In this episode of Romance at a Glance, hosts Bridget and Shani interview Bianca Gillam, debut author of Bad Publicity, which follows senior book publicist Andy and her tumultuous, enemy-to-lovers relationship with author Jack Carlson. The discussion dives into Bianca's transition from romance editor to author, the challenges of separating the editorial voice while writing, and the process of making her protagonist competent in her job. The novel also touches on themes of grief, and Bianca shares how her own experiences with loss influenced the book. The episode wraps up with a sneak peek into Bianca's upcoming project, 'Off Script.'

00:00 Introduction and Guest Announcement

00:12 Book Overview and Themes

01:03 Author's Journey and Writing Process

01:33 Challenges of Being an Author-Editor

02:15 Balancing Writing and Editing

04:16 Working with Editors

07:18 Querying Process and Finding an Agent

09:48 Transition to Full-Time Writing

17:38 Character Development and Crafting the Protagonist

19:44 The Importance of Edits and Research

20:54 Balancing Professionalism and Personal Relationships

22:46 Insights from Publicists and Celebrity Stories

24:27 Navigating Public Persona and Social Media

25:27 Sales, Marketing, and Book Distribution

28:10 Emotional Impact and Reader Connections

30:55 The Power of Romance Novels

34:34 Upcoming Projects and Future Plans

36:30 Conclusion and Farewell

ABOUT BAD PUBLICITY

Andie’s first day at her new job could very well be her last when she discovers she has to work with literary darling Jack Carlson. While the rest of the world may adore him and his perfect hair, Andie has despised this man ever since he ruined her life five years ago. But to keep her job, she must execute a flawless campaign. To make matters worse, the centerpiece of this career-defining campaign is a book tour. For an entire month, Andie will have to travel across Europe with the man she’d secretly love to hit with her car. But she refuses to lose this opportunity, especially not because of him. One month on tour with Jack Carlson, visiting some of the most romantic spots in Europe. Deep breath. She can do this.

ABOUT BIANCA GILLAM

Bianca Gillam is a London-based author and armchair expert on ’80s and ’90s rom-coms whose poetry has been published in a variety of publications. She formerly worked in publishing, where she had the joy of editing a wide variety of brilliant authors; she was inspired by the books she published to write her own. Bad Publicity is her debut.

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Welcome to Romance at a Glance, a podcast that uses romance novels to dive into candid conversations about life, relationship dynamics, and sexual desires. 

As hosts Bridget and Shani review books and interview some of romance's biggest authors, they explore the breadth of the genre, openly embracing the sex, diverse couplings, and taboos to create a safe space for listeners to be exposed to different lifestyles, fantasies, and to pique their naughty curiosity.

Expect 100% honest reviews, spontaneous singing, life lessons, indecent anecdotes, and bawdy humor.

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Well, hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Romance

at a Glance. I'm your host, Bridget, and today I have a very

special co host, Trey. Hi, Trey.

Hi, Bridget.

I am very excited to have Tre here. She has a great instagram @xo.treleigh

l e I G H on Instagram. And that is how I found her. And she

was talking about Kimberly Lemming. And I was very excited because

her latest book, I Got abducted by Aliens, and now I'm trapped

in a rom com is coming out. And so I thought, who better to have

on than Trey to talk about it? Hi.

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy you found me. I'm

constantly screaming about monsters on all of my socials. I

have been for about three years now.

Yeah. I think there's something so delicious about monsters

and aliens because they allow you to just dive into it with a completely

open mind. You're like, they're not human.

Right.

So if they do something weird, you're like, they're not human.

Right.

Everything.

Like, there's no rules. Like, airport rules. When you read a monster

romance, like, anything goes and you just roll with the punches.

Yeah. I was very excited about this book because I think, like,

you, I had read some of her other books from the Mischief and

Mead. Is that the series?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mead and Mischief.

I think Mead and Mischief. And I liked her tone and, like, how funny

her books are. And I was excited because I love aliens and

I love rom coms. And so I was like, well, this is obviously gonna

be a match made in heaven. And it was. Yeah.

That's so interesting. I read a lot of monster romances and I usually

don't lean towards aliens. I started with Meet and Mishaps from

Kimberly Lemming that time I got drunk and saved a demon. And

I absolutely fell in love with it. Like, you said, the tone. She

is so funny. Like, and she's funny in a way that, like, doesn't

take you out of the book, but more so, like, you just, like, stare

into the camera like you're on the office. Like, I can't believe

this is what she just said.

Yeah, Her I really liked. And not to, like, get too far into the

book, you guys. Obviously, if you're listening to this podcast,

you know that we are going to spoil the entire book. So if you

haven't read it yet and you don't want it to be spoiled, turn

back now, push pause, come back later. I like so much about

the fact that this book is in just one character's point of view.

So many books now are in dual. And I thought for this type of story

where she's, like, getting abducted, discovering a new planet,

and trying to figure out these aliens, trying to figure out how

to communicate with them. There's a talking lion, there's talking

alien, bird. I think having it all from her point of view, for me

was the perfect choice because I think if it had dipped into one

of the other characters points of view, then I would have understood

things from, like, I would have just understood things. It would

have been in their mind. And then I would have been like, well,

now she doesn't get to discover it with me.

Yeah, it definitely felt like I was discovering everything with

Dory when I was reading the book. I do enjoy dual POVs because

I just want to be in the head of everybody else and know what they're

thinking. But I did enjoy, like, her learning about everything.

Like, she's taking me through the story with her. Like, we're all

discovering everything at the same time.

Yeah. Well, let's dip into the review and let's get it popping.

You ready to go?

Ready.

Romance at a glance. Romance at a glance. What you say now?

Romance at a glance.

Go ahead, girl. All right, you guys. Like I said, we're reading

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a rom com by Kimberly

Lemming. This is, according to the interwebs, book number one of

a new series from her called Cosmic Mishaps. And that was one

of the questions when I was reading the or cosmic chaos, rather

apologies, was I wonder if she's going to follow some of the

other characters because the world was so interesting. And so

I think based on the fact that it is book one, we are going to get

to see other characters. I will read you a quick synopsis for

all of you who haven't quite read it yet. Since it is just out

and it is hysterical. I'll read you the short one because it

is kind of a long one. So basically it is about a woman who

gets dropped onto a strange planet to fall for not one, but two

aliens. And Dory is getting her PhD in wildlife biology. She

gets attacked by a lion. Aliens save her. They're like bird

aliens. They save her, heal her, and then they drop her onto

a planet because they figured out that human women can breed with

this other species of alien that they accidentally almost wiped

out completely. And they feel bad, so they're trying to repopulate

this other alien race with stolen human women, but they're altruistic

Only the women who are about to die. So it's not just any woman.

Only on death's door are women. And through a series of, you

know, hilarious events, she accidentally gives a lion that tried

to kill her the ability to speak to her. And they set off into

this new land where dinosaurs are roaming and aliens are all around.

I think I liked a lot of the characters. I thought Dory was wonderful.

But I think Toto the lion, oh my. Be the gosh.

Yes. Toto, just like, he embodies like the type of personality

I wish to have in that kind of insane situation where he's like,

well, we're just here now and like, what are you going to do? Like,

I have to eat and I have to be comfortable and I don't know. He

is just so funny. He's just so funny. Keeping Dory in check. Like,

girl, we're here.

Yeah. Hey, look at this other saber toothed tiger I found. I'm

going to go make myself a lady pride. Yes. I'm going to kill her

some stuff and feed her. Going good. She's like. He's like, you

have a mate. You smell horny. Okay. We all smell it. Okay. Don't

try to kid yourself. Go over there and I will leave the room for

sure.

He's just like the perfect like wingman, wing, lion. Totally

down for anything.

And unbothered.

And unbothered.

I'm the king of the pride lands. I'm the predator.

Like, I'm the best. Like, regardless of what anything happens

here, you have to know that I am the top of the food chain. I'm

the best.

Yeah. I thought this was interesting. So many of the alien

romances that I have read, human women obviously end up on these

alien planets. But usually the aliens that they end up on their

planet, it's their planet. So they know what's going on in the

planet. Typically they're not the only women, although sometimes

they are, but usually they understand the local fauna all makes

sense. Like the world as it is obviously is not Earth, but it makes

sense as its own little ecosystem. I thought that this take

of having this be like a completely newly terraformed world

and them doing like the most minimal. Like this is like a D minus

project. Like they put so little effort and they're like, oh,

we went to this like two museums which all specialize in dinosaurs

and we just like snagged some samples and we just like chaos gardened

around this place and just created all these species. Nbd.

Yeah. It was like, this is what Humans, like, look at these

billboards that don't make any sense that are written by AI and

they, like, the car that.

Has nothing in it is just in the middle of the jungle.

Nothing makes sense.

The little cul de sac. They're like humans, like, cul de sacs. There's,

like, a little cul de sac of houses in the middle of the jungle.

Because that would make humans feel good.

Right. And one of them is basically like, the Mojo Dojo Cosset

house.

And they all have only one bed because the manual that they read

for creating this whole civilization was a how to write romance

novels. And so only one bed was the trope.

Yes. I just loved all of it. I did really enjoy back to talking

about how, like, we were discovering everything with Dory.

It was also nice that, you know, like, Sol and Locke were like.

Or Loki were, like, dropped into this. Into this planet as well

as you said. Like, usually it's like the aliens and they know

everything and women are dropped there. But it was nice, like,

seeing them discover the planet, too.

Right?

Like, that was so interesting to me.

Yeah. And then being like, wait, you know about these creatures?

