Erin Baldwin is back on the podcast this week to talk all about the experience of putting her debut novel out into the world and diving into her sophomore novel, Good Luck, Babe! Erin discusses how The Amazing Race inspired this novel, how it feels to have a Chappell Roan song as a title, why representation is so important, especially now, and why there should be a writer's retreat themed off of her book. We talk about how Erin predicted the Heated Rivalry obsession, which Bob's Burgers characters should read Erin's books, and how we are living our own "Rise and Fall of an *East* Coast Princess" lives.

Erin’s Links: https://bio.site/erinb

Try Reading Links: https://linktr.ee/tryreading

Angela Montoya and Melanie Schubert, two iconic Try Reading All-Stars, are back on the pod this week! Angela and Melanie are back to discuss their most recent joint endeavor: the Jingle These Bells holiday romance anthology! Melanie and Angela discuss what inspired them to create an anthology and they talk about the ups and downs of the creator and editorial journey. We talk about the stories each of us contributed to this book, our favorite holiday romances, and how spicy romance is becoming popularized beyond the book community.

Angela’s Links: https://linktr.ee/AngelaMontoyWrites

Melanie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanie_schubert_writer/

Get your copy of Jingle These Bells: https://books2read.com

Listen to Of the Publishing Persuasion: https://linktr.ee/pubpersuasion

Try Reading Links: https://linktr.ee/tryreading

USA Today and nationally bestselling author and Try Reading All-Star, Kamilah Cole joins me on the pod this week! Kamilah talks about seeing readers fall in love with her debut novel and the process of writing and putting the sequel, This Ends In Embers, out into the world. She discusses the ups and downs of a second book, the new cover art, and what it was like concluding a duology. She talks about her excitement for her adult debut, An Arcane Inharentence, revealing the cover in People Magazine, the importance of diverse voices, and what readers can expect from this story.

Kamilah’s Links: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/kamilahcole⁠⁠⁠

Try Reading Links: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tryreading

Try Reading All-Star, Jennifer Chen is back this week! Jennifer talks about seeing readers' reactions to her debut novel and the experience of doing research at the Huntington Library for a historical fiction novel. She shares what inspired Hangry Hearts, her sophomore novel, the choice behind writing dual POVs that alternate within the chapters, the importance of queer and BIPOC voices on the page, and the important work of sensitivity readers. Jennifer and I also discuss the Cowboy Carter tour, the Beyoncé song that best fits Hangry Hearts, the joys of farmers markets, and what readers can expect from Jennifer's third novel!

Jennifer’s Links: https://linktr.ee/jchenwriter

Try Reading Links: https://linktr.ee/tryreading

Adeline Kon is on Try Reading this week! They join me to talk all about their debut graphic novel, Just Between Us. Adeline discusses their childhood love for reading and cartoons, how art school led them into graphic design and drawing cartoons, and how a deep dive of old olympic figure skating videos inspired their debut! They talk about the drawing and writing process of this book, the importance of authentic characters on the page, how love on the ice is all the rage right now, and why this book would be performed beautifully on the ice!

Adeline’s Links: https://linktr.ee/crown_prinxe

Try Reading Links: https://linktr.ee/tryreading

This week on the podcast, I'm joined by the award-winning, Jonny Garza Villa! Jonny talks all about their early love for books and storytelling, what led them into writing, and the experience of publishing their debut novel. I of course ask Jonny all about Ander and Santi Were Here (a JGV favorite of many readers), and Jonny talks all about their most recent book Futbolista; what the inspiration was, the songs and musicians that inspired this story, why queer and Latine voices front and center is vital, and the varied experiences of discovering your identity. We also talk about the lore that Latine families hold, the horrors of college philosophy classes, Frank Ocean (of course), and Jonny's time as an incredible drag queen!

Jonny’s Links: https://linktr.ee/jonnygarzavilla

Try Reading Links: https://linktr.ee/tryreading

This week, I'm joined by another amazing Try Reading All-Star, Elle Gonzalez Rose! Elle comes back on the podcast to talk about all that has happened since we chatted about her debut novel. Elle talks about quickly jumping from debut life to sophomore novel life, she talks about her pivot into writing thrillers and what it was like writing The Girl You Know. Elle describes her writing process for this book, the importance of authentic representation on the page, especially in academia settings, and she also talks about her fourth book, unofficially titled "Le-gay-ly Blonde". Elle and I discuss which of her books she'd recommend to Schitt's Creek characters, a favorite unpublished character of hers, and why her thriller would make a great true-crime podcast.

Elle’s Links: https://linktr.ee/ellegonzalezrose

Try Reading Links: https://linktr.ee/tryreading

This week, I'm joined by the New York Times Bestselling author, F.T. Lukens! F.T. talks about their childhood love for reading and Dr. Seuss, their first experiences of writing stories, and the journey of publishing books through a small press compared to publishing under a major publishing house. F.T. talks about their most recent NYT Bestseller, Love at Second Sight, how many different research ventures inspired it, what the cover art process was like, the importance of LGBTQIA+ representation, why this book would make a great narrative podcast, and we discuss the perils of graphic design on Canva.

F.T.’s Links: https://linktr.ee/ftlukens

Try Reading Links: https://linktr.ee/tryreading