It's the holiday season, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to LET IT GLOW, a new middle-grade book that celebrates not just one, but two special holidays! LET IT GLOW is a sweet and festive dual Hanukkah and Christmas story, co-written by award-winning authors Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy! I’m so honored to be celebrating my last interview of the year with these two wonderfully talented and kind authors! So grab your favorite treat, sit back and enjoy some holiday cheer as I talk with award-winning novelist Marissa Meyer, author of the spectacular Lunar Chronicles, and award-winning author Joanne Levy, the writer behind beautiful Jewish themed tales like SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS and FISH OUT OF WATER, about their entertaining, diverse, and heartfelt new story LET IT GLOW!

THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: 16 HANUKKAH STORIES, edited by award-winning author Henry Herz, is an incredible middle-grade anthology that portrays the diverse history and traditions celebrated in Jewish families across the globe. Every story speaks to the heart and reminds readers of all the hopes, dreams and love shared by the Jewish people.

I had the honor of speaking with 6 of the wonderful authors that contributed to this meaningful Hanukkah anthology. Watch my talk with these six wonderful storytellers and open your hearts and minds to the powerful impact their beautiful stories will have on you!

THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: 16 HANUKKAH STORIES is a much needed middle-grade anthology that is both a celebration and an acknowledgment of the past and present of this festive Jewish holiday. The story of Hanukkah is a story of hope and a story of a miracle. Edited by award-winning author Henry Herz, THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS follows 16 protagonists, each with their own meaningful and diverse story, crafted by 16 incredibly gifted authors! This is a book filled with heart & soul and the perfect read to teach, inspire, and get you in the holiday reading mood!

It was an absolute pleasure speaking with author and journalist Andrew Maraniss. Andrew is a New York Times bestselling author of powerful sports and civil rights stories. His writing not only informs but also inspires, and his words are making an impactful mark in both the literary and journalistic worlds. His critically acclaimed books, such as Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South and Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team, offer important insights into history, race, sports, and social justice. As a lover of sports and history myself, speaking to Andrew Maraniss was a dream come true! I'll admit there were a few technical difficulties during our interview, but we worked it all out and I ended up learning so much about Andrew's fascinating career and you will too!

In this interview I speak with Chris Baron and Torrey Maldonado, two award-winning middle-grade writers and two incredible people with big hearts. Their stories are heartwarming, engaging, but most wonderfully of all, they break societal norms! Their stories show readers the harsh realities that come with from toxic masculinity & they discuss how to combat harmful "stereotypical" masculine behaviors with positivity, empathy and healthy communication. Torrey and Chris craft strong, carrying, and confident young men who fill the pages of their stories with light, love, and compassion. Torrey and Chris are great author friends of mine, and I'm so grateful we could come together to use our platforms to spread information, positivity to those who need it most! Watch our talk and be enlightened and educated on the power of positive male role models in stories!

In this episode of E Train Talks, I'm chatting with the writer behind some of my all time favorite kidlit STEM books, author Jennifer Swanson. As a kid who started my book journey reading nonfiction, I’m especially excited to share this interview. Jennifer Swanson is an award-winning author of more than 50 nonfiction children's STEM BOOKS, including such titles as, "Footprints Across the Planet: Teaches the Powerful Impact Everyone & Everything Has on the World" and "Super Gear: Nanotechnology and the Future of Wearable Tech." Plus, if those titles aren't impressive enough, Jennifer also writes for National Geographic Kids!

 Loren Long is a writing and illustrating hero! His stories are cherished across the globe. His words have become staples in the picture book world, warming the hearts of people young and old. I had the honor of speaking with him about his newest bestselling story THE YELLOW BUS, along with his personal writing journey, and he was a delight!  

Did you know that Loren Long is actually colorblind? That’s right! Yet despite this obstacle, he is one of the most renowned picture book illustrators in the literary world! Perseverance and resilience are just a couple of the attributes he possesses. Learn more by watching our fascinating and heartwarming discussion! 

Thanks so much for watching my interview with author & illustrator Loren Long, If you enjoyed our talk, please click LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to my channel!

Award-winning author A.S. King brought nine incredible authors together to craft one remarkable Michael L. Printz Award-Winning book, THE COLLECTORS, a brilliant collection of unique and diverse stories, with characters that answer a simple yet complex question, “What is a collection?” Before reading this intriguing novel, always I thought of collections as the typical baseball cards and stamp collections, but THE COLLECTORS discusses the spiritual side of collections and through this compelling anthology, readers discover the emotional connections that can be attached to ones collection. I highly recommend THE COLLECTORS, a profound anthology sure to open your eyes and heart!

I had the pleasure of speaking with 5 wonderful authors about their works of Rosh Hashanah writing art! Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year, the newest year in the Hebrew Calendar! There are many Rosh Hashanah religious and cultural traditions observed and celebrated all across the globe. Watch our talk and find out more about these special books and their storytellers. Watch this interview and trust me, you’ll feel all the feels! Check out these phenomenal writers’ books too!

History is so fascinating and our world has been through so many twists and turns even in just the last 80 years! I was captivated throughout the entire reading of THE NAZI CONSPIRACY: THE SECRET PLOT TO KILL ROOSEVELT, STALIN, AND CHURCHILL. Authors Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch are a writing force to be reckoned with, they demonstrate that no matter how many books you’ve read about a subject, there’s always more to learn, I've not read and reviewed many adult books, but as someone who has a passion for history and knowledge, I was drawn to Brad and Josh's story, and If you're a reader who also enjoys diving into an entertaining and deeply compelling historical read, I highly recommend THE NAZI CONSPIRACY: THE SECRET PLOT TO KIDD ROOSEVELT, STALIN, AND CHURCH.