WD uses affiliate links.

We first connected with Mazey Eddings for her debut novel’s publication and featured her in our March/April 2022 Issue‘s Breaking In column. Now that her next publication hit shelves yesterday, we’re reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A.

What was the time frame for writing this latest book?

Time is such a blur, and publishing time is a different beast entirely, so I’m not 100 percent sure! I know the first hints of Well, Actually came to me in September 2022 as I was heading on tour for my sophomore novel Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake. I jotted down a bunch of ideas about this second chance romance that starts with a viral callout, and then didn’t touch it again for quite some time until it was sold on proposal in August 2023. Because publishing contracts are weird, and my situation was somewhat unique in having multi-book contracts I was navigating plus severe writer’s block on one that was due, Well, Actually was supposed to be my eighth published book and come out in 2026/27. But my main characters, Eva and Rylie, were so loud and rompy and irreverent, and I wouldn’t let me work on anything else, and I got the greenlight to bump their story up in the cue, and I turned in the initial draft in April 2024, and it is my sixth published book.

Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?

So much. I think I’ve come more to terms with how little is in my control when it comes to publishing. I’ve spent the last five years since my debut got picked up by my publisher, pushing and grinding and saying yes to anything and everything that came my way and spending so much time strategizing and agonizing on what I could do to make a book “successful” or a “break-out.” The reality is there is nothing I alone can do to really change the trajectory of one of my books. All I can focus on is creating a story that I genuinely love and hoping that it finds the readers that will love it too. Being hungry and pushing and asking for things in publishing is good and important, but I’ve learned not to feel so much despair when that pushing doesn’t yield the results I would hope for.

What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?

How much more excited readers seem for it! As I’ve mentioned, this is my sixth book, so none of this process is new to me, but early readers seem to be responding differently to Well, Actually compared to my past books. I have no idea why things seem to be different this time around, though!

What do you feel you did really well with this novel?

I honored my characters’ voices, particularly my heroine. Eva is an extremely prickly and irreverent female main character, and her sass and crass are a protection mechanism, but I knew while drafting that she would be deemed “unlikeable” by many readers. I decided early on that if Eva didn’t care how she was perceived, then I wouldn’t be the one to water her down! My characters feel very real to me—and Eva is a particularly precious one—and I had so much fun discovering what she would do next, and I like to think that by being true to her character, she’ll feel real to readers as well.

Anything you would have done differently?

With this book? Not at the moment. The more time and space I get from each novel, the more I realize what I could have changed or tried, but I also am a firm believer that once a book is done, it’s important to allow it to just be. I think of my books as little time capsules for where I was as an author at different stages. There are things I would change and edit down or fine-tune if I were writing past stories now with more words under my belt (fingers?), but who am I to edit the purple prose of 25-year-old me? She needed to be gratuitous and sweeping and play with words as she did. 

Would you like to share some advice for our readers?

I think this is advice I shared with WD readers in the past, but protect your joy of writing at all costs. This job is brutal, creating art is brutal, so it is imperative that you fiercely defend and safeguard the joy it brings you.

What’s next for you?

I’m not sure how much I can say at this point, so I’ll leave it at an angsty, sapphic romance dedicated to Stevie Knicks and inspired by her singing “Silver Springs” at Lindsey Buckingham live in 1997. It releases August 2026.

Where can our audience find you online?

Newsletter: Mazey.substack.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/mazeyeddings
Threads: Threads.com/@mazeyeddings

The post Breaking Out: Mazey Eddings appeared first on Writer's Digest.

WD uses affiliate links.

We first connected with Adam Oyebanji during his debut novel’s publication and featured him in our March/April 2024′s Breaking In column. Now that his next publication is hitting the shelves today, we’re reconnecting with him.

What was the time frame for writing this latest book?

Although this is my fourth book to be published since I “broke in” (Braking Day was followed by A Quiet Teacher and Two Times Murder, both mysteries), Esperance was actually written third. I’m trying to alternate between SF and Crime, although Esperance mixes both! To get back to your question, though, it was written in 2022-23 and has been waiting to be born ever since.

Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?

I still feel very grateful to be here, and I think it’s important not to lose sight of that. I’m lucky to be able to write, luckier to have an agent and publishers, and luckiest of all to have readers who seem to like my books. These are things to remember whenever the enthusiasm levels drop.

In terms of what’s changed, I think the process as a whole is simply less mysterious, so I’m less hesitant about speaking up if I feel something isn’t quite right. Plus, I sometimes get invited to parties and book festivals!

What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?

Editors. The publishing houses, like many businesses, have been going through a lot of changes recently, mostly driven by a desire to keep costs down and profits up, which is what businesses do, after all. In consequence, a lot of editors have been laid off and/or moved on, which meant that Esperance has had more editors than I would have expected. On the plus side, though, they’ve all been great to work with. I love working with people who love books!

What do you feel you did really well with this novel?

Everything, of course! More seriously, I’m proud of being able to talk about a dark subject through the light and pacy lens of a speculative crime thriller. Library Journal describes Esperance as “recommended for readers who love intricately blended genre stories that ask big questions,” and I couldn’t ask for better than that. I hope people will see Esperance as a fun read that sometimes makes you think. Then, on a more granular level, I feel I’ve done a pretty good job with the dialog. I like to think I’m good at the back-and-forth that keeps people engaged with the characters while the story rattles along underneath.

Anything you would have done differently?

Absolutely! Every time I write a novel, I learn something along the way about how to write a novel. Reading Esperance now, I keep thinking why did I use that word and not this, this motivation and not that. I suspect a lot of writers feel this way. Left to ourselves, we’d tweak forever and nothing would ever get published!

Would you like to share some advice for our readers?

Persevere. All you can do is write. You have no control over anything else, so concentrate on that. Write because it gives you joy or because you find it meaningful in some other sense. If the “other” stuff happens, great! But you can’t really write for that, and I would suggest you don’t try. It either happens, or it doesn’t. No good can come from worrying about it.

What’s next for you?

I’m returning to the universe of Braking Day: a murder mystery (sort of) in space! There’s a supporting character in Braking Day that I really enjoyed writing. This new novel is set twenty years earlier than Braking Day and is told from that character’s point of view. After that, I’d quite like to write the follow-up to Two Times Murder, but one thing at a time!

Where can our audience find you online?

Website: AdamOyebanji.com

The post Breaking Out: Adam Oyebanji appeared first on Writer's Digest.

WD uses affiliate links.

We first connected with Neely Tubati Alexander during her debut novel’s publication and featured her in our May/June 2023 Issue‘s Breaking In column. Now that her next publication is hitting the shelves today, we’re reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A.

What was the time frame for writing this latest book?

I’ve kept a book a year pace since my debut Love Buzz came out in 2023, which means a lot of writing in the “in between.” This pace means I’ve had my hand in three books at once in some capacity—final touches on covers and formatting while planning marketing on one, going through developmental edits and/or attempting to sell the next, while drafting yet another! It can be exhausting, but this promise of something new perpetually on the horizon keeps me from getting too wrapped up in the things I can’t control surrounding publishing a book, of which there are many.

Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?

Yes! So much. I think when I debuted, I had this “I’m just happy to be here” mentality, and I still very much do. But as I’ve progressed, I’ve learned more about the industry and business. Sticking creatives into a business model like traditional publishing can very much be a square peg, round hole situation at times. I’ve come to rely heavily on author friends to share intel and knowledge. This transparency helps us authors advocate effectively for ourselves. I also appreciate how much of a collaboration it truly is.

What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?

How each process can feel unique and new. Granted, this is only my third book so perhaps this outlook will change, but each book has the opportunity to bring something new, whether it be introduction to a new subset of readers, a fun or unexpected blurb, an exciting partnership…the opportunities are truly endless and each new book feels like an exciting fresh start with a world of possibilities.

What do you feel you did really well with this novel?

This being my third book, I feel like I am really coming into my specific style and voice, and I think this book highlights my genre-blending style. Every book I write, I feel like I get better as a writer and am more capable than with the last. Perhaps it’s confidence, perhaps it’s intuition, perhaps it’s skill building … I tend to think it’s a combination of all three.

Anything you would have done differently?

There are always things after a book comes out that I wonder about. Every once in a while, a reader will say, “I thought such and such was going to happen,” and I’ll think, well that would have been a better ending! Authors love to tinker, and I think that process would be never-ending if we allowed it to be. I try to block out the noise and just go where the story takes me. Trust the process, as they say, which really just means to trust yourself.

Would you like to share some advice for our readers?

Comparison is indeed the thief of not only joy, but motivation and creativity. I’ve seen so many debut authors get bogged down by comparing themselves to more seasoned authors or even other debuts, being so focused on what someone else is getting and thus losing much of the joy of that special time. And it’s definitely not just debuts. We all do it. But if your goal is to make a career out of writing, put your head down for the marathon instead of trying to keep up with the mass sprint. My goals used to be centered around accolades. Now, they are built around longevity.

What’s next for you?

I am shifting to women’s fiction! While my next book has some romantic elements, it shifts out of romance and solidly into the women’s fiction space. I am excited to take this new leap and potentially connect with new readers while also (hopefully) keeping my current ones. I hope to see this book on shelves in 2026!

Where can our audience find you online?

Instagram: @neelyalexanderwrites
Website: NeelyTubatiAlexander.com

The post Breaking Out: Neely Tubati Alexander appeared first on Writer's Digest.

WD uses affiliate links.

We first connected with Lauren J. A. Bear during her debut novel’s publication and featured her in our July/August 2023‘s Breaking In column. Now that her next publication has hit shelves, we’re reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A.

What was the time frame for writing this latest book?

Though it felt like ten minutes, it was actually two years. I began work on Mother of Rome in the fall of 2022, before Medusa’s Sisters was published, and finished the last round of edits in the summer of 2024. This was my first time working on an official timeline with official deadlines, and it was a completely different experience. I wasn’t writing on an island anymore! There’s a time crunch, of course, but also a greater fear of disappointment. Not only did I want to please my brilliant editor, but I also had access to reader reviews of Medusa’s Sisters. For better or worse, I read them, and I tried to address their opinions in real time as I composed my next book.

Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?

It’s almost a cliché answer at this point, but the social media game is a tricky one. As a fairly private person, the pressure to “go viral” can feel daunting. Posting selfies or making videos isn’t natural for me. I’m trying, because I love connecting with readers and other authors, but I also need to protect my mental health and focus on my work. Phones are dangerous for writers. They are black holes for creativity!

What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?

Mother of Rome was the first new book on Tuesday of 2025. It’s a quieter time of year, especially compared to the summer release of Medusa’s Sisters—and I have three young children, so my post-holiday/winter break fatigue was real! One great surprise that rekindled my energy and excitement was being selected for Book in a Box, which creates gorgeous special editions for English readers in Denmark. I still pinch myself that they chose Mother of Rome! Truly a dream.

What do you feel you did really well with this novel?

The relationship between/characterization of Rhea and Antho. It can be tricky to write an ancient character in a way that’s compelling to a modern reader and still feels authentic to the setting, but I think Rhea and Antho transcend. I have very little interest in stories where women are pitted against each other. In Mother of Rome, people try to manipulate Antho and Rhea into competition, but they resist; they continue to show up for each other. The strong, essential bonds of female friendship, of shared sisterhood, is a motif I will continue to happily scream from the mountaintops.

Anything you would have done differently?

