We Read Smut: Bookish Conversations for Romance Readers

With vampire romance surging in popularity, how do you take a classic paranormal creature and flip the rulebook completely on its head? Today, I am joined by North Carolina romance author and event host Melissa Simone to break down her unique paranormal universe. We discuss her novel The Vampire Reversal, where a 400-year-old vampire actively seeks a way out of immortality through genuine, uncompelled human connection.

We also get i...

With over a decade in the publishing industry, romance author and literary agent Sade Rena has navigated nearly every corner of the business. Today, I sit down with Sade to discuss the reality of author burnout after publishing 20 books in three years, the collaborative mechanics of co-authoring with close friends, and the transition from indie control to landing a traditional two-book deal with Forever. 

We also explore how wr...

Connecting with long-time romance readers brings such a deep understanding of genre conventions to the podcast. This week, I am sitting down with Jessica P. Pryde to discuss her transition from public librarian and Book Riot editor to founder of the Why Choose Pop-Up Romance Bookstore. We talk about the importance of curating shelves filled with systemically excluded voices, how to combat the algorithm by reading intentionally, and...

What does it take to direct a play, write television sitcom specs, and transition into creating vibrant Black rom-com universes? Today, I am sitting down with Los Angeles-based romance author Monique Fisher to discuss her artistic journey, her theater and playwriting roots, and why she is never precious about scrapping full manuscripts when the story isn’t hitting the mark.

We get into the craft lessons of sitcom writing, why ...

Today on the podcast, we have a very special treat: our first man on the show, and someone who writes deeply authentic, Black queer M/M romance! I am sitting down with author and higher education administrator Frederick Smith to discuss his seven-novel journey, writing queer love stories set across California, and navigating a full-time university career alongside a prolific writing schedule.

We dive into the importance of own voice...

There is something so delicious about the "he falls first" romance trope. This week, I am sitting down with my friend Aimee from Curvy Girls Read Romance for a trope deep dive into down-bad heroes, pining, and why this trope shines so brightly in plus-size romance. We discuss body neutrality vs. body positivity in bookish spaces, moving past 2000s media toxicity, and why we will never get tired of heroes who fall fast and hard for ...

What happens when a Hollywood screenwriter and director steps out of the writer's room to write her very first fiction novel? Today, I am sitting down with screenwriter, director, and author Laura Chinn to talk about her debut novel, Counting the Days. We get into what it's really like transitioning from TV sitcom writer's rooms to solo novel writing, pre-midlife anxiety surrounding fertility and reproductive timelines, healing inn...

If you've been listening to this podcast for any length of time, you know how much I love showcasing queer authors, queer stories, and sapphic romance. Today, we get a special bonus as I sit down with Sam Saldivar (Samantha Saldivar), a queer Latina author who writes high-stakes sapphic sports romance. We dive into the nitty-gritty of traditional publishing, navigating a surprise four-manuscript backlog, pitching authentic Latina r...

Trend readership is a fascinating topic, especially when readers enter a new genre without understanding the underlying character arcs or structural conventions. This week, I am sitting down with multi-genre indie author Aya Winter to break down what happens when hype-driven reading trends take over the fantasy and romantasy spaces. We dive into the hero’s journey, why readers confuse long-standing genre conventions with plag...

Let's talk about the absolute chaos demon that these librarians' love lives are. This week, I am sitting down with Gabriella Gamez to talk all about her Librarians in Love series. We dive into her books The Next Best Fling, Kiss Me Maybe, and her brand-new release, Second First Dates. Gabby shares her journey navigating traditional publishing, the intentional choices behind writing ace, graysexual, and demisexual characters, and ho...

What started as a simple vision to mobilize the bookish community has turned into an entire movement aiming to pull one million people together to read books by Black authors. In this special bonus episode, I am sitting down with Crystal, the founder and force behind Melanated Reader Forte. We dive into her One Million Black Books initiative, what it actually means to live in a post-literate society, how fast-forwarding through con...

Who says that romance is only for able-bodied or thin characters? In this episode, Northern Virginia romance author Katie Duggan joins the microphone to look at how we can take regular contemporary romance tropes and subvert them to center fat, neurodivergent, disabled, and queer representation.

We discuss her journey from high school creative writing magazine editor to falling into the romance genre during lockdown, how she uses he...

If you read across genres and love picking apart the deeper mechanics of a story, this conversation is for you. This week, I am sitting down with Alyssa, the brilliant host of the Stories & Spoilers podcast. As a self-proclaimed mood reader who hops from dark romance and monster smut to Indigenous horror and graphic novels, Alyssa brings a beautifully diverse perspective to the reading community. 

We dive into how our readi...

How much do your childhood experiences or the way you were raised dictate the choices you make as an adult? This week, I am sitting down with the incredible Regina Black, author of The Art of Scandal and her latest paperback release, August Lane. Regina has a masterful way of creating fully fleshed characters who make deeply human, interesting choices based entirely on their past structures. We discuss how growing up on daytime soa...

Making new friends as an adult is notoriously difficult, and when your primary hobby is reading high-heat romance novels, it can feel even harder to find your people. As an introvert who gets overstimulated quickly, the thought of trying to build a community through endless social media scrolling can feel exhausting. In this solo season premiere, I am breaking down easy, low-pressure ways to find bookish friends who match your ener...

Organizing your bookshelves or Kindle starting to feel chaotic? In this Season 3 finale, I’m taking you behind the scenes of how I organize my physical and digital romance library without making it a full-time job.

We’re talking sapphic shelves, BIPOC-only shelves, signed books, Kindle collections, Handy Library, StoryGraph, and how it all works together so I stop double-buying books and always know what to read next.

Reconnecting with your creative identity after a massive life shift is challenging, especially when that shift is motherhood. Today, I am talking with debut author Adrienne Thurman about her new contemporary rom-com, Don't Tell Me How It Ends. We have an incredibly honest conversation regarding the isolation of the first year of parenting, processing postpartum depression, and how navigating those heavy phases of life can actually ...

Second chance romance has been testing my boundaries lately. After years of avoiding the trope, I am finally seeing the appeal of a hard-earned reunion. Today, I sit down with Swati Hegde to discuss her new book, Love Beyond Reasonable Doubt. We explore the sharp tension of the courtroom, the massive differences between the Indian and US legal systems, and the importance of writing neurodivergent leads with depth and soul. 

Swa...

The billionaire trope is a staple in romance, but what happens when the hero decides he doesn't actually want the money? Today, I’m talking with Marina Hill about her journey from writing fanfiction to crafting intricate stories that challenge genre standards. We discuss the anti-billionaire lead in Royal Pain, the vital importance of representing undiagnosed chronic pain, and why the enemies-with-benefits trope remains undef...