan is Reading: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 54: The One where Leia Watches Law & Order

Prologues: Threat or menace? Morgan rolls her eyes…in a loving way. Barry says writers don’t cheat, and then admits he cheats. Being a good parent will kill you. Waiting for the perfect week that doesn’t exist. Dueling revision updates! Morgan disses Rockford.

Links:

• Urban Dictionary: Hang a lantern
• Cold open - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Being a good parent will physiologically destroy you, new research confirms - Quartz
• Writing in Real Life — Episode 47: The One with Discipline (Not the Fun Kind)
• 5 Habits Of Creative Working Parents | Fast Company
• Writing in Real Life — Episode 17: The One with Meta-Topics (We discuss "Every Day is a Disaster")
• Morgan Recommends: The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Barry Recommends: The Garner Files by James Garner & Jon Winkour | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 53: The One Five Years after They Met

Barry talks about how getting an editorial letter triggers pretty much every neurosis he’s got. (Morgan chortles.) Barry accidentally reveals the true extent of his ego. (Morgan chortles again.) Morgan talks scary movies. (Barry cowers.) Morgan reveals foreign parenting tips. (Barry freaks out.)

Links:

• Apparently, ostriches actually don't stick their heads in the sand...
• Tom Perrotta
• The Witch (2016) - Rotten Tomatoes
• We talk about tension, slow openings, and The Leftovers: Writing in Real Life — Episode 36: The One about Pop Culture
• Global Parenting Habits That Haven't Caught On In The U.S. : Parallels : NPR
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 52: The One where They Don’t Canoodle

Morgan lets Barry see Deadpool on Valentine’s Day. Saying “thank you” to your spouse. Barry does not get offended. The narrative of the inept dad and its consequences. Morgan’s revision update. Barry has lots of books to read.

Links:

• The Significance of "52" for DC fans: Weekly Comic Book Series | The New 52 | 52 Breaches on The Flash | Room 52
• Deadpool
• Secret to a happy marriage is to say 'thank you', Georgia University study finds | Daily Mail Online
• "The Gift of the Magi"
• She Divorced Me Because I Left Dishes by the Sink
• Dumb-Ass Stuff We Need To Stop Saying To Dads
• Morgan is Reading: Year of Yes by Shonda Rimes | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 51: The One with the Ministry of Verbiage

Morgan returns, with magical tales of Harry Potter! How do you name your characters? Thinking about your character’s parents. The art of inventing names. Writers and newsletters. The average lifespan of a tweet. Barry’s fantasy novel.

Links:

• Wizarding World of Harry Potter™Hogsmeade | Universal Orlando
• "Days of Yore": The One with the Apothecary Table/Transcript - Friends Central - Wikia
• Popular Baby Names
• Académie française - Official moderator of the French language
• Judge: ‘Messiah’ Is Not an Acceptable Baby Name | TIME.com
• Tiny Letter
• Uptalk
• The daily email newsletter to start your day — theSkimm
• Barry’s newsletter
• NextDraft.com
• Flipboard
• What is a "piker?"
• Rate us on iTunes

Episode 50: The One with Sarah

A mega-sized fiftieth episode, with special guest Sarah MacLean! What to expect from a two-year-old. The how and why of romance novels. Challenges that lie ahead for publishing. Is there such a thing as too much sex? The bane of real-world accuracy in fiction. Plus: the ballad of Ted Cruz.

Links:

• SarahMacLean.net
• Milton's Areopagitica
• Urban Dictionary: Redshirt
• Bing Crosby: Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (Thats An Irish Lullaby) - YouTube
• JAMES TAYLOR ~ Sweet Baby James ~.wmv - YouTube
• Sarah on Twitter
• How Paperbacks Transformed the Way Americans Read | Mental Floss
• Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Reading the Romance by Janice A. Radway | Amazon | BN.com
• Goodreads | Popular Secret Baby Books
• Sarah Recommends: Playing with Fire by Kate Meader | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Gender Difference in Audio-Visual Sexual Stimulation
• The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes