59: Small-Town Romance Author Katherine Bitner on Between the Lines, Summer Nostalgia, and Navigating Pride in Relationships

59: Small-Town Romance Author Katherine Bitner on Between the Lines, Summer Nostalgia, and Navigating Pride in Relationships

Small-town romance author Katherine Bitner returns to the Love Letters and Books podcast to discuss Between the Lines, the third and final standalone contemporary romance in her Hometown series, releasing June 24, 2026. Set by the beach in Wilmington, North Carolina, the book delivers immersive East Coast summer nostalgia while following Fia, a 22-year-old single mom, and Caden Brooks, her wealthy boss, whose “grumpy” exterior shields a quiet, introverted, and misunderstood inner sadness. We discuss opposites attract, healing romance, and a grumpy/sunshine twist—alongside deeper themes of being seen, accepting help, and the vulnerability of receiving care. Katherine reflects on endings, growth as a self-published author, the value of developmental edits (in real life and in books), and creating for personal joy. Connect with Love Letters and Books TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovelettersandbooks Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lovelettersandbooks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelettersandbooks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelettersandbookspodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoveLettersandBooksPodcast Write me a love letter: lovelettersandbookspodcast@gmail.com Connect with Katherine Bitner TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@katherine.bitner.writes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekatherinebitner/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@thekatherinebitner Website: https://katherinebitner.com/

58: Raya Morris Edwards Talks Hit The Road Cowboy, West of Eden, and Jack from the Sovereign Mountain Series

Author Raya Morris Edwards returns to the Love Letters and Books podcast to discuss her July 3 release, Hit the Road, Cowboy: A Cowboy Romance About Country Music. This is a cowboy romance centered on creative burnout: a country songwriter-producer, a workaholic “Jack Antonoff of country,” is sent by his agent to a remote Wyoming ranch where he meets a caretaker-turned-ranch manager. The conversation explores burnout, loss of identity, retracing artistic roots, and road-trip storytelling. We also talk about her upcoming book, West of Eden,  a why choose MFM with an HEA. It is dark, gritty, high-spice, with heavy Southern Gothic vibes. And Raya gives us an update on Jack, the final book in the Sovereign Mountain series. Connect with Love Letters and Books TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovelettersandbooks Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lovelettersandbooks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelettersandbooks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelettersandbookspodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoveLettersandBooksPodcast Write me a love letter: lovelettersandbookspodcast@gmail.com Connect with Raya Morris Edwards TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rayamorrisedwardsauthor Threads: https://www.threads.com/@rayamorrisedwards Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayamorrisedwards/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566070091251 Website: https://rayamorrisedwards.com/

57: Ballet Romance Author Ellie Mack Talks About Make It Nice, Hurt/Comfort Dynamics, and NYC Love Stories

Author Ellie Mack returns to discuss her contemporary ballet romance book Make It Nice, set in New York City on a concurrent timeline with her book Kiss Me Thrice. Bailey and Sean spend a summer repairing their relationship and exploring hurt/comfort dynamics on a journey toward trust and self-confidence. We also talk about Ellie’s next project, an untitled grief-focused, brother’s-best-friend road trip romance. Connect with Love Letters and Books TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovelettersandbooks Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lovelettersandbooks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelettersandbooks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelettersandbookspodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoveLettersandBooksPodcast Write me a love letter: lovelettersandbookspodcast@gmail.com Connect with Ellie Mack TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliemackbooks Threads: https://www.threads.com/@elliemackbooks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliemackbooks/ Newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/ODllnd

56: Diet Dark Rom-Coms and Safe Kink Exploration with Author Ali Roberts

Author Ali Roberts (and sometimes co-host of this podcast), known for her diet dark rom-coms, returns to discuss After a Killer, the second book in the Dinner Club series of interconnected standalones. This is the much-anticipated story of Katie and Jonesy’s frenemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance. Today, we’re talking about captivating first chapters, excellent pacing, delicious banter, and how this book offers a clear, intimate, and non-shaming portrayal of fantasy kink and role-play as a source of relief and connection. We discuss why we both love writing secure, communicative partnerships, the impact of rejection sensitivity, and how our years of “chasing rejection” have worked out for us. After a Killer by Ali Roberts is available now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Connect with Love Letters and Books TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovelettersandbooks Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lovelettersandbooks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelettersandbooks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelettersandbookspodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoveLettersandBooksPodcast Write me a love letter: lovelettersandbookspodcast@gmail.com Connect with Ali Roberts TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authoraliroberts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoraliroberts/ Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ali-Roberts/author/B0F8WVQN4M?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=11b47175-7339-4aba-83d1-20f42c0cdfa1

55: The Discomfort of Being Seen and Loved (by a Protective Kidnapper): Good Hands by Author Maggie Gates

Author Maggie Gates returns to Love Letters and Books to introduce Good Hands, a morally gray (ish) romance about a grumpy casino bouncer, a stats professor turned card counter, and what happens when “stealing from Peter to pay Paul” goes very, very wrong. Amelia has spent her whole life cleaning up her brother Joel’s messes, and starts counting cards to pay off his debt (at the exact casino owned by the man who holds that debt) while Jude, a former Navy SEAL and bouncer ordered to kill her, kidnaps her instead and drags them both into a dangerous mission to bring down the house. We explore the emotional heart of the story: paying someone else’s debt while resenting them, the complicated love between siblings who are stuck in old roles, and what it’s like to go from being everyone’s last priority to being one man’s first and only thought, and how uncomfortable it can feel to be cared for when self-reliance has always been your armor. Good Hands is the perfect book if you love morally gray protectors, kidnapping that turns into romance, and secret identities. Good Hands asks the question: How do you learn to receive when all you know how to do is give? If you’ve ever felt like everyone else’s safety net but nobody’s first choice, you’re going to love this love story. Connect with Love Letters and Books TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovelettersandbooks Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lovelettersandbooks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelettersandbookspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelettersandbooks/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoveLettersandBooksPodcast Write me a love letter: lovelettersandbookspodcast@gmail.com Connect with Maggie Gates TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormaggiegates Threads: https://www.threads.com/@authormaggiegates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormaggiegates Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authormaggiegates/ Website: https://maggiegates.com/