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
81 episodes since 2020
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...
September 17, 2024
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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 ...
September 03, 2024
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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 ...
August 27, 2024
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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...
August 22, 2024
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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...
August 13, 2024
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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...
August 05, 2024
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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...
July 15, 2024
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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...
July 08, 2024
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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...
June 11, 2024
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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...
May 28, 2024
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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...
May 21, 2024
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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...
May 13, 2024
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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...
May 12, 2024
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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...
April 09, 2024
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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...
January 08, 2024
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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...
November 15, 2023
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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...
November 06, 2023
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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...
October 24, 2023
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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...
October 17, 2023
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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 ...
September 25, 2023
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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 ...
September 20, 2023
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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...
August 28, 2023
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44:34
Ep 58 - Scoring Goals and Soccer Romance with Liz Lincoln and Lainey Davis
"My book, A Beautiful Game, was...a love story and also, a love story about soccer and playing soccer."Liz Lincoln and Lainey Davis score goals when it comes to soccer romance. Both ladies write other kinds of sports romance, but in hon...
July 18, 2023
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44:25
Ep 57 - How to Launch Yourself as an Author before Publishing with Danika Bloom
"Being a pre-published author is to know exactly what your expectations are of yourself and of your writing...Like is this a career for you or do you just have that one story...?" Danika Bloom, USA Today bestselling ro...
July 10, 2023
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53:05
Ep 56 - The Power of Voice: Dictating your way to Better Writing with Heidi McCahan
"...Dictating helps me get to the emotional level of my characters a little easier than if I was handwriting or typing on my laptop. It's just for me, dictation takes away a little bit of a barrier..."Heidi McCahan had an interesting pa...
June 27, 2023
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40:02