Keeping TABs

This week, we spoke with Gabriella Lepore, author of the YA mystery novels This Is Why We Lie and The Last One to Fall. Tune in to hear her talk about the books that inspire her, how she writes unpredictable twists, and how she writes character-focused mysteries that are fast-paced and unputdownable.

This week, we spoke with Lamar Giles, the Edgar Award-nominated author of the YA thriller novels Fake ID, Endangered, Spin, and Overturned; the YA contemporary novel Not So Pure and Simple; and the YA horror novel The Getaway. Lamar Giles is also a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books and the author of the A Legendary Alston Boys Adventure middle grade series.

Tune in to hear him talk about pacing the plots of his novels in a way that makes them compelling without feeling rushed, how he raises the stakes in both his contemporary and horror/thriller novels, and how he creates characters with unique perspectives on the world and maintains their voices throughout his stories.

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This week, we spoke with Maureen Johnson, the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the incredibly popular Truly Devious series, the Suite Scarlett series, the 13 Little Blue Envelopes series, and the Shades of London series. Tune in to hear Maureen Johnson talk about how she plots her intricate mystery novels, how she created a compelling and lovable detective in her Truly Devious series, and how she writes realistic and witty dialogue. 

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This week, the Keeping TABs podcast spoke with Kristen Simmons, the critically-acclaimed author of the YA dystopian Article 5 series, the YA thriller Vale Hall series, and three YA speculative fiction standalones, Pacifica, Metaltown, and The Glass Arrow. Tune in to hear her talk about writing survivor stories, creating lovable casts of characters, and her upcoming YA yōkai horror novel, Find Him Where You Left Him Dead.

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This week, we spoke with YA fantasy and paranormal author Sarah Glenn Marsh. She has written the Reign of the Fallen fantasy series and three paranormal novels, Fear the Drowning Deep, Dread the Harvest Moon, and The Girls Are Never Gone. Tune in to hear her talk about the key to writing a spooky paranormal novel, the importance of representing characters with diabetes in her books, and the story behind her family's haunted ancestral home. She also talks about the difference between instalove and instant connection, Lord of the Rings roleplaying as writing training, and how the spirit should win sometimes.

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In today's episode, we spoke with Nicola Yoon, the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Everything Everything, The Sun is Also a Star, and Instructions for Dancing! She is a National Book Award finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book recipient, and a Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner. Two out of her three books have been made into major motion pictures. Nicola Yoon and her husband, David Yoon, have recently launched an imprint with Random House Children’s Books called Joy Revolution. Tune in to hear Nicola Yoon speak about exploring philosophical questions through writing, crafting organic character development, the mission behind Joy Revolution, and some exciting titles that the imprint will be publishing this year. 

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In this month's episode, we spoke with Gloria Chao, the critically acclaimed author of American Panda, Our Wayward Fate, and Rent a Boyfriend. Her upcoming novel, When You Wish Upon a Lantern, will be released on February 14th, 2023. Tune in to hear Gloria Chao talk about how she writes realistic dialogue in a way that makes her character relationships feel even more authentic, and how she plots her romances so that her characters get together at the perfect time. Gloria Chao also talks about how she writes about the experiences of young adults who feel pressure from their parents in a way that shows where both her main characters and their parents are coming from, and details the nuance of that conflict. At the end, Gloria Chao gives us a few behind-the-scenes details about her upcoming release, When You Wish Upon a Lantern!

This week, Lily and Sophie spoke with Kate Alice Marshall, the author of the YA paranormal books Rules for Vanishing and Our Last Echoes, the YA survival novel I Am Still Alive, and the middle grade series The Secrets of Eden Eld. Kate Alice Marshall told us about how she writes paranormal mysteries that follow the rules of the otherworldly universes she creates, allowing the mysteries in her books to have satisfying and believable conclusions. She talked about how she makes each of her characters memorable, and how she writes novels that evoke emotions like curiosity or anticipation in her readers in an organic way. Finally, she tells us about her plans for the Rules for Vanishing and Our Last Echoes universe, hinting at what will be present in her continuation of the series.

Today's interview is with author Jessica Rubinkowski! It was so amazing to hear her talk about building dynamic characters and what it’s like to work with difficult character relationships. We learned about the writing process, and how it differs book to book. We can’t wait to crack open Wrath and Mercy, hopefully curing the anxiety that the cliffhanger at the end of The Bright and the Pale left us. If you want to follow Jessica online, there is a link in the description of this episode to their instagram and twitter. Feel free to follow us on Instagram, too, @keeping.tabs.podcast. You can also follow this podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts if you would like to be notified when we post new episodes! Thank you so much for listening, and thank you to Gavin from TAB for editing today’s episode! We will see you with another episode soon! 

This week, we had the opportunity to speak with Kate Williams, the author of the Babysitters Coven series as well as her upcoming YA thriller, Never Coming Home! We also introduced you to our new co-host, Sophie! Welcome to season 2!

This week, we had the privilege of talking with Caleb Roehrig, the phenomenal author of Last Seen Leaving, Riverdale: The Poison Pen, White Rabbit, and many other heart stopping YA mysteries. Stay tuned for an incredible conversation about his writing process!

Buy Caleb Roehrig's latest books, The Fell of Dark and Riverdale: The Poison Pen, here: 

This week, we spoke with New York Times-bestselling author Megan McCafferty! We learned about her early career writing for magazines and how she writes novels that transcend time and connect to readers of all generations. 

This week, we spoke with Maggie Thrash, the author of Honor Girl, Lost Soul, Be at Peace and the Strange Truth series. Tune in to a conversation where Maggie Thrash talks about how she makes her books simultaneously humorous and touching, how she crafts grounded characters within surreal situations, and the hopeful undertones in her work. 

Welcome to our very first episode! YA is our collective favorite genre, so we thought it would be interesting to learn about how the genre became so popular and diverse. We detail the evolution of books in the young adult category, from The Outsiders to The Hate U Give. Then, at the end of the episode, we will recommend additional standout books that revolutionized the YA genre.

Shoutout to Zachery Korn for editing and setting up the podcast!

Here are our sources if you want to check them out: