YA in the Sun: Road Trip Edition Podcast

Last month, we traveled south to the beautiful Encinitas Library in San Diego County for an awesome event called YA in the Sun. There were so many authors there, we couldn't miss it! We had so much fun mixing and mingling with some of our favorite authors, like Marie Lu, Leigh Bardugo, Kiersten White, Sarah J. Maas, Gretchen McNeil, Josephine Angelini, Jessica Brody, Cindy Pon, and so many more-- we did mini-interviews with as many authors as we could, in order to bring you a taste of this fabulous afternoon! 

Readers lined up to get their books signed.

Author panel! Note Kiersten White's supercute pink tights.

The event organizers set up a dress-up photo booth.
Here are some authors joining in the fun!

Of course we had to get in on the photo booth action too.
L-R: Allison, Michelle/Michelle's pregnant belleh, Michelle's awesome sister.

Also in this episode of the podcast, we share our picks for great 2012 books that make the perfect Christmas presents-- just in case you need a little last-minute gift inspiration! Tune in to see what we chose and why. And don't forget, you have until January 3rd to submit your question to Beth Revis!


Want to download this podcast? Click here for an mp3 or find us on iTunes!

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula for piecing together all the mini-interviews for this episode! The beautiful song at the end is "I'll Be There on Christmas Day" by Karymn Tyler. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode-- and it certainly would make our Christmas merry and bright if you're inclined to leave a review. Happy holidays! 

Brodi Ashton: Special Edition Podcast

We're so pleased to share another of the interviews we did at the SCWBI in Los Angeles over the summer-- this time we're featuring the lovely Brodi Ashton!

Brodi's debut novel, Everneath, dazzled readers when it hit bookshelves in January of this year. Get your e-readers ready for a companion e-novella, Neverfall, available on December 26, and look for the second book in the series, Everbound, in bookstores everywhere in January 2013.

Brodi is a pure delight. We had so much fun chatting with her about the true-life inspiration behind the series, "team" factions in the Everneath fandom (Team Jack or Team Cole?), and a few hints about what readers can expect from Everbound. Enjoy!



Want to download this podcast? Click here for an mp3 or find us on iTunes!

Find out more about Brodi Ashton at her blog, and visit her publisher, HarperTeen, too.

And don't forget - you have until Thursday to tell us why you should be a Princess or what your favorite Karen Cushman book is! If you let us know, you're entered to win a copy of Jessica Day George's Princess of the Silver Woods & a signed copy of Catherine Called Birdy.

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula for his awesome editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.)

Karen Cushman: November Podcast

Over the summer, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Newbery Medal winning author, Karen Cushman, when she was in Los Angeles for the SCBWI conference.

We chatted with Karen about her writing, what it was like to win the Newbery Medal (and Honor!), and all about her latest book, Will Sparrow's Road. In addition to being an incredible author, Karen is simply a lovely person, and we were honored (and more than a little awed) to speak with her. 

In this episode, we also share our book picks of the month: Michelle chose Princess of the Silver Woods, by Jessica Day George, and Allison chose The Fire Chronicle, by John Stephens.

Want to download this podcast? Click here for an mp3 or find us on iTunes!

Now that you've enjoyed the interview, we have an awesome giveaway for you! Comment on this post by Thursday, December 13, either tell us your favorite Karen Cushman book, and why you love it OR why you should be made a "Princess for the Day". We'll send one lucky winner a prize pack that includes a paperback copy of Catherine, Called Birdy, signed by Karen Cushman, and a hardcover of Princess of the Silver Woods, by Jessica Day George. (Many thanks to Bloomsbury for providing the copy of Princess of the Silver Woods.) Contest open to US residents only. Please include your email with your blog comment or Twitter account, so we can notify the winner. Good luck!

EDIT: Entries are now closed. Thanks to Random.org for selecting "Reader Roberts" as our winner!

Be sure to visit Karen Cushman's Web site to keep up with her latest news, and drop by her publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula and Joshua Bertrand for helping make this interview sound so great! Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.)

