Romancing the Story: Writing Romance, Storytelling, and Business of Books

"We kinda get hit with these overnight success stories, whether it's a writer or anyone...but what I think we don't hear about as much is the actual real toil and grind and rejection that goes into so many books and to being an author."

Author Megan Tady put a lot of editing and querying into her debut, Super Bloom, and has the book to prove it! We discuss why the story of hope, grief, and starting a-ne...

"The city is a beautiful backdrop for (character's) to live their lives in. Whereas in a small town, it's really part of the story."

Romance author E.F. Dodd holds a special place in her heart for rural settings and even set her latest book, A Higher Standard, in a small North Carolina town. We chat how specific settings influence your story and tone of a book. Plus, there's discussion on how to av...

"(For erotica) You have to have an escalation for how the s*x scenes build on each other, in that sense of things getting more and more serious."

Cassandra Rose Clarke knows how to play with genres. She teaches writing classes across multiple genres and has written over 70 novels - working with official tie-in books like Star Trek, Halo, etc. We chat on what defines an erotica as opposed to a romance - and how la...

"If (writers) have a problem...we want to help you target that and take actionable steps. One step at a time chunks so that you can actually move forward right away."

Megan Haskell keeps author's stories rolling. Co-host of the Author Wheel podcast and fantasy writer, Megan delves into the importance of structuring writing time and finding the right fit for telling your story. We discuss popular resources Th...

"You can have the emotion, the angst, and the personal intimate details of a romance, but you can also have the cerebral part of a mystery and solving clues..."

Award-winning author Diane Kelly had a natural progression from romance writer to cozy mystery writer, and she's been mixing genres ever since. She discusses the difference between concocting a murder mystery and building a romantic connection in a s...

"Write like a Reader. If you don't wanna read it, don't write it."

USA Today Bestselling Author Lauren Smith has written 75 books in 8 years - spanning multiple sub-genres in romance. She fully understands the trials and tribulations that come with branding yourself under one author name, as well as using a pen name for a different sub-genre. She talks about pros and cons in writing different sub-genres...

"You can bend the rules, but you need to know what they are first."

USA Today Bestselling author Jennifer Hilt loves a good trope. So much so that she's written several books about it! In working with authors as a plotter and concept creator, she created and wrote the Trope Thesaurus, a writing reference book to help identify tropes and strengthen stories.

Kickstarter for The Trope Thesaurus: Roman...

Author Lark Green might be a nurse during the day, but she writes steamy monster romance at night. To deal with the stress of her job and a global crisis, she started writing her own HEA stories. She set a goal to have her debut, The Orc Boss, written and published in a year - all while working full-time in the medical field!

We chat about what her process looked like and what she learned in her first foray into monster r...

WRITE WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU WRITE.

That's Holly Lyn Walrath's motto. Holly is a writer, poet, editor, and publisher of Interstellar Flight Press and always finds new ways to challenge her writing. Her creativity allows her to think outside the box with poems and short stories; along with numerous methods on getting unstuck. She teaches writing workshops and shares knowledgeable tips for helping writers of ...

Writing instructor and multi-genre author, Amber Royer, understands the heart of what makes a cozy mystery the perfect comfort read - community, characters, a little romance and a dash of murder mystery. She has done vast research on chocolate, occupations, and furry friends to bring her latest series - Bean to Bar - to life.

Plus, we have an honest discussion about charting out romance subplots in a series and handling th...

It's always a good time to set goals! Writer, speaker, and social media consultant Kathryn McClatchy knows how to create and hit achievable goals. She'shelped many authors create realistic goals and objectives for their stage of life - and put the right timeframes in place.

We'll be talking all things goal-oriented. No matter if you are looking to level up your business, writing, or hobbies, we break down wh...

Shayla Raquel is an author, self publishing mentor, speaker, editor, wifey, and dog mom. She's been helping authors on their publishing journey for over a decade and has writing tips to spare!

We chat all things NaNoWriMo and how writers can get invested in any stage of the word count. As a former NaNo winner, Shayla divulges her current methods and tools that set her up for success. Plus, teach you how to apply the ...

Freya Marske dazzles readers with her immersive worlds and has the credentials to show for it! She's an international bestselling author, winner of the Romantic Novel Award for Fantasy, and a Hugo-nominated podcaster.

She discusses methods in building meticulous, literary worlds readers want to lose themselves in and how to balance a story that does so much with its premise - think Edwardian Knives Out on a boat!  We...

Patrice Caldwell holds many esteemed titles already -  children’s book editor, literary agent,  Forbes’s “30 Under 30” media list, and Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree - and she hold a distinct passion for uplifting diverse voices in the publishing industry.

She discusses the process of pitching, curating, and editing a YA paranormal romance anthology - titled Eternally Yours - with fifteen of today’s bestselling write...

Kayla Grosse started off writing scripts but found her calling as a bestselling author of romance. Her rockstar romance, I Like You Like That, is hitting all the right chords with an empowered plus-size heroine and a sizzling love story.

We get real about plus-size representation in media, the influences behind her empowering female protagonist and writing a character that embodies confidence and knows her worth - regardle...

It's all about tropes! Aimee Walker is a new author and qualified editor - providing all levels of editorial services to authors of romance and women's fiction with clients across four continents. Pulling from her knowledge, clients and resources, she created a top trope book that gamifies tropes found in your favorite contemporary romances. We talk on the importance of tropes and how they cannot be underestimated in roma...

LJ Keys is an intuitive woman of many talents - writer, poet, and tarot reader. Over the years, it has become clearer where she should be in her spiritual journey. Part of the journey is helping writers with their writing through tarot! She provides a tarot reading for my characters to show how tarot can be used as a writer's tool and how to structure and interpret tarot for writing.

Connect with LJ:
https://thekeystothesou...

Eight books into her Highlander Time-Travel series, USA Today Bestselling Author C.A. Szarek is well-acquainted with the trope. She divulges the interest in Scotland that worked its way into her series and creating (and breaking) your own rules as a writer in a sub-genre based in magic.

How does she keep track of all the HEAs in a Highlander family tree and how all the books are inter-connected? So far, she tracks mentall...

Professional book blurb writer and coach, Jessie Cunniffe joined the show for a second time to walk through a blurb audit with two voluntary blurbs - one a women's fiction and the other a spicy romance. She talks through the highs and revisions of the blurbs to help gain more readers.

Whether you're working on the blurb for a new release or looking to revise from your backlist, Jessie will help you find the right...