How a Books With Hooks Query Became a Buzzy Debut

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

🗓️ 22 May 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this eye-opening episode, Bianca Marais interviews Jessica Guerrieri, author of 'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.' They discuss Jessica's journey from teaching special education to becoming a published author, her experiences with addiction recovery, and the evolution of her debut novel. They discuss the intricacies of writing, the importance of feedback, and the challenges of navigating the publishing world. Jessica shares her insights on the writing process, the significance of point of view, and the role of beta readers in shaping her work. The episode concludes with Jessica's journey to landing an agent and securing a two-book deal, offering valuable advice for aspiring writers.

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.

Upcoming in person event you won't want to miss! A 'Most Puzzling Murder' Book Launch!

https://blueheronbooks.com/item/FEHiE_RNkHAGOSqfUUiVXw

Find us on our socials:

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writing

https://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_author

https://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/

https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW

Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.com

Bookshop.org affiliate

page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting

To sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/tsnotyaw
* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello, listeners, this is Cece. I am so excited to announce my next course, Writing Emotion and Relationships,
0:08.4	an all-new mashup of two of my most popular classes revamped with fresh content starting on June 19th.
0:16.6	This is going to be a four-day event, so come prepared to take lots of notes.
0:22.1	We'll cover active versus passive emotions, how to effectively show versus tell,
0:27.7	most common mistakes in writing emotions and relationships, and obviously how to get it right,
0:33.8	types of relationships and how to leverage each one in a story,
0:39.1	emotional and relational makeups and arcs for protagonists and other characters, how to create chemistry between characters,
0:46.5	different genre expectations, and so much more.
0:50.2	Oh, and did I mention there is an interactive component.
0:54.0	That's right, everyone who is registered will have the option of sending an excerpt of their work for a chance to have it critiqued live during the webinar.
1:04.0	Writers of all categories and genres are invited to attend.
1:09.0	There are limited spots though, so if you're interested,
1:11.6	sign up now. And don't worry, if you can't attend one or more sessions live, the recording
1:17.0	will be sent to everyone who's registered 24 hours after each class. Once again, this is a four-day
1:24.7	class writing emotion and relationships beginning on June 19th.
1:29.6	For more details, check out the link on my Instagram bio or head over to the podcast's website.
1:36.2	I hope to see you there.
1:46.9	Hi there and welcome to our show.
1:49.7	The shit no one tells you about writing.
1:57.2	I'm Bianca Murray and I'm joined by Carly Waters and Cici Lira from PS Literary Agency.
1:58.4	Hi everyone.
2:03.9	We have a special guest joining us today. So her debut novel between the devil and the Deep Blue Sea won the Maurice Prize for Fiction from her alma mater, UC Davis in 2023. Originally from the
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 26 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.