The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer
Writer's Block? Rejection? Impostor Syndrome? Writing is full of ups and downs, but we can still find plenty of joy on this creative journey! Bestselling author Marissa Meyer interviews writers and industry professionals about books, craft, and publishing, to find out how we can all bring more joy to our writing process and career.
Episodes
225 episodes
Saying Farewell after 225 episodes... and Hello to The Happy Writer Book!
In this final (!) episode of the Happy Writer podcast, Marissa and Joanne chat about the past almost five years and 224 episodes of the podcast: favorite moments, what they learned, what they will (and won’t!) miss, how many people tuned in, an...
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Season 2025
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Episode 225
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47:23
Gothic Romances and Ghosts Galore! with J. Ann Thomas - The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall
Marissa chats with J. Ann Thomas about her new adult gothic ghost novel, THE SPIRIT COLLECTION OF THORNE HALL. Also in this episode: the unpredictability of being a podcaster with children, how publishing can be a roller coaster of a career, cr...
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Season 2025
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Episode 224
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59:49
Militant Outlines and Author Vulnerability with Trisha Tobias - Honeysuckle and Bone
Marissa chats with Trisha Tobias about her debut gothic YA, HONEYSUCKLE AND BONE. Also discussed: creating author signatures, writing fanfiction across fandoms, writing from a place of grief and vulnerability and using writing to help process, ...
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Season 2025
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Episode 223
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46:27
Banter, Love Confessions, and IP Projects with Paul Coccia - Recommended Reading
In this first episode of 2025, Marissa chats with Paul Coccia about his upcoming YA romance, RECOMMENDED READING. Also discussed in this episode: Glitterature, projects taking time to find the perfect home and market, feeling confident enough t...
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Season 2025
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Episode 222
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47:43
Celebrating Accomplishments and Setting Writing Goals for the New Year - with Tamara Moss
Marissa is joined by repeat podcast guest, author, longtime critique partner, fellow Sailor Moon fanfiction writer and now, cowriter, Tamara Moss. Discussed in this episode: Tamara and Marissa’s writing accomplishments for 2024 and how they cel...
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Season 2025
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Episode 221
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1:00:24
Behind the Scenes of Audiobook Narration with Gabi Epstein and Rebecca Soler
Marissa and Joanne are joined by Rebecca Soler and Gabi Epstein – the narrators for the LET IT GLOW audiobook (You may also recognize Rebecca’s voice from most of Marissa’s other audio books!). Discussed in this deep dive episode all about audi...
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Season 2024
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Episode 220
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1:14:59
Perfect Gifts for Readers, Writers, & Book Lovers - The Happy Writer Holiday Gift Guide
Marissa and Joanne chat all things holiday gifting in this special bonus super-sized episode where they share their favorite presents received and offer their suggestions, along with a few submitted by listeners (thank you!). From free ideas to...
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Season 2024
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Episode 219
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1:09:23
Twists, Mysteries, and Filling Your Artistic Well with Marisha Pessl - Darkly
Marissa chats with Marisha Pessl about her new YA thriller, DARKLY. Also discussed in this episode: avoiding the trap of feeling like you have to publish a book a year, how planning and outlining can be essential for writing great twists that f...
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Season 2024
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Episode 218
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45:17
Middle Grade Tips & Tricks with Alyssa Colman - The Gilded Girl
Marissa chats with Alyssa Colman about her Gilded Magic middle grade fantasy duology and her upcoming WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW in this jam-packed middle grade focused episode. Also discussed: the hallmarks of middle grade (themes, tone, voice), w...
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Season 2024
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Episode 217
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46:40
Let It Glow - Live from Book Tour with Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy
Marissa and Joanne get together to tape this special episode (less than 24 hours after they met in person for the very first time!) as they embark on their LET IT GLOW tour! They answer listener-submitted questions on topics like their origin s...
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Season 2024
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Episode 216
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42:54
Worldbuilding & Romance in Dystopian Sci-Fi with Jill Tew - The Dividing Sky
Marissa chats with Jill Tew about her debut dystopian romance, THE DIVIDING SKY. Also discussed in this episode: making the transition from the corporate world to writing sci-fi inspired by the corporate world, sci-fi worldbuilding, sci-fi as a...
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Season 2024
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Episode 215
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47:11
A Jane Austen-Inspired LGBT+ Romance with Hari Conner - I Shall Never Fall in Love
Marissa chats with Hari Conner about their queer regency graphic novel rom-com, I SHALL NEVER FALL IN LOVE. Also discussed in this episode: a non-typical (is there such a thing as typical?) road to finding an agent, mining real world history an...
