Lish McBride: Chaos is My Brand

Eva Langston and Holly Rizzuto Palker chat with Lish McBride, author of quirky books for teens and adults, about writing in different genres, navigating the publishing industry, and weaving humor through daily life.

Lish McBride is a prolific writer of Young Adult and Adult books that often contain humor and magic. Her latest adult novel, The Suitcase Swap, is a love story born out of a JFK Airport baggage claim snafu. The book was first released in the United Kingdom and will be out in the U.S. soon. The audio version can be found here. Her latest YA novel, Most Likely to Murder, will release in March 2026 and is available now for preorder.

In addition to being a professional writer, Lish exists as an amateur goblin living in the Pacific Northwest. In the crime of the century, she tricked not one but two universities into giving her degrees, ending up with an MFA from the University of New Orleans. Lish is a former bookseller and event host at Third Place Books, a giant thriving indie bookstore just outside of Seattle. Her first book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults title, Morris Award finalist, and won the Scandiuzzi Children’s Book Award. She is the author of other funny and creepy Young Adult books such as Necromancing the Stone, Firebug, Pyromantic, Curses, and Red in Tooth and Claw. She also has her adult fantasy romance series, which so far includes A Little Too Familiar and Rough Around the Hedges. Beyond writing, her ultimate dream is to have her own castle and one of those libraries with the wheely ladder.

Author website: https://lishmcbride.squarespace.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lishmcbride/

Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/lishmcbride.bsky.social

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