Season 2 is officially here.

After 30 episodes of interviewing authors, learning the publishing industry alongside our listeners, and accidentally building an incredible community, we're kicking off a brand new season with a behind-the-scenes conversation about everything that's changing.

From bigger author interviews to new ways to spotlight indie books, we're sharing where the podcast is headed, where Jenna is in her publishing journey, and why we're more excited than ever about what's next.

If you've been with us since Episode 1—or you're just finding the show—welcome.

In This Episode

•  Celebrating 30 episodes and launching Season 2 
•  What publishing Cait's debut taught her about the industry 
•  Why every book truly has its own publishing journey 
•  Jenna shares a major update on her debut romantasy 
•  How author confidence impacts marketing more than algorithms 
•  Why no one will ever market your book better than you 
•  Introducing Book Breaks—our new indie author book commercials 
•  Announcing The Limelight, our Thursday mini-release interviews 
•  Why we're saying no to traditional podcast advertising 
•  Bringing more indie authors into the spotlight 
•  The surreal experience of booking bestselling authors for Season 2 
•  Why we're launching a community Discord 
•  Our plans to moderate author events around the country 
•  Everything we're excited about for the next season 

What We Mention

•  Book Breaks 
•  The Limelight episodes 
•  Indie author marketing 
•  ARC campaigns 
•  Author events 
•  Discord community 
•  Character art 
•  Launch parties 
•  Book merch 
•  Spooky season reads 

Listener Call-to-Action

If you're enjoying Margs & Manuscripts, we'd love your support.

•  Follow the show 
•  Leave a rating and review 
•  Share this episode with another writer or reader 
•  Follow us on social media 
•  Visit our website to learn about Book Breaks, The Lime Light, and everything coming in Season 2. 

A conversation about publishing quickly turned into something bigger.

After discussing author scams, we sat down with Bitty Balducci to talk about indie publishing, traditional publishing, BookTok, gatekeeping, and why so many authors feel like they're navigating the industry completely alone.

We discuss:

•  Why Bitty chose indie publishing 
•  Querying frustrations 
•  Long traditional publishing timelines 
•  Whether BookTok is really "ruining publishing" 
•  Why indie authors are expected to figure everything out themselves 
•  The importance of following creative inspiration when it strikes 

And yes, we also talk about the wild novella Bitty wrote in less than a week after a dream-inspired idea refused to leave her alone.

In This Episode

•  How a dream-inspired idea became a published novella in less than a week 
•  Why Bitty believes writers should follow creative momentum when it strikes 
•  The inspiration behind Shades Drawn and its timely, Black Mirror-style premise 
•  Querying frustrations and the challenges of fitting books into industry expectations 
•  Why some authors choose indie publishing over the traditional route 
•  The realities of marketing and selling books as an independent author 
•  Whether BookTok is changing publishing—or simply exposing existing problems 
•  The role of gatekeeping in today's publishing landscape 
•  Why traditional publishing timelines can feel disconnected from modern readers 
•  Creative freedom, risk-taking, and building a writing career on your own terms 
•  The importance of transparency and information-sharing within the author community 
•  Hot takes on publishing, creativity, and the future of books and authorship

What happens when the scam emails stop looking like scams?

This week we're joined by author Bitty Balducci to talk about the increasingly sophisticated scams targeting indie authors. From fake HarperCollins editors and fraudulent book clubs to AI-generated audiobook narrators and manuscript theft, the stories are far more convincing than most authors realize.

Bitty shares scams she personally encountered, including one that cost her hundreds of dollars and another that nearly led to a major payment to an AI-generated narrator. We also discuss why authors are especially vulnerable, how scammers exploit the publishing industry's learning curve, and why more people aren't talking about these experiences.

If you're querying, self-publishing, marketing a book, or simply trying to navigate the publishing world, this conversation could save you time, money, and a lot of frustration.

What is the biggest scam you've encountered as an author—or in life? Let us know in the comments.

Guest: Bitty Balducci

In This Episode

•  The surprisingly sophisticated scams targeting indie authors today 
•  Fake HarperCollins editors, fraudulent book clubs, and manuscript theft attempts 
•  How scammers use real names, real companies, and AI-generated content to appear legitimate 
•  The audiobook narrator scam that nearly cost hundreds of dollars 
•  Why even experienced authors struggle to spot modern publishing scams 
•  The emotional vulnerability scammers exploit in writers and creatives 
•  Red flags to watch for when receiving publishing, marketing, or promotion offers 
•  Why authors don't talk about scams often enough—and why that needs to change 
•  Practical tips for protecting your work, money, and personal information 
•  How the publishing industry could do more to educate and support authors 
•  Why transparency and community may be the best defense against scams 

What happens when your characters know the story before you do?

This week, we sit down with romance author Lauren Okie to talk about discovery writing, outlining, second drafts, and learning to trust your creative instincts. From writing Tropesick while querying her debut novel to protecting the creative spark in a publishing industry full of distractions, Lauren shares an honest look at the realities of writing books that surprise both the author and the reader.

Lauren Okie didn't set out to write a book about tropes.

She set out to write characters compelling enough to tell her where the story wanted to go.

In this episode, Lauren joins Jenna and Cait to discuss the writing process behind Tropesick, her approach to discovery writing, and why she believes character should always come before plot. The conversation explores outlining versus improvisation, second drafts, deleting scenes you love, and the challenge of protecting creativity in an industry that often prioritizes metrics over art.

For writers, this episode is packed with practical advice on trusting your instincts, identifying what belongs in your story, and finding your way through the messy middle of drafting a novel.

For readers, it's a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the mind of an author whose stories blend romance, humor, grief, and literary ambition.

In This Episode

•  How Lauren Okie developed the concept for Tropesick
•  Writing a second novel while querying a debut 
•  Discovery writing versus outlining 
•  Why character should drive story 
•  Learning to trust your creative process 
•  The role of second and third drafts 
•  Identifying duplicate scenes and unnecessary subplots 
•  Craft books that changed Lauren's approach to writing 
•  Romance as a vehicle for complex, meaningful storytelling 
•  Protecting the creative spark in publishing 

Books & Authors Mentioned

• Tropesick — Lauren Okie 
• The Best Worst Thing — Lauren Okie 
• You Between the Lines — Katie Naymon 
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow — Gabrielle Zevin
• Refuse to Be Done —  Matt Bell

Memorable Quotes

About Lauren Okie

Lauren Okie is the author of The Best Worst Thing and Tropesick. Known for emotionally layered romance, sharp humor, and character-driven storytelling, Lauren's work explores grief, love, creativity, and the stories we tell ourselves about happily ever after.

What happens when a five-year situationship finally ends and leaves you wondering what comes next?

For author Alissa DeRogatis, the answer was writing the book she couldn't find on the shelf.

In this episode, we chat with Alissa about turning heartbreak into storytelling, self-publishing Call It What You Want, selling tens of thousands of copies, signing with Sourcebooks, and building a career by showing up authentically online. We also dive into the realities of book marketing, why comparison is one of the biggest traps for writers, and how her writing community, Hot Girls Who Write, grew from a simple desire to help other authors feel less alone.

Plus, we get a behind-the-scenes look at her upcoming novel, How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle, and the real-life experiences that inspired it.

In This Episode

•  How a situationship inspired Call It What You Want
•  Self-publishing without an editor—and why she has no regrets 
•  Selling 50,000+ copies before signing with a traditional publisher 
•  The journey from indie author to Sourcebooks author 
•  Why comparison culture can derail writers 
•  Using vulnerability as a marketing superpower 
•  What actually worked on TikTok (and what didn't) 
•  The realities of building an author brand online 
•  Why authenticity is a major theme in How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle
•  The story behind Hot Girls Who Write 
•  Creating community in an industry that can feel isolating 
•  Book covers, branding, and trusting your creative instincts

About Alissa DeRogatis

Alissa DeRogatis is the author of Call It What You Want and the upcoming How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle. After self-publishing her debut novel and building a passionate online readership, she signed with Sourcebooks and has become known for her honest, relatable storytelling about modern relationships, heartbreak, and personal growth.

