Read Clean YA with CJ
Discover your next adventure.
The podcast for teen and young adult readers who want to explore exciting worlds, deep themes, and epic stories — without the objectionable content.
Hosted by award-winning young adult author, CJ Milacci.
Discover
Epic Stories
Have you ever started a story, only to find part-way in that it includes themes and elements that are, well, not something you want taking up space in your mind? You don’t have to worry about that here. We’ll talk about epic stories that you can enjoy without worrying about what you’ll find.
Dive into
Author Interviews
Ready to meet your next favorite author? Come listen in on interviews with authors where you’ll leave feeling like you just made a new friend. And learn who they are and why they write what they write.
Discuss
Deep Themes
Stories often convey so much more than just a fun escape into another world. We will discuss themes in stories that demonstrate deeper truths in a way that’s easy to grasp and apply to our lives.
What is Read Clean YA with CJ?
What does clean mean?
Note on Violence:
Many of the books reviewed are high-stakes, action and adventure, and contain violence and scary situations. There will be a note if the violence is graphic or gory.
Subscribe to the Podcast
New episodes released every Wednesday!
Want to make sure you don’t miss a single episode? Use the links below to subscribe using your preferred app, and the episodes will automatically download to your phone or computer.
Latest Episode
Talionis Trivia Showdown: Author vs. Super Fan (Plus Writing Insights)
Episode 34
December 18th, 2024
with CJ Milacci, Ani, & Lily
Welcome to a special episode recap of Read Clean YA with C.J., where host C.J. Milacci faced off against her niece Lily in an epic trivia challenge about the Talionis series, moderated by Ani.
If you’re a fan of fast-paced, clean adventures with deep themes, or just love a good trivia showdown, this episode is one for the books.
During the Q&A portion at the end, CJ shares insights into her writing process as well.
Episodes
Talionis Trivia Showdown: Author vs. Super Fan (Plus Writing Insights)
Read Clean YA with CJ Episode Thirty-FourWelcome to a special episode recap of Read Clean YA with C.J., where host C.J. Milacci faced off against her niece Lily in an epic trivia challenge about the Talionis series, moderated by Ani. If you're a fan of fast-paced,...
Finding Hope and Belonging: Inside Becca Wierwille’s Road Trip Rescue Series
Read Clean YA with CJ Episode Thirty-ThreeWelcome to another episode of Read Clean YA with CJ! Today, we're exploring the heartwarming world of middle-grade author Becca Wierwille and her Road Trip Rescue series. A heartwarming adventure for kids ages 8-12 with a...
Beyond the Strong Queen: Community and Emotion in Rayleigh Setser’s Fantasy
Read Clean YA with CJ Episode Thirty-TwoWelcome to another episode of Read Clean YA with C.J.! Today, we're exploring the fantastical world of The Tunockian Chronicles with author Rayleigh Setser, who writes as RJ Setser with her husband Joshua. Three kingdoms. Two...
Adventure, Family, and Fantasy: Inside Jenelle Schmidt’s “The Orb and the Airship”
Read Clean YA with CJ Episode Thirty-OneWelcome to another exciting episode of Read Clean YA with C.J.! Today, we're exploring the fantastical world of The Orb and the Airship with author Jenelle Schmidt, whose love for storytelling began with her father's nightly...
Stories That Wake Us Up: S.D. Smith on Writing Truth Through Fiction
Read Clean YA with CJ Bonus Episode ThirtyWelcome to the Read Clean YA with C.J. podcast! In this episode, we dive into an enlightening interview with S.D. Smith, author of the million-plus selling Green Ember series and co-author of Jack Zulu and The Waylander's...
About Your Host
Award-winning author CJ Milacci writes stories for teens and young adults with heart-pounding action and hope. As the podcast host for Read Clean YA with CJ, she loves talking about books and the deeper themes woven into the pages of each novel. She’s passionate about crafting stories of good overcoming evil, finding hope in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances, and true acceptance.
Always willing to get real about hard issues, C.J. also enjoys the cheesiest of puns. She chats about writing, her faith, bubble tea, and other fun adventures online (@cjmilacci) and at cjmilacci.com.
CJ Milacci is the award-winning author of The Talionis Series, and she writes stories for teens and young adults with heart-pounding action and hope. As a referee, she’s always relearning the hard lesson that it’s impossible to make everyone happy, and she’s discovered that stories can be found anywhere, even on a lacrosse field. She’s passionate about crafting stories of good overcoming evil, finding hope in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances, and true acceptance.
Recruit of Talionis, Book 1
A teen with a dark past. A secret military force that kidnaps new soldiers. Can she survive as a Recruit of Talionis?
Fugitive of Talionis, Book 2
They kidnapped her. Trained her. And now they’re hunting her.
Want to know as soon as an episode drops?
Are you an author of Clean YA Fiction?
If you write epic clean young adult stories, and you’re interested in being a guest on Read Clean YA with CJ, I would love to hear from you. Fill out this form to get started and see if we’re a good fit.
