Author Francesca Frost discusses her debut novel, The Crypto King's Muse. This suspenseful enemies-to-lovers workplace romance spans Manhattan, the Cayman Islands, and Davos, following Charlotte, a once-successful fashion entrepreneur who finds herself navigating the high-stakes world of cryptocurrency while becoming dangerously entangled with an enigmatic fintech CEO. After a lifetime of reading other people's stories, Francesca decided it was finally time to write her own. Along the way, she learned the conventions of romance writing and challenged her own natural pessimism to embrace the genre's promise of a happily-ever-after. In this episode, Francesca shares her journey to publication, explains how the 2022 FTX crypto exchange collapse reshaped early drafts of The Crypto King's Muse, and discusses why she believes romantic fiction is a form of emotional technology that can help all of us.

Author Benny B. Peterson discusses their latest novel, The Maidenheads, a fractured, coming-of-age love story centered on two queer indie musicians in Washington, D.C. When Jamie, a journalist trapped in a dead-end newspaper job, discovers she's pregnant, her life begins to shift beneath her feet. Then Mari, her ex-girlfriend, former bandmate, and unabashed agent of chaos, reappears, turning Jamie's world turns upside down and forcing her to confront what she truly wants and what she's willing to do to get it. In this episode, Benny shares their writing journey, discusses how Jamie's story came to mirror aspects of their own transition, and describes the unique challenge of translating a musician's relationship with music into words on the page.

Author Ravena Guron discusses her latest YA thriller, Sincerely, Your Murderer. Seventeen-year-old Kay returns to her hometown after a year away, hoping for a quiet week. Instead, she discovers an anonymous letter waiting on her bed. The note lays out a chilling countdown: a thrill on Tuesday, wreckage on Wednesday, treachery on Thursday, a fire on Friday, sabotage on Saturday, a stabbing on Sunday, and a murder on Monday. Her murder. While the premise is dark, Sincerely, Your Murderer balances fast-paced suspense with plenty of humor, creating a story that's both thrilling and entertaining. In this episode, Ravena shares her writing journey, explains why she loves writing for young adult readers, and discusses how her education and professional background influence her work, from her strong sense of justice to the mathematical thinking that shapes her storytelling.