Michelle Hodkin: Special Edition Podcast

If you were entranced by Michelle Hodkin's debut novel The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, we can bet you raced to bookstores as soon as its sequel, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, hit the shelves last month. It's a New York Times Bestseller! We are so excited to bring you this interview with Michelle, in which she discusses all sorts of fascinating topics, including the inspiration behind the Mara Dyer series and a pretty creepy story (so keep the lights on while you listen!). 

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes!

Learn more about Michelle Hodkin at her Web site, and be sure to visit her publisher, Simon and Schuster.

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula for his awesome sound editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.)

Julie Kagawa: October Podcast

This month, we had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series, published by Harlequin Teen!

For this podcast, we thought it would be fun to take questions from Julie's fans, and you guys thought of some truly awesome things to ask her. We talked about her favorite Shakespeare plays, her vampire series, The Immortal Rules (even though she promised herself she wouldn't ever write a vampire book!), and how she developed all the fascinating creatures in The Iron Fey series.

Plus, we discuss our book picks up the month: Defiance by C.J. Redwine and The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.



Want to download this podcast? Click here for the mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Listeners, you rock! Thank you for submitting such great questions. To celebrate the upcoming holiday season, we're going to be giving away a lot of books over the next few months... so stay tuned!

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula for his awesome sound editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.)

Laura Ellen: Blog Tour

We are honored to kick off Laura Ellen's Blind Spot Blog Tour!

We had the opportunity to meet Laura this summer at the SCBWI conference to discuss her her debut novel, Blind Spot, which is a fantastically suspenseful mystery. Check out the publisher's description:

Seventeen-year-old Tricia Farni’s body floated to the surface of Alaska’s Birch River six months after the night she disappeared. The night Roz Hart had a fight with her. The night Roz can’t remember. Roz, who struggles with macular degeneration, is used to assembling fragments to make sense of the world around her. But this time it’s her memory that needs piecing together—to clear her name . . . to find a murderer.

Sounds good, right? It IS! Blind Spot just came out this week from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Find out more in our interview with Laura!


Want to download this podcast? Click here for the mp3 or find us on iTunes.

And now for official Blog Tour business...

The first winner of Laura Ellen's Blogger Love Giveaway has been chosen! Congratulations to Nikki Wang at Fiction Freak - you will receive either a blog badge or button designed by Xpresso Design or your choice of any YA or MG book, plus a bag of swag from some upcoming authors! Laura will be contacting you.

Bloggers, there is still time to enter yourself in the Blogger Love Giveaway! Details are on Laura's website Contest page. While you are there, be sure to enter to win one of two signed hardcovers of Blind Spot.

But wait! There's more! Laura brought a Blind Spot bag of swag for Authors are ROCKSTARS! to give away too! For your chance to win, comment on this post by Monday, October 29 with the reason you're excited to read Blind Spot, and be sure to leave your email address so we can contact the winner. Contest open to US and Canada residents only.

Also, Southern California book lovers should check out this event:

Be sure to visit all the stops on the Blind Spot Blog Tour over the next few days, and hit up your local bookstore for your copy of Blind Spot!


Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula and Joshua Bertrand for making this interview sound so fabulous. We owe it all to them! :) Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.) 

Amy McNamara: Debut Author Edition

We chatted with the wonderful Amy McNamara about her debut novel, Lovely, Dark and Deep, which comes out tomorrow, October 16, from Simon & Schuster. We loved hearing about how she stayed grounded while writing such an emotionally intense story, and the different challenges between writing poetry and writing fiction.

Bonus: Amy and Michelle bust out their fantastic Midwestern accents, and Allison explains Otter Pops.


Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Amy also shared some lovely photos of her trip to Maine that she talks about on the show. Here are our two favorites.

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula for his awesome sound editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.) 

Kendare Blake: Kickin' off October with GHOSTS!

