Hosts Kara Reynolds and S.A. Thorne sit down with Lauren M. Leasure, the author of the Benevolence & Blood series, including Sin of Saints, The Bones of Benevolence, The War of Wings, and Unmasked. She’s currently writing a small-town rom-com set in Maine. Today she talks about genre leaps, the fight against AI publishing and the dark period that almost closed the book on her author career.

Content note: This episode includes an open, personal conversation about hyperemesis gravidarum, pregnancy and mental health challenges. Listener discretion advised.

What we talked about:

• Who is Lauren M. Leasure?
• The Pivot to Contemporary Romance
• Researching Lobster Finishing for the New Book
• Querying vs. Indie Publishing
• The Experience That Almost Made Lauren Quit Being an Author
• Reflections on Motherhood and Writing
• The Hidden Work Behind Indie Publishing
• The Impact of AI in the Creative Space
• Rapid Fire Question Round
• Lauren’s Industry Hot Take

Books Mentioned

• The Sin of Saints (Benevolence & Blood #1)
• The Bones of Benevolence (Benevolence & Blood #2)
• The War of Wings (Benevolence & Blood #3)
• Unmasked (Benevolence & Blood spin-off)
• Untitled Cedar Bay series

Also mentioned:

• Villains and Vixens – book event
• Carly Watters – literary agent and co-host of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast
• Rejoice Literary Editing Company
• Jacob Knowles
• Yes Chef by Grace Reilly
• Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
• Love Resigned by Lauren Asher
• WordHippo
• Ted Lasso
• House of the Dragon
• Toontown Unwritten
• Candy Crush

You can find Lauren:

• Instagram: @laurenmleasure
• Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target.

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