Rebel Ever After

As traditional publishers adapt to Trump Era Part II, there is concern in Romancelandia that books are about to get a lot whiter, straighter, and more conventional. Luckily, indie authors don't have to deal with gatekeepers. Is self-publishing the future for diverse, queer, progressive romance novels? What should you know before you decide to go indie?

My guest this week is Georgina Kiersten, who also writes as Jasper Hale. Their work includes Fall Into You, More to Love, their diverse Sleepy Hollow retelling Splinter, and the serial Dracula retelling A Vicious Thirst.

Georgina walked me through the many ways you can self-publish your work today, from print-on-demand to Wattpad to serialized newsletters. We talked about marketing, monetization and merch, and why going indie can be a better fit for neurodivergent writers than a traditional book deal.

Then we addressed the elephant in the room. How do we keep writing when the situation in the United States is this dire? Is it true that dangerous times lead to incredible protest art? And why did so many MAGA women think politics would never touch their favorite romances?

You can find all of Georgina's books and sign up for their newsletter at georginakiersten.com. Follow them on all social media platforms @ingloriousgigi.

Join my cover reveal team for the updated But How Are You, Really ebook artwork at bit.ly/ButHowCoverReveal

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

This show is brought to you by the support of my patrons! For $3/month you can join my Patreon and help make this podcast sustainable, as well as get access to bonus episodes. Make sure you join on your computer and not on the Patreon iOS app on your iPhone, because Apple tacks on an extra 30% fee. Tech monopolies are bad! You can subscribe at patreon.com/brosandprose

My guest this week is Joanna Shupe, best-selling historical romance author whose books take place during the Gilded Age. Her latest book The Gilded Heiress publishes this August with Avon.

Joanna's books have always been political, but apparently some of her readers didn't exactly pick up on the undertones of her work. When she wrote a newsletter reacting to Donald Trump's re-election, quite a few of them were surprised. She talked to me about the backlash she received when she pointed out the connections between the Gilded Age and the moment we find ourselves in. How do romance readers actually respond when authors make their politics clear?

We also seethed about anti-vice activist Anthony Comstock and how his weird hang-ups about women's bodies currently threaten our access to abortion and birth control over a century after his death.

Plus: Has Elon Musk ruined the tycoon hero? Why aren't there more unmarried and childfree HEAs in romance? And will different approaches to cover art help historical romance break through with new readers?

Follow Joanna on Instagram and Threads as @joannashupe. Sign up for her newsletter here: https://joannashupe.com/newsletter/

Preorder The Guilded Heiress here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-gilded-heiress-joanna-shupe

This show is brought to you by the support of my patrons. For $3/month you can join my Patreon and help make this podcast sustainable, as well as get access to bonus episodes starting in April. You can subscribe at patreon.com/brosandprose

Follow Ella as @brosandprose on Instagram, Threads and BlueSky. Read But How Are You, Really at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

Get tickets to Ella's events in NYC this month:

• 4/9 with London Sperry at the Ripped Bodice to celebrate Passion Project: https://e.sparxo.com/London-Sperry-Passion-Project-BK-Ticketed
• 4/10 with Allison Raskin at The Strand to celebrate Save The Date: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/allison-raskin-ella-dawson-save-the-date-tickets-1155265794089

My guest this week is Amy Spalding, author of many YA novels and the adult sapphic Out In Hollywood series. The latest installment, ON HER TERMS, was published in February by Kensington Books.

Topics tackled include: How much queer representation in the YA genre has improved in the last decade, and coming out as bisexual "later in life." Is "adulthood" a scam, and what does it look like outside of a cis-het framework? And how to write characters who want a different future (also known as a happily-ever-after) from what everyone else seems to want, i.e. moving in together, marriage and children.

Plus: queer community rules, but you gotta build it!

As a reminder, you can support this podcast by joining my Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose for as little as $3/month. Independent podcasting is a labor of love and I am so proud of the conversations we're having on this show about romance and activism and community. My patrons make this podcast possible, and they have my sincere gratitude.

You can follow Amy as @thatames on Instagram and Threads, or visit her website at theamyspalding.com. You can purchase her books from the Rebel Ever After shop at bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after.

You can follow Ella on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans. My second-chance college reunion romance But How Are You, Really is available at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

This week's guest is Adriana Herrera, author of many contemporary and historical romances including a A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke. Adriana leads the pack when it comes to writing love stories that are bold, sexy and unwavering in their values. We talked about what it means to write brave romance novels, where the happily-ever-after includes a better world for everyone, not just the main characters. Has the idea that romance novels are inherently feminist outlived its usefulness? What does it mean for a romance to truly be feminist?

We also discussed writing about survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and cishet male love interests who are viable partners but still have some learning to do.

Please consider this a content warning if you are sensitive to conversations about abuse and physical violence, or frank discussions of abortion and reproductive healthcare.

As a reminder, you can support this podcast by joining my Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose for as little as $3/month. Independent podcasting is a labor of love and I am so proud of the conversations we're having on this show about romance and activism and community. My patrons make this podcast possible, and they have my sincere gratitude.

You can follow Adriana as @ladriana_herrera on Instagram and Threads, or visit her website at adrianaherreraromance.com. You can purchase her books from the Rebel Ever After shop at bookshop.org/lists/rebel-ever-after.

You can follow Ella on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans. My second-chance college reunion romance But How Are You, Really is available at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

This week's guest is TJ Alexander, author of several queer contemporary romances including Chef's Choice and Second Chances In New Port Steven. TJ shared what readers can expect from their first historical romance, A Gentleman's Gentleman, publishing on March 11th. We talked about writing queer and trans identity back into history, and the many forms that masculinity can take.

Then I pestered them with questions about their groundbreaking polyamorous rom-com Triple Sec and how to write a happily-ever-after outside of the monogamous soulmate mold. Are traditional publishing houses — and mainstream romance readers — ready for poly love stories?

Purchase TJ's books from the Rebel Ever After bookshop.org store here! Pre-order A Gentleman's Gentleman here. Follow them on Instagram as @tjalexandernyc and subscribe to their newsletter 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. Make sure you sign up on desktop or in a web browser instead of the Patreon iOS app, where Apple tacks on an extra 30% free because they are greedy.

You can follow me on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans. My second-chance college reunion romance But How Are You, Really is available here.

My guest is Andie J. Christopher, the author of many contemporary romances including Unrealistic Expectations, Thank You Next, and Hot Under His Collar. She is also the creator of Stern Brunch Daddy, both the concept and the Substack.

Together we dissected the never-ending "smut" discourse. Why do we keep having the same circular conversations about romance novels getting too explicit, and is that even true? Is the fixation on Hannah Grace's Icebreaker and kids stumbling across sexual content just a moral panic? Should we blame Trump, or traditional publishing, or something else entirely?

Then we talked about how heteropessimism informs Andie's romance novels, and how she writes fictional cis men worth falling for when the real world isn't exactly sending its best. Plus! What ever happened to the bonkbuster, and is it time to bring back these sprawling, glamorous 80s romances?

Purchase Andie's books from the Rebel Ever After bookshop.org store here! Pre-order her Formula 1 romance Faster here. Follow her on Instagram as @authorandiej and subscribe to her Substack 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. Make sure you sign up on desktop or in a web browser instead of the Patreon iOS app, where Apple tacks on an extra 30% free because they are greedy.

You can follow me on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans. My second-chance college reunion romance But How Are You, Really is available here.

Books mentioned this episode include:

• Unhinged by Vera Valentine
• Lights Out by Navessa allen
• Lucky by Jackie Collins
• Spring Collection by Judith Krantz
• The Joy of Sex
• Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
• Savage Thunder by Joanna Lindsay
• A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera
• Zoey Draven's Horde King series
• Empire of Temptation by Mila Finelli
• The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger

My guest this week is Elizabeth Everett, the author of The Secret Scientists of London series and The Damsels of Discovery series. We discussed her book The Love Remedy, about a female apothecary in Victorian England who provides reproductive healthcare to women, and The Lady Sparks a Flame, which comes out in March. As a content warning, this episode includes a lot of discussion of abortion through a historical and political lens, as well as self-harm and recovering from child abuse.

