Bookish Chaos, Love Triangles, and Monster Smut ft. @AmandasBookClub_ | RAAG ON ROMANCE - Romance at a Glance

Episode Transcript
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(02:01):
Oh, well, hello everyone, andwelcome to an episode of Romance
at a Glance. I'm your host,Bridget, and with me today I have
my co host, Shani. Hi, Shani.
Hi, Bridget. Excited to be here.
I'm excited to be here too,because we have a special co host,
guest Amanda from Bookstagram.
Hi, Amanda.
Hi, everyone.
Tell everyone a little bitabout what your favorite things to

(02:23):
read are and a little bitabout what you cover on your Bookstagram.
Okay, I was prepared for this.Let me see. So I have this. Okay,
I wanna first start by sayingI have this video that did pretty
well on my Instagram and myTikTok where I call myself a dummy
reader. And what I mean bythat is basically like very much

(02:45):
low maintenance. Very like,I'm not the person who's gonna pick
out the plot holes. I'm notthe person who's gonna catch grammar
errors. I'm there for a goodtime. I'm enjoying whatever the author
is telling me. I believe them.So that's kind of like what I review
on my Bookstagram and Booktok.Like, just really fun books. Fantasy,

(03:06):
romance. I'm trying to getinto thriller this summer. It's not
really working. Fantasy has mein a chokehold right now. But yeah,
like, I'm really like dragons,you know, vampires. Shifter. Omegaverse.
If y'all in the building.
Yeah, so.
So that's pretty much. I'mlike a very fun book person. And

(03:28):
before, I used to be reallylike, okay, like one time I went
to this book event and it waslike serious books. And I was like,
yeah, like I'm.
Reading Blood of Hercules, you know?
Yeah. You know, why choose.And then to explain that. It was
so funny. But yeah, I'm like afun book. That's what I would describe
myself as, like, really fun books.
I did see that TikTok and itwas very funny. And I love your Instagram

(03:50):
because it's so relatable.It's just like, guys, they're vampires.
Let them be vampires. Let'sjust enjoy it. Okay? Let the monsters
be monsters. Let's just have fun.
Exactly. Yeah.
I also recently joined a bookclub in my neighborhood. And when
I tell you. When they told methe first book we were reading was
Viola Davis's biography, I was shocked.

(04:12):
Oh, my goodness.
Oh, it's kind of that book. Ididn't know it was gonna be a bunch
of.
Nothing against Viola. Youknow what I mean? Nothing against
Viola.
Well, and then I go, no, she'swonderful. And I'm sure the book
is great because her life Isfascinating and she's awesome. But
also, I thought it was gonnabe a fict. And then I was like, oh,

(04:33):
what did you read last month?Like, hoping they. Hoping they were
gonna say, you know, like somefantasy book or just fiction in general
or romance or something. And Iwas like, oh, this is gonna be okay.
Well, perhaps I won't beavailable every month. We shall see.
But maybe they'll all bereally nice.
And maybe I can steer theminto a more exciting direction.

(04:59):
Exactly. Or maybe they'll grab you.
You know what? Maybe I'll justbe reading biographies all the time.
You guys, I actually do enjoya good biography every now and again.
If the person's life isinteresting. And I will listen on
audible if it is someone who'sfunny. Like Kevin Hart's biography.
If you guys didn't listen toit. Phenomenal to listen to.

(05:23):
I can see that. I can seethat. He's really funny.
Yeah. Tina Fey, because herdelivery is so good.
I like Tina Fey.
So any comedian who writes abiography and they read their own
biography, I would listen tothat. Or I would read. I mean, I
do, guys. I read. It's notlike I don't read other stuff. I
didn't know. Okay, well, youguys, we are going to rag on romance,

(05:45):
and we're going to talk aboutall kinds of books that Amanda likes
and doesn't like, and all ofthe monsters and the fun peoples
and all the good stuff. Solet's get it popping. Romance at
a glitch. Romance at a glance.
What'd you say now? Romance ata glance.
Go ahead. When you aredeciding what to read next, are you

(06:08):
a planner? Like, oh, I have mytbr. I read in order. I know when
it comes out. Or are you,like, letting just the world come
to you like me, where you'relike, oh, but I've seen this author,
and now I've read everythingthat they've ever written. And now
I will move on to a new book series.
That is a really goodquestion. I'm actually a mood reader,
so none of the above. Like, Ireally. I don't even know how I decide

(06:31):
what I'm reading. Like,sometimes I'll pick a book and I'm
like, I'm really gonna readthis? Because I had it on my shelf
for a long time and I love it.And then, like, Amazon package will
come with a new book, and I'mlike, okay, yeah, obviously I'm gonna
read this and I'll throw thebook that I plan to read. You know
what? I'm saying away. Andyeah, like, I'm such a mood reader.
Like, it depends on how I'mfeeling. Like, sometimes I'm like,

(06:53):
ah, this is fantasy is tooserious right now. Let me go back
to Mafia romance, you know? OrI'm reading the Mafia and I'm like,
this is heavy. Let me go backto fantasy. Like, it' yeah, I'm so,
like, all over the place. I doaspire to be, like, organized because
I have a lot of books on mytbr. But I just don't think that
that's the life, you know,that was chosen for me.
I don't think it is for meeither. And I started a book podcast.

