This week, my guest is Emily Henry, whose new romance Book Lovers is out this past week! We talk about slow burns, book tour, puppies, the inspiration for the lead character, Nora, and the Icy City Ex Girlfriend Trope. Thank you to Ann_Knee, Clairatrix, and the enthusiastic members of the Culture Study Discord’s romance channel who were very excited about this interview alongside me. And thank you to publicist Heather Mill who set the interview up. ... Music: purple-planet.com

This week, Amanda and I catch up on a whole bunch of things, including college visits, airboats, and dating! We also have listener email, including recommendation requests and compliments galore! I know some of y’all love the episodes where Amanda and I hang out and talk books and everything, so if you like this one, let me know? Email, comment, tweet at me, whatever - if you’re into these episodes, let me know! CW/TW: discussion of needles in the first 10 minutes. Also: my dogs barked a...

Jess Michaels is celebrating the release of her 100th book, 100 Nights with the Duke! That’s a lot of books, and a long career of close to 20 years! We talk about how she’s celebrating this milestone, and we take a look back at how her experience of the romance industry has evolved over two decades. Along the way we cover: * Commemorative tattoos * The biggest changes she’s experienced in her career * How romance readership has evolved * Finding your own compass to guide your business CW:...

Authors Lucy Eden and Katee Robert join me to talk about their very successful Kickstarter campaigns! Lucy’s is currently running and is fully funded: https://bit.ly/EdenKSLoveNotes Katee is in the midst of fulfillment of her Kickstarter, which was fully funded in about five minutes. We talk about why they went with Kickstarter, the essential elements of a successful campaign, and what they’ve learned from the experience so far. ... Music: Purple-planet.com

This is part two of the special crossover event with Bonkers Romance as we recap of A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon. Part one with me, Melody and Jenny is over at Bonkers Romance, so hello and welcome Bonkers Romance listeners! I’m so happy to have you here today! Be Ye Warned - this episode is extremely nsfw and is a recap of the second half of the book, so spoilers indeed. Also, yes, my brain cannot hold on to "Rooksgrave Hall" vs "Rooksgrave Manor." Apologies.  … Music:...

Jesse Q. Sutanto joins me today to talk about the release of Four Aunties and a Wedding, and we talk about all the wedding drama we’ve experienced from behind the scenes and as guests. We talk about weddings with thousands of guests, runaway brides, cultural clashes and the weight of wedding expectations. I would love to know: Do you have a wedding drama story? Did you witness some serious nuptial shenanigans? Please tell me all about it!  ... Music: purple-planet.com ... Special...

My guest today is author Farah Heron, whose latest book, Kamila Knows Best, is an updated spin on the Jane Austen classic Emma! Along the way we talk about: Updating a unique, challenging character Addressing the age gap between the characters The importance of hot wet saris Curly hair care techniques Lipstick recommendations What are your favorite Emma retellings? And what are your go-to lip color recommendations? ... Music: purple-planet.com

My guest today is Jane Buehler, author of The Forest Bride and The Village Maid. I have several favorite parts of this conversation, including our discussion of cozy fantasy, addressing and undoing misconceptions about sex in romance, and sourdough starters and bread making. So fantasy, writing, sex, and bread. Several excellent topics!  What about you? What have you learned or unlearned from sex in romance? Do you have a sourdough starter? What’s its name? Do you like cozy...

My guest today is Kate Spencer, author and host of the podcast Forever 35. Her new book, In a New York Minute, is out this week, and y’all, this book was so charming and fun. In this conversation, we talk about: * Vulnerability * Projecting narratives onto strangers * Vintage rom-coms She’s a romance fan, and a rom-com fan, and we had a lot of fun.  ... What about you? What is your favorite vintage rom com? Or not vintage! What stories have your very favorite portrayal of...

It’s episode 501 - onward toward a thousand! I start with mini interviews with Shana and Elyse, and then Amanda and I have more listener email, questions, recommendations, and many, many jokes. Yay! Thank you for celebrating with us! ... Key Questions: What should we do for our next merch opportunity? What SBTB phrases have stuck with you? What is the best kind of French fry? Email: [email protected] Voicemail: +1 201 371 3272 - leave a message! ... Our music in this episode is a...

We did it! It’s episode 500! Amanda and I have email and recommendations, your absolute favorite books, weird questions, and a LOT of mayhem. Plus mini interviews with Shana, Tara, Carrie & Elyse. There are so many great questions, clips, and conversations, you guessed it, there will be two episodes celebrating all the fun.  ... KEY QUESTIONS: What would you do in the wasp/hair/bus situation? What’s the worst commute you’ve ever had? What would an AI generate for your industry...

