Rebel Ever After

This week my guest is Marisa Kanter, author of the adult rom-com FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, as well as several YA romance novels. We talked about writing the ultimate contemporary marriage-of-convenience about best friends who get married for health insurance and housing. We had a good venting session about ableism and misogyny in romance reviews, and the weird trend of readers wanting to "rescue" male main characters from...

My guest this week is Rachel Runya Katz, the author of Thank You For Sharing, Whenever You're Ready and the brand new instant USA Today Best Seller Isn't It Obvious? We talked about writing rom-traum-coms, balancing serious subjects with swoony romance, bipolar representation and our love of Michael Hobbes podcasts. Plus, should we be concerned about all the condomless big penises taking over sex scenes? And our hot ta...

My guest this week is Julian Winters, the author of adult rom-coms I THINK THEY LOVE YOU and LAST FIRST KISS, as well as many books for teens and children. We talked about his passion for writing inclusive love stories that make people feel seen and celebrated. Julian walked me through how he approached demisexuality and pansexuality on the page of his new book LAST FIRST KISS in a responsible and character-driven way....

This week my guest is former journalist and current novelist Chloe Angyal! In her Dancers Down Under trilogy, Chloe writes about ballet dancers as athletes, employees, and hotties. We talked about her decision to self-publish BARRE FIGHT, the final book in the series, and how she wove the extensive research she did for her nonfiction book Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers is Saving Ballet From Itself into...

It's time for another Rebel Ever After's premium episode! This month my guest is Katherine Morgan, the owner of Grand Gesture Books, Portland's first romance bookstore. She shared what she has learned during the store's first year at 814 SW 10th Ave — from managing stock to building community at events.

She shared her advice on how authors can build strong relationships with their local booksellers, and how you can still support in...

This week my guest is Alexandria Bellefleur, the author of many queer romances including Written In The Stars, The Fiancée Farce, and Truly Madly Deeply! We talked about her groundbreaking career and what it was like to publish one of the earliest breakout sapphic rom-coms in the trad space during this era of romance. We also discussed bi4bi romances, navigating the expectations of queer readers, and the way stories ab...

It is spooky witchy season, and this week's guest is Celestine Martin! She is the author of the Elemental Love series, including Witchful Thinking, Kiss and Spell, and Deja Brew. We talked about finding inspiration in the history and liminal magic of the Jersey Shore, and giving black women the paranormal fairytale romances they deserve. Plus why cozy low-stakes romances are having a moment!

As a head's up...

My guest this week is Elissa Sussman, author of Funny You Should Ask and Once More With Feeling. She walked me through writing her new book Totally and Completely Fine, about a widow and single mom still grieving her late husband when she meets a famous, younger actor. Then we talked about her new podcast But How's the Sex about the sex lives of fictional characters, and how romance novels celebrate and respect horny w...

This week on Rebel Ever After, my guest is the wonderful London Sperry, author of the 2024 rom-com Passion Project. London and I talked about the range of mental health representation in romance and her quest to write a self-destructive, grieving baddie who deserves love. Content warning that this episode touches on depression, anxiety, mourning and some light references to suicidal ideation. I promise we laughed a lot...

This week my guest is Eva Leigh, the author of My Fake Rake, Scandal Takes the Stage, Forever Your Earl, and many more historical romances. Her new romantasy The Sea Witch publishes this August with Canary Street Press.

Eva writes fantastically bold heroines who find freedom and power despite the patriarchy. We talked about sustaining a career in the romance genre, why pirates should be your next obsession...

This week my guest is Olivia Dade, the author of Spoiler Alert, All The Feels, At First Spite, 40-Love and many others. She has two books coming out this year, ZOMROMCOM in August and Second Chance Romance in November. We had a sprawling conversation about her dive into paranormal romance, writing fat heroines who are older than 27 years old, and the unique challenges of editing sex scenes. 

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My guest for Pride month's premium episode is Nina Haines, the founder of the virtual sapphic book club Sapph-Lit and the brand new publishing imprint of the same name. Nina is an advocate for queer authors and a community builder both online and offline. I asked her about her career as a bookish content creator, her thoughts on sapphic representation, and her decision to partner with Bindery to publish sapphic romance novels. Yes,...

My guest this week is author, actress, and journalist Keah Brown. She has published three books, the 2019 essay collection The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall In Love With Me; the 2022 children's book Sam's Super Seats, and her YA romance debut The Secret Summer Promise in 2023. Keah, like the protagonist of The Secret Summer Promise, has cerebral palsy, and we talked about what better disabi...

My guest this week is Tara Tai, whose debut novel SINGLE PLAYER came out this January. It's a queer rom-com about two video game developers who clash over whether or not to include romantic storylines in their blockbuster new game Compass Hollow.

Tara and I talked about what it was like for them to write a romance novel about gaming culture, and the similar social stigma of romance and gaming as adult hobb...

My guest this week is Chip Pons, the author of You And I, Rewritten and the forthcoming reality TV romance Winging It With You. He walked me through his publishing journey, from querying agents to self-publishing to making his trad pub debut during Pride 2025. Then we talked about the radically beautiful cover of his rom-com. Finally, how can we bring more gay men into the romance community as readers and as authors? 

Welcome to PRIDE, y'all!! This week's guest is Joanna Lowell, the author of historical romances including A Shore Thing, The Duke Undone, and A Rare Find, which comes out on June 10th. She is also a Professor in the English Department at Wake Forest University. 

We talked about her experience teaching modern romance novels alongside classics like Jane Austen in the classroom, and the threat the Trump admin...

Buckle up for the first ever Rebel Ever After quarterly romance discourse round-up. This month I analyzed the bad vibes of 2025: Why is the Chicago Sun Times recommending books that don't exist? Has publishing abandoned diverse voices? Why are popular books by black authors so hard to find in bookstores lately? Is Silver Elite a worthy successor to The Hunger Games? And what the hell is up with straight influencer Tinx publishing a...

This week's guest is Harper St. George, the author of many historical romances including The Heiress Gets A Duke, The Stranger I Wed, and Eliza and The Duke (out on June 24th). We talked about writing relationships between equals across different time periods, from Vikings to the Victorian Era to the Wild West.

Plus: Is indie publishing the future for historical romance? Are progressive heroes "historically inaccurate"? And what's ...

This week's guest is Betty Cayouette, author of TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL and ONE LAST SHOT. We talked about writing a romance that starts with a third act breakup, if the miscommunication trope deserves the hate it gets, and why a second-chance needs an excellent apology. Then Betty and I talked about sneaking the wage gap into a rom-com, and romance heroines who have experienced sexual violence and trauma.

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