Rebel Ever After

My guest this week is Laura Piper Lee, the author of Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair and Zoe Brennan First Crush, which comes out Tuesday January 21. We talked about putting the comedy back in romantic comedy, the intense power of your first crush, why we need more casually queer characters, and the subversiveness of the single mom as a romantic hero.

Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapiperlee, and order her books from the Bros & Prose affiliate store 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.

My guest this week on Rebel Ever After is Jessica P. Pryde! She is a contributing editor at Book Riot and the co-host of their biweekly romance podcast, When In Romance. In 2022, Jessica edited the essay anthology Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters. Most recently, her short story "Why Won't you Die?" was published in Someplace Generous: An Inclusive Romance Anthology.

In this episode you'll hear our conversation about Black Romance as an art form of joy and rebellion. We also dug into the barriers Black authors still face in traditional publishing and why more folks are turning to indie and self-publishing. And yes, we did touch on the Bridgerton of it all, and why traditionally published interracial romances are typically about a white man paired with a woman of color.

Follow Jessica on Instagram and BlueSky, and listen to her podcast When In Romance here.

Please support REBEL EVER AFTER by joining the Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose, and by giving us 5 stars on your favorite podcast app!

You can follow Ella on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky at @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance takes. Her queer millennial second-chance romance But How Are You, Really is available wherever books are sold.

My guest this week is Nellie Wilson, a teacher and historian who is the author of romance novels including Curated, Corporate Mandated Holiday Romance, and Steel My Heart: An Appalachian Romance. Her fiction is proudly anti-capitalist, and we talked about the need for romance novels about folks who don't live in Stars Hollow or Hollywood. If you hate JD Vance, you'll love this episode.

Other topics discussed include: reader reactions to HEAs that don't include monogamy, marriage or parenthood; writing neurodivergent characters; why the best "eat the rich" romances are historicals; Ella's love/hate relationship with Cinderella stories; why we need more female rakes; Nellie's defense of third act breakups; calling HR on boss/subordinate romances; and are characters allowed to grow anymore?

Follow Nellie on Instagram at @woahnelliewrites, and buy her books on Amazon here. [Yes, we hate Jeff Bezos, but Nellie is self-published and this is the best way to make sure she gets paid].

Support REBEL EVER AFTER by joining the Patreon at patreon.com/brosandprose, and by giving us 5 stars on your favorite podcast app!

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

It turns out I owe Blake Lively, and all of you, an apology. In this quick episode, I go over the allegations against Justin Baldoni and the smear campaign he orchestrated of his It Ends With Us co-star.

You can read my essay about how I fell for the smear campaign and the specific allegations against Baldoni and his co-producer Jamey Heath here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/i-fell-for-act-118745786

And here's my reading list of romance novels about survivors of DV, abuse and sexual violence: https://bookshop.org/lists/romances-about-abuse-and-sexual-assault-survivors

Join my Patreon to yell at me in the Rebel Ever After group chat or share your It Ends With Us opinions: https://www.patreon.com/brosandprose

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and abuse in the United States, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or texting "START" to 88788. You can also chat with the hotline virtually at https://www.thehotline.org/

I'll be back next week with a new author interview. Thanks everyone.

My guest this week is the effervescently funny Danica Nava, author of The Truth According to Ember, and the forthcoming Love Is a War Song, hitting bookstores in July 2025. Ember and Danuwoa's story is the first traditionally published romance novel by a Native author!

We talked about the woeful history of Native representation in pop culture and how little has changed (I'm looking at you, Taylor Lautner). We also discussed surviving the hell of corporate America, channeling resentment into inspiration, and our case for bringing back the big budget rom-com.

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 queer millennial second-chance romance But How Are You, Really is available at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

Follow Danica on Instagram at @danica_nava.

Order your copy of The Truth According to Ember here: https://bookshop.org/a/56317/9780593642603

Pre-order Love Is A War Song here: https://bookshop.org/a/56317/9780593642627

This week my guest is Jenny L. Howe, the author of The Makeup Test, On The Plus Side, and How to Get a Life In Ten Dates, which comes out this Tuesday December 10th. She's also the author of the forthcoming YA romance, Love at Full Tilt.

