S2 Ep1

Rae Shawn is in conversation with Kelly Lewis James about the upcoming charity anthology One Page, One Love which releases May 6, 2025.

Kelly Lewis, an Indy author and social media chef, who writes immersive fiction with humor, romance, and mystery. In the kitchen, Kelly goes by Chef Lew; creating bold, flavorful dishes that inspire. Whether Kelly is storytelling, cooking, or creating content, authenticity is at the heart of everything Kelly does.

One Page, One Love is a flash fiction romance anthology celebrating the power of love in all its forms, one page at a time. This collection brings together a diverse array of love stories, with some told in a single page and others in just a few, ranging from heartwarming and passionate to laugh-out-loud funny. 

All proceeds from this anthology will be donated to the ACLU in support of their mission to defend and preserve civil liberties.

Disclaimer: This anthology is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the ACLU.

The ACLU has been at the center of nearly every major civil liberties battle in the U.S. for more than 100 years. This vital work depends on the support of ACLU members in all 50 states and beyond. Source: https://www.aclu.org/

Music
Don’t Talk by Sergey Shadrin (Pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

Rae Shawn and Ali Williams (who also writes as Ellie Rose) sit down for chat about queerness and feminism, in and beyond romance.

Ali focuses on what is important to her in romance from content warnings to processing trauma and how everything can lead to a happily ever after, or happy for now.

The pair talk about what’s missing and where there needs to be more in various facets of romance.

There are discussions of relationship trauma, content warnings triggering people, feminism through the years, kink, ADHD and autism and more.

Intro/outro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

Rae Shawn and Chencia C. Higgins sit down for a frank conversation about what Chencia wants and likes to see in books, and how Black women should be treated. Periodt.

The pair also discuss some of the issues surrounding how Black women are sometimes portrayed and how that can be different, if an author so chooses. Visiting Chencia’s backlist also pulls a nugget of information on an EVENTUAL title readers will get to see. Keyword, eventual. 

If you haven't read Chencia’s latest release A Little Kissing Between Friends, you might want to skip the spoiler from 49:05-53:25. There are also teases of scenes following that portion for the next 7-10 minutes.

Intro/outro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

Rae Shawn and Rien Gray sit down to have a fun, yet serious conversation about writing the stories we want to see. Rien touches on wanting to continue normalizing stories showcasing trans characters, bisexual women, lesbians, butch and nonbinary characters and everything that encompasses the word sapphic. Rae and Rien also talk about food in Chicago, books they are looking forward too and a way to focus on the now through weightlifting.

Intro/outro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

Rae Shawn and Karmen Lee sit down to have both a quirky and very casual but blunt conversation about writing queerness and diversity. Karmen touches on culture, being from the South, community and writing from experience with love. The pair also are full of jokes and unhinged laughter.

Intro/outro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

Rae Shawn and A.H. Cunningham sit down to have both a fun and serious conversation about writing in the Black space. They touch on culture, community, kink, and more. They also joke and poke at one another and squeeze in a few book recs both can't wait for.

Note: They do briefly speak about her mother and Dementia 35:50-39:02.

Intro/outro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

It’s a Rae’s Corner takeover with Meka James guest hosting and putting Rae Shawn in the hot seat. Rae and Meka talk about all the things. In true Meka fashion, we never know what is going to come up next. 

Rae writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense and plans to dabble in a few other genres, so the pair discuss the inner workings of Rae’s completed and ongoing series.

The duo discusses how Rae’s characters are shaped, where she draws her inspiration, and what pulls her into a story.

Intro/outro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

Rae Shawn is in conversation with author Tati Richardson about life after debut, adding indie writing to the mix and why it’s important to show love beyond the norm. Tati will avidly remind you that she writes for xennials, so get ready for a ride because it’s not just about these youngins in these streets. The pair also discuss difficult topics including cancer, other forms of grief, and how to integrate that into a story with care. 

Before watching, please be aware that Rae and Tati want your mental health to be their highest priority. Loss and processing are discussed as a part of their individual lives and how those topics show up on the page in Tati’s works. 

Intro/outro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

Rae Shawn is in conversation with author Jessica Terry about how she crafts a story, where her ideas come from, and some of her habits. If you are hungry, I suggest grabbing a snack because Rae and Jessica do have a chat about food that'll make you hungry. The pair also discuss giving characters a piece of themselves and building from that to transform real life into a fictional grandeur. 

Intro/outro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories

Rae Shawn is in conversation with Lisa Kessler about her venture into nonfiction publishing, the transition from traditional publishing to indie, and much more. The pair also discuss giving yourself grace as you try new things and not letting your internal demons run your actions.

Intro music: Weeknds - DayFox (pixabay)

Remember, no body puts Rae in a corner, unless she's gushing over books.

https://linktr.ee/raeshawnstories