Podcast appearances and mentions of julian winters

Summary: Hm, is that sound of screaming from the joy of a roller coaster or a stabbing? Today our hosts discuss books set in Theme Parks! Whether like Holly you're more drawn to the magic and experience of places like DisneyLand or you're like Devin chasing adrenaline on some of the fastest and most intense roller coasters on earth, there are books that can give you the thrill you're looking for.  Topics Discussed: The Dagger (6:53): Holly discussed FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven, a horror book reminiscent of an adult Lord of the Flies. After a hurricane ravages the Florida coast and isolates FantasticLand, a theme park where “Fun is Guaranteed!,” employees agree to stay behind to make sure the park isn't looted and are promised to be paid to do so. Five weeks later, rescue crews arrive to find heads on spikes, bodies lined up, and employees split into warring factions. Holly's key takeaways were: The story fills in the gaps between the hurricane and what the rescue crews discovered through various POVs; a journalist interviews various people involved after the fact. Since the story is told through multiple interviews, readers must decide which accounts to believe, as survivors may be unreliable or have their own agendas. The novel highlights how quickly social norms break down when survival is at stake. Cut off from the outside world, the employees turn to tribalism, reinforcing the idea that without structure, humans can revert to their most primal instincts.  The theme park itself provided a unique structure and setting for such an intense plot; the factions of employees were named after the rides near them such as the Pirates, the ShopGirls as they resort to violence while competing for food, medicine, and social dominance in what had been a whimsical space.  The Heart (19:48): Devin discussed Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan, a YA romance following Elouise (Lou) Parker and her group of friends at their summer jobs at Magic Castle Playland, a run-down local theme park in their town. Lou suffers her junior year summer wearing a giant hot dog suit around the park, while her love interest Nick gets to be a Diving Pirate dating Jessa, a princess. The news that the park will be shutting down at the end of the summer, Lou takes matters into her own hands to ensure that she has the summer of her dreams - from saving the park to fake-dating her best friend, Seeley, so she can ultimately win her man. Devin's key takeaways were:  Magic Castle Playland is like any local, run down park that you've ever been to and it's nostalgic in the way it is so typical. A large portion of the plot is dedicated to Lou's increasingly desperate attempts to keep the park from closing and the park itself acts as a mirror and a foil for her own immaturity and growth.   The fake dating between Lou and Seeley in order to break another couple up was a challenging part of the story, especially when it's a bi woman doing it with a lesbian to win a cis het man. There's a stereotype of bi women (and men, but mostly women): they lead people on, they're greedy, they can't make up their minds, and this book fed into that stereotype.  The “young adult” aspect of this book really shone through. Nick and Seeley were mature, kind, and measured throughout but everyone else was very in their teenage years. Getting the story from Lou's perspective was at times agonizing; a blend of being so accurate to a dumb teenager's brain and Lou's own meddling and dramatic rhetoric.  Hot On the Shelf (36:51): Holly: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Devin: I Think They Love You by Julian Winters What's Making Our Hearts Race (40:22): Holly: Holly's Literary Magic Substack Devin: Mythic Quest on AppleTV   Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com   If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Host Jason Blitman talks to Jennifer Finney Boylan (Cleavage) about gender identity, homemade pizza, music, and much more. Jennifer even plays an impromptu song on the piano! Then Jason is joined by Julian Winters (I Think They Like You) about his debut adult novel and their mutual love for rom-coms. Jennifer Finney Boylan is the author of nineteen books, including Mad Honey, coauthored with Jodi Picoult. Her memoir, She's Not There, was the first bestselling work by a transgender American. Since 2014, she has been the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University; she is also on the faculty of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference of Middlebury College and the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy. She is the President of PEN America, and from 2011 to 2018 she was a member of the Board of Directors of GLAAD, including four years as national cochair. In 2022-23 she was a Fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She graduated from Wesleyan University and Johns Hopkins, and she holds doctorates honoris causa from Sarah Lawrence College, the New School, and Wesleyan University. For many years she was a contributing opinion writer for the opinion section of the New York Times. Her work has also appeared in the New Yorker, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Literary Hub, Down East, and many other publications. She lives in Maine and New York with her wife, Deirdre. They have two children: a daughter, Zai, and a son, Sean.Julian Winters is the author of the award-winning Young Adult novels Running With Lions, Right Where I Left You, How to Be Remy Cameron, The Summer of Everything, and As You Walk On By, as well as the upcoming Prince of the Palisades and his Adult romance debut, I Think They Love You. A self-proclaimed comic book geek, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta where he can be found swooning over rom-coms or watching the only two sports he can follow—volleyball and soccer.BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.comWATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com

Jeff & Will kick off the show with an announcement about the future of the podcast. Jeff also reviews "I Think They Love You" by Julian Winters. Julian discusses "I Think They Love You," his swoony and heartfelt adult rom-com debut featuring fake dating and second chances. He dives into the inspiration behind Denz and Braylon's love story, the joys and challenges of writing rom-com tropes, and the deeply personal themes woven into the narrative. Plus, Julian talks about his recent YA royal romance "Prince of the Palisades" and reflects on his publishing journey, from debuting with "Running with Lions" to writing across genres and age categories. Complete show notes for episode 470 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

Jeff & Will kick off the show talking about Jeff's favorite reads of 2024, which includes books by Brad Gooch, Gabe Cole Novoa, Frederick Smith, KT Hoffman, Freya Marske, Julian Winters, and Jeffrey K. Davenport. Jeff also reviews "Karaoke Queen" by Dominic Lim and "The Rules of Royalty" by Cale Dietrich. Cale also discusses "The Rules of Royalty," his queer YA royal rom-com that blends "The Princess Diaries" with romance. Cale shares the inspiration behind Jamie and Erik's story, the fun of crafting royal traditions, and the writing character arcs that intertwine growth and romance. Complete show notes for episode 469 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Look for the next episode of Big Gay Fiction Podcast on Monday, December 30. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

Jeff & Will discuss what they've been watching and reading recently, including "Elite" on Netflix, "My Stand-In" on iQIYI, and "Prince of the Palisades" by Julian Winters. Cozy Mystery Month continues with author T. Thorn Coyle talking about the "Pride Street Paranormal" series, including two new books coming out this fall—"Hairspray Horror" and "Dandy Distress." Thorn shares the inspirations for Garrett and John, the corgis Marsha and Klaus, and the ghost Adam. We also find out about their other series, which all include elements of magic and justice, and their latest non-fiction book for authors. Complete show notes for episode 461 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Look for the next episode of Big Gay Fiction Podcast on Monday, September 9. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

Marissa chats with Julian Winters about his latest YA romance, PRINCE OF THE PALISADES. Also discussed in this episode: how fanfiction is a great way to get started in writing, the sometimes difficult elements of crafting a contemporary royal story, writing romance and the importance of creating moments when characters are vulnerable, how challenging it can be bringing conflict to a contemporary story, creating relatable and lovable secondary characters—including badass female characters, and so much more!Big Joe Roma Pool Floatie Chair: https://buybigjoe.com/products/roma-pool-float-chairThe Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgPurchasing your books through our webstore at Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores. Melanin in YAYour source for all things Black in traditional Young Adult publishing.Amplify MarketersOur mission is to help your message rise above the noise so it can be heard loud & clear.Red Herrings SocietyUse the code HappyWriter at RedHerringWriters.com to try the first month for free.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377 Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

