Talk Spicy To Me

Talk Spicy To Me

For the Season 3 finale of Talk Spicy to Me, bestselling romance authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are joined by #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurie Gilmore, creator of the beloved Dream Harbor series and The Pumpkin Spice Cafe. Laurie takes us behind the scenes of her newest release, Big Bad Wolf, a cozy paranormal romance with Little Red Riding Hood vibes, werewolves, slow burn tension, and a few more red flags than readers might expect from Dream Harbor. We’re also diving into why cozy romance is having such a huge moment, the surprising overlap between cozy and dark romance...

Talk Spicy To Me

What do we wish someone had told us before becoming authors? In Season 3, Episode 8 of Talk Spicy to Me, bestselling romance authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner get candid about the realities of building a writing career - from finding your author brand and marketing your books to handling bad reviews, creative burnout, writer’s block, and the pressure that comes with turning your passion into a business. Whether you're an aspiring author, indie author, or longtime romance reader curious about what really happens behind the scenes, this episode is packed with honest publishing advice and...

Talk Spicy To Me

How much does it really cost to produce a romance audiobook and why has duet narration become so popular?  In Season 3, Episode 7 of Talk Spicy to Me, bestselling authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are joined by New York Times bestselling romance author Amy Daws to talk all things audiobooks. From dual vs. duet narration and $10K+ production costs to narrator casting, audiobook rights, royalties, and marketing, they’re pulling back the curtain on a side of publishing readers rarely see. Amy also shares how she built her audiobook audience, why she was working with duet narration...

Talk Spicy To Me

In Season 3, Episode 6 of Talk Spicy to Me, bestselling authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are joined by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Cowles to talk all things romantic suspense - from crafting believable villains and planting red herrings to using suspense to push the romance forward. Catherine also gets candid about career milestones, setting boundaries as a woman in publishing, and the reality of going from indie to traditional publishing. Plus: true crime research, romance adaptations, murderous book boyfriends, and whether a cold-blooded killer is actually a red flag....

Talk Spicy To Me

In Episode 5 of Talk Spicy to Me, hosts Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are joined by USA Today bestselling author Ava Rani for a deep dive into one of the most important (and often overlooked) aspects of storytelling: world building in romance novels. Whether you're writing fantasy romance, dark academia, sports romance, mafia romance, small-town romance, or contemporary romance, this episode is packed with practical advice on creating immersive settings, weaving sensory details into your scenes, and making your fictional world feel like a character of its own. The conversation also covers...

Talk Spicy To Me

Welcome back to Talk Spicy to Me! In Episode 4 of Season 3, bestselling romance authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are getting honest about burnout, motherhood, creativity, author life, and the pressure to keep producing when your brain and body are begging for a break.  This week, Giana and Kandi dive into what burnout really feels like, how it starts with overwhelm, the warning signs they’ve learned to look for, and the habits that help them protect their creativity before they hit a wall. They talk about the difference between pushing through and fully burning out, why social...

Talk Spicy To Me

Welcome back to Talk Spicy to Me! In Episode 3 of Season 3, bestselling romance authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are joined by two very special guests: their husbands, Haden and Jack. In this episode, Giana and Kandi pull back the curtain on what it’s really like being married to a romance author. Haden and Jack share how they were first introduced to the romance book world, what surprised them most about the size and passion of the reader community, and what it’s like watching their wives build careers in the romance industry. They also get into the hilarious misconceptions people...

Talk Spicy To Me

Welcome back to Talk Spicy to Me! In Episode 2 of Season 3, bestselling romance authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are joined by the hilarious, wildly talented, and always chaotic S.J. Tilly for a deep dive into what it really means to be a hybrid author. In this episode, Giana, Kandi, and S.J. talk about the realities of balancing indie publishing and traditional publishing, how Kindle Unlimited helped change the game for indie romance authors, why going traditional can help authors reach new readers, and what authors need to know before signing print-only deals, planning book...

Talk Spicy To Me

Welcome back to Talk Spicy to Me and welcome to SEASON THREE! 🌶️ We’re kicking off the new season with the amazing Chip Pons, USA Today bestselling author of contemporary gay romance, including Winging It With You and Dearly Departed. In this episode, Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner sit down with Chip to talk all things queer love, queer joy, MM romance, found representation, grief, romance tropes, reader expectations, and the power of happily ever afters. This conversation dives deep into why joyful queer stories matter, how romance can help readers feel seen, the difference between...

Talk Spicy To Me

Welcome back to Talk Spicy to Me: The podcast where two bestselling romance authors go rogue and talk all things romance: the good, the bad, the unbearably hot, and everything in between. In this season finale episode, Kandi and Giana discuss the realities of life in the publishing trenches, the importance of genuine author friendships, what really happens at writing retreats, and answer reader questions about writing and the romance genre. The podcast will return this summer after Giana begins maternity leave.   Timestamps: 00:00 – Season finale announcement & Giana starting...