Rebel Ever After

My guest this week is author, actress, and journalist Keah Brown. She has published three books, the 2019 essay collection The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall In Love With Me; the 2022 children's book Sam's Super Seats, and her YA romance debut The Secret Summer Promise in 2023. Keah, like the protagonist of The Secret Summer Promise, has cerebral palsy, and we talked about what better disability representation can look like in romance and beyond.

We also discussed about why loving yourself is a lifelong process and Keah's decision to come out as bisexual. Plus: Do teens today read Sarah Dessen? Does Hollywood still do chemistry tests? Why aren't there kisses in rom-coms anymore? And when will Drew Barrymore be our friend?

Follow Keah @keah_maria on Instagram and Threads, and @keahbrown.bsky.social‬ on BlueSky. You can also find her at keahbrown.com.

Purchase THE SECRET SUMMER PROMISE and other romance novels featured on Rebel Ever After in my affiliate Bookshop at bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after

You can listen to Keah and I gab about The Pitt on Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose — Patreon subscribers get access to premium episodes of Rebel Ever After, as well as access to our Discord server! Join starting at $3/month and have the satisfaction of supporting an indie podcast production that could really use your help.

Please remember to RATE AND REVIEW the podcast wherever you like to listen.

FILMS AND BOOKS MENTIONED INCLUDE:

• The Parent Trap (1998)
• Gotta Kick It Up (2002)
• The Pitt (2025)
• Just Listen, Sarah Dessen
• The Truth about Forever, Sarah Dessen
• This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen
• 50 First Dates (2004)
• Ever After (1998)
• Never Been Kissed (1999)
• A Walk To Remember (2002)
• Anyone But You (2023)
• Twisters (2024)
• Back In Action (2025)
• Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
• The Holiday (2006)
• Pride & Prejudice (2005)

My guest this week is Tara Tai, whose debut novel SINGLE PLAYER came out this January. It's a queer rom-com about two video game developers who clash over whether or not to include romantic storylines in their blockbuster new game Compass Hollow.

Tara and I talked about what it was like for them to write a romance novel about gaming culture, and the similar social stigma of romance and gaming as adult hobbies. What are the key differences between writing a romance novel and a romantic video game storyline, and what games should romance readers play next? Plus, how the immersive experience of video games leads to incredible storytelling at its best… and dangerous fan behavior at its worst.

Follow Tara on Instagram @tarzaparzagagapan, on Bluesky @taratai.com‬, and at their website taratai.com.

Purchase SINGLE PLAYER and other romance novels featured on Rebel Ever After in my affiliate Bookshop at bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after

Subscribe on Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose to get access to the brand new Rebel Ever After Discord server, as well as premium episodes of the podcast! Your financial support makes this independent production possible.

My second-chance bisexual romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY with its beautiful new digital cover is available wherever books are sold and at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

Please remember to RATE AND REVIEW the podcast wherever you like to listen.

Games mentioned include:

• Ghost of Yotei
• Date Everything
• Dragon Age: The Vielgard
• Dungeons and dragons
• Clair Obscur
• Split Fiction
• Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Stardew Valley
• The Sims
• Rollercoaster Tycoon
• Baldur's Gate
• Dragon Age
• Mass Effect
• Fire Emblem
• The Last of Us Part I and II

Books mentioned:

• Love In Focus, Lyla Lee

My guest this week is Chip Pons, the author of You And I, Rewritten and the forthcoming reality TV romance Winging It With You. He walked me through his publishing journey, from querying agents to self-publishing to making his trad pub debut during Pride 2025. Then we talked about the radically beautiful cover of his rom-com. Finally, how can we bring more gay men into the romance community as readers and as authors?

Follow Chip Pons on Instagram and learn about his book tour dates at @booksovrbros.

Purchase WINGING IT WITH YOU and other romance novels featured on Rebel Ever After in my affiliate Bookshop at bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after

Subscribe on Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose to get access to the brand new Rebel Ever After Discord server, as well as premium episodes of the podcast! Your financial support makes this independent production possible.

My second-chance bisexual romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY with its beautiful new digital cover is available wherever books are sold and at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

Please remember to RATE AND REVIEW the podcast wherever you like to listen!

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Slammed by Colleen Hoover
• Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
• You And I, Rewritten and Winging It With You by Chip Pons

Welcome to PRIDE, y'all!! This week's guest is Joanna Lowell, the author of historical romances including A Shore Thing, The Duke Undone, and A Rare Find, which comes out on June 10th. She is also a Professor in the English Department at Wake Forest University.

We talked about her experience teaching modern romance novels alongside classics like Jane Austen in the classroom, and the threat the Trump administration poses to historical research and academia. Then she took us inside her writing process and collaborating with her partner to create trans and nonbinary characters. After all, people have lived and loved outside the gender binary throughout history.

Follow Joanna on Instagram @JoannaLowellAuthor and visit her website at joannalowell.com

You can find A Shore Thing and other romance novels featured on Rebel Ever After in my affiliate Bookshop at bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after

Subscribe on Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose to get access to the brand new Rebel Ever After Discord server, as well as premium episodes fo the podcast! Your financial support makes this independent production possible.

My second-chance bisexual romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY with its beautiful new digital cover is available wherever books are sold and at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

Please remember to RATE AND REVIEW the podcast wherever you like to listen!

Books mentioned this episode include:

• The works of Jane Austen
• The Bromance Book Club, Lyssa Kay Adams
• The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang
• An Extraordinary Union, Alyssa Cole
• The Prospects, KT Hoffman
• A Gentleman's Gentleman, TJ Alexander
• Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian
• Las Leonas series, Adriana Herrera
• Luna Sisters series, Liana De la Rosa
• Damsels of Discovery and Secret Scientists of London series, Elizabeth Everett
• Ladies In Hating, Alexandra Vasti

Buckle up for the first ever Rebel Ever After quarterly romance discourse round-up. This month I analyzed the bad vibes of 2025: Why is the Chicago Sun Times recommending books that don't exist? Has publishing abandoned diverse voices? Why are popular books by black authors so hard to find in bookstores lately? Is Silver Elite a worthy successor to The Hunger Games? And what the hell is up with straight influencer Tinx publishing a sapphic "romance" novel? I discuss all of that and more in this premium episode.

Listen to the full episode by subscribing for $3/month at patreon.com/brosandprose

This week's guest is Harper St. George, the author of many historical romances including The Heiress Gets A Duke, The Stranger I Wed, and Eliza and The Duke (out on June 24th). We talked about writing relationships between equals across different time periods, from Vikings to the Victorian Era to the Wild West.

Plus: Is indie publishing the future for historical romance? Are progressive heroes "historically inaccurate"? And what's it like to write a category Harlequin romance?

Pre-order ELIZA AND THE DUKE from Eagle Eye Books to get a signed copy and a stunning art print! Here's the link to do so: https://eagleeyebooks.com/book/9780593441023

Follow Harper on Instagram and Threads @harperstgeorge, and subscribe to her newsletter at harperstgeorge.com.

Subscribe on Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose to get access to the brand new Rebel Ever After Discord server! Your financial support makes this indie podcast possible.

My second-chance romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY with its beautiful new digital cover, is available wherever books are sold and at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

Please remember to RATE AND REVIEW the podcast wherever you like to listen!

This week's guest is Betty Cayouette, author of TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL and ONE LAST SHOT. We talked about writing a romance that starts with a third act breakup, if the miscommunication trope deserves the hate it gets, and why a second-chance needs an excellent apology. Then Betty and I talked about sneaking the wage gap into a rom-com, and romance heroines who have experienced sexual violence and trauma.

Plus: the dark reality of internet fame, male heroes who have a lot of growing to do, and why we both support the Victims Rights Law Center.

Be advised that this episode contains discussion of sexual assault and harassment.

Follow Betty as @bettysbooklist on Instagram and TikTok, and visit her website at bettysbooklist.com. You can buy her books at the Rebel Ever After affiliate Bookshop.org store at https://bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after

Donate and volunteer with the VRLC at victimrights.org

Please rate, review, and subscribe to Rebel Ever After on your favorite podcast app! Support the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/brosandprose starting at $3/month.

Listen to the first Rebel Ever After PREMIUM episode about STI stigma in romance at bit.ly/REABonusEp1

My second-chance romance But How Are You, Really with its BEAUTIFUL new cover is available wherever books are sold and at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

This week's guest is Myah Ariel, the author of two contemporary romance novels that take place in the entertainment industry.

First we discussed how her mother's real life experience integrating an all-white school in the 1960s inspired her debut novel WHEN I THINK OF YOU. Then we dove into her new book NO ORDINARY LOVE, a deliciously sexy romance about a singer who falls in love with a baseball player while she's in the process of divorcing her unfaithful media mogul husband.

We talked about writing heroes who are worthy of the trust of heroines recovering from abusive relationships, and the real life divas who inspired her main character, Ella Simone.

Be advised that this episode contains discussion of emotional abuse and abusive litigation, weaponized prenups, and shitty men.

Follow Myah as @myahmeetscute on Instagram and Threads, and visit her website at myahariel.com. You can buy her books at the Rebel Ever After affiliate Bookshop.org store at https://bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after

You can listen to Ariel's No Ordinary Love Spotify playlist here.

Please rate, review, and subscribe to Rebel Ever After on your favorite podcast app! Support the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/brosandprose starting at $3/month.

Listen to the first Rebel Ever After PREMIUM episode about STI stigma in romance at bit.ly/REABonusEp1

My second-chance romance But How Are You, Really with its BEAUTIFUL new cover is available wherever books are sold and at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

My guest this week is Leanne Schwartz! She is the author of several YA fantasy novels and the adult contemporary rom-com My Kind of Trouble, a brilliant homage to The Music Man. We talked about bringing a mid-century musical into the modern day with a stern librarian battling book bans in his community and a smoke show con artist who targets corrupt wealthy white men.

We also talked at length about autistic and neurodivergent representation in romance. Leanne shared how she writes autistic characters beyond the stereotypes we typically see in pop culture. Plus: fat heroines who love their bodies and the case for books that buck conventional tropes (sorry, we're bored of tiny ladies who can climb their hunky heroes like trees).

Follow Leanne on Instagram, Threads and BlueSky as @schwartzwords and on TikTok at @lifebreakingin, or go to leanneschwartz.com.

You can find My Kind of Trouble and other romance novels featured on Rebel Ever After in my affiliate Bookshop at https://bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after

This podcast is brought to you by the support of my patrons. For $3/month you can join my Patreon and help make Rebel Ever After sustainable, as well as get access to bonus episodes. You can subscribe at patreon.com/brosandprose. [Do not sign up within the iOS Patreon app on your iPhone because Apple tacks on a 30% fee — that money goes to Apple directly, not to me. I recommend joining the Patreon on your computer. Tech monopolies are bad.]

Listen to the first Rebel Ever After PREMIUM episode about STI stigma in romance at bit.ly/REABonusEp1

My second-chance romance But How Are You, Really with its BEAUTIFUL new cover is available wherever books are sold and at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

My guest this week is New York Times best-selling author Allison Raskin, whose first rom-com Save The Date was published this April by Canary Street Press. You may know Allison from her podcast Just Between Us with Gabe Dunn, her mental health newsletter Emotional Support Lady, or her previous life as a BuzzFeed star.

In this episode Allison shares the true story that inspired Save The Date, and what it's like to write a book about your fiancé walking out six months before your wedding. Then we talked about debunking the concept of soulmates, the difference between wanting to get married and wanting a wedding, and our solidarity with self-sabotaging mentally ill heroines.

Plus: Couples therapy! YouTube fame! Writing screenplays versus novels! Why wanting a serious relationship is not cringe!

You can find all of Allison's books and sign up for her newsletter at allisonraskin.com! Follow her on Instagram @allisonraskin and on TikTok @allisonraskinbaby.

This podcast is brought to you by the support of my patrons. For $3/month you can join my Patreon and help make Rebel Ever After sustainable, as well as get access to bonus episodes. You can subscribe at patreon.com/brosandprose. [Do not sign up within the iOS Patreon app on your iPhone because Apple tacks on a 30% fee — that money goes to Apple directly, not to me. I recommend joining the Patreon on your computer. Tech monopolies are bad.]

Listen to the first Rebel Ever After PREMIUM episode about STI stigma in romance at bit.ly/REABonusEp1

My second-chance romance But How Are You, Really is available wherever books are sold and at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel