Today I am chatting with my friend and author Victoria Koops about The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning. If you love magic, witches, The Inheritance Games, murder mysteries, and treasure hunts, this book is perfect for you! Take a listen as Victoria and I take a deep dive into all things magical and witchy! We chat about the characters, plot, witches, magic, scavenger hunts, murder, how our personalities relate to the lead characters, Renaissance festivals, and so much more! We had so much fun c...
Jan 20, 2025•2 hr 7 min•Season 6Ep. 6
Today I am chatting with NY Times Bestselling author Jason June! We are going to be chatting about his brand new holiday rom com, Flopping in a Winter Wonderland. Flopping in a Winter Wonderland is a deliciously fun YA Queer romance set during the Christmas season. It is reminiscent of all your favorite Hallmark Christmas movies, is full of all kinds of holiday antics, boasts a wonderful setting, and will give you all the feels! Join Jason June and me as we chat about his writing, Jason June's l...
Dec 09, 2024•39 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Today I am chatting with my friend Rebecca about YA magical realism novel, The Stones of Burren Bay , by Emily De Angelis. Take a listen as Rebecca and I chat about the plot, characters, Irish/Celtic spiritualism, Native American culture and spiritualism, grief/grieving, and more! The first fifteen minutes are spoiler free! A little about The Stones of Burren Bay : In a tragic car accident, 15-year-old Norie loses her deadbeat father while her distant mother is injured. Her prized possession, an...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Today I am chatting with YA Heist Thriller author Kavion Lewis! Kavion previously joined me to chat about her debut novel, Thieves' Gambit, and today we are chatting about the second book in that duology, Heist Royale. Take a listen as Kavion and I chat all about the book, it's characters, the research necessary to write these amazing heists, how her characters have grown since book one, the fact that Thieves' Gambit is getting made into a movie (!!), how Kavion's brother played a small part in ...
Nov 11, 2024•48 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Today I am chatting with New York Times Bestselling author Ellen Hopkins about her new Young Adult novel, Sync . Written in verse, Sync is the story of twins Storm and Lake as they are shuffled through the foster care system and kept apart from each other. In this episode Ellen and I chat about her writing style, what it's been like being the author of multiple banned books, the foster care system, the plot of Sync, her characters, and more. The entire episode is spoiler free! A little about Syn...
Oct 28, 2024•45 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Today I am chatting with award winning author, and fellow Princess Bride lover, Sarah Henning! Sarah is no stranger to YA Book Chat, as she has been here previously to discuss her Kingdoms of Sand and Sky series ( The Princess Will Save You, The Queen Will Betray You, The King Will Kill You ), and I have previously reviewed her book Sea Witch. Take a listen as Sarah and I chat all about her brand new YA standalone supernatural thriller, The Lies We Conjure. Hear about Sarah's writing process for...
Oct 14, 2024•52 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Today I am chatting with author Nancy McCabe about her debut YA novel, Vaulting Through Time, a story that follows a teen gymnast as she travels through time to learn about her family and discover who she is. Take a listen as Nancy and I chat about her writing style, what it's like being a gymnastics mom, the rules of time travel (we need Marty McFly!), the research that needs to be done for a book that spans multiple decades, adoption, character development, the Olympics, this creative story, a...
Sep 30, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 26
Today I am chatting with young adult author Rachel A. Greco! Rachel is no stranger to the podcast, as she has been on previously to discuss her first book, The Gift of Dragons. Today we are chatting about its sequel, The Hope of Dragons. Take a listen as Rachel and I chat all about her writing process, the complicated characters and their character arcs, world building, creating dragons who have fun personalities, finding hope in the darkness, and more! Please note: While most of this episode is...
Sep 16, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 25
Today I'm chatting about a wonderful new YA Rom Com, All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Fedel. Take a listen as my friend Dani and I chat all about the romance, hot Scottish guys, old Hollywood movies, trips to Italy, tropes we love like "he falls first," "normal girl falls for royalty," "European romance," "fake dating," and so much more! The first fifteen minutes are spoiler free! A little about All Roads Lead to Rome : Introverted, slightly anxious Astoria “Story” Herriot knows everything abou...
