Hot and Bothered

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 16 and they think that you should always pack an umbrella. Or at least not laugh at those who do. --- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 15 and are blowing the whistle on creepy rocking chair dynamics. If you see something, say something. --- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter 14 and they applaud Bella for living her best quarantine life. --- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read chapter 13 and they're already planning their Edward/Bella Halloween costumes. --- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 12 and they continue to find Edward's outfits better than his behavior. -- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 11 and they finally find out why this book is called Twilight. -- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 10 and they realize that everyone really wants to smell like vegetables. They also both come to a very important conclusion: using your dog to get a message to your boyfriend is a fool's errand. -- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode, Vanessa is joined by our friend Meredith Goldstein of the Love Letters podcast. Meredith is an actual advice columnist and an actual fan of Twilight, so it's a real treat to have her on. Vanessa and Meredith discuss chapter 9 and recommend some moral philosophy to Edward. -- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See aca...

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 8 and they are #TeamAngela.  -- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 7 and beg Bella Swan to do literally anything else but wait by the phone for a boy to call. Bella--take a nap, eat a banana, pet your goldfish and call your mom! -- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 6 and they have different takes on the character of Lauren. -- If you're enjoying Twilight in Quarantine, please consider supporting us on Patreon ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 5 and they'd like to teach the residents of Forks some things about consent. -- Note: We've relaunched our Patreon ! If you're enjoying our advice for the characters of Twilight, please consider supporting us in our work! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 4 and they're ready to start casting for Twilight the Musical. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 3 and, surprisingly, they're actually starting to like this book! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa and Julia have read Chapter 2 and they have some questions about the weather patterns in Forks, Washington.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer the best book of all time? No it’s not. Is it the kind of cotton candy escapism joy we need during these uncertain times? Hell yes it is.  You may remember BFFs Vanessa Zoltan & Julia Argy from their all-star advice giving in Season 1. In this mini-season they’re sheltering in place in different cities, but they’re getting on the phone three times a week to...

This week Vanessa talks about how the Friends-to-Lovers trope reflects the love she has for her real life partner, and how writing her own romance novel has allowed her to discover the importance of trust in her relationships.  Meanwhile, Ariana interviews Vanessa about the importance of happy endings, how romance novels have helped her through her own life, and why she and Ariana started thi...

Vanessa and Julia deal with a Reddit question from a woman whose boyfriend has recently found religion. Should his attempts to convert her end their relationship? To explore this question, Vanessa talks with journalist Lauren Sandler about her research on Christian Romance Novels and their writers. At the heart of their discussion lies the question: how religion can affect romance? They discuss ho...

This week, Vanessa’s friend, Liz, writes on the “Widowed Virgin” trope, telling the story of a Jewish widow who finds sexual awakening after her husband’s death. Vanessa reflects on her own Jewish upbringing, and confronts the familial urge to marry within the religion.  Vanessa, whose partner is non-Jewish and German, examines what it means to love someone outside of the community she was ra...

This week Vanessa and Julia discuss a boyfriend’s jealousy of his girlfriend’s dream man. Can someone’s fantasy life be threatening to their relationship?  To get answers, Vanessa talks with popular Romance advocate and critic Jen Prokop, of @JenReadsRomance on Twitter, about romance novel covers and why they should (or shouldn’t) change. We also hear a clip from Vanessa’s interview with Nich...

Jen wants to write a romance with her daughter as the main character. Vanessa just doesn’t understand why it has to be so...creepy. This week on Hot & Bothered, Jen uses the trope “Fake Relationship to True Love” to explore what her daughter’s future relationship might look like as a powerful, self-actualized woman in the modern world. When it takes a creepy turn, Vanessa wonders what sort of...

This week, Vanessa and friend Julia Argy tackle one of the most intense Reddit questions yet: a girlfriend considering leaving her boyfriend -- a serial drunk driver.  With the stakes high, Vanessa and Julia struggle with how to give the best advice. For advice on advice giving, Julia turns to advice columnist, podcaster, and writer, Steve Almond. Together, they discuss the patriarchal proble...

Elizabeth and Vanessa’s parents both got married fast, and fell in love after.  This week on Hot & Bothered, Elizabeth writes about the trope “Marriage of Convenience.” She’s taking this opportunity re-write her parents failing marriage with a happy ending. But the more Elizabeth writes, the more Vanessa wonders if Elizabeth is carrying some of the worst parts of the trope into her own li...

This week, Vanessa is joined by Katie Mingle from 99% Invisible. They explore this week’s Reddit question written by a woman in a 10 year relationship who’s experiencing feelings for another man.  To find an answer, Vanessa and Katie call Katie’s mother, romance novelist Pam Mingle. Together, they revisit a question from earlier in this season: whether love at first sight exists. Pam, Katie a...

Marissa Martinelli is writing a real sex scene. Vanessa is READY.  This week on Hot & Bothered, we explore the trope “Mistaken Identity.” As Marissa tries to write a good sex scene for her mistaken characters, she and Vanessa explore the vulnerability of explicit sexuality, and wrestle with the freedom and the oppression of coded sexual language. Vanessa turns to writer, romance-novel rea...