(07:15):
And then I quickly realized,like, oh, I made a mistake. Because
when we interview authors,like, right now I'm booking someone
for May, which is awesome. I'mexcited to talk to this author. I'm
excited to read this book atthis moment. But in May, who knows
where I'll be?
Who knows where I'll be? Yeah.
And I will read the book. Ialways do. But sometimes I'm like,

(07:37):
but I just wanted to read thisother book today. And now I have
to read this book. And then Istop my little thing.
We thought we were going toread start this year off with billionaires.
We were talking about it andwe're like, you know what? We're
in a billionaire's mood.Let's. Let's read. You know, sometimes
we'll chunk them together,like, read three or four together.
We read one, and it wasunderwhelming and we were like, you

(08:00):
know what? Let's pivot.
Let's just move right on.Let's. Luckily, the next book saved
me. We just finished reading IGot Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm
Trapped in a rom com byKimberly Lemming.
Oh, wow.
And it's like an alien sci firom com. It's excellent. It's excellent.

(08:27):
Five stars. And I was so happyto dip in because I was like, joy
is alive. Joy is alive in myheart again. The slump. The slump
has ended and I'm back.
Yes.
When you're in a slump, do yougo for a book you've already read
that you know will get you outof it? Or are you, like, go for,

(08:48):
like, an author that you know,like, oh, they have a new book. I
know. I was like, their books.
You know what? That's sofunny. Like, I have not reread a
book in a really long time.Like, I don't really reread. I kind
of just stay in the slump. AndI just. Like, I'm so sad about it.
And then I scroll through,like, TikTok, and everybody's talking
about what they're reading,and I punish myself. I'm like, you

(09:10):
should be reading. Like,that's literally what I do. And it's
so bad because it doesn't helpme out. The slump.
And then you've got yourselfin there.
Literally. Literally. Andthen, like, I just get out of it,
and I'm like, okay, we'regonna read. Like, I don't know. It's
so weird. It really is theweirdest thing. That's why when I'm
talking to someone else abouttheir slump, and they're like, I

(09:31):
just reread this really goodbook, and I'm like, what a great
method. You know what I mean?Like, that's. But, yeah, no, like,
I just. My slump, like, has amind of its own, and it'll go away,
and I'm like, yeah, I'm free,but then it'll come back.
Wait, so if Yuri, forinstance, we were both talking online
about Oathbound is coming outby Tracy Dion, which is book number
three, which I'm so excitedabout. But you won't reread book

(09:52):
one and two before three. Youjust trust your memory.
No. Okay. No. Actually, funfact. I have a terrible memory. But
what happened was I was insuch a reading slump after Legendborn,
I ended up waiting so longthat it was February, and I was like,
oh, I could just readBloodmark now and then when I wanted

(10:13):
to read Bloodmark, I was stilllike, well, obviously, I wasn't in
a long reading slump. Ithappened, like, on and off. But I
was like, I don't care if I'min a reading slump. I'm reading Bloodmark
because. Because Oathboundcomes out next month. And so I kind
of force myself. So, no, Idon't rely on memory. I just, like,
I'm just winging it. Which isironic because in everyday life,
I'm so, like, organized and,like, just, you know, plan, plan,

(10:34):
plan. But, like, when I'mreading, like, I don't know who this
person is. Like, I'm justlike, whatever. Whatever goes.
So you're gonna go, like,you'll go into a book three and,
like, kind of remember, like,oh, they're kind of giving you a
little pieces of exposition, Iguess, about the last books. Oh,
well. And then before, when wewere in the forest, and you're like,
oh, yeah.
They were in the forest.
Yeah. And I think when Ireally like books, I get so obsessed

(10:56):
with it that I like. Okay. Idon't remember any, like, other.
Like, when you read so much,you read and then you forget what
it's about. Well, that's whatI do. But, like, when I really love
a book, I obsess over it andthose details stick in my mind. Yeah.
Like, I'm still thinking aboutBri and Cell. Like, I'm still thinking
about Nick. I'm like, alice,girl, are you okay? So that's like,
gonna be in my mind untilOathbound, so I'm good.

(11:19):
Okay. Well, while we're here,can we talk really quickly about
how I am hoping that it is ychoose? I am desperately, desperately
hoping for y cheese. Shani hasnot read these book series yet. I'm
not spoiling anything for youright now.
Oh, my God.
Desperately. And I had. I hadhope when they were in. I'm not spoiling

(11:40):
too much from the second book.But, like, when they were in the
dreamscape in the set, whenthey both went to the dreamscape
and they were leaning againstthe wall together, like, looking
at her, I was like, yes, weare close. We are close.
I know.
Cells already said that hewas, like, in love with him as a
child or like a young teenager.
Exactly.
And I'm like, the door isthere for which us all to fly through.

(12:03):
Exactly. And that's why I'm soscared. Because I'm like, she's setting
it up. Like. Like, we're notmaking this up. We see it. Like,
everybody that I've talked tohave seen it, but I'm like, what
are you going to do with it,though? Because she. I feel like
she's having fun with our reactions.
I think so.
I'm just like, she's. What areyou gonna do with it? She's gonna
try with us. Yeah. Yes. But Ialso said, like, if it's not why

(12:28):
choose, then it has to be so.Because I will lose. Like, I can't
lose another love triangle.Like, I was a step in girly if you
watch Vampire Diaries.
No, you were.
I was a step in girl.
Who are you? I was a step ingirl off our podcast.
I was a step in girl and I wasgoing through hell watching the rest
of the seasons.

(12:48):
Like, here's my thing aboutStefan is part 100% not a Stephan
girly. However, I think theydid him and Caroline the dirtiest
because Carol and Klaus, youhave to admit, Caroline and Claus
should have been endgame.
Okay. I will admit. Okay.
They had the best chemistry.
Don't kick me off for thisone. I like Sterling I did like,

(13:10):
Starline. I did. I was like.Because I'm a friends to lovers girl,
so them like, having thatfriendship. And then for her to be,
like, the one who told him,like, kind of like Elena, Damon are
like, they're hooking up. Andhe was like, what? So, like, I like
that. But I do agree that,like, Caroline and Klaus had, like,
such great chemistry, and itwas a perfect enemies to lovers.

