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Hannah Bonam-Young: Out on A Limb, Disabled Joy, and Unsexy Smutty Words | S2Ep4
311 Plays2 years ago
This week Hannah Bonam-Young (@authorhannahby) drops by! We chat all about her hit summer novel, Out on A Limb, how she got started in the world of indie publishing with The Next Series, and where to find a man who will treat you right (hint: it involves dice)!
Follow @BringYourOwnPod to see us talk about Out On A Limb and more of our fav romances of the year!
Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books
Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz
Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction
00:00:04
Speaker
Hey, guys. Hello. Hey, guys. Hi. Welcome to Bring Your Own, a catch-all bookish most of the time podcast. I'm Brandi. I'm Kendra. I'm Kayla. And today we have with us our very special guest, Hannah Bonham Young. Yay!
Meet Hannah Bonham Young
00:00:29
Speaker
Hannah is an Amazon bestselling author from Ontario, Canada. She lives with her childhood friend turned husband, Ben, which I literally was reading that earlier.
00:00:38
Speaker
her two kids and her bulldog. Hannah writes romances featuring a diverse cast of disabled, marginalized, and LGBTQIA folks, wherein swoony-worthy storylines blend with beautiful, messy, and challenging realities of life. When not reading or writing romance, you can find her having living room dance parties with her kids or planning any occasion that warrants a cheeseboard.
00:01:01
Speaker
Welcome, Hannah. Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. Oh, my gosh. We are like so excited. Yeah, we all read your I know Brandi's read your entire backlist. Kayla and I have read the next series and out on the limb. So like we're all locked in at this point. I feel so special. Thank you. So before we jump into our questions for you, what are we reading?
Current Reads and Drinks
00:01:28
Speaker
What are we drinking? Kayla Ann, you should go first.
00:01:31
Speaker
Oh, okay. Well, I have I have my water obviously, but I also have you guys know I love my Coke Zero. So I have my cherry vanilla Coke Zero today. Oh, fancy. Yeah, I know. And then what am I reading? I just finished This Morning One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. Again, you guys know I'm really on my fantasy kick this year. So this is
00:01:57
Speaker
I'm really curious by the end of the year what my genre percentage is going to look like because obviously at the beginning of the year contemporary romance is 80%, but I feel like fantasies might take up a good chunk of that this year. Then I'm also listening to Bring Me Your Midnight.
00:02:18
Speaker
cannot remember the author's name, which is terrible of me, but it's another fantasy book. Shocking, I know. But tonight I'm really excited because I'm going to start the new Safak Mazie Eddings book. I'm going to start the arc of Late Bloomer, so I'm very excited about that.
00:02:35
Speaker
Um, let's see, I'll go. I am currently reading, I've been reading this book for like two weeks now at this point. I just moved apartments. So my life has been like really crazy for the past like month or so. So I am reading the third book in the, I don't even know the name of the series, but it's by, it's by Elizabeth O'Rourke when she wrote under a pen name called Ella Rourke and it's her like parallel note.
00:02:55
Speaker
I think for the parallel series. Yes. And it's like science fiction, time travel. The third book is called Across Time. And I'm literally on like chapter four. And I've been on chapter four for the past two weeks. Everyone says that books three and four are the best. So are you listening or physically reading it?
00:03:11
Speaker
So there are no audiobooks out and I was talking to Samantha Brentmore who narrated the first two and she read the entire series and is like begging Elizabeth O'Rourke to like make the last two because she really wants to do them because she said the last two are her favorite too but apparently the series isn't that popular so but fingers crossed like if you guys are listening to this go read that series so then Samantha Brentmore can narrate the next two audiobooks. Samantha Brentmore and Jason Clark right in the first one?
00:03:38
Speaker
Yeah, that's a good I like I also just did like the King all the Kingsmen by Kennedy Ryan like within the past within like the past two weeks to on audio and He was narrating the guy. Oh my god That was like it's probably my favorite performance of his cuz he he was maxim like I felt like I knew that guy Yeah, so
00:03:58
Speaker
reading across time and then i just started foxglove on audio which i know kayla is like losing her mind about i started it yesterday i got four chapters in or like two i don't know i got like two maybe three i only got i stopped once the pov switched
00:04:18
Speaker
Kendra and I have had beef because she's been reading this fantasy series by Elizabeth O'Rourke, but she was like, I don't want to read Fox Love yet, because I'm not in a fantasy mood. And then she goes and reads this Elizabeth O'Rourke fantasy series. No, Elizabeth O'Rourke is science fiction. It's different. It's different. It's literally different. OK, we'll move on. Sorry. We'll move on. OK, we'll talk about it later. All right. Any fun drinks, Kendra?
00:04:44
Speaker
Oh yeah, I am drinking a truly vodka soda, a blackberry and lemon. Look at them redoing their labels. Hynunes are better. Yeah, Hynunes are better, but.
00:04:56
Speaker
Good to know. There you go. I am currently listening to A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross on audio, Scottish accents, Outlander vibes, according to Kayla. I've never seen Outlander. Love it. It's so good. I listened to the first one really fast, and I just start the second one last night, and I'm already halfway through. And I am physically reading An Arc of Salt Kiss by Sierra Simone, which is so jealous.
00:05:23
Speaker
very spicy, having a fun time. So yeah, I am drinking a left hand brewing company, 1265 Pilsner. So wow. I know I'm like a beer girl. I'm not like other girls. Yeah. Hannah, what are you reading?
00:05:41
Speaker
Um, I am almost finished a book called Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows. Um, I was seeing the cover like everywhere. It's super, super cute. And I followed her on Instagram and then kind of just like made her become my friend a little bit. Like you really love your book.
00:06:01
Speaker
Um, it's great. It's super cute. Perfect amount of spice. Definitely recommend. Um, I'm almost done, but I think it's for sure five star for me, but, um, and right now I am drinking a water, but before this I had a fun drink. I had a apple cider.
00:06:17
Speaker
My favorite is a brand called Angry Orchard. Yes. Oh, yes. Yeah. Because it's just juice. It really is. It's just apple juice. And I'm like, I'm so healthy. It's basically fruit. Yeah. Exactly. So because you'll drink so many and then you're on the floor. Yeah. And my husband's like, hey, let's do that champ. Oh my gosh. Very delicious. So yeah.
00:06:46
Speaker
I love that.
Challenges of Reading and Writing Romance
00:06:47
Speaker
We talk about this all the time. We always wonder if authors are able to read romance while they're writing romance. It's just like such so interesting to us. Definitely not. No. I kind of I have until this end of this weekend coming up where I'm like trying to finish my TBR of romance reads and then and then I get back into writing for real for real.
00:07:11
Speaker
And so, um, I am kind of like trying to like finish my KU reads and everything right now. Um, but then I am probably going to, I usually reread fantasy. Like I, I don't really read anything new while I'm writing. Um, and my fantasy is mostly like romanticy. Like, I will probably be rereading like,
00:07:33
Speaker
a guitar and fourth wing and blood. Yeah, so nothing really that yeah, no, I think it's a common thing from what I've noticed from my friends who are also writers, like, it's just hard to read the same genre that you're writing because then you're like, was this my thought? Was that their thought? You know, you want to make sure your stories are individualistic as much as possible and yeah, doing something new. So you kind of have to like separate yourself from the genre a little
00:07:59
Speaker
Oh my god. Also, side note, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created Hamilton, posted his summer reading. He read ACOTAR this summer, so now I'm like, is he going to be working on the TV show? My husband and I went for a car ride earlier, where all we talked about was what his songs would sound like.
00:08:21
Speaker
I am like so pumped you just brought that up. I was like, other people are in this weird little sub-sect that I'm in. No, I need it. I need it immediately. I saw this TikTok and they photoshopped wings onto him on the Hamilton stage. And it is so funny. Oh my gosh. Can you imagine?
00:08:39
Speaker
Do you remember that guy that got really popular on TikTok that was like the Tamlin that everybody was picking and then like the dancing guy? No, I don't want to talk about it. Sorry, sorry, just made me laugh.
00:08:54
Speaker
Yeah, that was like such a shocker to everyone. We're like, Lynn reading ACOTAR. Like, yeah, maybe you just want to hear the hyping. I'd love to see it. Yeah. Or Disney's like, Hey, Lynn, we have a project for you. The strike is going on. So like, you know, I think it's part of your reading list, but yeah. Maybe he's just in his fantasy girl area, you guys. I just find it so weird to imagine like him sitting around like
00:09:21
Speaker
reading like chapter 55. He's like tearing up at the soup. I don't know, it hurts my brain a little. Fingers crossed that he's working on a project. Oh my god, he'll be he'll be Reese.
00:09:40
Speaker
Oh yeah, he always cast himself. He's getting a little old to cast himself as the main character these days. I mean, technically he's a little too young for Reese if we're being like, wow. Yeah. Sorry. 500 year old king. Yeah.
00:09:57
Speaker
Well, when it goes to Broadway, we'll go. Yes. Yeah. Oh, 100%. Front row. 100%. Yeah. Well, I don't have a good segue for that. So I guess I'll just go right in because I'm out of- Speaking of Lin-Manuel and Akhtar.
00:10:12
Speaker
Yeah, I don't really know how to segue from that. So I'll just jump right into our main questions that we
Self-Publishing to Penguin Random House
00:10:18
Speaker
have for you. So you self-published your first books, the next series, last year in 2022. And you recently got signed. So congratulations, first of all. That's amazing. But can you talk to us kind of about your journey as an indie author starting out? And then what was your inspiration behind that first series? What prompted you to write that first series?
00:10:41
Speaker
Yeah, so like you said, I released my first book next of kin in June of 2022, and then the follow up to that is next to you and that was November of the same year. So kind of what prompted me going down the indie route was that when I started writing
00:10:58
Speaker
I did a lot of research into traditional publishing and indie publishing. I actually queried my first book for a while, met with a few agents. Nothing was quite the right fit, although they were all super lovely. It just became apparent to me that I had a better shot at making this my full-time gig sooner rather than later trying the indie way. A little bit of the creative control aspect too, that story was super near and dear to my heart and I wanted to keep certain things the same.
00:11:27
Speaker
Yeah, I released my first two books last year, and then my most recent book this year was Indie as well, just before I got picked up by Penguin Random House, which is really exciting. That's insane. Congrats. Those things should stay out loud. Every time I say it, I'm like, that's not real. That's a lie. Don't lie to these people.
00:11:47
Speaker
But yeah, so the journey was, you know, pretty much just I've always wanted to write. I was the kid that carried her journal around. I have a lot of big feelings. And I got them down by writing them down and by creating stories around them. And the inspiration for Next of Kin, so kind of to talk about Next of Kin for someone who might be listening that doesn't know is it's
00:12:12
Speaker
what I would say is like a foster guardian's romance. So two people who are strangers get partnered up by their local social work network and to foster their younger siblings. To qualify, they have to live together because they don't quite qualify on their own. And that was really just inspired by a local news story I heard when I was driving home one day. It was just this story about these two grandmothers who met on like a Reddit forum.
00:12:40
Speaker
looking for advice for getting guardianship of their grandchildren and they decided to move in together to qualify and like I thought well wow that's a beautiful story and that would make a cool romance and my husband and I have been fortunate enough to have many friends who
00:12:56
Speaker
were foster parents and many friends who were in the foster care system and some experience with the foster care system as well. And so just yeah, so we kind of just talked to them and I kind of just like got some advice and I met with some of my social worker friends and kind of
00:13:14
Speaker
felt like this was a story that would be important to tell and it's it's been really cool to like kind of see but that kind of just came from there and then really the next book just came from the characters that were in that first book so my characters next to you were the best friends of the characters and next of kin so it kind of just fell naturally from that
00:13:33
Speaker
How long had you been finished with Next of Kin before you just decided just to kind of do the self-publishing route? Because you said you were querying people, so how long was that process? I wrapped up Next of Kin probably September, the year before.
00:13:52
Speaker
immediately started querying it, kind of did that for about two or three months. And then I just really felt like I needed to in the new year, either focus all my attention in one way or the other. And so I decided to focus with India. And so then it was kind of a six month process from getting into the bookstagram world. And you know, I didn't even have a bookstagram account before. I was very, very new and very green and had to kind of
00:14:18
Speaker
you know, get to know what was going on and figure it out. So I think it was probably, I finished it in September. I probably started writing it in the June, the year before. So about a year, all in all, between starting and putting it out. Wow. Wow. And now it's, I love that you took such a big gamble and it like paid off because like now you're a household name. I feel like at least in our corner of bookstagram, romance bookstagram queen. No, this year's at home. I just almost fell out of my chair. I giggled.
00:14:48
Speaker
Truly a clutch of the pearls moment for me. I feel like ever since I would say like shortly after your first book came out, I can't go like a week without seeing someone talk about your books. And then next, the second book came out. And then again, everyone's like, Oh my God, Matt and Lane, Matt and Lane.
00:15:09
Speaker
And then now out on a limb, I feel like just like skyrocketed. So like you, like the fact that you came in like knowing nothing and now everyone, at least again, on my corner of Bookstagram, everyone knows you have them all. You got it. I'm like, I infiltrate it though.
00:15:26
Speaker
That's that's crazy growth just within because you said it was June 2022 right with next of kin and so it's been like yeah a year. Yeah and then out on a limb was just July so just just 13 months and oh yeah. I bet that's like a really demanding schedule with two young kids.
00:15:46
Speaker
It's not been like the easiest. Nobody was making me do it other than myself. Like I can't, you know, I would say like the two young kids aspect kind of came more into play this summer. We had childcare for them that unfortunately fell through. So I released a book in July and then they were home with me full time this summer. So it was like a lot of just like really hoping and praying people read it and talked about it because I just didn't have time to.
00:16:13
Speaker
And so like, um, but yeah, I don't know, lamb is, is by far been my most successful book released so far. It's, it's now just my most successful book period. So it's, which is incredible to say, um, definitely had lower expectations, I think for an accidental pregnancy bromance featuring.
00:16:33
Speaker
a blonde man and two disabled kids. If I'm being perfectly honest, I'm kind of blown away by the response to it. And I'm super grateful for it. And I will cry if I think about it for too long. But it's yeah, that's, it's all happened very, very fast to go from self publishing 13 months later, releasing a book and announcing, hey, my books are picked up and they're going to be in stores. It's a it's very, very much, for lack of a better phrase, a dream come true.
00:17:02
Speaker
That's amazing. Like we have talked so much about how much all of your books mean to us, but especially like out on a limb. So like for hearing that you were like, Oh, it wasn't expecting this. Like we just read it and we're so immediately in love and we'll talk about it more in a little bit, but just like talking about it. Yeah.
00:17:23
Speaker
Okay, so going back to sort of like the next series.
Writing Realistic Family Dynamics
00:17:28
Speaker
One thing that we all realized is that you had such strong like familiar relationships and we've talked a lot about to on here how like family relationships and like platonic relationships and books can sometimes mean more to us and like the actual romance because relationships that are like more common for like a lot of us to see.
00:17:44
Speaker
So can you just talk a little bit about like how you like formed the family relationships and like were there any things that you like set out to do before writing them like okay I want Chloe to come from this type of family I want Warren to come from this type of family like especially like Matt's family I just saw a review actually on TikTok of a girl who was reviewing
00:18:05
Speaker
that book and she talked so much about how she loved Matt's family and especially everything that you did with like the grief aspect and like honoring the culture it was just so like I was smiling like watching her video it's like midnight and i'm like scrolling on tiktok and i'm just like smiling like oh that's so sweet i have the same way so yeah if you could talk a little bit about that yeah i love that question um so for me like i think when i seek out when i started out writing any of my books
00:18:29
Speaker
really like the base of the character I think is like childhood and that's really like fundamental for them and who they are I think like not to get too technical but like psychology wise like we all really kind of fundamentally who we're gonna be by the age of 12 right and so like without reflecting on that when you're building a character I feel like they oftentimes can feel pretty flat and so what I always seek out to do
00:18:53
Speaker
is really make sure that there's like a pretty intense backstory, whether it's on page or not, I just know it. And then those things kind of like typically leak in in little spots and little glimpses here and there. Whenever I'm writing familial dynamics in my books, it's really important to me that they are representative of a wide variety of experiences. I think like what romance does really well as a genre
00:19:17
Speaker
is have more diversity and like experience and and kind of backgrounds and stuff than maybe a lot of other genres do because falling in love is a very humbling and kind of spotlight point of life right like everything about someone is under a microscope when they're falling in love because it brings out the best person people and so I think that in order to properly portray that you really have to know their family and their dynamic and
00:19:43
Speaker
what they saw love as growing up or what they didn't see love as growing up. So like for Chloe and Warren in my first book especially, you know, Warren grew up in the foster care system. He was never adopted. He has a very absentee father who comes in and out of the picture and that's reflected in his character and in the way that he is very loyal to the people he cares about but very closed off to new people. He's not very trusting and that's like, you know, kind of stems from that. So that was important to his character.
00:20:12
Speaker
With Chloe, it was important to me and my friends who I spoke with and my sensitivity readers who I worked with on the book that it wasn't just adoption as this magic fix all because often adoption is very, very messy and can be very difficult. And so I didn't want Chloe to just have bad biological mother
00:20:36
Speaker
perfect saint adoptive parents, right? I wanted there to be grace and mess to both of those dynamics and both of those relationships. So Chloe throughout the book is obviously picking up the pieces that her mother is failing to do by taking in her younger sister, by taking in her newborn sister, but she does so in a way without judgment for her birth mother. She does it out of love and she does it out of
00:21:03
Speaker
caring for her mom because she does care for her and she does want what's best for her. And she also has a pretty tumultuous relationship with her adoptive parents because it's really difficult to blend a family and it's really difficult when you have parents who have very high expectations of you and you're more of a creative spirit and all of these things. Those things are still prevalent in adoptive households as much as they are in every other household, right?
00:21:28
Speaker
not to get too into it, but for me, I just, I really enjoy reading books, especially in romance, where it's a variety of experiences, because then it's like, you're reading it, and you're like, I know these people. This person reminds me of my friend, or reminds me of me, or reminds me of my neighbor, or, you know, and it becomes this three dimensional world, right? And Matt's family was the most fun I've ever had writing.
00:21:54
Speaker
He comes from nine, like he is one of nine. It's a really fun dynamic in their household. They were raised off grid. They were homeschooled, very like salt of the earth type people, very down to earth. His mother is Samoan and his father is Canadian and they have
00:22:16
Speaker
this very beautiful outlook on life and this very relaxed demeanor, which was perfect for Matt because that's who Matt is. And Matt is the middle of all nine children. So as he points out in the book, he's kind of Switzerland. He had to be neutral. He had to be the mediator of his family, which really works well for someone like Lane, who is a little bit neurotic.
00:22:39
Speaker
and needs a whole lot of calming presence. It's a calming presence, needs patience. And for her and her dynamic, obviously a big factor in the book is that her father had passed away. She's going through a lot of grief in that aspect. I didn't want it just to be like, oh, I was really close with my dad and I'm not close with my mom. It's just her and her mom are very different people who love each other so very much, but they don't get each other. And that's
00:23:06
Speaker
perfectly okay. And I don't know about you guys, but that's like 60% of my friends relationships with their mothers. I love that one. Yeah. Yeah. But you just, we're not the same person and we don't get each other. And she had a twin sister who is like her mom and does get her mom. And so she was really feeling on the outskirts of that. And that was so pivotal in her grief too, right? So it all kind of
00:23:31
Speaker
plays a bigger role but also it's so important I think for me when I'm writing to know these things about them because it impacts every decision they make. Yeah I remember hearing somebody say one time that they can't start writing their characters until they know what they would order at a diner for breakfast and why and I feel like that's exactly what you just said in another way just being like if I don't know how they interact with their family how are they gonna interact as adults like
00:23:56
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Lane's sister, you know, I was kind of hoping like, is she gonna get a book? Because things kind of ended like
00:24:06
Speaker
Like a little crazy for her. She had a lot going on in her life. I left a lot open. I think I've said I've said before and I will keep saying it. I would love to go back to the next series someday. It's just going to be a matter of right place, right time. But I am a little bit obsessed with my characters and I even side characters in my books. I know everything about them.
00:24:27
Speaker
I know how Liz's story turns out and I know how, you know, and so I would love to tell it. It's just, you know, I want to make sure that I'm telling it for the right reasons and it's the right time. Yeah, I'll take it. I'll take it. Yeah, fair enough. Really fun contrasting stories to kind of write that like type A, you know, like more rigid kind of character would be a lot of fun. Like I really enjoy her. Yeah.
00:24:55
Speaker
So with your books recently being picked up, you announced that there's going to be new covers for all of your full-length novels, which is so exciting.
New Book Covers and Creative Process
00:25:05
Speaker
I'm curious about a couple of things. First of all, are you sad to see your indie covers go? I just think they're so cute. Especially because your covers have gone through a couple of iterations for the next series, and every iteration is so cute. I guess that's the first part of the question is, are you sad to see these ones go?
