Extra Shot with Alisha Fernandez Miranda

Natasha Alford, author of AMERICAN NEGRA, knows what it's like to live between multiple worlds: she's been an "underdog city school poster kid" and Harvard grad; worked at a public school and a hedge fund; and negotiated her identity as an Afro-Latina. Tune in as Alisha and Natasha chat putting yourself first, how memoir writing is like therapy and why it' can be hard (but necessary) to chase your own what ifs. Buy AMERICAN NEGRA here.

Is rejection actually a good thing? Novelist Emma Grey thinks so. The author of THE LAST LOVE NOTE and her daughter Hannah Robertson join Alisha to chat about life, love, picking yourself back up again and the joys of parenting an adult child. A truly heart-warming episode just in time for Valentine's Day. Buy THE LAST LOVE NOTE here.

Bianca Bosker, author of the New York Times bestselling Cork Dork is back with a new book, GET THE PICTURE, which takes her out of the wine bottle and deep into the wild world of contemporary art. Bianca joins Alisha for a fascinating chat covering everything from the joys of watching paint dry to the validity of ass influencing as performance art.Stay tuned at the end of the episode for our bonus game "Is It Art?" where Bianca meditates on the relative value of classic paintings, drawings of Pokemon and, of course, bananas taped to walls. Buy Bianca's books here.

Book lovers unite! When Mitchell Kaplan opened Books and Books in Miami in the 1980s, the city was far from the cultural mecca it is today. He's been on the forefront of the city's evolution, founding the Miami Book Fair and growing from one shop to a statewide place to be. Mitchell (Alisha's ex-boss!) joins to chat about book bans, the Harry Potter effect and why bookstores are so hot right now.*Show Notes* Read along with Mitchell's references: The Year of Dangerous Days: Riots, Refugees and Cocaine in Miami 1980 by Nicholas Griffin The Reformatory by Tananarive DueSlaughterhouse-Five by Kurt VonnegutHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling My What If Year by Alisha Fernandez Miranda (your host!)

Actor, comedian and bonafide movie star Kiran Deol is funny. So funny that it was hard to get through this episode without a spit take or two. And while it may sound strange, Kiran turned a horrific assault into stand-up comedy gold that brings both humor and heart to the mic. If you don't believe us, listen as she and Alisha chat everything from the Edinburgh Fringe Fest to Sia's Christmas album and lots more in between.

If you've ever felt like you were too far down the wrong path to change course, this episode is for you. Nikki Vargas, travel writer and author of CALL YOU WHEN I LAND was engaged to be married when she decided to listen to that little voice - and it sent her off on a wild adventure. Join Alisha and Nikki as they chat when the best time is for a midlife crisis, how to feel about failure, and the hottest destinations for 2024.Buy CALL YOU WHEN I LAND here.

This one is for the burned out moms everyone, and the people who love them. The delightful author and librarian Julie Chavez joins to celebrate the launch of her debut memoir EVERYONE BUT MYSELF with an impromptu dance party, a special segment of "What's Julie Reading?" and her top tips for how to sustain change for good. Buy EVERYONE BUT MYSELF here.

Extra Shot is back for Season 2, and kicking off 2024 with some REAL SELF-CARE - not the crystals and bubble baths variety, but the genuine act. With her hit book, Dr. Pooja Lakshmin joins Alisha on the podcast to chat setting and keeping boundaries, differentiating between energizing and energy depleting activities and how bubble baths can actually be great, as long as you don't expect them to change your life. Buy REAL SELF-CARE here.