Everything Novel: Two Debut Authors Share What Drove Them to Publish
Last month at DeadDarlings, we were lucky enough to speak to two authors about their debut works. Ladee Hubbard told us about what led to The Talented Ribkins (Melville House, 2017) and Arif Anwar shared how he wrote The Storm, (HarperCollins/Simon & Schuster May 2018).
Ladee: What did it take to get The Talented Ribkins sold and onto the bookshelves?
Persistence and dedication. I couldn’t have written The Talented Ribkins if I had not learned to respect my own voice and recognize the value in what made it unique—even if others did not. Toni Morrison was my thesis advisor when I was an undergraduate and taught me a great deal about writing, but we had not been in contact for several years when I finally did sit down and write a novel.
Read more about Ladee Hubbard and her novel-writing process.
Arif: You have an impressive background in international education and public health. What inspired you to write a novel

The Editors at Dead Darlings
Dead Darlings is devoted to celebrating the novel, from the process of creation through revision, promotion and publication. The authors, alumni from GrubStreet Boston’s Novel Incubator, have gathered to provide support for all novelists: aspiring, developing or successful. Writing is best when it has the support of a community, when novelists share their experiences.
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