When it comes to romance novels, inspiration can be found in the most unlikely of places. Yes, they all feature swoon-worthy tales of earned, learned or undying affection, but it is the background noise that can take a story from good to great. Every author is different, pulling settings either from well-loved locations, the depths of their imagination or a mix of the two. However, no matter how the multitudes of worlds created by ink and paper come to be they all start somewhere. If you have read Sarah Adler's Happy Medium, you may think the idea sprung from the simple fact that the author believes in ghosts, but her sophomore novel is less an ode to her thoughts on the supernatural and more the result of a good-quality pun. Before she took pen to paper and wrote her latest book, she first tweeted the basic plot for a hypothetical work of fiction titled 'I ain't afraid of no goats.' Over time, the one-line joke became a full-fledged novel, set as one might expect on a haunted goat farm.

If finishing a book is considered an achievement, completing a series should automatically earn an author an award, especially when they are able to tie up their tale with a bow worthy of all the characters they created. For Evie Dunmore, author of the beloved 'A League Of Extraordinary Women' series, the challenge lay in page time. Her now concluded quartet of novels can technically be read as standalone stories as each centers around one woman in a Victorian-era friend group. Sure, you may miss some of the brilliantly woven nuances if you choose to forgo Dunmore's published order, but you would likely still find each book enjoyable on its own. The only problem with setting up a sequence that can function in this fashion is that it allows readers to become significantly attached to each of the characters. And thus, when things draw to a close, it makes them expect more than just a typical tale. The final book will be seen as an homage to each book that has come before whilst also needing to maintain a full and flushed-out story for the crowning protagonist. Something Evie does with grace and wit that would make her four suffragists proud, especially Catriona Campbell, the focus of her latest novel, The Gentleman's Gambit.

You'll never forget your first… romance book, that is. And I, for one, believe this to be true. It was a sunny day in Los Angeles when my friend climbed into my small silver hatchback for our semi-regular coffee run to the small take-out window that had opened a few minutes from her house as a result of the lessening COVID-19 restrictions. "I have something for you," she squealed, thrusting a shiny pink book into my hands. "If you thought Bridgerton was spicy, just wait. I need you to start this immediately." The novel she had just bestowed upon me was Rosie Danan's The Roommate, and it quite literally changed my life forever. While it is miles and not a pandemic that now separates us, my friends and I still pour over romance novels, either in tandem or sequentially, as we did with Rosie's debut. Yet, no matter how many books we read together, there will always be an extra layer of magic that comes along with a story penned by Danan. And that layer is even more impactful in her most recent release.

Jenna Levine has always liked to write. For as long as she can remember penning off-the-wall tales has been a comfort and solace during times of need. When the global pandemic coincided with the perfect writing prompt, she decided it was time to see if her hobby could be something more. Jenna spent her days working her job as a lawyer and her free time at a laptop weaving a story inspired by Beth O'leary's book The Flatshare and FX's vampiric mock-documentary series, What We Do In The Shadows. The result was her debut novel, My Roommate Is A Vampire, a fresh new voice in the ever-expanding genre.

Laura Hankin and I are not at The Dime. It’s not because we wouldn’t be cool enough. It’s because it’s 10 AM on a Monday and it’s also 2023. Eighteen years ago, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, and other notable names of the early 2000s were constantly photographed outside the dive bar doors. Making the location, or rather Cofax Coffee located next door, the perfect place for us to discuss her latest book, The Daydreams.