Happy Sunday, writers! The summer lull is officially over, and I’ve got tons of links to prove it…enjoy!

Writing for Publication—Queries and Submissions:

• An Agent’s Thoughts on Writer’s Conferences via BookEnds: The best way to approach agents at a writer’s conference.
• Why We Need to Deemphasize Pitches via BookEnds: One agent’s view on pitches versus queries.

Writing for Publication—Book Marketing and Social Media:

• Social Media for Authors: The Toughest Topic to Advise On via Jane Friedman: Creative ways authors are using social media.
• 4 Ways To Use Instagram To Market Your Books via The Creative Penn: Four ways you can use Instagram to market your books, using the Point-of-View Method.

Author Interviews:

• Author Chat with Meghan Masterson (The Wardrobe Mistress)! via YA Books Central: Interview with Meghan Masterson, author of The Wardrobe Mistress.
• Ep 118: Emily Ziff Griffin via First Draft with Sarah Enni: Podcast interview with Emily Ziff Griffin, author of Light Years.
• Q & A with Daniel José Older via Publishers Weekly: Interview with Daniel Jose Older, author of Shadowshaper and Shadowhouse Fall.
• Erika L. Sánchez On Unlikable WOC Protagonists and “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” via School Library Journal: Interview with Erika L. Sánchez on her YA debut novel.
• Landscape with Invisible Hand Author M.T. Anderson on National Identity, Juvenilia, and the Arts via The B&N Teen Blog: Interview with M.T. Anderson, author of Landscape with Invisible Hand.
• Author Gretchen McNeil on How a Bookseller Helped Ten Go From Page to Screen via The B&N Teen Blog: Gretchen McNeil shares the story of how her novel Ten made it to the small screen.
• Author Of The Week: Chat with Kendare Blake (One Dark Throne), Plus Giveaway!! via YA Books Central: Interview with Kendare Blake, author of One Dark Throne.
• KATHERINE LOCKE INTERVIEW and THE GIRL WITH THE RED BALLOON GIVEAWAY via Literary Rambles: Interview with Katherine Locke on her debut YA novel.
• Author Chat with Cat Winters (Off & True), Plus Giveaway! via YA Books Central: Interview with Cat Winters, author of Off & True.
• Author Chat with Ismee Williams (Water in May), Plus Giveaway! via YA Books Central: Interview with Ismee Williams, author of Water in May.
• Author Sarah Beth Durst On Bringing YA Novel Drink Slay Love to the Screen via The B&N Teen Blog: Interview with Sarah Beth Durst on how Drink Slay Love was adapted into a television movie.
• Jeff Zentner via Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire: Mindy McGinnis interviews Jeff Zentner in this podcast.

Adventures in YA Publishing Author Interviews:

• Ismée Williams, author of WATER IN MAY, on making the reader feel emotion
• Peter Brown Hoffmeister, author of TOO SHATTERED FOR MENDING, on writing terrible first drafts
• Jodi Meadows, author of BEFORE SHE IGNITES, on applying ice cream to the sting
• Sarah Porter, author of WHEN I CAST YOUR SHADOW, on scenes appearing out of the blue
• Scott Reintgen, author of NYXIA, on Imagine Dragons being required for fight scenes
• Mitali Perkins, author of YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR, on writing her first kissing scene

Literary Agent News and Interviews:

• September Featured Agent – Thao Le – Part Two Interview via Kathy Temean: Second part of an interview series with Thao Le.

Writing and Pitch Contests:

• Nightmare on Query Street via Michelle4Laughs: This spooky query contest begins again on Friday, October 13th.

Writing Craft:

• WoW: Pre-Work for Your Best Work – Sarah Ahiers on project planning via Adventures in YA Publishing: Sarah Ahiers shares her 5-step process for project planning.
• How to Write Next Level Dialogue in YA Fiction via Epic Reads: Alexandra Cooper, an Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books, breaks down how to take dialogue to the next level, with Jessie Ann Foley’s book, Neighborhood Girls, as an example.

Writing Inspiration:

• Author Kathleen Glasgow Opens Up About Anxiety & Depression via Underlined: Kathleen Glasgow shares a personal essay, titled, “Faulty Robot.”
• 3 Ways to Harness a Passion That Will Propel You Through NaNo via NaNoWriMo: As National Novel Writing Month approaches, here are three ways to keep your momentum from fizzling.

YA Book to Screen Adaptation News:

• It’s YA Movie Weekend on Lifetime via Book Riot: Lifetime premieres three YA book adaptations this weekend. 
• ‘The Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ gets long-awaited release date via Pagetopremiere.com: A date for the latest Maze Runner movie.
• Anthony Mackie & Kian Lawley Round Out ‘The Hate U Give’ Cast via Deadline: The T.H.U.G. casting is complete.

Publishing News & Trends:

• Red Queen #4 Title Reveal via Epic Reads: The fourth and final book in the Red Queen series has a title.
• 2017 Flame Con Celebrates Queer Heroes and Representation in YA Lit via School Library Journal: Coverage of the 2017 Flame Con held in New York last month.
• Summer Sales of Children’s Books at Indie Stores Are Up via Publishers Weekly: 2017 is stacking up to be a solid year for independent booksellers selling children’s books. 
• Publishing Industry Status Report: Important Stories for Authors in 2017 via Jane Friedman: Industry stats for the first half of 2017.
• Book world hopes for literary breakthrough in the fall that cuts through the ‘Trump effect’ via Salt Lake Tribune: As the book world’s most literary season approaches, the industry still awaits the year’s big literary publication.

New YA E-Book Deals:

• Epic Reads Book Deals
• Amazon Teen & Young Adult Book Deals
• Fierce Reads Book Deals
• Book Riot Deals of the Day

New YA Book Giveaways:

• Adventures in YA Publishing Giveaways
• Epic Reads Giveaways
• Goodreads Giveaways
• RivetedLit Giveaways
• YA Books Central Giveaways

YA Book Awards and Congratulations:

• The National Book Awards Longlist: Young People’s Literature via The New Yorker: The longlist for the 2017 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

YA New Book Deals and Releases:

• New Releases this week 09/11 – 09/17 plus 6 Giveaways via Adventures in YA Publishing: Our weekly highlighted list of YA new releases, plus giveaways!
• What’s New In YA ~ September 12th, 2017 via YA Books Central: The latest YA new releases for this week.

Just for Fun:

• Tell Us How You Like Your Pumpkin Spice & We’ll Tell You What to Read This Fall! via Underlined: Let your pumpkin preference choose your next read.