OoooOooooo! (Imagine that was said in a spooky voice.) It's October, everyone! A month full of goblins, witches, and GHOSTS-- oh my! Speaking of ghosts, we have an awesome author on the show today who wrote a pretty fantastic two book series about some ghosts that aren't just going to jump out and say "Boo!" 

Allison and I were lucky enough to sit down via Skype with Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares. These books are spooktacular, folks, as is their author. Come listen to Kendare talk about writing super scary scenes, writing from the male perspective and what she has coming up next. We also asked her a few questions from you, her fans. 

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

We hope you enjoy listening as we enjoyed recording it. This month is going to be a busy one. Amy McNamara, Julie Kagawa, Laura Ellen and Michelle Hodkin are all coming up THIS month, so stay tuned. You do not want to miss a moment.

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula for his awesome sound editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.) 

Alyson Noël: September Podcast

Ava, Allison, Alyson, and Michelle (with a little rockstar baby on board!)

Along with our fabulous teen correspondent, Ava, we got together with New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël last month to chat about The Soul Seekers series, the appeal of flawed characters, and her amazingly disciplined writing routine. We had such a blast talking to Alyson! Honestly, we could have listened to her all day.

In this episode, we also share our book picks of the month. Michelle chose pretty much everything ever written by Julie Kagawa (because, by the way, Julie will be on the show next month!) and Allison chose Every Day by David Levithan.


Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Thanks very much to rockin' publicist Deb Shapiro for setting up this fabulous interview with Alyson! And thank you to the Mission Viejo Library for providing us with interview space. If you enjoyed our interview with Alyson, be sure to catch up with her at alysonnoel.com.

Now listeners, we have a giveaway for you! Win a paperback of Evermore, signed by the very lovely Alyson Noël. Leave a comment on this post and tell us if you prefer an ideal love interest in fiction, or someone with a few flaws and quirks. Be sure to leave your email in your comment so we can write to you if you're the winner! Deadline for entries is October 1. Contest open to US residents only.

EDIT: The giveaway has ended, but wow! What a great discussion. Congratulations to Crysta and thanks to random.org for making selecting a winner so simple.

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula for his awesome sound editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.) 

Sophie Jordan: Road Trip Edition Podcast

Last year, we interviewed Sophie Jordan via Skype in advance of the second book in her wildly romantic Firelight trilogy. This year, we were thrilled to get to meet Sophie in person to talk about the final Firelight book, Hidden! The book just came out from HarperTeen, and listeners, you are going to LOVE it.

Sophie was so kind to take time out of her busy schedule to chat with us at the Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim earlier this summer. We had a blast sitting down with this fabulous New York Times bestselling author, and asking her our questions about finishing up the Firelight trilogy, and also asking some awesome questions from her fans. If you submitted a question, be sure to listen and see if she answered it! (We also have a pressing question for any baristas in the audience, if you happen to be listening!)


Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

As if it wasn't enough of a treat to have Sophie Jordan back on the show this month, we've also got a GIVEAWAY for you! We are giving away one autographed ARC of Hidden to a lucky listener. Enter to win by leaving a comment on this post, telling us what you found most interesting about this interview, because Sophie is awesome. Be sure to leave your email so we can contact you if you win!

Deadline for entries is Friday, September 14. Contest open to US residents only.

EDIT: Congrats to Kat who won this giveaway!!

On another note... author event alerts for Southern Californians!

Big news for Fallen fans! Lauren Kate will speak at the Ovitt Family Community Library in Ontario on Wednesday, September 12, at 3:30 pm. Arrive early for good seats! More info here.

The Rancho Santa Margarita Library in Orange County is hosting a Teen Author Panel on Wednesday, September 19th from 4 - 5:30 pm. Meet authors Cecil Castellucci, Christine Fonseca, Janet Tashjian, Pamela Wells, and Sue Zeidler! More info here.

Books will be available for purchase at both events. Sadly, we won't be able to attend, but we hope you can make it!

Podcast hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula for his sound editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review.)

