Leaning into Illustrator Notes & CeCe Not Minding a But, But

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

🗓️ 15 May 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Books with Hooks, Bianca, CeCe, and Carly dive into a YA fantasy romance query, breaking down what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to character arcs, high stakes, and spot-on comp titles. The hosts then shift gears to a picture book query, spotlighting the power of a strong hook and truly kid-focused storytelling. Packed with sharp insights and actionable feedback, this episode is a must-listen for writers ready to level up their queries and take on the publishing world.

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 everyone, it's Cece here.
0:03.4	If you're a fan of the podcast, then you know that one of my most common notes on the books with Hook segment is about writing emotion.
0:11.4	And that's because the best stories are the ones that make readers feel.
0:15.8	But as a storyteller, you know that pulling that off is hard work.
0:20.4	It involves not only the obvious skill of writing
0:23.8	emotion really well, but also mastering writing relationships effectively, since those emotional
0:29.8	beats involve the protagonist's relational connections. The best stories are also relationship-driven.
0:37.1	That's why I'm so excited to announce that I'm teaching a four-day class called writing emotion and relationships,
0:43.3	starting on June 18th.
0:45.3	Over the course of four days, we'll cover over 10 hours of content, including active versus passive emotions,
0:53.3	how to leverage emotions and relationships
0:56.0	into tension, showing versus telling, how to create chemistry between characters, emotional
1:02.1	calibration, and roles for various characters, from love interest to antagonist, and so much
1:08.6	more. And my favorite thing, this course will feature an interactive component.
1:13.6	Everyone who signs up will have the option of submitting a scene from their work
1:18.6	for a chance to have it critiqued during the course.
1:21.6	We did this in my starting at Wright class in March, and if you were there there you know it was a smashing success.
1:28.7	If you'd like to know more, check out the link in my bio on Instagram. I hope to see you there.
1:35.1	Come prepared to take lots of notes.
1:51.0	Hi there and welcome to our show. The Ship No One Tells You About Writing. I'm Bianca Marais and I'm joined by Carly Waters and Cici Lira from PS Literary Agency.
1:57.8	Hi everyone. Welcome back to another Books with Hook segment. As per usual, we are diving
2:03.1	straight in. Cece, will you please read us your query letter? Dear Cece, you and the whole podcast rock.
	...

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