Featured Guest:

Jasmine Smith

Jasmine Smith is the author of Death Card, a witchy YA fantasy set in New Orleans. A former English major with a love of women's and gender studies, Jasmine writes stories that put teen readers first while quietly threading in tarot, generational family bonds, and the politics of the world her characters actually live in.

What does it take to sell a debut on just ten chapters?

This week, we sit down with debut author Jasmine Smith to talk about Death Card, her New Orleans-set YA fantasy, and the three-year road from first chapters to release week. From writing on deadline for a book packager to bracing for a banned books list, Jasmine shares an honest look at what it means to build a home in a genre she loves.

Jasmine Smith didn't set out to write Death Card.

The idea came from a book packager, and she had to earn it with a writing sample and the first ten chapters.

In this episode, Jasmine joins Jenna and Cait to talk about how that proposal sold to editors, why the finished book reads nothing like a first novel, and how tarot, gentrification, and a grandmother's love all found their way onto the page. The conversation covers the difference between IP and work-for-hire, why her YA contemporary "book of her heart" stalled while Death Card flew, and where she thinks the genre is headed.

For writers, this episode is a candid look at deadlines, developmental edits, and what it actually takes to keep a complex timeline from falling apart.

For readers, it's a behind-the-scenes tour of a debut with gold foil, sprayed edges, and a whole lot to say.

In This Episode

• How Death Card sold on proposal, based on only the first ten chapters
• What writing IP really means, and how it differs from a flat-fee deal
• Why her YA contemporary novel stalled on submission while Death Card sold
• Writing the full manuscript in three months, then three rounds of developmental edits
• The New Orleans-rooted mother and grandmother relationships at the story's heart
• Why she writes for teens first, and where she thinks YA is going
• Tarot, spooky season, and reading for the vibes
• The cover reveal: Helena Elias, Caitlin Yang, gold foil, and a surprise sprayed-edges email
• Why paperback-first releases are becoming the norm in YA
• Bracing for a banned books list, and the AI-inspired idea already in her notes app

The Book

Death Card by Jasmine Smith

In this witchy YA fantasy set in New Orleans, a young practicing witch navigates tarot, demons, and a city being reshaped by tourism and gentrification, all while confronting loss, love, and the female generational bonds that hold her family together. Grounded, current, and unafraid of its own politics, Death Card announces a debut voice that reads like anything but a first book. Out now in paperback. Audiobook narrated by Andia Winslow.