The Romance Room

Welcome to the fourth week and final week of A Novel Month, where I attempt to finish the second draft of my rockstar romance by the end of August.  With the clock not stopping and the challenge winding down, I have to come to terms with how much work is left...and if I'm willing to take the challenge on to reach those special words, THE END. If you're new here, welcome. If you've b...

If you've followed this podcast under a different name, thank you for sticking with me through the rebrand. New name, same voice: a romance writer romancing life and the writing process, uplifting the romance genre, and helping romance writer write better romance.  Welcome to the third week of A Novel Month, where I attempt to finish the second draft of my rockstar romance by the end of Augus...

If you've followed this podcast under a different name, thank you for sticking with me through the rebrand. New name, same voice: a romance writer romancing life and the writing process, uplifting the romance genre, and helping romance writer write better romance.  Welcome to the second week of A Novel Month, where I attempt to finish the second draft of my rockstar romance by the end of Augu...

If you've followed this podcast under a different name, thank you for sticking with me through the rebrand. New name, same voice: a romance writer romancing life and the writing process, uplifting the romance genre, and helping romance writer write better romance.  To kick things off, I'm starting a new series called Novel Month, my self imposed challenge to finish my novel by the end of...

Happy ever afters aren't unrealistic. They're necessary.  Join me in diving into what makes the most popular genre also the most important genre to us as we emotionally navigate the dark and chaotic times we live in.  The Red Hand Files - https://www.theredhandfiles.com/ Join in the conversation - https://marjoriemuller.substack.com/ Propose a conversation - https://marjoriemuller.substa...

A Romance novel is only as good as its characters. Full stop.  So why are so many popular romances these days falling short in the character department?  The answer is simple: authors aren't doing the work to create the keys to unlock their characters psychological life.  Without these 4 keys, romance falls flat and becomes tropey goop rather than transformative emotional fiction.  Bring your...

Welcome to the kickoff of the first *official* season of The Romance Room!  This kickoff episode dives into something I'm extremely passionate about: dialogue.  Dialogue is the emotional backbone of fiction, especially of the romance genre.  However, a lot of romance writers think they're good at dialogue, but spoiler alert: they usually aren't. And that's because they're...

When non-romance readers hear a romance requires a "happy ever after", the overwhelming response is, "nuh-uh!" Then the examples come in...making it clear they don't know the difference between a love story and a romance.  Today on The Romance Room, we'll talk about why not all love stories are romances, why the happily ever after or (happy for now) is integral to the...

Romance can enter a person's life at any age. So why are so many romances obsessed with 20-somethings?  Despite being on the forefront of many cultural movements, Romance doesn't go untouched by misogyny. Today, we're putting a microscope up to romance's most misogynistic sticking point: ageism.  If you’re a romance writer, reader, or dabbler (or want to be one/all of the above...

Romance is the most popular genre in publishing...so why is it still so often disrespected?  In the inaugural episode of The Romance Room, we’re diving into the myths about romance, why they persist, and why writing love stories is one of the most radical, hopeful things you can do as a storyteller.  If you’re a romance writer, reader, or dabbler (or want to be one/all of the above!), you won’t wa...