Heated Rivalry: Desire, Tension, and the Romance We Crave––a Roundtable Conversation

Smut, Search Algorithms and Queer Joy: Gabrielle Kassel on Sex Education Today

As part of our Pride series, queer sex educator and journalist Gabrielle Kassel shares how sex education has evolved in the last decade, how it shapes our understanding of desire, and how to think about terms like sexuality and queer. She dives into the “Weird Girl” smut that she enjoys (spoiler: more body fluids, please) and how erotica can be a tool for language and self-discovery. In this episode, Gabby and Allison discuss: • What "queer" means to Gabby and why sexuality is more expansive than we think • How smut gives us language to communicate desire and fantasy • How algorithms, advertising, and AI are reshaping access to sex education This episode is about access to pleasure and the role technology and capitalism play in sex education. It’s also a celebration of smut (especially the weird kind!) and a deep dive into how reading romance and erotica can translate into more empowered sex in real life. Show Notes  Bothered Stories Sign up to read our high heat, smutty fiction (with plenty of queer stories!) at botheredstories.com [http://botheredstories.com] and use code SMUTTALKS for 25% off annual membership. Gabrielle Kassel Website [https://www.gabriellekassel.com/] And find her work on Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, Men's Health, and GQ.

How MM Romance Went from Niche to Viral

Why are readers obsessed with MM romance? Beloved authors Lucy Lennox and Clare London join us to explore the genre’s rising popularity and why gay romance resonates so deeply. We discuss:   * What draws women to MM stories: the gender stereotypes women shed when both protagonists are male, the appeal of seeing men portrayed as emotionally engaged partners, and the double standard inherent in scrutinizing women’s reading choices    * The evolution of MM romance over the last decade and the impact Heated Rivalry had on it becoming more mainstream * The personal realities of building careers in a genre that wasn’t widely understood, and Lucy’s fears about her children being bullied for it  * Plus: Clare and Lucy’s response to the question MM writers hear most often: How can women write MM romance? This episode is about readership, representation, community, and how MM romance went from niche genre to cultural conversation. Show Notes: Bothered Stories Sign up to read our high heat, smutty fiction (with plenty of queer stories!) at botheredstories.com [http://botheredstories.com] and use code SMUTTALKS for 25% off annual membership. Lucy Lucy's website [https://www.lucylennox.com/] Lucy’s newsletter [https://www.lucylennox.com/newsletter/]: subscribe to her newsletter for free stories and books!  Lucy’s facebook [https://www.facebook.com/lucy.lennox.37] Lucy’s Lair [https://www.facebook.com/groups/lucyslair/] (Facebook reader’s group) Pre-order her new stand alone book Baby Girl  [https://lucylennoxshop.com/products/babygirl-ebook] New to Lucy? Start with Borrowing Blue [https://www.lucylennox.com/books/borrowing-blue/] Clare Clare’s website [https://clarelondon.com/] Clare’s newsletter [https://clarelondon.com/join-my-newsletter/]: subscribe for giveaways! Clare’s facebook  [https://www.facebook.com/authorclarelondon] Writing as Stella Shaw [https://stellashawauthor.com/](rent boy romance)

Hot Takes on Hot Writing: Behind the Scenes at Bothered Stories

What actually goes into creating great erotica? In this behind-the-scenes episode, we sit down with the Chief Editor of Bothered Stories to unpack the full journey—from submission to final story. We get into how pieces are vetted, what separates a good story from a standout one, and the editorial decisions that shape what gets published. We also dive into the craft itself: what makes a sex scene hot (and what makes it fall flat), how to write with both heat and substance, and why the best erotica is about far more than what body parts move where. Beyond the writing, we talk about intention—specifically, the importance of elevating marginalized voices in this genre, and how Bothered Stories is actively working to expand who gets to be seen, heard, and desired in erotic storytelling. Whether you’re a writer, a reader, or you're just curious about it all, this episode pulls back the curtain on how erotica—and Bothered Stories—really works.

Smut as Resistance: Writing Latinx Love Stories

Angelina M. Lopez, bestselling author of After Hours on Milagro Street, joins us to talk about the impact of “ferocious love stories”—her emotionally rich, deeply sexy romances that center Latina heroines, legacy, anger, and joy. In this conversation, we explore: * How pleasure and resistance fuel each other in politically volatile times * What makes a sex scene actually hot (hint: it’s not the mechanics) * How the dismissal of romance is rooted in the devaluing of women’s work * Writing Latin American stories as an act of cultural preservation and humanization This episode is about how smut can be deeply subversive. Angelina's writing centers the intersection of joy and anger, escapism and resistance--and we get into all of it in this conversation.

Heated Rivalry: Desire, Tension, and the Romance We Crave––a Roundtable Conversation

What makes Heated Rivalry work so well—and why has it resonated so deeply with audiences? In this roundtable discussion, we dig into the cultural, emotional, and narrative forces behind Heated Rivalry: what this romance offers that other stories don’t and why audiences are increasingly drawn to stories that aren’t afraid to center smut. Joined by bestselling and award winning romance and erotica authors Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy, and Jane Boon, along with Meg Casebolt, co-host of podcast First Dates and Soulmates, we talk craft, craze, and what Heated Rivalry reveals about how romance—and what we want from it—is evolving.