Like, right? And she's like, well, I mean, I guess they're dinosaurs.

Like, yeah.

This frog.

They shouldn't all be here. Oh, my God. When Saul keeps shouting,

you know, saying like, oh, she's just shouting at plants again.

And Lock or lo. Or whatever his name is. Like, oh, it's. Oh,

wait, what? What is she doing? And he's like, this is a thing she

does. She shouts at plants. Like, you'll get used to it. Because

everywhere they go, she's just like. As a wildlife PhD biologist,

she's like, you shouldn't exist. What are you here for? How

did this all happen? And she's, like, trying to figure out.

And I. I know I'm skipping to the end, but I love that the resolution

in, like, the warring tribes of these other aliens is her knowledge

as a PhD student. Yes, absolutely. I was thrilled, because

sometimes I feel like authors forget to close the loop on. Like,

if you say someone's, like, super intelligent, then they're super.

Intelligence should be the superpower of the thing. And all

of a sudden, that super intelligent person, like, learns

to throw daggers, and that's what helps. And you're like, well,

that's cool. But also, they're smart. And so I liked that her knowing

about wildlife biology was the reason that she, like, saved the

day.

I know. Me too. And she was like, just move.

Yeah, you're in a migration Path. You're embarrassing yourself.

You've been here 10 years. This happens every year at the same

time. You didn't think to just, like, move.

And like, you didn't think to ask this other tribe because. Did

you ask them? Because they're not having problems at all. They're

fine. At all. They're just. They're just fine. And they think

you guys are nuts because you guys are always trying to kill people.

And they're like, we don't want to go by them. They're crazy.

Killing people and rebuilding your fence.

Yeah, always rebuilding the fence. Although, to be fair, I feel

like if it was like an entire tribe of warring dudes, not a single

lady. Checks out. Checks out. That checks out. I feel like it's

pretty accurate. Totally. Okay, I want to talk about the aliens

who captured her and are doing this experiment. The bird aliens.

Oh, my gosh.

I don't know that I have read another book where the aliens are

not humanoid who are like, the ones in charge in a row. I mean,

I'm sure I have at some point, but, like, none that I come to mind

right away. Where, like, the ones who are sort of manipulating

everyone aren't humanoid in some way or the reason that the aliens

got kidnapped is because they are humanoid in some way and want

those human women too. Like, they're not interested in the human

women.

No.

They're just like, trying to not get sued by a corporation.

Exactly. Which is so funny, the copyright infringement conversation.

But yeah, they're trying not to get sued by a corporation. I think.

I think Ice planet barbarians, when they're captured, the aliens

that capture them aren't humanoid at all. I don't think so.

Yeah, the first aliens, and then when they get to the ice planet,

those are mostly humanoid. That's the only thing that I could.

Think of that could be true. I mean, I have heard that book, but

it's been a while since I.

Read book one, so I'm like, maybe years, but maybe. Yeah, I thought

it was really interesting. I thought it was also interesting that

they were like, bird. Like. I don't know, I kind of expected. I

don't know, I kind of expected to be, like, really thrown into,

like, alien territory while reading this book. So the fact that,

like, you know, Dory and like, I as a human could recognize, like,

different dinosaurs and monsters. Not. Well, not monsters,

but animals and stuff like that. I. I liked that, I think, because

it kept me kind of like in the story being able to recognize these

things. As I said before, I'm not huge into aliens. So I don't

know if that's like a typical.

It's definitely not typical. And I think one of the best things

about it is that even though we were having to like, learn about

a new culture and learn about the bird culture and what they're

doing, learn about the other alien culture and learn about what

they're doing, I think it was helpful to not have to also learn

about everything else. Because sometimes, you know, when you make

any first book, whether it's fantasy, science fiction, alien romance,

whatever, if you're establishing a whole new world, you

have to do a lot of world building and explaining. Like, is

it a desert planet? Is it a water planet? Is it whatever planet?

And the fact that like her job brain was always like, oh my God,

what is this bullfrog so big for? Like, but we. I already know

what a bullfrog is, so immediately I'm like, oh, my God,

that would be crazy. If you saw a bullfrog that was as you. That

would be insane.

Yeah.

One that can't move because it's not strong enough and its tongue

isn't strong enough to get you your little legs. Like, and I. And

like. Or like the T. Rex coming and it's pink and she's like,

we were wrong all along. They're pink. Like all of that I

feel like, helped so that. Because like, imagine that if you're

on a planet and they're like, oh, the tuma little rock is a big

pink dinosaur. Like, you know, I mean, like, they'd have to really

explain that. True, very true. This book is fast, very fast paced.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I think it would bog it down too much. Much.

Yeah, that does make sense.

For me at least.

No, I think that makes sense. Yeah, I do. Like, like the bird like

aliens. I think I imagine them in like little trench coats with

like their iPads, like, just like collecting data.

