We will be chatting with authors Piper J. Drake, Mia Manansala, Sarah Echavarre Smith, and Jesse Q. Sutanto about their journeys to becoming published (and fantastic!) authors, keeping in mind their diverse Southeast Asian backgrounds. Whether they were born in the US or elsewhere (in fact, Jesse is joining us from Indonesia!), we wonder how their heritage has influenced their writing, characters, publishing journey, and fan base. It's sure to be a fascinating conversation!

About our authors:

Piper J. Drake is a bestselling author of romantic suspense, paranormal romance, science fiction, and fantasy. Foodie. Wanderer. Usually not lost. Piper aspires to give her readers stories with a taste of the hard challenges in life, a breath of laughter, a broad range of strengths and weaknesses, the sweet taste of kisses, and the heat of excitement across multiple genres.

Mia P. Manansala (MAH-nahn-sah-lah) (she/her) is a writer and book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture.

Sarah Smith is a copywriter-turned-author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie's stash of romance novels. She's been hooked ever since. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and adorable cat Salem.

Jesse Q Sutanto is the author of Dial A for Aunties, The Obsession, and Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Oxford University, though she hasn't found a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious. The film rights to her women’s fiction, Dial A for Aunties, was bought by Netflix in a competitive bidding war. The novel came out in April 2021. Jesse lives in Indonesia with her husband, her two daughters, and her ridiculously large extended family, many of whom live just down the road.

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In partnership with Ashland Public Library.