Raina Telgemeier: Road Trip Edition Podcast

Get ready for Drama! The newest graphic novel from Raina Telgemeier comes out September 1st from Scholastic, and we are thrilled to bring you an interview with this fabulous Eisner Award winning author and artist.If you're a drama geek like us-- or if you just happen to like really awesome graphic novels (and who doesn't?!)-- tune in to hear about Raina's student theater experiences, what it was like to win an Eisner award for Smile, and how she came to draw and write The Babysitters Club graphic novels- as well as an insightful discussion of the babysitter personalities. (Trust us, you will come away with a whole new image of Stacey after you listen to this!)

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

We are also happy to announce the winners of our two giveaways that ended yesterday! The winner of Kiersten White's Endlessly is Alicia Marie. The upcoming Kiersten White project she's most excited about is Mind Games. In her comment, she said "Just seeing the cover was enough to make me need it, but after reading about it, I need it even more!" The winner of the Lorien Legacies series (courtesy of HarperCollins) is Enna P. We are still happy to take questions for our upcoming interviews with Michelle Hodkin, Julie Kagawa and Kendare Blake. Just leave a comment with your question or tweet it to us @AuthorsROCK.

Thank you so much to all of you who participated. We have a lot of giveaways planned for future podcasts. We just love sending people presents!

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineers for this episode Marc Conrad Tabula for helping make the interview sound fabulous. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review!)

Fabulous giveaway, but ya gotta do a bit of work first!

Hi folks! We hope you've listened to our latest podcast featuring Kiersten White, Cynthia Hand, Marie Lu and Robin LeFevers. If you have, you heard that Michelle's "Pick of the Month" was the Lorien Legacy series by Pittacus Lore.

HarperCollins, the publisher of that series, is seriously awesome. They have given us a complete set of the Lorien Legacy books to give away to one of our amazing listeners! That's right, I Am Number Four, The Power of Six, and The Rise of Nine could all be yours.

What do you have to do to get these action packed books of sci-fi goodness in your hands? Well, we're going to make you work for it! We love hearing from you and finding out what questions you'd like us to ask! So, here's a list of our upcoming interviewees. If you have a question you'd like to ask them, leave a comment here (be sure to include your Twitter name or e-mail!) and you'll be entered to win the Lorien Legacy series.

Upcoming Interviewees:

- Kendare Blake (Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares)

- Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, The Evolution of Mara Dyer)

- Julie Kagawa (Iron Fey series including the upcoming Lost Prince, Immortal Rules)

- Alyson Noel (The Immortals series, Fated) - Note: Questions for Alyson Noel need to be in by 8/25.

So, have at it, folks! What would you like to ask these fabulous authors? You have until August 27th to submit your questions. Contest is open to US residents only.

Edit 8/27/12: The giveaway has ended, but we are still taking questions for Michelle Hodkin, Kendare Blake, and Julie Kagawa. Feel free to submit them here or over Twitter @AuthorROCK.

Kiersten White, Marie Lu, Cynthia Hand, Robin LeFevers: Road Trip Edition Podcast

At the end of last month, we caught up with Kiersten White at her book launch for the final volume in her Paranormalcy trilogy, Endlessly. What a fun event at the Barnes and Noble in Oceanside, California! Not only did we get to see Kiersten, but we also got to interview Cynthia Hand, Marie Lu, and Robin LeFevers. And our teen correspondent, Ava, joined us for this interview, so it was extra fun!

We talked to Kiersten about what it was like to wrap up Evie's story and what future projects she's got brewing. Then all of the authors answered some awesome questions from our podcast listeners, including a particularly interesting discussion of how they write strong female characters. We also have our "Picks of the Month". This month, our picks are the Pittacus Lore series (I Am Number Four, The Power of Six and The Rise of Nine - stay tuned for a giveaway of this series!) and Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron.

The fabulous author panel + adorable kiddo hug for Kiersten.