00:25:24
Speaker
I think I, you know, I definitely was at first a little I'm a very nostalgic sentimental person. So I think I'm a little bit like, but but change. But what do you mean? But honestly, like, I think it's exciting. Like it's it is a fresh start. It's something new. Also, like, I think I'm
00:25:44
Speaker
at the point where I'm thinking to myself, okay, this is Penguin Random House. They know what they're doing. They know how to sell books. So if they want to have new covers, shut them and get new covers. Like, I'm like, sure, you guys, yeah, absolutely do what you need to do. Am I in your way? Do you need me to get you anything? Like,
00:26:01
Speaker
So I think, you know, I've definitely ordered my fair share of the indie covers just to have, you know, just to keep looking at sometimes. I am really excited to see the new ones. I just saw a sketch.
00:26:17
Speaker
That was my second question is like how involved are you in the process with the new ones? They are being so incredibly kind and generous with giving me say and control and like an opinion like I could to be perfectly honest was not expecting it and they're they're really courteous in that way.
00:26:38
Speaker
But thankfully, they just knocked it out of the friggin park out the out the gate. So I was like, I actually have no notes. Thank you so much. I was like, please send me 500 of these. It's, you know, I obviously I'm I can't describe it too much, but it's actually not all I will say it's not all that different. It's just simpler and elevated and really
00:27:04
Speaker
beautiful. And I think that with the artists that they've hired, that artist just really captured
00:27:13
Speaker
especially Chloe, I got a little bit emotional. Like I was like, Oh, that's her. Like that's Chloe. So she came from your brain and now she's here. It's so weird. I'm like, every part of this, I'm like, you guys know, I just made these people up. Like, and now you're like putting them on a book, like I just made this person up and she exists now. But it's just it's so surreal to see it and then realize that is what's going to be on
00:27:39
Speaker
bookstore shelves. Because that is like, again, incredibly strange and wonderful and bizarre and cool and magical. So it's just seeing even just a sketch version without color. I was like, Oh, I'm going to cry about this for a few days. Okay. Yeah. I haven't seen anything for next year yet. I know that they are working on that now and hopefully I'll be able to maybe sometime winter-ish
00:28:08
Speaker
post those, but yeah, they'll be out in the new year. February, well, in June, the books come out again. Okay. Can you remind me, is the Out on a Limb one also changing? I actually don't 100% know. Okay. I think that's because it's the newest. I'm still really emotionally attached to this cover. I'm going to be honest, that is the one where I'm a little bit more hesitant to want change. I think it just really encaptures their vibe and
00:28:39
Speaker
You know, I don't know just because they've like we've kind of been working in it where it's like we're thinking about the next series and then we're thinking about it on a limb. So I don't know yet. My gut tells me that they probably will make some changes if not change it completely. But we'll see. I definitely will be again stocking up on the indie covers to have.
00:29:04
Speaker
Uh, bittersweet, but very, very exciting. So exciting. Um, okay. So we've already like sort of touched on this earlier, but out on a limb, we're finally here.
Impact of 'Out on a Limb'
00:29:14
Speaker
Um, you released that back in July, as you said, and you talked a little bit about how it's been like a whirlwind of an experience for you. But if there's anything else that you wanted to share about like that, writing that book, it coming out, like the new readers you've gained, like how has everything been?
00:29:30
Speaker
Oh my God. I don't know how to, I'm such a crier. I'm so sorry if I cry. I'm just like really blown away. So this comes out, you said the 14th, right? Okay. So it'll be just, it'll just be over two months of out on a limb being out, which
00:29:49
Speaker
It's bizarre in itself because it feels like it's been out so much longer. It feels like forever. It came out July 11th. Yeah. So just two months, but I,
00:30:04
Speaker
I had no idea what to expect. I knew that like with my first book you know like you really really don't know if two people are going to read it or 200 people or 2000 people or 200,000 people like it's really an unknown. You get a bit of a better idea with your second and then with your third you're thinking okay like there's some people here that are excited for this like you can feel
00:30:24
Speaker
you know, I'm not asking people to read arcs anymore, they're asking me if they can read an arc, like it's a bit of a different vibe. But I had no idea just how much it would be embraced by the Bookstagram and Booktalk community so quickly and so lovingly. I mean, I can't even fathom the amount of people that have already read it in just two months. It's
00:30:50
Speaker
It actually hurts my brain a little to think about in the best way possible. When I was writing it, I say in my acknowledgements, I made this book everyone's problem. I had so many of my friends just constantly sending chapters and being like, is this too vulnerable? Is this too close to lived experience? Because for anyone listening who might not know, I have the same disability that when in, I don't know, Lim has the exact same
00:31:20
Speaker
completely the same. And I really knew I wanted to tell this story. And I really knew that I wanted it to be about her journey into motherhood because that was the time in my life that I felt the least prepared for. Having grown up with a disability, there's a lot of things that you kind of naturally learn you can't or can do, but you can't practice for motherhood. You can't practice for that 24 seven care of a child.
00:31:47
Speaker
And it was really incredibly scary and daunting. And from speaking with people in the disabled community with varying disabilities, it's always something that's been on the front of people's minds is whether I should have kids or shouldn't have kids, whether I can have kids or can't have kids. Like that is a very touchy subject for disabled people, I would say. And so I knew when I was going to write this story about someone with my disability, I wanted it to be an accidental pregnancy.
00:32:15
Speaker
That just felt like asking too much from the reader. Accidental pregnancy is not the most popular trope. People have very strong opinions about it online. And that's so valid, and that's perfectly OK. And then there's obviously people who don't read it for very, very valid reason, and it's triggering. And that should be mentioned, and that's important too. I just mean in the sense that even people who don't necessarily have those triggers are kind of like, why would I want to read about a baby in a room?
00:32:45
Speaker
I felt like, okay, this is the story I want to tell. And I have to just accept the fact that it might not do well. It might just be for me. And hopefully, people in my community read it and love it. And it means something to them too. And when I was writing it, like I said, it felt oftentimes like I was being too vulnerable, or I was leaving too much on the page, or hey, is this relatable? Like, has when become
00:33:14
Speaker
too niche in her worries and her insecurities. And so when I say I made it everyone's problem, what I mean is like, I was constantly getting checks from other people to kind of be like, no, like, it's okay, you're doing fine. Because it was the most nerve wracking I've ever felt.
00:33:31
Speaker
while writing. It was very daunting. And it was difficult. I think a lot of authors want to kind of separate themselves from the art to a certain extent, especially once it's out, because with putting out art comes critique. And it's really hard if you feel like that's critique of you, right? So I think that this was the first time I felt like there's no separating this. This is
00:33:58
Speaker
And a lot of my husband and I and our dynamic and our history on page. And so it was just really intimidating. But like to go from being in this kind of place of fear of before it coming out to then this place now where it's like, it's my most popular book within two months.
00:34:20
Speaker
It's trending and it's charting on Amazon and it's like being super well received. I don't think I can ever fully properly express how affirming that is.
00:34:34
Speaker
And how just outside of author to reader experience, outside of all of book-ish world, it's so affirming just for me as a disabled person to be like, oh, this story, it wasn't limited in its audience. It wasn't limited to who wanted it or who was going to read it. And it's just a really beautiful and incredible thing. And I don't think I'll be over it for the rest of my life, if I'm being honest.
00:35:04
Speaker
I could talk about it and how grateful I am for forever. So I'll stop now. But I feel like the more specific that artists get in their work, the more universally accepted it becomes.
00:35:18
Speaker
So I think that's so beautiful that you did take that risk of being so vulnerable on page because now you have so many people who are like, oh my gosh, I relate it
Depicting Disabled Joy in Romance
00:35:25
Speaker
to this so much. Even if they don't go through the exact same experience, it's like the emotions and the feelings are still there. So it was just such a beautiful story. I'm not getting emotional with you. I know.
00:35:36
Speaker
In relation to what you just said, you wrote this really, really beautiful forward in the book and also an Instagram post months before the book came out. And just talking about how this story is just full of disabled joy and the book is filled with so much love and humor.
00:35:52
Speaker
And like truly joy, like that is just the best word to describe it. Like this book made my heart just like so mushy and soft. And so you kind of touched on it a little bit, but can you, can you talk a little bit about like wanting to write that disabled joy as like you said, speaking as somebody who has exact same disability as when exactly. Yeah.
00:36:11
Speaker
I mean, I think really when it started was I had put out a request for books with limb difference representation or disability representation with some sort of limb difference. And a lot of them I have read and a lot of them I love.
00:36:27
Speaker
typically what I've noticed though is they are all more on the inksteer side like there was a horrific accident and someone's recovering from that or a lot of like veteran stories with amputees like stuff like that which are again super important and also stories definitely worth telling and sharing it just occurred to me that there weren't a lot of stories
00:36:51
Speaker
about people who were born with their disability like I was and therefore kind of learned to embrace it and had kind of gotten to a point in adulthood where it is funny and it is, you know, easy to make fun of. And it is how far can you take the joke before you make someone uncomfortable, right? Because that's, I think once you get comfortable in a relationship with anybody who has any sort of difference or disability,
00:37:18
Speaker
it becomes the butt of a joke, right? Because that's a marker of comfortability. And so what I really wanted to do without on a limb is I wanted
00:37:25
Speaker
to put people at ease. I wanted people to see disabled people having great sex and be sexy. I wanted them to not infantilize disabled people because it's like, hey, they're adults and they can have really steamy scenes and they can have super serious conversations, but also it's okay to laugh. It's okay that it's a little bit different, a little bit silly.
00:37:52
Speaker
when I wrote their meet cute, which is them meeting at Halloween wearing pirate costumes because he makes a joke out of his quote unquote leg. And she makes a joke by wearing a hook for a hand. How could they not be soulmates when their humor connects that way, right? So like, I think what I wanted to do with the aspect of, you know, and I said, disabled joy in my, in my author's note, and I and I mean that in the sense where it's like, they actually
00:38:21
Speaker
spend a lot of the book celebrating each other's bodies and celebrating each other's differences and making jokes out of it and making light of it and the people around them do too. Like Bo's dad is relentless with his jokes about Bo's leg and it's because it sets everybody at ease and it makes everybody realize, hey, it's not that serious.
00:38:42
Speaker
It's not that deep. It's not everything they are. It's not some massive tragedy. Most people in my life don't remember that I have a disability. Most people in my life don't even notice the first few times they meet me. And most people in my life make fun of me. A lot. Especially my husband. And I wanted to encapsulate that because it's not something that I feel like people often feel comfortable with.
00:39:11
Speaker
Mixing the humor and the spice and the levity in this book was super important because I just wanted it to feel like everybody just be comfortable, it's okay, you're allowed to laugh, you know, get a new perspective, learn about what it's like to maybe have to think through your day and think through different challenges when you have a disability, but also like when's not that different from everyone else. Along with
00:39:35
Speaker
you know, the comfortability of when in bow with each other and the humor. Another thing about this book that I think a lot of people love or the reason that they love it is because it feels really realistic. And like as romance readers, you know, we love when a book has drama, when it's got really big gestures, crazy plot points, like we love a mafia romance or a dark romance, you know, whatever.
00:39:59
Speaker
But I think what's so special again about this book is that it's realistic. And so, you know, we feel like when in Bowe could be like walking down the street and, you know, we could pass them on the street or something, they could be our neighbors, we could play D&D with them, you know, what have you. So when you were kind of crafting their story, like, was that something that you were consistently thinking about? Or did that just kind of happen naturally as the story progressed?
Realistic Storytelling in Romance
00:40:25
Speaker
I definitely think it's something that I've been conscious of with all of my books. I think more so Winn & Bow because again, I wanted it to... I really wanted to drill home the point that they aren't different, right? And so the more mundane their day-to-day was and the more it was a scene of them sipping tea on the couch and making fun of each other or going for a drive.
00:40:50
Speaker
talking about nothing or washing dishes or you know moving furniture or dancing or what you know it was just them being home and being in the mundane and being kind of like you said people you could pass by on the street or people that you know you feel like you could live out that love story in a very approachable way is important to me because it's like life isn't grand gestures and
00:41:17
Speaker
kidnapping and accidental, like, you know, like, oh, no, we woke up in Vegas and we're married. Like, it's those are so fun. And it's so it's so important to have those stories, too. But I think, like,
00:41:32
Speaker
what I want to contribute to romance as a genre and what I hope I continue and am able to continue to do is these stories where people feel like this is approachable for me, I could have this. And also just like, you know, I think a lot of the times it's like, oh, men, I wish like men like this were real. I really like writing men that I know.
00:41:54
Speaker
that are my friends' husbands, that are my husband, that are sweet, kind, earnest, honest men do exist. And I think that the more it's just like, oh, the sweet thing in this book is that he remembered how she takes her coffee.
00:42:12
Speaker
or he got up with the baby because she needed to sleep or he's an acts of service guy and like stays late to help paint her bus like these things in my books aren't like oh my gosh no one would ever do that in real life it's it's reminding people like hey wait for your person like wait for the person that makes you feel special like wait for the person
00:42:35
Speaker
Because someone out there will do that. Like someone out there will care about you enough to, you know, to do these things. And I think with Bow and Wind too, it was so much just how do you pass 40 weeks of pregnancy?
00:42:48
Speaker
You know, like you just live it and it's long and it's draining. I think anyone who's been pregnant can tell you how long and tiring and monotonous pregnancy can feel. So if every day was this super big adventure and super big drama, it would be like, oh my gosh, this pregnancy has been going on for 15 years. So it was kind of a challenge in that sense too. But I think the people really have responded to it, which was great because I was worried about it is just, you know, nothing really happens.
00:43:19
Speaker
Like out on the land, like not to not sell it to people, but like nothing really happens. They kind of just hang out and slowly fall in love. And it's, it's like, you just get to watch it and it's really fun. My cheeks hurt. So I'm smiling. That's how I sold it to Brandy. I was like, it's very low stakes, but it felt so nice. Yeah. Yeah. So many times the three of us talk about how like, what are our couples that we would
00:43:48
Speaker
read about doing the dishes, you know, taking the trash out, doing like doing mundane things like you were talking about. And so I think, you know, when and both literally fall into this exact category, because we see them doing those things. And, you know, every single time we were like, oh, my God, we love them so much. Yeah, which like as a side note, like my boyfriend of seven years and Kayla's husband are both like huge fucking nerds.
00:44:15
Speaker
So like having a nerd male main character was just like such a treat. I was like, my boyfriend plays D&D. My boyfriend gets anxious in crowds. Like, dude, every time someone messages me and they're like, can I, where do I get a bow? Do I get him on Amazon? Like, ha ha ha. I'm like, you go to a comic book store.
