Book Banter with Rayna

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring TQ Sims

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author TQ Sims about their bold and tender sci-fi romance, Lovers in Arms. We dive into the themes of queer love, resistance, and chosen family that pulse through the story, and how TQ crafts emotionally rich worlds that feel both epic and intimate.

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TQ Sims crafts engaging stories that center Queer characters in supernormal situations. Their sci-fi series The Lovers Universe, including Godspeed, Lovers and Lovers in Arms, follows two men who fall in love while using their psychic powers to battle sentient storms. This compelling tale explores themes of mental health, post-traumatic growth, and the power of found-family. In 2022, TQ’s short story "The Ritual" was a finalist at the Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival, showcasing their talent for blending emotional depth with fantastical elements. Their work has also appeared in Louisiana Words, Beyond Queer Words, and The Queer and Trans Guide to Storms. Residing in New Orleans with their partner and an ever-growing number of cats. Connect with them on Instagram @t.q.sims.

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As deadly living storms threaten to destroy the world, a crew of Queer warriors must harness their supernatural powers and their deepest emotions to stave off cosmic annihilation. "Lovers in Arms" is a soulbending sci-fi saga that combines heart-pounding space opera with a sizzling LGBTQ+ romance. As Casey and Oscar tap into their justified rage and unbreakable bonds, they uncover the true force propelling them-love worth fighting for, love worth living for. Join them in a journey through multiple dimensions where courage, love, and resilience light the way against the encroaching darkness.

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Purchase Lovers in Arms here: https://bookshop.org/a/106612/9781835561973

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Book Banter is a laid-back conversational interview with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks.

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Subscribe to Book Banter with Rayna wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Book_Banter 

 

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Anita Felicelli

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Anita Felicelli about her imaginative and genre-blending work. We explore the intersections of identity, science fiction, and philosophy in her writing, and how she uses speculative storytelling to ask big questions about reality, memory, and belonging.

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Anita edits Alta Journal‘s California Book Club. Her short stories have appeared in The Massachusetts Review, Air/Light, The Normal School, and elsewhere. She has contributed essays and criticism to the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times (Modern Love), among other places. In 2023, one of her short stories was performed as part of Symphony Space’s Selected Shorts. Anita grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives with her family. She served on the Board of the National Book Critics Circle from 2021-2024.

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How We Know Our Time Travelers: Stories, is a dark, intellectual, and surreal collection inspired by the uncertainty of time that explores themes of technology, climate change, reality, love and loss. Atmospheric, speculative stories examine our post-pandemic reality and future. Unsettling, uncanny, cerebral and genre-bending, the book reminds us of the fragility and unreliability of memory, and its invisible impact on the larger moments of our lives.

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Purchase a copy of How We Know Our Time Travelers here: https://bookshop.org/a/106612/9798987719770

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Book Banter is a laid-back conversational interview with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks.

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Subscribe to Book Banter with Rayna wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Book_Banter 

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Mike Miley

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Mike Miley about his new book, David Lynch's American Dreamscape: Music, Literature, Cinema. We explore the intersection of literature, film, and memory in his writing, as well as how storytelling shapes our understanding of the world.

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Mike Miley teaches literature at Metairie Park Country Day School and film studies at Loyola University New Orleans, USA. He is the author of Truth and Consequences: Game Shows in Fiction and Film (2019) and the co-editor of Conversations with Steve Erickson (2021). His writing has appeared in The Atlantic.com, Arizona Quarterly, Critique, Literature/Film Quarterly, Music and the Moving Image, The New Orleans Review, The North Dakota Quarterly, The Smart Set, and elsewhere.

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How are David Lynch's films as much in dialogue with literary and musical traditions as they are cinematic ones? By interrogating this question, David Lynch's American Dreamscape broadens the interpretive horizons of Lynch's filmography, calling for a new approach to Lynch's films that goes beyond cinema and visual art to explore how Lynch's work engages with literary and musical works that have shaped the American imagination.

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Purchase David Lynch's American Dreamscape here: https://bookshop.org/lists/book-banter-guests

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Book Banter is a laid-back conversational interview with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks.

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Subscribe to Book Banter with Rayna wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Book_Banter 

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Julie Leong

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Julie Leong about her lyrical storytelling, how the right person giving you encouragement can push you to write your book and cats, all the cats. We explore the themes of fate, resilience, and human connection that weave through The Teller of Small Fortunes. Plus, she gives us a glimpse into her creative process and what readers can look forward to next.

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Julie Leong is a Malaysian Chinese American fantasy author and corporate strategist who split her childhood across suburban New Jersey and Beijing, China. Her debut novel The Teller of Small Fortunes, a cozy fantasy about an immigrant fortune-teller, comes out on Nov 5 from Ace/Berkley and Hodderscape. Julie graduated from Yale University with degrees in Economics and Political Science and currently lives in San Francisco with her husband Drew, their cockapoo Kaya, and a magical lemon tree in the backyard that somehow always has ripe lemons. When she’s not writing, she enjoys making unnecessary spreadsheets and flambéing things. Find her online at julieleong.com or on Instagram at @JulieLeongBooks.