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

BONUS: It's giveaway time! We have an autographed ARC of Endlessly to give away to one lucky listener. Leave us a comment after listening to this episode and tell us which one of Kiersten's many upcoming projects you're MOST looking forward to. (There are a few to choose from!) Be sure to leave your email in your comment so we can contact the winner. Contest is open to US residents only. Deadline to enter the contest is August 27th.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Our closing song this month is "Nothing's Cruel" by Kyte. Special thanks to our sound engineers for this episode Marc Conrad Tabula and Joshua Bertrand for helping make the interview sound fabulous. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review!)

Melissa Wiley: KidLit Corner Road Trip Edition Podcast

We are so pleased to bring you an interview with the lovely Melissa Wiley. Perhaps you know her from the "Little House on the Prairie" prequels about Laura's ancestors... perhaps you know her for her social media savvy... perhaps you know her for her gorgeous hair. Whatever the case may be, if you know Melissa, you automatically love her. And if you don't know her yet, you'll want to!

We caught up with her at the ALA Annual conference in June... and when I say "we," I mean myself (Allison) and our good friend Lali of Masala Reader. Unfortunately, Michelle had to miss out on this one! But Lali stepped in as a fabulous guest interviewer, and we had a blast chatting with Melissa about her upcoming projects, her strategies for balancing her life as a writer and a homeschooling mom of 6, and, of course, Betsy-Tacy.


Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer Marc Conrad Tabula for his editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review!)

Libba Bray and Alvina Ling: Special Edition Podcast

Last month, we had the pleasure of attending the American Library Association conference in Anaheim. Not only was it a fantastic opportunity to get to meet a lot of people who love books just as much as we do, we had the opportunity to interview some incredible authors. Including...

Yes! We met Libba Bray! The Printz-award winning author of Going Bovine, Beauty Queens, and the Gemma Doyle trilogy is every bit as fabulous as you would imagine. We got to chat with her about her upcoming Fall release from Little, Brown, The Diviners (which you are going to LOVE!)-- we discussed her favorite 1920s slang and how librarians aided her historical research, as well as her journey to becoming a writer.

(We also talked about Beauty Queens and, as promised in this episode, here's a link to Michelle as a teen beauty queen.)

If you're not familiar with the awesomeness of Libba, visit http://libbabray.com to learn more. You will adore her.

And that's not all! Not only does this episode of the podcast feature the lovely Libba Bray, but we were also lucky enough to snag a quick interview with her editor, the amazing Alvina Ling. If you've listened to our interviews with Laini Taylor and Grace Lin, you've heard them mention Alvina. She's the Editorial Director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and she ROCKS.

(Quick disclaimer: bear in mind that we recorded these interviews in the middle of a huge conference, so there's a little more background noise than normal... but hey, it's ambience! You'll feel like you were there with us!)


Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer Marc Conrad Tabula for his editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode! (And if you like us, please be so kind as to leave a review!) 

Giveaway Time!

How's your summer going? Over here at Authors are ROCKSTARS!, we're still basking in the aftermath of the ALA Annual Conference. We've also been reflecting on the awesome authors we've had the opportunity to meet this year, as well as the exciting interviews we have coming up, and we decided that since things have been a little quiet around here for the past few weeks, it's time for a giveaway!

Want to win a signed ARC of In Honor by Jessi Kirby? After listening to the interview with Jessi we shared last month, of course you do!

Here's the deal: we'll be chatting with both Kiersten White (along with Marie Lu, Robin LeFevers and Cynthia Hand) on Tuesday and Sophie Jordan on Saturday this week for the podcast. Since we've been fortunate enough to have interviewed most of these authors previously, we'd like to know what YOU want to ask them this time around!

Simply comment on this post with a question (or two or three) that you'd like us to ask these talented authors, and that's your entry for the In Honor ARC contest. We'll email the winner for their address, so be sure to leave your email when you comment.

(As a reminder, the In Honor is in bookstores now, so the signed ARC is a more of a collector's item than a reading copy-- you should also buy the finished version!)

So get to it, folks-- what do you want to ask these talented ladies? Let us know by Friday July 27th and you could win. We may even see if we can gather up some autographs for the ladies we're interviewing. ;o)

EDIT: Please note that questions for Kiersten, Marie, Robin and Cynthia need to be submitted by 9am Tuesday July 23rd. We will be interviewing them at Kiersten's launch party that evening.