00:44:35
Speaker
or you go to a store where they sell dice or you go like you're overthinking it. Like my boyfriend literally has so many sets of dice. Yeah, every every other Saturday is D&D at our house. So OK, now I want to know what you thought of the D&D scene. Did it feel? Did it feel? I have to be honest, I haven't played. OK, Dave, but it did feel realistic in terms of just like all of them at our table. They're literally at my house, you guys, for like eight hours every Saturday.
00:45:04
Speaker
I was so obsessed with the fact that like when in her bestie sat there and watched them play because that's what happens to me. I'm like, oh, do you know such a nerd? Because he'll be like watching playthroughs on YouTube. I'm like, ha ha ha. What a nerd. I love him so much. And then all of a sudden I'm sitting there like eating popcorn, watching with him. I'm like, wait, so what does that mean? What just happened? What just happened? I thought it was a great scene. I thought it was perfect. I'm surprised if you're doing that when you haven't joined their campaign.
00:45:32
Speaker
Dale doesn't have a campaign. He watches playthroughs and he plays in his family sometimes.
00:45:52
Speaker
He's gonna hate me for talking about this. But like, I don't know if you guys remember the part of the book where they're waiting for their ultrasound wins a little bit nervous. So he's distracting her with a story about his first kiss. Do you recall this? Yes. And he's talking about how he plays the saxophone. And he was playing the saxophone at like a school sleepover and he accidentally kisses the girl on her on her nose instead of her lips.
00:46:15
Speaker
That is my husband. Except my husband played the tuba, which is arguably so much more dorky. So I was like, maybe the tuba is a step too far for a romance novel. I was a French horn major, so I definitely dated a tuba player in college.
00:46:37
Speaker
I feel like we're gonna need to start a D&D campaign. Yeah. Oh my god, I'll learn to play. My husband played the trombone. So there you go. This is what I'm saying, ladies. Go to the wind section of the music store.
00:46:54
Speaker
Oh my god. It's so funny. Without spoiling it too much, there is a specific scene in Out of Limb where Win and Bo discuss whether or not their child will share their physical disabilities.
Emotional Depth in Character Development
00:47:04
Speaker
And this is easily one of the most like touching and emotional scenes in the entire book. Can you walk us through like the importance of that scene? I also would say like I feel like that was one of the most realistic scenes in the book too because like
00:47:18
Speaker
it's it was almost like uncomfortable in a sense like to see them like have to deal with that but like that's something that anyone would be thinking about yeah if you could just like walk us through that yeah so for anyone who maybe hasn't gotten there or hasn't read the book yet um when has a limb difference from birth bow has a limb difference after an illness he has had an amputation so they're
00:47:45
Speaker
It never, in my opinion, it never really occurred to Bo that maybe Wyn's condition would be genetic, but I think that it definitely occurred to Wyn as we saw in her inner thoughts in that scene. They go for their anatomy scan, which is when the baby is kind of more fully formed about the halfway through pregnancy. You know, they're going through and the nurse, the technician is saying, okay, and here's baby's this and oh, this looks great and heart's doing this and this is good and this is what we like to see and blah, blah, blah.
00:48:13
Speaker
And she's kind of thinking, okay, yeah, great. Okay. Okay. Let me see if I can see what's going on. Like, let me see if does the baby have fingers? Okay. I can't see. And she's kind of getting herself worked up. And, you know, in that moment, I think what they kind of, what I wanted to portray was just this unease within myself and other disabled people, which is.
00:48:39
Speaker
How can I say that I love myself 100%, including my disability, that I wouldn't want to change my disability, that I wouldn't want to have it any other way, that I want, this is the body I want and this is the community I am proud to be a part of?
00:48:56
Speaker
and also fear it for my child because of how difficult it is, because the world is not built for disabled people. It's not built for accessibility for every body. And so what I wanted to reflect in that scene is how two feelings can really coexist at once, which is I being Wynn,
00:49:22
Speaker
can love myself and accept myself and not want myself any other way, but also fear for a child that I would have to raise to overcome what I've overcome and to be picked on or bullied or treated differently or infantilized or just get frustrated.
00:49:48
Speaker
You know, simple things like tying your shoes for me as a kid, right? Like not so fun when you're the kid in the fourth grade class that's being like, oh, why are you wearing different shoes from everybody else? It's just little stuff that you realize and you want to protect your kids from. Cause that's all you want as a parent is to protect your kids. But then also she has this immediate regret for feeling those things, which she thinks to herself. But this community is a wonderful thing to be a part of and
00:50:18
Speaker
Growing up this way has taught me to have empathy for communities that I'm not a part of, for other marginalized groups and people, realizing that, you know, there is a type of person and that the world is built for to thrive and everyone else is kind of one step behind or two steps behind or three steps behind. And being a part of any sort of marginalized group really teaches you that empathy and that sympathy that you just can't really
00:50:46
Speaker
learn that easily. And so she has all of these mixed feelings and she expresses them to Beau and, and I think that exchange where he says, you know, try not to spoil anything for that, but where he says, you know, of course I'd want them to have every part of you. You're perfect. He's not just saying like he would be okay with it. He's not going, you know, we'll figure it out or we'll make it work. He's saying,
00:51:16
Speaker
No, like there's nothing wrong with you. You're perfect. I want my kid to be exactly like you, which I think isn't just affirming for someone who's disabled, but for anybody, like everybody wants to feel like there is someone who loves them so much that they would want to miniaturize them essentially. Right. Like I want a tinier version of you. Um, like it's, and.
00:51:45
Speaker
you know that scene it's interesting that you say it felt so realistic and a little bit uncomfortable because it was uncomfortable to write like because it was something that I knew was going to be in the book since the idea came to me and it was something that was very very very close to my husband and I's lived experience with our 20-week ultrasound for our pregnancy and
00:52:08
Speaker
writing that was cathartic in a way and really healing in a way, but also again, that like icky, vulnerable feeling that I talked about earlier. I'm almost glad it comes across as a little bit uncomfortable maybe because it's uncomfortable. There's discomfort in it. Either way it could have gone, there would have been discomfort.
00:52:34
Speaker
And I think that that's worth acknowledging too, right? It wasn't like, okay, baby doesn't have a limb difference. Perfect. Everything's good. Oh, baby does have a limb difference. Okay. Perfect. Everything's good. There's discomfort on both ends.
00:52:49
Speaker
Yeah, I just love them so much. I love the way that they think about each other and speak about each other and speak to each other about how they feel about each other. Again, just like touching on that like realistic aspect of like, this is what it feels like when somebody really, really loves you. And I just like, I love that there are each other is like, soft place to land and biggest cheerleaders and somebody that they can tell every
00:53:11
Speaker
every thought that's going through their head. Even before they become romantically intertwined, the way they treat each other as friends is just so, so beautifully done. I love this book so much.
00:53:21
Speaker
Thank you. Yeah, I'm speaking of that just like, you know, soft place to land person you love so much. We talk about like quotes or scenes that get stuck in our head all the time. And something I've thought about like literally every day since I read it, like three weeks ago was when Bo said I love you so much. It makes me feel like I've hated everything else in my life up till now.
