We can't stop thinking about our incredible chat with Grandpere's Ghost Swamp Author Rachel M. Marsh!

We can't wait for you to tune in! But first, here's more about Rachel!

Rachel M. Marsh grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she took field trips to Alligator Bayou and assumed the entire United States celebrated Mardi Gras. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in New Orleans, where she studied English and Psychology and minored in Spanish.

After graduating, she moved to Boston where she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children from Simmons University. There, she studied under smart and supportive professors. She made a strong group of friends who continue to write together long after graduation. She had the opportunity to work in publishing and learn under the mentorship of editors at independent publishing houses. However, she missed her home. She missed her family and now-husband. She missed crawfish boils and thunderstorms and every get-together brewing a fresh pot of coffee. And did you know, winter in Boston lasts about half the year!?

She’s back in New Orleans now, where she eats the world’s best food and stays busy with her almost-hundred-year-old house. She works for the New Orleans Public Library, and her writing is represented by Larissa Melo Pienkowski at Azantian Literary Agency.

https://rachelmmarsh.com/about

NEW EPISODE AND NEW YA Romantasy Anthology alert!!! We were so lucky to get to chat to both the editor, Shari B. Pennant, and contributing authors Jill Tew and Angela Montoya about their incredible stories and process for their anthology THESE KINDRED HEARTS.

About the anthology: Not even a deadly curse can stop these Happily Ever Afters

“Tenderhearted and filled with sweeping magical adventures, These Kindred Hearts vividly captures the beauty of love, promising thrills, hope, and happily ever afters. From first kisses to second chances, every story in this anthology is a must read for romance readers of all ages. Truly unforgettable.”—Ayesha Curry, Sweet July Books 
Seventeen authors from varied backgrounds come together to showcase the diversity of romance and celebrate the wild hearts of teens in this timeless, sweeping YA Romantasy anthology edited by Shari B. Pennant.
A princess of the underworld is tasked with murdering her betrothed and questions the meaning of fate. An aspiring writer accidentally summons her own book character and struggles to send her new crush back to her fantasy world. An orphaned thief and a "Chosen One" must go on the run from a tyrannical empire. Two friends confess their feelings for each other in the middle of an earth-shattering apocalypse. A mix of cozy, high-stakes, and action-packed fantasy, and everything in between fill these seventeen tales that explore the power and magic of love.
These Kindred Hearts includes stories by Alexene Farol Follmuth, Angela Montoya, Brent Lambert, Chelsea Padilla, Cheryl Isaacs, Jamar J. Perry, Jennifer Helen, Jill Tew, Kalynn Bayron, Kwame Mbalia, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Nia Davenport, Nikki T. Grant, Shari B. Pennant, Sophie Li, Vanessa Montalban, and Zoraida Córdova.

These Kindred Hearts is “a necessary anthology” and “highly recommended”

School Library Journal (February 2026)This “well-written collection” is “authentically rendered” and “shines in its creative magic systems and worldbuilding”

Kirkus Reviews (March 2026)These Kindred Hearts is a “beguiling offering” of romance

Publisher’s Weekly (March 2026)“With a variety of settings, situations, and sorcery…17 romantasy tales that we couldn’t resist!”

The Honey Pop (June 2026)These Kindred Hearts “delivers a breathtaking journey from cover to cover.”

BookTrib. (June 2026)OUT NOW from @zandoprojects!

Get your copy here: http://sharipennant.com/these-kindred-hearts

Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/242252635-these-kindred-hearts

We went on allll the side quests, chatting with the absolute queen that it THE Anna Mercier!!

We can't wait for you to tune in, but first, here's more about Anna:

Anna Mercier is an adventurer and life-long learner. After a decade of teaching, she's developed a raucous sense of humor as well as an intense love of connecting with others. She carries this into her books which often tackle heavy subjects with a promise of hope in the end- and there's always kissing. She channels her love of learning by co-hosting the writing podcast, Turning to Story. When she’s not cocooned around a laptop, you can find her baking, adventuring, or taking long walks with her dog named Duck.

Her debut YA fantasy romance, ALL WE HUNGER FOR, releases from Henry Holt June 23rd, 2026.

https://annamercierauthor.com/

@annamercierwrites

We were so lucky to get to chat with the one and only Tracy Yong this month about all things marketing, printing and community. We love hearing all the behind the scenes things, and we know you will too!

We can't wait for you all to tune in. But first, here's more about Tracey:

Tracy is a strategist and marketing communications leader based in Naarm/Melbourne. As the brand manager of FolioFox, she leads the content, brand, and marketing strategy for the business, writing with the purpose of guiding aspiring authors and small businesses toward their goals in print.

About FolioFox: 

FolioFox is a Melbourne-based commercial printer specialising in high-quality book and publication printing. Built on more than eight years of proven craftsmanship, FolioFox combines local production with modern technology to help authors, publishers, and businesses create books that inspire and endure. Guided by the tagline Print Your Potential, FolioFox delivers personalised service, outcome-driven solutions, and a commitment to keeping exceptional printing proudly Australian.

https://www.instagram.com/foliofoxaustralia

/https://www.foliofox.com.au/

We had the best time going deep and chatting with the magical human that is debut Author: THE Loretta Chefchaouni!

We can't wait for you to join us as we talk about persistence in publishing, found family, and grieving living parents.

But first, here's more about Loretta!

