First Encounter—A Historical Romance Podcast

Bonus Episode—All About Besotted Books! with Misty Urban

Guess what? I'm trying to start a publishing company for historical romance—Besotted Books! I’m so grateful to my friend and fellow historical romance author, Misty Urban, for agreeing to chat with me about Besotted Books today! You can learn more about Misty and her series, The Ladies Least Likely, here [https://mistyurban.com/historical-romance/] To read more about Besotted Books, please visit the website [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/besotted-books] And follow us on Instagram @besotted.books [https://www.instagram.com/besotted.books/] We’ll have a link to the Kickstarter and the media kit SOON! ————————————————————————— First Encounter is a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author. Support First Encounter: Patreon [https://patreon.com/first_encounter_hr_pod?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] Follow First Encounter: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/] TikTok [TikTok]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.tiktok.com/@first_encounter_hr_pod] Follow Andie James: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/ [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]: @andiejamesauthor [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]   Logo designed by Books and Moods [https://www.booksandmoods.com/] Theme Music by TheJayMan [https://depositphotos.com/music-track/positive-successful-cinematic-vibes-used-movie-soundtrack-764901870.html]

S1 E9—Exploring Joy in Historical Romance with Jane Hadley

I had such an amazing time this week discussing what historical romance can be and the fun of learning about history, queer joy, and gender fuckery! Jane’s latest release is Mr. Milner Gets Divorced, and you can find out more about it, as well as Jane’s other books and where to find/purchase them on her website [https://janehadleywrites.com/] AND if you sign up for her newsletter, you can get the companion story to Mr. Milner, Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen, for FREE! (and Marion Milner is a delight, y’all!) Much of Jane’s inspiration for Mr. Milner and Stephen and his crew came from reading this Memoir: The Evening Crowd at Kirmser’s [The%20Evening%20Crowd%20at%20Kirmser’s] And you can catch Jane’s lecture with Romancelandia University for their Spring 2026 session here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM7UsaLjprY]. They discuss JOY in HR and revolutionary happy endings! _________________________________ Support First Encounter: Patreon [https://patreon.com/first_encounter_hr_pod?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] Follow First Encounter: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/] TikTok [TikTok]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.tiktok.com/@first_encounter_hr_pod] Follow Andie James: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/ [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]: @andiejamesauthor [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]   Logo designed by Books and Moods [https://www.booksandmoods.com/] Theme Music by TheJayMan [https://depositphotos.com/music-track/positive-successful-cinematic-vibes-used-movie-soundtrack-764901870.html]

Bonus Episode—What makes Historical Romance, Historical Romance? with Olivia (@nottheolivia)

Today is a fun bonus episode where I chat with Olivia (@nottheolivia on Instagram) about some of her thoughts on Historical Romance. I follow her on Instagram and think she is able to articulate what makes Historical Romance a unique genre within Romance beautifully, so I was excited to get some of her takes on where historical romance is headed (and if it should be). You can follow Olivia on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nottheolivia/], and the post I referenced frequently, The Historical Romance Starter Kit, can be found here [https://www.instagram.com/p/DVV5UAuDACF/?img_index=1] To learn more about my new publishing venture, Besotted Books, please visit the website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/besotted-books [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/besotted-books], or follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/besotted.books/] ---------------------------------------- First Encounter is a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author. Support First Encounter: Patreon [https://patreon.com/first_encounter_hr_pod?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] Follow First Encounter: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/] TikTok [TikTok]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.tiktok.com/@first_encounter_hr_pod] Follow Andie James: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/ [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]: @andiejamesauthor [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]   Logo designed by Books and Moods [https://www.booksandmoods.com/] Theme Music by TheJayMan [https://depositphotos.com/music-track/positive-successful-cinematic-vibes-used-movie-soundtrack-764901870.html]

S1 E8—An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole with Angelique Prince

I really enjoyed this month’s book—An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole. It’s American Civil War setting makes it stand out, and it unfortunately felt sadly too relevant to current attitudes today as we see our heroine, Elle, a Union spy who is posing as a slave in the home of a Southern Senator, confronting all the ugliest sides of discrimination and being othered and disregarded. BUT, while it was a difficult read (Alyssa Cole does not shy away from the harsh realities she’s writing), it was a also a gorgeous romance and had STAKES! I had a great time with fellow histrom writer, Angelique Prince, discussing the book as well as the need to write more diversely and celebrate Black women authors in Historical Romance. You can find out more about Angelique and her own writing projects on her website, angeliqueprince.com [http://angeliqueprince.com] and sign up for her newsletter there to get more information on the project she just did, Bev’s Baddies, reading chronologically through all the works of Beverly Jenkins. Angelique is also active on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@angelique.prince] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/angeliqueprincewrites] Other Authors of color mentioned in the podcast that you should absolutely be reading: Beverly Jenkins [https://www.beverlyjenkins.net/] Addy DuLac [https://www.addydulacauthor.net/] Erica Ridley [https://ericaridley.com/] Vanessa Riley [https://vanessariley.com/] Adriana Herrera [https://adrianaherreraromance.com/] Liana De la Rosa [https://lianadelarosa.com/] ___________________________________ Support First Encounter: Patreon [https://patreon.com/first_encounter_hr_pod?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] Follow First Encounter: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/] TikTok [TikTok]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.tiktok.com/@first_encounter_hr_pod] Follow Andie James: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/ [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]: @andiejamesauthor [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/] Logo designed by Books and Moods [https://www.booksandmoods.com/] Theme Music by TheJayMan [https://depositphotos.com/music-track/positive-successful-cinematic-vibes-used-movie-soundtrack-764901870.html]

S1 E7—Expanding the World of Historical Romance with Jenna Bigelow

I had such a wonderful time discussing Jenna Bigelow’s Ancient Rome set historical romances with her this week and looking at ways we can expand the genre while still keeping the core elements of what makes HR unique (which Jenna does exceptionally well in her novels) and the genre we know and love! You can find Jenna and information about her books in both the Roman Heirs and Imperial Games series on her website: jennabigelow.com [http://jennabigelow.com] Go there to sign up for Jenna’s newsletter and receive a FREE novella, The Merchant Match, a prequel to the Roman Heirs series! You can also find Jenna on Instagram @jennabigelowwrites [https://www.instagram.com/jennabigelowwrites/] Be sure and check out her new release (featuring a female gladiator!), dropping on April 10th, 2026— Gladiator’s Beloved [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRWCH8HJ?&linkCode=sl2&tag=jennabigelow-20&linkId=d70a6207c9af964c937a81a5ca2f5599&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl] —————————————— First Encounter is a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of Historical Romance. Hosted by Andie James, Historical Romance enthusiast and author. Support First Encounter: Patreon [https://patreon.com/first_encounter_hr_pod?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink] Follow First Encounter: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/firstencounterpod] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.instagram.com/first_encounter_hr_pod/] TikTok [TikTok]: @first_encounter_hr_pod [https://www.tiktok.com/@first_encounter_hr_pod] Follow Andie James: Website: https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/ [https://www.andiejamesauthor.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]: @andiejamesauthor [https://www.instagram.com/andiejamesauthor/]   Logo designed by Books and Moods [https://www.booksandmoods.com/] Theme Music by TheJayMan [https://depositphotos.com/music-track/positive-successful-cinematic-vibes-used-movie-soundtrack-764901870.html]