The Importance of Surprising the Reader From the First Chapter

From The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra

In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe each critique two query letters, in the process discussing WWII fatigue in the industry; the importance of the butterfly effect in time travel stories; how to compress plot in your query; packing in as many compelling elements as possible; and reading a perfect query letter.

After which, Bianca chats with Brad Smith, author of Copperhead Road, about how Bob Dylan, moonshine, and the origins of stock car racing inspired Copperhead Road; his experiences publishing with a small Canadian indie press; surprising the reader in the opening chapter; the importance of causality; how writing a book is like building a house; and killing your darlings.

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Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting, www.biancamarais.com and www.carlywatters.com
Brad can be found at www.bradsmithbooks.com

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