She is also the founder of Hot Girls Who Write, a writing community dedicated to helping authors connect, learn, and support one another through every stage of the writing journey.

Books & Resources Mentioned

• Call It What You Want — Alissa DeRogatis 
• How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle — Alissa DeRogatis

Connect with Alissa

Instagram: @alissade
TikTok: @alissade
Substack: Alissa DeRogatis
Hot Girls Who Write

Listen & Subscribe

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Margs & Manuscripts wherever you get your podcasts. Leaving a rating or review helps more readers, writers, and publishing-curious creatives discover the show.

And if you've ever turned a heartbreak into a creative project, we'd love to hear about it. Tag us on Instagram and join the conversation. 🍸📚

Episode Summary

What started as an Instagram friendship turned into a podcast, a publishing journey, and now a live book launch celebration.

In this special first-ever live recording of Margs & Manuscripts, Jenna sits down with co-host Cait Waynelovich to celebrate the release of her debut novel, Places We'll Go. Together, they look back on the unexpected path that brought them here—from meeting online and bonding over the chaos of writing, to launching a podcast, building a creative community, and finally holding a published book in their hands.

Cait shares the decade-long journey behind Places We'll Go, including how a difficult season of life inspired the first scene, why the story became a love letter to travel, and how real-life adventures across Barcelona, Morocco, Paris, and Normandy shaped the novel. They also discuss the realities of writing, navigating creative ambition, finding your voice, and learning that art doesn't need to please everyone else to matter.

Plus: Romance-writing confessions, questionable community theater productions of Mamma Mia!, camels, World War II Jeeps, and the kind of off-the-rails conversation you've come to expect from Margs & Manuscripts.

In This Episode

•  The origin story of Margs & Manuscripts 
•  How Cait and Jenna became friends through Instagram 
•  Why writing can be surprisingly lonely 
•  The inspiration behind Places We'll Go
•  Travel, self-discovery, and the "age 27 crisis" 
•  Writing romance and intimacy on the page 
•  Twenty-plus drafts and the reality of revision 
•  What Cait wishes she could tell herself five years ago 
•  Audience Q&A from the live event 
•  What's next after Places We'll Go

About the Book

Places We'll Go follows a travel influencer whose carefully curated life begins to unravel, sending her on a journey across Europe in search of something she didn't realize she'd lost: herself.

Set against the backdrop of Barcelona, Morocco, Paris, and Normandy, this heartfelt debut explores friendship, ambition, identity, love, and the courage to choose your own path—even when it looks nothing like the one you planned.

📖 Places We'll Go is available now wherever books are sold.

Connect with Margs & Manuscripts

🍹 Follow the podcast for honest conversations about writing, publishing, creativity, and all the messy moments in between.

Website: MargsAndManuscripts.com
 Instagram: @margsandmanuscripts

Mentioned in This Episode

• Places We'll Go by Cait Waynelovich 
•  Rick Steves 
•  Elizabeth Gilbert 
• Under the Tuscan Sun
• Eat, Pray, Love
• Mamma Mia! (the community theater edition) 😅 

If you're enjoying the podcast, subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a fellow reader, writer, or creative dreamer. It helps more than you know.

Romance author Sara Ney joins us for one of the funniest and most unfiltered conversations we’ve had on the podcast yet. From writing 50+ romance novels and navigating BookTok-driven publishing trends to hockey romance, favorite tropes, spicy scenes, and rapid-release writing schedules, Sara pulls back the curtain on what it actually looks like to build a long-term career in romance publishing.