I would have reminded myself earlier that I was writing a novel, not a thesis on ancient Latium! A project like this requires extensive research, and it can be exciting to share all you learn, but that’s not a story. Research is background. Mother of Rome wasn’t supposed to be a tale of Italian tribal politics, but one of a resilient, resourceful woman who loses control of her own body and fights back. I had to edit out a lot of my historical lecture tangents (particularly the ones about the ancient uses for cabbage).

Would you like to share some advice for our readers?

My reading advice is to be a promiscuous reader! Step outside your comfort zone, read it all. Don’t be intimidated by literary fiction or turned off by genre fiction. There’s something valuable in every art form. My writing advice is to study poetry. The way poets use language with such brevity and clarity, with such sensual resonance, is a masterclass in composition.

What’s next for you?

My third book returns to Greece! Expected publication is summer 2026. And it’s a romance. Prepare to swoon.

Where can our audience find you online?

Instagram: @laurenjabear

Twitter/X and BlueSky: @laurenjabear

You can sign up for my newsletter, These Golden Lines, at LaurenJABear.com.

The post Breaking Out: Lauren J. A. Bear appeared first on Writer's Digest.

We first connected with Sarah Daniels during her debut novel’s publication and featured her in our January/February 2023 issue‘s Breaking In column. Now that her next publication hit shelves, we’re reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A.

What was the time frame for writing this latest book?

This book was so different from book one. The Stranded was written over almost ten years (while I was also doing my PhD and having kids!). It was my first book, so I was very much learning as I went along. The Only Way Out was way faster. I wrote most of it during COVID lockdown, I planned a lot of the story before I wrote it, and I focused on it exclusively for about 8 months. It was a very different experience. 

Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?

Absolutely. I’ve learnt so much over the publication of these books, including how long everything takes and just how much time and energy go into getting a book out in the world. It’s a team effort (and not even a small team). Editors, designers, cover artists, proofreaders (multiple), agents, and that’s before you even get to marketing and publicity, which takes another team. When it came to writing the acknowledgements, I was terrified I’d miss someone!

What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?

Without doubt, it was the sense of responsibility I felt. My main focus when I’m writing is to produce something entertaining, after all, people are spending both their hard-earned money and their precious and finite time on it. And with book two, this intensified. I was worried about letting down the readers who had stuck with me.

What do you feel you did really well with this novel?

I’m really pleased with the setting of The Only Way Out. In The Stranded, it was quite easy to get this sense of eerie claustrophobia because the characters are literally trapped aboard a derelict cruise ship. It was a very contained, almost pressure-cooker environment, which naturally built tension. It was a little bit more difficult in book two because (spoilers!) they’re no longer on a ship. I needed to find a way to keep the atmosphere of confinement and unease, even though the world had opened up. So, I drew on the time I spent in Sheffield, where there are these massive factories and metalworks, some of which are derelict, while others have been repurposed for people to live in. It gave me exactly the unsettling atmosphere I was looking to create.

Anything you would have done differently?

Outlining. Always. It’s the bane of my writing life. I could halve the editing time if I could just learn how to outline. I’m working on it, but I’ve also made peace with the fact that I’m a messy writer and that messiness is good for my creativity.

Would you like to share some advice for our readers?

Write what you love without worrying too much about whether it’s fashionable. If you enjoy the story, chances are other people will too.

What’s next for you?

Right now, I’m drawing on my roots as an archaeologist, and I’m working on a novel that has to do with skeletons.

Where can our audience find you online?

Instagram: @sarahdanielsbooks

Substack: InPrep.substack.com

The post Breaking Out: Sarah Daniels appeared first on Writer's Digest.

WD uses affiliate links.

We first connected with Nita Prose during her debut novel’s publication and featured her in our September/October 2022′s Breaking In column. Now that her next publication hits shelves today, we’re reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A.

What was the time frame for writing this latest book?

I wrote The Maid’s Secret in about eight months, but that speed is deceptive and only part of the entire story! It took me a long twenty years as an editor to learn the narrative skills that allow me to pen a first draft relatively quickly. After getting a draft down, there’s lots of editing that happens before the book becomes final. 

Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?

It’s been humbling to be on the “other side” of publishing—meaning as a writer rather than as an editor. Working in a publishing house, you’re surrounded by colleagues, and you’re all pushing towards the same end goals and conversing about your books every day. When you’re writing, it’s not like that. Though you have a team and all kinds of people rooting for you (your agent, your publishers, your editors, and more), they’re not in the office with you. And when it comes to the actual task of getting that story onto the scary, white page, it’s all up to you. It’s a lonely, challenging pursuit.

I’ve always been keenly aware of the leap of faith writers take when finding their fiction, but now I’ve experienced the entire emotional rollercoaster personally. I’ve also been lucky to come out the other side greeted by readers who love Molly and feel they know her. This is so gratifying, and it makes the lonely moments worthwhile. 

What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?

Gran’s voice was the biggest surprise. This is the first Molly the maid book that features any voice other than Molly’s. In The Maid’s Secret, Gran tells her own story for the first time. It was electrically satisfying to bring Gran to life and to discover all the small ways her experiences dovetail into Molly’s, informing who Molly becomes. We are all the product of those who came before us, and in the case of Gran, Molly comes to appreciate the many sacrifices she made to give Molly a good life. 

What do you feel you did really well with this novel?

I love books that combine genres, that “Frankenstein” two styles together to create something new and different. In this novel, we have a high-stakes art heist in the present-tense mystery, but in the past tense, what unfurls is an epic, star-crossed love story—one that underpins and informs all the other books in the series. Finding that new genre—the epic love story, told across a great expanse of time all inside a racing, pacy mystery—that, I believe, is my greatest accomplishment in this book. 

Anything you would have done differently?

Yes! I would have planned out the Molly the Maid series from the start. When I wrote The Maid, I had enough on my plate thinking of completing just one book. While writing, I never considered the possibility of its success, never mind what might come after it! As it turned out, I was greeted by many pleas and entreaties from my readers and from my publishers to keep the series going.

At first, I was daunted by that possibility. What other stories existed in Molly’s world? Was there really more to say? So grateful was I that people had come to love Molly, I was worried that nothing else I could write would measure up to the first book in the series. In the end, I found my way to other stories that I hope offer as much as The Maid, maybe even more. That being said, I would have spared myself a lot of creative angst if I’d figured out the narrative map from the outset! 

Would you like to share some advice with our readers?

There’s the old adage that writers should “write what they know.” But I think writers often take that too literally. Often, we know so much more than we think we do, and only through the strange pursuit of fiction can we realize it on the page. I’ve always been fascinated with the irony that fiction is all “made up,” and yet when it’s at its best, there is often more truth to fiction than to any hard fact. This perplexing mystery keeps me engaged in the process of writing.

.

What’s next for you?

I’m now figuring out my next book and the characters who will live in my noggin for the next few years. I’m excited to explore new characters and a narrative tapestry that’s entirely different from anything I’ve written before. In some ways, I’m throwing off the cozy blanket to embrace a more atmospheric style of mystery that combines propulsive thriller elements. Still, character is the root of everything in my writing, and in my next book, you’ll meet someone who’s forced to confront the legacy of her own secrets as she nears the end of her life. It’s a story that explores the ebb and flow of life’s seasons and that examines how the past can reverberate through time and across generations, delivering closure, but never as expected. 

Where can our audience find you online?

Instagram: @nitaprose
Website: NitaProse.com

The post Breaking Out: Nita Prose appeared first on Writer's Digest.

WD uses affiliate links.

We first connected with Myah Ariel during her debut novel’s publication and featured her in our March/April 2024′s Breaking In column. Now that her next publication is hitting the shelves today, we’re reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A.

What was the time frame for writing this latest book?

I did the heavy lifting in terms of drafting and editing No Ordinary Love in the Spring and Summer of 2024. Although the initial concept came to me in the late fall of 2023. 

Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?

