First Novels Club

At long last, Sara and I can unveil our new book recommendation website! Without further ado, we present: THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE READING The idea behind the site is to recommend gr...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2015/04/our-next-adventure-this-is-what-you.html

(This column excerpted from GET A LITERARY AGENT , from Writer’s Digest Books.) If you’re writing a novel or memoir, the most important part of the query letter is the pitch—a brief basi...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2016/11/crafting-novels-pitch-7-tips-guest.html

(Column excerpted from the Guide to Literary Agents , from Writer’s Digest Books) I love interviewing debut authors. I interview them for my Guide to Literary Agents Blog , and make sure to...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2016/10/25-debut-authors-share-advice-for.html

(This column excerpted from GET A LITERARY AGENT , from Writer’s Digest Books.) Because literary agents have connections to the top editors of the world, writers can believe that getting an...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2016/09/15-questions-to-ask-literary-agent.html

Sara did a super fun SALVAGE review in gif form a few months ago that convinced me to read it ... but once I had, I wanted to add my own recommendation! (Plus, Alexandra Duncan is a debut author...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/07/SalvageAlexandraDuncan.html

PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE GIRL IN THE FANCY DRESS! Annnnnnd that's my acknowledgment that, when I first saw this book at ALA in January, I didn't even flip it over to read the back because I'...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/06/thewinnerscurse.html

WEDNESDAY: ARRIVAL IN NYC AND BOOK BLOGGER CON After a 4am wakeup, I met Sara at the train station! > Waiting for the train to NYC in 30th St Station with @sara_sans_h >  for #B...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/06/bea-2014-recap-in-tweets-and-retweets.html

Consider this my enthusiastic recommendation for Julie Murphy's SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY. It's a dual POV, back-and-forth-in-time narration of two friends, Alice and Harvey. The official summar...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/04/sideeffectsmayvaryjuliemurphy.html

We've been seeing more and more questions from aspiring authors in our inbox, so we're turning them into a new, semi-regular feature — ASK AWAY! Do you have a burning question about the writi...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/04/AskAway-GrammarPunctuation.html

We've been seeing more and more questions from aspiring authors in our inbox, so we're turning them into a new, semi-regular feature — ASK AWAY! Do you have a burning question about the writi...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/03/AskAway-Queryagentassistant.html

Back in May of 2011, I pondered if Katy Perry and Bella Swan were secretly critique partners , because Katy Perry's song "E.T." seriously sounded like it was pulled straight out of Twilight. We...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/03/katy-perry-bella-swan-sequel.html

Do you like space? Do you like strong female main characters? Do you like islands made of trash? If you said yes to any of these, then you should definitely check out SALVAGE, by Alexandra Dunca...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/03/salvage-review-in-gif-form-and-giveaway.html

Writing is so hard for so many reasons. Plots, subplots, character arcs, world building...how do you keep it all straight, right? Not to mention, you’re not only trying to keep it straight in y...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/02/writing-pitfalls-dont-put-bow-on-it.html

Bethany Hagen's debut, LANDRY PARK, is a dystopian pitched as "Downton Abbey meets The Selection," but I would edit that to say that  "Downton Abbey meets FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS " is way...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/02/LandryPark.html

Today we conclude our series of what's so fetch and what's no longer going to happen in YA! To recap, what's hot: 1) Killer Girls 2) Psychological Thrillers 3) Getting Incepted And what...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/02/so-fetch-new-trends-in-ya-part-four.html

Welcome back, and get ready for part three of what's new and hot in YA! We've already told you about killer girls. And then we told you about psychological thrillers. Today, prepare for t...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/02/so-fetch-new-trends-part-three-getting.html

Yesterday the FNC told you all about the killer girls trend  and how it's going to be one of the hot new things in YA books this spring and summer. Today we have part two of the new trends in Y...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/02/so-fetch-new-trends-part-two.html

Gretchen Weiner knows what's hot and what's not. And so does the FNC! (At least in the book world.)  While checking out many upcoming titles at ALA, some definite trends emerged--and some tr...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/02/so-fetch-new-trends-in-ya-part-one.html

This past weekend I had the awesome chance to attend the ALA Midwinter Conference, hosted right here in Philly! That meant I was only a quick train ride away from so. much. awesomeness. all weeke...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/01/ala-recap-five-books-i-cant-wait-to-read.html

I'm home from Australia! Ok, I shouldn't write that with an exclamation point, because it's quite depressing that four days ago I was lying on a beach (Bondi, to be exact) and it was 25°C (77�...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2014/01/australian-ya-novel-purchases.html

This week, I'm leaving for a monthlong trip-of-a-lifetime to Australia . And though I'll be doing amazing (I-seriously-can't-even-believe-it-will-be-real-AMAZING) things like ziplining in the ra...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2013/12/how-to-travel-like-bookworm.html

Australia is known for some big things, like an enormous, ancient rock formation, a wonder-of-the-world reef, and massive (and dangerous) wildlife.* Uluru, via digitalreflections / Great Bar...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2013/11/HowToAchieveYourGoals.html

(This column excerpted from GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS , from Writer’s Digest Books.) Image source. Something that gained attention during the past several months on Twitter was #MSWL,...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2013/11/WhatLiteraryAgentsWant.html

We've all seen the lists before.  "You Know You're a Writer If..." and then a joke about caffeine addiction.  Below, you'll find my personal quirks and reasons that peg me into the writerly bo...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2013/10/you-know-youre-writer-if.html

Because Diana Peterfreund's FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS gave me all the feelings, I was ridiculously excited to delve into the companion novel, ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA. Whereas FDSTS was a r...

http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2013/10/AcrossAStarSweptSea.html