Loretta Chefchaouni is a former early childhood educator from Florida who writes for teens. Her fantastical tales turn grief and fear into myth and monsters and explore all the scary parts of being human within the safe space of stories. Her work has placed in contests such as The Blue Pencil Novel Award and Voyage YA’s First Chapter Contest. She is an alum of the Pitch Wars mentorship program and the Highlights Foundation’s Muslim Storyteller Fellowship. The mother of mixed-race young adults, she is committed to seeing more authentic Muslim representation on the shelves. The Lustrous Dark is her debut novel, the first book in a YA fantasy duology and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, coming May 19, 2026. Her short story, The Little Sister, is included in the anthology A Thousand Nights, coming Sept. 8, 2026.

Find Loretta: https://lorechefwrites.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lorechefwrites/

We had our very own feminine coming of rage, chatting with the absolute ICON that is THE R.J. Valldeperas, debut author of the newly released YA fantasy THEIR WILL UNDONE.

We can't wait for you all to join us for this episode, but first, here's more about RJ:

RJ is a Peruvian/Venezuelan writer from Florida, where she lives with her husband, five children, three goats and nine chickens. When she’s not playing chauffeur or chef, she spends her time creating stories steeped in culture with characters who look just like her, or she’s shirking all responsibility to escape into the pages of someone else’s world.

Find RJ:

https://www.instagram.com/rjvalldeperas/

https://rjvalldeperas.com/

Our souls feel lighter and brighter after chatting with the most glorious energy human that it THE Marvellous Michael Anson @justmarvewrites 🤩👑✨️

We can't wait for you to join us, but first, here's more about Marve:
Marve has been writing for over a decade, and her trade debut fantasy novel, Firstborn of the Sun, the first in a trilogy, was published by Penguin Michael Joseph in October 2025. The novel also earned finalist placements in several competitions, including the 2023 Future Worlds Prize. Her debut sequel, Heir of the Shadow, will be released in fall 2026.

She is also the Outreach and Inclusion Coordinator for the British Fantasy Society.

Marve is an award-winning filmmaker. When she is not weaving fantastical tales, she can be found embracing life as a serial hobbyist, obsessing over myths and histories, collecting books and carefully curating her personal library, or indulging her unapologetic love of all things Christmas.

https://www.justmarve.org/

Of the Publishing Persuasion is a (mostly) writing and bookish podcast 💃📚
HOSTED BY: Angela Montoya: @angelamontoya_author & Melanie Schubert: @melanie_schubert_writer
New episodes with new author/agent/publishing guests weekly!
Find us @pubpersuasion

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The sands of time flowed faster chatting with the absolute ICON that is USA Today bestselling author of A VOW IN VENGEANCE, THE Jaclyn Rodriguez!!🤩👑✨️

We can't wait for you to join us on chats about writer journey, burnout and the agony of waiting in publishing, but first, here's more about Jaclyn:

Jaclyn Rodriguez is a biracial author of Puerto Rican heritage and has been madly in love with fantasy since before she could walk, forever drawn to magic and the impossible. If there are high stakes and intricate world-building, she’s in, and she adores a strong romantic subplot, the more complicated the better. She spends her non-writing time practicing archery and deconstructing her favorite TV shows and films. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband, son, and two quirky dogs. A Deal in Death is the sequel to her debut A Vow in Vengeance.

FIND JACLYN:

Website: https://jaclynrodriguezbooks.com/

Instagram: @jaclynrodriguezauthor

Of the Publishing Persuasion is a (mostly) writing and bookish podcast 💃📚
HOSTED BY: Angela Montoya: @angelamontoya_author & Melanie Schubert: @melanie_schubert_writer
New episodes with new author/agent/publishing guests weekly!
Find us @pubpersuasion#writing⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠#Publishing⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠#bookstagram#jaclynrodriguez #romantasy
⁠⁠⁠#OfthePublishingPersuasion⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠#podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ #fantasy #enemiestolovers #romantasyrecs #shadowmagic #fantasyromance #writingpodcast⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠#writersofinstagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠#writerspodcast⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#WritersOfInstagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#books⁠ ⁠#bookish #writer #inspiration

We had the best time chatting with the absolute warm hug of a human that is THE Sarah Marie Jette!!️️ ️🤩👑✨️We can't wait for you all to join us, but first, here's more about Sarah!

Sarah Marie grew up in Maine, in a house filled with cats and books. She spent her summers at county fairs, where her parents raced horses. Sarah Marie studied English and creative writing in college. Following graduation, she flew to Mongolia and served as a Peace Corps volunteer. While in Mongolia, Sarah Marie sewed traditional clothing, learned to speak fluent Mongolian, and taught English to school children. Sarah Marie is now a 3rd grade teacher in Massachusetts and was named a semi-finalist for the 2022 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year recognition. Sarah Marie has 3 children, 4 cats, and lives in a house filled with books.

FIND SARAH:

WEBSITE: https://sarahmariejette.wordpress.com/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.aliberti/

Fresh off the Kelly Clarkson show and straight onto Of the Publishing Persuasion, we had THE Petra Lord on the podcast this week! Our writer souls were healed chatting with Petra, author of the instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller QUEEN OF FACES !!

We can't wait for you to join us and listen to all the incredible things Petra had to say! But first, here's more about the queen herself:

Petra Lord is the New York Times and Indie Bestselling author of QUEEN OF FACES. She has a BFA in TV Writing from New York University, which she uses to recommend TV shows to her parents and predict the endings of movies.

She's currently based in Los Angeles, where she feeds her dual addictions to hot pot and Korean barbecue, with an incessant drive to do karaoke on Tuesday nights.

Find Petra:

Website: https://www.petralord.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petralordauthor

Of the Publishing Persuasion is a writing and bookish podcast HOSTED BY: @angelamontoya_author & @melanie_schubert_writer
#OfthePublishingPersuasion #podcast #writingcommunity #publishing #writing