This week, we hear from you! We have listener email responding to some recent episodes, and some listener voicemail as well. We talk about what we’re reading, we offer recommendations for your favorite Hufflepuff/Slytherin pairings, we talk about what to make for lunch when you work from home, we answer email about non-canonical pairings and match some romance recs with fanfic favorites, and we cover other random topics, like debating if Hermione and Ron are a good pairing.Wanna email us? Got thoughts on this one? Oh, we wanna hear them.Email:  [email protected]!Or, call +1 201 371 3272 and leave a message! Tell us what you’re thinking! Ask questions - heck, leave a terrible joke. I LOVE THOSE.Listener email and voice mail episodes are some of my favorites, and it’s really a lot of fun to hear from you all, so thank you. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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At RWA in Denver this past summer, author Scarlett Cole gave a workshop about self belief and productivity. She believes that one can’t proceed without the other - and in her former life, she was a senior executive for a multi-billion dollar company, so she knows a little about this topic.Since it’s the end of the year when Many Resolutions are being made, I wanted to talk to her about her workshop, and the real foundation of honesty required in order to create productivity and time management skills for yourself.We discuss:The similarities between women in executive leadership positions, and women running author careers (there are lots)The benefits and realities of goal settingThe difference between a hobby and a passion - and why the latter is much more self-supportive!The value of a mentor and the power of asking for information about your own goalsThe importance of being happy and content with what you are able to do each day, and the benefit of audacious goals and beliefsThe idea that self belief is different from motivationAnd that selfish is NOT a bad word.We also talk about believing in yourself, and about giving yourself permission to be successful. Productivity is itself a form of affirmation. I hope this is as interesting and inspiring for you as it was for me.Thanks to my dogs for interrupting our conversation with a ferocious alert that the UPS truck arrived.So, tell me! What goals are you setting for the new year? What do you want to accomplish? I want to know! I’m really nosy - or nebby, if like me, you’re from Pittsburgh. Email me at [email protected] or leave a message a +1.201.371.3272 and tell me about it. If telling another person your goal helps you get it done, I'm more than happy to be that person. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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Today I’m chatting with New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee. We discuss her latest book, Chasing Shadows, and we also talk about her career as a writer, and the elements she combines in her stories, particularly her latest series. Among the topics we cover:- writing chosen families and found families of friends- advice she’d give her past self when she started out- how reframing some pejorative terms used to describe women can lead to a series plot- starting over after a divorce, the empowerment of making one’s own choices, and writing characters in the same position- how her prior career as a trauma nurse shaped her writing process, and her approach to her careerWe also discuss the dangerous power of procrastination, the possibilities of lawful good heroines, and cover a whole pile of recommendations.Among my favorite things that Catherine says: “I can’t afford not to read.” Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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Of all the things I could talk to Courtney Milan about, I think the best topic would be…figure skating. Specifically, Yuri!!! On Ice. Yuri!!! on Ice is an anime that contains multitudes, and it has been making Courtney happy for awhile now. So I asked her to tell me all about Yuri!!! on Ice. We discuss what she loves about the show, and how the narrative structure of Yuri!!! has illuminated for her elements of storytelling that frustrate her as a romance writer. Note: we do talk a bit about depression, sexual harassment at 20:35 And then, there’s a Big spoiler to the series in a part where we’re discussing narrative structure. Don’t worry - you’ll hear me break in and warn you, and say how far to skip ahead. We talk about storytelling structures, methods of revealing multiple plots, and other anime recommendations for curious viewers. One of my favorite things is asking people who take epic deep dives into the things they love to tell me all about it. I hope you enjoy it as well. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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Amanda talks about what is rocking her world, from volunteering opportunities to video games she loves. Spoiler: she’s hilarious. I talk about a book that I’m super curious about that involves death cleaning. Then we talk about some listener email! We have email from a reader who loves their home library and has some thoughts on long-running series, a reader who struggles with a problematic ship (paging Amanda, white courtesy phone for Amanda), and a reader who needs some bi romance recommendations.I hope you have as much fun as we did. And if you want to email us, please do! Or call - either way. I have voicemail for an upcoming episode, too, so stay tuned for that. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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This week I’m chatting with Jeff Adams and Will Knauss of the Big Gay Fiction Podcast. You’ll never guess what that podcast is about. We talk about how they met, what brought them to starting a podcast, and what brought them to reading romance. We discuss their favorite tropes, and the magic of discovering the common elements of your reader catnip - which you probably know is one of my favorite things. We also touch on: - Reading and listening vs reading OR listening. - How you read and if that influences what you read.- Podcasting! Oh, so much good information about podcasting, including behind the scenes details, plus information on starting a podcast, and why podcasts about books are popular. And of course, we talk about their writing, how a ringtone inspired a whole entire series, and what books they’re recommending. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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Today I’m chatting with Kate Cuthbert. Until very recently, Kate was the Managing Editor of Escape Publishing, Harlequin Australia. This was recorded while she still worked in that position. She’s recently accepted a new position as the Program Manager at Writers Victoria, the Victoria Australia state-wide professional organization for writers. Congrats! Kate recently gave a keynote speech at Romance Writers of Australia that received a lot of attention after it was posted online. She addressed the tropes that are damaging, toxic, and regressive, and explained that maybe it’s time we broke up with them. I read her speech online, but because speeches are meant to be heard, I asked her if she’d both talk about the development of her speech, and read it again for you all. It’s very thought provoking and affectionate while being critical and I think attentive to what the genre says to readers. She talks about dubious consent, making deliberate choices about writing, and what our defaults in tropes, character type, and cliche really mean, or actually say beneath the familiarity. We also talk about hot fox characters (because reasons), and of course she recommends a book that’s been passed around the office to everyone who’s had a rough day. Stay tuned for that, for sure. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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This week I’m chatting with author and podcaster Lindsay Emory about royalty - both the royalty in her new book The Royal Runaway, and about the way many many people are interested in contemporary royalty around the world. We talk about why so many people are curious about royal families, and how it’s a slightly different kind of celebrity culture to follow - and we talk a bit about celebrity encounters we’ve had. We also discuss her new book, her creation of a country in which to place her royal family, and the research she did into the world of royalty. Plus, we try to compose romance plots about the royal timekeeper. You know, for fun. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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This week, we’re talking about shipping literally and figuratively!Do you stan Dramione? Have a lifelong thing for Jareth and Sarah? Platinum blond antiheroes are your jam? Adam Driver in reallllly high waisted pants? Kataang or Zukara? Prince Diamond or Tuxedo Mask? This week’s episode is all for you. Amanda, Elyse, and I are talking OTPs, our One True Pairings. We talk about our favorite ships, the pairings that always work for us, and what they reveal about our reading catnip. Often there are patterns in the conflicts of our OTPs that correspond to our favorite romances and our favorite tropes. We ask important questions like, Can Amanda set Elyse up with the Predator?How many paranormal workplace romances does Elyse love? (Spoiler: A LOT)Can we avoid discussing celebrity crushes? (Spoiler: nah) Did Sarah retcon her own ending to Beauty and the Beast (Spoiler: of course) Note: there are some epic spoilers for things, including Final Fantasy 4, X-Files and the X-Files reboot, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and many others.So, tell us: who are your OTPs? What pairings still make you happy-sigh? Are they related to your catnip? We want to know. Leave a comment! Email us at [email protected] or call us at 201 371 3272! That’s 201 371 3272. Don’t forget to tell us your name so we can add you to a future episode, because I know this topic will come up again. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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Today I’m chatting with Sarah Morgan, who I’ve known for a while now, and interviewed on the podcast before. Her latest book, The Christmas Sisters, is out, so we talk about her latest novel, and the strange vagaries of staggered releases for books, which often happens too her titles between the US and the UK and elsewhere. Because this is Sarah’s 85th book, we talk a good bit about writing, both the discipline and the routine she follows as well as the strategies for setting and character. Here’s a hint: pick a real location, but make up the village or town yourself. Other writing tips she shares: - Where to find excellent details for making a setting realistic.- How to choose the setting so it becomes an additional character. - How the perspectives of writing Harlequin Presents, single title romance, and women’s fiction is a lot like a camera lens- The empowerment of accepting one’s own creative process, and trusting one’s editor!- The importance of routine, and scheduling time for the writing and the business of writing. I also have questions from the podcast Patreon community, and they’re fabulous, too. Thank you!Thank you to Ann, Karoline, and Verity for the questions! Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more!

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