Interview with Frances Everly/FD Everly - Spicy Contemporary & Romantasy Author

Author Maude Winters - Contemporary MF & Sapphic Romance

Summary: Contemporary & Sapphic Romance Author Maude Winters goes Backstage with the Book Babes for a fantastic conversation about switching between male female and sapphic romances, writing chaotic interconnected worlds and chasing plot bunnies Maude writes billionaire and royal romances as well as sapphic romances. She has too many ideas to contain and is constantly fighting off plot bunnies to stay focused on her current work in progress. But she does have an accountability editor to help her stay on task. Shout out to Becky. Her love for the sapphic romance community is strong, and she finds the community very welcoming and helpful. However seeing as how there were not enough events for this community she went and created her own. She’ll be hosting her own sapphic romance book event at Pages & Grapes in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a few other authors. And their slogan for the event is amazing. “Sounds Queer, I’m in.” She hopes this event will go well and she can bring it back for a second year. Maude has an amazing supportive family who helps her get her writing time in while still working a full time job. She has a special ritual of heading to a coffee shop on Saturday mornings and her husband even set her up a space in the basement to continue this practice during the pandemic years. Alby and Maude have known each other for a few years, but it feels like a lot more as it always does with people you have a great connection with. So they catch up about their local author community and all the fantastic events and meetups they participate in. We hope you enjoy the show, and if you do, leave us a review on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. And make sure to follow us. Music by Christopher Tallon If you listen and it brings you joy, you can help support the podcast through Buy Me A Coffee.  Help Support the podcast: Buy Nikki a tea: buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell [http://buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell] Buy Alby a tea: https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake [https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake] About Our Guest: Maude Winters is an pansexual, disabled author of open-door sapphic and billionaire romance who lives in Michigan with her husband, a horse-obsessed child, and three dogs. A weird theater kid and competitive choir devotee in a past life, she brings camp into all her stories. Here’s where you can find Maude and her books: All Links: Love in the West End  [https://maudewinters.com/litwe] Executive Decision [https://books2read.com/execdecision] maudewinters.com [http://maudewinters.com/] https://crewfiction.com/maudewinters/links Keep Up With The Book Babes: Social Media: Backstagewiththebookbabes [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Email: backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Links & Guest Author Applications: linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes [http://linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes] Find Nikki Jewell & Her Spicy Contemporary Romance: Social Media: @nikkijewell_books Website: authornikkijewell.com [http://authornikkijewell.com] Event Links: ://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks [https://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks] Find Alby Blake & Her Unique Sports Romance Books: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/ [https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake [https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake] Website: www.lovelunapress.com [http://www.lovelunapress.com]

Interview with Frances Everly/FD Everly - Spicy Contemporary & Romantasy Author

Summary: Canadian Romance Author Frances Everly goes Backstage with the Book Babes for a delightful chat about writing in multiple subgenres, the importance of a quality cover, and filling her well by meeting readers at book signing events. Frances writes contemporary romance in a variety of subgenres including rockstar, and sports romance under the name Frances Everly and she writes romantasy including her King Arthur inspired series under the name FD Everly. And she shares the inspiration for her first book as well as what keeps her going forward with new ideas. Frances has been writing since she could put a pen to paper and has notebooks full of poetry from her emo high school years, but didn’t start publishing until shortly before the pandemic. She initially published with an indie publisher but got the rights back and went forward to forge her own path and learn all the ins and outs of self publishing. She tells us all about how she refills her well after a big book signing weekend by taking some time off and resting on the couch for a couple of days. As much as you can when you’re a mother of a couple of young children. But also how meeting readers is another thing that keeps her inspired to get those words down. Nikki and Frances have a long history and have known each other since their early days of publishing. They attend a lot of the same local book fairs and signings and this friendship has led to an amazing idea they’re excited to share. A Canadian sports romance convention likely to be held in the Hamilton area. Which will be great for all the Heated Rivalry fans as there are several HR filming locations in the city. They’ll be sharing more on this soon so stay tuned. Frances’ question for listeners is a very specific one. For those of you who enjoy a secret baby or accidental pregnancy romance, would you read a book with the Jane the Virgin style concept of spontaneous pregnancy when both the MCs are virgins? She needs to know. If you don’t like pregnancy books, no need to chime in. We get it, not every trope is for every reader. We hope you enjoy the show, and if you do, leave us a review on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. And make sure to follow us. Music by Christopher Tallon If you listen and it brings you joy, you can help support the podcast through Buy Me A Coffee.  Help Support the podcast: Buy Nikki a tea: buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell [http://buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell] Buy Alby a tea: https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake [https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake] About Our Guest: Frances Everly is a prolific daydreamer and romantic. Her love of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien led to a pursuit of an education in Anthropology and she earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree from Trent University. When she isn’t writing, she’s busy teaming up with her husband and chasing her two young children around. Frances grew up in Toronto and continues to reside in Southern Ontario with her family. Here’s where you can find Frances: All Links: http://linktr.ee/franceseverly [http://linktr.ee/franceseverly] Keep Up With The Book Babes: Social Media: Backstagewiththebookbabes [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Email: backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Links & Guest Author Applications: linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes [http://linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes] Find Nikki Jewell & Her Spicy Contemporary Romance: Social Media: @nikkijewell_books Website: authornikkijewell.com [http://authornikkijewell.com] Event Links: ://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks [https://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks] Find Alby Blake & Her Unique Sports Romance Books: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/ [https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake [https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake] Website: www.lovelunapress.com [http://www.lovelunapress.com]

Getting Sporty with Eden Knox - Hockey Romance Author

Summary: Sports Romance Author Eden Knox goes Backstage with the Book Babes for a fun, chaotic chat about her Sin Bin hockey romance series, Apollycon and other amazing book signing events, work life balance, and making connections with other authors. She tells us all about her green flag men and how her dom MMC just happened to be a Cinnamon Roll at heart. So she’d like to coin the term Cinnadom if it’s not already a thing. Eden has been a lifetime fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and her first crush was Jaromir Jagr. To say she was devastated by his trade is an understatement. So when she decided she wasn’t going to be the next Anne Rice and pursued contemporary romance instead, hockey romance was the natural choice. She spills the tea on her new book in the Hell’s Hollow interconnected world. She’s doing this one with a group of her romance author friends. So then we get into the importance of forming connections and building a support group with other authors. She’s got an amazing group and is happy to shout about how we collaborate, we don’t compete with other indie authors. She even got quoted in the press for this. Eden tells us all about her amazing experience at Apollycon and meeting JR Ward twice. She’s got a great story about this, but you’ll have to listen to hear it. She also tends to overbook herself, so she’s got lots of events coming up. We talk self care and balance and how sometimes you have to keep your deadlines to yourself so you don’t get overwhelmed. Eden knows all about that as she currently works in a library while writing books and completing a Master’s degree in Library And Information Science. Eden’s question for listeners is: “Sprayed Edges or No Sprayed Edges?” Let us know in the comments or on our Instagram/Threads posts what your preference is. We hope you enjoy the show, and if you do, leave us a review on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. And make sure to follow us. Music by Christopher Tallon If you listen and it brings you joy, you can help support the podcast through Buy Me A Coffee.  Help Support the podcast: Buy Nikki a tea: buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell [http://buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell] Buy Alby a tea: https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake [https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake] About Our Guest: Eden Knox is a sports romance author who lives in Ohio with her giant tattooed husband, 2 amazing daughters, and their herd of animals. She is a geriatric Xennial who has been a Pittsburgh Penguins fan since the 90’s, and her first hockey crush was Jaromir Jagr. When she isn't screaming at hockey or football games, she's working on tormenting her fictional hockey team or completing coursework for grad school to earn her master's in Library Science. Here’s where you can find Eden: Website: http://www.edenknoxauthor.com/ [http://www.edenknoxauthor.com/] Social Media: https://edenknoxauthor.com/pages/social-media Keep Up With The Book Babes: Social Media: Backstagewiththebookbabes [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Email: backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Links & Guest Author Applications: linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes [http://linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes] Find Nikki Jewell & Her Spicy Contemporary Romance: Social Media: @nikkijewell_books Website: authornikkijewell.com [http://authornikkijewell.com] Event Links: ://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks [https://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks] Find Alby Blake & Her Unique Sports Romance Books: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/ [https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake [https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake] Website: www.lovelunapress.com [http://www.lovelunapress.com]