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Season 2024
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Episode 214
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46:45
Solving Impossible Plot Problems with Amanda M. Helander - Divine Mortals
Marissa chats with Amanda M. Helander about her debut romantasy, DIVINE MORTALS. Also discussed in this episode: how keeping diaries can be a first step in a writing career, publishing timelines and how there’s no such thing as typical, the fru...
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Season 2024
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Episode 213
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45:23
Pacing and Suspense in Big Fantasies with Sabaa Tahir - Heir
Marissa chats with Sabaa Tahir about the first book in her new YA fantasy duology, HEIR. Also discussed in this episode: Yosemite National Park, using the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) technique, how the final, typeset draft can be a place w...
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Season 2024
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Episode 212
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46:53
Vampires Meet Jewish Folklore with A.R. Vishny - Night Owls
Marissa chats with A. R. Vishny about her debut paranormal YA romance, NIGHT OWLS. Also discussed in this episode: the popularity of getting started with fanfiction, how much timing can matter in the submission process, the recent trend (again!...
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Season 2024
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Episode 211
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45:28
Revise Your Novel, Step by Step! Marissa's Revision Process
In this bonus craft episode, Marissa shares her steps and processes for revisions. Hint: they begin in the drafting process! Also discussed: celebrating milestones and accomplishments, the importance of letting a project simmer, how to know whe...
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Season 2024
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Episode 210
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34:05
Vampires Meet Dark Academia with Tigest Girma - Immortal Dark
Marissa chats with Tigest Girma about her debut, a YA romantic vampire novel, IMMORTAL DARK. Also discussed in this episode: struggling with the young adult/new adult/adult labels, making the change to age down a book and characters and what th...
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Season 2024
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Episode 209
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44:50
Trilogies, Tropes, and Love Triangles with Adalyn Grace - Wisteria (Belladonna series)
Marissa chats with Adalyn Grace about WISTERIA, the conclusion to her Belladonna trilogy. Also discussed in this episode: the love of and uses for Pinterest, the phenomenon of finishing a book and forgetting having written it, writing a series ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 208
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44:36
Contemporary Royalty and Romance with Julian Winters - Prince of the Palisades
Marissa chats with Julian Winters about his latest YA romance, PRINCE OF THE PALISADES. Also discussed in this episode: how fanfiction is a great way to get started in writing, the sometimes difficult elements of crafting a contemporary royal s...
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Season 2024
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Episode 207
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47:19
Middle Grade Horror and Illustrated Novels with Remy Lai - Read At Your Own Risk
Marissa chats with Remy Lai about her new illustrated sketch diary, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. Also discussed in this episode: why kids relate to horror, the importance of capturing the tone of the book on the cover and determining appropriate cont...
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Season 2024
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Episode 206
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39:24
Avoid Creative Burnout with Lydia Michaels - Write 10K In a Day : Avoid Burnout: Unleash Your Prolific Potential
Marissa chats with author and life coach Lydia Michaels about her craft book, Write 10K in a Day. Discussed in this practical episode: the challenges of being an indie author/entrepreneur, writer burnout, time poverty – particularly for women, ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 205
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1:00:25
Romance, Family Dynamics, & Disability Rep with Anna Sortino - On the Bright Side
Marissa chats with Anna Sortino about her latest YA romance, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. Also discussed in this episode: who is the ‘real’ audience we write for, deciding on a single vs dual POV and where the points of view intersect, leaving space in ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 204
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38:52
7 Tips for Balancing Multiple Writing Projects with Marissa Meyer
In this bonus craft episode, Marissa shares her seven best tips and strategies for balancing multiple writing projects. Discussed in this practical episode: how many projects she works on at any given time and what stage in the process they are...
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Season 2024
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Episode 203
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41:02
Owning Your Writing Career with Tomi Adeyemi - Children of Anguish and Anarchy - The Legacy of Orisha
Marissa chats with award-winning author of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, Tomi Adeyemi, about her new third book in the Legacy of Orisha series, CHILDREN OF ANGUISH AND ANARCHY. Also discussed in this episode: the inspiration for Tomi creating The...
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Season 2024
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Episode 202
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54:22
Why We Love Heists and the Benefits of Co-Writing - Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka - Heiress Takes All
Marissa chats with the husband-and-wife writing team of Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka about their latest YA adventure heist novel, HEIRESS TAKES ALL. Also discussed in this episode: the process of cowriting and the division of labo...
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Season 2024
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Episode 201
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46:26