Romancing the Story: Writing Romance, Storytelling, and Book Structure
Story enthusiast and romance writer Sarah Gamez explores the creative craft and pragmatic aspects of writing with niche topic discussions, inspirational pieces and industry insights. Join in on conversations with authors and experts on creating engaging stories, marketing your books, and navigating the (self) publishing world. Whether you write romance or not, there's plenty of tips to be found on storytelling, genres, and medias. Sometimes, with a twist of romance.
Episodes
84 episodes
Ep 83 - Time Travel RomCom: Chivalry for a Modern Romance with Bryn Donovan
"One thing I love about the romance genre is that you're allowed to have those big, emotional moments....without apology."Versatile Author and former Hallmark creative producer, Bryn Donovan discusses the charming and humorous moments t...
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46:40
Ep 82 - Crafting Characters using Enneagrams with Krystal Shannan
"...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 Bestse...
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55:23
Ep 81 - Political Passions: Creating a High-Profile Romance with Alicia Wilder
"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...
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44:22
Ep 80 - Writing Through Pain: Chronic Illness Narratives with Cara Dion
"...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...
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54:34
Ep 79 - Prose to Pictures: Illustrating a Novel with C.A. Szarek and Gilbert Perez
"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 ...
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52:40
Ep 78 - Book to Screen: Writing a Script and Adaptation with Emily Roberson
"....(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 ...
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52:32
Ep 77 - Romance in Filmmaking with Tosca Musk
"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...
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48:10
Ep 76 - Character Creation: Writing an Identity Not Your Own with Alex Temblador
"...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 Al...
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49:28
Ep 75 - Unveiling Character Depth through Family with Amber Royer
"...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...
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52:11
Ep 74 - Creating an Indie Romance Audiobook with Melissa Whitney and Harlow Wilde
"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 narrat...
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48:52
Ep 73 - Audible Impact: Cultivating Listeners for Audiobooks with Karen White
"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 fo...
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58:01
Ep 72 - Narrative Flow: Building Emotional Arcs with Kimberly Packard
"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...
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45:53
Ep 71 - The Write Transition: From Podcast and Novels to Literary Life with Amy Kelly
"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 Lon...
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48:22
Ep 70 - Using AI Ethically to Make the Most of Your Writing with Marcy Pusey
"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 ethi...
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1:00:12
Ep 69 - The Authorpreneur Mindset: Blooming in Adversity with Kathryn McClatchy
"(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 a...
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1:02:44
Ep 68 - Beyond Stereotypes: Crafting Authentic Characters with Disabilities with Melissa Whitney
"....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...
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48:35
Ep 67 - Tragedy and Humor: Creating a New Happily Ever After with Courtney Deane
"...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 pen...
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41:31
Ep 66 - Collaborative Magic: Crafting a Holiday Novella Series with Lark Green, Lucy Limon, and Catrina Bell
"...as we're solving problems in our own stories, we're creating problems for the other stories that (Lark and Catrina) had to work in... It made for some really creative outcomes." - Lucy LimonAs critique partners and writers with comp...
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55:54
Ep 65 - Building an Interconnected Series with C.A. Szarek
"They always say start your book on a day that's different. That's called an inciting incident. That's what I try to do naturally. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't."A decade into writing her Highlander series, USA Today Bestsell...
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44:40
Ep 64 - Overcoming Writer’s Block and Procrastination with Dr. Nicole Janz
"We need to see writer's block in a different way. It's really not the enemy, but...it's a sign. And usually, it's that your body and your mind are telling you something is off..."Author and writing coach, Dr. Nicole Janz, helps creativ...
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48:01
Ep 63 - Unconventional Love Stories: Monster Romance with Kate Prior
"(Not) to dive into the core fear...that we're unrelatable that people will not communicate with us...and I think that's one of those things you see get demonstrated with monsters in the history of storytelling."Romance Author Kate Prio...
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45:03
Ep 62 - Reimagining a Holiday Classic with Kelly Farmer
"You know it is such a beloved story but the modern twist...it's really a celebration of queer joy and community...like a true Hallmark-y story nothing truly bad happens."We're celebrating the most fabulous time of the year! Contemporar...
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38:59
Ep 61 - Writing Engaging Pets and Animal Sidekicks with Amber Royer
"I think the key is either treat the character (animal) as a sounding board...or you treat this as another character on the same level as a human character."Writing instructor and multi-genre author, Amber Royer, incorporates all types ...
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54:57
Ep 60 - Re-assessing Successful Writer Goals with Kathryn McClatchy
"....We need time to think. We need time to research, and we need time to be creative. And so that has to go into our calendar as well."Back in episode 42, Writer, speaker, and social media consultant Kathryn McClatchy provided ways to ...
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1:03:25
Ep 59 - Creating Compelling External Conflict for a Captivating Story with Susan Sheehey
"...What drives the conflict most are the character's goals and motivations. So you have to ask 'what is the main character's top goal in life and the focus of the story?'..." Author and Developmental Editor, Susan Sheehey writes compel...
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44:34