Author Interview & Giveaway: Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Not Your Sidekick, the first book in The Sidekick Squad series is a diverse story of superheroes. One reviewer on Goodreads calls it, “a really cute superhero story reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet but then gay. And it is exactly that (a little less Romeo and Juliet-like though). But it is also a really badass story about corrupt governments and family and friendship with some morality mixed in.” And now you can grab it on audio! With the new format out, we couldn’t resist checking in with C.B. on how she feels about her words getting into the hands of even more fans. Stay tuned for our upcoming joint review!
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee & read by Emily Woo Zeller
Category: Young Adult, Sci-fi, LGBT
Publication: May 31st, 2018; Tantor Audio
Purchase: Audible
Welcome to Andover…
where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated.
Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain.
On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M”, who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.
Interview: C.B. Lee
My initial reaction to seeing Not Your Sidekick available on audiobook was complete joy that even more readers have access to your diverse characters. What was your reaction to the news?
Thank you so much! I was very excited to hear about the audiobook. I think making it more accessible is absolutely fantastic; knowing that more people can enjoy this novel means the world to me. It’s been one of my biggest dreams to have my work available for people to interact with and read and I love that people can now listen to the novel. It’s a whole new medium and I’m excited that it’s now on this platform.
Tell us about your narrator!
I’m so overjoyed with Emily Woo Zeller as the narrator for Not Your Sidekick. She brings so much life to the story, and I loved her voice and the way she characterized everyone, especially Jess! I’m quite honored.
What other books, audio or otherwise, would you pair with Not Your Sidekick? Give us a little TBR so we know what to listen to/read next!
If you’re looking for more queer heroes with powers and otherwise, I would highly recommend The Bright Sessions! It’s a podcast that’s absolutely amazing and not only is a ton of fun, but it deals very well with mental health as well! Wonderful science fiction and amazing characterization, and it basically starts out as therapy sessions for the “strange and unusual” aka people with superpowers. It’s great! I think the Penumbra Podcast is also a ton of fun with amazing storylines as well– think bisexual nonbinary detective on Mars, and it’s very very noir and fun. As far as audiobooks, I’m just getting into them for long car rides, but I’m really enjoying Good Omens right now.
Author Bio: C.B. Lee
CB Lee is a bisexual Chinese-Vietnamese American writer whose novels include the Sidekick Squad series, a young adult science fiction adventure that follow queer teens who take on a corrupt government superhero agency, and also the fantasy Seven Tears At High Tide. Lee’s first novel in the Sidekick Squad series, Not Your Sidekick was a 2017 Lambda Literary Awards Finalist in YA/Children’s Fiction and a 2017 Bisexual Book Awards Finalist in Speculative Fiction. Seven Tears at High Tide was the recipient of a Rainbow Award for Best Bisexual Fantasy Romance and also a finalist for the 2016 Bisexual Book Awards in the YA and Speculative Fiction categories.
Lee lives in Los Angeles and when not writing, enjoys hiking, rock climbing and other outdoor pursuits. You can connect with her on Twitter and on Instagram.
Giveaway:
C.B. has an amazing giveaway to celebrate! Enter below and you could win a copy of the audiobook or set of ebooks of Not Your Sidekick and Not Your Villain!