We talk indie vs. traditional publishing, bookstore signings, writing routines, weird author quirks, reader expectations, and why every ex-boyfriend somehow thinks the book is about him. Sara also gives us her best meet-cutes, favorite romance dynamics, and accidentally coins what might be the greatest romance-writing tagline of all time.

Also discussed:
• the now-infamous hot dog story
• “foreplay is my forte”
• why dry humping deserves a comeback
• BookTok trend pressure & publishing chaos
• Starbucks writing rituals
• writing 50+ books without losing your mind
• fake dating, hockey romance & favorite tropes
• why romance readers know exactly what they want

About Sara Ney: 

Sara Ney is a bestselling romance author known for her sports romances, college romances, and fan-favorite series including How to Date a Douchebag, Jock Row, and Campus Legends. With more than 50 published books across indie and traditional publishing, Sara has become a staple in the contemporary romance space thanks to her humor, unforgettable banter, emotionally grounded love stories, and wildly addictive characters.

Her upcoming releases include Married to the Scottish Player and Revenge Puck.

Mom influencers. Midwest family dynamics. Wisconsin supper clubs. Postpartum anxiety. Parenting pressure. Somehow, Claire Swinarski wrapped all of it into one of the most emotionally honest books we’ve read this year.

In this episode, we sit down with bestselling author Claire Swinarski to talk about her newest novel, The Supper Club Saints — a story about a young mother returning home to Wisconsin after fleeing a mom-influencer “mom-mune,” only to find her complicated family, their beloved supper club, and her own identity waiting for her.

We talk about:

•  the real-life inspiration behind the book 
•  why mom influencer culture fascinates people 
•  writing complicated but deeply loving families 
•  motherhood, anxiety, and impossible expectations 
•  Wisconsin culture and the magic of supper clubs 
•  publishing pressure, launch anxiety, and finding readers organically 
•  why authors need to stop declaring their books “dead” before launch week is over 

Claire also shares how Ruby Franke, Paris Hilton’s advocacy work, and her own large Catholic family helped shape the story behind The Supper Club Saints.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing enough, parenting “right,” or comparing yourself to everyone online… this conversation is going to hit.

In This Episode

•  Claire explains what a Wisconsin supper club actually is 
•  The inspiration behind the “mom-mune” storyline 
•  Why every reader seems to connect with a different sister 
•  The pressure of modern motherhood and online perfection 
•  How childhood shapes parenting choices 
•  Claire’s refreshingly healthy take on book launches and publishing 
•  The reality of writing books rooted in the Midwest 
•  Why readers are craving stories about family right now 

About Claire Swinarski

Claire Swinarski is the author of multiple novels for both adults and younger readers, including The Funeral Ladies of Ellery County and The Supper Club Saints. Known for writing deeply human, Midwest-rooted stories filled with complicated families, humor, and emotional honesty, Claire currently lives in Wisconsin with her family.

Books & Authors Mentioned

• The Supper Club Saints — Claire Swinarski 
• The Funeral Ladies of Ellery County — Claire Swinarski 
• Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club — Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club
• Llama Llama Red Pajama — Llama Llama Red Pajama

Follow Margs & Manuscripts

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📚 Bookshop: Margs & Manuscripts Bookshop

🛍 Merch: Margs & Manuscripts Shop

What if the story we’ve been told about the American Revolution is only half the picture?

In this episode, we sit down with bestselling authors Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray—the powerhouse duo behind America’s First Daughter, My Dear Hamilton, and their newest release, A Founding Mother. Known for bringing history’s most overlooked women to life, they’ve built a career on telling the stories behind the story—the ones that didn’t make it into the textbooks.

We talk about their collaborative writing process (and how they make it work without killing each other), the research behind their novels, and why the women of the Revolution—especially Abigail Adams—still feel strikingly relevant today. This conversation is part craft, part history, and part reminder that the people holding everything together were often never the ones in the spotlight.

