Amber Smith’s Highly Anticipated YA Sequel “The Way I Am Now”

Podcast: Download (Duration: 39:41 — 36.4MB)

In this episode 366, we’re happy to welcome acclaimed Charlotte-area author Amber Smith back to the show to discuss The Way I Am Now, the sequel to her New York Times bestselling debut The Way I Used to Be. These books follow teenage Eden through high school and into college as she lives with the aftermath of sexual assault and learns to move forward in life and in love. We’ll discuss how The Way I Used to Be became a bestseller not once but twice, and how that led to what author Laurie Elizabeth Flynn calls “an absolute stunner of a sequel.” 

Show discussion highlights:

  • How The Way I Used to Be found a new audience through social media
  • The impact of cultural movements like Me Too on the development of this series
  • What it’s like to have your book banned, and how readers can take a stand against censorship
  • Writing about challenging and sensitive topics for a young audience
  • AI writing programs as a new form of piracy and what they can’t replace
  • The deep connections Amber has built with a community of readers and writers

Brief author bio: 

Amber Smith’s YA and MG books have garnered honors including Amazon Best Book of the Month, a Goodreads Choice Award nomination, numerous starred reviews, Buzzfeed Best Book of the Year, and many more. An advocate for increased awareness of mental health, gendered violence, and LGBTQIA+ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help to foster change and spark dialogue. 

Learn more about the author and her books HERE.

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