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Make the Season Bright with Ashley Herring Blake
In today's episode, bestselling author Ashley Herring Blake chats with Julia all about Ashley's queer Hallmark-inspired Christmas standalone, Make the Season Bright! We sled through a tangential snow covered forest filled with Halloween, music, hair care, and more--while also talking about the book, of course!
Find her newest book now at some of her fave indie bookstores: Parnassus Books, The Novel Neighbor, East City Bookshop, Loyalty Bookstore, Ripped Bodice (Brooklyn), Trident Books & Cafe, and Tombolo Books
If you're interested, read one of AHB's fave romance series The Brown Sisters Trilogy by Talia Hibbert
And follow Ashley on social media: Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter--but NOT FACEBOOK (which is a fake author page and a scam, get that reported!)
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Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!
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2. The Anatomy of Magic with J.C. Cervantes
28:21||Season 5, Ep. 2In this episode, Julia sits down with New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes to chat about her upcoming companion novel to The Enchanted Hacienda, The Anatomy of Magic (in stores March 11th)!Love writing? J.C. recommends Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert for inspirational tips!J.C.'s Favorite Books and Authors: C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, Little Witch by Anna Bennett, Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, Sharon Creech, Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Rick Riordan to name a fewFind signed (and personalized) copies of her books at Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe and Books on the Bosque in AlbuquerqueStay up to date with J.C. through her website, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky!---Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram or follow me on Bluesky. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our book lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!Novel Finds is an affiliate of Bookshop.org1. The Otherwhere Post with Emily J. Taylor
26:40||Season 5, Ep. 1Welcome to season 5 of Novel Finds! This season is full of amazing authors, and I'm so excited to kick it off with Emily J. Taylor author of Hotel Magnifique and upcoming novel, The Otherwhere Post! In this episode, Emily and Julia chat about crafting magic systems, historical quills and ink, Holly Black, and more!Read Emily's favorite books/authors: Rebecca by Daphne Du Morier, Victoria Holt, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Holly Black's Tithe series, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor, and Dark Matter by Blake CrouchPre-order The Otherwhere Post from her fave indie bookseller, The Red Balloon (located in St. Paul, MN)Follow Emily on Instagram, and check out her website!---Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram or follow me on Bluesky. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!Novel Finds is an affiliate of Bookshop.org22. Season 4 Wrap-Up
57:37||Season 4, Ep. 22In this episode, Julia and her partner, Jonah, wrap up season 4 and talk about books, analytics, goals for next year, more books... and did we mention he has an English accent?Helpful Links from things we discussed:The Menuscript episode Julia was a guest on to talk about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE SchwabFourth Wing (Xaden's POV) Ao3 by belle_beebeeYou Know Who Podcast---Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!Novel Finds is an affiliate of Bookshop.org21. A Court of Frost and Starlight with Shelby VanRossum
49:48||Season 4, Ep. 21In this episode our recurring special guest, Dr. Shelby VanRossum, chats all things ACOFAS with Julia! THIS EPISODE IS FULL OF SPOILERS, and once they get past the book and into new theories, it's alllllllll about MOR. We stan an LGBT icon and her three fae himbos. Other holiday books we think you may enjoy: Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake, The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch, and Spectacular by Stephanie Garber---Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!Novel Finds is an affiliate of Bookshop.org19. The Games Gods Play with Abigail Owen
32:33||Season 4, Ep. 19In this episode, Abigail Owen and Julia chat all about Abigail's newest release: The Games Gods Play. A mythic story that weaves modern and ancient Greek together in a wholy new story following a heroine who is thrust into... the games gods play!Read Abigail's favorite books: Star Wars, Admiral Thrawn trilogy and her paranormal inspiration, Twilight! Find her books at her fave indie bookstores: Lark & Owl Booksellers, The New Romantics, and The Lazy Daisy Bookshop or find them on Bookshop.orgFollow Abigail on social media: Website, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Abbie's Awesome Nerds, and don't forget to sign up to her newsletter!---Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!Novel Finds is an affiliate of Bookshop.org18. Blood of the Old Kings with Sung-il Kim and Anton Hur
45:02||Season 4, Ep. 18In this episode, authors Sung-il Kim and Anton Hur chat about their combined fantasy adventures on the smooth roller coaster (iykyk) of Blood of the Old Kings, written by Sung-il and translated by Anton, and available now!Check out Sung-il's favorite books: The Analects, Thus Spake Zarathustra, and Neuromancer and find him on Bluesky and InstagramFind Anton's book Toward Eternity and his favorite books: Possession, Dragonsong, and Geneaology of Morals and find him on Bluesky, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and his website---Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!Novel Finds is an affiliate of Bookshop.org17. Firekeeper Chronicles with Angeline Boulley
50:43||Season 4, Ep. 17In this episode the wonderful Angeline Boulley chats with Julia about her current two novels in the Firekeeper Chronicles: Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed. These books are written for young adult and older, and our conversation spans many topics! CW: Kidnapping/abduction, death, and violence are discussed. Listeners who may be sensitive to these topics, please take note. SPOILER WARNING for Warrior Girl Unearthed: 25:00--26:00Useful Links:Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)If you're in school or an alumni, contact your university and museums you've been to and ask about their artifacts and archives to see where in the process they're at with processing their items for NAGPRA. Encourage them to keep it moving along to get these items to their rightful owners sooner than later!Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)American Indians in Children's Literature blog (AICL)Check out Angeline's favorite books: Sadie, Promise Boys, Looking For Smoke, and One of Us is Lying from her fave indie bookstores: Island Books and Crafts, McLean & Eakon, Anderson's Bookshop, Schulers, and Shakespeare and CompanyFind Angeline on social media: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok---Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!Novel Finds is an affiliate of Bookshop.org16. The Bletchley Riddle with Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
29:46||Season 4, Ep. 16In this episode, Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin chat with Julia about their YA historical mystery, The Bletchley Riddle (out October 8th)! We chat about co-writing, investigating history, what makes a great book, and much more!Want more from the authors?Check out Steve's favorite books: The Great Train Robbery and Treasure Island from his fave hometown bookstore Northshire Bookshop in Saratoga Springs, New YorkAnd find Ruta's favorite books: Rebecca, The Birds, The Apple Tree, Ethan Frome, as well as her fave authors Kate DiCamillo and Roald Dahl from her fave bookstores Parnassus Books and Plenty BookshopFind Steve on the socials: website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTubeFind Ruta on the socials: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, website---Thanks for being a Novel Friend! If you want to see more from me, find the podcast on Instagram. If you want to support the podcast, join the Novel Finds community on Patreon or check out our lists on Bookshop.org to find the latest books from the podcast, and if your podcast app does it, make sure to rate and review the show!Novel Finds is an affiliate of Bookshop.org