In this episode:

• How Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray built a collaborative writing process that actually works 
• Why historical fiction is uniquely positioned to “read between the lines” of history 
• The real lives of women during the American Revolution—and what’s been left out 
• How Abigail Adams’ voice stands out among the founding generation 
• The role of research, letters, and archives in shaping authentic storytelling 
• Why every generation thinks it’s living through the “end”—and what history tells us instead 
• The unexpected, chaotic reality of researching historical sites (yes, including almost getting in trouble)

About our guests:

Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray are bestselling authors of historical fiction known for their deeply researched, emotionally rich novels centered on women’s lives during pivotal moments in history. Together, they’ve written America’s First Daughter, My Dear Hamilton, and A Founding Mother, bringing new perspective to the American Revolution through the voices of the women who lived it.

Books mentioned:

• A Founding Mother by Laura Kamoie & Stephanie Dray 
• America’s First Daughter
• My Dear Hamilton

Announcements:

Laura and Stephanie are currently on tour for A Founding Mother. For upcoming events and appearances, visit:
👉 https://draykamoie.com/events

What happens when a group chat turns into a published fantasy series?

This week, we’re joined by E.B. Asher—aka Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegemund-Broka—the trio behind one of the most fun, chaotic, and genuinely entertaining cozy romantasy series out right now.

We get into how their books This Will Be Fun and This Will Be Interesting were born out of a years-long group chat, what it actually looks like to write a fantasy novel as a team, and why starting with a pitch (instead of a manuscript) might change everything about how you write.

Also: sequels, worldbuilding, why humor works better when characters take themselves seriously, and the surprisingly strategic side of writing something that feels effortless.

In This Episode

•  How E.B. Asher turned a group chat into a full fantasy series 
•  Writing a sequel vs. “hoping” for one 
•  Their collaborative process (and why it works) 
•  Why they start with the pitch instead of the book 
•  The reality of co-writing a 120K word fantasy novel 
•  Balancing humor with real emotional stakes 
•  Cozy fantasy, romantasy, and writing for fun first 
•  Audiobooks, accents, and letting narrators run with it 
•  Their next project (and it’s chaotic in the best way) 
•  What they’re reading right now

About Our Guests

E.B. Asher is the collaborative pen name of authors Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegemund-Broka. Together, they write cozy, comedic romantasy stories filled with heart, chaos, and just enough emotional damage to keep things interesting.

Their series includes:

• This Will Be Fun
• This Will Be Interesting

Their work blends fantasy, romance, and humor in a way that feels both nostalgic and completely fresh—think classic adventure vibes with modern chaos and character-driven storytelling.

Announcements

✨ New Bonus Series Coming Soon:
We’re launching a new short-form bonus episode series:
“How I Got My Agent”

These will be 10–15 minute episodes featuring real stories from authors about how they landed representation or publishing deals—what worked, what didn’t, and what actually matters.

Favorite Moments from the Episode

•  “This book literally came out of a group chat.” 
•  “We start with the pitchiest version of the idea first—and build from there.” 
•  “The whole point is the class clown.” 
•  “It’s like opening a document and it’s grown without you.”

Episode Chapters

00:00 Intro – We finally got Cait into fantasy
00:41 Meet E.B. Asher (it’s three authors 👀)
02:04 How the series started (yes… the group chat)
07:18 The first idea that sparked the story
10:56 How they knew each other before writing together
12:52 How they actually write as a team
14:52 Building a fantasy world together (yes, they made an encyclopedia)
16:08 Editing, collaboration, and creative tension
17:41 Writing humor that actually works
20:27 Why fantasy still needs emotional stakes
22:04 Audiobooks, accents, and creative freedom
23:43 Their NEXT book (and it’s chaotic)
25:23 Fantasy influences + Jack Black energy
27:17 What they’re working on individually
28:53 Why they start with the pitch first
31:28 The problem with tropes (and why blurbs matter more)
33:12 Do they read while writing?
35:31 What they’re reading right now
37:13 For non-fantasy readers… start here
38:24 Why they wanted this series to feel easy and fun