Queries, Qualms, & Quirks

Mystery Author Kathleen Marple Kalb joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss querying in high school, getting rejections while sitting in a hospital waiting room, debuting in a pandemic, how Law & Order helps our writing, how working in news rooms has influenced her writing, writing headlines, and the importance of knowing your genre.

Kathleen Marple Kalb describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. A weekend anchor at 1010 WINS Radio in New York, she writes mysteries for Kensington and Crooked Lane Books as well as short stories. She, her husband and son live in a Connecticut house owned by their cat.

Thriller Author Ashley Winstead joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss dreams deferred, not getting into an MFA, feeling like a Pitch Wars Showcase failure, how much easier writing the second book was, the importance of writing friends, making up new things to worry about, and having the courage to be the writer you want to be.

Ashley Winstead is the author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, which has received positive reviews from the New York Times and Publishers Weekly, among others, and has been named one of the best debuts of the year by CrimeReads and Library Journal. She has a PhD in English and lives in Houston.

Romance Author Ruby Barrett joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss having your best friend as your first reader, Pitch Wars, learning about story structure, the importance of feedback, being inspired by a tweet, jealousy vs envy, the benefit of your friends getting published before you, how unemployment lead to her new career, how music inspires her writing.

Ruby Barrett (she/her) writes steamy romances about big feelings. She is the author of HOT COPY, and the forthcoming THE ROMANCE RECIPE.

She lives in Ottawa, Canada with her daughter and her husband.

Romance Author Charish Reid joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss writing with ADHD, getting an agent and publication offer at the same time, reading reviews, putting things in perspective, the benefit of series in romance, preparing for the next book contract, writing bad poetry, and the need for external validation. ✦ 

Charish Reid is the author of three contemporary romance novels: The Write Escape, Hearts on Hold, and (Trust) Falling for You. She and her husband currently live in Sweden, teaching and exploring their new town. ✦ 

Young Adult Author Kyrie McCauley joins Queries, Qualms, & Quirks this week to discuss finding a supportive community early on, sobbing at her first edit letter, writing about tough topics, writing at the zoo, Pitch Wars, the mountains and valleys of publishing, and what she misses about querying. ✦ 

Kyrie McCauley is the author of If These Wings Could Fly and We Can Be Heroes. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her family, three rescue cats, and a dog that eats books and is never sorry. ✦