The Long Road to Publishing with Eva Langston

X-treme Research & Writing YA Thrillers

April Henry goes to extreme lengths to research her mystery/thriller novels, like allowing herself to get kidnapped!  She has published 31 mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults, with more to come. Her latest YA novel is called IN THE BLOOD. In this episode we talk about where she finds inspiration, her adventures in co-writing, and, of course, the ups and downs on her long road to publishing. THE LONG ROAD TO PUBLISHING WITH EVA LANGSTON: * Follow me on Substack [https://substack.com/@evalangston?utm_source=user-menu] or subscribe to my Substack Newsletter for Writers [https://evalangston.substack.com/]. * Find me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/evalangston/] and Blue Sky [https://bsky.app/profile/evalangston.bsky.social]. * Send me an email at longroad.pub@gmail.com * To pitch to the podcast, go here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffTVgjx1w5OVa0BWBHn95p3m1-dWZaTjUdQK_lRP-LiiZE0w/viewform?usp=header] * Find books by guests and books mentioned on the podcast at the Long Road Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston [https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston] APRIL HENRY: * Website: aprilhenry.com [http://aprilhenry.com/] * Instagram and Threads: @aprilhenrybooks * Facebook: @aprilhenry  * BlueSky: @aprilhenry * TikTok: @aprilhenrywritingadvice and @aprilhenrybooks  * IN THE BLOOD: https://annieblooms.com/april-henry-signed-books SHOW NOTES: * Rules for Liars by April Patten and Debra Garfinkle CREDITS: The Long Road to Publishing is produced and edited by Eva Langston, and the intro/outro music comes from the artist Soundroll on #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/lost-in-love License code: EEKRDQPCTGSBM5LZ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Scoring a Three-Book Deal

Tara Sexton landed a 3-book deal with her sports romance series... but it didn’t come easy! She had a 10-year marathon of close calls, TONS of unpublished manuscripts, and a crazy submission process before scoring this big win! The first book in the End Game series, THE GREATEST GAME, was just released in the UK and will be published in the US on May 19. THE LONG ROAD TO PUBLISHING WITH EVA LANGSTON: * Follow me on Substack [https://substack.com/@evalangston?utm_source=user-menu] or subscribe to my Substack Newsletter for Writers [https://evalangston.substack.com/]. * Find me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/evalangston/] and Blue Sky [https://bsky.app/profile/evalangston.bsky.social]. * Send me an email at longroad.pub@gmail.com * To pitch to the podcast, go here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffTVgjx1w5OVa0BWBHn95p3m1-dWZaTjUdQK_lRP-LiiZE0w/viewform?usp=header] * Find books by guests and books mentioned on the podcast at the Long Road Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston [https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston] TARA SEXTON: * Website: www.tarasexton.com [http://www.tarasexton.com/] * Preorder The Greatest Game: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/833386/the-greatest-game-by-tara-sexton/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/833386/the-greatest-game-by-tara-sexton/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writerta13/ [https://www.instagram.com/writerta13/] * Find her on other socials at @writerta13 SHOW NOTES: * Tara's unboxing video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXiDzG8jfNK/ [https://www.instagram.com/p/DXiDzG8jfNK/] CREDITS: The Long Road to Publishing is produced and edited by Eva Langston, and the intro/outro music comes from the artist Soundroll on #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/lost-in-love License code: EEKRDQPCTGSBM5LZ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How an Architect Designs a Novel

After Amin Ahmad lost his agent and his editor, his crime novel series was cut short. But now he’s back in the game with a brand-new thriller called A KILLER IN THE FAMILY. In this episode Amin talks about teaching creative writing, and how he writes his novels the same way he used to design buildings. THE LONG ROAD TO PUBLISHING WITH EVA LANGSTON: * Follow me on Substack [https://substack.com/@evalangston?utm_source=user-menu] or subscribe to my Substack Newsletter for Writers [https://evalangston.substack.com/]. * Find me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/evalangston/] and Blue Sky [https://bsky.app/profile/evalangston.bsky.social]. * Send me an email at longroad.pub@gmail.com * To pitch to the podcast, go here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffTVgjx1w5OVa0BWBHn95p3m1-dWZaTjUdQK_lRP-LiiZE0w/viewform?usp=header] * Find books by guests and books mentioned on the podcast at the Long Road Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston [https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston] AMIN AHMAD: * Website: https://www.aminahmadbooks.com/ * IG: @aminahmadbooks * A KILLER IN THE FAMILY: https://bookshop.org/a/91104/9781250394897 SHOW NOTES: * Writer's Center in DC: https://writer.org/ [https://writer.org/] * New School in NYC * StoryStudio Chicago * Grub Street in Boston CREDITS: The Long Road to Publishing is produced and edited by Eva Langston, and the intro/outro music comes from the artist Soundroll on #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/lost-in-love License code: EEKRDQPCTGSBM5LZ CREDITS: The Long Road to Publishing is produced and edited by Eva Langston, and the intro/outro music comes from the artist Soundroll on #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/lost-in-love License code: EEKRDQPCTGSBM5LZ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Following the Magic in Novels & Screenplays

Ruth Knafo Setton was told there was “no chance” her book would get published, but after parting ways with her agent, she sold the book on her own and won some awards for it along the way! Ruth writes her novels the way a magician creates an illusion, and she combines creative intuition with a regular writing practice, lots of revision, and a healthy dose of tenacity. Her novel Zig Zag Girl, about a sisterhood of female magicians, was released in the UK in the fall of 2025 and in the U.S. in March 2026. It won Grand Prize for ScreenCraft's Most Cinematic Book, and the screenplay for a pilot episode of Zig Zag Girl won 1st prize in the LA Crime & Horror Film Festival.  In this episode, we talk about Ruth’s long road to publishing her two novels, her fascinating creative process, and how she fell in love with screenwriting. THE LONG ROAD TO PUBLISHING WITH EVA LANGSTON: * Follow me on Substack [https://substack.com/@evalangston?utm_source=user-menu] or subscribe to my Substack Newsletter for Writers [https://evalangston.substack.com/]. * Find me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/evalangston/] and Blue Sky [https://bsky.app/profile/evalangston.bsky.social]. * Send me an email at longroad.pub@gmail.com * To pitch to the podcast, go here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffTVgjx1w5OVa0BWBHn95p3m1-dWZaTjUdQK_lRP-LiiZE0w/viewform?usp=header] * Find books by guests and books mentioned on the podcast at the Long Road Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston [https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston] RUTH KNAFO SETTON: * Website: www.ruthsetton.com/   * Substack: www.ruthsetton.substack.com/  * Instagram: www.instagram.com/rksetton/  * Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/list/122004.Ruth_Knafo_Setton [http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/122004.Ruth_Knafo_Setton] * ZigZag Girl: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/ZigZag-Girl/Ruth-Knafo-Setton/9781917788038 [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/ZigZag-Girl/Ruth-Knafo-Setton/9781917788038] SHOW NOTES: * Substack article by Vicky Weber: https://vickyweberbooks.substack.com/p/what-nobodys-telling-querying-writers [https://vickyweberbooks.substack.com/p/what-nobodys-telling-querying-writers] * VCCA: https://www.vcca.com/ [https://www.vcca.com/] * Andrea Bartz's article about Ruth: https://andibartz.substack.com/p/guest-post-being-sawed-in-half-taught [https://andibartz.substack.com/p/guest-post-being-sawed-in-half-taught] * Black Spring Press's Crime Series: https://blackspringpressgroup.com/collections/black-spring-crime-series [https://blackspringpressgroup.com/collections/black-spring-crime-series] * Manuscript Academy: https://manuscriptacademy.com/ [https://manuscriptacademy.com/] CREDITS: The Long Road to Publishing is produced and edited by Eva Langston, and the intro/outro music comes from the artist Soundroll on #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/lost-in-love License code: EEKRDQPCTGSBM5LZ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How to "Bee" A Professional Author

Beekeeper and kidlit author Shanna Upchurch got orphaned by her editor and dumped by her agent within a 48-hour period. But she kept things professional and a few weeks later landed a 6-figure deal at auction!  Shanna has always taken her writing and publishing career seriously, even during her many (many!) years of rejection. Her debut picture book, The Honeybee Highway, was just released in April 2026, and she has two middle grade novels coming out in 2027 and 2028. THE LONG ROAD TO PUBLISHING WITH EVA LANGSTON: * Follow me on Substack [https://substack.com/@evalangston?utm_source=user-menu] or subscribe to my Substack Newsletter for Writers [https://evalangston.substack.com/]. * Find me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/evalangston/] and Blue Sky [https://bsky.app/profile/evalangston.bsky.social]. * Send me an email at longroad.pub@gmail.com * To pitch to the podcast, go here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffTVgjx1w5OVa0BWBHn95p3m1-dWZaTjUdQK_lRP-LiiZE0w/viewform?usp=header] * Find books by guests and books mentioned on the podcast at the Long Road Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston [https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston] SHANNA UPCHURCH: * Website: https://www.shannaupchurch.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sdupchurch4/ * The Honeybee Highway: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-honeybee-highway-shanna-upchurch/7526ed79e126c673?ean=9781368116022&next=t SHOW NOTES: * Highlights Foundation (now called Boyds Mills): https://boydsmills.org/ [https://boydsmills.org/] * SCBWI: https://www.scbwi.org/ [https://www.scbwi.org/] * The Manuscript Academy: https://manuscriptacademy.com/ [https://manuscriptacademy.com/] CREDITS: The Long Road to Publishing is produced and edited by Eva Langston, and the intro/outro music comes from the artist Soundroll on #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/lost-in-love License code: EEKRDQPCTGSBM5LZ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.