Novelist Carole Stivers may be living your dream. How did she do it?

First, a caveat. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past eight years teaching and coaching writers, it’s that they don’t all share the same dream. Not everyone wants to win the Booker (my dream). Not everyone wants to be the next James Patterson (I agree). But I’ve also met very few writers who wouldn’t be jumping-up-and-down-ecstatic to have achieved what Carole Stivers has achieved: a debut launch with Penguin Random House; fourteen foreign editions; glowing reviews in Publishers Weekly, Newsweek, and Booklist, and a movie deal with Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. What must that be like? And how did it happen?

Here’s your chance to find out. I’ll be talking to Carole on Zoom from 5-6pm, Thursday, April 30th, about her journey from idea to draft to submission — and then What Happened Next. As you know, classes abound that help you get to submission, that even help you with submission (ehem, I teach both); but relatively little is said about what happens once the agent says yes, and how to ride the tail of the dragon that comes afterwards.

Whether you’d just like to experience Carole’s success vicariously or you have questions about the publishing process and the choices she faced, you’d be a welcome member of our live audience of 20, but it’s first-come, first-served. Last week’s happy hour with author and publisher Marissa Moss was fully subscribed, so please be quick! You can put your hand up by filling out the registration form below.

To those of you who were hoping for a recording of the conversation with Marissa Moss, my apologies. I forgot to hit the record button. 😬

I PROMISE I will try to remember to record this session with Carole, but as you can see, it’s just that much safer being a member of the live audience…

Hope to see you on the 30th. Until then, stay safe and happy writing!

I AM BOTH PLEASED AND SORRY TO REPORT THAT THE LIVE AUDIENCE HAS NOW BOOKED FULL. I AIM TO POST A RECORDING HERE SHORTLY AFTER THE INTERVIEW. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR IT ON MONDAY, MAY 4TH.

As promised, here’s the recording!