Once upon a time, adult and young adult novelist Suzanne Park swore by the technique of writing every day. Now, after five published books and counting, The Christmas Clash (October 4, Sourcebooks Fire) author has an evolved take. “The idea at the time was if you write every day, if you write a page a day—it doesn’t have to be every single day—just means five days out of the seven … Read the rest
Just because one has a Ph.d and multiple master degrees in writing and/or literature, a long history of writing leisurely, and teaches writing, does not mean the craft comes easy. Author of the Absolution series, Rachelle Storm, checks all these boxes. “A lot of people assume that that must mean I’m really comfortable writing and that I’m comfortable sharing my writing,” she tells So Booking Cool. “That’s just not … Read the rest
The advice Booki Vivat, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling series, Frazzled, has for other authors and illustrators is to not discredit their creative work. “… Doodling, I totally dismissed it as not being creative,” she tells So Booking Cool. “I grew up writing fanfiction, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s not writing, that’s not really writing.’ But it is. And all of these things people … Read the rest
Many of us at some point have looked back on some of our early work and cringed (or simply uttered something along the lines of, “I’ve come a long way!”) Author of several novels including the starred-reviewed Tyler Johnson Was Here and critically acclaimed anthologies (Black Enough and Hungry Hearts), Jay Coles, explained why he thinks his first few books are bad. Instead of being authentic in … Read the rest
After enjoying abundant success online via Wattpad including over a million reads and being a two-time Watty award winner including the 2018 Worldbuilders award, Given by Nandi Taylor is now gearing up for international release under Wattpad Books on January 21, 2020. Taylor discussed why her story ascending into trade publication is meaningful to her. “Posting the book online was kind of my way to keep myself accountable and … Read the rest
Though it took nine years for Jerald L. Hoover to get his book, My Friend, My Hero published, it would later celebrate 25 years of release; win multiple awards and garner accolades; become a semi-finalist in the Gotham Screenplay Contest; and make Hoover a staple in his hometown of Mount Vernon. He was awarded with the WritersCorp Award by president Bill Clinton and was among the top selling black authors … Read the rest
An important goal for Yahdon Israel, the creator of the Literaryswag and Lit Platform movement and book club, is to bring more fans to the art, not more artists. Many writers and other industry-related professionals attend book events, whereas at a Beyoncé concert, most of the attendees are not singers but fans, he noted. “If the only reason you enjoy something is just because you’re doing it, then you’re really … Read the rest
Pratima Rao Gluckman knew as a child that she wanted to become an engineer and leader after taking her first programming class and routinely organizing her neighborhood’s cricket games. She didn’t, however, know she would want to write a book. But it was the topic that made her passionate. Gluckman wrote and published Nevertheless, She Persisted: True Stories of Women Leaders in Tech because she noticed that at women … Read the rest
Daniel José Older penned his first novel in 2009,a manuscript that would be rejected forty times and eventually put on hold as he gained inspiration for creating other stories. This story is Shadowshaper, the YA bestselling series praised by New York Times (“magnificent”); Kirkus Reviews, “a must”; and Publishers Weekly, “exceptional.” And yes, there will be another installment of the thrilling sci-fi fantasy.
Of course So Booking … Read the rest
Love and relationship expert, television personality, entrepreneur, speaker, publisher, and author, Dianne Valentine recently appeared on So Booking Cool in support of her debut book, Going The Distance For Love: 22 Tips On Handling Your Issues and Finding Love…Wherever It May Be. As someone who informs that she has been in love with love since she was seven-years-old, this is an endeavor close to her heart, no pun intended. The … Read the rest
