Book Magic Now: Annie Cardi + bookish friendships
Two magical moments, three spell-binding resources, and one enchanting tea.
Just a quick reminder that the New Year, New You speculative fiction anthology I’m working on goes live on Kickstarter tomorrow! Please consider backing or helping spread the word if you can! Thanks as always for your support… now on to the magic!
Welcome to Book Magic Now, a brand new feature that will highlight the serendipitous, the inspirational, and the magical adventures that comes from reading (or writing!) a good book. We cover plenty of practical tools and stories on the business side of writing in my Book Marketing Now series. This is for the ineffable side of creativity: What are we grateful for? What generates creative spark? And what (or who!) has helped us get there?
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to feature writer, parent, all-around magical human, my dear friend Annie Cardi for this inaugural issue. Annie is the author of the YA novels Red, an Indie Kids Next Pick, and The Chance You Won’t Return, which received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. She has an MFA from Emerson College, and she currently lives with her family and dog in the Boston area.
Annie’s book Red launches TODAY! You can celebrate with her at Brookline Booksmith this evening or tune-in via YouTube!
The D&D spell I’d have in real life:
Definitely Tiny Hut. I want a private cozy space that I can access anytime!
Two magical bookish moments:
I was one of the winners of the 2011 Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for what would become my first YA novel, The Chance You Won't Return. The other winner that year was Tara Sullivan, for her book, Golden Boy. At the celebration event, Tara and I got to talking and found out that we both graduated from UVA a year apart and lived in neighboring dorms. About a year later, I ran into Tara again at the NESCBWI annual conference, where she introduced me to her writing group, which shortly after became my writing group as well. More than ten years later, this writing group has been such a cornerstone of my creative life and friend circle. Without the Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award, I would never have gotten my first book deal or connected with some of my favorite people!
When I was searching for a location for my first book launch, I reached out to Wellesley Books. The timing didn't work out, but the person who responded had such a familiar name. I asked if, by any chance, had she gone to UVA’s Young Writers Workshop as a teen. It turned out she had—we'd been suite mates, had been in the same fiction workshop, and she'd been the very first person I met at YWW. It was Allison!!! We reconnected to talk about writing and life, and she's been one of my closest friends ever since. Plus, a few years after we reconnected, I roped her into joining the writing group, too!
Three spell-binding resources:
Print Run. Allison actually recommended this to me! It's a podcast hosted by two literary agents, Laura Zats and Erik Hane, who share thoughtful, honest, and often hilarious takes on the state of publishing. They give an extremely good overview of the industry and the various situations that arise. Highly recommended for anyone who works in writing or publishing.
Life Without Envy: Ego Management for Creative People by Camille DeAngelis. Camille is best well-known for her amazing Bones & All, but I especially appreciated her nonfiction book about writing in a way that nurtures creativity and growth instead of anxiety and pressure. Camille is also a wonderful person and has another great book about creativity and veganism.
This Creative Life by Sara Zarr. It's both a book and a podcast, created by one of my favorite contemporary YA authors. Sara's approach is thoughtful and measured, looking at writing both as a profession and a creative endeavor. The interviews she does on the podcast with other writers are also fantastic.
One enchanting tea recommendation:
These days, most of the tea I drink is decaffeinated, since I go through multiple cups over the course of an afternoon and evening. A favorite is the rooibos ginger peach from Virtuous Teas. It's simple, gentle, delicious, and works well in any season.
Follow Annie Cardi:
Website | Instagram | Threads | BlueSky
To order Red:
Bookshop.org | Brookline Booksmith (signed copies!) | Barnes & Noble
Support Annie Cardi and your other favorite authors by following, reposting, sharing, reviewing, requesting, and/or reading their books (and buying when you can)!
Happy reading & writing!
~Allison
Writer & Marketing Coach
Keep Writing, Keep Connecting! Facebook | Newsletter | Website | BlueSky | Mastadon
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Allison Pottern Hoch has happily made books her life’s work. She spent four years marketing and publicizing academic titles at The MIT Press before she went to work for Wellesley Books as a children’s bookseller and event coordinator. She is now living her dream: putting her B.A. in Creative Writing to good use as a novelist and as a writing/marketing coach for authors. She is also a graduate of the 2023 Viable Paradise workshop. She enjoys science fiction, chocolate, and a hot cup of tea.