They're like how their little feathers were like connected to like

the digital world so they could pull up like little iPads and

stuff. I was like, that's cool.

Yeah, that was super cool.

Aliens are cool.

Yeah. Yeah.

Also, I liked that the one who was like observing them was an intern.

I know.

Because how perfect is that? That this company, genocided in an

entire alien world, stole all these human women, completely modified

them so they could breed with these other aliens. And then they

don't even send a manager level person. They just interned

over.

They're just like, you can do this. Just report back what you see.

He's like freaking out. Like, you guys have got to fall in love.

Look at this Tamagotchi. It's not. Let's get it. Someone is going

to fire me.

Oh yeah. The Tamagotchi thing was so weird. Like, what did you

think about that? I never had one as a kid.

Really?

No, I mean, like, I feel like other people did. I would like saw

them and I was like, I don't want to do that. That seems like

something I don't want to do. But everyone is like obsessed with

them.

Yes. They're so cute. I had one as a kid for sure. I would definitely

buy one today if I saw it.

Probably.

That's how much I love them. And I loved it being incorporated

in the story to have like a digital little soul, like dancing

whenever his little love meter went up. I thought it was nice.

I did too.

Yeah, I thought it was nice because like for the majority. Well,

yeah, like for the majority of the book, Dory was like, I'm just

gonna like do this thing and then I'm gonna go home. Like I'm

gonna go home and go home. And I felt like, you know, she was like

holding back a lot from like being into them or you know, even

soul. Just saying like, well, it's. You can't, you know, bottle

like mysticism and like, you know, ancient practice, like whatever,

it'll wear off. And so I felt like the Tamagotchi was really nice

because it was like, well, you can't lie. Either you like them or

you don't. So I liked it.

I did. I thought it was funny because it a like, like you said,

allowed us to track what she was feeling even if she was denying

it. It's like, well, it's going up so you're lying. I liked

that. It put the two guys were like, ahaha, my score is higher than

yours. Haha. My score is higher than yours though. And also

I thought it was funny that it related to the way that the alien

bird was trying to get them to fall in love. And she is like trying

to get this bird off her back and she's like, you can't just have

one bed and expect people to fall in love. You know anything about

like humans?

Yeah.

And he's like, well, what should I know? And she's like just

throwing out random stuff to try to get him away from. Well, we

have to be away from each other and pine because she just wants

her own bed for the night. But little does she know he's going to

like set up a series of events so that they get separated and kidnapped

so that she can pine for them. And he's like, you were right. It

worked. Look, the love meeting is going up. And she's like, did

you do all this? Is this your fault? That might kill you.

Yeah, that was perfect.

Yeah, he's. And, like, I also think them not just doing any real

investigation into human culture at all and her, like, having

her birth control pill. Because a lot of times when you read

romances like this, you're like, ruh, roh, we're gonna get pregnant

right away. Because not that I disapprove of pregnancy, I have children.

But, like, in a book, I want it to be on purpose, usually. And

I'm like, ooh, alien planet, a lot of alien sperm. That usually

is a recipe for babies, right? And this time she, like, still had

her implant because they didn't know about birth control implants

because they didn't do any research. And then when she tells

them, oh, we need chocolate and coffee or we can't have babies,

right? She's just like, listing stuff she wants. I need coffee,

right?

I need chocolate. Like, there's more to this. No, I loved

that. I did love that.

I want to know what your thoughts are about spice level in

books in general. Obviously, you read monster romance, so, like,

those books are usually very spicy. But when you pick up a book

that has, like, this has, like, a little sort of illustrated,

animated cover, if you've read her books before, you know it's going

to be spicy. But if you didn't, you picked this up, what

are your thoughts about just picking up a random book and dipping

into it, not knowing what's going to happen?

I mean, I'm open for anything. So, like, I love monster romance,

but I read dark romance, contemporary romance. Like, I'm a

romance girly, I think, picking up. I mean, since I'm into

so many different things, typically, I have to say that, like,

okay, I don't typically just, like, pick up a book in a bookstore,

right? Like, I have, you know, my bookstagram and my book talk and

stuff like that. So books are constantly being fed to me. So typically,

like, I'll see a cover and it'll be a blurb, and I'll pick it

up. When it comes to spice level, I don't really look at that.

Like, I don't typically care because I do read monster romance,

which we know is pretty spicy. So I don't gauge what books I pick

up by the spice level. It could be, you know, closed door,

it could be open door, it could be you know, erotic. It could,

you know, so things like that. I don't really, like, gauge my reading

by a typical spice level.

Yeah, that's a good answer. I don't either. I mean, we do read.

Obviously, in romance, you read some open door and some non

open door. I personally, if it's gonna be open door and you have

aliens or monsters, I want that to be involved. That's like

my biggest criteria. I don't want you to have human sex. Yeah,

basic missionary human sex with an alien or a monster.

Absolutely.

If you have horns. If you have horns, someone better be grabbing

onto the horns to hold on.

Yeah.

It would be someone. If there's a tail involved. Let's give

the tail a purpose.

Yeah.

And in this case, the tail had a great purpose.

Such a great purpose. But even, like, if there's horns, like,

I need that to be, like, a zone for you. You know what I mean?

I needed to activate something.

Yeah.

Which is so funny because I have this reel that's just taking

off on Instagram right now.

About.

It was a silly audio that was like, when I get 30% into a monster

romance, the monster doesn't have a weird peen. And I'm super

upset about it. And there's so many people in my comments that are

like, yes, why is it human? Like, why are we doing this? Like,

we're here for the strange, we're here for the weird. I wouldn't

pick up a monster romance if I wasn't down to clown with the weird.

Exactly.

Yeah.

100%. Like, I want the sperm better be magical or the penis better

be different in some way. Ridges, knots.

Yeah.

Two of them expands inside of you. I don't know. Pick your. Pick

your poison.

Yeah.

Something better be exciting. You know what I mean? Something exciting

should be different. Otherwise I could read contemporary romance.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And that's nice.

It's sweet. Or historical. It's nice as well. I mean, and you

could read dark romance with a human dude, and it could be dirty

and crazy, but also, he's still just equipped with man parts.

Yeah.

But if I'm doing an alien with horns and a tail.

Yeah.

And I feel like she delivered. I feel like, yes, she delivered because

the tail, I also, like, this is related to the tale. But she tells

him, like, he's like, what do you need? And she's like, I need

you to touch my. And he. And I thought this was great that he didn't

just magically know where it was because he never met a human

woman. He's like, show me where this clit is. And then he follows

her instructions, and then he levels it up by being like, oh, you

know what I have on my body? A tail that can suck.

Right?

And he just latches it right on there. And she's like, I can't

anymore. And he's like, yes, you can. You'll do it. You can take

it. You're here for this. You asked for it.

Yeah, Even that. And, like, their tongues. Like, her describing

their tongues being ribbed. You know, they have, like. Yeah,

it was, like, the perfect, you know, alien for me.

Yes. You know what I like about this character in general,

in relation to sort of everything in the world, but especially

the sex, is if I met a hot alien dude, I'm on an alien planet.

Okay.

All right. Set the scene.

Hot alien dude. Who knows what's gonna happen If I found out

that he had ridges on his tongue? My immediate thought would

also be, I would like to feel that between my legs. That would

be my next. The intrusive thought would be right there.

Are you into this?

Yeah. I'd be like. And if he was like, oh, I'm in love with you.

And, like, I want to get it on. I'd be like, well, what we're

not gonna do is not try it and see what's happening down there.

Yeah.

Just once.

Yeah.

And I liked that her thoughts were always, like, very, like, funny,

but also very real. Like, she sees. Okay. Okay. There's a pink

dinosaur. Okay. Aha. We almost died. Okay, well, you know. Okay.

You have a rib tongue. Well, definitely. You should lick me. No.

Bad Dory, don't say that to you. You know, like, that's very

relatable.

Right, right. Like, she mentioned that Toto had, like, never

had intrusive thought, and I'm like, neither have you. Like, what

are you talking about, girl?

I was excited because her other books. Correct me if I'm wrong,

but I feel like they were in this same world, but they didn't

introduce the characters. And they were, like, standalones in the

same series, basically. They were. They connected.

They were interconnected through. What's her name? Is it Cherry?

Between, like. Like, they were, like, sisters.

Oh.

The main girl, she was best friends with the girl who was in

the one that. That time I needed a love potion at a werewolf.

That's right.

And then the younger sister of the main character was, like, abducted

or taken in, like, the swamp, and so she ended up with the other

dragon.

Did you introduce the couple or just the character who. Then the

next book was about it was just the character, right? Or am

I wrong? I don't know.

I think it was the. I think both. I think the couple appeared

in the first one that was about the yeeted love potion. Like,

we had seen them or we knew of them in the town. And then, and then

the last one, because the sister had been abducted, she was,

like, kept in, like, the tower.

Right, Right.

So, yeah, that didn't really like, mesh with that story because

it didn't take place in that same town.

Right. I, I in general, like books, series like this. Like, usually

they're two series. It's like you have a main, like, characters

in the romance who are going to be in a trilogy. Same characters

throughout the trilogy. Or you have these where it's like, standalone,

but it's all in the same world. They're all connected. They

introduce the next couple, so you're excited about them, and then

they're book two. Maybe you see Doriel be there in the background,

perhaps. But like, the main romance of the next book is this.

This is sort of my preferred one. Unless I'm reading, like, a

bigger fantasy series or science fiction series in romance,

I usually prefer, like, that each book is contained with a happily

ever after and then it, like, leaves the door open for the next

couple.

I absolutely have to agree. I absolutely have to agree. If it's

a fantasy series, I need everybody to stay the same. I'm already

trying to learn the world. Please, like, everybody just stay

in the same box. But when it comes to, like, romance or, like,

you know, monster romance or series like that, I do like for each

couple to be in its own little, like, container, like, love

story.

Yeah, they're happy at the end. Happy.

They're so happy.

The sex was so good. Everything's great. And then, ooh,

these other people are feeling some kind of conflict. Feelings or

something's happening. Someone got kidnapped. Ooh, like, next time,

we'll visit them on next week's episode of Aliens. I. I liked

that again, like, I can't state enough how bad these bird aliens

were at creating this world and understanding humans and human

women. But at one point, late, like, sort of late in the book, they

find another human woman. This lady is like, a badass. She's like,

I need to get my jacket. It has a gun and a knife in it. And

Dory's like, it has what? What are you talking about? She's like,

give me my jacket. And she, like, gets. She has also been shot

with a love dart. And one of the other aliens has and he's like

the warlord kind of of this.

Oh, my God, you know, Crew King Osid.

Yeah. And he can't. Like, it's impossible for their race of people

to hurt their soul mates or whatever you would call them. Zalis

H A L I. Yeah. And this other lady just pulls out her gun and shoots.

Shoots him in the. And everyone is shocked.

Yeah.

Dory's shocked, too, because she shot him even though she knew

it was gonna happen. Because the lady's like, I'm gonna shoot

him. He's shocked because he's like, you shouldn't be able to hurt

me. The bird is like, you shouldn't be able to hurt. That's

not a human thing.

Right.

Right. It's not us.

We can do whatever. No. Blair is a badass.

Yeah.

She was like, get me out of here.

Yeah.

Y. I can't wait. I hope the next book is about them.

It has to be.

I need it. The fact that they're at couples counseling and

she's, like, tearing down this facility and maniacally laughing

and shooting. It's amazing.

It's amazing. I already looked up. I was like, does she post when

the next one comes out? Which is crazy. And, Kimberly, I apologize,

because this is what readers do. Okay, Kimberly, this book. We

are recording this nine days before your book comes out. And I

apologize in advance that I'm already like, when the fuck's the

next one? Get on it. Okay. Work faster, please, girl. Right.

Yeah. I actually see Kimberly next week at YALL Fest.

Oh, cool.

So I'm hoping to have her sign some of my books that I have of hers

and bring this up.

Here's the thing about Monsters 2 is it allows you to experience

things that you would never experience in real life. Like, I

don't want to be stalked.

No.

In real life, hardest, hardest, hardest imaginable. Pass.

I don't want to be kidnapped. I don't want to be kept from my family

and friends and loved ones. I don't want to be injured in some

dramatic way and then resuscitated or whatever. All of

that sounds terrible. However, in a book, I would like to dip my

little toesies of imagination in a land where I've been stalking,

kidnapped by some sort of creature, and then it turns out that

I'm their mate and they're gonna just basically fuck me until

I pass out. That is a world that I would like to imaginatively

live in. Literally.

Right. And love me undeniably. Like, my every whim is their, like,

complete and total desire.

Yes. Like they are here for me to do whatever. They think all my

quirks are wonderful. Right?

I'm so funny.

Yeah. When Saul's like, she just shouts at trees. How cute is

she? Like, that is what I want.

She's so cool.

And Locke is like, oh, you're trying to pretend like you're not

wet right now when my finger's inside of you. How sweet. How sweet

you are. Your body isn't lying to me. You're so silly. You're so

silly. You're so beautiful and wonderful.

Absolutely. I feel the same way. I mean, I read dark romance.

I think it's like, kind of like the same. I get the same feeling

when I read dark romance as when I read monster romance. Although

monster romance tends to be, like, a bit on the lighter side.

But like you said, it allows you to experience those things. Like,

ooh, he's outside my window. That's kind of creepy. But also,

I'm a little into it in the pages.

Okay. He's in some sort of violent motorcycle gang. Oh, my God.

What's gonna happen in real life? I'd be like, wait, you guys

have guns? I don't think so. That's not for me. I'm gonna go home,

drink some tea, and read a book. Thank you. No, thank you.

Yeah, totally, totally, totally.

That's so funny. Are there any books aside from this one that you

have on your radar that you wanna talk about or you're excited

to read?

Not in the monster romance or just any.

I mean, it doesn't have to be monster romance.

Oh, yeah. Oathbound by Tracy.

Oh, my God. Like, that is right before you came on. Guys, I'm

holding up a copy of Legendborn. Yes. I just started my

reread because I have to. It's been so long since I read the first

one, and I was like, I can't. This is such a good story. So I'm

gonna reread this and the second one so that I'm ready for

the third one to come out.