Anna Carey: July podcast

Are you as excited as we are about Once, the second book in the dystopian romance series that started with Eve? We had the opportunity to sit down and chat with author Anna Carey in advance of Once's publication and hear all about her favorite characters, her experience going from middle grade to YA, and more.

We had an absolute blast talking with Anna, and hope you enjoy the interview! Be sure to visit http://annacareybooks.com/ and get to know this fabulous author.


Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Our song pick for this podcast is Ingrid Michaelson's "Be Ok." Special thanks to our sound engineer Marc Conrad Tabula for his editing skills. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode!

Anne Greenwood Brown - Debut Author Edition

So, this is a debut author edition unlike any other. Why is that? Well, two words - SCARY MERMAIDS. Super awesome, right? Anne Greenwood Brown's debut, Lies Beneath, just hit shelves this month. We are so psyched she had a chance to chat with us about her dark mermaids, the gorgeous setting of Lake Superior, and her incredibly inspiration story how she came to be a published author. We also kick off the podcast with a very...special.. discussion about lakes. This is a must listen so get downloading or hit play on our in browser player. You don't want to miss it!

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes!

Also, be sure to stop us and say hi if you're at ALA this weekend in Anaheim. We'll be there throughout the weekend and would love to meet you!

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineerMarc Conrad Tabula for his amazing editing of this interview. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode!

Jessi Kirby - Special Edition

Jessi Kirby is an amazing writer-- and she's a fellow Southern Californian! We're practically neighbors, so we were thrilled to get the chance to sit down with Jessi and chat about her writing. Her latest book, In Honor, came out in May from Simon and Schuster, following her debut novel, Moonglass, which was published last year.

We had the best time talking to Jessi about the way one of her students inspired her to write a book, what it was like writing a second book versus her first, and her tips for achieving a work/life balance as a mom.

Be sure to visit Jessi at her Web site.

We thought we'd wrap up this episode with a singer who reminds us of Jessi's fictional country music sensation, Kyra Kelly, from In Honor-- Christine Marie, with her song "It Starts Today." Enjoy!

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Our song pick for this podcast is Christine Marie's "It Starts Today". Special thanks to our sound engineer Marc Conrad Tabula for his amazing editing. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode!

Lynne Kelly: KidLit Corner Debut Author Edition

We love doing Debut Author Editions, and we love doing KidLit Corner episodes... so guess how much we loved doing a podcast that falls into both categories. Hint: A LOT! We had a great time interviewing author Lynne Kelly via Skype. Her first novel, Chained, is a stirring middle grade novel about the strong bond between a boy and an elephant, set in India.

It was fascinating to talk to Lynne about the research she did for this book, and how she made sure everything was completely authentic-- check out the interview!

You can learn more about Lynne at  http://lynnekellybooks.com/wordpress/.



Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer Marc Conrad Tabula for his awesome job editing the interview. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode!

Hilary Weisman Graham: Debut Author Edition

Are you in the mood for a road trip to kick off summer? We've got the perfect author interview for you!

We had the opportunity to Skype with author Hilary Weisman Graham about her debut novel, Reunited, out this month from Simon & Schuster. Reunited tells the story of three ex-best friends who come together one more time for a road trip to see the band they idolized years ago.

Hilary talked to us about her experience on reality TV, her transition from being a screenwriter to writing a YA novel, and how awesome it was to produce songs for her fictional band, E3. We even have the songs at the end of the show for you to enjoy!

Learn more about Hilary at her Web site: hilarygraham.com.

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer Marc Conrad Tabula for his awesome editing, as always. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode!

Martha Brockenbrough: Debut Author Edition

We have a fantastic debut author interview for you today-- a conversation with Martha Brockenbrough! We know you're thinking: "I've heard of Martha Brockenbrough! She's not a debut author!" It's true, folks. Martha has written nonfiction, but Devine Intervention is her first YA novel, which is certainly cause for celebration!

