Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Dana and Rachel dive into how to choose and use comps (comparable titles) as a powerful tool for both story craft and market positioning.

Whether you’re a writer, storyteller, or author building a career, you’ll gain valuable insights on what kinds of comps you need, how to read them intentionally, and how they help you understand your genre, your shelf, and your brand.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Shenanigans, Bonus Month & Episode Setup

Dana and Rachel kick off with their usual playful banter about teaspoons vs. tablespoons of shenanigans and reintroduce Story Deep Dive as a podcast for writers who want to study books like craft labs, not just as readers. They explain that this is a bonus episode in a five-week month: instead of continuing their Twisted Love discussion, they’re zooming out to talk about comps—what they are, why they matter, and how they use them in their editing and coaching work.

04:30 – Year-End Chaos & ProWritingAid “What’s Next” Talks

Rachel shares how wild the end of the year feels—wrapping up projects, holidays, and speaking gigs. She talks about ProWritingAid’s October Preptober sessions and announces her December 8 “Drafting in Stages: Part 2” workshop, which focuses on how to approach and iterate on a second draft after NaNoWriMo. She’ll help writers avoid trying to fix everything at once and instead tackle revisions in layers and stages.

Dana follows with her own year-end update: juggling writing deadlines, planning 2025 workshops, and processing feedback from recent summits. She announces her December 10 ProWritingAid talk, “Series That Sell,” a follow-up to her wildly attended “Plot Accordion” workshop. Dana explains why one book isn’t enough for most careers and how series give readers a world to settle into—and writers a path to profitability.

14:55 – Boundaries, Rest, and Structuring the End of the Year

Dana shares how she structured her calendar so that her ProWritingAid talk will be her last Zoom event and client commitment of the year, including finishing all 2025 developmental edits and personal book obligations early. She explains how this prevents “bleed over” into her planned time off and models sustainable business practices. Rachel responds with admiration and talks about her own goal of building in similar buffers, joking about how easy it is for “two weeks off” to quietly shrink to one and a half when boundaries aren’t enforced.

20:00 – Why Comps Matter: From Vague Advice to Practical Strategy

Transitioning into the main topic, they frame comps as vital tools, not just query-letter window dressing. Dana notes that both she and Rachel have systematic comp processes they use with clients and that these systems have stabilized over the last couple of years. They emphasize that while this episode offers general guidance, the best comp strategy is highly specific to the individual writer, genre, and goals. Comps, they argue, are how you turn vague advice like “read more” into targeted, practical study.

22:10 – Rachel’s Four Types of Comps: Style, Plot, Genre, Problem-Specific

Rachel breaks down comps into four key categories so writers know exactly what each comp is meant to teach them:

Style Comps: Books you study for their line-level writing—voice, sentence rhythm, and density. She contrasts Leigh Bardugo’s lush, layered prose with Gillian Flynn’s sharp, efficient style to show how different styles can be equally powerful, and how a writer can decide what kind of prose they aspire to.

Plot Comps: Stories with a similar plot shape—heists, chosen one journeys, journalist-investigations, magical outsider stories, etc. These comps help you study pacing, complications, and how a four-act (or similar) structure plays out for your type of story.

Genre Comps: Books that clarify your category and subgenre—urban vs. high fantasy, cozy vs. thriller, dark romance vs. rom-com, etc. Genre comps reveal conventions, reader expectations, and standard “must-haves” for your lane.

Problem-Specific Comps: Targeted books you choose to solve a particular challenge—dual timelines, big casts, continuity, information management, character depth, or magic systems. These don’t have to be in your genre; you’re studying execution, not copying.

Rachel emphasizes that knowing what you’re looking for in a comp gives you clarity and purpose, whether you’re reading for inspiration, structure, or troubleshooting.

32:05 – Dana’s Why: Shelf, Genre Flow, Market Fit, and Brand

Dana zooms out to explain why comps matter beyond craft:

Know Your Shelf: She uses the old “walk into a bookstore and see who’s to your left and right” analogy. Comps help you figure out which authors you sit beside and which tropes, themes, and archetypes are standard in that space.

Know Your Genre Flow: Even if you and another author both use a four-act structure, the emotional rhythm and beat expression can be wildly different in romance vs. fantasy vs. crime. Comps show you how your genre moves, not just what it contains.

Know Where You Fit in the Market: Comps help you articulate where your work lands—soft vs. hard magic, steam level, tone, stakes, cast size, and setting. This is how you figure out “I’m like X and Y, but with Z twist.”

Know Your Brand: As you study comps, patterns emerge—what you always bring to the page, what kind of emotional payoff you deliver, and what readers can expect when they pick up one of your books. That clarity fuels both your creative decisions and your marketing.

Dana compares the process to an optometrist flipping lenses—“one or two?”—until your story and brand come into focus.

43:40 – How Writers Actually Use Comps Across Drafts and Skill Levels

Rachel explains how she adapts comp work to each writer. Newer writers often start with plot and genre comps to understand basic structure and expectations. More experienced writers may jump more quickly into problem-specific comps once they know what they’re trying to achieve. Style comps often become most relevant in second draft territory, when an author can see how their natural voice is landing and what they want to refine.

They also talk about the emotional and time investment of comp research. Rachel shares that she often spends hours digging through Amazon lists, reviews, Reddit threads, and recommendation chains to find the right study text for a client. The first book you pick is almost never perfect. Still, even the “misses” add to your repertoire and teach you what you do—and don’t—want to do.

57:30 – Red Flags, Frustration, and Why This Work is Worth It

Dana addresses a frequent issue: writers feeling frustrated when they can’t find a comp that does exactly what they want to do. Sometimes that’s a sign that what they’re trying to write hasn’t sold before—or hasn’t been market-viable. She encourages writers to remain flexible, realistic, and patient, and to see comp selection as a long game.

They both reinforce that you shouldn’t settle on one comp. You need at least three to five to distinguish genre norms from outliers and personal quirks. Reading books you dislike is not a waste; it reveals pitfalls and helps you refine your taste. Comp work, they insist, is lifelong if you want to keep improving and building a sustainable career.

01:07:00 – Comps, Queries, and Long-Term Career Strategy

Rachel loops back to remind writers seeking traditional publishing that the same comp work you do for your craft and positioning can powerfully inform your query letter comps. Agents want to know where you fit on the shelf, what books you’re in conversation with, and how you’re similar and different from successful titles.

Dana highlights that even for self-publishers, this is crucial. Understanding comps helps you talk clearly about what your book is, who it’s for, and why readers will care, which is the foundation of all effective marketing. She suggests thinking of comp reading as creating a personal curriculum—you might study magic systems one season, antiheroes the next, then deep-dive into romance tropes or layered character arcs.

01:14:25 – January Pick, December Episodes & Closing

As they wrap up, Dana invites listeners to share questions and thoughts at storydeepdive.com and to tell them if they’d like more episodes on comps and market positioning. They announce their January book selection: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, prompting Rachel to show off her beloved (and too-warm-for-the-Gulf-Coast) Mistborn Christmas sweater.

They tease upcoming December “Best Of” recap episodes, shorter but packed with craft takeaways to help writers close the year strong and step into the new one with purpose. Dana and Rachel sign off by reminding listeners to like, subscribe, review, and—of course—keep writing.

Book Selection

He has a heart of ice...but for her, he’d burn the world.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.

A melt.

A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.

Her neighbor.

Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Where to Find the Book

Twisted Love by Ana Huang is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website.

Next Episode:

In the next episode, Dana and Rachel will kick off their December “Best Of” series, recapping the year’s reads and pulling out the most powerful craft lessons on story structure, characters, and plot. These shorter episodes are designed to help you reflect on your own stories, identify growth edges, and set yourself up for a stronger writing year ahead. Be sure to tune in!

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard?

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a writer friend who’s wrestling with comps.

Follow Story Deep Dive on your favorite podcast app and visit storydeepdive.com to:

Suggest future topics or books

Ask questions about comps, structure, or genre

Connect with Dana Pittman and Rachel Arsenault and stay in the loop on workshops, talks, and new episodes

Thanks for listening—and as Dana says, happy writing!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Rachel and Dana dive into Twisted Love by Ana Huang from an editor’s lens—zooming in on wounds, lies, POV choices, and how to build a dark, steamy romance that still feels emotionally grounded.

Whether you’re a romance writer, storyteller, or editor, you’ll gain valuable insights on crafting devastating climaxes, earning your HEA, and writing with both marketing and craft in mind.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Year-End Vibes & What’s Coming in December

Rachel and Dana open with their trademark banter about late-night recording energy and end-of-year brain fog. They share that Twisted Love is their final book pick for 2025 and introduce their plan for December: shorter “Best Of” episodes spotlighting the standout moments, patterns, and lessons from all their 2025 reads. They also frame December as intentional downtime—modeling rest and refuel for writers and business owners while still “keeping the party going” with weekly episodes.

06:30 – Kicking Off 2026 with Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Rachel announces her January 2026 pick: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. She explains why it’s her go-to teaching text for four-act structure, tightly nested plots, and hard magic systems. They talk about Sanderson’s career, his massive epics like The Way of Kings, and what writers can learn from watching a prolific author evolve over time. Dana marvels at the sheer commitment behind thousand-page books and the systems required to sustain them, and they riff on the joy of fully exploring character growth over enormous story canvases.

18:25 – Why Read Widely (Even If It’s Not “Your” Genre)?

They pivot from Sanderson back to the broader purpose of the show: studying books as writers. Rachel and Dana emphasize the value of reading outside your comfort zone—epic fantasy, dark romance, suspense—not just for entertainment, but as “creative cross-training.” Big, structurally ambitious books help writers understand emotional pacing, multi-layered plots, and character journeys in ways that can be applied to any genre.

19:10 – Story Summary: Twisted Love by Ana Huang

Dana delivers an evocative summary of Twisted Love: a steamy, emotionally charged contemporary dark romance about opposites bound by family secrets and obsession. When Ava Chen’s older brother leaves town, he asks his best friend—cold, calculating Alex Volkov—to look after her. Reluctant guardianship becomes forbidden attraction as both are forced to confront buried trauma. Their relationship becomes a collision of control and compassion, guilt and desire, light and darkness. The book reimagines grumpy/sunshine, brother’s best friend, and good girl/bad boy tropes for a modern, TikTok-era romance audience.

22:40 – High-Level Editor’s Takeaways: Balance, POV, and Marketing Awareness

Dana outlines the major craft angles she wants to explore:

The balance between a brutal climactic fallout and a fully earned HEA, including why a longer post-climax section works here.

POV selection as a power move—how Huang’s choices shape our experience of Alex, Ava, and key emotional beats.

Deciding what makes it onto the page vs. what’s summarized, and where Dana felt a few key moments might have landed harder as full scenes.

Writing with marketing in mind—how the tropes, trauma elements, and emotional intensity feel tailor-made for virality and BookTok, without sacrificing story integrity.

The way the book straddles contemporary, dark romance, and light suspense while still feeling firmly like a romance.

27:00 – Nested Plots & Character Problem Sets

Rachel picks up two big craft lessons:

Nested Plot Loops: Huang closes the suspense/revenge loop before the romance loop, keeping the HEA as the final emotional payoff. This honors romance genre priorities while still delivering satisfying external stakes.

Characters Built Around a Shared Problem: Drawing on John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story, Rachel explains how giving multiple characters variations on the same core problem (trauma, control, safety) creates thematic cohesion. Ava and Alex are opposites on the surface but united by similar wounds processed in different ways, making them uniquely right for each other.

31:00 – Wounds, Lies, and the Romance Arc

They dive deep into how wounds and lies function in romance:

A painful event creates a wound.

The character forms a lie about themselves, others, or the world.

Life then reinforces that lie until the story rips it apart.

Dana connects this to Michael Hauge’s teaching: characters build their lives around a false belief that must be dismantled for true transformation. In Twisted Love, both Ava and Alex have trauma-rooted lies; the romance doesn’t magically heal them, but it becomes the catalyst that makes them willing to face hard truths. They highlight how Huang avoids the trap of “good sex cures everything” and instead lets the emotional work show up on the page.

41:00 – The Climactic Blow-Up: When Everything Collides

They unpack the climactic moment where romance, dark elements, and suspense all converge in one devastating sequence. This is where all the crumbs left throughout the book pay off:

Long-buried secrets surface.

The cost of Alex’s revenge arc slams into the relationship.

Ava and Alex are forced to confront who they’ve become and what they’re willing to sacrifice.

Dana describes it as the kind of climax that “rips your heart out, stomps on it, and throws it against the wall,” and explains why letting all threads collide in one scene is so effective when you’ve built a strong foundation.

47:40 – Why Every Romance Needs a Breakup (and Time to Breathe)

Dana hops on her (beloved) soapbox about why a breakup is essential in romance:

Love isn’t the solution; love is the catalyst.

The breakup creates space for each character to face their wounds and lies without the comforting distraction of the relationship.

The HEA only feels earned if both characters complete their individual arcs and then choose each other again.

They compare Twisted Love to Things We Never Got Over, noting how both books force the love interest to sit in the mess of their choices. They applaud Huang for allowing the post-climax fallout and reconciliation to breathe, rather than rushing back to “I love you” too quickly.

54:20 – What Didn’t Quite Land: Summary vs. Scene in the Final Act

Dana points out her one main craft critique:

In the final act, some significant emotional and healing beats are told in summary rather than shown as full scenes.

A few mirrored scenes (echoing earlier moments) could have given readers direct evidence of Alex and Ava’s growth instead of relying on retrospective narration.

Rachel frames this as a classic revision question—how to cover time, maintain pacing, and decide which moments deserve full scene treatment versus montage-like summary.

1:01:30 – POV as a Revision Lever

Rachel explains that:

POV decisions and show/tell balance are often refined in revision, not perfected in draft one.

Writers should draft using their best instincts, then revisit key scenes later and ask:

What happens if this scene is in the other protagonist’s POV?

Does the emotional impact deepen if we switch perspectives?

She reassures first-draft writers not to get stuck fussing over POV mid-draft—those are “later problems.”

Dana ties this back to Twisted Love, noting how Huang’s strongest scenes lean heavily on smart POV choices that aim directly for the reader’s throat.

1:05:00 – Studying Across the Spectrum: Trauma, Tone, and Triggers

They emphasize that Twisted Love is a powerful study text even if dark, steamy romance isn’t your personal taste. It’s especially useful for:

Seeing how trauma and triggers can be handled in a way that still feels readable and contemporary.

Understanding how far to push intensity while keeping the story grounded in romance.

Exploring tone—how a book can feel like a contemporary romance while still carrying dark edges and thriller notes.

They suggest comparing this book with stories that are lighter and those that are darker to understand your own “spectrum” as a writer.

1:11:10 – Reader Promises, Brand, and Books That Stick

Dana closes the craft conversation by highlighting how Huang:

Makes clear promises to the reader (dark, steamy, emotionally loaded, HEA) and delivers.

Creates the kind of book people reference later: “Do you remember Twisted Love?”

They encourage writers to think about the type of emotional experience and brand promise they want readers to expect from them—and to commit to delivering it consistently.

1:17:00 – Creative Cross-Training & Looking Ahead

The episode winds down with a reminder:

Study within your genre so you know what your readers expect.

Study outside your genre to keep your creativity flexible, innovative, and well-fed.

Rachel and Dana invite listeners to carry this mindset into 2026—reading, studying, and writing with both heart and strategy.

About Book Selection

He has a heart of ice...but for her, he’d burn the world.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.

A melt.

A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.

Her neighbor.

Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Where to Find the Book

Twisted Love by Ana Huang is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website.

Next Episode:

In the next episode, Rachel and Dana will kick off their December “Best Of 2025” series, revisiting the books they read this year and pulling out the juiciest lessons in structure, character, genre, and reader expectations. Expect comparisons, callbacks, and plenty of insights to help you decide which books to (re)visit—and what to steal for your own writing toolbox. Be sure to tune in!

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate, and review to help more writers find the show.

Follow Story Deep Dive on your favorite platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube), and connect with Rachel and Dana on social to share your takeaways, questions, and book suggestions for 2026.

Connect with Dana and Rachel on storydeepdive.com to keep the conversation going!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Rachel and Dana unpack the characters of Twisted Love by Ana Huang, looking at how dark romance uses trauma, chemistry, and emotional extremes to build unforgettable protagonists.

Whether you’re a romance writer, storyteller, or craft-obsessed reader, you’ll gain insights on pairing polarizing leads, weaving internal wounds into the love story, and using “dark” elements without losing emotional credibility.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome Back & Life Updates from Danja Tales

Rachel opens the show, re-introduces the podcast, and sets up today’s focus on Twisted Love’s characters. She prompts Dana for a life update, and Dana shares how attending the Quilt Festival became a much-needed creative reset and why tactile, non-writing hobbies are essential to keeping her writing brain healthy.

03:30 – Retreat Season, Book Club & Business Reflection

Dana talks about wrapping the final Danja Tales book club pick for 2025 and her desire to step outside straight contemporary romance for their next selection. She previews the upcoming three-day virtual retreat, explaining how it blends teaching, deep reflection, detailed workbooks, and year-end planning so authors can transition into the new year with clarity and momentum.

11:00 – Twitch, Horror Holidays & Story in Video Games

Rachel gives her monthly Twitch update, sharing how she pivoted into “Horror Holidays” after missing Halloween horror season. She talks about playing Still Wakes the Deep, her fear of underwater settings, and why horror games—though awful to play—are incredibly fun to experience with a live community. They both reflect on how story, character, and tension show up in games just as much as in books.

18:45 – Fear Responses, Swears, and Why This Still Matters to Story

Dana and Rachel joke about their wildly different fear responses: Rachel swears like a sailor when scared, while Dana’s instinct is to fight. Beneath the laughter, they circle back to how all these mediums—movies, games, horror—are powered by story, character growth, and emotional arcs that writers can study and translate onto the page.

22:15 – Twisted Love in a Nutshell

Dana delivers a focused story summary: Twisted Love is a steamy, dark-leaning contemporary romance about Ava Chen, a sunshine heroine with buried trauma, and Alex Volkov, her brother’s best friend and obsessive, damaged protector. What begins as reluctant guardianship turns into an intense, forbidden love that forces both to confront old wounds, guilt, desire, and the armor they’ve built around their hearts.

24:20 – High-Level Character Takeaways: Polarizing but Compelling

They introduce their main character lens: these are not perfect, “safe” characters—they’re polarizing, flawed, and often difficult, which is part of their appeal. Dana frames Alex as a “damaged protector” and Ava as “sunshine with scars”, emphasizing how their shared trauma but opposite coping styles fuel both the romance and the conflict. Their chemistry becomes a form of conflict in motion, especially with the brother’s-best-friend setup tightening external stakes.

34:40 – Trauma Pairing, Invisible Tethers & Universal Fantasy in Dark Romance

Rachel digs into how Huang develops Ava and Alex by putting them in the same problem space—trauma—but on opposite ends:

Ava forgets; Alex remembers everything.

Ava chooses light; Alex chooses revenge.

They talk about universal fantasies in dark romance (like “touch her and die,” “he falls first and harder,” “he’d burn the world down for her”) and how those fantasies tap into cultural hunger for justice and protection in an unsafe world. Dana explains that crafting a pairing like this is like assembling a puzzle: you need sharp contrast and invisible tethers that make the relationship feel both impossible and inevitable.

47:30 – Dual Protagonists, Dual Payoffs & Why Love Is a Catalyst (Not a Cure)

Dana emphasizes that romance is a dual protagonist genre—both leads must have real arcs, healing, and payoffs. They explore how:

Ava learns to truly protect her peace and agency.

Alex learns to feel and dismantle the walls around his wound.

Rachel connects this to story structure: the relationship shows them what’s possible, then forces them to confront the internal wounds that block that possibility. They stress that love is not the solution to the problem—it’s the catalyst that drives the transformation required for a true HEA.

58:00 – False Highs, Dark Moments & Going There with Your Characters

They discuss how the book uses a false high—a stretch where everything seems blissful—before ripping the rug out. This makes the dark moment sharper and more emotionally resonant, because the groundwork has been carefully laid. Dana issues a challenge to writers who struggle to hurt their characters: identify what your character is most afraid of and make them face exactly that. For writers who “go dark just to go dark,” she cautions that the emotional groundwork must still be there or the drama won’t land.

1:10:10 – Act Four Choices & A Hint of Telling vs. Showing

Dana notes that some of the fourth-act resolution leans more on summary/telling than fully dramatized scenes, likely due to time and pacing considerations. She points out that it still works because the earlier acts did so much heavy lifting with character groundwork and emotional investment—but flags this as something she’d unpack more from an editorial lens.

1:17:40 – Wrap-Up, Read-the-Book Reminder & Call to Action

They close by encouraging listeners to read Twisted Love if they haven’t yet, especially if they want a hands-on example of dark-leaning contemporary romance with strong emotional stakes. Then they invite listeners to like, subscribe, leave reviews, and share questions or book recs ahead of next week’s episode.

About the Book Selection

He has a heart of ice...but for her, he’d burn the world.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.

A melt.

A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.

Her neighbor.

Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Where to Find the Book

Twisted Love by Ana Huang is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website.

Next Episode:

In the next episode, Rachel and Dana return with their Editor’s Takes on Twisted Love. They’ll dig into structural choices, Act Four execution, where the book leans into “telling” over “showing,” and what writers should emulate, interrogate, or avoid when building their own dark-leaning contemporary romances. Be sure to tune in!

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate, and review to help more writers find the show.

Follow Story Deep Dive on your favorite platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube), and connect with Rachel and Dana on social to share your takeaways, questions, and book suggestions for 2026.

Connect with Dana and Rachel on storydeepdive.com to keep the conversation going!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Dana Pittman and Rachel unpack the plot architecture of Twisted Love by Ana Huang—as writers coaching writers.

Whether you’re a novelist, editor, or story geek, you’ll get practical takeaways on nesting plot threads without losing the romance promise, using secrets/control to fuel conflict, and earning the breakup and reconciliation so the HEA lands.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Intro & Cold Open

A quick, playful kickoff (yes, there’s a “meaty goodness” oops) and a reminder of the podcast’s mission: analyzing books like writers to extract repeatable craft lessons.

05:00 – What’s New at Danja Tales

Dana recaps a high-velocity year of genre/sub-niche collaborations, record pre-orders (~200), and teaching marathons. She frames how her Addictive 7 Framework helps authors avoid the hamster wheel by building exposure and marketing into the writing process.

10:00 – Inside StoryCypher Academy

Rachel shares wins from the second-draft phase: writers who struggled for years now have a first draft and a plan to revise. She’s filming curriculum, preparing the final revision module, and planning 2026. It’s “traffic-jam season” before the holidays.

15:00 – Why Finishing Matters

The hosts stress repetition over perfection. Finishing demystifies the process. Expect 3–5 books to truly find your system as you personalize guidance into a you-shaped workflow.

20:00 – Iteration = Growth

Each project asks for a new version of you. Testing structure, emotion, and pacing keeps the work fresh and the craft alive.

24:00 – Story Summary: Twisted Love

Dana’s synopsis: a dark, steamy contemporary where Ava Chen (sunshine) and Alex Volkov (morally gray, brother’s best friend) collide through forbidden proximity, buried trauma, and obsession. Themes: control vs. compassion; guilt, desire, and the armor love cracks open. Tropes are familiar but psychologically re-tuned for modern readers.

27:00 – Today’s Focus

Dana’s pillars: collision of wounds, tropes reimagined, secrets & the illusion of control, redemption, and POV strategy.

Rachel’s pillars: properly nested plots and proof-of-love that matches the breakup.

31:00 – Tropes, Setup, and Contrast

How grumpy/sunshine and brother’s best friend land differently because of trauma-aware design. Proximity creates friction; Ava keeps her agency while Alex’s control is challenged. The push–pull sustains momentum and deepens stakes.

37:00 – Nesting Plot Threads the Right Way

Rachel breaks down structure: the primary promise is the romance; the revenge subplot is secondary and closes before the romantic resolution. Closing in the order you opened preserves pacing and reader expectations. (Think “rainbow arcs” across acts; act-length mini-tropes can open/close inside the larger spine.)

43:00 – Secrets & the Illusion of Control

Secrets “level” both leads. Ava hides fear behind optimism; Alex hides pain behind control. As truths surface, emotional armor is stripped, turning internal wounds into external conflict and forcing intentional choice rather than naïve trust.

50:00 – Redemption, Breakup, and Earning the HEA

Why Dana champions breakup beats: “A love not tested cannot be trusted.” Twisted Love devastates—and then earnsits way back. Ava refuses half-measures; Alex must change in deed, not word. The extended Act 4 gives both room to become whole separately before they reunite—so the reunion is believable and deeply felt.

58:00 – The Power of a Longer Act Four

The grand gesture matters because the heavy lifting—truth, accountability, changed behavior—has already happened. The ending isn’t a bow; it’s authentic integration.

1:03:00 – POV Choices that Hurt (in the Best Way)

Strategic POV (often Alex in pivotal scenes) invites empathy without excusing harm. Seeing him “gut himself while gutting her” shows the cost of pain and makes the eventual transformation legible. Craft tip: write a key scene in both POVs, then keep the one that maximizes disruption and clarity.

1:10:00 – Wrap-Up & Calls to Action

Praise for Huang’s structural discipline and emotional rigor. Reminders to subscribe, rate, review, and send questions for future episodes.

About Twisted Love

He has a heart of ice...but for her, he’d burn the world.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.

A melt.

A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.

Her neighbor.

Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Where to Find the Book

Twisted Love by Ana Huang is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website.

Next Episode:

Next week, Dana and Rachel go deeper into character—how Ava and Alex are designed, tested, and transformed, and how reader psychology shapes what feels addictive in a dark contemporary romance.

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate, and review to help more writers find the show.

Follow Story Deep Dive on your favorite platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube), and connect with Rachel and Dana on social to share your takeaways, questions, and book suggestions for 2026.

Connect with Dana and Rachel on storydeepdive.com to keep the conversation going!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Rachel and Dana kick off a three-part exploration of Twisted Love by Ana Huang, setting the stage for plot, character, and editor takeaways in the coming weeks.

Whether you’re a writer, editor, or story-obsessed reader, you’ll walk away with insights on balancing contemporary and dark-romance elements, using tropes + universal fantasies to hook readers, and structuring nested plots so the main love story always leads.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome & What’s Coming

Rachel and Dana introduce the mini-series on Twisted Love, outline the three-episode arc (plot → character → editor takeaways), and set the tone for craft-first analysis—with a healthy dose of laughter.

Notable quote: “We discuss books not as readers but as writers.”

04:30 – Danja Tales Update: The Virtual Retreat (and why Dana says ‘the pannie’)

Dana shares details about her multi-day, end-of-year virtual retreat—equal parts reflection, future-casting, and hands-on creative sessions. The “pannie” moniker (for platform-friendly monetization) becomes an in-joke that sticks. The big takeaway: plan in November, let it marinate in December.

12:30 – Story Cypher: Second-Draft Season

Rachel recaps the Academy workflow: outline → 30-day first draft → a breather module to analyze and plan → November haul for Draft Two. The focus is teaching writers to wear the right hat at the right time (drafting vs. editing vs. plotting) and demystifying the hard parts of finishing.

23:45 – The “Aunt Dana” Bonus: Print Your Manuscript

Dana champions a morale-boosting milestone: print and spiral-bind the manuscript (double-spaced, one-sided, 1″ margins, title page). Holding the work matters—and handwritten margins supercharge revision. Rachel plans to add Dana’s tutorial to Academy resources.

Notable quote: “Hold your manuscript in your hands. There’s nothing like it.”

34:10 – Book Summary & Why It Works

Dana’s summary frames the book as a steamy, emotionally charged dark-contemporary: opposites, family secrets, obsession, and a love powerful enough to crack lifelong armor. Expect grumpy/sunshine, brother’s best friend, good-girl/bad-boy, and forbidden attraction—delivered with psychological depth.

37:00 – The Game Plan: What We’ll Analyze

Key themes for the series:

Plot/Character lockstep: transformation drives escalation.

Tropes + Universal Fantasies: why this novel is bingeable and marketable.

Dark elements with contemporary packaging: traction for a wider audience.

Dual transformation & redemption: morally gray hero, meaningful healing.

Nesting plots: subplots serve the primary love story and resolve in the right order.

41:10 – Content Warnings & Reader Expectations

A clear CW segment: explicit sex and kink, trauma themes, and moments of violence. For romance newcomers, Rachel suggests skipping ahead during scenes that don’t fit your comfort level and checking trigger-warning databases. The goal is informed, safe reading.

45:30 – What Makes a Romance ‘Dark’?

Dana frames dark romance as a spectrum. Twisted Love remains grounded in contemporary, but pulls levers like traumatic backstory, taboo intimacy, and revenge to deepen stakes. Pros: bigger emotional range, powerful transformations. Cons: possible reader alienation without clear signals and intention.

56:10 – Character Design: Sunshine with Scars vs. Controlled Dominance

Alex’s loss-and-revenge engine meets Ava’s quiet strength and optimism. Their opposite wounds create potent chemistry and genuine healing arcs—the story’s heart. The “everyday” frame (birthday cakes and rainstorms) keeps the wildest moments emotionally legible.

1:03:40 – Universal Fantasies & Trope Alchemy

Drawing on T. Taylor’s Seven Figure Fiction, Dana maps universal fantasies (chosen, protected, seen/desired) onto the book’s tropes. This blend explains the title’s long-tail virality: it’s emotionally addictive and easy to market.

1:14:15 – Plot Nesting: Setups, Payoffs, and Reader Trust

Rachel shows how Huang sets contemporary first, then layers early signals of kink/violence/revenge. As intensity rises, dark subplots resolve before the primary romantic payoff, so readers never lose the main thread. This ordering is why the climax feels shocking but earned.

1:22:40 – Dual Transformation & Redemption

Both MCs transform; Alex even gets a redemption arc while staying morally gray. Huang escalates conflict without repetition, pacing toward a climax that tests—and proves—change.

1:27:30 – Spice Check (a.k.a. Furniture Moving)

Comic relief: Rachel recounts listening to the first explicit scene in public and wanting to leave her own ears. Dana—unmoved and amused—calls it “normal steamy.” Friendship shenanigans ensue.

1:33:20 – Year-End Context & Why Study This Book Now

The hosts note this is their final book pick of 2025, with December specials ahead and 2026 planning underway. They invite title suggestions and argue that, even outside romance, this novel is a clean model for studying transformation arcs.

1:39:10 – Lessons for Any Genre

If you’re writing non-romance, borrow the clarity: wound → tests → setback → integrated return. Consider whether you need a romance subplot—or a deeper personal arc that proves your protagonist learned the lesson.

1:46:00 – Outro

Housekeeping: like, subscribe, rate/review, and comment with first impressions (and whether your eyebrows survived). Next week: the plot deep dive.

About Twisted Love

He has a heart of ice...but for her, he’d burn the world.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.

A melt.

A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.

Her neighbor.

Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Where to Find the Book

Twisted Love by Ana Huang is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website.

Next Episode:

Next week, Rachel and Dana dissect the plot of Twisted Love: setups, escalations, midpoint turns, the breakup/all-is-lost mechanics, and why the ordering of payoffs makes the climax land.

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard? Subscribe, rate, and review to help more writers find the show.

Follow Story Deep Dive on your favorite platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube), and connect with Rachel and Dana on social to share your takeaways, questions, and book suggestions for 2026.

Connect with Dana and Rachel on storydeepdive.com to keep the conversation going!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Dana Pittman and Rachel Arsenault dive into the editor brain behind The Woman in the Library—how secrets fuel momentum, why character interrelationships matter, and what it takes to pull off a “book within a book.”

Whether you’re a writer, reader, or storyteller, you’ll gain valuable insights on using information as narrative currency, designing ensemble dynamics that reveal character, and selecting (and pacing) a smart story container.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome, banter, and episode frame

Dana and Rachel kick off the final installment of their four-part series on The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. They set the tone for an “Editor’s Takes” breakdown—what worked, why it worked, and how writers can borrow these tools. “This podcast is about reading like writers,” Dana reminds listeners.

07:30 – Next pick reveal: Twisted Love (and why)

Dana announces the next book, Twisted Love by Ana Huang, and lays out her dark-romance lens: emotional trauma, organized crime elements, and taboo/kink. She explains why dark romance is a powerful place to explore the full spectrum of human emotion and craft—spotlighting tropes like grumpy/sunshine and brother’s best friend. Rachel adds clear content notes for listeners newer to romance or uncomfortable with explicit material.

23:15 – Case file recap: what the story promises

Rachel offers a clean logline: Four strangers bound by a scream in the Boston Public Library become friends—until secrets suggest one of them might be a killer. This tees up the craft conversation around how the novel sustains tension without cheap tricks.

25:00 – Secrets & withheld information as narrative currency

Rachel unpacks why information is the lifeblood of crime fiction and how Gentill keeps readers hooked by giving nearly every character something to hide. With each contradiction or partial truth, new “mini-mysteries” open, creating organic reasons to revisit suspects and deepen character interest. Dana notes that because readers can’t tell what’s relevant, they pay attention to everything—an elegant way to keep curiosity simmering.

34:00 – Character interrelationships: conflict reveals character

Plot is conflict, and conflict exposes who people are. The hosts highlight how Marigold’s immediacy, Freddie’s measured approach, and the group’s frictions/forgiveness cycles make the cast feel dimensional. The book’s steady, character-led tension proves you don’t need a cliffhanger every chapter to sustain momentum.

Notable quote: “Give each major character a distinct way they’d solve the problem—then imagine the book if they were the protagonist.”

44:00 – A quick exercise for sharper casts

Rachel’s practical prompt: list your primary cast and answer (1) how each uniquely approaches the central problem and (2) what the story would look like with each as the lead. Dana adds that this also exposes energy balance across the ensemble and clarifies who anchors your emotional rhythm.

48:00 – Picking the right container: the ‘book within a book’

Dana spotlights the novel’s framing device: Hannah (the author) and Freddie (the character) in a nested narrative. Why it works: the two plotlines escalate in tandem and enrich each other. Rachel cautions that containers add an extra plot to pace and almost always require multiple revision passes to synchronize rises/falls and prevent reader confusion.

58:00 – Innovation: unexpected but inevitable

Gentill plays fair with a classic mystery while adding fresh structure. The takeaway: master the genre’s core before bending it. Innovation lands best when readers still get the payoff they came for—delivered through an original lens.

1:05:00 – Who should read this book (and why)

Rachel: writers of murder mystery, amateur sleuth, or crime fiction—especially those curious about first-person present done well. Dana: cozy-adjacent writers and romance authors looking to study ensemble balance, information drip, and character-led pacing. It’s a smart, modern example that’s engaging without being punishingly grim.

1:13:00 – Final takeaways & close

The hosts celebrate a layered, memorable read that teaches writers how to wield secrets, cast chemistry, and framing wisely. It’s as satisfying on a plane or nightstand as it is in a craft study session. They wrap with gratitude and their signature sign-off: happy writing!

About the Book

Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari Gentill sets this mystery-within-a-mystery in motion with a deceptively simple, Dear Hannah, What are you writing? pulling us into theornate reading room at the Boston Public Library.

In every person’s story, there is something to hide...

The tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just happens that one is a murderer.

Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

Where to Find the Book

The Woman at the Library by Sulari Gentill is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on Amazon.

Next Episode:

In the next episode, Dana and Rachel kick off a new four-part series with an overview of Twisted Love by Ana Huang—exploring how dark romance navigates trauma, trust, taboo, and transformation, and what writers can learn about pushing emotional stakes while honoring reader expectations.

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts. Follow Story Deep Dive on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform. Connect with Dana and Rachel on Instagram or visit storydeepdive.com to keep the conversation going!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Dana Pittman and Rachel Arsenault dive into character craft in The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill—how a tight-knit friend group doubles as a suspect pool, why first-person present makes Freddie an unforgettable lens, and how secrets, lies, and interrelationships drive a mystery forward.

Whether you’re a writer, reader, or storyteller, you’ll gain valuable insights on building multidimensional casts, pacing revelations, and weaving characterization directly into plot.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome & Context

Dana and Rachel set the stage for Part 3 of their series on The Woman in the Library, explaining how this character discussion dovetails with last episode’s plot analysis. They preview craft lenses they’ll use to examine the cast and stakes.

02:30 – Rachel’s Update: Nuanced Worldbuilding from Games

Rachel shares takeaways from playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: a small team delivering AAA storytelling, innovative mechanics, and a world that feels real because different people respond differently to the same problem. Key insight: “A believable world isn’t made from uniform reactions.” Writers can mirror that variety to deepen setting and character.

14:10 – Dana’s Update: Live Series-Building in Real Time

Dana talks about her live writing sessions, where students watch her design a multi-book series using “story capsules” and shadow-plot connections. She shows that strong series planning blends discovery with strategic anchors, so each book stays connected to the larger arc.

23:45 – The Plot Accordion (Preptober Preview)

Dana previews her upcoming ProWritingAid session on the Plot Accordion—an adaptive framework that helps writers choose the right level of planning before drafting. Takeaway: planning isn’t one-size-fits-all; a little intentional prep can save hours in drafting and revision, even for discovery writers.

33:00 – Quick Story Recap

Rachel recaps the novel’s setup: four strangers—Freddie (writer), Cain (author), Whit (law student), and Marigold (psych student)—bond over a scream in the Boston Public Library. Their friendship thickens into a murder investigation, and one of them may be the killer.

34:30 – Characterization Through Interaction

They explore how Gentill lets characterization emerge inside the case itself. The friends’ choices—how they interpret facts, manage risk, and respond to one another—reveal personality, values, and fault lines while also moving the plot.

40:00 – Freddie’s Lens: First-Person, Present-Tense

Freddie’s writerly POV invites readers into an intimate, moment-to-moment experience. From playful nicknames (“Heroic Chin,” “Freud Girl”) to cultural outsider observations, her voice fuels the book’s meta quality (a writer observing and inventing in real time) and keeps emotional stakes close.

48:30 – Secrets & Suspects: A Contained Cast

Making the friend group the suspect pool narrows scope without shrinking tension. Rachel explains how to design suspects with motives, withheld truths, and interrelationships that generate curiosity. Notable quote: “We’re not just choosing who did it—we’re learning why.”

56:20 – Emotional Complexity: Everyone Feels Possible

Dana highlights how the novel keeps all four feeling both sympathetic and suspicious—“everyone could get it”—so readers keep shifting their theories. Quiet relational suspense outruns adrenaline and maintains investment.

59:30 – Craft Takeaways You Can Use

Rachel’s three big lessons:

Pace revelations (confession, slip, forced reveal).

Map interrelationships to find hidden tension.

Let interactions carry subtext—how characters lie, deflect, or protect others is character.

1:05:40 – Does Every Character Earn Their Place?

A practical edit test: if a side character lifts out cleanly, either integrate them more deeply or cut them. Characters should matter to plot, theme, or emotional stakes.

1:10:00 – Closing Thoughts

They applaud Gentill’s rule-honoring, inventive structure, moral nuance (no one is all good or all bad), and a mystery that makes readers “work for every revelation.” Listeners are invited to catch previous episodes and prep for the finale.

About the Book

Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari Gentill sets this mystery-within-a-mystery in motion with a deceptively simple, Dear Hannah, What are you writing? pulling us into theornate reading room at the Boston Public Library.

In every person’s story, there is something to hide...

The tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just happens that one is a murderer.

Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

Where to Find the Book

The Woman at the Library by Sulari Gentill is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on Amazon.

Next Episode:

In the next episode, Dana and Rachel will explore their Editor’s Takes on The Woman in the Library—what writers can borrow, bend, or avoid, and how to translate those lessons into your own pages. Be sure to tune in!

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts. Follow Story Deep Dive on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform. Connect with Dana and Rachel on Instagram or visit storydeepdive.com to keep the conversation going!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Dana Pittman and Rachel Arsenault break down the plot mechanics of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill.

Whether you’re a writer, reader, or story-obsessed strategist, you’ll pick up practical insights on how fair play mysteries escalate through layered information, how to design an amateur sleuthwho can believably solve a case, and how secrets, red herrings, and misdirection fuel momentum without relying on nonstop action.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome & What This Show Is

Dana frames the podcast’s mission: discussing books as writers to extract craft lessons, not just reader reactions. The month’s selection is Rachel’s pick, The Woman in the Library, and today’s focus is plot.

04:30 – Rachel’s Update: First-Draft Blitz & Second-Draft Strategy

Rachel shares takeaways from a month-long First Draft Blitz inside Story Cypher Academy. She talks perfectionism, embracing the “ugly” first draft, and using October as a breather to plan intentional second drafts. The second draft becomes the fun draft once you’ve “met your story.”

Key insights:

First drafts will never match the ideal in your head—ship it anyway.

Use the draft to diagnose; plan a more intentional second pass.

15:30 – Dana’s Update: Frameworks, Clients, and AI as a Creative Partner

Dana celebrates client wins and the success of her plug-and-play romance plotting template. She discusses AI as a tool that amplifies a writer’s clarity around structure, audience, and tone—and why the literary world shouldn’t miss this moment.

Key insights:

AI is only as good as your inputs: vision, structure, and standards.

Strong frameworks + ownership = a productive AI “critique partner.”

29:30 – Story Summary: The Woman in the Library

Rachel’s spoiler-light overview: Four strangers—Freddie, Marigold, Whit, and Cain—bond over a scream in the Boston Public Library. Friendship deepens, secrets surface, and suspicion narrows: one of them might be a killer.

31:00 – Plot Agenda: Layers, Sleuthing, Secrets

The day’s craft lens:

How peeling back character layers escalates stakes.

How to engineer an amateur sleuth to solve a case credibly.

The role of secrets, red herrings, and misdirection in maintaining tension.

Dana adds: the story’s container (book-within-a-book framing), deft pacing without thriller-style adrenaline, and how the author “wraps the plot.”

34:00 – What Is a “Fair Play” Mystery?

Rachel defines fair play: the author puts all necessary clues on the page; readers could solve it, but smart misdirection means they usually won’t. Here, the suspects are the friends, so every social beat doubles as case evidence. Stakes rise through deeper information, not a higher body count.

“The answer was right there—but you didn’t see it. That’s the fun.”

40:30 – Designing an Amateur Sleuth (Who Can Actually Solve It)

Amateur sleuths lack official access; the writer must build access into the premise. Gentill’s solution: make the friends the primary suspects so ordinary conversations deliver crucial data. Freddie’s writer-brain creates both insight and bias, which the story interrogates.

49:30 – Secrets as Plot Engine (Not Just Confessions)

Secrets—private, shameful, or simply not-first-meeting material—propel the narrative. Each reveal re-tilts suspicion, keeping the reader mentally engaged. The story mirrors real friendship: deeper intimacy, deeper truths… and new motives.

55:30 – Mystery Pacing: Mental vs. Visceral Stakes

Dana notes the story’s cerebral tension versus thriller “heartbeat” pacing. Rachel explains that mysteries escalate by complexity, not proximity to danger: more lies, murkier truths, and uglier possibilities. The dopamine hit comes from reframing clues, not chases.

1:02:00 – Innovation & Integration: Frame, Flavor, and a Meaningful Romance Subplot

The book-within-a-book frame modernizes classic whodunit DNA. Cultural textures (AUS/US differences, language, identity beats) add realism. The romance subplot matters to the investigation—it shapes decisions, trust, and interpretation, rather than sitting on the sidelines.

1:08:30 – How to Study This Book (Writer’s Homework)

Read once for pleasure, again for craft.

Track where clues are flagged vs. hidden in plain sight.

Watch how the case grows more complicated and ethically grayer.

Note the protagonist’s true obstacle: ignorance—who these people are, what this place is, and which truths matter.

About the Book

Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari Gentill sets this mystery-within-a-mystery in motion with a deceptively simple, Dear Hannah, What are you writing? pulling us into theornate reading room at the Boston Public Library.

In every person’s story, there is something to hide...

The tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just happens that one is a murderer.

Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

Where to Find the Book

The Woman at the Library by Sulari Gentill is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on Amazon.

Next Episode:

Next week, Dana and Rachel dig into Character Design in The Woman in the Library: how Gentill builds an ensemble that can carry suspicion, withstand scrutiny, and still feel like a believable friend group. Don’t miss it!

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts. Follow Story Deep Dive on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform. Connect with Dana and Rachel on Instagram or visit storydeepdive.com to keep the conversation going!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Dana & Rachel kick off October with an overview of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill.

Whether you’re a writer, reader, or storyteller, you’ll gain practical insights on

(1) positioning your story on the crime–cozy continuum,

(2) using framing devices to add tension, and

(3) pacing and fair-play misdirection through secrets and withheld information.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome & What This Show Delivers

Dana reintroduces the podcast’s mission: analyzing books as writers to extract craft takeaways. They set the tone for October’s pick—a murder mystery that balances puzzle and character—aimed at helping listeners write stories readers can’t put down.

02:15 – Rachel’s October Vibes & Preptober Talk

Rachel brings the spooky-season energy (Undead Readers Club shirt + pumpkin mug) and previews her ProWritingAid Preptober session on first drafts: set realistic expectations, plan lightly, and avoid perfectionist outlining. “Your first draft lays groundwork—don’t let it derail you.” Pairs neatly with Dana’s Plot Accordion approach.

07:45 – Dana’s Creative Reset: International Quilt Festival

Dana shares how quilting serves as a tactile creative reset that unlocks clarity away from the desk. She’s taking hand-sewing classes this year. Key reminder: writers need movement and play to stay fresh. “There’s never a perfect time—choose joy anyway.”

17:20 – Letting Go & Protecting Your Capacity

On deadlines and permission to pause: they reflect on depressurizing to return stronger. Lighthearted banter (and a teasing salute) underscores their best-friend dynamic and the reality of creative life.

21:30 – Book On-Ramp: What’s This Story?

Quick premise from Rachel: four strangers meet in the Boston Public Library after a scream; a friendship forms as secrets surface—and one of them may be a killer. Tight cast, writerly lens, and a propulsive but breathable read.

23:00 – The Crime Continuum (Where This Book Lives)

Rachel maps crime fiction on a spectrum: gritty crime (procedural/legal, heavier fallout) ←→ cozy mystery (light, puzzle-forward). Classic murder mystery sits in the middle—where this book lives—balancing stakes with accessibility. Know your lane to meet reader expectations.

