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"It's not 'happily ever after' - it's 'happy enough for now'." - Vicki Essex

In this episode, Mike and Wendy ponder their feelings about romance, and Wendy recounts her foray into the world of romance publishing. Then, Mike interviews romance writer Vicki Essex - and they correct some fusty stereotypes about the genre. Finally: a reckoning.


Books, movies and articles mentioned in this episode:


Twilight by Stephenie Meyer


The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante


The Dim Sum of All Things by Kim Wong Keltner


Avatar, the Last Airbender


Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James


Matinees with Miriam by Vicki Essex


Dangerous Books for Girls by Maya Rodale


Red Carpet Arrangement by Vicki Essex


Love Between the Covers


The Original Sinners by Tiffany Reisz


The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz


The Devil's Revolver by Vicki Essex


"In Harlequin's new Dare series, heroines own their sexuality" by Joseph Saraceno in The Globe and Mail


"Authors of Fiction Confront a Problem: How to Write About Sex" by Sarah Lyall in The New York Times


Outline by Rachel Cusk


High Fidelity by Nick Hornby


Find Vicki Essex at http://www.vickiessex.com and http://www.vsmcgrath.com. The Devil's Pact, the third book in The Devil's Revolver series, will be released on December 18th, 2018.


Note: This episode has been edited from a previous version.


Click here for a transcript of this episode.

Your hosts: Christina, Mike, Jason, and Wendy


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