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Speaker 1: Hello, and good morning, babe. How are you doing today?

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Speaker 2: How's it going?

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Speaker 1: Absolutely fantastic, Very excited to talk with you, because you

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just have this way of creating amazing stories, not just

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for the young adult readers, but even me the adult.

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I mean, this book is really for everybody.

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Speaker 2: I appreciate that.

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Speaker 1: To get into that space, though, I mean, what what

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do you do with your disciplines as a writer in

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order to speak with a lot of people who just

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want that moment of escapism.

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Speaker 3: I just try to write the best one I can

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try to keep you get around having kids, kind of

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keep that kind of child like Joey and wonder about you,

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and that kind of keeps you feeling young.

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Speaker 2: When you feel you you can write, you know, kind

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of little, kind of fun stuff. So that's what I

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always think.

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Speaker 1: I can say, Well, let's talk about this book cover.

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This this is Hollywood. I mean, this book cover itself.

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I want bookstores to not just put it on the shelf.

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I want them to turn it so we can see

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the book and go, WHOA, what is this all about?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? We got really lucky with the book covers. Man.

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Speaker 3: We got two great ours, one here in the United

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States and the one internationally.

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Speaker 2: She's based out of the UK, and.

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Speaker 3: They do write that made this the most beautiful covers,

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the really eye catching and we couldn't have got more lucky.

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Speaker 2: I'm really I'm really grateful.

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Speaker 1: So when you have a character like Amari and and

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you marginalize Amari, how you know? What I love about

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this is that everybody can relate with it. It's like, oh, oh,

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this is this book could be about me?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely.

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Speaker 3: I think, you know, with Tomorrow, she's constantly a situation

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where she's kind of like the other and I think

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we've all been. Everybody can watch everybody's been in a

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situation where they were like the people.

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Speaker 2: Around them, but you know, walking in a room like.

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Speaker 3: Man, I'm kind of different everybody else there, you know,

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And I think that's just a little experience that everybody has.

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And so I think just kind of showing how she

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feels with that and how she goes through that and

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learns to find her voice, and they're so confident, and

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I think that's I think it's a powerful story. Definitely,

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definitely something powerful for kids to see and learn. So

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I think, uh, I think it's I think I think

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it's just great for sure.

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Speaker 1: And it's coming out at such a perfect time because

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school is back in session and so many students are

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going into new schools or they're in new classrooms, and

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they need something like an Amari for them to say

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that this is my image. I mean, I see how

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she's working through the troubles and and and growing up

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and and and you know, fighting different things. I can

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be this way as well. I mean, the release of

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this book is perfect timing.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, you got kids going in to new schools, and

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you got you know, Alexit, that whole that whole age group,

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that kind of the middle grade age group, that elementary

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school and middle school is you know, they're trying to

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kind of find their foot in life, honestly, right just

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kind of step out of their parents face, little world

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they kind of created upon the little kid, and they're

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pulling their own thoughts, their own opinions, and so, you know,

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I think that's why fantasy books is so excited for

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those you know, who knows what's out there in.

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Speaker 2: The real world, and that's kind of a funny way

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to explore is reading fantasy books. That's one of the

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reasons I like them.

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Speaker 1: I wish you could be a fly on the wall

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at my essential job. When when I get to talk

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with these young adults and when I tell them that

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I'm going to share a conversation with bb Awson. You

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should see their eyes they know you. They I mean

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it's like they just they just expect great things from you.

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Do you get to see that with their eyes? Is

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as just huge?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean haven't haven't you had the readers? It's

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probably the best age.

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Speaker 3: Like I know, probably other type of others like disagree

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to all other vets, but I think kid I think

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kid readers.

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Speaker 2: Are pubably the VET and they're the one genuine They

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get the most excited, you know, they they said is

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amazing letters and emails and bestages and stuff. I love them.

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They're amazing.

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Speaker 1: And you're so down to earth, pebe in the way

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that you're not afraid to bring up racism, classism as

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well as prejudice. I mean you you're giving them their

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their world. But in book form.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, I think I like we were saying, the idea

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of otherness is something we all we've all experienced, all

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we see a playout in.

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Speaker 2: Every day lives and as adults, right, you.

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Speaker 3: See it, it's like class and religion and political beliefs.

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Speaker 2: You know, there's somebody that divide us.

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Speaker 3: And so I think learning that sheet people who are

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different than us try to That's one of the big

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big lessons I hope they get from the books. The

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chreat people who are different. You know, there's still people, right,

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There's still there's still thinks about them that make them

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human and worth loving and getting to know. And so

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I hope that comes through in the book.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, just because Amari is even though Amari is

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the chosen One, it's not an overnight sensation chosen one.

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I mean you you allow us to experience the journey,

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the challenges and and the changes that Amari goes through.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, I think I think that's what makes any book

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fun is seeing kind of seeing the journey right say,

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where they started when she's trying to just in your

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girls down on herself and you know that then then

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would know what she sets in the world, and see

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how she gets.

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Speaker 2: To the end of the book and the end of

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the series and she's like, you know, she found her

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voice and she found her confidence. I think that just

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makes me a great story.

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Speaker 3: And I hope I hope people hope people get to

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read that and feel that too.

