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In this episode Sorboni Banerjee, Dominique Richardson, and Lori discuss:

• The draw of fairy tales, even in contemporary times.
• How important it is to build community and support fellow writers.
• Diversifying traditional tales with contemporary values and angst.

Plus, their #1 tip for writers.

About Sorboni Banerjee and Dominique Richardson

Dominique Richardson and Sorboni Banerjee are the coauthors of THE EVERBEACH SERIES—a young adult, romantic suspense series pitched as “Riverdale” meets fairy tale. Full of forbidden romance, deadly twists, and scandalous secrets, this series is sure to keep you turning pages into the night. It’s perfect for fans of INHERITANCE GAMES, CINDER, GOSSIP GIRL, and PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. The first book in the series, RED AS BLOOD, comes out February 28, 2023. 

You can follow both Dominique and Sorboni on Tiktok.

Dominique Richardson was raised between Jamaica and the United States, and her biracial heritage finds a home in her books. She spends her free time passing on her love of unicorns to her twin boys, running in the Florida heat, and drinking all the coffee. Dominique is the Young Adult columnist for DIY MFA. She now lives in Tampa, Florida with her family.

You can find Dominique on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Tiktok.

Sorboni Banerjee is a Bengali-American author and Emmy Award winning television news anchor. With a dad from a small Indian village and mom from Maine, Sorboni’s experiences growing up “mixed” shape her stories. Fueled by coffee and conversation, Sorboni loves the beach, boating and traveling the world with her husband and son. Other books by Sorboni include Hide With Me.

Passionate about all things books and giving back to the community, Sorboni and Dominique co-founded YA by the Bay, a nonprofit young adult reading and leadership festival, dedicated to inspiring teens to “be the author of your own life.” The first annual conference will be held in Tampa, FL on October 13th and 14th in 2023. 

You can learn more at www.yabythebay.org, and you can follow Sorboni on Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok.

Red as Blood

Riverdale meets fairytale in this edgy, seductive twist on the age-old stories you think you know.

When Penny Zale vanishes from the psychiatric hospital where she’s being held against her will, only her chopped-off braid and cryptic letters remain. If her friends Raven, Aarya, Dawn, and Elle have any chance of finding Penny, they must enter a world where money and power mean everything, and life is expendable.

The lies that built their town of Everbeach run deep, and someone is willing to do anything to keep them hidden. The girls believe Penny’s letters point to her ex, big sugar heir Logan Steele. When Raven tries to get close to Logan to gather information, she finds herself fighting a dangerous attraction to the magnetic billionaire.

Everything begins to unravel when Aarya discovers Raven has been keeping secrets. Raven’s painful past of anxiety and addiction causes her to spiral, and everyone, including Raven herself, starts to question her version of reality. As threats and attacks ramp up against the friends, they must decipher what happened to Penny before they’re the next to disappear.

Scandalous secrets, deadly twists, and forbidden love make this series perfect for fans of Inheritance Games, Thousandth Floor, and Pretty Little Liars.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link where, if you choose to purchase via the link, DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 451

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 451: Collaborating on a Fairy Tale-Inspired YA Series – Interview with Sorboni Banerjee and Dominique Richardson appeared first on DIY MFA.