She talked to us via Skype about writing for young adults, her involvement in the founding of National Grammar Day, and, of course, all about her heartwarming, hilarious novel, Devine Intervention, which just came out last week. Visit Martha's Web site to learn more about her.

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer Erica for her excellent work in editing our interview with Martha. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you'll never miss an episode!

Leigh Bardugo: June Podcast

This month, we have Leigh Bardugo, author of Shadow and Bone, on the show. If you love fantasy, you're going to love this book! With its Russian-inspired setting and vivid characters, we found it spellbinding.

We had so much fun sitting down to chat with Leigh at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena. She told us about the fascinating way she developed the language in the book, the scientific aspects of the magic system, and we addressed the all-important topic of CAKE.


Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

If you're in the Southern California area, don't miss your chance to meet Leigh Bardugo in person! Her pre-launch party for Shadow and Bone is tonight, June 4th, at Skylight Books in LA. And then she's going on tour right away. Check her news page for the details and see if she'll be in your neighborhood in the next few weeks! Trust us, you WANT to meet Leigh. She is fantastic.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer Marc Conrad Tabula for his excellent work in editing our interview with Leigh. Our song of the month is "So Much Better" by Aubrey Wood. Please be sure to subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes!

Jenny Torres Sanchez: Debut Author Edition

Continuing our Debut Author series, we bring you an interview with Jenny Torres Sanchez, author of The Downside of Being Charlie. We were lucky enough to chat with Jenny via Skype about what it was like writing from a male point of view, why she writes the hard-hitting emotional stuff, and the love of photography she shares with her main character, Charlie.

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3.

Thanks for listening. Be sure to comment and leave some love for Jenny! You can learn more about her and read the first chapter of The Downside of Being Charlie at her Web site.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Matt, for doing such a fantastic job editing the interview in this episode. Please subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes!

YA or Bust! Tour: Road Trip Edition

We had SO much fun last month. We got to sit down and chat with Stephanie Perkins, Nina LaCour, and Gayle Forman at Penguin's YA or Bust! tour stop at the Huntington Beach Barnes and Noble-- and that's not all! We also had the opportunity to moderate the author panel at the event. What an honor!

These fabulous authors had great crowd of enthusiastic readers, and we had a fantastic time interviewing them for both our podcast and the panel. This road trip edition of the podcast also marks the debut of our Teen Correspondent, Ava, who is completely awesome! Find her as @YAvaReads on Twitter. She attends a lot of book events in the SoCal area, and will join us as a third interviewer on the podcast when our schedules all match up.

We hope you enjoy our interview with these three amazing authors, as well as some event coverage featuring another awesome author who just happened to be in the crowd. Listen and find out who it is...!

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

We also met a book vlogger at this event! Watch The Booktubenator's coverage of the YA or Bust event right here, including a mini interview with Authors are ROCKSTARS! toward the end...




And be sure to check out The Booktubenator'sYouTube channel for more awesomeness.

Next up on Authors are ROCKSTARS!, we have interviews with Martha Brockenbrough, Hilary Graham, Jenny Sanchez, Leigh Bardugo, Jessi Kirby and Anna Carey. We are so excited to bring you all of these great interviews! We'll also be attending ALA Annual in Anaheim next month, so be sure to find us and say hello. As always, thank you for listening!

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Marc Conrad Tabula, for editing the interview in this episode. Be sure to subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes!

Marissa Meyer: Road Trip Edition

Today, we bring you our final interview from the fabulous Passion and Prose conference: Cinder author, Marissa Meyer. If you haven't read Cinder yet, you'll want to get on that... everyone is raving about it! We had a blast talking to Marissa about her fairy tale research and our mutual love of Sailor Moon, among many other things. 

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Thanks again to Susan, who organized the Passion and Prose conference, and to Marissa Meyer for chatting with us!

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Andrew, an incredibly talented voice actor, for editing the interview in this episode. Be sure to subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes!

