This week YA author Emily Colin took over our Twitter as a part of our weekly Thursday Twitter Takeover. Emily Colin is the author of the YA book Siege of the Seven Sins. (See YEM’s interview with Emily Colin here.) See highlights from the takeover below.
Hey all! It’s @emilyacolin, NYT-bestselling author of The Memory Thief & the Seven Sins series, here to take over your Twitter. I write #YA & adult #books with love stories & supernatural twists. I’m excited to hang out & chat about all things bookish! 📚 #YAauthortakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Here’s what Seven Sins is about:
✨ The deadliest warrior of her time, gifted beyond imagining, is destined to sacrifice the boy she loves. ✨
The series is a #romantic #dystopian 💘 with a #fantasy edge. ⚔️ #YAauthortakeover pic.twitter.com/SoUUuP1KJD
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
I always knew I wanted to write, ever since I was little. I still have the b/w composition notebook with my first stories, one of which was called Bloddy Monster (don’t ask). But my road to writing novels wasn’t straightforward. In fact, it was pretty bumpy. #YAauthortakeover pic.twitter.com/2BrgTcFIgz
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
I stopped writing in college, b/c I had a professor who was awful. He mocked me mercilessly b/c what I liked to read & write wasn’t “literary” enough. It took me 10 years to find my way back to #writing. But when I did—the book I wrote became a NYT bestseller. #YAauthortakeover pic.twitter.com/Wfymisyd1R
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Moral of this story: Don’t let anyone tear you down. If you have a #dream—pursue it. Do the work, put in the research & time & energy. If someone discourages you, don’t internalize it. As @GlennonDoyle says, we can do hard things. #YAauthortakeover pic.twitter.com/jhvdxyVYWs
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Back in 2015, I fell in love w/the idea of writing a #YA series set in a world where people lived and died by the laws of the Seven Deadly Sins. And because it’s me, there’s lots of #banter & #kissing. #YAauthortakeover pic.twitter.com/0ZRIsh0rgo
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
I was also inspired to write this series b/c of the political situation in the U.S. In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, the world felt increasingly #dystopian to me. In part, I wrote Seven Sins to find a #creative outlet for my anxiety. #YAauthortakeover pic.twitter.com/m7KmlfGeji
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
This is one of the awesome things about writing—especially writing fantasy. You can use it to explore real-world challenges in creative ways & inspire folks to think differently about tough issues. That’s the amazing power of art. #writingtip #amwriting #YAauthortakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Since I ❤️ book trailers, I want to share with you the one I made for Sword of the Seven Sins, the first book in the series. I had so much fun pulling this together! Check it out! https://t.co/U3baEx5e2B #YAauthortakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Also, since we’re talking about Sword, here’s one of my very favorite quotes from the book. My poor characters—so deeply in love, stuck in a world where attachment’s forbidden and lust is punishable by death! I’m such a mean writer. #YAauthortakeover #writing #amwritingromance pic.twitter.com/fWlxzWRPkP
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
When I wrote The Memory Thief (my 1st book) I was at the v beginning of my journey, Since then, I’ve learned a ton about story structure, plot, & character, & figured out that just because something works for one #writer, that doesn’t mean it’ll work for me. #YAauthortakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
AMA you’ve always wanted to know about writing! Also, some of my top #writingtips: #1: Figure out your writing rhythm. Do you work best in 15-min sprints? 2-hr blocks? Early in the morning? Late at night? Experiment until you find what works & stick with it. #YAauthorTakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
#2: Read widely in your genre, everything you can get your hands on. See what kinds of stories are being told & what’s missing. Immerse yourself in the tone, feel, & language of the types of stories you want to tell. #writingtip #YAauthorTakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
#3: When you sit down to write, remember that Plot + Character=Story. Neither can exist without the other. W/o characters w/clear goals, obstacles, & flaws, plot is just a useless puppet show. And w/o plot, even the best characters wander aimlessly. #writing #YAauthorTakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Brief pause here to share a quote from Shadows of the Seven Sins, the short story collection set in the Seven Sins universe—which releases ✨ June 1. ✨ I had SO much fun writing these stories. Meet Dev, skilled in the art of snark. #YAauthortakeover #amwriting #shortstories pic.twitter.com/k3BZW0lAhL
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
OK, back to my Thoughts on Writing. #4: Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. 1st drafts are messy and imperfect by nature. Expect to revise, and revise again. This doesn’t mean you should give up. It means you’re a writer! Welcome to the club. #writingtip #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/zz6pHD61lE
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
#5: There are SO many ways to become a published author, including ✨ the trad way, w/an agent & a deal w/a larger pub house ✨ a small press ✨ indie publishing ✨ There are pros & cons to all, but my point is, you have choices. #writingtip #writingadvice #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/lV8Jn5KFSK
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
I’ve done both. My first 2 books came out w/Ballantine (Penguin Random House). Seven Sins is published through a small press, @bluecrowbooks. Ask me any of your writing/pubbing questions & I’ll do my best to answer! #YAauthorTakeover #WritingLife #writerscommunity #writingtips
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
I’m super excited about the 2nd book in the Seven Sins series, which comes out August 3rd. You can’t preorder it yet, but the amazing @sea_author & I collaborated on a book trailer. Check it out! https://t.co/MI1yDunERf #YAauthorTakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Because we’re talking about book 2–Siege of the Seven Sins—I can’t resist sharing this quote from the book, which is full of love and war and shapeshifting and disappointment and hope. This one's from Ari, my sarcastic warrior w/a marshmallow heart. #amwriting #YAauthortakeover pic.twitter.com/7fxvQtWP1s
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
One of the best things about being an author right now are the possibilities for collaboration. During the pandemic, I was part of an awesome international group of 5 authors who worked together to create a YA fiction anthology. See? #writingcommunity #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/hrCSksg6FV
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
During a dark time, we were able to find a bit of light by coming together & creating something beautiful. We asked other authors from around the world to participate, then made the eBook ✨ free ✨. Enjoy! https://t.co/FryWDoatU7#YAauthorTakeover #freebookdownload #freebook
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Here’s what’s on my bookshelf right now:
🪶@mstiefvater’s MISTER IMPOSSIBLE
🌹 Ciannon Smart’s WITCHES STEEPED IN GOLD
📚 Gail Saltz’s THE POWER OF DIFFERENTWhat are you reading? #bookrecommendations #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/M2hNZQIQ1K
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
Time’s up! If you want more of my hot takes on all things bookish, plus cute pics of my cat, sneak peeks behind the scenes of my writing life, and a ✨ free ✨ Seven Sins short story, check out https://t.co/8gMnz96HAj. Thank you so much for having me! #YAauthorTakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) May 27, 2021
