Zipless
A (sometimes spicy) podcast for romance lovers and listeners. Women have been reading and writing about romance for centuries. But what was once considered a scandalous and secretive pastime, the romance novel has now burst proudly onto the open market. In fact, romance novels account for nearly a quarter of all adult print fiction sold in the United States. And with more and more women listening to romance books, it also matters how these books sound. Hosted by Allie Martina, a professional romance novel narrator, Zipless explores how the language of romance is shaped by writers and narrators, and asks what is it about forbidden love, age gaps, love triangles, friends to lovers, and steamy sex scenes that women find so timelessly appealing. Do romance novels offer windows into the lives women want, or mirror the lives they already have? Can narration, depth of a male voice, or cadence in artistic performance affect a romantic scene? When it comes to the language of love, can the romance novel finally take words long considered shameful and flip them into words of empowerment? In interviews with bestselling romance authors including Evie Dunmore, Sara Cate, Sierra Simone, Stephanie Archer, Xio Axelrod, and more, Zipless explores how romance novels change and reflect women's lives on and off the page. And in one-of-a-kind cameos appearances, professional actor and romance novel narrator Gideon Frost joins Allie in exploring how performance, delivery, and the language of romance can impact the hearts and minds of an audience. For more information about the show, guests, and forums to share your thoughts, go to ziplesspodcast.com Zipless is produced by Allie Martina and Jill Ruby. Listener discretion advised.
Episodes
Why are we drawn to reading about stories that would terrify us in real life? New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver joins us to talk about dark romance, desire, vigilante killers, and why the things that scare us in real life can become irresistible in fiction.
Author Emma Alban joins us to talk about her latest book Like in Love with You, a sapphic rivals-to-lovers regency romance that begs the question: What if Cady and Regina just kissed? (IYKYK)
In this special episode Allie and Gideon narrate an original meet-cute to life written by Kate Cole as a love letter to romance lovers and listeners everywhere. Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo Zipless
Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone are best friends who realllly know how to celebrate Christmas - and each other. Writing partners for over a decade, Julie and Sierra join us to talk about late night writing sessions, spicy love in Christmas Notch, and their upcoming release Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl. (Oh, and pie. Lots and lots of pie.)
Slow burn? Smooth voice? Stealing flirty glances in front of a crowd of thousands? Yes, please! And then I'll take an encore. Kate Golden, author of If Not For My Baby, joins us to talk about her new rock star romance and the beauty of falling in love on and off the stage.
In her Luna Sisters series, USA Today bestselling author Liana De La Rosa turns Victorian England on its head infusing it with Mexican history and fierce women who rewrite the rules of love. Liana joins us to talk about how culture, intention, and a little flirtation can shape love and connection.
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Netflix's summer blockbuster series The Hunting Wives has captivated audiences on screen but its roots are on the page. May Cobb, bestselling author of sultry suspense novels including The Hunting Wives, A Likeable Woman and The Hollywood Assistant, joins us to talk about writing sexy, complicated, and morally questionable women - whether we like them, or not.
Description highlights:
- The Netflix ...
"The language of romance has a code." Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, has written over a hundred romance novels - more than 50 of which have been named New York Times bestsellers. Jayne joins us to break down the 'code' of romance novels, their unifying themes, and why these books are so timelessly appealing to women.
In this episode of Zipless, Allie Ma...
Love is love. But sometimes your first love makes your heart beat fastest. Ashley Herring Blake joins us to talk about her latest book Dream On, Ramona Riley; first dates, first kisses, and how the most romantic stories are born when lovers are true to themselves.
Whether it's through words or wands, falling in love and sharing the burdens of life with someone you love and trust is a power we all wish to possess. Romantasy author LJ Andrews joins us to talk about how the fight for romance - spoken or otherwise - is always magic.
A great romance novel knows how to deliver the fantasy of a perfect relationship and the reality of one. Author Xio Axlerod joins us to talk about how she balances dreamy boyfriends with the gritty reality of what makes relationships work.
Dark themed romances can take readers through some pretty hairy situations, but the scariest scenes involve affairs of the heart. Authors Jennifer Hartmann and Chelley St Clair, two experts at breaking your heart and putting it back together, join us to talk about how the best dark romances can balance scaring us to death with a really good cry.
Whether we're getting cozy with a paperback or escaping with an audiobook, we love all types of romance novels. In our first interview in front of a live audience, Allie and fellow romance novel narrators Samantha Brentmoor, Gideon Frost, and Robert Hatchet break down the art of romance narration at the most iconic romance bookstore in town.
Want Zipless in person? We're recording our show live at The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn, NY on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7:00pm.
Guests include romance novel narrators Gideon Frost, Samantha Brentmoor, and Robert Hatchet.
Go to ziplesspodcast.com or therippedbodice.com/events for ticket info!
Grumpy hot shots? Charming playboys? Lovable cinnamon rolls? Book boyfriends come in all shapes and sizes, and discovering the traits we like in our leading characters may help us find out which ones we like in real life. Stephanie Archer, a rom-com queen and author of hot, funny romances including the spicy hockey series "Vancouver Storm" joins us to talk about how the search for 'your person' is at the heart of all of her books...
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