I Kissed Shara Wheeler by @casey.mcquiston is shortlisted for the #BAMBReadersAwards Young Adult Fiction Award. We’re delighted to share an exclusive Q&A with Casey. • What book is currently in your bag? A few! Physically, Unfinished Tales of Numenor & Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien and an ARC of The Witch Hunt by Sasha Peyton Smith. In my Audible app, I’ve been listening to Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove series. And I’ve also just borrowed the Haunting of Hill House audiobook from my local library to get in the mood for spooky season. I have a big bag! • Do you have a favourite bookshop? I love my neighborhood indie, Astoria Bookshop here in Queens, New York. The booksellers there are so passionate about engaging and giving back to the community, and it’s just such a cozy little shop with a surprisingly deep and varied collection. I try to stop by once a month to sign stock there, and I always leave with at least three books recommended by a bookseller! • What’s been your favourite book recommended by a bookseller? There are so many great romance novels coming out every week that it’s almost impossible to keep up, so I always like to ask my local bookseller what romances they’re excited about right now. That’s how I discovered Olivia Waite’s sapphic historical romances, which I absolutely adore, starting with A Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics. • Who would you love to give a National Book Token to and why? I think I’d give it to a trans teen reader, and I’d love to give them a hug and tell them they’re loved and supported, and then point them in the direction of transportive trans and queer fantasy books by authors like Aiden Thomas, A.R. Capetta, Tamsyn Muir, and Sarah Gailey. • What book will you be nominating for the Books Are My Bag Readers’ Choice Award? One of my favorite books of the year has been Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by @gabriellezevin, so I’d love to throw that one into the running. — Vote for I Kissed Shara Wheeler via the link in our profile. The #BAMBReadersAwards are sponsored by @book_tokens Voting closes 11pm, Sunday 30th October. 📷 : Sylvie Rosokoff