In our first episode of Queer as Books: Author Spotlight, I had the pleasure of chatting with M.A. Wardell, the beloved author behind the spicy MM rom-com Teachers in Love series, including Teacher of the Year and Mistletoe & Mishigas.

We talked about his journey to becoming a published author, the challenges he’s faced, and his purpose as a gay man writing stories that matter. He shared where he finds inspiration for his characters, the themes and messages in his books, which book and character mean the most to him, and what he hopes readers take away from his work.

We also dove into his favorite spicy words to write, his upcoming projects, advice for aspiring authors, played a fun word association game, and so much more!