What agency does your main character have? Character motives are integral to the plot and writing instructor and fiction author, Amber Royer, helps us get to the core of a character.  We examine what agency looks like in context of romance and use some of your favorite rom-coms as examples. Plus, we gush about chocolate!

Find Amber's books here:
https://amzn.to/3HLqXCe

Connect with Amber:
http://amberroyer.com/
Facebook: @Amber.Royer.Author
Twitter: @amber_royer
Instagram: @amberroyerauthor

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

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Dying, writing, and...Cantebury Tales? Kimberly Packard does an impressive juggling act with mixing all three in her latest release - with seven POVs and an emotional core that is a powerhouse read. We talk about what makes Dire's Club special.

Kimberly's books:
https://amzn.to/3ObdFkA

Find Kimberly Packard here:
www.kimberlypackard.com
Facebook - @kimberlypackardauthor
Twitter -  @kimberlypackard
Instagram -  @kimberlypackard

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

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I provide an update on what's been happening in my world, leaving the podcast for awhile, and looking forward in posting more chats with authors and writers in all genres.

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Writer, speaker, and social media consultant Kathryn McClatchy gives insight on the kind of content authors should be posting and tools for writing productivity. With a background in business and marketing, she has a passion to help authors leverage their assets.

Find Kathryn McClatchy here:
https://kathrynmcclatchy.com/
Twitter: @Kmmcclatchy
Instagram: @kathrynmcclatchy
Facebook: @KMMcClatchy
TikTok: @kathrynmcclatchy

Or her Author Facebook Group, Unleashing the Next Chapter:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UnleashingTheNextChapter

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

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A self-professed Story Nerd, Amanda Arista is in-the-know of writing tips and tricks for bringing your story to life. She's a lecturer who teaches other aspiring authors and writes paranormal stories with full-realized protagonists that kick butt! She teaches us a thing or two about genre writing and reader expectations.

Find Amanda Arista's books on Amazon:
Diaries of an Urban Panther: https://amzn.to/3vfYPT9
The Truth about Night (Merci Lanard Files Book 1) : https://amzn.to/3rMzVYY

Find Amanda below:
http://www.amandaarista.com/
Pinterest: @aarista
Instagram: @Pantherista
Twitter: @Pantherista
Facebook: @pantherista

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

Music:
Prelude in C (BWV 846) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4237-prelude-in-c-bwv-846-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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We're back at it!

Strap in cause I go off-script for this one with some personal stories but I promise I have a point! I discuss my absence, taking care of yourself, and how romance is a form of self-care. It's important to take care of ourselves mentally and emotionally in rough patches and find our safe space. 

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory

Music by Nico Maximilian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF7OwLvnKHg

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"It’s dis-heartening to think the author wrote the book using diversity without a diverse audience in mind. The book was about my people - mi gente - but it was not written for me."

TW: I talk about my discomfort over misrepresentation of Hispanic culture in a recent book. 

Adding diverse characters and settings in your book is a great way to expand your writing skills and a new way to craft your work. In that regard, we should aim to represent other communities respectfully and authentically. I talk about ways I've seen it not work and how together, we can do better as a collective going forward.

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory

Music by Nico Maximilian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF7OwLvnKHg

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Change starts with us. It starts with the way we think and our actions.

This isn't the typical podcast for "Romancing the Story". Instead, I took time to process the social injustice that has come to the forefront of a lot of important discussions.

I am a small voice on a platform, and I don't wish to take attention away from the more critical voices in the Black Lives Matter movement. Instead, I highlighted an abbreviated version of why the movement is important and focus on what writers and readers can do in the short term and long term to progress change and help dismantle an old method of thinking.

Compiled list of sources referenced in the podcast:

Organizations, Memorial Funds, or Bail Funds for BLM:

https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-for-black-lives-matter.html#victim-memorial

Book recommendations for anti-racism

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/06/06/871023438/this-list-of-books-films-and-podcasts-about-racism-is-a-start-not-a-panacea

https://www.charisbooksandmore.com/understanding-and-dismantling-racism-booklist-white-readers

Black owned businesses list:

https://nymag.com/strategist/article/black-owned-businesses-support-shop.html

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory

Music:
Prelude in C (BWV 846) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4237-prelude-in-c-bwv-846-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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C.A. Szarek is a renaissance woman of romance writing. With 17 books and counting, she writes everything from romantic suspense to epic fantasy romance. She has been both traditional published and self published, has been president of her local Romance Writers, and she is also an editor on the side in addition to her full-time and part-time gigs. No matter what stage you are in your writing journey, Szarek has some nugget of wisdom to sink your teeth into....and lots of dragon mugs.

Find C.A. Szarek's books on Amazon:
https://amzn.to/3PMXw6m

Or connect through her website:
http://www.caszarek.com/
Twitter - @caszarek
Instagram - @caszarek
Facebook - @caszarek

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

Music:
Prelude in C (BWV 846) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4237-prelude-in-c-bwv-846-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Support the show

Did you know fanfics were and still are dominated by women?

We take a bit of a journey from the usual romance fare to explore the strange new(ish) world of fanfiction. Fanfiction holds a very special place in our hearts and is a personal passion project. We examine the impact of fanfiction in romance and how romantic fanfiction has influenced writers. 

Fanfiction inspires people to write, whether nurturing a writing passion that has always existed or encouraging a fan who might not have otherwise written at all. 

Ukulele Star Trek: TOS Cover by thesadchicken
https://youtu.be/Z0S94lexjo8

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory

Opinions are my own, but the references below helped:

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4xa4wq/the-forgotten-early-history-of-fanfiction

http://www.gender-focus.com/2010/02/18/fanfiction-and-feminism/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdDIMOehLm8

https://bookriot.com/2019/10/14/history-of-fanfiction/

https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-promise-and-potential-of-fan-fiction

https://www.techtimes.com/articles/70108/20150723/fan-fiction-star-trek-harry-potter-history-of-fan-fiction-shakespeare-roman-mythology-greek-mythology-sherlock-holmes.htm

https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/fan-fiction/

https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/551540/17_etd_kem82.pdf

Music:
Prelude in C (BWV 846) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4237-prelude-in-c-bwv-846-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Support the show