Season 2 Episode 7: 2025’s Hottest New Titles: Meet the Debut Authors Behind the Buzz!

In this episode of Craft Chat Chronicles, hosted by J.D. Myall, we’re excited to bring you a dynamic Debut Author Panel featuring some of the most promising new voices in literature: Arriel Vinson, M.C. Benner Dixon, Shalini Abeysekara, Dami Salako, Jill Tew, and Ashley Jordan.

Join us as these authors share their journeys from manuscript to publication, offering a rare glimpse into the world of debut authorship. Shalini Abeysekara discusses her dark romanticist novel, This Monster of Mine, set to release in April 2025, while M.C. Benner Dixon talks about her novel, The Height of Land, coming out on March 4th, 2025. Jill Tew gives us an exclusive look at her young adult dystopian novel, The Dividing Sky, due in October 2025, and Ashley Jordan adds her unique perspective to the conversation. Dami Salako, another standout debut author, will also be sharing insights on her writing and debut experience.

This episode is packed with practical advice, personal stories, and invaluable insights for anyone interested in the debut process. Whether you're an aspiring author or simply curious about what it takes to bring a book to life, this conversation offers a front-row seat to the thrilling and sometimes daunting world of publishing.

Tune in to learn from these talented authors and get inspired by their experiences. Don’t miss this chance to discover the next wave of literary talent and understand the true meaning of bringing a book to life.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Welcome to Craft Chat Chronicles, the go-to podcast for tips on crafting best-selling fiction. Here at Craft Chat Chronicles, we bring you expert interviews, insights and tips on writing, publishing and marketing. Join the conversation and embark on a new chapter in your writing journey. For workshops, show notes and more information, visit jdmayalcom. That's jdmayalcom.

Speaker 2: 0:41

On season two, episode seven of Craft Chat Chronicles, we have a debut author panel. We'll learn about the debut process, from securing the agent to getting the book deal, to what it feels like to see your cover for the first time and get some writing and craft tips from debut authors whose books will be in store in 2025. So learn all about publishing and what it's like to be a debut author from those who are in the thick of it. On today's episode of Craft Chat Chronicles, Welcome you guys to another Drexel MFA Alumni Craft Chat. Tonight we're going to dive in and we're going to have a rich discussion with a fantastic group of debut authors. They're going to talk a little writing, a little publishing. Give you the inside track on the debut experience from people who are still in the thick of it, because we will all be debuting in 2025. So can we start by having our panel go around and introduce themselves? Shalini, do you want to bite the bullet and go first by having our panel go around and introduce?

Speaker 4: 1:48

themselves. Shalini, do you want to bite the bullet and go first? Yeah, let's do it. So, hi everyone, I'm Shalini. I'm a writer based in Ontario, canada, and my debut dark romanticist, this Monster of Mine, will be coming out in spring 2025. The tentative date we have set is April.

Speaker 2: 2:12

And yeah, I'm really excited to be here, awesome.

Speaker 5: 2:16

MC, do you want to jump in next? Sure, thank you. My name is MC Benner-Dixon, but if you're just talking to my face you can always call me Christine, because that's one of my many names that I go by. My debut novel is called the Height of Land. It is debuting March 4th 2025. I just got my date date. So I had been a vague spring person for a while. I have in the past. I have another book that is non-fiction. That's about writing called Millions of Sons, co-authored with a poet friend of mine, sharon Fagan McDermott. So I have a little bit of like having done this as a nonfiction author last year and now doing this in fiction and feeling the kind of the differences of going about this both on my own and with a novel rather than a collection of essays. So here we go.

Speaker 2: 3:11

Awesome, jill, I see you just arrived. Welcome, welcome to you. Introduce yourself to everybody.

Speaker 3: 3:17

Yeah, absolutely Sorry, I'm late. The Zoom was doing a weird thing with like a waiting room. I'm Jill Tu. I am a debut author with a book coming out this October, october 8th. The Dividing Sky is a young adult dystopian novel about a girl who uses her neurochip to illegally deal happy memories and the handsome rookie determined to arrest her. I'm a big sci-fi geek. I loved like Hunger Games and Divergent and stuff growing up and wanted to write a story with an all BIPOC cast and two Black leads. And so here we are and, yeah, I've been writing for about 10 years and got agented about three years ago and then we sold this book about two years ago and then since then I sold a couple of middle grade books to Disney and then, as well as my option book, to Penguin Random House as well. So, yeah, happy to chat about any and all part of the querying and submission process and even writing, you know.