In this episode of the Written In Melanin podcast, host C. M. Lockhart speaks with author Julian Winters about his journey as a Black and queer writer, the importance of authentic storytelling, transitioning from young adult to adult fiction, and the impact of representation in literature. 00:00 Welcome to the Written In Melanin Podcast 00:23 Introducing Julian Winters 03:44 Navigating the Publishing Industry 20:38 Accolades and Awards 25:29 Shifting from Young Adult to Adult Fiction 30:05 The Importance of Black Voices in Literature 37:15 The Joy of Writing 47:00 Advice for Aspiring Authors 49:17 Conclusion and Final Thoughts - Julian's Books Prince of the Palisades | https://melaninlibrary.com/books/8169 I Think They Love You | https://melaninlibrary.com/books/8168 Julian's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wintersjulian/ Julian's Website https://www.julianwinters.com/ - Merch: https://shop.melaninlibrary.com/ - Chelsea's Books We Are the Origin: https://amzn.to/4eALU2x We Are Dying Gods: https://amzn.to/3zmWNFi BookHarts Community | https://discord.gg/XSWtDRMyNb - The Links: https://WrittenInMelanin.com/links Melanin Library: https://MelaninLibrary.com/ Patreon: https://Patreon.com/WrittenInMelanin Services: https://www.writteninmelanin.com/services

Welcome back to the UNTOLD LEGENDS podcast hosted by Natalie C. Parker & Zoraida Córdova. We've had a little bit of a rebrand, so if you remember VAMPIRES NEVER GET OLD, we are still the same editors and writers, we've just expanded. For our third episode, we're joined by Rebecca Coffindaffer and Julian Winters! Get to know the authors and their tales on asexuality and acceptance in MERMAIDS NEVER DROWN: TALES TO DIVE FOR as we dive into a discussion of Splash following a recent rewatch. We'll chat about its nuances and whether it aged well... or not.

In this week's episode of Pages n' Pages, we wrap up our Bookish March Madness a little late! We extended our March Madness because of our busy schedules, but what book do you think won our brackets? We also talk about the exciting book releases coming out in April, May and June 2023. What We've Read and What We Are Reading: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and narrated by George Newbern Tempt by Melanie Harlow (Cloverleigh Farms #9) Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert and narrated by Amina Koroma and Jonathan Andrew Hume The Bodyguard by Katherine Center and narrated by Patti Murin One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig Additional Book Mentions: A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall and narrated by Kay Eluvian The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (The Sandsea Trilogy #1)  Exes and O's by Amy Lea (Influencers #2)  I'm Glad Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and narrated by the author  A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall and narrated by Kay Eluvian  Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones and narrated by Allen Winters, Amando Foresyth, Ines del Castillo, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Raymond J. Lee As You Walk on By  by Julian Winters and narrated by Andre Santana April Coach by Devney Perry- April 6 Lassiter (#21) by J.R. Ward - April 11 The Fiancee Farce by Alexandira Bellefleur- April 18 Bewitched by Laura Thalassa- April 18 In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune- April 25 Happy Place by Emily Henry- April 25 May A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand- May 9 The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks and Illustrated by Robert Sikoryak- May 9 Atalanta by Jennifer Saint- May 9 The Celebrants by Steven Rowley- May 14 The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren- May 16 Late Americans by Brandon Taylor- May 23 Witch King by Martha Wells- May 30 Once More with Feeling- Elissa Sussman- May 30 June:  Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood- June 13 The Only One Left by Riley Sager- June 20 The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston- June 27 July: Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon- July 4 Check out Pages n' Pages on Instagram. These opinions are entirely our own. Image by Kapona via Vector Stock.

In this week's episode of Pages n' Pages, we are coming close to finishing out our Bookish March Madness brackets! It was supposed to be the last week, but some life things got in the way and Morgan barely read anything! Enjoy us talking about books for about half the episode and be rambly the rest of the episode! What We've Read and What We Are Reading: Tryst in the Dark (Omega Lottery #1) by Grace McGinty Ensnared by the Werewolf (Monstrous Matches #2.5) by Lillian Lark  Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones and narrated by Allen Winters, Amando Foresyth, Ines del Castillo, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Raymond J. Lee Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert and narrated by Amina Koroma and Jonathan Andrew Hume Additional Book Mentions: A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman and narrated by JK Simmons  A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall and narrated by Kay Eluvian  Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and narrated by As You Walk on By  by Julian Winters and narrated by Andre Santana Lost in the Moment and Found  by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #8) and narrated by Jesse Vilinsky  One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City #3) by Sarah J. Maas Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Wicked Years #1) by Gregory Maguire A Day of Fallen NIGHT (we said Shadow) (The Roots of Chaos #0) by Samantha Shannon Check out Pages n' Pages on Instagram. These opinions are entirely our own. Image by Kapona via Vector Stock.

In this week's episode of Pages n' Pages, we update our Bookish March Madness brackets and talk all about the books we've read over the past week. What book do you think will be the best book of the month? Let us know what you're reading this month! What We've Read and What We Are Reading: Tryst in the Dark (Omega Lottery #1) by Grace McGinty Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7) by Sarah J Maas and narrated by Elizabeth Evans Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and narrated by Jennifer Lim Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones and narrated by Allen Winters, Amando Foresyth, Ines del Castillo, Kimberly M. Wetherell, and Raymond J. Lee As You Walk on By by Julian Winters and narrated by Andre Santana Verity by Colleen Hoover Additional Book Mentions: The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #8) and narrated by Jesse Vilinsky Check out Pages n' Pages on Instagram. These opinions are entirely our own. Image by Kapona via Vector Stock.  

In this week's episode of Pages n' Pages, we discuss the second week of our March Madness brackets! We each read several books and talk about how they fit in our different brackets. What book do you think is going to be our favorite book of the month? Let us know! What We've Read and What We Are Reading: Tryst in the Dark by Grace McGinty (Omega Lottery #1) White Bird by R. J. Palacio I'm Glad Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and narrated by the author A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall and narrated by Kay Eluvian Exes and O's by Amy Lea (Influencers #2) Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #8) and narrated by Jesse Vilinsky Radiant Sin by Katee Robert (Dark Olympus #4) and narrated by Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock As You Walk on By by Julian Winters and narrated by Andre Santana Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and narrated by Jennifer Lim Additional Book Mentions: House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas Ninth House and Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone and narrated by Joy Nash and Sebastian York One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig Set on You by Amy Lea (Influencers #1) Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton (Cat and Mouse Duet #2) Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (Amina al-Sirafi #1) Check out Pages n' Pages on Instagram. These opinions are entirely our own. Image by Kapona via Vector Stock.

Jeff & Will discuss some queer graphic novels they've enjoyed including the "Fence" series by C.S. Pacat, plus two by Andrew Wheeler, "Love and War" and "Sins of the Black Flamingo." Author Julian Winters returns and in keeping with the comics theme, he and Jeff discuss "Superman: Son of Kal-El" and the representation it brought to the DC universe. Julian also talks about his new YA novel, "As You Walk On By." Jeff also reviews "As You Walk On By." Look for the next episode of Big Gay Fiction Podcast on Monday, January 30. Complete shownotes for episode 412 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

Jeff is joined by special guest co-host, author Julian Winters, to talk about favorite young adult books of 2022. They discuss books by Kalynn Bayron, Aaron H. Aceves, Erik J. Brown, A.L. Graziadei, Simon James Green, Kosoko Jackson, Adib Khorram, Phil Stamper, R. Eric Thomas, as well as one from Julian. In addition, Jeff and Julian get into the spirit of the season discussing holiday traditions and a favorite childhood gift. Complete shownotes for episode 408 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

Patrice Caldwell holds many esteemed titles already -  children's book editor, literary agent,  Forbes's “30 Under 30” media list, and Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree - and she hold a distinct passion for uplifting diverse voices in the publishing industry.She discusses the process of pitching, curating, and editing a YA paranormal romance anthology - titled Eternally Yours - with fifteen of today's bestselling writers, including Casey McQuiston, Julian Winters, Kat Cho, Melissa de la Cruz and Chloe Gong. Editing the anthology with so many diverse voices was no easy feat and we talk about it in all it's glorious detail! Connect with Patrice:https://patricecaldwell.com/Instagram - @pncaldwell Twitter - @whimsicallyoursLink for Patrice's Recent Anthology "Eternally Yours":https://amzn.to/3U6na7iLink for Patrice's 1st Anthology "A Phoenix First Must Burn":https://amzn.to/3fhJjkr---------The YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPcGXevs2NQk3Ab9OD66zuQSupport the Show:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestoryFind me below:Twitter - @RomancetheStoryInstagram - @RomancetheStoryFacebook - @RomancetheStoryResources:Melissa de la Cruz's "Blue Bloods"https://amzn.to/3sLswcoChloe Gong's "These Violent Delights"https://amzn.to/3fiCrDcCasey McQuiston's "Red, White & Royal Blue"https://amzn.to/3sH37ATKendare Blake's "Three Dark Crowns"https://amzn.to/3U3f8wcSarah Gailey's "The Echo Wife"https://amzn.to/3U5vkgaElizabeth Gilbert's Ted Talk "Your Elusive Genius"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MAAdditional Music:Let the Mystery Unfoldby geoffharveySupport the show

In this special episode of Gotham Outsiders, we continue our Pride month with Aquaman: The Becoming by Brandon Thomas and Diego Olortegui. Joining us to discuss Jackson Hyde's journey from Aqualad to AquaMAN is award-winning YA author and comics geek, JULIAN WINTERS!  Julian: @julianw_writes; julianwinters.com  Chris: @themythofpsyche TJ: @troyfin2 Gotham Outsiders: @GothamOutsiders Music and edited by: Nick Oyler Logo: Aliza Layne

Hey besties! Welcome back to Books on the Brain, a podcast of books and nonsense! In this week's episode, we have our dear friend Greg back on the podcast to celebrate pride month again this year! We talk about so many book-to-screen adaptations including RW&RB and Percy Jackson. We also have a good conversation about Booktok and how the landscape has changed so much over the past year. Make sure to follow Greg (they/he) on TikTok (@justgreggy) and Instagram (@gregslibrary). Something you want to say? You can send us a DM or comment on our Instagram @booksonthebrainpodcast! You can also send us an email: booksonthebrainpod@gmail.com We upload biweekly on Wednesdays, and you can find us individually Deirdre (she/her) @deirdrerosemorgan on Instagram & TikTok and Danielle (she/her) @d.j.books on Instagram and TikTok. Current reads: Deirdre: Vicious by VE Schwab Greg: Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters and The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan Danielle; The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides and The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/booksonthebrainpod/message

Hey all! This week we talk all about the very cute Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters. Our story follows recent highschool graduates Isaac & his best friend Diego as they gear up for their summer before college. Legends Con is a huge convention where our two favorite nerdy boys are supposed to go, but it seems like their dreams of attending are dashed when a cute boy named Davi interrupts and distracts Isaac from buying the tickets. Another complication, Diego has opted out of attending college with Isaac and tensions are building as the summer burns away the hours they still have together. Will they make it to Teen Pride day with their friendship intact? Or will the drama and the heat of the summer keep this duo from their summer dreams? Theme Song by Man With Roses

The guys kick off with a preview of biographies coming this spring, including books by Harvey Fierstein, Grace Ellis & Hannah Templer, Alexandra Billings, Randy Rainbow, Nyle DiMarco, Rob Kearney & Eric Rosswood, Tom Daley, and Colton Haynes. Will also reviews the V.C. Andrews biography "The Woman Beyond the Attic: The V.C. Andrews Story" by Andrew Neiderman. Next it's a look at upcoming young adult books from authors Erik J. Brown, Steven Salvatore, Julian Winters, Adib Khorram, Kosoko Jackson, F.T. Lukens, Robbie Couch, Shaun David Hutchinson, and Jordan Greene. Jeff also reviews "Spin Me Right Round" by David Valdes, "Right Where I Left You" by Julian Winters, and talks about his latest reading in the "Superman: Son of Kal-El" series. Complete shownotes for episode 365 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

This week, Erica discusses what's been credited as the first queer novel featuring Black teens, as well as a couple other more recent Black queer YA novels. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What's Up in YA newsletter! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Show Notes Ruby by Rosa Guy The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters (out March 2022) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for part 2! Let's finish talking about the BEST romances of 2021 and talk about our MOST ANTICIPATED romances for 2022!  *CORRECTION: Bridgerton Season 2 has been delayed so we will be back in two weeks to talk about season 2 of The Witcher! Later in the year we will do a Bridgerton episode. For exclusive bonus content and early access to episodes, consider joining the Chapter 3 Podcast Patreon Looking for a book mentioned in the episode? Check here! *Note that all links are affiliate links from which we earn a commission to support the podcast   Books Mentioned All the Feels by Olivia Dade: https://amzn.to/3F9Wn2P Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins: https://amzn.to/3F6tVik Her Wicked Marquess by Stacy Reid: https://amzn.to/3F9nif5 It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey: https://amzn.to/3p4ZFyG A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas: https://amzn.to/3e7y4qg The Midwinter Mail Order Bride by Kati Wilde: https://amzn.to/3yAl5XQ Most Anticipated January The Kindred by Alechia Dow:  https://amzn.to/3m0eFfn Electric Idol by Katee Robert: https://amzn.to/3s55PkB D'Vaughan and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins:  https://amzn.to/3oN0Nab Munro by Kresley Cole: https://amzn.to/31ZpQhP February House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas: https://amzn.to/3E8xao2 Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake: https://amzn.to/3lZg3Ps The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh: https://amzn.to/3GRldox March Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey: https://amzn.to/3F9LaiG By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate: https://amzn.to/3oMbv0A In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer: https://amzn.to/3FjzB8E Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters: https://amzn.to/3yjBnnK Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma: https://amzn.to/3dHJ6m4 Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy: https://amzn.to/3rWAn7N April Reputation by Lex Croucher: https://amzn.to/3qdhgEi The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa: https://amzn.to/3oK25CS Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare: https://amzn.to/3yAmP3k Never Cross a Highlander by Lisa Rayne: https://amzn.to/33iaXat May Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood: https://amzn.to/3GXftKf June Stuck on You by Ali Hazelwood: https://amzn.to/30HGCkU Fake It Til You Bake It by Jamie Wesley: https://amzn.to/31VhN4Y American Royalty by Tracey Livesay:  https://amzn.to/3oLjzyL July Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood: https://amzn.to/3e5bPRU What Souls Are Made of by Tasha Suri: https://amzn.to/3Fct67J Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter: https://amzn.to/3q4PFVy Accomplished: A Georgie Darcy Novel by Amanda Quain:  https://amzn.to/3oK2x42 Link to ACOSF Episode: https://youtu.be/EU7dCn01IVs Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok @Chapter3Podcast or watch episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy6yRiktWbWRAFpByrVk-kg Interested in early access to episodes, private Discord channels and other perks? Consider joining the Chapter 3 Patreon!  Co-Hosts Bethany: https://www.youtube.com/c/beautifullybookishbethany Liene: https://www.youtube.com/c/LienesLibrary Izzy: https://www.youtube.com/c/HappyforNow

About Today's Show Queer representation in stories and literature is starting to make its way into the mainstream market and big publishing houses. It's still a long road before we see LGBTQ+ books being promoted by big publishing houses as the new norm but with the help of today's guest, we're on track to getting there! On today's show, Calan has a sit-down with author Robbie Couch to talk about why queer representation is so important in literature and how he managed to find success going the traditional publishing house route with Simon & Schuster. Get "The Sky Blues" by Robbie Couch Follow Robbie on Instagram and Twitter Check out Robbie's Website Watch this ep on YouTube Books and Authors mentioned in today's episode: SoulBound/Metahuman by Hailey Turner, The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles, Forsaken Fae by R.A. Steffan, Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Running with Lions by Julian Winters, Jay's Gay Agenda by Jason June, You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera. --- - Connect with us - Join the private Facebook community Instagram GayMenGoingDeeper.com -— Join the Waitlist for the Gay Men Going Deeper Membership coaching community!

