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July 23, 2025 41 mins

Episode 96 is mystery and thriller author Mia P. Manansala.

Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. Her debut, ARSENIC AND ADOBO, garnered starred reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness, hit the ABA Indie Bestseller List, and has won multiple awards. A lover of all things geeky, Mia spends her days procrasti-baking, playing RPGs and otome games, reading cozy mysteries and diverse romance, and gazing lovingly at her dog Gumiho.

In this episode we discussed Death in the Cards, her first young adult book and her move into writing for teens. With that, we talked about the difference in how she writes her teen versus her adult protagonist. We also touched on her use of tarot in the novel, and how one class and one teacher guided her to writing mystery.

Links discussed:

Their Just Desserts by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow

Dead & Breakfast  by Kat Hillis and Rosiee Thor

Princess and the PI by Nikki Payne

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Upcoming: THE FOREVER WEDDING DATE

Note: some links are affiliate links

Contact Tif at tif@tifmarcelo.com
Please check out her website for podcast submissions

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