This week, Gare and I got to chat with bestselling author Nic Stone to talk about her adult debut thriller, Boom Town—a gritty, sexy, and socially sharp story set in Atlanta’s iconic strip-club scene. Nic opens up about her path from YA to adult fiction, the inspiration behind Boom Town (and why she wrote it before anyone else could), and how she approached portraying sex work, power, and autonomy with authenticity and respect. We also discuss banned books, Atlanta’s strip club culture, Nic’s dad’s unforgettable reaction to the audiobook, and the sheer joy of writing complex, powerful Black women.