Before we get into this week's interview, Jeff reviews the audiobook of "How to Be Remy Cameron," as well as the new anthology "Black Boy Joy," edited by Kwame Mbalia. We are super excited this week to welcome Silas Whitaker, a new audiobook narrator who already has a few titles out for young adult and gay romance fans. Author Julian Winters joins us as well to tell the story of how Silas came to narrate "How to be Remy Cameron." We get the scoop on how Silas recorded his first book, managed the large cast of characters, and what his favorite scene was. We also talk about the books Silas has recorded in the gay romance genre. In addition, Julian discusses his short story in the "Black Boy Joy" anthology. Complete shownotes for episode 333 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

Sharon Carter comes back! Baron Zemo does a dance!   Hosts Ian Carlos Crawford and Adam Sass discuss the 3rd episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier with special guests cosplayer Jay Justice, blogger Ashley K Smalls, and YA author Julian Winters.   Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Slayerfestx98/ Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/slayerfestx98 Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/slayerfest98 Follow us on YouTube: tinyurl.com/tq9qs8x Follow us on insta: https://www.instagram.com/slayerfestx98/ Buy our stuff on etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Slayerfestx98

In this episode we chat about the (frankly excellent) book Furia. Lindsey suggests Bend It Like Beckham. Kim suggests Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang. Molly suggests Running with Lions by Julian Winters, books by Matt de la Peña, What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez, and the Disney movie Lemonade Mouth. Amy suggests There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon. Kim suggests I'll Be The One by Lyla Lee. Nathan suggests the track series starting with Ghost by Jason Reynolds, and Stand-Off by Andrew Smith. Nate suggests Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston. See Julien Miquel on Youtube for pronunciation.

In the final episode of 2020, Will reviews RJ Scott's "Cupcakes and Christmas" and Jeff looks at the first two books in the "Rosavia Royals" series: "Up for Heir" by Stella Starling and "Reign or Shine" by HJ Welch. Jeff & Will also reveal some of their favorite reads from 2020, which include books by Jaxon Knight, TJ Klune, Annabeth Albert, Philip William Stover, Maz Maddox, Layla Reyne, Jayce Ellis and Julian Winters. Complete shownotes for episode 279 are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

Paige and Lauren check-in to stay at the Rosebud Motel with Author, Julian Winters! That's right, Twyla better get our orders ready, because we're talking about Schitt's Creek. Our little trio goes through favorite moments, relatable characters, and much more, so come live a little bit Alexis with us. There are spoilers all throughout the episode, but if you haven't seen this Emmy sweeping show yet... 'ewwww, David'.

Jeff reviews The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters. Will reviews Second Helpings by Brandon Witt. J. Scott Coatsworth talks about the re-release of his Liminal Sky books as well as the new Innovation flash fiction anthology. He also discusses what he's currently working on. We celebrate the 25th anniversary of John Morgan Wilson's Simple Justice. John speaks with Jeff about bringing this book, and the rest of the Benjamin Justice Mystery Series, back into print with ReQueered Tales. John also shares Justice's origin story as well as what it was like to revise the book and the similarities between 1994 (when the book was first released) and now. Complete shownotes for episode 258 along with a transcript of the interview are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

It's a relaxing week here at Mysterious Galaxy, with only a handful of upcoming events after a few weeks of daily shenanigans! Becca and Gary are here to walk you through our events before diving into some of the fantastic new titles now on our shelves!   Events This Week: Thursday, September 10th: Jo Kaplan Friday, September 11th: Julian Winters, in conversation with CB Lee Sunday, September 13th: Romance Book Club    New This Week: It Will Just Be Us by Jo Kaplan  The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters  One by One by Ruth Ware  Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb  The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves  The Invention of Sound by Chuck Palahniuk  The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner  Divergence by CJ Cherryh  Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich  Dragon Slayers by Lisa McMann  The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart  Before She Was Helen by Caroline Cooney  The Memory of Babel by Christelle Dabos  Lights on Wonder Rock by David Litchfield  When Villains Rise by Rebecca Schaeffer  Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe  Iron Heart by Nina Varela  Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston  The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson    You can now find us on YouTube! Enjoy some of our recent virtual events here! Special thanks to Austin Farmer for letting us use the track "Kill the Farm Boy", from his album Bookshelf Symphony Orchestra!  Send us your questions to podcast@mystgalaxy.com Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!  And support the store by ordering books at mystgalaxy.com!

Author Julian Winters discusses and reads from his forthcoming young adult book The Summer of Everything. He also tells us what Pride means to him. Complete shownotes for this episode are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at https://frolic.media/podcasts!

This episode featuring Julian Winters, author of Running with Lions, first aired on July 31, 2018. Since then, Julian has released How to Be Remy Cameron, and his latest book, The Summer of Everything, is coming out September 8. Julian Winters Show Notes One Direction Felicity (TV show) Scandal (TV show) Scott Foley Kirsten Hubbard (listen to her First Draft podcast here) Sara Farizan (author of IF YOU COULD BE MINE and TELL ME AGAIN HOW A CRUSH SHOULD FEEL and the forthcoming HERE TO STAY - listen to her First Draft interview here) BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan Robbie Rogers (out soccer player) Nic Stone (author of DEAR MARTIN and the forthcoming ODD ONE OUT - listen to her First Draft interview here) INTO THE BLUE by Pene Henson LUCHADOR by Erin Finnegan Becky Albertalli, author of SIMON VERSUS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA (listen to her First Draft podcast here) Patrice Caldwell Simon James Green, author of NOAH CAN’T EVEN Adam Silvera (listen to his First Draft interview here)   I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone’s an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too;  Michael Dante  DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works. Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It’s free! Rate, Review, and Recommend How do you like the show? Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you! Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post! Thanks again!