That first book was truly an exercise in proving to myself that I could write the thing. Without an agent or a book deal, I was really writing just for me. I was alone with my ideas and only the expectations I’d set for myself. But then the agent and the book deal came, and things changed. Selling the book, working with an editor as well as a marketing and publicity team, engaging firsthand with readers—it all really changed my outlook on the process. I was no longer doing this for my own creative outlet, but as part of an entire commercial ecosystem.

What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?

Honestly, that I could write another book! I’ve commiserated with author friends about the challenge to produce again after our debuts. Whether it’s the come down after all the energy and excitement from promoting your first novel, or the outside pressure to excel again, or just your own internal doubts—the sophomore struggle is real. When I sat down to write, I found out quickly that getting words on the page was not at all like riding a bike. I had to really massage those creative muscles to get them working again. But in all seriousness, I’ve been blown away by the excitement I’ve seen from readers of my debut who are looking forward to reading my second novel. That makes it all worth it.  

What do you feel you did really well with this novel?

I’m proud of how No Ordinary Love captures the sense of fragility and tenderness that comes from falling in love, both in the public eye and after suffering a massive heartbreak. I also really love that I was able to include an epistolary element in the novel that I think gives readers an intimate view of Ella and Miles’s unique vulnerabilities, and why they are so perfect for each other.

Anything you would have done differently?

Absolutely. I’ve heard it said that in traditional publishing, we never finish our books. But at some point, we have to stop writing them in order to get them on the shelves! There are elements of the central relationship that I would expand if given the chance. But ultimately, I’m happy with the story that’s being told.

Would you like to share some advice for our readers?

My best advice is that inspiration can come from anywhere. No Ordinary Love comes from my millionth relisten of Mariah Carey’s Butterfly album, which sparked me to think about the possibilities of a forbidden romance between two people in the public eye—one in the midst of a contentious divorce and the other in the brutal aftermath of one. But every day I get inspired by random turns of phrase I pick up in conversation, songs on the radio, television shows I’m bingeing, even current events. Be interested in the world around you, and you may just find your next story.

What’s next for you?

I’m writing two books right now. One is yet to be announced, and the other is a dream project of mine, that’s very different from anything I’ve done before. I hope to be able to share more soon!

Where can our audience find you online?

Instagram, Threads, and TikTok: @MyahMeetsCute

Website: MyahAriel.com

The post Breaking Out: Myah Ariel appeared first on Writer's Digest.

WD uses affiliate links.

We first connected with Danielle Prescod during her debut novel’s publication and featured her in our September/October 2022‘s Breaking In column. Now that her next publication hit the shelves on February 1, 2025, we’re reconnecting with her.

What was the time frame for writing this latest book?

Well, from start to finish, the first draft took four months. And then another six months after that, it was all done. 

Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?

I think I am more patient with myself in the process, especially during the ideation and creation. My first book was a memoir, and it was easy for me to write that way because I had been writing personal narrative pieces for years. Writing fiction was a really different experience for me. Some days, the words would just not come. Some days, ideas were formless. In fiction, daydreaming is more of the work. Reading is more of the work, and it requires more patience on my part to let things come to me rather than try to find them and force them out. 

What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?

This book felt so much more personal than writing non-fiction. I felt so vulnerable, like people would read all of these things that I made up and question why things were in my head. I was more protective over these characters than I was over myself. 

What do you feel you did really well with this novel?

I feel like I gave every character a specific voice. I really wanted them to feel distinct, and I am really proud of how they turned out. 

Anything you would have done differently?

Yes, I don’t ever want to see four different timelines converging in my future. I have no idea what I was thinking. 

Would you like to share some advice with our readers?

Being nice in Goodreads reviews is good karma.

What’s next for you?

I am working on my next two books! 

Where can our audience find you online?

X, Instagram, Threads: @danielleprescod
TikTok: @danielleprescod7
Website: DaniellePrescod.com

The post Breaking Out: Danielle Prescod appeared first on Writer's Digest.