Author Samantha Picaro
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samanthapwrites.bsky.social
Author Samantha Picaro
@samanthapwrites.bsky.social
Author of sweet and non-romantic Young Adult books
Autistic rep ♾️
Aroace rep 💜💚
Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps coming 11/3/25❄️☕️

https://linktr.ee/authorsamantha?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=8697cd01-9b1b-4348-8cbd-3768e7ea626d
Tropes in Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps:
Forced proximity (platonic)
Small town
Movie lover and blogger
“Grinch”
Loner
Autistic and aroace rep
Holiday festivities gone wrong
Actress
Family

Preorder
October 9, 2025 at 12:59 PM
It's Banned Books Week. fiction or nonfiction. There are three fiction books about characters challenging book bans i recommend:
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (adult)
This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed (YA)
Banned Together (YA anthology)

#bannedBooksWeek
October 7, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps follows a girl, Ellie, as she makes she an actress, Robin, doesn't get into trouble while participating in her small town's events. The main character plays an elf and the actress plays Mrs. Claus, and it might be their most unpredictable, uncomfortable event
October 1, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Like my other young adult books, Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps starts each chapter in a unique way. Each chapter begins with a holiday tradition. For example, one chapter states a holiday tradition of "snowballs" and another states a tradition of "decorating cookies."
September 25, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Book recs: covers that are orange like the fall leaves:

One Last Show by Tari Riley (YA)
Find Her by Ginger Reno (MG Mystery)
Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira (YA Romance)
Stargazing by Jen Wang (MG Graphic Novel)
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin (Adult Mystery)
September 22, 2025 at 6:47 PM
It's Latine Heritage Month. In the comments are some books I highly recommend any time of the year
September 15, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Last day for ARC signups for Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps! Registration closes tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern.

Form is in my LinkTree

#arcSignup #bookARC #hotChocolateAndHolidayMishaps #ARCreaders
September 12, 2025 at 1:11 PM
ARC signups are open for my teen holiday novel Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps! Sign up using the form in my LinkTree! I plan to send the ARCs out on Sunday, September 14, so grab your spot because that's soon! Signups end Friday
September 8, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Behold the cover for Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps, a teen holiday novel following a review blogger helping an actress improve public opinion of her through events in her small town.
Book releases November 3

#coverReveal #bookCover #indieAuthor #indieBook #hotChocolateAndHolidayMishaps
September 5, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Middle Grade Book Spotlight: Sugar and Spite by Gail D. Villanueva.
Jolina seeks revenge on her bully Claudine by using a forbidden potion from her arbularyo training. Now Claudine wants to be best friends. Jolina takes advantage to get revenge. The friendship becomes real
September 5, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Summer is almost over and the holiday season is almost upon us. If you are looking for a holiday YA book, then Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps releases November 3. Beloved holiday tropes include:
Small town
Holiday festivities
"Grinch" trope
City person goes to small town (secondary character)
August 28, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Middle Grade Book Spotlight: Speak Up by Rebecca Burgess. An autistic girl is bullied, is secretly a popular singer online. She enters contest to finally sing in person. Highlights:
Singer
Challenges neurotypical standards
Friendship
Secret identity
Bullied, stands up for herself
Bully atones
August 18, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Want an exclusive look at the first chapter of my first holiday novel "Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps?" Subscribe to my author newsletter at www.samanthapicarowrites.com, which you can also find in my LinkTree. The next newsletter containing this first chapter will be sent out on August 28
August 14, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Summers not over just yet if you’re still looking for summer books that shine with summer sun and the hearts of the main characters. Take a chance on Limitless Roads Cafe #books #bookSky
August 9, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Book that deserves more attention: Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball by Jason June. A podcaster teen makes a bet with a femme-hating bully to find a masc date to the Gaybutante Ball or else drop out of the organization that can launch his career. #books #bookSky
August 8, 2025 at 2:42 AM
In honor of International Friendship Day, I'm sharing the release date for my friendship love story "Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps." You get to enjoy this heartwarming, humorous holiday novel on Monday, November 3rd! Follow me and subscribe to my newsletter to stay updated #bookSky
July 31, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Still looking for books to read for Disability Pride Month? Then take a look at my young adult contemporaries featuring autistic heroines written by me, an autistic writer
#disabilityPride #books #indieAuthor #disabilityPrideBooks
July 24, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Book that deserve more attention: Your Plantation Prom is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams, which follows a teen who tries to prevent a celebrity wedding and her school's prom from taking place on a plantation.

What makes this book a star: (continues in comments)
#bookSky #books #yaBooks
July 16, 2025 at 7:10 PM
For Disability Pride Month, I'd like to address a crucial topic in my books. My books often explore internalized ableism, something I have always struggled with and still try to unlearn to this day. #books #disabilityPrideMonth
July 16, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Fave books of 2025 so far:

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Sugar and Spite by Gail D Villanueva

Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia (illustrated by Brittney Williams)

Made in Asian America by Erika Lee and Christina Soontornvat

Calling In by Loretta J Ross

The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall
July 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Add Middle Grade Books to your TBR for Disability Pride Month!
One book I recommend is Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Brittney Williams which has dyslexia rep #books #disabilityPrideMonth #middleGradeBooks
July 4, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Book recs with disability rep to start Disability Pride Month #books #indieWriter #disabilityPrideMonth
July 2, 2025 at 2:17 AM
This is the first of the series of posts "Middle Grade Spotlight." The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln, which follows two siblings as they help a librarian and book characters come-to-life save the library from literary villains. #book #bookRec #mgBook
June 26, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Looking for summer reads? Check out Limitless Roads Cafe, an indie YA novel that follows teens working during the summer in New Jersey in a opular downtown area. A beach scene is featured and so are scenes by a pool #indieAuthor #books
June 21, 2025 at 12:51 AM
This is the first of the “Books that deserve more attention” series of posts. The first is Can't Take That Away by Steven Salvatore, which follows a genderqueer teen who fights discrimination when they land the lead role in their school's musical.
June 18, 2025 at 4:45 PM