Eric and Kelly talk about YA takes on Shakespeare, as well as offer up some great sports books for YA readers. This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot ffor the Book Riot community, Flatiron Books, publishers of The Night Country by Melissa Albert, and Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! SHOW NOTES Note: audio quality isn't what it tends to be because of an unidentified issue on Kelly's end. Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan Ruthless Gods by Emily Duncan Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy edited by Kelly Jensen Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson Exit, Pursued By A Bear by EK Johnston As I Descended by Robin Talley Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson Speak Easy Speak Love by McKelle George Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegmund-Broka We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry Miranda Kenneally books Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee We Are The Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian Shut Out by Kody Keplinger Break The Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli "More Gymnastics Books, Please!" A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck Here To Stay by Sara Farizan Gravity by Sarah Deming Running With Lions by Julian Winters

Julian Winters comes on to discuss his journey to publication, the pros and cons of publishing with a smaller press, his upcoming release THE SUMMER OF EVERYTHING, and the importance of lifting up other authors in the book... --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blacklight6/support

Jeff & Will talk about the past week, including their wedding anniversary and Jeff beginning a writing masterclass. The guys also talk about the upcoming slate of Hallmark Channel Christmas movies featuring out actors. The movies The Hustle and A Simple Favor are discussed. Jeff reviews How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters. Will reviews The Unexpected Heiress by Frank W. Butterfield and Anticipating Temptation by Silvia Violet. Jeff talks to Hailey Turner about the latest in her Soulbound series, A Crown of Iron and Silver, along with the origins of the series and her love of mythology. In addition, they discuss the Metahuman Files series, her origins as a writer and what's still to come. Complete shownotes for episode 205 along with a transcript of the interview are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com.

Season 3, Episode 23: An Interview with Julian Winters by MAC CAST

Season 3, Episode 19: An Interview by Julian Winters with Zaiya Dillon by MAC CAST

New movie and TV deals are discussed with both Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue coming to Amazon and a Love, Simon series to the Disney+ streaming service. Jeff talks about seeing The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. New patrons Rhonda and Regi are welcomed. Will reviews the Netflix original Special. Jeff reviews Jay Bell’s Straight Boy. Jeff & Will discuss their trip to the LA Times Festival of Books. They also share the interviews they did at the festival with Julian Winters, Kim Fielding & Venona Keyes and S.A. Stovall. Julian talks about his upcoming book How to Be Remy Cameron. Kim discusses her Stars in Peril series and Venona also tells Jeff about her co-writing with Kim. S.A. gives the origin story of her Vice City series and how she uses caricature to encourage people to read the first chapter (she also did a super cute caricature of Jeff & Will). Complete shownotes for episode 185 are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Here’s the text of this week’s book review: Straight Boy by Jay Bell, narrated by Kirt Graves. Reviewed by Jeff. I went into Straight Boy without knowing much about it other than it was a young adult story involving Andrew, a gay high school student, who develops a crush on Carter, a straight (or maybe not-so-straight) boy. What made me buy the audiobook was the fact I’m a huge Jay Bell fan because of Something Like Summer and also for Kirt Graves’s narration. I knew these two together would give me a great read. And they did. With Something Like Summer and its sequels, Jay proved a master of telling a story with many characters and many plot lines that involve an array of emotions. He’s upped his game with Straight Boy. Two things happen right away–Andrew, a recent transplant to Chicago, discovers a boy who lives down the street having an argument with his parents and saying things like “I was born this way.” Andrew thinks he’s found a gay friend. The next day–his first day at his new school–Andrew comes out as he introduces himself in class. This makes him a target of the school bully, Bobby. Andrew goes off on Bobby, despite the bully’s threats and ends up getting sent to the guidance office. Here he meets Carter and discovers that’s the boy he heard arguing. Both of them end up in a special program at the school where learning happens outside a traditional classroom Andrew’s year is now set. Everyone–gay, straight or otherwise–inevitably has that phase where you want a romantic relationship that you can’t have. Andrew longs for Carter but also doesn’t want to wreck their friendship, which seems to grow stronger by the minute. The thing is, Carter seems to be a little experimental too and that only makes things more confusing for them both. In the hands of a lesser writer, this would end up a disaster on the page, but Jay deftly weaves the emotions and circumstances for both guys as they figure out the place they’ve got in each other’s lives as it evolves through the school year. I cheered for the good and wanted to protect them through the bad since my fifty-year-old self could vividly recall how confusing seventeen was. Bobby’s integrated deeply into their year too. He’s a friend of Carter’s and that mean’s Andrew is around Bobby far more than he likes–and he ends up putting up with more crap that he should. Andrew accepts dealing with that because he doesn’t want to lose Carter. It’s made even harder when Carter starts dating Bobby’s ex, Olivia. Along the way another of Bobby’s friends, Jackson, becomes tight with Andrew too, creating more bonds in the group. The evolution of Andrew and Jackson’s friendship is as interesting as Andrew and Carter’s. Things get rough in the last quarter of the book. Bobby doesn’t like the changes happening to his group and he plots revenge. I have to warn here that not only does bullying happen throughout the story at varying levels but as we get into the last act there’s also off-page sexual assault and a pretty epic final battle where Andrew, Carter and the group are in way over their heads. Again, Jay does an excellent job of telling the story, ratcheting tensions and putting characters–and readers–through the wringer. The epilogue was the icing on top of this cake. Jumping twenty years into the future, we find out where everyone ended up. There were some surprises here that made me go “awwww.” It provided the perfect ending. What this book excelled at was showing friendships up close–what makes them grow, what rips them apart, and most importantly, what can make a true friend for life. It also shows, perhaps too intensely for some readers, the lengths people can go to in order to protect a relationship even if it’s toxic. I can’t commend Jay enough for how well he did all of this. Kudos to Kirt Graves too. I know well from TJ Klune’s Green Creek series that Kirt can handle a large cast of characters and high emotional impact. Kirt is perfection here handling the emotional rollercoaster without sending it over the top. His performance adds perfectly to what Jay had on the page. I highly recommend Straight Boy by Jay Bell, just make sure you’re ready for the ride. Interview Transcript - Julian Winters, Kim Fielding & Venona Keyes, S.A. Stovall This transcript was made possible by our community on Patreon. You can get information on how to join them at patreon.com/biggayfictionpodcast. Interview with Julian Winters Jeff: We are at the LA Times Festival of Books with Julian Winters. Julian: Hi. Jeff: Who I’ve just had a major fanboy moment over. Julian: I had fanboy moments. Jeff: Okay. We kinda both had the fanboy moment. Julian: Yes, yes. It is equal. Jeff: Because I had to get him to sign my “Running with Lions.” Podcast listeners know that was one of my favorite books of last year. Julian: Thank you. Jeff: And you’ve got a little sneak peek… Julian: I do. Jeff: Right now of “How To Be Remy Cameron,” which comes out September 10th. Julian: Yes, yes. September 10th, yes. Jeff: Tell us what this is about. Julian: Remy is a very personal book. It’s about an out and proud teen in high school, who has always felt like he’s known himself until he has this AP lit course. And one of the final grades he has to write an essay about who am I and it’s like the make or break essay. He’s trying to get into Emory University, and he needs this course in order to get there. And so, he has this kind of panic mode of, “Okay, but who am I?” Because he’s always been defined by, “Oh, he’s the gay kid who came out at 14,” or, “Oh, he’s one of five black students that go to our school,” or “Oh, he’s the big brother to this character,” and he’s just all these labels he wears all the time. He’s, “This is who I am.” But then he starts to realize, “Is that all I am and do these labels really define exactly who Remy Cameron is?” So, it’s kinda an exploration of what labels mean to us, but it also has a great family dynamic. A couple of secret mystery parts I can’t tell you about but there’s a lot of guessing games going on in it. And of course, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have like a dorky romance in there. So, that’s in there too. Jeff: A dorky romance? I like that because that’s… Julian: Yes, that’s exactly what I promise you. It’s so geeky, it’s so dorky. Jeff: That’s kind of what “Lions” was as well for sure. That’s a good label for it. How would you say that your writing has evolved from first book to second? Julian: Oh, it’s a lot. A lot. With the first book, I just kinda wanted to write the feel-good story, and that was my goal, and touching on certain issues throughout the book. And it also was written in third person and “Remy’s” written in first person. I’ve never, not even when I was like a small child, wrote in first person. I love reading books like that, but I thought, I just can’t do that, it’s just too personal. And so, it was a challenge doing that, but it was a lot of fun. And “Remy,” like I said, it’s very personal, so exploring parts of myself and things that I see throughout, you know, our community and things like that. It really helped me grow as a writer to really say, Okay, you can challenge yourself and you can fail at it, but you can also improve. And that was great. So, to fail, I struggled so much in the beginning, but to have that under my belt now, it’s I think I could write a lot of different stories. Jeff: So, you think you’ll visit first again sometimes? Julian: Oh, yeah, yes, yes. The next book I’m working on, first might be where I’m stuck now. I think this might be my calling. I don’t know. Jeff: Okay. I could tell you, first is a nice place to be. Julian: Yeah, it is. Jeff: What are some elements of this book that are so personal to you? Julian: Growing up. So, I grew up in Upstate New York where I was one of five black students at my school. And then when we moved to Georgia, I was one of 400 that went to my school. So, it’s very personal in the sense of, I went through a lot of phases of am I too gay? Am I black enough? Am I too perfect as a friend? Am I good enough friend? A lot of things that I went through, Remy goes through in the book. It also explores my love for a lot of geeky things and how for a while I wouldn’t let that define me because I thought, “Oh, no, this is bad, people are gonna make fun of me.” And Remy goes through that because he had a lot of geeky moments, but it’s almost like he’s scared to show them now that he knows that these are the things that I’m defined by. Jeff: I love that you point out the geeky thing because I saw on your Instagram earlier today of the comic books that you read into here at the Festival. Julian: Listen, I almost had to leave, you know, our booth just to go, you know, bow down at the comic book booth and just say, “Listen, thank you. I love it.” Jeff: Now, let’s talk about “Lions” for a second because you’ve had an amazing year. I mean, you started out of the gate that the book was blurbed by Becky Albertalli. Julian: Yeah. Jeff: And now, just within the last week or two, you’ve won an award for it. So, tell us a little bit about that. Julian: It’s been a wild journey because, first of all, like, I never thought I’d meet Becky Albertalli, I never thought I’d talk to her, I never thought, you know, I would become friends with her. And then just meeting all the other people along the way that I’ve met and growing in that area… I always felt like I was the kid sitting at the table in the corner where I peek over at all the cool kids and say, “Yeah, I’m never sitting at that table,” but it’s been kinda really awesome being taken in by so many different people and I never thought I’d be an award-winning author. Like, I wanted to write the book for queer kids to enjoy, to see themselves and know that, you know, you’re not some other subcategory, you’re just a normal person. It’s just that…this is just a part of you, it doesn’t define you. And to win an award, I broke down crying. It wasn’t something I was expecting going into this because my journey has always been about the reader but to have something for myself was amazing. It still is amazing. I’m not over it. I guess I won’t be over it until I actually hold the award in my hands and say, “This happened.” Jeff: This actually happened. And the cover too, which was a stunning cover, also won. Julian: Yes, the cover won for best cover. And that was so great for me in the sense that I love our cover designer, C.B. Messer. She’s amazing. She reads all the books cover to cover. And so, she knows these characters, she knows their stories, and what she did with that cover just blew me away. What she did with the “Remy” cover, I’m still in complete awe of just how well she knows these characters. Jeff: When we talked back last year, the book had hardly been out. Julian: Yeah. Jeff: How’s the reader response been to it? Julian: It’s been amazing. Today just alone, just so many people will walk by and say, “Oh my gosh, ‘Running with Lions,’ I’ve heard of that book.” And I’m just like, “What? Of all the books that came out in 2018, you heard of that book?” The response has been amazing. Going to the events and having people walk up to me and say, “Thank you for writing this book because I played soccer all my life, but there was never a queer soccer book.” Or, “Thank you for writing this because there weren’t a lot of books with bisexual main characters, or characters that were gay and Muslim, or black characters, or whatever.” It’s been amazing, the response I get. I get teary-eyed every time. I’m like, “I’m not strong enough for this, we can’t talk about this.” But it’s also been so cool to know that I’m helping someone see themselves because I didn’t always get that opportunity growing up. So, to know I’m getting to be a part of their journey, it’s just been amazing. Jeff: Fantastic. And what have you thought of the fair, of the festival? Because it’s your first time up here. Julian: Yes, this is my first time here for the festival. And I was talking to another friend about it because I went to YALLWEST last year. YALLWEST is this…it’s nice little corner and then this is like a whole city. Like, I get lost every time I go either to the bathroom or get something to drink. But it’s amazing because it brings so many different publishers, so many different books together, so many different genres, so many different kinds of authors are here. And that’s the amazing part to me, just to know how influential books are because there are people everywhere all the time, stacks of books in their arms. And you don’t really get to see that in, like, media, like how impactful books are, how much people really enjoy the art that we put out there. So, this has just been amazing to watch how excited people get when they see the books. Jeff: Yeah, it’s been very cool here. So, thank you so much for hanging out with us. Julian: Thank you. You know, I love you guys. Jeff: Best of luck on “How To Be Remy Cameron,” coming out September 10th. Interview with Kim Fielding and Venona Keyes Jeff: We are at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books with Kim Fielding and Venona Keyes. Thanks for being here. Kim: Thanks so much. Venona: Thanks for asking. Jeff: We’re excited to have you both here. And now, Kim, of course, within the past couple of weeks, we’ve raved about the “The Spy’s Love Song” and the new “Dreamspun Desires.” Where did the inspiration for this book come from? Because it was so good. Kim: I think a big part of the inspiration came from my travels in Eastern Europe. So, you know, thinking about the way things used to be in Eastern Europe and how things are changing, plus politics as they’re happening right now. And so, yeah, I think that was the main thing. Jeff: What kind of research did you have to do to develop your spy and your rock star who becomes kind of…along on this mission without even knowing he’s on it? Kim: I didn’t have to do too much research on the spy part or on the travel part, but rock stars and music is not something I know anything or have any talent or anything else about, so that was where I had to do most of my research because I don’t know what it’s like. I don’t know what it’s like to be a rock star. I can’t even sing. Jeff: Does that mean you what it’s like to be a spy? Kim: Hmm, I’m not…I can’t divulge. Venona: You have kids. Kim: Yeah, I have kids. Jeff: And you wrote song lyrics too? Kim: I did. Yeah, I know. And it was really fun. And then in the audio version, my narrator Drew Bacca sang them, which was so cool. And it’s like, this is the closest I’m ever gonna get to being a songwriter. And it’s so much fun to listen to. And I can pretend, you know, like, I’m the next thing. Jeff: Which actually raises the question, did you give him an idea of what the melody for it was or did he just kind of make that up? Kim: I had no melody in mind. I didn’t know he was gonna sing. When I write a book, I’m sorry narrators, I don’t think about what I’m doing to my narrators. And so, sometimes I torture them, and I wasn’t even thinking about a narrator singing it. So, that was his idea and I was so pleased. Jeff: And this is a little different in “Dreamspuns” as well and I noted it in my review that you are a single point of view here. Did you go into it deliberately that way or just kind of organically discovered it was the way to go? Kim: It made more sense for this book because there’s some surprises about our spy character and I think it’s a lot more fun if we kinda discover the surprises along with the other character rather than knowing right from the start. So, you know, for some books, the dual point of view works really well, but for this one, I think this works well. Jeff: Yeah, I totally agree on that. Now, this is part of a bigger series that’s happening within the “Dreamspuns.” Kim: It is. Jeff: Tell us a little bit about the series overall. Kim: Sure. So, this series is called “Stars from Peril” and this is the first book in it. The second book comes out next month, and that’s “Redesigning Landry Bishop.” And the third book, I just finished the first round of edits on. It’ll be out in October and that one is “Drawing the Prince.” We went over several titles on that one. And so, what all three of them have in common is the main characters are from the same small town in Nebraska called Peril, Nebraska. And all three main characters have made it big in some way. So, our first guy is a rock star, our second guy is kind of a Martha Stewart type, and the third guy is an artist. And so, they’ve made it big in the world and they meet someone. And so, you can read each of them as a standalone and in any order you want to, but you’ll kind of see the characters appearing a little bit in one another’s story. Jeff: It didn’t even click for me that it was the name of the town too because peril plays into their own peril. Kim: Exactly. And I honestly cheated a little bit on that. There is a real town, a tiny little town, I think there’s like 60 people in it, in Nebraska called Hazard, Nebraska. So, Peril. Jeff: Peril, Hazard, it works. Kim: And it’s a great name. Jeff: Now, people may be wondering, why do we have both of them here together? Well, Venona and Kim also co-write. Tell us about that book. Venona: “Running Blind.” I will tell you this came about some years ago in Portland at our Dreamspinner meetup and she pulls me aside. Now, you have to understand that I was such a fan of Kim. I love “Brute”, I loved all of her stuff. And then she’s talking to me and I’m like, “You sure you’re talking to me because, you know, I don’t, like, co-write. I’m really bad at, you know, doing it by myself.” And she goes, “Oh, yeah, I heard on NPR…” And that’s how it started. Because Peter Sagal who’s out of Chicago hosts, “Wait, wait, Don’t Tell Me.” He is a running guide for blind people for marathons.” So, she had the idea and we came up with “Running Blind.” Kim: And the reason why Venona was such a perfect choice is because, unlike me, she does triathlons. So, I didn’t have to do the research on marathon running. Venona: No, or running guides either. Stuff like, “Yeah. That’s your department,” I’m like, “All right, we can do this.” And it’s a wonderful book and we decided that we wanted to have a second story because in the beginning, and it’s not giving a spoiler away, is Kyle and Matt who have been friends, who went to college together, were friends, became lovers, and now they’re in a comfortable pattern, and they really love each other but as brothers rather than lovers. So, when something happens to Kyle, Kyle breaks it off and he goes, “You gotta go do stuff.” And Matt’s reluctant, but this story is about Kyle and how he deals with the things that have happened in his life. So, the next book that we’re writing, the working title is “Playing,” is Matt’s story about how he finds romance after the breakup. Jeff: And when do we get to see that one come out? TBD. Venona: TBD. Kim: Well, that one is still in progress. Venona: It’s still in progress. It’s now in my hands. And so, we switch back and forth when we write, and I need to get it back to Kim. So, hopefully soon. Jeff: And you’ve got some other co-writing coming too? You’re working with Shira Anthony as well. Venona: Shira Anthony, it is another story. It’s actually about a farmer and a city boy. So, that one is coming up soon and that’s an honor of a friend of ours from GRL. So, we’re writing a story about a farmer which he is and who’s not out and a city boy who is. So, it’s a lot of fun. We already have the outline and we’re just getting started on writing that as well too. Jeff: Very cool. Anything else coming up we should know about? Venona: Yes. “How to Become a K-pop Idol,” I am writing that one by myself. We might get a co-writer on that one, you never know. But that one is, if people aren’t familiar with this, I love Korean culture, a lot of Asian culture, Japanese, Korean. I’m learning Korean. I’ve been a K-pop fan since 2009 proudly with the Big Bang. Jeff: Before it was cool. Venona: Before it was cool. And my bias is right now, because Big Bang, if you don’t know in Korea, you have to go in for military service mandatory by the time you’re 30. So, a lot of the K-pop idols are going in. So, new ones are coming up. So, the third gens right now is BTS, if you’ve not heard of Bangtan Sonyeondan, BTS, they’re really big. They’re the band that I’m following right now. Jeff: Very cool. Anything coming up for you, Kim, a part from the Peril series? Kim: Yes, start of the Peril series at the end of this month, so April 30th. I’ve got a new novella coming out. So, if people who are following my “Bureau” series, there’ll be a new novella in that. And I wanna push that because I give all my royalties for that to Doctors Without Borders. So, this is the fourth story in that series, but you can read them as standalones too. Venona: And they’re awesome stories too, I love those. Kim: Thanks. Jeff: And what have you guys thought of the festival? Venona: You know, this is the first time I’ve been here, and it is awesome. There’s just so many people here, there’s so many different books, and you get to browse them all at the same time instead of in a little bookstore somewhere. So, yeah. Kim: And it’s been a lot of fun just kinda hanging out with everybody, LA is fun. So, it’s been a lot of fun. Jeff: Very cool. Well, thanks for hanging out with us for a few minutes. Kim: Thanks so much. Venona: Thanks for asking us. Interview with S.A. Stovall Jeff: And we’re at the LA Times Festival of Books with S.A. Stovall. Thanks so much for being here with us. S.A.: Well, thank you for having me. It’s super exciting. Jeff: Now, you’re the author of “Vice City,” it’s currently two books in the series. Tell us a little bit about what the series is? S.A.: It’s a crime thriller like a noir style. Ironically, if you’ve ever read “Sin City,” which is a graphic novel, it’s kind of similar to that. I used to work at a courthouse and I got a lot of green, was an attorney and all that. I don’t do that anymore because it’s a little depressing, but I used some of my experience in that to write the series. And I really like redemption stories and like criminals turning it around. That’s what I did in the courts is I helped a lot of drug addicts get to rehab and turn their life around. And so, I’m really into that kind of story. So, the series follows an ex-mobster who like, you know, leaves the mob and then becomes a private detective, and then, you know, shenanigans ensue. Jeff: Shenanigans ensue? S.A.: Yeah. Jeff: And he’s consistent through the series? S.A.: He’s the main viewpoint. There’s a romance a subplot in which he falls in love with like a police academy cadet, and obviously, that’s his in to the police and you know, again, more shenanigans ensue that way. In the sequel book that just came out, one of the subplots is that a police officer suspects the main character’s actual identity, that he had connections to the mob and used to be a mob enforcer. And so, he’s out to prove that it’s him. And so, you know, it’s a thriller story so it’s got lots of thrills. Jeff: Mystery, suspense, thrills, it’s all there. S.A.: Yes, exactly. Jeff: What got you into starting to write these books? S.A.: So, I had a friend who really likes Dreamspinner Press and I used to write just books like short stories for my D&D group, because they really liked, you know, fantasy, all that kind of stuff. So, I wrote short story fantasies and she was like, “My God, you should write me a Dreamspinner-style novel, like, that’s what you should write for me.” And I was like, “Okay, I don’t know if I can do it as good as all these other people, but I’ll try.” And I wrote “Vice City” for her specifically. I even put that in the dedication. I’m like, “It’s just for you.” I didn’t think that it would go anywhere because, you know, I was just like, “Okay.” But I got an agent after I wrote this and then the agent sold it to Dreamspinner and then they published it for the DSP line because that’s where they do genre stuff. Jeff: It doesn’t necessarily have the romance in it, right? S.A.: Yeah. Well, mine does but it’s not the focal point. The focal point is the, you know, mystery and the mobster story. So, I was very surprised. I didn’t think it would go anywhere but it totally went somewhere. So, every time somebody is like, “Oh, I don’t know if I should write a novel,” there’s a piece of me that’s like, “Man, I just wrote that novel willy-nilly. So, you should try, you should do it. You should try.” Now admittedly, you know, I was writing before I wrote this because I wrote other stories and short stories, but still, if you’re thinking about it, you should just do it, you know. Don’t even think to yourself, “Oh, nobody will read this,” because I kinda thought, “Nobody’s gonna read a crime noir.” You know what I’m saying? Like, I was like, “That’s old school, nobody reads that kind of stuff anymore.” But no, people do, and people like it. So, I was really happy. Jeff: And you noted that the second book just came out. Do you have plans for third? S.A.: Yeah. Jeff: What is yet to come? S.A.: I’m about halfway through the third book and it’s a true series in the sense that it could go for as long as I want it or, you know, that kind of thing. It’s not like a trilogy or a set thing like, “Oh, something needs to happen.” But, you know, as a private investigator, anything can happen, you know, all sorts of shenanigans can ensue. Jeff: Very true, very true. S.A.: But there is a connecting theme. The whole reason that it’s the vice enforcer is that the mob that he used to work for was the vice family, and they’re still around by book three so you can kinda see the, like, he’s trying to take them down one by one. And so, I guess I could be limited to and then it got the whole vice family and then the series is over. But, you know, there’s that connecting thread too. Jeff: Now, that you’ve been writing in this genre, do you wanna expand out to other genres or is noir thriller kind of your sweet spot? S.A.: Well, it’s just a thing that I like a lot, that I thought, you know, nobody likes this anymore, but I like it. I wrote “Modern Gladiator” which is just a pure romance for Dreamspinner. It was a sports romance with UFC fighter. Jeff: Oh, cool. S.A.: I, a few years back, was dating a guy who was in the UFC. And so, I just used all of that experience to write a sports romance. And I know a lot about, you know, wrestling and all that kind of stuff just from him. And I put a lot of that kind of information in the book and it literally just came out about two weeks ago. Yeah, “Modern Gladiator” came out. And then I do a lot of fantasy and science fiction on the side as well. So, I mean, all sorts of things, all crazy things. Jeff: Very cool. Now you’re also an artist? S.A.: Yes, that’s true. Jeff: While she’s been here doing her signings and such, she’s also been doing caricatures of people who get their book signed. And so, we had this one done of us. It is so freaking adorable. How did this get started for you? S.A.: I’ve just always drawn things. I like doodling. I was really into comic books at a point in my life. I mean, so many comic books and manga. I mean, anything that was drawn and kind of that like storybook style with the panel, super loved. But I didn’t really intend for it to go anywhere. I went and got my history degree, I got a law degree. I wasn’t like, “Man, I need to study art.” But I did at least doodle enough that I was like, “I’m mildly good, you know.” And when I went to my first ever book fair, I thought, “I can’t just be the schmoe who’s standing in a booth trying to peddle their book, because I’m gonna be like 50 other people in the road doing the exact same thing. I should try and do something that’s at least enticing or to get people to read my stuff.” And I figured, “Hey, I could try a little caricature, and while I’m drawing them, they can read my book. And if it’s enticing enough, you know, they’ll buy the book, or they’ll feel guilty enough to buy the book, you know, I don’t know, whatever gets them to buy the book.” And a lot of people usually give me comments right away. Like, the first line in “Vice City,” everybody always comments, well, not everybody but like 80% of people. The first line is, “Getting hit with a wrench hurts.” And, so many people either laugh or comment like, “Oh my God, what a good line,” and I’m like, “Yeah.” And the first chapter in “Vice City” is an interrogation of that police cadet. So, Pierce, the mobster, is interrogating this guy who he thinks is a police mole. So, it’s really intense, you know, high stakes going on. I really like that first chapter and it usually hooks people. So, they read that first chapter while I’m drawing them and, bam, that’s my sales strategy. Don’t steal it. I’m joking, everybody can use it. Jeff: It’s all her’s. S.A.: Anybody can do it. Jeff: But the key is, like, I could never draw. There’s no way I’d do this, I’d have to find another hook. S.A.: I’ve been successful with it. People typically like that. And the caricatures are free. I just give them to people. So, even if they don’t buy the book, you know, it’s fine. Jeff: And it’s awesome watching her do them. We watched as she did ours. It’s like, “Oh my God, there we are just manifesting on the page.” It was very cool. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with us a little bit. One last question, what have you thought of the fair? S.A.: It’s good. There are a lot of people here though. I mean, just thousands of people all over the place. Going to the food trucks was fun, although not during lunchtime. There’s like a mile-long line from here to the sun and back. Nobody wants to do that. But the food trucks are good, the people seem to be really nice, and I don’t know, it’s just a good time. Jeff: Excellent. Well, thank you so much for spending a little bit of time with us. S.A.: Thank you for having me again, like, super awesome.

Beth and Ashley sit down with fabulous YA author Julian Winters to talk about his first book Running With Lions —plus, his fall 2019 release, How to Be Remy Cameron— and so much more! 

Season 3, Episode 12: Sports Interviews by Nick Calabrese and Julian Winters by MAC CAST

Season 3, Episode 3: An Interview With Julian Winters and Johairy Delacruz by MAC CAST

Julian Winters, author of RUNNING WITH LIONS, talks about starting to write so he could create happy endings for his own life, being more creative when working at night, wanting to chuck the rulebook, and his nontraditional publishing journey.   Julian Winters Show Notes One Direction Felicity (TV show) Scandal (TV show) Scott Foley Kirsten Hubbard (listen to her First Draft podcast here) Sara Farizan (author of IF YOU COULD BE MINE and TELL ME AGAIN HOW A CRUSH SHOULD FEEL and the forthcoming HERE TO STAY) BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan Robbie Rogers (out soccer player) Nic Stone (author of DEAR MARTIN and the forthcoming ODD ONE OUT) INTO THE BLUE by Pene Henson LUCHADOR by Erin Finnegan Becky Albertalli, author of SIMON VERSUS THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA (listen to her First Draft podcast here) Patrice Caldwell Simon James Green, author of NOAH CAN’T EVEN Adam Silvera (listen to his First Draft interview here)

Jeff & Will welcome Greywolf as a new patron and also congratulate Jen for winning the ebook giveaway for Running with Lions by Julian Winters from episode 139. Last weekend's Tony Awards are discussed along with NBC's Rise and the movies Paris is Burning, a documentary about the ballroom scene in late 1980s New York City, and Strike a Pose which looks at the dancers who were on Madonna's Blonde Ambition Tour. Jeff reviews two books by Seth King: Honesty and Twinkle Toes. Seth is then welcomed to the show to discuss his latest book, Who's Your Daddy? Seth also talks about starting to write at an early age, his process and what it was like to come out with the publication of Honesty. Complete show notes for episode 141 are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com.

Jeff & Will wish everyone a happy Pride month. The guys congratulate recent giveaway winners: Dee, Theresa, Danielle and Christina who won Audible codes from episode 136 as well as Lisa, Heather and Rhonda who each won an ebook from Hans Hirschi in episode 137. Jeff reviews The Lightning-Struck Heartby TJ Klune and Running with Lions by Julian Winters. Jeff interviews debut author Julian Winters. They discuss Running with Lions along with how Julian was encouraged to write the book, his love of comic books and what's coming next. Jeff's also giving away a Kindle ebook of Running with Lionsto one listener. To enter send an email to giveaway@biggayfictionpodcast.com with "Lions" in the subject line. Complete show notes for episode 139 are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com.