Episode 18 --- Nicola Yoon
We're so excited to kick off season two of the ReadMore podcast with Nicola Yoon. Nicola is truly a star when it comes to writing Young Adult novels. Her first novel, Everything, Everything became a New York Times bestseller. Her second novel, The Sun Is Also A Star, was published earlier this month and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
The Sun Is Also A Star tells the story of two 17-year-olds who meet in New York City and fall in love all in one day. Daniel is a poet, while Natasha is all about science. Both of them are from immigrant families. Daniel is Korean-American, and Natasha is from Jamaica. When she and Daniel meet she's super stressed because she's undocumented, and her family is facing deportation.
I caught up with Nicola last week at the Miami Book Fair International, and it was a real pleasure to talk to her about her work and the books that have inspired her.
Interview Highlights:
Nicola reveals...
- how her relationship with her husband provided inspiration for her latest novel
- why she's drawn to books with short chapters both as a writer and a reader
- how many books she reads a week
- why she enjoys writing for the YA audience so much
Click here to listen to the podcast.
We have a free, signed copy of The Sun Is Also A Star to give away. It will go to the first listener to tell us which frequently assigned book Nicola says is well crafted but has a message that is a "disaster." You can contact us through Facebook or Twitter (@ReadMorePodcast) to provide the answer.
If you have won a ReadMore giveaway in the last 90 days, you're ineligible for this contest. Also, if you and I have ever hung out together at the DTH, you're probably ineligible. ReadMore does not have a friends and family plan! But we'll always have Franklin Street. There's nothing like the southern part of heaven.
You can also support ReadMore when you buy this book from Amazon.com using the link below: