I have sat next to author JN Welsh at book signings – Ws! It’s where the A/C is! – and we’ve had the best conversations. I thought you might like to listen in! What do we talk about in this episode? Attending DJ school and how her love of music found its way into her writing Her work as an adjunct professor of American Sign Language The importance of showing, not telling, in every aspect … Continue reading 372. Hanging Out in the Ws with Sarah and JN Welsh →

I’m chatting today with Amanda and AJ. AJ is one of our new reviewers, and AJ and Amanda both are obsessed with Gideon the Ninth. They both have book hangover. There might be Halloween costumes in the planning stages inspired by this book. They are dying to talk about someone with it. So, we connected and recorded their conversation, and tried to answer a lot of questions. What genre is this book? Who were their … Continue reading 371. Amanda and AJ Have Major Book Hangover from Gideon the Ninth →

Today I’m chatting with RWA Past President HelenKay Dimon, whose term as president ended on 31 August 2019. We talk about the past year in RWA, the RITAs and the continued evolution of the contest, and the binary of “fix it” or “burn it all down.” We also talk about the changes in this year’s RITA contest, and the board’s work on earning trust, fixing many things, and rethinking everything. We also talk about her … Continue reading 370. RWA, The RITAs, and the Future: A Conversation with Dowager RWA President HelenKay Dimon →

Today I’m chatting with Olivia Waite about everything. We talk about being romance nerds, lost historical details, the hidden arts of embroidery and sewing, textile porn romances, and making a home. We squee about tv shows we love, books we adore, and we talk about what she’s working on now, both in her column at Seattle Review of Books and in her romance fiction. Do we take a side trip to Finnish declensions? Sure, why … Continue reading 369. It Never Stops Being Magical: History, Books, and Romance with Olivia Waite →

Today I’m talking with Liza Palmer about the re-release of her first book, Conversations with the Fat Girl, and her newest novel, The Nobodies. We talk about writing, 4am anxiety, and writing Carol Danvers for the YA novels – and reading the script for the movie early (OMG). Our conversation and her new book, The Nobodies, is a little bit about being uncomfortable and learning new skills: if you’re doing it right, as you level … Continue reading 368. Writing, Worrying, and Being in Carol Danvers’ Head: A Conversation with Liza Palmer →

Today I’m chatting with Dr. Jen Gunter, author of The Vagina Bible, and host of the new CBC show Jensplaining. Yes, it’s a Canadian show, and yes, I’m jealous. We talk about debunking junk science, and how pervasive bad information is about vaginas and vulvas. We talk about vagina pain, caring for trans patients, and sources for good information. And we take a long detour through shoes, because obviously. Priorities. Key point from this episode: … Continue reading 367. The Vagina Bible, Shoes, and Other Essentials: A Conversation with Dr. Jen Gunter →

If you like when we hang out and chat about books and everything else, this episode is for you. We talk about our cats waking us up, and Amanda GEEKS OUT about The Blacksmith Queen by GA Aiken. We talk about video games we want, what books we’re excited about in September, and how I organize my reading because I’m nerdy about workflow. At about 50 minutes in, heads up: we take a side detour … Continue reading 366. Amanda and The Blacksmith Queen →

Abby Zidle and I had a candid chat at RWA in July, and we talked about everything. Abby is Associate Director of Marketing for Gallery Books, and is also a Senior Editor, as she worked in editorial for many many years. We talk about what’s changing in publishing and what’s changed over her career – from the process of writing and selling a book to the places you find that book in a store, or … Continue reading 365. Sunrise, Sunset, and Behind the Scenes in Publishing: Hanging out with Abby Zidle →

Today I’m chatting with Erin and Melody from the Heaving Bosoms Podcast and it is so much fun. There is so much laughing. Does the dog bark? Yes. Are they each other’s biggest fans? Absolutely. Is this delightful? Totally. Don’t miss the part where they reveal the secret ingredient to everything. TW/CW: at about 35 minutes in, there’s a discussion of old skool romances, and in particular a Johanna Lindsey viking romance with some on-page … Continue reading 364. Love, Romance, and Beautiful Friendships: Melody and Erin from Heaving Bosoms Podcast →

On Friday, July 26, at RWA Nationals in New York, Aarya, Amanda and I sat down to talk about the conference thus far. This was my 11th RWA, and Amanda and Aarya’s first, so I was very curious about their impressions. We talk about meeting online friends, the fangirl moments we experience during the conference, and how much we hate those elevators. We’ve got ghost stories, toilet stories, and key questions. Such as, “What’s on … Continue reading 363. Seeing People In Front of Your Eyeballs: Aarya, Amanda, and Sarah at RWA 2019 →

Did you miss Romance Game Night at the Strand on July 25? Fear not! We have audio, courtesy of the fine folks at The Strand! So you can listen in as Helena Hunting, Lauren Layne, Melonie Johnson, Alisha Rai, and Sonali Dev as we play Romance Bingo, Never Have I Ever, and Would You Rather? Special, effusive thanks to everyone behind the scenes who made this evening possible: Sabir Sultan, Cynthia Grey, Natalie Tsay, Marissa … Continue reading 362. Live from The Strand: Romance Game Night! →