“Essentially, a romance is a courtship story. And if you think about it, courtship stories are part of the foundation of human storytelling” –Sarah Wendell

Sarah Wendell (@SmartBitches) is an author and blogger whose work primarily focuses on the romance fiction genre. She is co-author of the book, Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels.

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Sarah discuss the elements of a romance novel book cover (13:00); plot and structure of a romance novel (24:00); the history the romance genre (34:00); and the evolution of romance fiction characters and tropes (46:00).

For more from Sarah, check out her website: Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Notable Links:

Romance novels, novelists, and genres mentioned:

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

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