Episode 26 – Plot Twists & Page-Turners

Peter reconnects with former Timber Creek student Kamila Palermo. She took his virtual class in 2021 and recently graduated from UCF with a degree in English Creative Writing, a minor in Mass Media, and a certificate in Publishing & Editing. Kamila shares how an unexpected advising curveball changed her major halfway through college. She also talks about her work as the social media specialist and event planner at Barnes & Noble on Colonial, where she coordinates author signings and works with publishing and DC Comics reps. Plus, she recounts her trip to BookCon in New York City and meeting the author who got her into romance. Along the way, they cover: How romance became one of the fastest-growing genres in books Audiobook speeds and reading three books at once in three formats Why new books always release on Tuesdays Carnival, samba schools, and growing up in Brazilian schools vs. American ones What she'd tell her 15-year-old self Chasing a career as a book publicist in New York, and redefining growth once the checkboxes are gone Her closing advice: if you think you hate reading, you just haven't found the right book yet. Growth isn't always linear. Chapters 00:00 – Welcome & catching up 03:08 – Switching majors at UCF 05:07 – Barnes & Noble, author events & DC Comics 07:27 – BookCon in NYC 09:34 – Meeting a favorite author 11:25 – The rise of romance 15:17 – Audiobook speeds & reading in three formats 20:29 – Something I learned today 26:50 – School in Brazil vs. the U.S. 31:21 – High school memories 40:33 – Advice to her 15/16-year-old self 44:49 – What's next: publishing & New York 48:40 – Defining growth 52:58 – Final thoughts 📲 Follow on Instagram: @The_catchinguppodcast 🔗 linktr.ee/The_catchiNGupPodcast New episodes every Wednesday, clips every Friday