Author Bailey Hannah - Cowboy Romance

Summary: In episode 20 of Backstage with the Book Babes, we interview small town and cowboy romance author Bailey Hannah. Bailey is a traditionally published Canadian author who writes spicy contemporary romances where her characters find love and heal from past trauma. And they’re set in beautiful rural British Columbia. Bailey tells us about her Wells Ranch series and shares her unique journey to trad publishing. After querying for a year, she ended up self publishing, which led to an offer from a publisher. And then she ended up with several offers of representation. So a little backwards to the usual route. We talk a lot about the evolving landscape of traditional publishing and the indie publishing influence. Of course we get into the spice levels of her books and even have a laugh about how Nikki and her are both writing dominant women in their current books. We learn all about how Bailey is more of a pantser than a plotter, but how being traditionally published has led her to at least create a basic plot to give her publisher for approval. And we learn about the new series she has sold on proposal. So there should be some exciting news coming soon on that one. Make sure to follow her on social media for all the details. Bailey tells us about her self care routines in between the author chaos. She tries to always take a few weeks break from writing and editing while her current work is with her editor. So, she’ll spend time with friends and try to get a little more fun in after the stress of deadline mode. We can all relate to that pain. She tells us about her writing vibes including scented candles, and either focus music like Sound FM or her Depressed Cowboy Playlist. Which the Book Babes need to check out. Especially Nikki. An author dream for Bailey is to get an adaption produced of her books. Fingers crossed she’ll get there. Any TV producers out there looking for a new cowboy romance series? Nikki's cat Simon was the party crasher this episode. He was feeling that main character energy hard. Lucky he's so cute, otherwise he'd be in trouble. Bailey’s question for listeners is: “What’s your favorite microtrope?” This may or may not end up in one of her next books, so let us know in the comments or on our Instagram/Threads posts. We hope you enjoy the show, and if you do, leave us a review on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. And make sure to follow us. Music by Christopher Tallon If you listen and it brings you joy, make sure to leave a review or help support the podcast through Buy Me A Coffee.  Help Support the podcast: Buy Alby a tea: https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake [https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake] Buy Nikki a tea: buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell [http://buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell] About Our Guest: USA Today bestselling author Bailey Hannah writes romances with a passion for strong heroines and rugged men who aren’t afraid to love their women hard. Born and raised in small-town British Columbia, she always includes a touch of rural Canadian flair (dirt roads, rodeos, and ketchup chips) in her stories. Bailey Hannah lives with her husband, daughter, dogs, and chickens. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, spending time in the outdoors, and daydreaming about her characters. Here’s where you can find Bailey: Bailey Hannah | Penguin Random House [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2318371/bailey-hannah/] General | Bailey Hannah [https://www.baileyhannahwrites.com/] instagram.com/baileyhannahwrites [http://instagram.com/baileyhannahwrites] tiktok.com/@baileyhannahwrites [http://tiktok.com/@baileyhannahwrites] Keep Up With The Book Babes: Social Media: Backstagewiththebookbabes [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Email: backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Links & Guest Author Applications: linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes [http://linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes] Find Nikki Jewell & Her Spicy Contemporary Romance: Social Media: @nikkijewell_books Website: authornikkijewell.com [http://authornikkijewell.com] Event Links: ://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks [https://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks] Find Alby Blake & Her Unique Sports Romance Books: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/ [https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake [https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake] Website: www.lovelunapress.com [http://www.lovelunapress.com]

Ruby Rana Hockey Romcom Author

Summary: In episode 19 of Backstage with the Book Babes, we interview hockey romance author, Ruby Rana. She writes romcoms featuring driven women, the hockey players who fall for them, and super fun meet disasters. Ruby shares with us all about her Ottawa Regents series including the comedy, the spice, and the reason she chose Ottawa as the home for her fictional hockey team. Even though Ruby is not Canadian, she has family there and has visited many of the locations she mentions in her books, but she has a special love for Ottawa. She shares with us how the difficulties of bringing physical comedy elements into book form, but how a lot of the inspiration comes from her own life. We even get to hear true story that led to a scene in one of her books. Some of her favorite tropes to write that are included in most of her books include found family and forced proximity. And she tells us how her own found family in real life is just as important as her fictional found families. Although she also enjoys flipping tropes in her books, such as a reverse age gap. We talk a lot about the many hats us indie authors wear and how important it is to be able to pivot when something isn’t working or a new strategy becomes more important. And also how it can be useful to hire help for some of your admin tasks when you’re able to. Ruby’s dream is to get her books on a list in a magazine. This would be the ultimate sign of making it for her. Anyone in magazine publishing listening out there? And her question for readers is: What is the one thing that draws you to a book? Is it a cute cover, the title, the tropes, or the blurb? Let us know in the comments, or post it on The Book Babes Instagram post. It was fantastic getting to know Ruby.  We hope you enjoy the show, and if you do, leave us a review on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Music by Christopher Tallon If you listen and it brings you joy, make sure to leave a review or help support the podcast through Buy Me A Coffee.  Help Support the podcast: Buy Alby a tea: https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake [https://buymeacoffee.com/albyblake] Buy Nikki a tea: buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell [http://buymeacoffee.com/nikkijewell] About Our Guest: Ruby Rana is an elder millennial who writes spicy, funny, and heartfelt romance about sassy brown girls. She excels in sending messages where autocorrect is adamant in embarrassing her. When she's not battling typos, you can find her explaining Midwestern slang to her East Coast-raised husband, being used as a jungle gym by her young children, or really leaning into her plant mom-era. Here’s where you can find Ruby: All links [https://beacons.ai/rubyranawrites?__v=13.434.0] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rubyranawrites?igsh=MTBwcjdicDBnZm05dA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr] Threads [https://www.threads.com/@rubyranawrites] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555593754262] Ottawa Regents on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG3N9H6F?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tkin] Keep Up With The Book Babes: Social Media: Backstagewiththebookbabes [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Email: backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com [backstagewiththebookbabes@gmail.com] Links & Guest Author Applications: linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes [http://linktr.ee/backstagewiththebookbabes] Find Alby Blake & Her Unique Sports Romance Books: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/ [https://www.instagram.com/author_alby_blake/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake [https://www.tiktok.com/@alby_blake] Website: www.lovelunapress.com [http://www.lovelunapress.com] Find Nikki Jewell & Her Spicy Contemporary Romance: Social Media: @nikkijewell_books Website: authornikkijewell.com [http://authornikkijewell.com] Event Links: ://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks [https://linktr.ee/nikkijewellbooks]