Marissa chats with Caitlin Sangster, host of the Lit Service Podcast, about her new fantasy novel - SHE WHO RIDES THE STORM - as well as writing that complex, multi-POV fantasy heist novel, and why Caitlin starts with the characters and their motives; determining the "aboutness" of your story, and how to dig deeper into the heart of your book to uncover the themes you most want your readers to come away with; some things to keep in mind when switching from writing young adult to middle grade; how to use action and stakes to get your reader asking the right sorts of questions from the beginning, without the dreaded first-chapter info dump; and some tips for balancing homeschooling and family life with our personal creative pursuits (with as little parent guilt as possible!).Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at  https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer  Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/