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In The Teller of Small Fortunes a wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna

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Purchase The Teller of Small Fortunes here: https://bookshop.org/lists/book-banter-guests

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Book Banter is a laid-back conversational interview with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks.

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Subscribe to Book Banter with Rayna wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Book_Banter 

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Darby Baham

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Darby Baham about her charming and heartfelt romance novels. We explore the themes of love, personal growth, and Black joy that shine through her stories, as well as how she crafts relatable characters and swoon-worthy moments. Plus, she shares insights into her writing process and what’s next on her literary journey.

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Darby Baham (she/her) is an author and storyteller on a mission to make women like herself feel seen and believe that love is possible for them, yes them. Darby began writing for The Washington Post in 2016, using all her doubts, hopes, and fears to connect with their 2.5million subscribers. She would eventually use these same experiences to inform her debut fiction series with the world’s largest romance publisher, Harlequin Books. Released in the U.S. and overseas, Darby’s romance series, The Friendship Chronicles, is a love letter to Black female friendships, offering an intimate look into the lives and loves of young Black women. Since January 2022, Harlequin has published four books in the series with Book 5 set to release in November 2024 and Book 6 in June 2025

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From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness. Falling for the Competition is the fifth book in The Friendship Chronicles. When Keisha Edwards collides with Rhodes scholar Julian Langley, she briefly considers switching from her MBA to chemistry--because theirs is off the charts But when Tall, Dark and Arrogant asks for her number? The answer is no. Besides, if Keisha's going to graduate top of her class, she doesn't have time for romance. He's her biggest competition. And the key to her success.

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All of Darby's books can be purchased through your favorite local indie or this link: https://bookshop.org/lists/book-banter-guests

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Book Banter is a laid-back conversational interview with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks.

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Follow Book Banter with Rayna wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Book_Banter 

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Steven Rowley

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with author Steven Rowley about his heartfelt and humorous storytelling. We dive into his bestselling novels, the themes of love and found family that resonate with readers, and how he crafts such deeply emotional yet uplifting stories. Plus, he shares insights into his writing process and what’s next on his literary horizon.

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Steven Rowley is the New York Times bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book of 2016, The Editor, named by NPR as one of the Best Books of 2019, The Guncle, a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for 2021 Novel of the Year and winner of the 22nd Thurber Prize for American Humor, and The Celebrants, a TODAY Show Read With Jenna Book Club pick. His fiction has been published in twenty languages. All of his books are in development for feature film or television adaptation.

Originally from Portland, Maine, he is a graduate of Emerson College and currently resides in Palm Springs with his husband, the writer Byron Lane, and two rescue dogs.

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 All of Steven's books can be purchased through your favorite local indie or this link: https://bookshop.org/lists/book-banter-guests

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Book Banter is a series of conversational interviews with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks. 

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Follow Book Banter with Rayna wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Book_Banter 

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Justine Pucella Winans

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna we talk with author Justine Pucella Winans about her newest book, Wishbone. How representation and family dynamics play an important role in her work and of course All The Cats! 

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Justine Pucella Winans (they/she) is a queer and nonbinary writer who lives in Los Angeles with their husband and incredible Halloween-colored cats. Their books include YA novels like the critically acclaimed Indies Introduce title, BIANCA TORRE IS AFRAID OF EVERYTHING, Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, ONE KILLER PROBLEM, and HOW TO SURVIVE A SLASHER. Their MG speculative horror titles include the acclaimed Stonewall Honor Book, THE OTHERWOODS, WISHBONE, and A LITTLE TOO HAUNTED. When not writing queer, creepy, and funny fiction for kids and teens, they can be found training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, reading (a lot of) manga and webcomics, and actively avoiding real life scary situations.

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Wishbone is Coraline meets Ghost Squad in this terrifying story about what happens when you aren't careful what you wish for. “A magical, high-octane adventure and a perceptive examination of queerness and fear.” - Publishers Weekly

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All of Justine's books can be purchased through your favorite local indie or this link: https://bookshop.org/lists/book-banter-guests

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Book Banter is a series of conversational interviews with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks. 

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Follow Book Banter with Rayna wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Book_Banter 

Book Banter with Rayna Featuring Rebecca Thorne

In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna we talk with author Rebecca Thorne about her Tomes & Tea cozy fantasy series. How she harnesses the power of her ADHD to write all the books. We also discuss (with diagrams) her 5-Sentence Method to keep you writing too.

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Rebecca Thorne is a USA Today, Indie, and Sunday Times Bestselling author, specializing in fantasy, sci-fi, and romantic. She is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, hails from sunny Arizona, and uses her ADHD as a superpower to write multiple books a year. When she’s not writing (or avoiding writing), Rebecca can be found traveling the country as a flight attendant, hiking with her dogs and lovely fiancée, or basking in the sun like a lizard.

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Rebecca's books range from heartwarming to heart-pounding. They will always feature LGBTQIA+ characters and diverse casts, as well as Rebecca’s hallmark writing of cinematic action and witty banter. All of Rebecca's books can be purchased through your favorite local indie or this link: https://bookshop.org/lists/book-banter-guests

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Book Banter is a conversational interview with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks. 

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Follow Book Banter with Rayna wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Book_Banter