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Speaker 1: With you being a part of a trilogy like this,

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Was this something that you saw from day one? Or

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did you have to use great continuity in the way

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of saying, I've got to make this work. It's all

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got to balance out. Oh man, I've got to go

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back and read my first two books.

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Speaker 3: Well, it's funny you say that, because I'm terrible. I

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remember in details, all all.

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Speaker 2: The details, the worst memory.

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Speaker 3: So I got like a notebook with all the little

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details and stuff to keep me on track. But yeah,

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you definite have to fan out the vance otherwise you

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get stuck or get lost in the leads. Uh. And

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that's gonna be two more books now, so hopefully, you know,

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hopefully they stick with me.

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Speaker 1: I just don't know because I've I've written books, but

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I've never written, you know, like a follow up book

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or anything like that, because I'm always afraid that people

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want to know everything right now, and and and you're

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proving to other writers that you don't have to do

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everything right now.

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Speaker 2: I think the Kid is just I think the Kid

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is the cli of my art.

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Speaker 3: But just leave a couple of things unanswered, and I

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think that's what keeps a came back from took for

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a book to I didn't find that balance is tricky because,

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like you know, if you don't answer enough questions that

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get they're unsatisfied, and if you added.

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Speaker 2: Too many questions, and that the reason read the second

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book so they can find that balance is key.

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Speaker 1: Well. One of the reasons why my wife, who is

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a school teacher, loves reading about Amari is that she's

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always telling me there are easter eggs in there. I'm

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not going to tell you where they are. You've got

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to find them yourself. And and it does. It puts

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me on that page to where I'm always very interested

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on where you're taking me as that author.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think five.

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Speaker 3: I like having little spot little jokes, just what only

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notes will get like a tax stokes and think in

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the first book, like don't think many kids text jokes,

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but bis.

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Speaker 2: Will get a kick out of that. And so I

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try to speak a little something everybody in there.

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Speaker 1: So now, because there is so much excitement and adventure,

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what are you experiencing when your fingers are on that keyboard,

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Because I mean it hasn't even reached us yet, so

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you've got to be laughing. You to be on the

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edge with anxiety and stuff like that as well, when

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when you're when you're just building the story.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely, I think, you know, just I try to

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write the stories for myself, for person, and foremost right

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just trying something I enjoy. I think it's humorous, I

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think it's exciting, and you just have to kind of

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hope that translates to the reader and I so far

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I've been able to do that, and I hope that

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I hope that comes across the end the story.

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Speaker 1: If that moment comes when you get that phone call

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from Hollywood, would you make this an animation or would

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you have real people acting out the part of Amari?

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Speaker 2: Well, you know, that's like the universe has has it

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rights right now, and I know they want to do

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a live action, but I'll totally open to animation. I

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think it'll be amazing and animation. So this is actually

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gonna be a big year as far as the movie planning.

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So hopefully we'll know something concrete real.

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Speaker 1: So oh, I hope so too, because you've definitely got that.

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But but but when you relinquish your story to Hollywood, though,

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I mean, do they get to change it or is

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it it has to stay one d percent yours.

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Speaker 2: Oh man, what once you said it over? It's kind

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of it's kind of there to do they want with.

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I mean, the most you can do is kind of

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like just how to find people who kind of have the.

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Speaker 3: Same fision you have or uh so yeah, once you

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once you you know, sign sign those doccuments.

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Speaker 2: It's kind of layers to do what.

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Speaker 3: They want because anyone's kind of putting the money and

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you know the bestment to it.

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Speaker 2: So it's really it's really important to buying people who

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share the.

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Speaker 3: Same visions that and honestly, I'm cool as long as

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the heart of the story is there. You know, they

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can change the details as long as the hardest there.

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Speaker 2: I think. I think it is that reason the appytude.

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Speaker 1: What is your daily writing discipline? I mean I have

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to be up at seven am every day to put

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my pen to paper. What what what is your discipline

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or writing time?

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Speaker 2: Oh definitely, I definitely have to do the first thing

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in the morning, because if I wait the afternoon, I

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started to get sleepy and just sack that it's nothing.

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I get the h if I don't do it first thing.

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In a way, it's a long day for me, I'm there.

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Speaker 1: Do you start off with the writing instrument or do

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you go right to the computer?

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Speaker 2: Oh? Well, A lot of times I'll get my couple

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of coffee first, and.

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Speaker 3: I'll kind of tell you to for maybe thirty minutes,

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and then I'll then I'll have to get off and

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start going.

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Speaker 1: Oh man, BB, that cup of coffee. I'm facing a

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big wall today because there was this brand new bread

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that was on sale. I bought it and then I

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realized this morning it says decaf. It's like, what did

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I do to myself?

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Speaker 2: Oh man, man, I can imagine.

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Speaker 1: All right, Where can people go to find out more

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about you, Bb, and especially about a Mari?

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Speaker 3: Well you get My website is BB Austin dot com.

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You can find me on on Twitter or I can

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it's called x now or Instagram at BB Underscore Austin

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and Maris and bookstores everywhere.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, just let me up.

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Speaker 1: You got to come back to the show anytime in

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the future. You know, the door is always going to

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be open for you.

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Speaker 2: BB. Oh man, I'd be happy to you. I love

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talking to you.

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Speaker 1: Will you be brilliant today? Okay?

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Speaker 2: All right, man, I appreciate you