Steam Scenes

Charlie Beauvoir is on this week’s Steam Seat and it’s another epic conversation. When Charlie considered writing romance, they wanted to write emotionally aware men and strong women as well as add to the queer romance canon. Charlie shares with me about working as a phone sex operator, how their job in security was just like Stephanie Plumb, how they wanted to re-write the romantic hero, and writ...

Would you consider having a male crime writer Beta read your steamy romance book? That’s exactly what Evie Alexander does! In this Steam Scenes episode, Evie shares the madness to her writing method, how her career as a filmmaker helped (or hindered!) her work as a novelist, and how she deleted 19,000 words of pure sex from her first novel. We go deep, talking about how romance writing (and readin...

Buckle up friends, this is one a wild ride! The brilliant Mia Michele is this week’s guest and this one is a doozy! Our totally 80s conversation spans soap opera tropes and Greek shipping tycoons and we both fangirl over Sidney Sheldon. And, Mia talks about writing authentic BDSM in romance. We even divert to a converstion about wine! So it’s a boozy doozy. Be sure to check out her astounding epic...

Contemporary romance author Kitty Berry manages to release three to four books a year even with a full time job, a family, and running RomanticConn, Connecticut’s premiere romance author signing event. Hear how 50 Shades turned her on (heh) to romance, how she leans towards writing dom/sub stories,  and how she manages to get so damn much done in a day. Plus, I read a steamy excerpt from Blossom S...

Julie Hamilton is on the Steam Seat this week! From plotting and pantsing, to fake dates and fake kissing, to the importance of reading women vocalize what gives them pleasure, Julie and I dig deep to mine the elements that go into writing her steamy scenes. Plus I read excerpts from a steamy moment in her book Just for Show and we talk about real estate porn. Connect with Julie online at: Twitter...

I know just enough about music to be dangerous (and write rock star romances!). So I am super excited to branch out on the podcast with singer-songwriter Katy Oberle. Katy also worked as a couples therapist before transitioning to creative mindfulness coaching so she knows a thing or twelve about intimacy. This is a fascinating conversation about the neurological functions of love and sex and how...

Amish porn led Sarah Burnard to romancelandia and she hasn’t looked back. But, Amish porn aside, she struggled with writing the naughty bits. To get comfortable, she wrote a “dirty, sexy, filthy” book, which got her into Pitch Wars and landed her an agent! See, filth works!    Listen to the end, when I read a sneak peek naughty bit from Sarah’s “dirty, sexy, filthy” not-yet-published book Batterie...

Nan Reinhardt pivoted her career from copy editing and proofreading computer manuals (sexy, right?) to writing romance. Nan and I swoon over the beta hero, discuss how an industry pro told her romances with older MCs weren’t saleable, and we talk about steamy moments vs sensual moments and what’s harder to write. Plus I read an intimate scene from her book The Valentine Wager (Book 1 in her Lange...

Kelle Z. Riley is in the Steam Seat! In this episode, we talk about how she’s a sucker for a Cinderella story, how her writing process includes interviewing her characters, and how she battles the beauty standards society sets on women in her writing. We also get into the similarities between cozy mysteries and romance, and why she loves writing women-centered stories. And we get into writing sexu...

Eliana West is in the Steam Seat! Eliana never imagined being a writer. Originally, she was in retail. But when the economic collapse in 2008 shuttered her clothing boutique, she decided to do NaNoWriMo to “feed her soul” and she was hooked. (Fun fact: Her first book was handwritten!) There’s a ton happening in this ep! We talk about why she chose to write sweet vs steamy, then we take a wide turn...

Strip down and get comfy, because Rien Gray is on the mic and we have a whole lot to talk about. We dive into how writing mobile romance games were Rien’s gateway into the romance world, writing non-binary and f/f romance, and why representation matters. Plus, we talk about how they wrote the MC romance that I’ve been dying to read! Also, did you know there’s a Leather Archives Museum in Chicago?...

Michelle McLean is on the Steam Seat this week! We talk about how she waded through 200 rejections before landing a contract with Entangled, how Victoria Holt drew her into romance, nerd out on paranormal romance vs. urban fantasy, and just have a general blast talking all things hot and heavy. And she shares what it takes for her to get the steam scene from brain to page! Plus I read a smokin’ ho...

