On the finale of the Try Reading Podcast I had the honor of being joined by the incredible Tigest Girma! While this is a sad moment knowing the podcast is ending, I am SO excited that I got the honor of chatting with Tigest! Tigest joined me for episode 68 to talk about her early love for reading, how she fell in love with paranormal romance, her Wattpad days, what inspired her debut novel; Immortal Dark, how her publishing journey has been, what kept her motivated, the importance of seeing Blac...
Sep 06, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 68
On the penultimate episode of Try Reading, I had the immense honor of being joined by the incredible Logan-Ashley Kisner! Logan-Ashley joined me to talk about his love for stories that began as a little kid, how he fell in love with horror, what inspired his debut; Old Wounds, he shares all about his journey of writing his YA horror, how spite and love equally motivated him, the roller coaster called querying, the importance of authentic trans voices in storytelling, what Logan-Ashley is most ex...
Aug 23, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 67
On today’s episode, I am joined by the marvelous Lauren Ling Brown! Lauren joined me to talk about her early love for reading, how she fell in love with writing, and what inspired her debut novel, Society of Lies (an adult psychological dark academia thriller set at Princeton University). She also talks about her excitement for pub day, the roller coaster of emotions this journey has brought her, her advice to aspiring BIPOC thriller authors, the importance of diverse voices and thought-provokin...
Aug 10, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 66
For episode 65, I had the honor of being joined by the author Nell Cross Beckerman! Nell joined me to talk about her love for reading that began the day she was born, what made her fall in love with picture books, what inspired her debut that got published during a worldwide lockdown, how a pivot in publishing inspired her most recent book, the experience of immersing herself and her illustrator into the Park to Playa Trail, why she loves books about nature, Nell shares some amazing advice and w...
Jul 26, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 65
On today's episode, I am joined by the iconic and beyond lovely Melanie Schubert!! She is the author of the horror short story, Severed Cape from the Castle of Horror Anthology (Volume 11: Revenge)!! It was such an honor to interview Melanie and learn about her early love for books, her enjoyment of reading fantasy books she was too young for as a kid, why she's always loved horror even if she didn't always know it, Melanie shares all about the journey of joining the Castle of Horror Anthology, ...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 64
Today's episode is for the girls, gays, theys, and the neighs! I had the pleasure of talking with the true Hot Queen, Ryan La Sala!!! Ryan joined me for episode 63 to talk about his early experience with reading, why LARPing made him the author he is today, the up and down journey of their debut, what led Ryan into horror writing, Ryan talks all about the process of writing Beholder and how an actual penthouse party inspired the opening scene. Ryan gives amazing writing advice and wisdom, we dis...
Jun 30, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 63
On today's episode I am joined by the amazing Jill Tew, debut author of The Dividing Sky (10/08/24)!!! Jill talks about her early love for reading, we agree that Anne (of Green Gables) would run her own romance imprint nowadays, Jill talks all about her love for dystopia and sci-fi, what inspired her debut, what her publishing journey has been like at Joy Revolution, why she's happy she was overruled in the cover process, why TDS should be an immersive experience, her favorite Bluey characters, ...
Jun 14, 2024•56 min•Season 3Ep. 62
For episode 61, I had the honor of interviewing Sydney Langford, author of The Loudest Silence (7/30/24)!! Sydney joined me to talk about their debut novel, which is a YA coming of age with amazing queer a disability representation! Sydney talked about their early dislike of reading, the first book with queer and disability rep they read, what inspired their debut, how they wrote their book in a month, their advice for aspiring writers, we bond over our love for Julie and the Phantoms and The Ha...
May 31, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 61
I am joined by a very special bookstagrammer and editor for episode 60! I had the honor of talking with the lovely Sophie Schmidt (aka @mindofabookdragon)! Sophie joined me to talk about her immense love for books and reading, what led her into publishing and what she loves about being an editor. She talks about starting her blog and bookstagram account in high school, her childhood start to journalism, maxing out her library card, why books and the community they form is so important, advice fo...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 60
On today's episode, I have the honor of being joined by the debut author, Cindy R. X. He! Cindy's debut thriller is Perfect Little Monsters and she joins me for episode 59 to talk about it! Cindy talks about her early love for reading and spending hours with her nose in a book, she shares the age at which she started reading Stephen King (too early in her opinion). She also talks about what inspired her debut novel, why she loves thrillers and horrors, what this debut journey has been like, what...
May 03, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Today I have the amazing honor of interviewing the marvelous debut author, KT Hoffman! KT is the author of The Prospects, which is a trans baseball romance full of queer joy and baseball love! On this episode KT talks about his early love for reading and his longing to feel represented in stories, he shares how writing historicals led him to his debut, KT shares all about his love for baseball, his love for his characters, and his excitement and nervousness for the release of his debut. He also ...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 58
On episode 57, I am joined by the debut author, Myah Hollis! Myah is the author of Not About a Boy (7/2/24), which is a YA contemporary about mental health and finding a sister you never knew you had. Myah talks about how she began this book when she was in high school and how our lord and savior Twilight slightly inspired her debut. Because Myah is a Twilight stan, she convinces me to read all of the books. Myah also talks about the process of publishing her debut, why she appreciated going int...
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 57
I had the biggest honor of getting to interview the amazing and marvelous Elba Luz for episode 56! Elba joins me to talk about her debut novel, Build a Girlfriend (Fall 2024). On this episode Elba explains how getting grounded and failing 6th grade caused her to love books, she shares how our tía JLO inspired her debut, we discover that Elba and I are cousins (I know, it's amazing), Elba gives some amazing writing advice, we share regrets about not investing in Zoom or Google, she shares why her...
Mar 22, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 56
For the 55th episode, I am joined by the debut author Wen-yi Lee! Wen-yi is the author of The Dark We Know (8/13/24) and she joins me to discuss her debut novel. On today's episode, Wen-yi talks about her childhood love for reading, maxing-out her library card, why she has PTSD from the aliens in Mars Attack, what musicals inspired her debut, why TDWK would make a great graphic novel, her writing advice, and we bond over our identities as musical theater kids. Wen-yi’s Linktree: https://linktr.e...
Mar 09, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Today on Try Reading, Erin Baldwin, debut author of Wish You Weren't Here (6/4/24), joins me! Erin talks about her early love for reading, the inspiration for her debut, working at a summer camp, what TK really means in publishing, her advice for writers and her younger self, hockey eras, and much more! Erin’s Bio Site: https://bio.site/erinb Try Reading Links: https://linktr.ee/tryreading
Feb 23, 2024•52 min•Season 3Ep. 54
On episode 53, I get to sit down and chat with the debut author, Laura R. Samotin! Laura joins me to talk about her debut novel, The Sins On Their Bones (5/7/24), which is a queer, Jewish, dark fantasy romance. Laura and I begin the podcast by bonding over our shared love for So Let Them Burn, she gives a live reading of her first fantasy novel she wrote at 8 years-old, I learn about the inspiration for TSOTB and all about Laura's journey to publishing. She shares some amazing advice for her you...
Feb 09, 2024•58 min•Season 3Ep. 53
On today's episode of season three, I'm joined by an amazing guest from season one! Maddie, aka, @love.from.maddie joins me to discuss why she left book content creation, what her time has been like after leaving, and her advice and experience is so inspiring! Of course we also discuss the latest Heartstopper news and updates, sob over Nick and Charlie, scream at Netflix, answer some 2023 Book Tag questions, spill some bookish tea, and so much more! This episode is not only perfectly chaotic, bu...
Jan 26, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 52
We're back!!! On the first episode of season 3, I get the honor of interviewing Jessica Arrieta, the BookTokker and Bookstagrammer who's best known as @exclusivepalmbeachliving! On this episode, Jessica talks about her beginning to the book world, how the library was her safe space as a teen, her first impressions of BookTok, what being a book content creator has been like, the importance of diversity and representation, and of course, we dive into some Latinx book recs! Don't miss this fabulous...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 51
It's the season finale! I cannot believe that we're already nearing the end of 2023 and ending yet another iconic season of Try Reading. For this fantastic finale, I am joined by the debut author, Anthony Nerada! Anthony is the author of Skater Boy (2/6/24) and he joins me to talk about this fantastic story! Anthony shares about his dream of being a director as a kid, his un-published fantasy novels, the inspiration for Skater Boy, what he hopes readers will take away from reading his work, and ...
Dec 15, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 50
I had the BEST time talking with the iconic Kamilah Cole on today's episode! She is the author of So Let Them Burn, which is her debut novel releasing on 1/16/24! Kamilah has so many incredible stories; she talks about her early love for mystery books, we bond over our obsession of The Magic Treehouse, we talk about bee-related horror stories, Kamilah shares about the long journey of writing her debut and how Zendaya's Joan of Arc outfit was a big factor in the story, she gives her advice for as...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 49
On today's episode, I am joined by the icon and powerhouse, Carmen Alvarez, aka, @tomesandtextiles! Carmen joins me to talk about her life as a book lover and book content creator. She tells me how her love for reading began, what her first impressions of BookTok were, we discuss the importance of representation and diversity (especially for Latinx books), Carmen shares her favorite Latinx books and authors, she gives some stellar advice, and so much more! This episode is full of inspiration, am...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 48
On today's episode I get the pleasure of chatting with the debut author, Erin Cotter! Erin joins me to talk about her debut novel, By Any Other Name. She talks about her love for historicals that has been there since childhood, I learn about the inspiration for BAON and what the research process was like for writing a historical novel, Erin talks about the journey of publishing, which playwright should adapt BAON, her advice to her younger self, and so many more amazing stories! Erin also wanted...
Nov 03, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Today I am joined by the fabulous icon, Francis Dominic, aka, @fdreads! We talk all about Francis's journey onto bookstagram and what it has been like, Francis talks about the break he took from books because of the lack of representation, I learn all about his Disneyland and Heartstopper obsessions, he convinces me to read Fourth Wing, and so much more! This episode is not to be missed. Francis’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francisdominiic/?hl=en Francis’s Bookstagram: https://www.inst...
Oct 20, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 46
I am so excited to be joined by the fabulous Avery Palmieri, or @averylaylap on BookTok! Avery is not only an iconic content creator, but she is also a book podcaster! She is the host of the amazing book podcast: Shut Up I'm Reading. On today's episode, Avery talks about her beginning to reading and how she didn't always like reading, what inspired her to start a BookTok account, the ups and downs of being a content creator, the inspiration for her book club, the best parts about hosting a book ...
Oct 06, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 45
Rachael Cohen is an author, a spiritual and soul coach, an energy worker and intuitive medium, and a plant connector. She is also the amazing guest on episode 44! Today I have the biggest honor of interviewing Rachael all about her books and how she merged her love for plants with her love for books. Rachael talks about how she's always loved books and reading, how she fell in love with the magic and healing power of plants, the exciting journey of publishing her debut, the importance of being k...
Sep 22, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Today I have the honor of being joined by the amazing author K. Sterling! K is the author of many self published MLM romance novels and today we talk a lot about her most recent series, the Nannies of New York! K talks about her beginning love for books, the experience of publishing her debut, the process of writing the Last Nanny in Manhattan, the freedom of being an indie author, her excitement for her next series, the best part of being an author, and so much more! K’s Website: https://www.ks...
Sep 08, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 43
On episode 42, I have the honor of being joined by the debut author, Miranda Sun! Today Miranda and I talk all about her debut novel, If I Have To Be Haunted (9/26/23)! I learn about Miranda's upbringing and how reading and writing was a big part of her childhood, she talks about the process of writing her debut and how it's been ten years in the making, Miranda shares about the cover process, the most important aspects of her book, and the long but hilarious journey of picking a title. Miranda’...
Aug 25, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Today I am joined by the lovely Angela Montoya, debut author of Sinner's Isle! This episode is full of laughter, lovely stories, and inspiration. Angela talks about her first (never-to-be-published) book that could have made her an official Kardashian, how the inspiration for Sinner's Isle came about, what getting the call from Joy Revolution was like, why Sinner's Isle should be a Disneyland ride, and so much more! You'll get it all on episode 41 and you will fall in love with Angela and her st...
Aug 11, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 41
Jennifer Chen, the journalist and debut author of Artifacts of an Ex (11/14/23) joins me on the podcast today! Jennifer is such an insightful person and she's full of inspiring stories and fantastic advice. She talks all about the beginning of her love for books and reading, what querying her never-published book was like, what led her to writing her debut, the things she can't wait for once it releases, her writer advice and so much more! Jennifer’s Website: https://jchenwriter.com/ Jennifer’s ...
Jul 28, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Today I sit down and chat with the debut author, Victoria Wlosok! Victoria is the debut author of How to Find a Missing Girl (out 9/19/23). Victoria talks all about her beginning to the writing world, golden retriever fan-fiction, the inspiration for her debut novel, what thriller/mystery movies and shows she loves, and so much more! You do not want to miss out on this amazing, mystery-filled episode! Victoria’s Website: https://www.victoriawlosok.com/ Victoria’s Instagram: https://www.instagram...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 39
