The Bookish Banter Podcast
Get to Know the Guest(s)
Authors
Megan is a writer, music historian, and lyric soprano born and raised outside Boston, Massachusetts. After earning a B.A. from Harvard, she moved to California to pursue a M.M. in voice performance and a Ph.D. in musicology from UC Santa Barbara. Now she lives and writes among the redwoods in San Francisco’s East Bay with her husband, two young children, and dog. Meghan's debut novel, Night, Forgotten, is available now wherever books are sold.
Louise Everett is the author of Where Iron Meets Flame and the rest of the Peveren series. She is an actress and character performer. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, painting, playing piano, and writing more books. Where Iron Meets Flame is her debut novel. Follow Louise on Instagram for updates and more info.
Herman Steuernagel is a science fiction and fantasy author. His debut Lies the Guardians Tell became an international best-seller. His currently published works are dystopian science fiction that highlight the struggle between humanity and the technology we keep, as well as the motivations that keep us fighting with each other. His latest novel, Eclipse is now available. Herman currently lives in British Columbia, Canada, While he’s not working on a new book he can be found cycling, running and dreaming up new worlds. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok for updates.
#1 Amazon and USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance. Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book. Check out her latest series, The Vancouver Agitators, now! Follow her on Instagram, Tiktok, and join her Facebook group.
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Amber Nicole is an author who works full time helping animals as a vet assistant. When she isn’t working she is dreaming of far off places with dragons, magic, and swords. She loves a good villain and plans to tell many stories showcasing them in the spotlight. Book of Azrael is her debut novel. Her next book, Throne of Broken Gods will be released on May 23rd. Follow Amber on Instagram and Tiktok.
C. J. Box is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels including the Joe Pickett series. He has won countless awards for his novels. Box is an Executive Producer two television series based on his novels; Big Sky (ABC) and Joe Pickett (Paramount +).
Box is a Wyoming native and has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, a small town newspaper reporter and editor, and he owned an international tourism marketing firm with his wife Laurie. He and his wife Laurie live on their ranch in Wyoming. They have three daughters and two grandchildren.
Liana De la Rosa is a historical romance author who writes diverse characters in the Regency and Victorian periods. Her newest book is Ana Maria and the Fox. Liana is a graduate of the University of Arizona, and in her past life she owned a mystery shopping company and sold pecans for a large farm. When she’s not writing, Liana is listening to true crime podcasts and pretending she's a domestic goddess while she wrangles her spirited brood of children with her patient husband in Arizona.
Ore Agbaje-Williams is a British-Nigerian writer and editor from North London who has written for gal—dem, Glamour UK and Wasafiri magazine. Her fiction writing has also been featured on Reflex Fiction. Her first novel, Three of Us, will be published by Jonathan Cape, Putman and Penguin Random House Canada. Follow Ore on Instagram and her website for updates.
Ali Hazelwood is originally from Italy, lived in Japan and Germany, and eventually moved to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When she is not at work you can find her binge-watching shows with her three feline overlords (and her slightly less feline husband), running, or eating candy. Check out her Steminst novels series and keep an eye out for her upcoming YA debut, Check and Mate. Follow her on Instagram, Tiktok, and check out her website for updates.
Originally from Sacramento, Julie spent many years bouncing between New York and California before eventually settling in coastal Fort Bragg, CA.
A theatre and fandom nerd, Julie can tell you the name of any Buffy episode if you pick a number 1-7, and another 1-22.
With her Bichon-Poodle brother, Charlie, she spends her days writing Contemporary Romance, Rom-Coms, and Contemporary YA—often with a Jane Austen movie adaptation on in the background.
As a playwright, Julie's musical Generation Me won the 2017 New York Musical Festival's Best Musical award, as well as Best Book for Julie's work on the script.
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Nikki is an avid reader turned writer turned author living in Seattle, Washington. She graduated with a B.S. in creative writing and studio art. Under her belt sits ten years of digital marketing and writing experience. She is a staunch proponent of the Oxford comma, a hill she would like everyone to know she is willing to die on.
Nikki spent the last three years living in a self-converted camper van and traveling all across the U.S. Check out Nikki on Instagram and TikTok now.
Laura Kay is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in Diva Magazine, The Guardian, Stylist, The Metro and more. She has a Masters degree in American History from the University of Sheffield where she received the Sir Ian Kershaw Dissertation Prize. Laura was one of ten writers selected for Penguin's 2018 WriteNow programme, during which she developed her debut novel, The Split, published by Quercus in March 2021. Her latest novel, Wild Things is out now. She is based in East London and talks about herself on Twitter @lauraelizakay and Instagram @lauraekay.