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 5Ep. 24
Today I am chatting about The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood. Joining me to chat about this wonderful YA Historical Fantasy, is first time guest Rebecca Ahola. You'll want to take a listen to this episode because I have finally found a YA book with vampires in it that I LOVE! Vampires set in the Civil War...and it's sooooo good! Take a listen as Rebecca and I chat all about the plot, characters, the American civil war, slavery, the fabulous audiobook narrators, Lauren Blackwood's powerful an...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 5Ep. 23
Today I am chatting about a fabulous YA Rom Com, The Breakup Artists , by Adriana Mather. Joining me today is my friend Morgan, lover of all things Rom Com. Take a listen as Morgan and I chat all about the plot, characters (including characters we love to hate), my obsession with the 1996 movie version of Romeo and Juliet, how there is a character with my name in this book, our favorite swoony moments, and so much more! First fifteen minutes are spoiler free! A little about The Breakup Artists :...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 5Ep. 22
Today I am chatting with debut author Amber Chen about her brand new YA Silkpunk Fantasy novel, Of Jade and Dragons . Take a listen as Amber and I chat about what it's like being a debut author, her journey from writing for Wattpad to being traditionally published, what Silkpunk fantasy is, the beautiful cover design, the world building, strong characters, plot line, and more! The entire episode is spoiler free! A little about Of Jade and Dragons : Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming...
Jul 08, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 21
Today I am chatting about The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen. This is the first book in her Bright Sessions novels. Joining me today is Priscilla from the Novel Feelings podcast. Take a listen as Priscilla and I chat all about what it would be like to be an empath who can feel the emotions of everyone around them, the characters, the plot, how I obsessed over a boy when I was in high school (yes, it's related), the friendship and love story between our main characters, and so much more! The fi...
Jun 24, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 5Ep. 20
Today I am chatting with NY Times Bestselling author Marie Lu! We will be chatting all about her new book, Icon and Inferno ; the sequel to Stars and Smoke . Take a listen as Marie and I chat about her writing process, what inspired her to take a break from writing fantasy and write a thriller instead (it'll surprise you!), the research she did for these two books, how Starbucks gift cards can be used as spy tech, the romance between Sydney and Winter, what's up next for Marie, and more! The ent...
Jun 10, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 19
Today I am chatting with debut author Trish Lundy about her brand new YA thriller, The One That Got Away With Murder. Join us as Trish and I chat all about our hometown of Rochester, NY, (Yes! We grew up in the same place!), what it's been like for Trish as a debut author, her writing process for writing a thriller/murder mystery, our main characters with a troubled past, and more! The entire episode is spoiler free! A little about The One That Got Away With Murder : Robbie and Trevor Cresmont h...
May 29, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 18
Today I am chatting with my friend Dani about Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. Divine Rivals is a beautiful fantasy set in an old fashioned war-torn world where two journalistic rivals form a connection that will be tried and tested. This book is a sweet enemies/rivals to lovers romance where are main characters are drawn together through writing letters. It's a book that could be considered Greek Mythology meets You've Got Mail, meets a Hallmark movie. It's sweet and timeless and will give you AL...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Today I am chatting with NY Times Bestselling author of fiction for all ages, Jennifer Donnelly! Today Jennifer and I are chatting about her brand new fairy tale retelling, a gender swapped reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, Beastly Beauty . Beastly Beauty is Jennifer's third fairy tale retelling. Her others are Stepsister and Poisoned, which tell the tales of Cinderella's "ugly" stepsister, and Snow White. Take a listen as Jennifer and I chat all about her writing style, her inspiration for t...
Apr 29, 2024•34 min•Season 5Ep. 16
Today I am chatting with New York Times Bestselling author F. T. Lukens. Take a listen as F. T. and I chat all about their latest queer speculative fiction young adult novel, Otherworldly. You'll hear us chat not just about this fantastic supernatural story, but about F. T. Lukens' writing process, what it would be like to live in a never ending winter for five years, mythology, meet cutes vs. meet disasters, how M. Night Shyamalan scared the heck out of both of us, and how both F. T. and I work...
Apr 15, 2024•50 min•Season 5Ep. 15
Today I am chatting about These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. Joining me as my guest is Rachel from the Barely Bookish podcast. If you love the story of Romeo and Juliet, you will love this re-imagining of Shakespeare's classic story. Chloe Gong takes the story of Romeo and Juliet and plunges it into 1926 Shanghai. This story has it all; warring gangster families, a forbidden romance, war in the city, and a monster who wants to destroy them all. And in the midst of it all, is the classic star-...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Today I am joined by debut author Emily Locker to chat about her YA Rom Com, Running Mates! Take a listen as Emily and I chat about her journey to becoming a traditionally published author, romance novels, our love for independent bookstores, the fantastic characters and plot line, our swoony cinnamon role love interest, youth activism, star-crossed love, and more! The entire episode is spoiler free! A little about Running Mates : In the quaint yet politically charged town of Edgartown, North Ca...