Cynthia Hand: May Podcast

We had the opportunity to sit down at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena to chat with the very lovely Cynthia Hand, author of Unearthly and Hallowed.

Among other things, we talked with her about what it's like to be a New York Times bestselling author, the differences between writing Unearthly as a yet-to-be-published writer and writing its sequel with the pressures of being under contract. Cynthia also responded to some listener questions, so tune in to see if she's Team Tucker or Team Christian!

We also share our book picks of the month: Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein, and Unraveling, by Elizabeth Norris (Sensing a theme? Two Elizabeths!).

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Erica, for editing the interview in this episode. Our featured song this month is "You Ruined Everything" by Jonathan Coulton. Be sure to subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you don't miss an episode!

Katherine Longshore: Debut Author Edition

We here at Authors are ROCKSTARS! are absolutely head over heels for historical fiction. So we were thrilled to chat with Katherine Longshore about her debut novel, Gilt, set the in court of King Henry VIII. Full of scandal and intrigue, it's a fascinating read.

We talked to Katy about her inspiration to write about Henry VII's court and what is the biggest challenge about writing historical fiction for a YA audience. Give it a listen and comment here to let Katy know you're excited to read her book! It's in bookstores everywhere this month from Viking Juvenile.


Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes!

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Erica, for editing the interview in this episode. Our featured song this month is "If You Don't Need My Love" by Shane Henry. Be sure to subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes so you don't miss an episode!  

Leah Bobet: Debut Author Edition

Attention, urban fantasy fans! We've got an interview for you: debut author Leah Bobet, who Skyped with us all the way from Canada. Her book, Above, came out last month from Arthur A. Levine Books. In this episode of the podcast, we talked about fanfiction for a TV show that doesn't exist, Leah's writing process, and Canadian literature-- which, as we were rather delighted to learn, is called "CanLit."



Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes!


Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Song of the month is "Bumblebee" by Rachel Brown. Special thanks to our sound engineer, Erica, for editing the interview in this episode. Be sure to subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes!

Anniversary Giveaway Blooper Podcast

So, I bet you're here to find out if you won our epic anniversary giveaway. Thanks for coming.

Oh? You wanted me to tell you? Because we're kinda busy reading LIKE A BOSS. See photo for proof.

Oh, all right. We hear ya! We'll tell you... at the end of this short and silly blooper podcast. So, listen and see if you won one of the three prize packs.

Even you didn't win, we have a special giveaway for the giveaway podcast... it's a META GIVEAWAY!!! (Imagine that said in a monster truck rally voice.)

Here's how to enter: comment and tell us which blooper you enjoyed the most (translation: which one you thought was the goofiest). We'll choose one lucky person to receive a signed ARC of "Once" by Anna Carey! Deadline is Tuesday, May 15th.

EDIT: Congratulations to Ava! Random.org picked you. :)

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3.

Thank you for being such wonderful listeners. We have had a fabulous time producing this podcast over the past year and are looking forward to sharing many more episodes in the years to come.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Be sure to subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes!

Josephine Angelini Interview: Dreamless

We were thrilled to catch up with Josephine Angelini to talk about the second book in her Starcrossed trilogy, Dreamless, which hits bookstore shelves at the end of this month. We had Josie on the show around this time last year, before Starcrossed had even come out. It was exciting to talk to her again and hear about life as an international bestselling author!

Listen to the interview to find out about the new character in Dreamless that Josie had the most fun writing, and hear all about her work-in-progress project that we can look forward to once she's all finished with the Starcrossed series! (Spoiler: it sounds AWESOME.)

Enjoy the interview, and be sure to comment and let Josie know how much you're looking forward to reading Dreamless! And don't forget.. there are only a few more days left for you to sign up and win our anniversary giveaway, including some signed goodies from Josie!

Want to download this podcast? Click here for a mp3 or find us on iTunes.

Hosting courtesy of archive.org. Intro music by 46bliss. Be sure to subscribe to Authors are ROCKSTARS! on iTunes! Special thanks to our interview engineer, Erica, for making us all sound marvelous!