Jeff and Will from The Big Gay Fiction Podcast are joining me for the Sweet Dreams Recap of book #9, Cover Girl by Yvonne Green. This cover, y’all. And inside! We have a rather gross boyfriend, and an even worse mom, and nature nerds!  This is undoubtedly one of the greatest Sweet Dreams cover of them all. TW/CW: Chapter 10 is a little upsetting. ... Music: purple-planet.com

Happy Valentine’s Week! Amanda and I have voicemail messages, updates on tattoos, book and lip balm recommendations, and more! Come hang out with us and nosh on all that half price candy. What candy are you buying? Thank you to Nancy, Claudia, Jimmy, StylinsonBirds, Leslie, and Ann! … Music: purple-planet.com Show notes:

It’s part II of our recap of The Invisible Goddess by AC Dawn, a retelling of the myth of Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. Have you read it? Did you like it?  I have some things to tell you! A NEW PODCAST! I’m co-hosting LoveStruck Daily with Alisha Rai! LoveStruck Daily is a new podcast from iHeartRadio produced by Frolic Media that will deliver a true love story and those HEA feels every weekday. Our first episodes are out - we hope you like them! … Music: purple-planet.com

Melody is back! Some of our most popular episodes are our crossovers with Heaving Bosoms, and we have a new one for you! We read The Invisible Goddess by AC Dawn, a retelling of the myth of Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. We had a LOT to talk about, so I’ve divided this into two episodes. Here in episode one, we’ll recap about half the story, and you’ve got options! You can read the story (it’s not long) before episode two if you like.

I follow Vanessa North on Instagram and after she posted a picture of her first completed project of 2022, I had to talk to her about knitting. So of course we also talk about gender, crafting, raising fearless trans teenagers, photography, and writing romance. Plus book recs, as always. LPT: Always Buy Extra Buttons! ... Music: purple-planet.com

Amanda and I catch up on her “lots of things to look forward to” plan, which now includes things that were done! We talk about anxiety, therapy, angsty books, trimming your own bangs, and we have book and video game recs, plus new year’s wishes from Elyse, Pudding, and Jane B! Do you like angsty books? Are there books that help you feel things cathartically? … Music: purple-planet.com

Time to deep dive into another classic YA Romance: Sweet Dreams #7, Green Eyes by Suzanne Rand. Julie has a problem with the green-eyed monster, and it lasts for a lot of pages. We’ve got: Insecure teenagers Swim team! Yet Another Teen Hangout with a Fun Name Just Talk to Each Other for Goodness’ Sake Join me as I struggle. Seriously, it’ll be fun. NB: I misread “Chip” as “Chuck” but they’re the same person. (**headdesk**) Music: purple-planet.com

My guest this week is Olivia Dade! We had such a good time talking about fan supercuts, watching shows through gifsets, Game of Thrones spoilers, and writing characters with ADHD and learning disabilities. Highlight: we discover a vintage ship we have in common and we exclaim at each other. Thank you to Rachel, Alanna, and Kelly from the Patreon community for some of the questions in this episode!

Amanda and I are saying goodbye to 2021, and looking ahead to 2022! We talk about exciting things coming in January, including the 17th anniversary of Smart Bitches, plus we talk about books that got us through 2021. Super bonus: we’ve got messages from Tara, Catherine, Sneezy, and Martin who have book recs, wishes for the new year, and lots and lots of jokes. This episode is our New Year’s wish for you: stay safe and happiest new year to you wherever you are.

It’s time to recap Sweet Dreams #6, California Girl by Janet Quin-Harkin, also known as Rhys Bowen! Jennie is a swimmer with her eyes on the Olympics, and Mark is a grumpy loner on crutches who sketches Jennie one day in the cafeteria. We’ve got: Overbearing sports parents Snark about Texas drivers Homesickness Lots and lots of swimming Learning to set boundaries Dreamy grumpy artist hero! Alas, CW/TW for ableist language and anti-fat bias in the book, which is very lightly skimmed...

My guest this week is Nalini Singh! I have reader questions from our Patreon community and publicist and past podcast guest Erin Galloway about Archangel’s Light, Nalini's latest release. We cover writing multiple series at the same time. We also talk about fan art, which she absolutely loves, and about reading slumps - and how to escape them. Thank you to Ann, C, Varian, and Erin for the questions! 

This week, we have lots to talk about! First, some of y’all wrote fantastic epilogues to the very unsatisfying ending of Princess Amy, recapped in episode 486, and I share my ideas, too. Then, it’s time for Sweet Dreams 5, Little Sister. We’ve got: Big Misunderstandings Plot Points that were in the cover copy so they’re not that dramatic Snarky sister fights Really loving and supportive, thoughtful parents And Drama Kids! Lots of ‘em! Thank you to jfhobbit, Malaraa, and Kara for the...

Julia Quinn joins me to talk about The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton, a new release collecting quotes about the different characters, plus new commentary from Lady Whistledown. We talk about picking up Lady W’s pen after 20 years, looking back on the original series, her most embarrassing moment from high school, and the joyful romance fans in Brazil. At about 42:00 in, we talk about her recent loss of her father and sister. Thank you to Katerine, Crystal, Rhonda, Katherine, Agnes, Kelly,...