(13:31):
And, yeah, Julie just hated us.
I wanted them, like, what Iwanted was her to jump to the other
series when Vampire Diaries ended.
Yeah, that would have been good.
But then they couldn't do thatbecause they had the Stefan storyline.
And I'm like, can't we justadd another character for him to
fall? Does it have to beoriginal people? Like, let's. Can

(13:53):
we buy a new character?
Exactly. But then also, shecouldn't go to originals because
Cami. You know what I mean?Like, Klaus and Cammie. And I'm not
gonna lie, I did like Klausand Cami. Like, they were cute.
I didn't hate it. But it wasnot the same.
No.
Yeah.
No, it wasn't. They just hadbuilt up Caroline and Klaus just
to do nothing with it. I thinkthat was the issue.

(14:13):
Yeah. Okay, wait. What otherlove triangles are you feeling like
you're losing? Are winningtriangles of the day?
Ooh, I'm definitely book or,like, in general?
Either.
I'm definitely winning. Bellyand Conrad. Yeah. Like, they're there.
Yeah.
You read the books?
I didn't read. I read bookone. I read book One and that. No,

(14:36):
I only watched the show.
Yeah, Okay. I didn't read thebooks either. And I only watched
the show and I jellyfish forlife. I mean, yes.
You know, I heard in the booksthat Jeremiah cheated on her, so
I.
Was like, yeah, you know, Idon't know if they're going to do
that in the show, though.
They should.
Okay. So one of my favoritethings of books translating to shows

(14:58):
and movies, one of my favoriteand least favorite is that they can
evolve. So I like it when theyevolve in a good way. And I hate
it when they add unnecessarystuff and you're like, you had to
cut out a bunch of this book.Why are you adding stuff? Like, you
already cut everything out?Like, just use this in the book.
But in this case, I think it'sinteresting because when the books
are written, I feel, like,problematic. Why? Like, why a books

(15:23):
with sort of, like,problematic boyfriends ended up being
the winner? So, like, he'smean to her. He, like, sort of discards
her he doesn't treat her well,but then he would end up being like,
the one she chooses at theend, sort of against her maybe better
judgment. And I feel like,from what I've heard, I didn't read
it, from what I've readonline, is that he, like, the only
thing they could do to makelike the reader's not like Jeremiah

(15:46):
is like, make him cheat onher. That's like the ultimate sin.
But, like, before that, he,like, treats her well and he's kind
to her. Like, in the show,he's always, like, thinking of her
feelings and like, I thoughtyou'd be hungry. And so, like. But
because I didn't read thebooks and I'm just watching the show
from the point of, like, ashow watcher, I'm like. But, like,
I want her to choose Jeremiahbecause I want us all to have evolved

(16:08):
to, like, choose the one whotreats you right. You know what I
mean? Even though that darkerone, he's. You know, they have that,
like, delicious energytogether. But also I'm like, he's
mean to her sometimes. And Idon't think you should marry the
one who's mean to you. Youshould marry the nice one who's going
to treat you right for therest of your life. But that's like.
That's more of just like. Butlike, 15 years ago, I would have

(16:31):
been like, well, obviously Conrad.
Yeah. You know what's sofunny? That's actually why I picked
Stefan, like, for the nice.Like, he was just really nice. But
I think, okay, like, notexcusing him, but he definitely had
an amazing excuse for why hewas the way he was. Like, when found
out everything that he wasdealing with. I think my thing, like,
at first I was likingJeremiah, but I think I was like,

(16:54):
if I was Jeremiah's bestfriend, I would tell him not to date
Belly because I'm like, she spent.
So.
You know what I mean? Yeah,that's what I'm like, she spent.
She was not thinking aboutyou. Like, it was always Conrad for
her. And so, like, I wasthinking about it from that standpoint.
I'm like, her number one hasalways been her number one. And I
wouldn't even want to ever beanybody's number two. And if it was

(17:15):
my best friend, I wouldn'twant him to be anybody's number two.
So I was like, I just can'tget on board with it.
Yeah, very true. I mean, yeah,she's the problem. Like, she's the
Taylor Swift song. Hi, it'sme. I'm The.
Literally, yeah.
What, like, books are yourecently, like, reading or loving
or excited to tell the peopleit's about?

(17:38):
Okay, I am reading. I don'tknow which one, but I'm reading one
of the books that I got drunk.And, like, the one you just talked
about. I think I'm reading thevery first one. I'm still, like,
reading it on Kindle. Ihaven't, like. Like, I'm, like, 1%
in, but I know that I'm gonnalove it because just the titles are
so fun. Yeah. I'm excited,obviously, for Oathbound to come

(17:59):
out. Like, I'm losing my mind.I was literally losing my mind after
Bloodmark. Like, I was like,how is everybody just walking around?
Okay. Like, this book didn'tshatter my heart.
Like, thank you.
It was. It was. Yeah. I was,like, crashing out bad.
I read. So I got them from thelibrary so I could reread them, and
I read. Let's see, today'sWednesday. Tuesday, I read all of

(18:19):
Bloodmarked, and Monday I readall of. And my kids are like, my
husband and my kids are like,you're from. You're done with both
already? They're so big, andI'm like, well, they're so good.
And I finished book numberone, and my husband was like, what
are we gonna have for dinner?And I was like, I don't know. That's
a you problem, because I onlyhave 10 pages left. And then I, like,

(18:39):
closed the book, and I, like,slammed it shut, and I was just like,
it's such a good book. Andthen I, like, skipped into the kitchen.
I was like, my face is allred. So I was just like, it's just
so good. I'm just so excited.I'm just excited.
I'm also. Oh, yeah. Like, I'malso about to start, like, if my

(19:01):
mood reading doesn't kick in.And, like, we're going to read something
else. Lore of the Wilds.Because that has been on my TBR for
the longest. It's also a lovetriangle, too, in there, though.
So I'm like, this one justdestroyed me. I'm gonna jump into
another one. But, like, oh,this is whatever. But I think that
is it for right now. Like,what else? Yeah, I don't think I'm
reading anything. Oh, I justread My Dark Prince by Park. What

(19:27):
is his name? Park. I forgothis name. I'm so L.J. shen and somebody
else. It's, like, in theseries of books.
And Parker as Huntington.
Yes, yes, yes. I loved My DarkRomeo and the Second one. I didn't
love this one, but I didn'thate it. Like, it was good, but it

(19:47):
wasn't as good as, like, thefirst and second one.
To me, it's like my dark Romeoand my dark desire.
Yes. Oh, my God. Like, my. Mydark Romeo was like, my. Like, I
love that one so much. Like,Dallas and Romeo, like, they had
cracking up, like, the wholeentire book. I was just like, yo,
this is so good.
Nice. Oh, arranged marriagewith a cruel billionaire. Shani,

(20:09):
maybe that's the one we need.Maybe that's the billionaire we've
been waiting for.
Very entertaining. Let's try it.
Because, like, right now, theescapism that I need in my life,
I just need to escape. And Iwant to think of somebody with a
lot of money.

(20:31):
I know. You know what? Shanisent me a list or, like, a video
of yesterday is wherebillionaires hang out in Chicago.
The restaurants and the places.
And then I read, and I was.
Like, I'm already married. Youdon't even live here. I don't need
this information.
I wrote underneath it,bridget, take me there.

(20:55):
I mean, I. And then I wroteback. I have been to the second one.
It's a very fancy cocktailbar. The cocktails are, like, the
cheapest one's like, $50 for acocktail. It's crazy. Oh, my God.
It's really cool, though.Okay, I will give a shout out to
this place. It's calledAlenia. It's a. Oh, wait, no. Alenia
is the restaurant. What is thecocktail place next to it called?

(21:18):
Aviary in Chicago. And I wouldrec. Even though it is crazy expensive.
If you go, it's in FultonMarket, which is west of downtown.
If you go, I would recommendit merely for the fact that it's,
like, art. If you lovecocktails and you love, like, food,
art and stuff like that. Whenthey bring you the stuff, like, everything

(21:40):
is so cool. It's like an icecube, and then you crack the ice
cube and then the cocktailsinside of it, or everything's smoking,
or they bring this little,like, thing, and they, like, cook
it next to the thing whereyou're sitting. Or they bring it
in this, like, really coolglass. And, like, as it. It. As you
drink it down, it adds moreand more herbs to it, so the flavor

(22:00):
of it changes throughout themeal. Like, it is so cool. It is
definitely expensive. And itis not somewhere that I personally
have the funds to be going allthe time, but for, like, a once.
And, oh, I'm gonna go to this,you know, I've never had the food,
so I don't know. But thecocktail place is awesome. It's like

(22:21):
this, this dark room and youjust feel like. Like a cool ass badass
who's drinking a fancycocktail. And like, you're a fancy
person and I'm not. But itfeels like it for that one moment
in time. Where are you based?Actually, I forget.
I am based in New York. No,not Atlanta.
New York.
I'm a New Yorker.

(22:42):
Okay. Because there were twoOathbound book parties. You're doing
the New York one, and thensomeone else I was looking at was
doing the.
Yeah, someone's doing one inAtlanta. And yeah, I've been sharing
a bunch of them. Yeah, like,I've been trying to share like a
bunch of them, like, forpeople who want to like, go. And
they're not like, in New York.So like. But yeah, they're. They're

(23:03):
happening like. And I'm like, yes.
Like, yeah, I'm excited. Butalso, I told my husband, I was like,
there's no way. I first, Ipersonally go to bed at like 30.
Yeah. The party doesn't starttill till 10. And then you have to
wait till midnight to get yourbook and take it home. And the one
in Chicago, where I live, islike an hour, probably in.

(23:24):
The middle of the night.
It's like a solid hour. AndI'm like, I'm gonna be driving home
at like 1 in the morning.
Like, yeah, no, it's. It'sdefinitely insane. I don't know like
what I was thinking,obviously, because definitely I'm
in bed by like 10 kind ofgirl. And I'm like. And my boyfriend,
when I told my boyfriend aboutit, he was like, midnight release
party.
Oh.

(23:45):
And I'm like, I know. You knowwhat I mean?
I know.
I get it. But like, yeah, Ithink if anything would bring me
out, it's that it's Oathbound,like, you know.
Oh, for sure. I know. I'mlike, can. Can I have like, at some
release. You know, do like abreakfast release party?
Yeah, right. I was like, howabout five? No. Okay.
I think like, well, I'm justlike, like being from Miami and having

(24:07):
like party start at midnightand raving into the morning. Like,
it just sounds cool to do likemidnight release party.
But then.
But then like, when I moved toLA, they closed the clubs at like
1:30, like, lights up orwhatever. And I remember this. I
remember the first night I wasout and I was like, I got there at
midnight and I was dancing forlike one hour. And then the lights
went up and I was like, whatthe fuck is this? But then I realized.

(24:30):
But then I realized it was sogreat because I would tell people,
like, when. When the lightswould go on, I'd be like, man, this
sucks, man. People don't knowhow to party in la. But then secretly,
I would take my ass to bed andI'd be like, this is fantastic. This
is fantastic.
That is hilarious.
I don't know how to get down.But I think that's so cool that.

(24:56):
You guys are doing that.
Like, I love that. I thinkwhen we got into doing this podcast
and stuff, it was right beforethe pandemic, and Bridget and I were
like, we're gonna have events,we're gonna do retreats, we're gonna
go to festivals, we're gonnago to every bookcon. We're gonna.
We're go. So we can throw ourown book con. Like, we had all these
ideas of, like, grandeur ofwhat we were going to do.

(25:19):
And then Covid started, and Iwas like, well, I won't leave my
house for the next 18 months.
So I like. So I like that I'mhearing that more stuff is going
on and popping up and thatpeople are taking the initiative
to throw that because, like,at the end of the day, somebody's
got to do the labor foreverybody wants it to happen, and
the labor is not so fun.

(25:40):
Exactly. Like, I'm. I'mactually freaking out about it. Like,
I was like, okay, like, whatare we gonna have? What are we gonna
do? Like, and then my, like,the person that I'm, like, collabing
with, she's so amazing, but Ifeel like she's more chill than I
am about it because she'slike, okay, this is gonna. And I'm
like, no, like, it's comingup. It's coming up soon. We gotta.
And I'm like, okay, let mecalm down. So it's. Yeah, I think

(26:00):
definitely the labor is a lot.I think what I'm holding on to, though,
is that, like, if we weren'tdoing it, one wouldn't be happening
in New York. And, like,there's a lot of people who, like,
want to get together. Theywant to talk about this series, they
want to, like, meet other.Like, some people don't have book
friends at all, and they wantto meet other people who are interested
in books. And, like, you know,if I could be a part of providing
a space like that, I'm like,that's really cool. So, like, yeah,

(26:23):
I'm gonna stay my. I Don'tknow if I'm curious. I'm gonna stay
my butt, you know, up past 12.
Yeah. We talk about alien jizz.
We talk a lot. A lot of weirdstuff on this podcast.
That's what I like.
I remember early on, we readthis book and a dragon shifter, and.

(26:44):
But, like, while he was indragon form, there was a lot of,
like, foreplay, like, a lot ofvibes. The vibes reviving. So we
get on the podcast and westart the episode. And then I was
like, oh, sh. And I said,she's like, oh, how's it going? And
I was like, johnny, did youthink she's gonna fuck that dragon?
And she's like, yeah, I did,because I thought she was gonna.

(27:05):
That dragon. She did. I mean,he shifted back to human and she
had sex with him. But, like, Ithought she was. I mean, like, it
was starting to get real.
Oh.
And I was like, what book isthat? She was like, sliding down
his scales. It's by G.A. aiken.
Okay.
I actually just recommendedthis to someone the other day. It
is called. Hold on one second.

(27:26):
The funniest part of that iswe had one episode in the very beginning
where we were like, should wetry to keep this, like, PG 13 or
whatever? And then, like, thatbook, we were like, there's no way
to talk about romance as a.
No, no. PG 13.
Not at all.
Yeah, it's called. It's calledDragon. Actually. It's by G.A. aiken.

(27:47):
It's a fantasy romance. It'sfrom 2004. Hot abs on the COVID And
if you read it, you willdefinitely be like, oh, where are
we? I feel like she walked sothat, like, Lillian Lark could fly.
Do you know what I'm saying?So, like, the monster romance authors
could fly and so that theycould actually.

(28:07):
The dragons. Okay, note it.
I also recently read onespeaking of monsters. It's about
a woman who's American but of.Of Scottish descent, who goes back
to Scotland to, like,reconnect with her roots near Loch
Ness. And she may or may notfall in love with the Loch Ness monster.

(28:32):
I like that. I like that.
It's called Under Loch Nessand Key by Lana Ferguson.
It has perfect title, though. Wow.
I know. It has an animatedcover. And there is a partial shift
is where I will leave you alland let you take that into your imagination.

(28:52):
Where you will.
Okay.
You're welcome.
Oh, yeah. Like, over thesummer. Was it over the summer? I'm
bad with time as well. Like,I'm. I promise, guys, I'm pretty
smart. It's just not when itcomes to reading, you know, my brain.
I don't know, but I read.Exactly. I read get in My Swamp.
I forgot who the author is.I'm so sorry. But it's a play on

(29:13):
Shrek. Really, reallyinteresting. I loved it. Not much
plot, but it was really good.
And Ogre Romance.
Yeah, my first one, too. Itwas my first one. I was like, okay.
Like, I saw the title, it mademe laugh. I was like, you know what?
Why not?
It's by GM Fairy. Like fairy.Like a fairy tale.

(29:34):
Yes, it was really good.
The Orc Sworn book books.
Speaking of, I have not tappedin, but I've been eyeing them. I
haven't tapped in yet.
They. I've read all of them sofar, except for the most recent one,
which just came out because Ijust haven't gotten to it yet. I
feel like if you like them,you love them and if you don't like
them, you hate them. I don'tknow that there's many people in

(29:54):
the middle because I feel likeif you're like, down to clowns, monster
romances, and you're fine witha. Fine with babies being born because
there are like, as the booksgo on, you, like, see the other couples,
like, from previous books,aren't the main couple, but they're,
like, still there and theyhave now had children because there's

(30:17):
no birth control that can stopan orc sperm. You know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
And you're fine with, like,just aggressive. Aggressive amounts
of semen. Like, aggressiveamounts. Like.
Like.
I cannot emphasize enough.
Like, boatloads.
Boatloads. But it's alsonutritious. Okay.

