Maya Prasad

I am so excited to share with readers a very special interview with Jennifer Yen for her YA debut, A Taste for Love . In this romantic comedy, Liza Yang helps her mother with an annual baking competition--only to learn that the contestants are all eligible Asian American men that her mom hopes to set her up with! A Taste for Love releases on Tuesday, February 2nd!  Hi Jennifer! Thanks for sharing more about your debut with us! I happen to have a soft-spot for foodie rom-coms, so I was immediately drawn to the junior baking competition that Liza’s mother is putting on. What inspired the baking aspect of your story? Do you bake yourself? I actually came up with the idea for ATFL after a marathon binge of all the seasons of The Great British Baking Show (formerly Great British Bake Off). It was my guilty pleasure, and the only reality TV show that didn't give me anxiety after a stressful day at work (haha)! I have also baked for several years and really enjoy it, so it made sense

Our virtual book tour for Foreshadow came to a close last month! It was so lovely to hear from the other contributors about their inspiration, their processes, and what they're up to next! One of the unexpected blessings of 2020 has been connecting with one another virtually, that the inability to travel isn't keeping us apart. Of course, I was pretty nervous about appearing on camera, and some tech difficulties threw me, but hopefully I will get better with practice. Thanks to those who came out to support me! I also had a wonderful time teaching my first workshop last month with Cascade Writers, called Breaking into Kidlit with Short Stories . I hope the mentor texts and writing prompts were helpful to the participants and I look forward to teaching again when the opportunity arises. Finally, I wanted to share that Foreshadow has received more accolades! We are now up to three starred reviews: School Library Journal, BookPage, and Shelf Awareness. BookPage also named Foreshad

I am just over the moon to share that my romantic comedy, FALL WINTER SPRING SUMMER, will be published by Disney-Hyperion in fall 2022, and a sequel is planned for fall 2023! I can't wait to share the story of these 4 Desi sisters with the world! Publishing is a long game, and there have been so many times that I've thought about quitting. But I've stuck with it because of one goal: I wanted to create the representation that I never had while growing up. I'm so proud to be writing fierce & joyous brown girl leads. The excitement doesn't end there, because Tuesday will be the release day for Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA ! It's been a pleasure to read early reviews that rave about my fellow talented New Voices and the writing advice & analysis by Emily X.R. Pan and Nova Ren Suma.  Foreshadow is also going on virtual tour, and I will be discussing "Where the Magic Carries Us" on November 5th at 4pm PST/

Magic arrived at my doorstep last week, ARCs (advance reader copies) of our beautiful anthology. And wow, are they gorgeous! The colors of Sarah J. Coleman 's cover artwork are even richer and more textured in person, and of course just holding the book as a real, t angible thing felt so momentous.  All I could think was: my words are held in these pages, my words are held in these pages. From the digital project to this print edition, I am so incredibly proud to be a part of this collection with so many other talented writers. "Bold New Voices" indeed. The love and tireless work that went in by Emily X.R. Pan , Nova Ren Suma and the entire Foreshadow team has not gone unnoticed. Cynthia Leitich Smith , I grin whenever I look at that lovely introduction you wrote. (Superstars, all of you. Thank you for everything.) On top of that the reviews have been rolling in--reviews from readers and professional reviews. Kirkus called Foreshadow "ingenious" and "a ma

We now have a gorgeous cover for our anthology, Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA . Huge thanks to Sarah J. Coleman for her gorgeous design! Behind every glossy cover reveal is a journey, and usually a twisting one. In the case of Foreshadow, there are so many journeys, with thirteen short stories as well as craft discussions from our fearless editors. I can say that from start to finish, working on this project has been an unequivocal joy. Our stories are all YA but they span genres and styles. We represent a multitude of backgrounds. When I read the first pass pages recently, it all seriously took my breath away. In the craft essays, Emily X.R. Pan and Nova Ren Suma have taken a deep dive into each story to draw attention to the pearls within. Our words have been treated like precious bits of treasure, and it means the world to me. There is a lot of passion and imagination here, and I hope readers will come away from this book with a burnin

Hey folks, I'm excited to share here a YA spec fic short story I wrote about two high school seniors navigating our current pandemic. Naturally, it also includes parallel timelines, a black hole, and a sweet love story.  If you enjoy it, please share and spread the word. Thank you! CW: domestic abuse QUANTUM QUARANTINE by Maya Prasad It’s Friday, March 13th at 3:45pm, just minutes after the eighth period bell. I shuffle down to the basement in building C of Adams High, my bag heavy with textbooks, my anxiety its own formidable weight. As if a supermassive black hole is located in my chest, sucking the whole of the cosmos into one dense point in my heart. There was supposed to be a biology test last period, but Ms. Rodriguez canceled it. “All things considered, I don’t think we’re in the right mindset,” she said. We aren’t. Not with all schools in the state closing for a minimum of six weeks, not with the hopes of a careless spring semester dissolving like suga