This week, we're chatting with Cait Jacobs, USA Today Bestselling author of The Princess Knight and essentially one of (if not THEE) earliest content creators in the decentralized community of BookTok, starting back in 2019. We "talk" about BookTok, building the romantasy of Princess Knight, which came out in 2024, and we also touch on the inspiration it draws from Legally Blonde. Other topics include how Jacobs brings their own experiences into their writing by intentionally crafting inclusive, queernormative worlds that feature representation for authentic disability and chronic pain. 

Also? Ryan Gosling comes up once or twice.  

Page Powars is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Indie bestselling author of But I Hate Him, And They Were Roommates, and the forthcoming Reins and Restraint. Powars has written three books for young adults with trans main characters, and his latest, But I Hate Him, comes out on August 25. We talk about all three of his published books, and more, including what inspired him to start writing in the first place and how to approach writing for teens vs. adults. 

https://www.pagepowars.com/ 

Ruta Sepetys is a Lithuanian-American author born in Michigan (currently based in Nashville), writing deep-diving and engaging historical fiction that unravels captivating mysteries while also transporting the reader on a journey to discover lesser-known moments and figures from our past! 

A Fortune of Sand, the latest by bestselling author Ruta Sepetys, is a gothic 1920s historical thriller set in Detroit. It follows Marjorie Lennox, the rebellious and overlooked youngest daughter of a wealthy automotive dynasty Bookreporter.com. Desperate to escape her controlling family and pursue fashion design, Marjorie secretly joins "Nightingale," an exclusive arts residency that holds more secrets—and more intrigue—than she could have ever imagined.

JACKIE KHALILIEH is a Palestinian Canadian writer based outside of Toronto, Canada, with a penchant for Samoyeds, to-do lists, and staying up way too late. She is passionate about positive representation within her writing. Something More, her debut YA novel, was shortlisted for several notable awards and was selected for several Best of 2023 lists. 

Her next book, Everything Comes Back To You, comes out on August 4. 

https://www.jackiekhalilieh.com 

Dr. Emma Southon is the acclaimed author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which we covered in a recent episode. This week, we're discussing her new book (out June 30): Not Built In A Day - a groundbreaking history of Ancient Rome that explores how the empire was built, fueled, and shaped by its enslaved people.

With humor, wit, and expertise, Emma Southon invites us into the absurdity of Roman life and completely upends our idea of the Roman empire. https://www.emmasouthon.com/ 

Amanda Uhle is Executive Director and Publisher of McSweeney’s, known for its award-winning quarterly literary journal, humor website and eclectic book publishing program. For more than 11 years, Uhle was executive director of 826michigan, a nonprofit tutoring and writing center for school-aged students in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Ypsilanti. Uhle is deeply involved with numerous youth writing organizations. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Politico Magazine, Newsweek, ThinkProgress, Oprah Daily, The Boston Globe, Delacorte Review, and elsewhere.

Her memoir, Destroy This House, is published by Simon & Schuster/Summit Books, and is our primary focus of discussion on this episode!

More info: https://www.amandauhle.com/ 

One of the most important roles librarians serve is strengthening and supporting information literacy. Included in that, especially in our current moment, is broadening and deepening our understanding of Artificial Intelligence. Tune in for an overview from one of our librarians, including recommendations for how to interpret and handle instances of misinformation and even alternatives when it comes to how you search and seek knowledge out there on the internet wilderness.

You can also dive in to some further readings, below: 

Emma and Jeff are chatting with authors Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos, looking ahead to the next installment in the Homegrown Magic series: a cozy, queer adult romantic fantasy series, with Homeward for a Spell due out in mid August! The series blends wholesome cottagecore vibes with rich worldbuilding and high-stakes family drama! Plus, we talk a lot about The Fast & The Furious, D&D, Ren Faires, and more! 

Gabriella Gamez is a Mexican American author living in South Texas. She writes about incredibly messy, well-meaning women trying their best and accidentally falling in love. Her latest, 'Second First Dates,' is out at the end of July! And Gabby has a history with our cohost Emma, so we start off with a charming bit of anecdotes that led to their friendship! 

A sweeping novel of one Kentucky family’s rise and fall throughout the 1980s—a tragicomic tour de force about love and marriage, parents and children, and the perils of mixing family with business, from the acclaimed author of The Animators  https://kaylaraewhitaker.com/returns-and-exchanges/