Jennifer Prokop 2/28/24 Jennifer Prokop 2/28/24

S06.25: It's Romance Law!

Y’all enjoyed Romance Science so much, we figured, why not tackle romance law next! This week, we’re discussing wills and trusts, inheritances, guardianship, and more than a few HR violations! We also begin the episode with an important addendum to Romance Science (apologies to the Passion fans in the crowd).

There’s still time for you to join us for Fated Mates LIVE in Brooklyn, NY, at the gorgeous William Vale Hotel, on March 23rd, along with Kate Clayborn, Lauren Billings (one-half of Christina Lauren), Nikki Payne, and a roomful of other romance-obsessed listeners for a night of romance shenanigans at a live taping of Fated Mates! While we’re never sure quite how it’s going to go, we can guarantee there will be books, booze and bantr…and you’ll leave full of joy from all the fun. We’ve even got The Ripped Bodice on hand to sell books, and the room will be available for hanging with other Firebirds after the live! Preorder Kate’s The Other Side of Disappearing three days early (and books from everyone else!) from The Ripped Bodice—links, tickets and more info are at fatedmates.net/live.

If you just can’t get enough of us, consider joining our Patreon! You get an extra episode of banter every month and access to the Fated Mates discord, full of people who love romance as much as we do. It’s pretty great, we have to say. Learn more at patreon.com/fatedmates.

Our next read along is Heather Guerre’s Preferential Treatment, one of Sarah’s favorite romances of 2022. Get it at Amazon, or with your monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited.

Show Notes

Listen to the Romance Science episode.

Pride & Prejudice won the 2024 romance bracket, hosted by Ali Parker of the RomEverAfter Pod.

Romance biology addendum: the hymen, the Passion episode.

Romance Law probably started with our love of TV Law: LA Law, Ally McBeal, The Good Wife, and Law & Order.

Books Mentioned This Episode

Emerald Blaze

A Will and a Way

Something Wilder

You Do Something To Me

It Had to be You

Beach Read

Mafia Virgin

A Scot in the Dark

Sustained

My Office Rival

Huge Deal

Bass-Ackwards

Praise

Preferential Treatment

Can't Stand the Heat

The Player

S05.38: Prologues & Epilogues in Romance

It’s hard to believe it’s taken us this long to do a prologue and epilogue episode! We talk about beginnings and endings and why they exist and why writers should ignore every piece of broad strokes nonsense advice people want to throw at them. Jen says “Prologues are plot and epilogues are character,” and blows Sarah’s mind with her genius (jk, Sarah already knew she was a genius). And yes, we talk about babies. Fair warning!

This interstitial idea came from the Fated Mates Discord, which all of our patrons have access to. Join other magnificent firebirds to hang out, talk romance, and be cool together in a private group full of excellent people. Learn more at patreon.com.

Show Notes

You know, Animal Farm is a good book and King Lear is a good play.

There is a very cute family of foxes living in Chicago’s Millennium Park

Apparently this dogs and rosetone thing is a known issue.

Here is an example of the hardline “Prologues are Bad” stance. || ed note: I’m not mad about it, since I have some known hardline stances myself. Ahem. ||

Our list of things good romance prologues do: provide needed backstory, historical information, an inciting incident in the past, an unusual set-up, and showcasing the relationship between the primary characters.

Our list of things romance epilogues do: fan service, bringing the whole gang back together in a series,providing a glimpse into the other character’s POV, The HEA fulfilled, the babylogue, and surprise motherfuckers!

A link to a folder with PDFs of links in show notes.

Books Mentioned this Episode

Lord of Scoundrels

Forbidden

Something Wilder

Love at First

The Boyfriend Project

Wicked and the Wallflower

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished

Never Judge a Lady by her Cover

Knockout

The Viscount Who Loved Me

Georgie, All Along

The Love Hypothesis

The Duchess Hunt

Devil's Bride

Burn For Me

Sapphire Flames

Prince of Broadway

Wild Rain

Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes

S04.46: Two Girls, One Microphone, Headphones In: Sarah and Jen at Apollycon

You’re getting the full banana this week, y’all, because we were together! Like, actually face to face, across a table in a hotel room! We’re talking Apollycon and Fated Mates Live, answering your questions, recommending fun books, and generally being delightful in your earholes (listen, if we’re not delightful, don’t tell us, we had a great time)!

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing, publishers of Farrah Rochon’s The Hookup Plan, Blair Babylon, author of Rogue, and Amazon’s Kindle Vella, publisher of Audrey Carlan’s The Marriage Auction series, for sponsoring the episode.

We’ve got interstitials and trailblazers coming your way this month, and we will finish out Season 4 as is traditional — with a deep dive episode on Sarah’s summer release, Heartbreaker! Get it at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, at your local indie, or signed and with special swag (and a Fated Mates sticker!) from her local indie, WORD in Brooklyn!

Show Notes

You can check out The Steam Box, which is a great romance + toy subscription box.

A very funny twitter thread about what Mary Shelley might have to say to Joyce Carol Oates.

Speaking of Joe Manganiello, he was in the news this week after finding out about his racial ancestry on the TV show Finding Your Roots.

Sarah says the best feminist double feature is Magic Mike XXL and Mad Max Fury Road and you should try it and report back. You can not only watch Mad Max Fury Road, you can read about it, too.

Don’t forget to order signed copies of Heartbreaker from Word in Brooklyn.