In this conversation, I interview Isabelle Engel, author of the upcoming romance novel Most Eligible, about her journey into writing, the challenges of balancing a day job with her passion, and her experiences with querying and mentorship. Isabelle shares insights into her writing process, the importance of community in the romance genre, and the evolution of her stories. We discuss the intricacies of editing, the role of sensitivity readers, and the creative mindset needed to navigate the publishing world. 

If you’d like to reach out to Isabelle you can find her on Instagram or her website.

We discussed Smooch Pit. If you're a romance author you should look into it.

If you want all the bonus content you can subscribe to my ⁠

NC Barton | Patreon or my ⁠Substack

If you’d like to contact me please feel free to ⁠ 

Website. Instagram. Threads. 

Chapters

00:00 The Journey to Writing a Book

04:16 Exploring the Romance Genre

07:02 Writing Routine and Challenges

09:33 Querying and Feedback Experiences

12:35 Mentorship and Finding an Agent

15:15 Editing and Collaboration with Publishers

18:01 Creating a New Project

20:54 The Writing Process and Overcoming Blocks

23:33 Balancing Drafting and Editing Mindsets

27:56 Exploring Authorial Identity and Genre Flexibility

29:26 The Journey of Writing and Publishing Romance

31:11 The Evolution of Book Titles and Their Significance

33:11 The Anticipation of Book Covers and Their Impact

34:54 Balancing Humor and Emotion in Writing

37:58 Crafting Characters and Managing Ensemble Casts

41:03 Recycling Ideas and Self-Referencing in Writing

44:55 Writing Resources and Craft Techniques