Sarah chats with author Alyssa Cole about her much-anticipated new book, An Extraordinary Union, an espionage romance set in the Civil War. They discuss the behind the scenes details of the cover development – and the cover is stunning, so it clearly all worked perfectly. They also talk about persevering through painful history, finding inspiration and comfort in how humans have overcome and pushed forward despite terrible  obstacles, researching and writing about historical figures that … Continue reading 240. Extraordinary Optimism Through History: An Interview with Alyssa Cole →

After an impromptu greeting from Mr. Fitzwilliam Waffles, Sarah and Elyse chat with Leah and Bea from The Ripped Bodice about the most recent season of The Bachelor. They’re all fans of the series, and have a lot of perspective on it, on the multiple storylines presented in each season, and on what is going on beneath the surface, behind the scenes, and between all the people who tune in every week.  If you’ve never … Continue reading 239. Leftover Meatloaf: Elyse and Leah & Bea from The Ripped Bodice Discuss The Bachelor →

Tamara Lush is an AP reporter, a longtime journalist, a romance author, and a recent recipient of the Amtrak writer’s residency! She traveled for over two weeks from Orlando to San Francisco by way of New York and Chicago, seeing much of the country while writing and meeting a ton of people. We talk about her work as a reporter, her decision to start writing romance, and about the people, places, and experiences she had … Continue reading 238. Writing on the Amtrak Residency – An Interview with Tamara Lush →

Beverly Jenkins joins us to talk about her latest book Breathless and the series in progress. Of course, we talk about history and the stories that inspire her, especially the unsung, undiscovered, or forgotten women behind major figures in history.  We also discuss the communities of women throughout history that worked to help one another, and about her next book – which we really want to read already. TRIGGER WARNING: we discuss some violent images … Continue reading 237. New Books and New Insights Into History: An Interview with Beverly Jenkins →

Sarah chats with author Laura Florand about her writing, and her romances, which are set in various places in France. They also discuss linguistics, adopting pets, cultural differences, and learning multiple languages. They also talk about using the senses in writing romantic fiction, and how indulgence and pleasure are seen in from different points of views- especially food, chocolate, perfume, and love languages. They also discuss writing about a place that has suffered terrorism and … Continue reading 236. Languages, Senses, And Romance: An Interview With Laura Florand →

This week the guest is… all of you! This episode is an assembly of your excellent email messages, with stories, jokes, and questions, because you’re all brilliant, clever, and interesting people. Thank you for listening – knowing how funny you are, I’m honored that you listen to me each week!

Sarah interviews New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lauren Dane about her Diablo Lake series. The newest book in the series, Diablo Lake: Protected, came out at the end of January. This is a rather indulgent episode – it’s a big treat to get to talk to the author of a book one really liked, and to take a nerdy deep dive into a world that one enjoyed. They talk about female friendships, world … Continue reading 234: Female Friendships, Shifters, Secrets, and Series: An Interview with Lauren Dane →

Sarah chats with a romance fan named Elizabeth who is a self described avid reader with several learning disabilities. We starting by talking about podcasts because that’s not meta at all, and talk a little about taking deep nerdy dives into things you love, and about meeting internet friends in real life. Then Elizabeth talks about her experience with several learning disabilities, including dyslexia and dysgraphia. We talk about how reading dialogue can be tricky … Continue reading 233. Nerdy Deep Dives and Adaptations for Reading with Learning Disabilities →

Nearly a year after their grand opening (March 4th!), Sarah catches up with Leah and Bea Koch of The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, CA. We start with All The Pet Talk, including the story of their most excellent official store dog, Fitzwilliam Waffles. We cover his store responsibilities and key functions in the bookshop workflow, and have a happy conversation about things that make us laugh, including the We Rate Dogs Instagram feed. … Continue reading 232. The First Year of The Ripped Bodice – An Interview with Bea and Leah Koch →

Sarah chats with historical romance author Theresa Romain about her two current series, one which was inspired by The Tollgate by Georgette Heyer, and another that is historical horse romance for horse-mad little girls who grew up to be romance readers. They also talk about what Theresa is reading, her very through knowledge of a specific silent film star, and the books that continue to inspired her writing.

Sarah and Elyse have a long and meandering conversation about social media, anxiety, and tracking the things that you love to do. We talk about reading, knitting, cross stitch, photography, and how we’re feeling while using various forms of social media. We also discuss pets, dog psychics, Instagram accounts we love, organizing digital books to read, and knitting patterns, too.