Emotions—But Make It Messy

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra

How To, Books, Education, Fiction, Arts

4.8 • 733 Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this exciting episode of Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly sit down with Casey, winner of the Masana Literary Project Fundraiser, to chat about her debut novel, ‘The Break of Light.’ The hosts dive deep into Casey’s query letter, unpacking the story’s emotional layers, compelling plot, and rich character dynamics. CeCe and Carly offer sharp insights on upping the narrative stakes—with tips on mastering causality, embracing messy emotions, and building a vivid, believable world. From the protagonist’s urgent quest to save her best friend to the crucial first pages, this episode is packed with craft takeaways for writers at every stage.

Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi there and welcome to our show. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing. I'm Bianca Moray and I'm joined by Carly Waters and Cic Leera from PS Literary Agency.
0:19.5	Hi everyone. Welcome back to another Books with Hook Segment.
0:23.0	This is a special one because we have the author joining us on the show.
0:27.5	Welcome, Casey Keir.
0:29.0	Hi, thanks for having me.
0:30.4	It's really nice to see you all in person.
0:32.5	It's wonderful to have you here and we get to pick your brain and ask all the questions.
0:36.3	So it's going to be awesome.
0:38.2	Can you please start us off by reading us your query letter? Well do. Dear Bianca, Cece and Carly,
0:46.6	this podcast has been an absolute wealth of knowledge and I cannot thank you enough. Today I
0:51.7	humbly ask your feedback on my debut novel, which I hope will appeal to
0:55.3	Cece's love of messy characters and intense female friendships. The break of light follows a
1:01.3	cowardly hero on a rescue mission that spans worlds. At 72,000 words, this coming-of-age fantasy
1:07.7	marries the contemporary voice of Legend- Legend Born with the world-bending magic
1:12.0	in the Book of Living Secrets. Life is changing too fast for Eve, an Irish teen with crippling anxiety.
1:19.1	At 17, the only thing she's sure of is her best friend Danny, the one person who inspires courage
1:25.0	in her. As Danny ready's to leave town for college, Eve will do
1:28.5	anything to convince her to stay. But her plans place them in the path of a mysterious portal
1:33.6	and a horde of vicious otherworldly attackers that kidnap Danny. To save her, Eve must travel to
1:39.3	Alteris, a realm of old gods and elemental magic. Here towering beasts walk land and sea,
1:46.0	and the trees threaten to ensnare you in your sleep.
1:49.2	Most terrifying of all is Madaghan,
	...

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