Romance writer Jody Holford is this week’s guest and she’s bringing the sweet and the cozy! We talk about how to bring intimacy without writing naughty bits, the struggle with reader expectations, and I learn that the one kiss rule is Hallmark Sweet! And I read an exclusive (!!) advance excerpt from her book Home is Where the Body Is , which comes out on August 23, 2022.    Connect with Jody onlin...

Janet Walden-West is on this week’s Steam Seat! Janet and I get honest about how we both struggle to trust that conflicts developed through relationships are enough to sustain our books. Plus we talk about consent and dubcon, and the importance of sensitivity readers. And I read a naughty bit from her book Agent Zero , which is part of her Region Two urban fantasy series.   Hook up with Janet onli...

Kelsey McKnight and Sarah Fischer join me this week to talk about heat hoping! (Yes, it’s a twofer!) Separately, they write steamy. But when they write together, they keep it sweet. We talk about writing with your BFF, penning Grammy-approved romance, and how an emotional connection can bring intimacy but maybe not the heat. (And that’s okay!) And I read excerpts from Sarah’s book Third Wheel and...

Tricia Lynne is steaming up the mic with me this week. In this episode, Tricia and I talk about the importance of mentorship, writing curvy heroines, and what it’s like to write an erotic masterpiece. Plus we dig into imposter syndrome and writing sex for the over-40s. Then I read a smoking hot excerpt from her book Protective Instinct .  Connect with Tricia online: https://linktr.ee/tricialynnewr...

Katie Frey popped her romance cherry with Janet Oakely’s When Calls the Heart. We talk about how her husband may or may not look like Kevin Costner, where she gets her inspiration for steam, and her Outlander obsession. And we ask the question: Is there such a thing as too much steam? Plus, I read a naughty bit from her novel Nearly Her .    Connect with Katie on:  https://www.instagram.com/romanc...

CJ Warrant’s romance writing spans just about every trope in the genre. Dark, thriller, m/m, sweet(ish), you name it, she’s probably written it. On this episode of Steam Scenes, CJ and I talk about writing dark moments, how she loves torturing her characters, and writing about cancer and falling in love. And I read a steamy scene from her novella Four Days .   Grab her latest romantic thriller Dan...

Paris Wynters is a thrill-seeking author who writes adrenaline-fueled romance that celebrated diverse characters. We talk about the importance of representation in romance and the importance of own voices, how writing sweet romance is more difficult than steamy, and how the internal struggles of the characters in romance turn her on (as a writer). We dissect a scene from the first book in her Navy...

Christina Berry joins me for Steam Scenes! We talk about vampire princes in four-poster beds, have a fascinating conversation about Cherokee Nation history, and dive into how romance novels give a voice to feminist issues. And I read an excerpt from her novel Up for Air so you know that brings the steam! Connect with Christina online:  https://christinaberry.com   https://www.instagram.com/authorc...

Sloane Steele joins me and spills ALL the tea on book-to-TV adaptations. (Guess who liked the Virgin River Netflix series more than the book?) She shares how Nora Roberts was her gateway to romance, how the TV show Leverage inspired her to write a heist romance, and how writing sex in public doesn't phase her. And we talk about pre-writing with enneagrams because writing heists are hard! Connect w...

What does having a pet squirrel have to do with writing steamy scenes? Nothing! But Squeaky stole the show in this interview with Contemporary Romance writer Claire Marti. We laugh about ex-fiancés, she teaches me about Phantom Mares, and we discuss how a string of personal tragedies brought her to write Happily Ever Afters. Plus hear super-steamy excerpts from her novel The Wonder of You.   Conne...

Kilby Blades is this week’s guest! We have a fantastic (and topical) conversation about what it means to write feminist romance, genre expectations in women’s fiction vs romance, and how understanding food and food writing helped her write her steamy scenes. Plus we dig into Alpha and Beta heroes. And for the first time on the podcast, Kilby shares a First Time scene from her book The Art of Worsh...

This episode’s steam talker is Renee Rocco. After a thirteen-year hiatus, Renee returned to romancelandia with Wraith , the first book in her gloriously sexy Masters of Mayhem series. We talk about ignoring the romance haters, taking time off to start her own romance imprint that was bought out by Harlequin, and writing at the intersection of sex and violence. She also shares some fun facts about...

USA Today best-selling author Melonie Johnson, aka #thewritinglush, is this week’s guest! We talk about writing taboo topics, what it’s like to narrate your own books, and the impracticalities of having sex on a horse (or in a Papasan chair). Get your ears ready. This is a fun one!    Find Melonie on the internet on Website: https://meloniejohnson.com/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/s...