About this episode

Carly and CeCe critique speculative fiction submissions and discuss key elements of strong writing.

In this week’s Books with Hooks episode, Carly and CeCe critique two speculative fiction submissions—one a chilling Appalachian horror and the other a YA romantic fantasy. They discuss the importance of giving protagonists compelling reasons for their choices, balancing atmosphere with plot, and ensuring readers understand what’s at stake from the very beginning. The conversation explores how curiosity, motivation, and surprise drive strong openings, while also highlighting the power of distinctive voice, memorable imagery, and emotionally resonant stakes. Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host ​and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency. Find us on our socials: Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writing https://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_author…

People in this episode

Hosts: Carly Watters, CeCe Lyra

Topics covered

• speculative fiction
• writing critique
• protagonist motivation
• atmosphere vs plot
• strong openings
• distinctive voice
• emotionally resonant stakes

Keywords

• speculative fiction
• writing critique
• protagonist choices
• plot balance
• curiosity
• motivation
• surprise
• distinctive voice
• memorable imagery

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wendy Sherman Associates, P.S. Literary Agency

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