Novelist/humorist/coffee enthusiast Ted Fox talks with other writers about their work—not so much the books they’ve published (although those definitely come up...
Ted is joined by Angela Montoya, whose debut novel, Sinner’s Isle, received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly and trade reviews from Booklist and The Bulletin. Her second novel, A Cruel Thirst, was published last month and has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and an Editor’s Pick: Best YA of December by Amazon Books. Angela also co-hosts the podcast Of the Publishing Persuasion, which is where she and Ted first talked. He had so much fun that he asked her to come on Working Drafts to celebrate the release of A Cruel Thirst—which she describes as “Zorro meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer”—and dive into what she’s working on now. Titled Carnival Fantástico, that third novel, scheduled for release in spring 2026, is a second-chance romance set amidst a traveling carnival, with a dose of secrets and magic. Here, Angela describes the process of writing a book while you’re actively seeing readers respond to your previous one and how she finds ways to draw on that feedback to make the next novel even better, a skill Ted freely admits to envying. In addition, they discuss the genesis of Angela’s idea for Carnival Fantástico, the collaborative process that has shaped the book into its current form, and the struggle that comes with knowing you have to cut your word count—along with realizing everyone isn’t going to think your first draft is brilliant as is. Episode Links:Angela’s WebsiteOf the Publishing Persuasion Podcast (+ wherever you get your pods)Working Drafts episodes and info for requesting transcripts as well as more details about Ted and his books are available on his website, thetedfox.com.
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34:12
Creativity Uncensored
Ted is joined by Katherine J. Igoe, a writer and editor who’s been freelancing since 2011. At the moment, she is also a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire. She has written for The New York Times, The Cut, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Parents, and The Boston Globe, among others. Katherine and Ted have known each other for a number of years and have bonded over their shared love of the written word—along with the challenges said love presents. One of these is how to make a living from writing, which, as her bylines indicate, she’s done by contributing pieces to some of the country’s most recognizable media outlets. But as successful as she’s been in this nonfiction space, Katherine has wanted to write fiction since she was a kid. She and Ted have often talked about how to go from one type of writing to the other, and in this episode, she takes us inside the strategies she’s using to overcome the nagging self-censor of impostor syndrome and pursue her book aspirations. That journey has started with a book coach, something called The Artist’s Way, and short-story writing, where she has found an interest in speculative fiction that she didn’t know she had.Episode LinksKatherine’s InstagramThe Artist’s WayWorking Drafts episodes and info for requesting transcripts as well as more details about Ted and his books are available on his website, thetedfox.com.
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34:06
We Aren’t Alone
A short post-election break from our regularly scheduled programming.Website Mentioned in This Episode:Postcards to Voters: postcardstovoters.orgWorking Drafts episodes and info for requesting transcripts as well as more details about Ted and his books are available on his website, thetedfox.com.
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3:58
Easter Eggs for Ourselves
Ted is joined by Kirthana Ramisetti, author of the novels Advika and the Hollywood Wives and Dava Shastri’s Last Day, a Good Morning America Book Club selection optioned by Max. Her books have been praised by TIME, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, The Associated Press, and others. Beyond her novels, Kirthana’s writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Elle, and Salon. She just finished the copyediting stage for her next novel, a case of mistaken identity titled The Other Lata. It comes out in April of next year, and it was a great time to talk with her about what her process looked like for this book in particular. In addition to humoring a question from Ted about Oxford commas and punctuation in general, she discusses the challenge of avoiding dangling plot lines that leave the reader hanging as well as the music-fueled writing sessions that allowed her to complete a first draft in one month. They then move onto what will be Kirthana’s fourth book, one she is just in the early stages of writing right now and for which she is pushing herself to go in a direction she hasn’t tried in her first three. She compares drafting to going on a hike, with her synopsis acting as the path to help her plot her way—even as she and Ted agree that synopsis writing is not among their favorite tasks—and highlights the importance of the little ways writers can make the process fun for themselves.Finally, as has become tradition these several last months, Kirthana hits Ted with a rom-com recommendation to wrap things up. Find Kirthana Online:Kirthana’s website: kirthanaramisetti.comWorking Drafts episodes and info for requesting transcripts as well as more details about Ted and his books are available on his website, thetedfox.com.
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32:46
Five-Star Advice
Ted is joined by Laura Hankin, an author, screenwriter, and performer. Her books include The Daydreams, one of the “Best Beach Reads of 2023” (Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and more); Happy & You Know It, a Book of the Month and Library Reads selection; and A Special Place for Women, as seen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Laura and Ted’s conversation begins with her most recent book (and second Book of the Month pick) One-Star Romance, which The Washington Post calls “real, refreshing and romantic.” It’s about a struggling writer who has to walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding with a man who gave her book one star on Goodreads and the ways the two keep being brought into each other’s lives over the subsequent decade. This prompts Laura and Ted to have a very real conversation about the highs and lows of reading Goodreads reviews of their own books and why Laura has put in place some self-imposed boundaries that, by his own admission, Ted could stand to learn from. He also picks her brain about the way she managed flashbacks in One-Star Romance and the real-life backstory that inspired the novel. Then it’s onto Laura’s work in progress, a book she just recently finished outlining that she plans will be a romantic comedy that will explore the theme of female friendship, as well. She and Ted talk about “clicking” with a new manuscript, the line between editing and overediting as you go, and learning to love editorial notes.Last but not least, Laura shares some rom-com recommendations and her thoughts on the applicability of screenwriting to the process of writing a novel. Find Laura Online:Laura’s website: laurahankin.comWorking Drafts episodes and info for requesting transcripts as well as more details about Ted and his books are available on his website, thetedfox.com.
Novelist/humorist/coffee enthusiast Ted Fox talks with other writers about their work—not so much the books they’ve published (although those definitely come up) but more what they’re writing right now, aka their works in progress, their working drafts, their open Word documents making them want to throw their computers out a window. Covering the good, the bad, and the daunting word counts, these are conversations about the craft of writing meant to be both fun and helpful. New episodes released each month on the 15th.
South Africa