30:15 – Dana’s Reader Experience (Between Cozy & Crime)

As a newcomer to this exact blend, Dana highlights the found-family feel, clean prose, steady pacing, and a “book-about-a-book” vibe that keeps pages turning without overwhelm. It’s easy to read in short bursts yet distinctive enough to stand out.

37:30 – Framing Device Masterclass (Emails as Engine)

They unpack the novel’s one-sided author-email frame: each chapter’s email reacts to the story, then shapes the next beat—building dual suspense. Gentill’s restraint and precision give the frame and main plot mutual drive.

44:00 – Secrets, Withholding & Fair-Play Clues

How to hide clues in plain sight: slide information into natural conversation so readers don’t realize they’ve been armed—until a later reveal reframes everything. Think shell game, not cheat; it’s misdirection that stays fair.

52:00 – Ensemble Design: Distinct Lenses, Real Chemistry

Cast spread matters: age, class, discipline, and social status (Whit the law student, Marigold the psych student, Kane the established author, Freddie the funded debut). Differences create distinct voices and authentic friendship, enriching theme and suspicion.

58:00 – Read-Along Invite & Logistics

Best experience: read first, then listen. Still, the episode is spoiler-light and craft-heavy. It’s a short, accessible book (~250 pages / ~10 hours audio) and ideal for studying pacing, framing, and misdirection.

About The Woman in the Library

Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari Gentill sets this mystery-within-a-mystery in motion with a deceptively simple, Dear Hannah, What are you writing? pulling us into theornate reading room at the Boston Public Library.

In every person’s story, there is something to hide...

The tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just happens that one is a murderer.

Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

Where to Find the Book

The Woman at the Library by Sulari Gentill is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on Amazon.

Next Episode:

Next up, Dana & Rachel dig into the Plot Deep Dive—act structure, information layering by act, and how the investigation escalates without breaking fair play. Tune in!

Join the Conversation:

Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts. Follow Story Deep Dive on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform. Connect with Dana and Rachel on Instagram or visit storydeepdive.com to keep the conversation going!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

Welcome to Story Deep Dive!

In this episode, Rachel and Dana dive into character craft in K.F. Breene’s Sin & Chocolate—how a tight core cast, mirrored motivations, and a “soft cliffhanger” power a six-book slow burn.

Whether you're a writer, reader, or storyteller, you’ll gain valuable insights on building compelling alphas without the jerk factor, using found family to humanize protagonists, and sustaining romantic tension across a series.

You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Estimate Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome & Workbench Updates

Rachel and Dana open with studio updates: Dana reflects on the intensity of her previous four-week boot camp and considers shorter challenge-style events, ongoing collab releases through the holidays, and live ARB recordings and act-by-act book club sessions. Rachel celebrates a client finishing the first draft of a re-outlined romance and previews their plan to read the full manuscript together, tighten structure, and write “to spec” now that the story is clear.

Key idea: momentum comes from showing up, clearing blocks, and reigniting joy in the draft.

22:40 – Why Sin & Chocolate Works (Series Frame & Stakes)

Dana summarizes Book 1 of Demigods of San Francisco: Lexi, scraping by in a neutral magical zone, protects teens Daisy and Mordecai; Kieran, a powerful demigod’s son, needs Lexi’s rare gift to reach closure for his mother. The hosts spotlight the purposeful small cast and the book’s “soft cliffhanger,” which resolves immediate threads while signaling a larger antagonist (Valens) and multi-book arc.

Notable line: “This is pre-selling the romance—hooking readers with tension that demands the next book.”

32:15 – Kieran: Layered Alpha, Not a Bully

Kieran is power, privilege, and restraint in one package—an archetypal alpha softened by grief. Because Lexi doesn’t recognize his status, we see “Kieran being Kieran” without trappings. His wealth matters because of what it changes for the heroine (safety, access), not as a flex.

Craft note: limited access to his POV preserves mystery across the series while letting vulnerability peek through.

52:00 – Lexi: Goal-Driven Protagonist

Lexi’s unwavering objective—protect Daisy and Mordecai—anchors every choice on the page. Her selflessness and sacrifice (financial strain, limited opportunities, constant risk) reveal character in action. The hosts flag a common pitfall with “feisty” heroines—conflict for its own sake—and show how Lexi largely avoids it by rooting pushback in concrete stakes.

1:06:45 – Found Family: Daisy & Mordecai

The wards aren’t window dressing; they make the book. Plotwise, they connect Lexi to Kieran. Dramatically, their contrasting traits (Mordecai’s old-soul steadiness vs. Daisy’s sass and startling business brain) balance tone and deepen investment. Craft takeaway: triangulate a small cast with contrast to generate vitality, banter, and reader attachment over multiple books.

1:27:20 – Off-Page Pressure: Valens as Omnipresent Antagonist

Valens’ rule shapes Lexi’s hardships and Kieran’s secret plan long before he steps on-stage. By seeding his power early, the book escalates tension without constant appearances and avoids “surprise boss” syndrome later.

Craft note: introduce your biggest problem early; close it late.

1:38:10 – Happy-for-Now & the Art of Slow Burn (Across Six Books)

This installment lands a satisfying HFN while protecting runway for the couple’s long arc. Slow burn isn’t “nothing happens”; it’s more beats that pay off incrementally—moments of emotional intimacy, high-impact kisses, and meaningful restraint.

Quote to keep: “If you want readers to stay for a long slow burn, your payoffs have to be undeniable.”

1:52:00 – Wrap & Writer Homework

Final thoughts: mirror motivations (care for others) to soften edges on powerful leads; use found family to humanize; choose a clear protagonist goal; and signal the series spine early. Listeners are invited to review, subscribe, and bring writer friends into a craft-focused book club.

About Sin & Chocolate by K.F. Breene

A broody, broken god and the dark secrets that could destroy us both.

Kieran is here for revenge. He's here to kill the most powerful man in Magical San Francisco— his father. He'll destroy anything in his way.

And I've managed to catch his eye.

I live in the shadows for a reason, split between the worlds of the magical and the mundane. I'm a punching bag for both societies, but with the magic of Hades, it's the only way to stay alive. To stay free. If the powers that be knew what I was, they'd slap me in a cage and make me their weapon.

I have to stay away from him...except the very look of him promises deliciously wicked sin. He's a man you want to taste. To savor, like decadent chocolate.

He's also incredibly powerful, and broken. Dangerous.

I can't let him use my magic. It would destroy the life I've struggled so hard to build. I certainly can't fall for the villain, no matter how good it would feel.

If only it was easy to walk away.

Where to Find the Book

Sin & Chocolate by K.F. Breene is available in several formats. It’s also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on the author’s website.

Next Episode:

In the next episode, Rachel and Dana share their editorial takeaways from Sin & Chocolate—actionable craft lessons on character design, tension management, and series architecture you can use in your current work-in-progress.

Don’t miss it!

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