00:53:47
Speaker
Do you have like a favorite quote you've ever written or like something that you think about often? I do. I think that one's a contender for sure. I think my favorite is from next to you. Matt's letters. Those are so good. Oh wow. That was a really visceral reaction from all three of you. That was very rewarding. So good.
00:54:10
Speaker
Um, but I think when Matt says, um, you know, like, you've ruined me. Do it again. Do it again. Like, he was down so bad.
00:54:28
Speaker
Lane says, she says, Are you flirting with me? And then he's like, Yeah, for a while now. Thanks. So cute. That was just so cute. Just trying his best yearning so hard. Yeah, I think when he out, I think probably
00:54:47
Speaker
I think my favorite line, do you mean from my books or am I being self-centered right now? Do you mean from my books? No, from my books. No, I was asking from your books. I had a realization five seconds ago where I was like, did she mean from any book? And I said my own book. No, yours. For sure yours. Thank God. That would have been, I would have been like, actually I'm going to leave now. I think probably it's,
00:55:11
Speaker
I don't know it anymore. That's really embarrassing. But it's the part where Matt says to Lane something along the lines of like she's very afraid of death and she's very afraid of leaving behind because of all of her grief and all of these things. And so he says to her something along the lines of, you know,
00:55:28
Speaker
Yeah, but if we were infinite beings, I wouldn't love you this much. I would get lazy with it because we'd have time. The love I have for you is urgent. I need to show you my love every day because we don't know how much time we have. It's like this way of him saying, I love you so much, but also comforting her worries and her fears in tandem. I think that might've been one of the only times I've cried while writing. Wow.
00:55:57
Speaker
like I will often cry when I'm reading things back but I don't often cry while actually typing out the words and I think I just I it was like I was writing the words I needed to hear like sometimes you do that to yourself as a writer and I was like okay yeah like
00:56:15
Speaker
It's like, I don't want to think of this as borrowed time. I want, I want this forever. And I'm, it's scary and it's vulnerable to love someone so much that you're terrified of losing them. And so it's, you know, writing that in a sense was like confronting my fears and Lane's fears all at once. So I think that's probably, but I, I, I do really love when Bo says, you know, I love so much. It makes me feel like I've hated everything else. Like that,
00:56:44
Speaker
I, yeah, I love that. I'm for sure. I read that and I went, Oh, I was like, Whoa. Oh my God. My favorite Mac. And they're, I think they're, they're fucking in the bus and he's like, I forget, I forget verbatim what he says, but he's like on the bed that I built. I was like, yeah.
00:57:06
Speaker
Yeah because she's like that's when she's not being very patient and he's like this is the playing girl like you're gonna sit there and you're gonna wait and then we're gonna get back to the bus and I'm gonna have you on the bed that I built. He's like don't forget it. He's like I carved my name on that bed post.
00:57:26
Speaker
That was such a good, especially cause like he's like so like sweet and swoony and like, so to hear him say that I was like gagged. I was like, Oh my God. Like Merrell Matt is my favorite. Yeah. And I feel like so often when we get these like so sweet golden retriever men, like sometimes their dirty talk can feel out of place, but that is not the case with any of your male main characters because they have this like, like so much love for their counterparts.
00:57:54
Speaker
Yeah. Yes. It's like, of course they feel this way. Like they're overcome with it. Overwhelmed. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. It's because I make them all like really pain for it first. That's kind of the perfect segue into one of our last questions that
Crafting Intimate Scenes
00:58:10
Speaker
we have. So thank you, Kendra, for telling us that beautiful Matt quote. You're welcome. I'll always be horny for you guys.
00:58:19
Speaker
So then let's talk a little bit about sex scenes. Okay, so how do you go about crafting sex scenes for your characters? Yeah, yeah. Like, do you find it awkward? Like, are you giggling? Like, are you just like, all right, I just gotta, let me just real quick, like, I'm gonna be so honest, like, I feel like every time I write a sex scene, it's like the reward. Like, I'm like,
00:58:45
Speaker
It's like a reward. It's like a reward. Very much. I don't normally have sex in like chapter three. So I was kind of like, I don't deserve this yet. But
00:58:56
Speaker
But all my other books I it's so fun. I love writing intimacy and sex scenes Like I think that that's why I couldn't imagine writing a different genre because I'm like, well, what do you mean? I can't have people fucking like that's not fun Like what do you mean? There's a face sitting in this like what? For me
00:59:19
Speaker
I mean obviously like it's a mixture of like you read different things from different books and you're like oh like I haven't heard it worded like that before okay like store that away for later or you know you're watching a movie and you're like oh the way he like I don't know if you guys watch um I don't know if you guys watch the summer I turn pretty I saw the first season I have it my apologies I'm about to be really obnoxious then
00:59:42
Speaker
But in the second season, I've seen it. OK, where he grabs her face in a second one. And I literally paused it to write down a description of it, because I was like, that is going in a book. So it's like sometimes stuff like that, I'm not going to front and be like, none of it is based on my husband and I. I don't know how to say that in a cool, chill way. But I think writing it, I'm not really giggly when I'm writing it. I'm pretty into it.
01:00:12
Speaker
I'm like, this is serious. Again, a bit a bit different with bow and wind because their first sexy especially they're kind of like riffing on each other and like making fun of each other a little bit. So that was like a little bit more giggly because I was like these two dorks like
01:00:27
Speaker
They're funny. But does that answer your question? I feel like I blacked out a little. Yeah. Yeah. No, that was amazing. I'm curious about your search history. One time, Sophie Lark, who's an author, she posted her search history because she writes very spicy books. And it was like pussy and ash from the back. And I was like, oh, that's Sophie. I know you said you're reading stuff and watching stuff, but like, how crazy does your search history get?
01:00:56
Speaker
I don't I'm trying to think like, I don't think I've ever googled anything or searched anything to like
01:01:06
Speaker
to really like get a clear picture. I think the only thing I've ever done is like synonyms for words where I'm like, how many times can someone say thrust or like grind or, you know, like, so like there was one day where my husband came downstairs. He like brought me a cup of tea. He's like, Hey, how's it going today? Like, have you met your word count goal? I'm like, yeah, you know, I'm actually way over it because I got to a sex scene. So now I'm like, I'm gonna be writing for 2000 words because there's no stopping now.
01:01:35
Speaker
Um, cause it's always like, I can't give them, I can't get them almost there. That's like rude to them. They have to finish now, right? So I'm like, I opened my tabs and he looks at my computer and it's like synonym for, like, ass synonym for, thruth synonym for, like, it's like all of like, he's just like, I'm really glad you pay the bills. Like, um, I'll see you later. And I'm like, thank you so much.
01:02:03
Speaker
I'm curious then, so lots of romance readers talk about like words that give them the ick.
Cringeworthy Romance Phrases
01:02:11
Speaker
Yeah, like I have so many. You know, like, okay, what are yours then? You won't see these words in my sex scenes is what you're saying. You won't see these. And full disclaimer, I'm speaking directly into the mic note. I'm not mad at you for using these words. I'm not mad at your favorite book. It's okay. I love every book ever I've ever read, I promise.
01:02:31
Speaker
Um, every book, every book I've ever read. Perfect. No, cause like wet tunnel. Um, Oh, anything, anything channel or tunnel. I'm like, channel is, yeah, channels. I don't really like creaming.
