The Debutante Ball, established in 2007, is a group blog for authors making their debut in the literary world. We are now in our twelfth season of celebrating up-and-coming authors. Former Debs include bestsellers in the genres of women’s fiction, mystery, literary fiction, nonfiction, young adult, and more. Click on any of the photos above to learn about The Debutante Ball Class of 2019 and their books. Read about the bestselling…
How Lyn Plots Out First Drafts
I used to be a pantser. Meaning, I had no outline, no direction in how I wrote a first draft. I came up with an idea and started writing. I only had a vague idea of a plot, didn’t know the characters well, didn’t have a clear direction of where the story was going. That’s how I wrote my first book. And to be honest, it wasn’t that good. For…
Interview with Mary Pauline Lowry, author of THE ROXY LETTERS and WILDFIRE
We are so excited to welcome Mary Pauline Lowry, author of the hilarious novel, THE ROXY LETTERS, now in paperback, and WILDFIRE, a novel about a woman who joins an elite firefighting team in the American West. She speaks to us about her favorite books when she was young, what success means to her, and her own time as an elite firefighter on a hotshot crew. ABOUT MARY Born…
[News Flash] May 10, 2021
This week we were very excited to speak with Olivia Black, author of KILLER CONTENT and NO MEMES OF ESCAPE. Read more about her love of cozy mysteries here. And MONA AT SEA by Elizabeth Gonzalez James is The Rumpus Book Club selection for June! Another great review for WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by Denny S. Bryce, this time from the Historical Novel Society! Read the full review here….
The Purge! (or, Getting that first draft out of your system)
Ernest Hemingway famously said all first drafts are garbage, except he used a way more *effluent* term instead of garbage. This is something that I’ve, at various times, thought was completely true, completely false, and now believe is somewhere in the middle. First drafts are your best effort at the time, and I hate to say anyone’s best effort at the time is no good. I’ve also read lots of…
Interview with Olivia Blacke, author of KILLER CONTENT and NO MEMES OF ESCAPE
This week’s interview is with Olivia Blacke, a fellow Berkley author of Deb Lyn Liao Butler. We are so excited to have Olivia here, as she’s one of the first millennial cozy mystery writers! Her debut, KILLER CONTENT, is so much fun, and set in Brooklyn, NY. Olivia is also a great person and supporter of other authors, and her humor and grace is such a welcome breath of fresh air…
[News Flash] May 2, 2021
This week we were excited to interview Antoinette Walker, Co-Founder of The Chaptr, an exciting new monthly book subscription box and book club rolled into one that just launched last week! Read her interview here. And for more information about their subscription box, make sure to visit their website and follow them on Instagram. And congratulations to Ehsaneh Sadr because A DOOR BETWEEN US is Chaptr’s first pick! Just in time…
A Plotter’s Guide to First Drafts
To plot, or not to plot? It’s the perennial question writers everywhere eventually face. The internet is rife with articles waxing poetic about the virtues of Plotting vs. Pantsing. It’s the Empire vs. Rebellion of the writing world. Do you plan out your story before you write? Then you’re a Plotter. Do you let the muse guide you along the journey without a plan, or maybe with an end-point in…
First Drafts: How to get them done!
Much has been written about the soul-crushing, trauma-inducing terror of the blank page. How does one stare it down and get through the first draft? Here are some things that have worked for me: 1. Start with an outline. I know that dedicated pantsers may vehemently disagree. But for me, one of the things I love about an outline is its inherently imperfect format that removes the need for flawless…
Interview with Antoinette Walker, Co-Founder of The Chaptr
The Chaptr is an exciting new monthly book subscription box and book club rolled into one that is launching this week! Today, we talk to The Chapter’s co-founder, Antoinette Walker about where the idea came from, how The Chaptr works, and what else we can expect from this new venture. THE INTERVIEW Tell us about your self. I was the kid who read everything in sight. Cereal boxes were some…
[News Flash] April 26, 2021
Thanks to Amanda Skenandore, author of THE SECOND LIFE OF MIRIELLE WEST, for joining us this week. Read her full interview here. And THE TIGER MOM’S TALE by Lyn Liao Butler is included in Penguin Random House’s list of books celebrating Asian voices! Way to go Lyn! Denny S. Bryce (author of WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES) spoke with former Deb Ball guest, Vanessa Riley, about diversity in historical fiction…