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Starr Z. Davies lives in northern Wisconsin with her husband, two kids, and imaginary pets. She spends her days writing by the lake, dreaming up new ways to torture her characters. At night, she tends to binge-watch movies and television shows. Starr first realized she wanted to write when in 4th grade, when she wrote a scary story about a haunted house. Her greatest inspirations were authors like J. R. R. Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, and Robert Jordan (who continues to thread roots in all her work).
Starr is best known for her Powers Series, a YA Dystopian trilogy about a future world with superpowers, and the Powers Legacy Dystopian Sci-Fantasy series. She also wrote the Fractured Empire Saga, an award-winning medieval Mongolian epic based on the true life of Mandukhai the Wise. Her current WIP is Powers Legacy, a Powers Series spinoff.
Holly has always been an avid reader and writer. She started writing in high school, but have enjoyed it for as long as she can remember. Reading takes her to a whole new world and she hopes to be able to do that for others with her epic stories. She strongly believes there is no better feeling than meeting your favorite characters for the first time and going on adventures with them. Check out Holly on Instagram and TikTok and check out her latest release Forbidden Waves now.
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Sierra Spencer is a romance author who writes with sparkly gels pens as much as she does a sharp-edged quill.
Combining all the feet-kicking and giggling of a happily ever after with the dichotomy of flawed and complex characters, Sierra writes stories that demand to be felt.
When Sierra isn’t composing heartfelt and cozy love stories, she is writing about developmental science as a graduate student. She lives in Southern California with her friend-to-enemy-to-lover spouse and their dog. She enjoys cooking, game nights, and a good data visualization.
Luna is a Barnes & Noble’s Bestselling debut author of Of Shadow and Moonlight. She lives in the South with her husband and son on their little farm. She has a Bachelor’s in Business, and when she’s not writing you can find her reading, filming cheesy book humor and bookish cosplay Tiktoks, and buying more books when she already has more than she can read. She is currently working on her debut series, and cannot wait to see where it leads. Follow her on Tiktok and Instagram at @authorlunalaurier.
A story lover at heart, Morgan has always been crafting stories. Growing up in East Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains, their mystery and beauty have inspired many of her tales. She's a big fan of rain, stargazing, coffee, and taking the long way home. Currently residing in middle Tennessee, Morgan lives with her husband writing books and exploring the mountains. When she's not reading or writing, you'll find Morgan outside foraging among the plants or trying new coffee shops. This Cursed Line is her debut novel.
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Bridget Van der Eyk an adult romance author— 10 Dates is her debut novel. She lives in NSW, Australia on a 5-acre property with her husband, daughter, and 2 dogs.
When Bridget is not working a full-time teaching job or binging Korean zombie shows on Netflix, she is busy writing her next novel. 3000 Words (the sequel to "10 Dates" is due to release at the end of 2023.
Born and raised in Colorado, Kay loves hiking on snow-capped mountains, blowing raspberries on her sons’ super pudgy baby bellies, and heated debates with her husband about topics such as the difference between turtles and tortoises, Marvel trivia, and most importantly—who misplaced the remote. Her passion? Creating literary worlds filled with romance, friendship, love, and HEAs that overcome all the odds. Her ultimate joy? Being a parent to two little boys with her loving hubby. Her debut series is Love, Me, and the 303. Check out Kay on Instagram, Tiktok, and her website.
Genevieve Gornichec earned her degree in history from The Ohio State University, but she got as close to majoring in Vikings as she possibly could, and her study of the Norse myths and Icelandic sagas became her writing inspiration. Her debut novel, The Witch’s Heart, was released in 2021 and has been translated into a dozen languages. Her sophomore novel, The Weaver and the Witch Queen, is available now. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
With a B.A. in Linguistics and a B.Sc. in Physiology from the University of Saskatchewan, Kate Gateley has always been fascinated by history, Celtic Ideology, ancestral memory and generational wounding, and the “Divine Feminine,” and those personal studies continue to influence every aspect of her life, on the pages of her books and off.
Kate currently lives, and writes, on a small farm in the Cowichan Valley on beautiful Vancouver Island, with her amazing husband, two incredible sons, an adorable dog, several barn cats who don’t earn their keep, and some decidedly ungrateful chickens … all of whom are very dearly loved.
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Sadie Rose is an American author who pens fantasy novellas and romance novels. When she isn’t writing she enjoys spending her free time reading, watching television and traveling. She lives on the west coast with her husband and son.
Check out Sadie on Instagram and TikTok now. Order your copy of Love, Interrupted now.
Robin Oliveira grew up just outside Albany, New York in the town of Loudonville. She holds a B.A. in Russian from the University of Montana, and studied at the Pushkin Language Institute in Moscow, Russia. She worked for many years as a Registered Nurse, specializing in Critical Care and Bone Marrow Transplant. In 2006 she received an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives outside of Seattle, Washington, with her husband, Andrew Oliveira. She has two children, Noelle Oliveira and Miles Oliveira. All three are the loves of her life.