(30:38):
Okay. Wow. Nice.
It helps the human women inall of the places where you might
put it. Okay. Okay. It has apurpose. Okay.
Okay.
And. And also each of thecultures in the orc mountain like
to have sex in a differentway. So some of them like to have

(31:00):
sex in front of everyone.Little exhibition. Some of them like
a little pain with their sexsex. Some of them like a. More what
we would describe as like.Like just regular but rough sex.
Some of them.
Okay.
Like it up the booty. So, youknow, I mean, so like, there's a
little bit. A little bit for everyone.
Okay.
Male, male, male, female.There's a lot of things going on.
Little. A little bit of polyin some of them. So if you like them,

(31:25):
you love them. And I, like.
Noted still on the tbr. Iwould definitely be checking them
out.
They're so fun. I feel likethe. The thing I Like, most about
fantasy is that it allows mybrain to, like, unplug from reality.

(31:49):
So, like, especially ifthere's some sort of, like, vampire,
a werewolf, or a monster ofsome kind, an alien, anything like
that, that. Because then Idon't have to apply what is, like,
the structure of what I wouldexpect or accept in real life. I
can just toss that out thewindow and be like, they're a creature.

(32:10):
What you gonna do? We'regonna. Exactly grace where it is,
and we're gonna be happy withwhere that creature is, and then
we're gonna let that creaturedo naughty things to us. So that
is my favorite thing. What'sit like? Is that part of what you
like about it or what's the draw?
Yeah, yeah. I think, like, Ilike. Like I said, I like to turn
off my brain when I'm reading,and I feel like fantasy is perfect

(32:32):
for that, but also, I think,for me is just so much deeper because
I've been waiting to get mypowers since I saw Twitches. You
know what I mean? Since Iwatched Charmed, I've been waiting
to be chosen. And, you know.Yes. Like, all of these shows, like,
really just shaped who I am.And I'm like, I've been waiting.
So, like, when I see thesebooks and I'm like, obviously I haven't

(32:55):
gotten any powers yet, butwhen I read these books, I'm like,
hello? But when I read thesebooks, I'm like, yeah, like, you
know what? Like, hell, yeah.Like, people are like, oh. Like,
this wasn't. Blah, blah, blah.And this wasn't. And I'm like, literally,
like, this is how it'ssupposed to be. Like, what are you
picking this apart for? It'smad. You're worried about, oh, why
would she just go with him andshe doesn't know him. He's a dragon.

(33:17):
Like, that's. You know whatI'm saying? Like, it doesn't matter.
Who cares? You know what I'msaying? Like, we're not. This is
not real. Like, real life.Yes, we call Olivia Benson, but,
like, right now, everything isfine. So I think that's what I really,
really love about it. I'm,like, it allows me to, like, be in
that world as an adult and belike, okay, yeah, this is me. I'm.
Because I'm the main characterin any, like, book that I read. It's.
It's me. I picture me. So I'mlike, yeah, like, this is. This is

(33:39):
life. I'm living life right now.
So I would argue, okay,because I've been on weight.
Oh, God.
I'm not gonna argue youbecause I fully. I fully agree. Like,
when I Reading. When I'm inthe book, I am. I. That's why it
doesn't matter to me. Whenauthors describe a character, I'm

(34:00):
going to just make thecharacter either me or, like, somebody
I want that character to be.You could just say there's a girl,
and I'd be like, boom, gother. Like, you know what I mean?
But. But, like, okay, sobecause I'm in, like, a life transition
now, I'm getting fed all thisstuff about manifestation and, like,
getting through your. Yourmoney blocks and all this stuff.

(34:24):
And I'm following. I'm on thatside of the Internet right now, right?
And people have said so muchstuff about, like, reading books
and escaping and, like, oh,are you a witcher? Or can you do
this? And whatever. But when Isee all these manifestation girlies
talking about their life,they're just doing witchery. Like,
they're like, if you believeit enough, you could do it. Well,

(34:44):
God damn it. I want to be awitch. God damn it. I would, like,
set those in setting.
These and watch the univers.
Okay. Yes. Do I want a kinkydom billionaire? I'm setting that
intention for myself, thankyou very much.
You.
You reality. I want to be inthe Lululand.

(35:04):
Shawnee. Shawnee. There is abillionaire kinky dom out there who
is waiting to be your sugardaddy. He is waiting to be your sugar
daddy. He's gonna watch youwalk down the street one day, and
he is gonna watch you walkpast, and he's gonna watch that booty,
and then he's gonna be like,well, let me take her. Can you. Like,

(35:25):
that is reality. Yeah, youjust need to get yourself in front
of them.
Exactly.
You know, like. Like, what'sthe. I was going through this talk
about existentialism yesterdaywith my friend, and there's this
girl who keeps asking AIquestions, right? And she asked,
AI, did we discover you? Andthe AI asked her back, or did I just

(35:48):
get you to a place ofconsciousness where you could see
me, where you could perceive me?
I don't know why everyone isjust fucking around with criminator
shit right now. Did we notwatch an entire series of warnings?
So many movies, so many. Like,and then the robots, too. Like, did

(36:09):
you not iRobot? Like, did nobody.
Yes, they forgot you. Thankyou. Like, I get so mad when people
bring lifelike robots intotheir house. And I'm like. Like,
were you not raised onscience? Obviously, you didn't read
science fiction or watchscience fiction as a child. And sad
for you cuz your life sucks.But also you're dumb and that thing
one day will kill you. There'sa movie out right now called Companion

(36:31):
I have not seen. Yes, it's ahorror movie.
Is that the one with Megan Fox?
No, it's the one where the,the, I want to call her like a fembot,
but like, she's like a SophieThatcher, like a, like a, like a

(36:52):
sex doll. Basically asubservient Android built for human
companionship. Turns bloodyand violent naturally, I'm sure because
she was being mistreated bythe person who owns her and it looks
creepy as. But again, anotherexample of don't make them look human.
Yeah, don't make themsentient. Okay? Let's, let's put

(37:15):
some human fail safes in theway of technology, okay?
I don't know what's wrong.
Here's the deal, okay? I, I,this, this is a soapbox that I'm
on, okay? So in therevolution, okay, black people were
always meant to survive. AndI'm gonna need. This is the one time

(37:36):
I'm gonna need black people totake a seat, okay?
Okay.
Because. AI, let me, let mejust tell you why, okay? Let me just
tell you why, okay? Follow,follow my logic here, okay? AI, facial
recognition and everythingelse. Cannot recognize black people.
Can't see black people.
It can't tell the differencebetween us. It's not been trained
for us. And so whenever theyare trying to like spot a black.

