For the 17th episode of The Nerd Tea, I'm joined by author Rachel Griffin to discuss her standalone novel "The Sun and the Starmaker."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rachel Griffin writes novels inspired by the magic of the world around her.

She is the #1 New York Times, #1 Indie, Sunday Times, and USA Today bestselling author of The Sun and the Starmaker, Bring Me Your Midnight, The Nature of Witches, and Wild is the Witch.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

There once was a village so far north that most considered it the top of the world... and in that village, the Sun fell in love with her Starmaker.

Aurora Finch grew up on tales of the Starmaker's magic, never imagining she'd one day meet him. The Starmaker senses a powerful magic within her and demands that she come study under his guidance. With her newfound abilities tied to the survival of the village, Aurora is swept away to his ice-covered castle at the mountain's peak.

The Starmaker is as cold and distant as the dark woods, leaving Aurora to explore his enchanted castle with only an immortal rabbit for company. Yet the more she discovers about the sorcerer, the stronger their ruinous attraction grows, pulling her closer to the secrets he refuses to share.

What to expect:

- Whimsical fantasy

- Grumpy v sunshine romance

- Forced proximity

- Magical curse

- Standalone

For the 16th episode of The Nerd Tea, I'm joined by romantasy author Rachel Schneider to discuss the first installment of her indie-turned-trad book "Metal Slinger."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rachel Schneider is a romantasy author who lives in South Louisiana with her husband and daughter. She loves curse words, crawfish, and all things romance.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Brynn has spent her life among the Alaha, training to be a guard and waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta–the very same people who exiled her adopted community to a life at sea.

But Brynn does not anticipate breaking a century-long peace treaty while there.

Nor does she plan for the intense encounter with an enemy soldier that now threatens to unwind the fragile coexistence between their people–and everything Brynn once believed about herself to be true.

For the 15th episode of The Nerd Tea, I'm joined by fantasy author Shannon J. Spann to discuss her debut novel, "A Stage Set for Villains."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shannon J. Spann is a debut writer and social media strategist. In her spare time, she loves knitting, wandering her local bookstore, and of course, theatre.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

"A Stage Set for Villains"

The gods are dead. All that’s left are the Players…

The performers of the Playhouse are as worshipped as they are feared, their enchanting shows bending hearts, minds, and even reality itself. Vicious, godlike, lethal.

An encounter with a Player left eighteen-year-old Riven Hesper with a curse that is slowly killing her. When the Playhouse announces the spectacle of a lifetime, Riven infiltrates the competition. There, she finds Jude, the Playhouse’s brilliant, merciless Lead Player, whose charm is as dangerous as his Craft, and strikes a deadly bargain to save her life.

But with time running out and the Playhouse’s secrets unraveling into a disturbing picture, Riven faces a grim possibility: she might not be the hero of her story after all. In fact, she may be the villain.

For the 14th episode of The Nerd Tea, I'm joined by debut fantasy author and book content creator Cait Jacobs!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cait is a new author who has found escape through the fictional worlds of books. Their love of literature inspired them to found BookTok and The Bookington Book Club.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Their debut novel"The Princess Knight" features a princess desperate to win back the prince who broke her heart. She follows him to his kingdom’s prestigious military academy—and in doing so, falls in love, saves the realm, and continues to look fabulous.

For the 13th episode of The Nerd Tea, I'm joined by fantasy author Elise Kova.

ELISE is a USA Today and internationally bestselling hybrid author. She enjoys telling stories of fantasy worlds filled with magic and deep emotions.

Her latest novel is the first installment of an enthralling fantasy romance series, "Arcana Academy." It's about a woman who wields magical tarot cards and lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy.

For the 12th episode of The Nerd Tea, I'm joined by debut fantasy author Amber Clement.

Amber writes Young Adult and Middle Grade fantasies full of glitter, determined girls, and captivating villains. As a Mexican-American, it's important to her that the stories she writes are full of the representation she craved as a young reader.

Her debut novel, "Fortune's Kiss," follows best friends Mayté and Lorena, who enter a legendary gambling den together. But once inside, they realize that beneath the enchanting glamour, Fortune's Kiss hides treacherous secrets.

For the 11th episode of The Nerd Tea, I'm joined by cozy fantasy author Sarah Beth Durst.

Sarah is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirty books for adults, teens, and kids, including the cozy fantasies “The Spellshop” and “The Enchanted Greenhouse.”

For the 10th(!) episode of The Nerd Tea, I'm joined by cozy fantasy author Maria A. Eden.

Maria is the independent author of The Elemental Realm. This witchy, cozy duology features "The Gray Prophecy" (which was my book club pick for January 2025) and "A Vision of Lights."