In this month’s bonus episode, Bianca interviews writer, journalist, and author Fiona Barton. They discuss the resounding success of Fiona's debut, The Widow, and its unique journey to publication; the editing process with her agent; the transition from journalism to writing fiction; why Fiona included a prologue in her latest thriller, Talking to Strangers and what she wants readers to take from it; and the social commentary in the novel. After which, Bianca chats with Jean Meltzer, screenwriter and author of the rom-com, Magical Meet Cute. They discuss the importance of the meet-cute in a rom-com; surprising the reader in your opening pages; writing your characters' dialogue in a way that accurately reflects their background and who they are; Jean's advice for including words that the reader might not understand; writing fun and interesting secondary characters without them stealing the limelight; building a sense of community without overwhelming the reader with too many characters; some of Jean's favourite romantic tropes; writing for yourself versus writing for a specific type of reader; and whether or not rom-coms need a HEA or a HFN.  If you’re looking for our usual Q&A segment, that now gets published as part of our end of the month Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get access to that, and so much more, for free: https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.com/ Our Comps Segment with Emilie Sommer will return in September. Note: Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe on this podcast are solely that of them as podcast co-hosts and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/ https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAW Websites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and ww.cecilialyra.com Bookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwriting To ask us a question, go to: https://sayhi.chat/TSNOTYAW You can find out more information about Fiona on her website at https://www.fionabartonauthor.com/ She's also on Twitter at https://x.com/fionabarton and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fionabartonauthor/ You can find out more information about Jean on her website at https://jeanmeltzer.com/ She's also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jeanmeltzer and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jeanmeltzerauthor/ For more information about the All About Fantasy Virtual Retreat, go to: https://www.biancamarais.com/all-about-fantasy.html Our Sponsors: * Check out Acorns: https://acorns.com/TSNOTYAW * Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: www.rosettastone.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands