Episode Summary:

Today we welcome romance author Taylor Lunsford, who is sharing some of her favorite romantic books with us, and then we’re doing a special segment for those of you who may want to try writing your own book this summer. Join us as we get a little nerdy and share our favorite books on writing!

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Highlights:

We welcome Taylor Lunsford, author of the upcoming romance You’ve Got Matches
Fan-fiction as an entrance ramp to writing
The joys and pitfalls of online dating
Roni’s own You’ve Got Mail moment
Love at the DMV
Roni’s dog is post-surgical, in a vest, and not happy about it
Taylor’s recommendations
Thoughts on illustrated covers in romance & author input on covers
Roni is slightly obsessed with books on writing
The Newsies and New Kids on the Block fanfiction in our pasts
Dawn was already asking for book reviews in elementary school
NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - and Camp NaNoWriMo
Roni’s accidental Twilight marathon and breaking news: she has changed Edward vs. Jacob “teams”
Our favorite books on writing
Books if you’re brand new to writing
Where our ideas come from
What we’re reading now
Rereading vs. rewatching
Our RAD Recs of the Week

***EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD

*Note: all book links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!

Books recommended by Roni:

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
Story Trumps Structure by Steven James
The Emotional Wound Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell
Goal Motivation Conflict by Debra Dixon
On Writing by Stephen King
Light the Dark essays edited by Joe Fassler
Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott

Books recommended by Dawn:

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes
Super Structure by James Scott Bell
How I Write by Janet Evanovitch
Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot by Jane Cleland
The Now Write! Series, specifically Now Write! Mysteries edited by Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson
Free Fall by Sara Cate

Books recommended by Taylor:

The Gown by Jennifer Robson
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole
Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev

RAD Reading Recs of the Week:

Tinder Box by Rachel Grant (Dawn’s rec)
I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott (Roni’s rec)

Other books mentioned:

Pride and Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
For You & No One Else by Roni Loren
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Now Write! Screenwriting edited by by Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson
Now Write! Fiction Writing Exercises edited by Sherry Ellis
Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror edited by Laurie Lamson
Gravity by Sara Cate
The Emma Project by Sonali Dev
The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

Other things mentioned:

KISS app
Roni’s writing classes at Fearless Romance Writing
Scrivener writing program
One Stop for Writers
Dawn’s class on conflict
Smart Bitches Trashy Books reading spreadsheet
Along for the Ride movie (Netflix)

Find our guest Taylor and her books online:

Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Another note: Because we are both in the publishing industry, sometimes the books we recommend might be by an author we know personally, an author who shares a publisher, editor, or agent with Roni, or an author whom Dawn has edited. Publishing is a small world, so that will happen from time to time. However, we guarantee that we only recommend books we love. We have not been asked to promote any of these books and none are paid ads. However, some books we review may be ARCs (advanced reading copies provided by publishers to reviewers for honest reviews.)