Topics discussed in this episode include: why every man in romance has the body of Chris Hemsworth, how romance often celebrates toxic masculinity, the fatphobia of (some) romance readers, how to write actual body diversity among your characters (not just the heroine! and also monsters don't count!), if horror is any better at fat representation, the current state of book discourse online, why reviews are not "feedback" for authors, and if we should worry about teenagers reading romance novels. Spoiler alert: ehh, sort of.

You can follow Jenny as @jennylhowe on Threads, BlueSky, Instagram, and TikTok, and find her work at jennylhowe.com

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 a full, free transcripts of this episode on Patreon, too.

You can follow me (Ella!) on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans.

P.S. My queer millennial second-chance romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY is available at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

My guest this week is Shelly Jay Shore, the author of the best-selling novel Rules For Ghosting. We talked about writing escapism versus resistance in romance, and the role of authors and artists in fighting the Trump administration. We also discussed how romance creates a safe way for readers to engage in hard emotional topics like mourning and death, and why we want to see more abortion stories in romance! Plus: horror and romance are siblings, and Ella still has a stick up her @ss about tech billionaire romances.

Order your copy of Rules For Ghosting from bookshop.org here: https://bookshop.org/a/56317/9780593723944

Follow Shelly at @shellyjayshore on Instagram and BlueSky, and subscribe to their newsletter Creativity for Good at shellyjayshore.substack.com

Please 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. You can find free, full transcripts for each episode on my Patreon.

You can follow me (Ella!) on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans.

P.S. My queer millennial second-chance romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY is available at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

In this episode, I interview Erin Baldwin about her debut novel Wish You Weren't Here, a sapphic YA romance about two girls who can't stand each other but are forced to share a cabin at beloved summer camp Fogridge. We talk about writing the enemies-to-lovers trope for a young audience, accurately representing Gen Z teenagehood, and what Erin wishes she didn't have to cut from her final draft.

Purchase your copy of Wish You Weren't Here from BookshopDotOrg here: https://bookshop.org/a/56317/9780593622698

You can follow Erin on Instagram as @erinbwrites and on bluesky at @erinbwrites.bsky.social.

Please 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. You can find free, full transcripts for each episode on my Patreon.

You can follow me (Ella!) on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans.

P.S. My queer millennial second-chance romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY is available at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

During the innocent week before the 2024 election, I chatted with Becca Grischow about her debut novel I'LL GET BACK TO YOU, a sapphic Thanksgiving rom-com published by Penguin Books. We discussed Becca's career as a ghostwriter and what it's like to finally claim authorship of a book she wrote, including the downsides of being a queer author on TikTok. Plus the importance of writing broke, queer characters, and our bond as bisexual raccoon millennials.

Purchase your copy of I'll Get Back To You from bookshop dot org here: https://bookshop.org/a/56317/9780143138419

You can follow Becca at @beegriz on Instagram and TikTok.

Please subscribe to Rebel Ever After on your favorite podcast app, and support the show by becoming a patron at patreon.com/brosandprose. You can find free, full transcripts for each episode on my Patreon.

You can follow me (Ella!) on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans.

P.S. My queer millennial second-chance romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY is available at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel

As we face down a second Trump Presidency, we need the escapism of a good romance novel more than ever. But romance isn't a fluffy distraction from politics — from its first transgressive pages, the romance genre centered the needs, desires and ambitions of women. Now more than ever, we need romances that envision a world where everyone can live their happily ever after.

Fight fascism, form community, and fall in love with Rebel Ever After, a new leftist romance podcast. Join me, sex & culture critic and BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY author Ella Dawson, as I interview my favorite Romancelandia citizens about writing swoony, sexy and progressive romance novels.

In this short introduction episode, I outline my goals for the show, the perspective I bring to these conversations as a host, and how you can support Rebel Ever After as it develops. Full-length episodes will begin soon! You can look forward to interviews with Becca Grischow, Erin Baldwin, and writing team Lydia Wang and Annabel Paulson, among others.

Mentioned in this episode:

Adriana Herrera's excellent thread on romanticizing violent white men: https://www.threads.net/@ladriana_herrera/post/DCE3u53R8PV

Full transcript available at patreon.com/brosandprose! Please subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app, and support the show by becoming a patron.

You can follow me on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky @brosandprose.

My queer millennial second-chance romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY is available from booksellers across the U.S. at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel