Marissa chats with Namina Forna about her new YA fantasy - THE MERCILESS ONES - as well as the deeper meanings that books can have for readers, and why it is so powerful to feel seen in the stories we read; upping the stakes over the course of a series by delving deeper into the world and its various systems with every book; honoring the importance of female friendships in young adult fiction, and how you can use those relationships as various foils for your protagonist; building your fantasy world on a foundation of reality and research (think you don't enjoy research? Namina shares some ideas to make it more fun); and the many differences we writers can have when it comes to our personal writing process - and yet, miraculously, we all somehow end up with a book in the end!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/