Debutiful

Discover debut authors with Debutiful. In each episode, host Adam Vitcavage has an in-depth chat with a writer about why they write, how they write, and the path to publishing their debut book.

330 Episodes

To Stay, To Stay, To Stay by Devon Halliday - How Rejection (and Silence) Is Feedback
11/4/2026
41:27
Devon Halliday, author of To Stay, To Stay, To Stay, joined the podcast to discuss what working as a literary agent taught her about rejection, why she learned to tear a novel down and rebuild it from scratch, and using her publishing experience to make the industry a little less opaque for other writers. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9781963270815 Links! Devon Halliday on the Internet: https://devonhalliday.com/ Devon Halliday on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehalliday Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford by Nafissa Thompson-Spires - What Is the Sophomore Slump?
10/26/2026
24:33
Nafissa Thompson-Spires, author of The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford, joined the podcast to discuss teaching herself how to write fiction, why she embraces the chaos of a “draft zero,” and navigating the pressure to become an Author-with-a-capital-A without burning herself out. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9781501168048 Links! Nafissa Thompson-Spires on the Internet: https://www.nafissathompsonspires.com/ Nafissa Thompson-Spires on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nafissa.thompson.spires Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
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The House Built on Alligator Bones by Sophia Huneycutt - Write Your Messy Zero Draft
10/12/2026
32:29
Sophia Huneycutt, author of The House Built on Alligator Bones, joined the podcast to discuss teaching herself how to write fiction, why she embraces the chaos of a “draft zero,” and navigating the pressure to become an Author-with-a-capital-A without burning herself out. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9798217179497 Links! Sophia Huneycutt on the Internet: https://www.sophiahuneycutt.com/about.html Sophia Huneycutt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sohuneycutt Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw - Defining Your Own Success
9/30/2026
46:47
Deesha Philyaw, author of The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, joined the podcast to discuss why defining her own success mattered, life on and off the internet, and the two-decade journey of writing her debut novel. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9780063383074 Links! Deesha Philyaw on the Internet: https://deeshaphilyaw.com/ Deesha Philyaw on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeshaphilyaw Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
Observer by Nicholas Russell - Letting Ignorance Be Bliss
9/17/2026
51:13
Nicholas Russell, author of Observer, joined the podcast to discuss why moving to (and leaving) NYC was vital to his writing career, how knowing when to be demanding and when knowing to let ignorance be bliss helped him along the way, and why he knew his debut needed to be shelved in the horror section of bookstores. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9780063452398 Links! Nicholas Russell on the Internet: https://nicholasrussell.me/ Nicholas Russell on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/o_rinocoflow/ Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
The Responsible Party by Claire Carusillo - Writing a Fictional Character Named Claire Carusillo
8/17/2026
35:41
Claire Carusillo, author of The Responsible Party, joined the podcast to discuss her time writing for the internet, how she fictionalized her relatives' history, and why a one-sentence pitch for her book is hard to do. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9781250408631 Links! Claire Carusillo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clocarus/ Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
Appetite by P Paramita - Write Your Obsessions
8/6/2026
36:40
P Paramita, author of Appetite, joined the podcast to discuss why writers should watch wrestling, how food influences her life, and why she is a Fan with a capital F. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9780593978580 Links! P Paramita on the Internet: https://www.pparamita.com/ P Paramita on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/padya307/ Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
The Make-Believe by Hannah Murray - On Magic and Madness
7/23/2026
30:59
Hannah Murray, author of The Make-Believe, joined the podcast to discuss her early fame from Skins and Game of Thrones, mental health, and why writing a memoir now was the right decision for her life. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9780593979822 Links! Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood - Writing Your Body and Soul
7/15/2026
34:45
Emeline Atwood, author of A Real Animal, joined the podcast to discuss querying her book when it was half-finished, how scuba diving is vital to her life, and writing something close to her body and soul. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9781646222964 Links! Emeline Atwood on the Internet: https://www.emelineatwood.com/ Emeline Atwood on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emelinenoelleatwood/ Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!
The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders - Writing a "BIG" Book
7/9/2026
50:30
Shannon Sanders, author of The Great Wherever, joined the podcast to discuss drafting in a linear path, not planning to write a 400-page behemoth, and how short stories and novels differ. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/339/9781250421678 Links! Shannon Sanders on the Internet: https://www.shannonsanderswrites.com/ Shannon Sanders on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonsanderswrites/ Debutiful on the Internet: https://www.debutiful.net Debutiful on Substack: https://substack.com/@debutiful Debutiful on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debutiful Debutiful on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/debutiful.bsky.social /// DISCOVER THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026 (SO FAR)! DISCOVER THE MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUT BOOKS OF 2026!

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Debutiful

Debutiful

330 Episodes

To Stay, To Stay, To Stay by Devon Halliday - How Rejection (and Silence) Is Feedback

The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford by Nafissa Thompson-Spires - What Is the Sophomore Slump?

The House Built on Alligator Bones by Sophia Huneycutt - Write Your Messy Zero Draft

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw - Defining Your Own Success

Observer by Nicholas Russell - Letting Ignorance Be Bliss

The Responsible Party by Claire Carusillo - Writing a Fictional Character Named Claire Carusillo

Appetite by P Paramita - Write Your Obsessions

The Make-Believe by Hannah Murray - On Magic and Madness

A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood - Writing Your Body and Soul

The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders - Writing a "BIG" Book