We also talked about the false assumption that everyone in the past was less progressive than we are today, and the criticism that kind and open-minded men aren't "historically accurate."

Purchase Elizabeth's books from the Rebel Ever After bookshop.org store here! Follow her on Instagram as @ElizabethEverettAuthor or visit her website.

Other books mentioned in this episode:

• Adriana Herrera's A Tropical Rebel Gets The Duke
• Joanna Shupe's The Duke Gets Even
• Nikki Payne's The Princess and the PI
• Libby Hubscher's Meet Me In Paradise, If You Ask Me, and Heart Marks The Spot

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. Make sure you sign up on desktop or in a web browser instead of the Patreon iOS app, where Apple tacks on an extra 30% free because they are greedy.

You can follow me on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans. My second-chance college reunion romance But How Are You, Really is available here.

Put on your cryptid-hunting gear! My guest this week is Mallory Marlowe, author of the contemporary romance Love and Other Conspiracies. Her 2024 debut was one of my favorite books of last year and features a heroine healing from an emotional abusive relationship. We talked about leaving behind toxic partners and workplaces, and how Mallory wrote a healthy romantic partnership worth swooning over. We also discussed gray ace representation, depression, and consent in romance.

Plus: Why is the Mothman's butt so nice? When do conspiracy theories cross the line between harmless curiosity about cryptids into bigoted paranoia? Where can I meet a hot woke conspiracy theorist??

Follow Mallory Marlowe on Instagram @mallorymarlowewrites or visit her website.

Read Love and Other Conspiracies here, and pre-order Love at First Sighting here. Browse all the books featured on this podcast in my bookshop.org affiliate bookstore!

Other books mentioned in this episode include:

• Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura

• Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen

• Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier (non-fiction)

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. Make sure you sign up on desktop or in a web browser instead of the Patreon iOS app, where Apple tacks on an extra 30% free because they are greedy.

You can follow me on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans. My second-chance college reunion romance But How Are You, Really is available here.

[As a head's up I apologize for the low volume in this episode. I edited myself into a corner and cannot fix it. Normal volume episodes will return next week!]

My guest this episode is Liana De la Rosa, the author of fantastic historical romances — most recently the Luna Sisters series, which takes place in England during the second Franco-Mexican War. Gabriela and His Grace, the last book in the trilogy, comes out in August 2025.

We talked about our love of historical romances and whether or not the rumors of its demise are exaggerated. Liana walked me through how she balances historical accuracy with romantic tension, and makes the case for readers new to histrom to give it a shot. Plus we wonder: Why didn't the Bridgerton Bump last? Do publishers know how to market historical romance to a new generation of readers?

Follow Liana on Instagram as @lianainbloom, visit her website here, and subscribe to her newsletter here.

You can pre-order Gabriela and His Grace and buy her other books discussed in the episode from the Rebel Ever After booklist on Bookshop.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. Make sure you sign up on desktop or in a web browser instead of the Patreon iOS app, where Apple tacks on an extra 30% free because they are greedy.

You can follow me (Ella) on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans. My second-chance college reunion romance But How Are You, Really is available here.

In this week's episode I interview my friends Lydia Wang and Annabel Paulsen, the writing duo behind the sapphic Bachelor-inspired rom-com HERE FOR THE WRONG REASONS. We talked about reality television romance novels, the toxic polyamory of dating competition shows, and how compulsory heterosexuality hurts us all. Then we had a gossip about GoodReads review culture and the unfair burden readers place on sapphic books to represent the entire queer experience. Justice for basic Stanley cup femmes!!

Follow Annabel and Lydia at @annabelandlydia on Instagram, and learn more about their work on their website. Order your copy of Here For The Wrong Reasons from the Rebel Ever After affiliate bookstore 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. Make sure you sign up on desktop or in a web browser instead of the Patreon iOS app, where Apple tacks on an extra 30% free because they are greedy.

You can follow me (Ella) on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans. My second-chance college reunion romance But How Are You, Really is available here.