✨On Writing What You Know; & Indie Authors Outearning Their Traditionally Published Counterparts✨

Plus, it's another Books with Hooks week on the podcast...

Happy Friday, shitalings!

In this week’s📕Books with Hooks, Carly, CeCe and Bianca are joined by Rhiannon Harvey to discuss her submission and what makes an irresistible first page. Make sure you don’t miss it and also check out next Tuesday’s edition for the written critiques! And if you want a few laughs about raccoons and sharks, don’t miss it on YouTube:

Then, Emily Austin, author of Is This A Cry For Help? pens an excellent essay about the benefits of writing what you know:

“One of the perks of writing is that we can convert all our experiences, even the unfortunate ones, into something good. Sure, I was traumatized by the Catholic church and have had some serious mental health problems, but if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have written my first novel or my first poetry book (Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead & Gay Girl Prayers).

Finally, we have an author Q&A with Letizia Lorini, author of A Killer Kind of Romance, who covers a lot of ground while also dropping some truth bombs:

“The myth that indie books aren’t as “real” or “legitimate” as traditionally published ones. Especially now, when many indie authors are outearning their trad counterparts, this myth needs to retire and go sit on a porch somewhere. Neither path is easy, and neither one is superior. Watching people argue about it is exhausting.”

Tick tock. Tick tock. ⏱️Time is running out to book your spot for our last ever Deep Dive Virtual Retreat. To register, click here.

Remember that you can win a spot to attend by posting a reel on Instagram (and tagging us), telling us why you want to attend and which presentations you’re most looking forward to.

And don’t forget the first Beta Reader Match Up of the year which will happen on the 2nd of February. To register for that, head over here.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! ❤️

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team

P.S. Still not sure about upgrading to paid? Check out our Tuesday Teaser below to see what you’re missing!

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This Week’s Podcast✨🎙️✨

This week on the podcast (listen to it here or watch it on YouTube!), Bianca, Carly, and CeCe welcome writer Rhiannon Harvey for an in-depth Books with Hooks critique. Rhiannon reads her polished query for Mara’s Call, a speculative YA mystery set on a fog-shrouded New England island where the sea whispers secrets—and a girl’s family history refuses to stay buried. The hosts discuss tightening hooks, anchoring motivations, crafting atmospheric titles, and deepening interiority to strengthen character connection. They also dig into market positioning for YA vs. adult vs. new adult, and explore what makes an opening page irresistible. A must-listen for writers polishing queries, sharpening voice, or navigating genre “in-between” spaces.

“You said that you were nervous about having too many vibes and that the challenge was how do you pack vibes and plot. I don’t think you do both. I think you focus on plot. The vibes are going to come naturally. I think it’s about substituting vibey sentences for plot sentences for the most part. Sometimes a vibey sentence can stay, but we’re talking sprinkles of salt. We’re not talking ingredient. Plot is what query letters need to focus on.”

-CeCe Lyra

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Use What’s in Your Fridge: On Writing What You Know

By Emily Austin

One of the perks of writing is that we can convert all our experiences, even the unfortunate ones, into something good. Sure, I was traumatized by the Catholic church and have had some serious mental health problems, but if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have written my first novel or my first poetry book (Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead & Gay Girl Prayers).

While I write mostly fiction, and my characters and their stories are all imaginary, I still write what I know. I use the ingredients in my fridge, so to speak. For me, this means I write about topics like mental illness, being neurodivergent, and being a lesbian. Writing this way has allowed me to preserve memories, re-write conversations, pretend things went differently, lean hard into aspects of myself; think through things I learned in therapy, question myself, share the scraps of knowledge I’ve managed to acquire, and put myself in other people’s shoes.

Of course, you can write about things you don’t know (you can go out to the store, I guess, if we’re using this fridge metaphor…) but to start with, I think you should look at what you already have.

Sometimes, it might feel like everything has already been written, but the truth is you—the person reading this— exist in the world distinctively. The experiences you’ve had, the communities you’ve been a part of; the generation you grew up in, the people you’ve known, are all unique.

The way you spent your childhood summers, your family, your sense of humour, where your parents are from, your education, the jobs you’ve had, your socioeconomic status, your geography in the world, your culture, race, sexual orientation, gender, hobbies, travels you’ve gone on, the struggles you’ve experienced, losses you’ve suffered, your happiest moments, the timeline you grew up in, your brain—it’s distinct. No one has the exact same combination as you. You have existed in the world in a specific time-period, in a specific part of the planet, around specific people, with your specific body and mind, and you have had a unique blend of experiences.

I think the most interesting, insightful, funny, moving, and worthwhile things people have to say come from what they intimately know. Of course, this isn’t to say you shouldn’t write about trolls (assuming you have no experiences with trolls), but I think the crux of your story, the real heart of it, should be made of something you really know.

Before beginning to write something, I always ask myself what experiences I’ve had. I look in my fridge. My new novel, Is This a Cry for Help, which comes out January 13^th 2026, is about a lesbian librarian named Darcy who comes back to work after a mental breakdown only to confront book-banning crusaders. The story is about the importance of libraries. It deals with mental health, grief, compulsory heterosexuality, lesbian marriage, regret, hating yourself, and cats. While this novel isn’t about me, it’s fiction, I found all of those ingredients at home.

I recommend digging into your spices, checking the cans at the back of your cupboards, rooting around in your garden, and creating something out of the unique combination of ingredients that you have.

I always hated when my mom said we had food at home when I pawed at the window as we drove past fast-food restaurants, so don’t get me wrong, I support stopping for an ice cream cone. I just have a feeling the best piece of writing that you have in you is going to be mostly home-cooked.

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Q&A with Letizia Lorini

TSNOTYAW: What does the lifecycle of each book look like for you?

Letizia Lorini: The lifecycle of each book is completely unpredictable. Some drafts show up fully chaotic and demand to be written in a three-week frenzy, and then, I spend months trying to convince them to behave. Others take forever to write but come out polished, like they did their homework without me. Sometimes, an idea hits so hard that I drop everything, including basic human responsibilities, because I have to write it right now.

How much of a writer’s success is hard work & education vs. talent and luck?

Honestly? 50/50. Publishing is the Wild West: sometimes, you work twice as hard for half the success because luck and timing are out there rolling dice. But luck alone won’t carry you for long: it’s more like a sparkler. Very pretty, burns out fast. Hard work and talent are the slow-burning candles that keep things going.

Was writing the plan all along?

I’ve always loved writing, but I abandoned it in my teens and returned to it as an adult. I rediscovered it through reading because nothing reignites the writing bug quite like finishing a book and thinking, I want to make someone feel like this, too. I started with angsty contemporary romance before realizing I actually wanted to make people laugh. I wrote my first romcom and never stopped.

How did you know your first novel was ready to query?

I didn’t. I’m never truly “done” editing. Usually, someone in my life has to gently pry the manuscript from my hands. Sometimes, it’s my agent. Sometimes, it’s a friend. Sometimes, it’s me realizing I cannot stand to look at these words for one more second. That’s when I send it off. Accepting imperfection is part of the job, a part that I haven’t quite mastered yet.

What’s one publishing myth you wish people would stop believing?

The myth that indie books aren’t as “real” or “legitimate” as traditionally published ones. Especially now, when many indie authors are outearning their trad counterparts, this myth needs to retire and go sit on a porch somewhere. Neither path is easy, and neither one is superior. Watching people argue about it is exhausting.

How much of a social media platform did you have before your debut?

I started with maybe a hundred followers: basically just me and a few supportive friends. I grew steadily over time and always focused on social media because, as an indie author, that’s how I found my readers. I kept it up after getting an agent and a book deal. It’s just part of the gig now, like editing.

What do you consider the highlight of your career so far? What was a low point?

I’ll never forget the day my agent emailed, the day I signed my deal, and the day I became a USA Today bestselling author. But honestly, the biggest highlight happens every time I finish a book. There’s nothing like stepping back, blinking at the chaos you created, and realizing you made something. As for low points… publishing has plenty. Books flop. Friendships get rocky. You watch other authors get opportunities you wish you got and become best friends with rejection. But passion is what keeps me going. It’s the little voice saying, “Okay, yes, that hurt, but also… look at this shiny new idea.” I can’t picture myself doing anything else.

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Tuesday Teaser 😉

Paid members will find Carly and CeCe’s written critiques of the 📕Books with Hooks🪝 queries discussed on this week’s podcast in next Tuesday’s newsletter.

You’re not going to want to miss Carly’s Author Brand Worksheet!

“After many deep discussions with clients about what their “brand” is, I realized I needed a system to help them work through their complicated thoughts around their relationship to their work and their relationship to the ways their work intersects with their audience. Thus, the Author Brand Worksheet was born. Inside you’ll see questions that get at the heart of what you’re trying to say with your work, how it’s received by others, and ways that you can show up online being your authentic self.” - Carly Watters

We also have an author Q&A by Rosie Storey, author of Dandelion is Dead as well as an author video by Shifa Saltagi Safadi, author of Amina Banana and the Formula for Making Money.

Not yet a member? For just $8USD a month or $80USD a year you get:

• an exclusive newsletter on Tuesdays featuring bonus author Q&As and other exclusive content from industry experts

• access to Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra’s written notes on queries from the podcast’s Books With Hooks feature

• monthly bonus podcast episodes, AND

• regular Ask Me Anythings / Q&As with Carly, CeCe, and Bianca Marais.

If that doesn’t kickstart your writing journey, we don’t know what will!

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That’s all for this week’s news! If you enjoyed it, why not share the love? 🥰

Tune in again next week for more invaluable wisdom from our wonderful hosts! Until then, happy writing! 😍

❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team

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Cece Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host ​and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

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