Romancing the Story: Writing Romance, Storytelling, and Book Structure

"My therapist and I talk all the time about how the support system you have and where you're at (in life) totally dictates how you handle recovery."

Romance Author Thea Claire portrays realistic recovery from addiction in her novels and how resilience shapes character arcs, emotional truths, and heals trauma. We explore the track of her own recovery and the importance of community, pushing through setbacks, and the im...

"You want to (write dark themes) in a way that's sensitive and include the dark content but also consider the impact." 

Sarah Hawley, USA Today Bestselling Author, writes dark fantasy worldbuilding that makes rebellion feel inevitable and magic feel consequential, a drastic shift from her lighter rom-coms. Focusing on her high fantasy series, we discuss creating believable rebellion arcs, designing a dark narrative th...

"One thing I love about the romance genre is that you're allowed to have those big, emotional moments....without apology."

Romance Author and former Hallmark creative producer, Bryn Donovan discusses the charming and humorous moments that arise with miscommunication in romcoms, the challenges of a love that transcends time, and the heartwarming journey that led to her novel being published and made into a mo...

"...each enneagram has a really unhealthy bar all the way up to a healthy bar. So for me, it's 'where did my character start on the bar?' and 'how do I get them to a healthy place of the enneagram through the story?'..."

USA Today Bestselling Author Krystal Shannan explains how the Enneagram can shape believable motivations, conflicts, and arcs to make characters unforgettable. We explore...

"For (the politican couple), it's almost a negotiation -  I know what I want. Are you able to give it to me? And just having that back and forth."

Romance Author Alicia Wilder created a not-so-secret, forced proximity romance set in Washington DC with likeable characters to boot in My Secret Vice. She walked through the process of toeing the line between politics and passion and talks about building a West W...

"...if I want readers to be able to identify with the character then I want them to be able to identify with the illness specifically...I can't be ashamed to put the name (of illness) on the page."

Romance author Cara Dion knows writing through the pain of chronic illness is not just about the physical aspects but touches ever part of her life. We chat her experience with chronic illness, the way it affects ...

"I think initially planning it out was kind of difficult. Only because...(the writer) is very descriptive. She says she can't draw, but in my mind, (they) just do it differently. (Writers) do it with words."

USA Today Bestselling Author C.A. Szarek collaborated with comic artist Gilbert Perez to create an illustrated version of her romantic fantasy novel. Chrissy provides the writer's perspective of how...

"....(Screenwriting) is, to me, a lot more puzzle-like than novels...if somebody gives me a screenplay to read that is 140 pages, I know it doesn't work."

Award-winning author Emily Roberson explores the intricacies of adaptation as she delves into how to write compelling scripts. From options as an author to translating a story to the screen, Emily shares insights, challenges, and plenty of examples. Whethe...

"As a romance fan, we couldn't get anybody or any of the networks to buy into....(or) pay to make these adaptations, and so we started our own streaming platform..."

Tosca Musk, CEO and founder behind streaming service Passionflix, takes proper time, care, and effort to make a romance book into a movie for the fans. We chat determining what role she takes in each production, the power of delegating and getti...

"...and if you create this single story for a people of a certain historically, marginalized identities; you know, that gets taken by readers and it gets inside of them in ways we might not expect or intend to..."

Award-winning author Alex Temblador commitment to diverse storytelling helped create a tool to authentically write and edit a character whose identity differs. We delve into the art of authentically wri...

"...Introducing family shows a different side (to the character) and allows the character to be a little more well-rounded in the way they interact..."

Writing instructor and multi-genre author, Amber Royer, encounters the challenges and surprises of introducing new characters with her Bean to Bar Cozy Mystery Series. She even touched on understating off-page characters until authors know the dynamics they presen...

"It's been fun to kinda see (Melissa's writing) evolve also in the narration I have done for her....her stories get better and better with time. It's the same with narration too."

Romance author Melissa Whitney Author and narrator Harlow Wilde are a dynamic duo when it comes to audiobooks. We discuss the changing production process of each book, what to expect creating an audiobook, and working tog...

"If you're just starting out, I personally would recommend waiting (to invest in audiobooks) until you have a full series that...is selling well. ...If the series isn't working, you're not going to know that until the series has been out for a while."

As an author and narrator, Karen White knows what it takes to get into listening ears. We discuss her passion for audiobooks with the creation of Hom...

"I try to write really fierce, headstrong characters...but at the same time, it's ok to be vulnerable. It's ok to say I don't have all the answers."

Author Kimberly Packard lovingly calls women's fiction the "trash can punch" genre since it has a little bit of everything, and while her characters and novels run the gamut within the genre, the emotional arcs that keep readers invested...

"If it feels like I'm trying to force something...that's usually when I know to kinda let go. Either set it down or hold it with an open hand and see what happens. Whatever happens with it, let that be. "

Amy Kelly, the new leader at Lone Star Literary Life, shares her unique journey as an author, podcaster and literary advocate to enrich both Texans and other authors. We explore how previous experience...

"There's this living in alignment, in integrity, and I don't like to do things out of alignment...and this is an area that has some consequences."

Bestselling Author, Tedx Speaker, and therapist, Marcy Pusey helped me delve into the ethical use of AI in the creative process - pros and cons. She illuminates how AI operates with creative recycling and what questions authors should ask when considering its...

"(It) started as a blog, Unleashing the Next Chapter, to document my stroke recovery and unleashing is a nod to the fact that I had just gotten Gizmo (service dog)...to (now) having a boutique marketing agency..."

Kathryn McClatchy is an authorpreneur and consultant who lived two distinct lives: one before strokes and one after. She reveals what it took to rebuild a life in the aftermath of multiple strokes and ...

"....Whenever you are going to write disability or anytime you're going to write outside of your lived experience, first you have to ask yourself: Do you already platform and support this community?"

As a romance writer with a disability, Melissa Whitney writes fantastic HEAs for non-typical protagonists - who have disabilities and neurodivergences. In the discussion, we explore the nuances of creating authe...

"...I certainly hope that (this book) reaches the people who do, for one reason or another, feel that the world has just been so unfair to them and why can't it pick on somebody else for once..."

After both her parents died, Courtney penned those tragedies into a debut book, When Happily Ever After Fails. In the book, she proves all tragedies can be rewritten, and happiness can bloom where you least expect i...