Mar 25, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Today I am joined by YA Indy author Abigail Morrison to chat about her YA adventure fantasy novel, The Yochni's Eye. Abigail is a self-published author, who has worked hard to create this amazing adventure story full of incredible world building, creatures, and important themes that explore revenge and redemption. Take a listen as Abigail and I chat all about the self-publishing world, her character creation, plot devices, writing style, world building, and so much more! Entire episode is spoile...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Today I am chatting with one of my best friends, Bethanie Finger, about her debut YA Historical Fantasy novel, More Than Life ! Take a listen as Bethanie and I chat all about her journey to get her book traditionally published, her motivation behind writing this story, how writing this book helped her process the grief of losing her own father, the plot line, characters, world building, Taylor Swift, and more! The entire episode is spoiler free! A little about More Than Life : As the daughter of...
Feb 19, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 11
To celebrate Valentine's Day I am chatting with my good friend Victoria Koops about the swoony YA Rom Com, The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher. This is such a fun book! If you enjoy Renaissance Festivals, Shakespearean things, Medieval Times, adorable singing bards (like Jaskier from The Witcher ), a plus-sized protagonist, theatre, LGBTQ+ representation, and teen romance, this book is for you! Join Victoria and me as we chat all about Renaissance festivals, theatre kids/theatr...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Today I am interviewing a debut author who also happens to be one of my very dear friends. I am so excited for all of you to listen to today's episode, where I chat with my friend, and frequent podcast guest, Victoria Koops about her debut YA Rom Com novel, Who We Are In Real Life ! Join Victoria and me as we chat all about this fantastic book and Victoria's writing process. You'll hear us dive into what it took in order to get the book published, the inspiration for the book (such a fun story!)...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Today I am chatting with author Lauren Munoz about her debut YA Murder Mystery novel, Suddenly A Murder . If you love a good murder mystery, you will love Suddenly A Murder! This story follows seven high school friends who are celebrating graduating from high school on a private island for a 1920s-themed getaway. But while there, one of them turns up dead. Take a listen as Lauren and I chat all about this suspenseful book! We chat about the characters, the 1920s theme, Agatha Christy novels, Lau...
Jan 22, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Today I am chatting with NY Times Best Selling author Ayana Gray! Ayana and I will be chatting about her Beasts of Prey trilogy. We discuss all three books in the trilogy; Beasts of Prey, Beasts of Ruin , and the final book in the series (which publishes on January 16, 2024), Beasts of War . Take a listen as Ayana and I chat about the storyline of each book, her writing style, challenges she's faced in writing the series, the inclusion of African culture and history in each book, the characters,...
Jan 08, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Today I am chatting with my friend Morgan about Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer. Take a listen as Morgan and I chat all about this hilarious grumpy vs. sunshine New Adult Fantasy Rom-Com! You'll hear us chat about how villains aren't supposed to be so attractive, a dragon tamer who's not good at taming dragons, how the villain is totally undone by his assistant, an adorable crown-wearing frog, an ogre who bakes, and more! This is such a fun episode and you won't want to miss it...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Today I am chatting with my friend Abigail about The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Join Abigail and me as we chat all about this enthralling book! We will not only be chatting about the plotline, but about all the characters (including those we love to hate), the Hawthorne family secrets, Hawthorne Manor, our favorite Hawthorne brothers, if we are Team Jamison or Team Grayson, and more! First 15 minutes are spoiler free! A little about The Inheritance Games : Avery Grambs has a plan...
Dec 04, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Today I am chatting with New York Times Bestselling author Susan Dennard! Susan is the author of the Witchlands series as well as The Luminaries series. Today, Susan and I are chatting about book two in her Luminaries series, The Hunting Moon . Take a listen as Susan and I chat about Susan's writing process, world-building, character development, and all the Nightmares who live in Hemlock Falls... The entire episode is spoiler-free! A little about The Hunting Moon ... Winnie Wednesday has gotten...
Nov 13, 2023•47 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Today I am chatting with Adult, Middle Grade, and Young Adult fiction author Kate Alice Marshall about her newest book, The Narrow. The Narrow is a haunting ghost story that will give you chills down your spine... Join Kate and I as we chat about the challenges of writing a ghost story with a mystery element, the complicated characters, Kate's writing style, and the hauntingly dangerous river that inspired it all. The entire episode is spoiler free! A little about The Narrow: Everyone has heard ...
Oct 30, 2023•32 min•Season 5Ep. 3