Yes. I'm in the middle of my bloodmarked reread right now. I have,

like, a buddy read over on Storygraph, so that's really fun.

Okay, cool.

And I'm hosting a Oathbound midnight release party in Atlanta.

Oh, cool. Wait, are you doing that with Amanda?

No, they're in New York.

They're in New York. Okay.

I'm in Atlanta. I'm doing mine with Brave and Kind books. It's a

black owned woman run bookstore here in Atlanta. Amazing.

Yeah. So Oathbound is like, on the top.

Yes, I agree. I've been waiting. When this book came out,

I want to say it was like November, release the first one when

it came out or something before Christmas, I literally bought

like six copies because I was like, this book is so good. I gave

it to my niece, I gave it to my brother. I gave one to a bunch

of friends. I was like, guys, you have to read this book. This

book is incredible.

No, it's the most amazing thing. It's like what I live my life

for every single day is to wake up and have Tracy Dion notice

me online. Absolutely obsessed with her and she knows that. So I

cannot wait for Oathbound. There are some other books that I'm

excited. Nia Davenport was talking about her adult book that's

coming out called Our Vicious Oaths that comes out this year. And

oh, Lore of the Tides. Have you read Lore of the Wilds by Annalee?

What is Annalee's last name? Oh, my gosh, please don't hate me,

Annaleigh. Please. Yes, yes. Her second book, Lore of the Tides,

comes out this year and I'm very excited about it.

Okay, I'll have to check that one out.

It's an adult fantasy. Lots of Fae, which I love.

I love a good fae.

Yeah. I categorize Fae as monsters. I don't care.

I think they are monsters.

They are.

I. I mean, well, I think it depends on who you ask, but I think

if you think about the way that monsters function is like they

are not human in some way. So they either have powers or physically

they're different. But I feel like the Fae, like, check that they're

like physically different. They're usually faster or stronger

or both. Live longer. Yeah. Have powers of some kind.

Yeah.

I think they go into that same fantasy. Because monsters are really

fantasy. I mean, they're just fantasy. They're just like a little

subset of fantasy.

But that's true.

That's your fancy for sure.

Because I put everything that isn't human under monster and I call

it a day. I'm like, Edward Cullen monster.

I mean, he eats people. So I would say vampires are monsters for

sure.

That is true.

That is true. Oh, Edward Cullen. What a. What a character.

What a character. Shiny skin, you know what's creepy? And I feel

like typically, or maybe, I don't know, maybe this is not true

now that I'm saying it, but I feel like in monster romances that

are like monster monsters, like some sort of hooved individual,

some sort of, you know, like you said, Kraken individual. Whatever.

Sometimes they're really old, but sometimes they're like the same

age as the character or very similar age. But like when you have

like vampires or whatever, they're always really old.

Yeah.

It's inevitable.

Yeah.

And. And when you think about, like, if you made him look his age,

so he would have been 100 and something, when the. If you made

him look like a little shriveled one hundred and something

year old man hitting on this seventeen year old girl, it really

takes the fun out of vampires. It does.

It absolutely does. I also, like, I'm part of like the Edward

Cullen, like, hate fan club. Like, I am always like, meh, Whatever.

I'm always. I've been team Jacob since I first read Twilight

in 2005.

Okay, I get that. Where because you like werewolves, you

like the more monstrous ones, you know, shapeshifters.

You're onto something. Wait a minute. Am I being perceived?

Well, here, let me ask you a question. I had this debate with

friends last night. Do you think in Beauty and the Beast the

Beast was hotter as a beast or as a man?

As a beast, he turns into a man. He looks so dirty.

What a letdown. What a letdown.

You could have at least given him a beard. He could have been like,

play it up.

Thank you. Not this, like, pretty, like with his pretty hands.

I was like, what are we doing here?

His like, golden locks. Like, I don't want to see that, Barb.

So I was at a dinner and they were like, there were three women

who are all like my age, like mid to late 30s. And then there were

four guys, all also mid to late 30s. When I tell you the guys

were shocked that we preferred the Beast over the prince, the girls,

I was like, well, you thought the Beast was hotter. And she was

like, of course I did. And the other woman was like, yeah, obviously.

And they were like, wait, wait, wait, what? And I was like,

yeah, the Beast can get it. That human man. Hard. He would have

turned back into a prince. And I would have been like, well, you're

welcome. I fixed your curse. I'll just hang out in the library

and you can putter around as need be. But I'll be in this beautiful

library drinking tea with my friends Cogsworth and Lumir. And

you can do you. Not me, because you're real.

110. I actually read a monster romance that is called Beast by Jennica

Snow. Have you read that? It is. It's like if the Beast never

turned into a human.

Okay.

And it's everything I needed.

Yeah, yeah. It. I mean, I don't. I'm not looking up the COVID

right now because I'm like, did I need it?

I think the COVID is in black with, like, rose petals or something.

I think it's Jenna. Is that her name?

Yeah, that's right. Let me look. Oh, yeah. It's like the rose.

I don't think so, but I'll have to check it out because I. I

do enjoy a retelling of a fairy tale for the same reason that

I think it was nice that all of the animals and creatures and

dinosaurs and plants in this book were human or earthbound. I

guess. Right. When you dip into those retellings, your brain

automatically understands where the story starts. And so even

though it ends up in a different place, you already know,

oh, I know what the beast is like. I understand the curse might

be slightly different, but I understand sort of the basic players

and the basic plot so I can get behind. Like, there's a bunch

of Peter Pan ones.

I want to get into romances. Yeah, I love Peter Pan. It probably

is one of my top fairy tales. But I have not dipped into all the

books that I've seen that are like, dark romance. Peter Pan. I

know that Emily McIntyre has one. It's called Hooked, isn't it?

Yep, I read that one. I also read Never. It's a dark romance.

Let me think about this.

Oh, it's like a Lost Boy.

Never King. Yeah, Lost Boys. Never Something. Never. I think it's

called Never King.

I think it's called the Never King.

The Vicious Lost Boys. Maybe that's the series. Maybe Nikki St.

Crow. The first one is called the Dark One. Oh, wait, no, that's

the second book. The Never King is the first one. Dark One is

the second one. Vicious Lost Boys. I read those. I made a mistake,

though, because I really need to pay attention more to whether

the whole series is complete. Because I read the first one, burned

through it. I was like, this book is so fun and dark and weird,

but, like, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, everybody's fucking like,

I'm into it. Read the Segue book, got to the end, went to Kindle

Unlimited, tried to get the third book, and it wasn't out yet.

And I was like, oh, I've made mistakes. I've made. I've backed

myself into a corner, and I can't get out of the corner because

this book doesn't come. It was like six months before.

Are you that type of reader where you need the series to be complete

before you start it?

So not Always. And like, back when we were younger, because books

came out once a year, I was used to waiting. I think it depends.

If I'm reading, like, a book in, like, that I get, like, for instance,

like, Legendborn, I got. And I knew it just got published. It'll

be a year. I knew it. But I feel like sometimes when I'm on,

like, Kindle Unlimited or I'm reading series that are faster and

maybe slightly shorter, or even romances where I just, like,

don't really think about it and it's like, ends on cliffhangers

all the time. Then I'm like, oh, shit, I should have waited. Because

part of me is such a mood reader. And also, like you, I get

sent a lot of books. I get recommended a lot of books. And so

I feel like sometimes if I miss my window of when I'm like,

have a. The time. And also I'm like, into that series, then I won't

finish it or I won't ever go back to it if I miss. You know what

I mean? Like, if I. Unless, you know, in two years when book

four comes out or whatever, or in a year when book four comes out,

then someone's like, oh, my God, did you read the last book?

And then I'm like, wait a minute. I didn't wait. I must go

back and find it. So that's tricky.

Yeah. Yeah. I think. I don't know. I think because like you said,

like, we both get, like, get sent a lot of books. I can like,

supplement in between where I'm like, okay, I want to finish

this series, but I have all these other books in the meantime

that I could just, like, plug in there.

Yes. I mean, that is definitely what I do. I. Now that

I'm thinking about it, I'm like, did I read the final book?

I read the first three. When did the fourth one come out? Let's

peruse. March of two years ago. So who knows? It's hard to say

whether I read it or not.

Yeah.

Impossible to know. I'd have to reread the whole series. This

has been a delight. Thank you so much for coming on and talking

about this book with me. I was so excited a. Because I just thought

it was so cute. Like the COVID of it. So cute.

Yes.

And after we read the first one on the podcast, I wanted to read

another one of her books. And, you know, this was the perfect mix

of dinosaurs and hilarious, you know, banter and aliens and horns

and tails.

Yeah. I do want to mention the, like, ending of the epilogue,

where yeah, the intern. His code name is now Cupid.

I'm like, oh, my gosh. I signed it. I.

Love.

And he's obviously going to be in the rest of the books, which is

exciting because he was a very funny little character.

Yes, he was.

And I'm excited. In the next book, presumably, he'll find out

that they duped him about the coffee and the chocolate, which will

be a very fun little time.

Absolutely.

All right, well, you guys, if you want to follow Trey, you can

go to Xo Treylee on Instagram, and I'll, of course, drop a link

in the description of the app that you happen to be listening on.

And until next time, may your books be your lover and your hand,

your best friend. Bye for now, kids. Thanks for hanging in with

those romance readers. Head over to Instagram to continue chatting

with us. We're super friendly. We want to cackle with you. We want

to know what your favorite sex scene was, and we need more book

recommendations. If you want to read along with.

Us, go to our website, romanceataglance.com to.

See what we're reading next. And we'll see you next podcast.