Author Ashley Jordan joins Book Gang to share her LitUp Fellowship journey to launch her debut, Once Upon a Time in Dollywood, and how fanfiction paved her path.

Ashley Jordan, a Reese's Book Club LitUp Fellow, joins us this week to share the story behind her sparkling debut Once Upon a Time in Dollywood—a romance that pairs laugh-out-loud humor with deeply emotional storytelling.

In this light conversation, we discuss:

📚 From Fanfic to Fellowship – Ashley reflects on how writing The Walking Dead fanfiction taught her the building blocks of writing and how that experience led her to being named a Reese's Book Club LitUp Fellow, complete with her dream mentorship and a writer's retreat that transformed her creative process.

📚 Rewriting the Narrative for Black Women – Through her protagonist Eve, a playwright determined to tell Black women's stories that aren't defined by pain, Ashley explores how joy, ambition, and love can coexist with realism. We discuss why expanding the lens on representation in romance matters now more than ever.

📚 Dollywood, Therapy, and the Soft Boyfriend We Deserve – Ashley shares how setting the story in Dollywood allowed her to capture the magic of Southern charm, how she approached writing therapy with nuance and heart, and why she wanted Jamie—a self-described "cinnamon roll" love interest—to reflect a gentler kind of masculinity in today's romance landscape.

📚 BONUS BOOK LIST: Don't miss this week's juicy companion book list filled with the best books about theater to step behind the curtain with these compelling stories of complex lives, both on and off the stage. Patrons will also receive today's printable checklist to take on their next visit to the library.

Meet Ashley Jordan

Ashley Jordan is a millennial from Atlanta by way of Brooklyn. She attended Spelman College, earning a degree in Psychology and a lifelong appreciation for women's stories. By day, she works in public health, and by night, she's a devoted writer—ever since penning her first short story in second grade.

When Ashley isn't writing or working, she's likely at a Beyoncé concert, rewatching Mad Men, or passionately debating basketball. In 2023, she became a Reese's Book Club LitUp Fellow, an experience that helped shape her journey to publishing Once Upon a Time in Dollywood.

Mentioned in this episode:

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NEW BOOK LIST: 22 Incredible Books About Theater

Join the October Book Club on 10/24 at 8 PM ET (Diavola by Jennifer Thorne)

Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan

Lemonade

Celebrating Only One-Bed Moments in Romance (Sarah Adler Podcast)

LitUp

Jasmine Guillory

Bolu Babalola

Tilt by Emma Pattee

Kennedy Ryan

Tia Williams

The Kennedy Ryan Phenomenon: Inclusive Narratives with Heart

Emily Henry

Regina Black

August Lane by Regina Black

Nikki Payne

Danielle Jackson

Meryl Wilsner  

Beverly Jenkins

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