01:02:52
Speaker
or milk. It has a time and a place. No, I was going to say I read this book over the summer and he kept calling it a tight pink hole. I'm so sorry for that noise that just came out of my mouth. That was over and over. I was like once I was like, and then it kept happening. Right?
01:03:15
Speaker
her vagina. I didn't say that more delicately. We've said we've said worse on this podcast. I think also like there's just some things where like with dirty talk, where there's a when you read a contemporary romance, and they say things like I'd burn the world down for you. And it's like,
01:03:38
Speaker
You're an accountant. Like, it ain't that serious. No, I'm a civilian. Civilian. Act like it. Act like it. Sometimes I feel like I read a lot of fantasy and therefore like those people could get away with anything. Just to be perfectly clear, you could have wet channel to the hilt.
01:03:58
Speaker
to the hill. He tells me that he'll burn the world down for me. I believe him. Yeah. But then when I'm reading a contemporary romance, and it's not and it's not a dark romance. Like, I mean, like, you're a fluffy, you know, day to day people. And they're like, like, I'm gonna blank this blank until you say okay. Okay. Calm down. Yeah. Okay, have like, you know, like a silent back like, let's all
01:04:26
Speaker
remember who we are here. Like, um, then the next day they're like going back to not talking. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Or, um, yeah, I think, I think probably if I had to choose milking would be my least favorite because I, I can never read that and not immediately imagine someone go into town on an utter.
01:04:49
Speaker
And it's like, that's not an image I wanted right now. I'm trying to have a good time. Oh, my God. Well, your sex scenes are very well done. I will say it was it was to keep the horny vibes going. It was so hot and out on a limb when Bo put his cum back inside of her. I was gagging. I was like, oh, my God, this man. That was the first time I ever warned my mother about a sex scene before she got it. I was like, hey, mom.
01:05:18
Speaker
Um, just so you know, you know, there's this thing that the girlies love an accidental pregnancy romances that it's like, if I don't do it, they will be mad at me. So it's not your daughter who wanted this. Yeah. And I did, and I would do it again. Um, and I, and you know what, when I wrote that, I was like, am I into this? So I learned something new about myself in this process. I was like, okay. Like he really wanted that baby.
01:05:50
Speaker
He just like wanted so many babies with her that at the end I was like yes starting lineup like they're building an entire team right now like oh my god that man cannot stop impregnating her it's actually getting out of hand I love a breeder like that's like okay speaking of like things an accidental pregnancy that I love like when I
01:06:17
Speaker
I'm sharing so much about myself right now. As somebody with no intention of ever getting pregnant in my life, I am obsessed with when the mailman character's like, you are never sexier than when you are right now, when they're like very pregnant. I'm like, fuck yeah. Like, get it. I like that our description of Bo just took such a hard stern.
01:06:43
Speaker
Like, when in reality he's this, like, lanky, like, saxophone-playing dork. But, like, he has this moment.
01:06:52
Speaker
You mentioned that you were not necessarily nervous, but it's an accidental pregnancy book with a blonde male love interest. What made you made him blonde? Make him blonde? I'm going to be so honest. I love him, to be so clear. Yeah. I tried so hard to change his hair color in my head, and I just couldn't. I know that this makes me sound a little bit strange, but my characters straight up introduce themselves to me. I don't have a say over it.
01:07:21
Speaker
they are what they look like. And it's like, I can't change that. And so it was that was both. And I was like, Sandy blonde, like, I remember when you posted that on Instagram. Yeah, very dark blonde. Okay. This year, I think though, if I'm being like, so honest with
01:07:44
Speaker
come to the realization that I think I should do like blonde men because like if I think about like some of my favorite romance books so many of them I personally don't like I I feel like I'm not like unattracted to blonde men in general or like blonde people in general I think that you know I don't care about hair color I just I just know that people again have very strong opinions about it yeah um so I was kind of like
01:08:11
Speaker
What if it was dark? Every time I would start describing him, it would be blonde again. I'm like, shit. OK. Yeah. You're like, this is him. But it's funny, though, because the other day someone was like, so Warren has a buzz cut, but what color is his hair when it's grown out? And I was like, oh my god, I don't know. I have no idea. So he could be blonde for all we know. It's none of our business. Yeah. Who's to say? Who's to say? Do you have a fan cast for a winning bow?
01:08:41
Speaker
Um, I don't really, I have people like on my Pinterest boards that are like magazine models that are like, that I very much see them as, but honestly, like, I haven't fully seen a picture where I'm like, that is them. I think mostly because of their limb differences, like it would be
01:09:04
Speaker
a friggin miracle to see them actually look like fully, you know, I think the only time I've ever really fan casted was like Matt and Lane, like in my second book, where's like Matt to me was like a younger Jason Momoa. And Lane is this like Russian YouTuber who I can not remember the name of right now, but has pink hair and her tattoos and like her kind of like
01:09:31
Speaker
shape and everything and like I was just like oh my god she's walking around and talking like this is the first time. So but no most of the time it's just kind of like I get an idea of them and then I try to find the closest thing on Pinterest or wherever else. Oh my gosh, Hannah thank you so much for being here with us today. This has been so much fun. Can I do this again sometime?
01:09:56
Speaker
Yeah, you guys have a great podcast too. I listen to it with my husband in the car. He thinks you guys are very funny just for what that's worth. He was like, and that's Friday, right? That you're going to be on Bring Your Own? I was like, yeah.
01:10:15
Speaker
And he was just like, okay, I can't wait to listen. It's gonna be so weird to like hear your voice in the car. I was like, okay. And then he's gonna, he's gonna hear you talk about this. I dedicated this book to him. Okay. Like he, whatever.
01:10:34
Speaker
Which by the way, he's telling me is the reason for its success. He's like, well, you see this Amazon bestseller, I'm in the dedication. Like, oh my gosh, I would not shut up. It was funny because I got a message where someone was like, is Ben your husband or your kid? And I was like,
01:10:53
Speaker
didn't really specify, did I? I'm actually dedicating your book to one child and not the other though. Someday when they're like 18 and older, I'll be like, who was the favorite child this year? I'm gonna give you a book. Merry Christmas. I dedicated a book to you. Don't read it.
01:11:16
Speaker
Amazing. Out on a Limb is, well, all of your books, the next series and Out on a Limb are all on KU still, right? No. No. OK, the next series. The next series is no longer on KU, still available for purchase on Amazon. Out on a Limb is still on Kindle Unlimited through the end of the year. Yeah, until January 6th. OK, amazing. And the next series and your novella is on Hoopla. The audiobooks are. You can listen there as well, because that's how I listen to them.
01:11:47
Speaker
Thank you so much for being here again. It's just so fun. Everybody go read out on the list if you haven't yet. Book of the year. Stop. It's going to make a lot of yearly roundups I know for sure. 100%. There are going to be so many people be like top 10, top 10. It'll be on. Everyone's top 10. Locked in.
01:12:12
Speaker
Can I prepare for that again now? This is for my like self esteem. Thank you. You can come back just for like one of our regular like episodes, not necessarily where we're interviewing. You can just come hang out. I'll be your honorary. It's like I'm the Frankie Jonas to your Jonas. I love that. Yay. Okay. Bye.