Kelly Loy Gilbert is the author of "Conviction", a William C. Morris Award finalist, and her newest novel, “Picture Us in the Light”. In today’s episode, Kelly brings us behind-the-scenes of “Picture Us in the Light” from discussing the inspiration and catalyst for her new novel to a detailed look at Kelly’s hands-on research process for the story. She walks us through the importance of strong character building when crafting conflict scenes, how to craft authentic characters whose experiences are different from our own, and how to weave empathy into the story by reflecting on personal experiences.   Further into our conversation, Kelly shares advice on coping with and overcoming writer’s block to move forward with your work, how you can work with your support network to strengthen your story’s plotlines, and she also shares why it’s crucial to give yourself permission to step away from your story. Say 'Hi' to Kelly on Twitter! She will also be taking over our Instagram stories for the release of her episode, be sure to catch her takeover on Instagram by clicking here.  We're also teaming up with Kelly and her team to giveaway a copy of "Picture Us in the Light" to TWO lucky winners, so look out for the directions in our Instagram stories. For our writers, Kelly created a very helpful writing prompt exclusive for our community, head over to her shownotes page by clicking here to download your copy. Happy listening! Xo, Yin PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word! --- If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page! --- Meet fellow members in our community and check in about your work-in-progress, and join in on other bookish talks and 88 Cups of Tea related things, join our private Facebook group! You can really feel the love and support in our community. You also get the opportunity to submit your questions for upcoming guests on the show. Click here to join our private Facebook group! --- Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to check out our archive of episodes by clicking here! ---  “I think I always tend to forget how much you just have to end up deleting and how much you have to write and write and write to sort of get to the heart of the story and figure out the characters.”  -Kelly Loy Gilbert (Click to tweet!) “If you feel like you’re in this rut, nothing is happening, I promise when you step back you will start missing it and I think that is always a good place to be in.” -Kelly Loy Gilbert (Click to tweet!) “Thinking about how everything is interconnected and how every action leads to a reaction has been, I think, really useful for me.” -Kelly Loy Gilbert (Click to tweet!)  --- WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:  The inspiration and catalyst behind Kelly’s new novel “Picture Us in the Light”  A look at Kelly’s hands-on research process and her advice on researching frightening topics Ways you can get involved in the fight against human trafficking How to craft authentic characters whose experiences are different from your own The importance of strong character building when crafting multidimensional conflict scenes  How you can work with your support network to strengthen your story’s plotlines  Advice on coping with and overcoming writer’s block to move forward with your work Kelly’s experience writing a story that matched a proposal that was already sold  How to weave empathy into your story by reflecting on personal experiences The importance of giving yourself person to step back from your story