(37:59):
You know when you see like aiRobot where the cameras up above
are following a black, like aperson on the street. They can't
do that with black people yet,okay? So we are invisible right now
to the AI, and there's allthese black people online who are
like, we are training thefirst AI model for black faces. And
I'm like, no, you're not. No,no, don't do that.

(38:20):
Leave it alone.
Leave recognized.
You know what?
This is a time in history Iwant to go back to being invisible,
okay? No DEI for me here. Yourelax. No one told you to do that.
You see what?
Just don't worry about it.

(38:45):
Let's just let the whitepeople, let's bridge ourselves with
our stupid AI right now, okay?
Reparations.
Listen, we got a win somewhere.
A win is a win.
A win is a win. Oh, my God.You know, the craziest thing about
that story is that it is truethat they did not build any of the

(39:11):
facial recognition to See,people whose skin wasn't white, you
know, that does not tell youall you need to know about racism.
Racism, that's blatant racism.That's just, like, under your skin
that you don't even know.Racist. Like, there it is. Friends,
all the engineers, not onetime tried it out on one person whose

(39:34):
skin was in any shape or form.Brown didn't try it out one time.
One of the funniest things,like, to this day, that I think is
fucking hilarious. It's likethese moments where there's no black
people involved in asituation. So my brother. My brother
was doing VFX for one of theMarvel movies, one with Jamie Foxx

(39:55):
in it. It was the one where Ithink it had, like, Dr. Octopus,
whatever.
Oh, the Spider Man.
Yeah, it was the Spider manone. Okay. So he's. He does VFX for
all those types of things. Andhe. So he was on set and he was doing
his VFX job, which is reallyboring. And the director comes up
to him and he's like, hey,man. And he's like. My brother's
like, I don't know what he'strying to ask me. He's, like, hemming

(40:16):
and hawing, like. And not. Andnot getting to the point of the question.
And he's. So finally he goes,you know, hey, Jamie Foxx went home,
you know, and so he's like.And he's not going to be on set again,
you know? And my brother'slike, like, do you need me to do
something? Whatever? And he'slike, yeah, we actually need to do
a pickup spot where JamieFoxx's hand grabs the. The. He's

(40:39):
got this, like, metal thing inhis chest, and he, like, rips it
off. In the Spider man movie,he's like, yeah, so can you stand
in and can you do that so wecan get that shot? And my brother
looked around, and that wasthe moment he realized that he was
the only black man.
Only black person. The onlyblack man who's dark enough to. Or
at all, probably, but also toPastor Jamie Fox. Oh, my God.

(41:03):
Like, oh, my gosh.
So when you see Shawnee, Ithought of you yesterday because
I watched this video, and it'sone of those videos where the. Where
the dad's like. Or the mom'slike, I ran out of printer ink for
my kids. And it's, like,showing all the different kids, you
know, and how, like, theirgenetics are just wild when they're
all mixed together. At acertain point, it's like, look at

(41:25):
this. Little brown baby. Andthen look at this one is slightly
lighter. And then look at thisone kind of looks white. And it's
like the dad was, like,probably in between your skin color
and your brother's skin color,and the mom was white. And the last
little baby just bad brightblue eyes. And he was just like.
You know, it's like one ofthose little videos that's like,
explain genetics to me. Itmade me think of you and your family

(41:47):
because you guys have.
Because everybody asked me ifwe have different dads all the time.
They're like, do you guys havedifferent dads? No, it's just. It's
just a surprise. It's just how the.
It's how the soup. How thesoup was made. Just everything.
But. But, like, the saddestpart is that, like, my older sister,
right? She's what I would calla more like Richard Brown. Right?

(42:09):
I'm like a high. Like, in the.I'm barely on the high yellow spectrum
here. And, like, she and Ilook the same. We have the same face.
We have the same everything.Like, you know, if we're standing
next to each other, we looklike sisters. Right. But people are
always like, you guys don'tlook anything alike. Right Now I

(42:29):
have another sister who's highyellow like me, who I don't look
anything alike with. Okay. Shehas a totally different face, different
body, different hair texture,everything. People are like, you
guys are twins. You're. AndI'm just like, yeah, I see what's
happening here.
Yeah, Shani. That happens withmy kids. People say Molly looks more

(42:53):
like me, and I'm like, no, shedoesn't. Because my husband is Korean,
and my daughter. One of mydaughters is my coloring, but she
has more of his features. Andthen my other daughter has more of
his. Well, neither of themhave his coloring, but closer to
his coloring, especially herskin color. She has dark brown hair
like me, but his skin color.But her features are closer to mine.

(43:17):
And they'll be like, mollylooks just like you. And I'm like,
no, she doesn't. If you put myhusband's hair color and skin color
on her, you'd be like, they'reidentical. Look at the little faces.
And I'm like, but it just.Because they only look first at,
like, the fact that we havethe same skin color, the same skin
tone, which I find veryinteresting, because people are just

(43:38):
crazy.
Yeah. Like, my mom is, like,significantly, like, lighter than
me, and, like, my sister islike, she's lighter than me as well.
But when we were Younger.Like, I. For some reason, I don't
know, something that happenswith black people sometimes is you
get older and like your skingets like lighter for some reason.
Like, when I was young, I wasreally, really dark skinned. Like

(43:59):
my mom.
We're just inside.
Listen, listen.
We're inside reading. I don'tknow why my skin hasn't tanned.
Listen, that is. That is 100%what it is, okay? Because my. My
dumbass. My. My God. Listen, Iwas a swimmer. I was like, in competitive

(44:19):
swimming. I was dark skinnedas a child. You couldn't tell me
I wasn't dark skinned. I love.I was like, yes, look at how dark
this chocolate goodness.Right? Right? And so after living
and I had a fibroid and I hadanemia and all this, right? And I'm
staying with my cousin whileI'm recovering from surgery, and
she says to me, like, oh, man,I ran out of foundation. And I go,

(44:40):
that's okay, girl. You can usemine. And she's like. She goes, shani,
we are nowhere near the samecomplexion. And I was like, that's
not true. I am dark skinned.And mind you, I'm in my late 20s
at this point, okay? And Isaid it with all the confidence in
my chest. And she stood me.
She stood me in front of a.
Mirror and stood herself infront of a mirror. And she said,

(45:03):
shawnee, look at you and lookat me. And when I tell you the existential
crisis that hit me, I said, who.
The fuck is that?
That's a white woman.
Oh, my God.
I lost.
It's the goddamn sun. Youprobably did have much richer, darker
skin.

(45:25):
Yeah. You know what? It really is?
Yep.
Cause even now, but too now,like in the winter, I'm like, this
is not me. Like, I don whothis is, but this girl is not me,
okay? I'm away for the sun tocome. Like, I get so pale and I'm
like, no. Like, I don't. Idon't know who's staring back in
this mirror, but it's not me.

(45:51):
Then you got to really rely onyour curls. You're like girls, you're
holding. You're holding ittogether. I have my black card by
the.
Skin of my teeth.
Oh, my God, you guys. I spentan hour last night just watching
braiding videos. I love them.I find them so therapeutic. Would
I ever want to have to do thatall the time for my own hair?

(46:13):
No.
Because I was not raised withthat. And so I'd never had to do
it, and so I would not havethe patience. However, I would want
to braid other people's hairbecause that, to me is their. I'm
like, let me just sit thereall day. Just. First of all, next
one, I did Bridget.
I just wanted. I just want totell you, I threw Bridget in the
deep end. She didn't know Iwas going to do this. I needed my

(46:34):
hair done. Done for somereason. I can't remember why, but
I. So I just brought a bag of,like, hair, and she was visiting
in.
La and she showed up with abag, and I was like, can you do my
hair? And I was like, sure.
Literally, I was like, can youcrochet this in? I know you never
crocheted anything orwhatever, but I think you just hook
it through. I had never crocheted.
Crocheted.
Just FYI. I watched. I watchedtwo YouTube videos, and she's like,

(46:56):
I'm in town for a couplehours. Why don't you come hang out
with me? I show up with thisbag of hair, and I'm like, could
you just try to figure out howto crochet this in the next two hours?
That is so turned out goodconsidering the first time I've ever
done it.
Yeah, crocheting is, like.It's not hard once you get a hang
of it, but, like, to. To justgo in. I crochet, like, my hair.

(47:18):
And like, that for that firsttime was rough. So, you know, props
to you.
Well, the funny thing also,like, my kids were there, and so
my kids are like, you know,like natural little kids. And also,
they've known Shani theirwhole lives, and so they're, like,
wanting to touch her. I waslike, don't. Don't touch black people's
hair without asking. And thenI was like, actually, just don't

(47:38):
touch black people's hair. AndShani was like this. Good parenting.
Unless they invite you. Leavetheir hair.
Yes. Got to teach them young.
Oh, my God. So funny. Amanda,we could talk to you all day. I feel
like we could all be bestfriends if we lived in the same city.
I agree.
But sadly, we do not tell thepeople where they can find you. What

(48:00):
is your TikTok and Instagram?
My TikTok is Amanda, pleaseone. Please do not get that mistaken
with Amanda, please, becausethat is my main account. And there's
not books. There's just a lotof crazy. But feel free, you know,
if you want to follow me onthere too, feel free. And then on
Instagram, my bookstagram isAmanda's book club. Underscore. Underscore.

(48:21):
Because they wouldn't Let mejust put one underscore.
Someone else had the oneunderscore. So you had to be.
I'm like, I was looking forher too. I'm like, where is this
at? But I didn't find her.
My maiden name. I never hadanyone who had the same maiden name
as globally, and that's notvery common. And when I moved to

(48:44):
Bridget Chun, I was like,because my husband's Korean, I was
like, well, there's not goingto be very Korean Bridgets. Like,
that would be crazy ifthere's. And there is someone who
has Bridget Chunky on Gmail.And I remember being like. I wanted
to email them and be like, whoare you? I thought I would be the
only one, but I didn't becauseit's called self restraint. Dear

(49:07):
listeners, make sure that yougo follow Amanda and check out all
of her hilarious videos thatshe's making. And if you're in New
York, you can go and hang outwith her at the Oath Found. Which
bookstore is that at?
Liz's Book Bar.
At Liz's Book Bar, you can gofor the midnight screening. Or screening.
It's not a screening, it's abook. The midnight party. Lunch party
of Oathbound. And as always,until next time, may your books be

(49:30):
your lover and your.
Hand your best friend. Yeah,thanks for hanging in with us, romance
readers. Head over toInstagram to continue chatting with
us. We're super friendly. Wewant to cackle with you. We want
to know what your favorite sexscene was, and we need more book
recommendations. If you wantto read along with us, go to our
website, romanceataglance.comto see what we're reading next. And

(49:53):
we'll see you next podcast.

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