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Speaker 1: Hey, guys, welcome to I've never said this before with me,

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Speaker 1: Tommy Diderio. So my podcast celebrates the artist that you love, right,

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Speaker 1: people that are such important and massive parts of pop

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Speaker 1: culture history. And that is why I am so excited

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Speaker 1: to have my very first author on the show, because

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Speaker 1: she is a voice that we all love, and I

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Speaker 1: think many of us would agree we all need. Anna

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Speaker 1: Huang is a number one New York Times, Sunday Times,

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Speaker 1: Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon best selling author.

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Speaker 1: I could keep going on and on because that's how

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Speaker 1: many accolades she has. She's best known for her Twisted series,

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Speaker 1: which is being adapted into a Netflix show that you

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Speaker 1: and I and the entire world is eagerly waiting for.

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Speaker 1: We are ready. Her Twisted series alone, it has over

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Speaker 1: one billion views on TikTok and it's considered one of

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Speaker 1: the best selling romance books of all time. Anna writes

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Speaker 1: new adult and very very steamy contemporary romance with what

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Speaker 1: many describe as delicious alpha heroes, some strong heroines, and

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Speaker 1: plenty of angst and swoon. That's the perfect recipe, if

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Speaker 1: you ask me. There are so many books of her

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Speaker 1: to celebrate, her most recent one being King of Envy,

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Speaker 1: which is out right now. So let's dive into the

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Speaker 1: world of romance and see if today we can get

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Speaker 1: Anna to say something that she has never said before. Annahoong,

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Speaker 1: it is so good to see you today. How are you.

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Speaker 2: I'm good, Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.

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Speaker 2: So thank you for having me on.

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Speaker 1: I am super psyched. I was telling you you're my

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Speaker 1: very first author on this show. Oh my god, my

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Speaker 1: very first author. And you know, typically we have a

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Speaker 1: lot of movie stars and television stars and singers, but

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Speaker 1: when I came across you, I'm like, she is so

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Speaker 1: relevant in pop culture history. You are the moment. You

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Speaker 1: are more than the moment. I mean, you're here to stay.

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Speaker 1: I'm like you just you have to come on my show.

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Speaker 1: I think what you've accomplished and built is unbelievable. Thank

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Speaker 1: you so much, and I'm super psyched to have you

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Speaker 1: so thank you for hanging out.

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Speaker 2: Thank you. I'm so honored be the first author. I'm

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Speaker 2: a good company.

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Speaker 1: Oh good, good, well, thank you again for being here.

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Speaker 1: I have a burning question to kick this off today.

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Speaker 1: Have you fully allowed your parents to read all of

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Speaker 1: your material yet? Or certain things off limits? What's the status. Oh?

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, they're banned. It not allowed. And it's funny because

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Speaker 2: in my first bill, like Twisted Love, the dedication is

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Speaker 2: actually like to my mom, and I'm like, Mom, if

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Speaker 2: you're reading this, love you, but close the book like

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Speaker 2: right now, like, do not read this. And yet they

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Speaker 2: don't read my books. They do buy them as like support,

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Speaker 2: but they don't read them. So they just sit there

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Speaker 2: on the shelves and if they have read them, they

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Speaker 2: haven't told me they Okay, what do you think.

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Speaker 1: The probability is that they did read them and they're

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Speaker 1: not telling you.

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Speaker 2: You know, I was pretty low. Actually, I would probably

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Speaker 2: say like maybe ten percent because they don't actually read

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Speaker 2: in English, which I'm like, you know, this is great

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Speaker 2: for me.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, so that's really SWEETID they'll show up and

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Speaker 1: buy it.

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Speaker 2: They'll show up and buy it. I'm like, Mom, you know,

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Speaker 2: I can just give you the book, and she's like, no,

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Speaker 2: it's okay, I want to buy it. Oh.

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Speaker 1: I love that. Shout out to mom. I love that great.

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Speaker 1: I think your story is so fascinating. So twenty twenty,

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Speaker 1: obviously the pandemic happened. Yeah, and I believe at the

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Speaker 1: time you were working kind of a nine to five

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Speaker 1: cubicle job like so many of us do, and you

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Speaker 1: shortly after released your first book. Right, so walk me

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Speaker 1: through how you went from that traditional nine to five

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Speaker 1: to becoming this international best selling author, because I need

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Speaker 1: you to fill in the gaps for me.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been a wild ride, and I will say,

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Speaker 2: you know, I published my debut in twenty twenty, but

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Speaker 2: I have always loved reading and writing growing up as

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Speaker 2: a kid, and I kind of stopped a bit after

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Speaker 2: I graduated from undergrad just because life got so busy

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Speaker 2: I didn't have time to read for leisure anymore. I

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Speaker 2: went to grad school, so all of the reading I

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Speaker 2: did was, you know, like nonfiction, not as fun stuff.

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Speaker 2: But then twenty twenty came and I had a lot

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Speaker 2: more free time on my hands. I was a home

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Speaker 2: and I really needed a creative outlet, something to give

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Speaker 2: me an escape that I couldn't get anywhere else. I

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Speaker 2: started writing again, published my debut series that year, and

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Speaker 2: then I wrote Twisted Love at the end of twenty twenty.

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Speaker 2: I felt that a little franchise, little franchise, I don't know,

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Speaker 2: maybe just a little small franchise, and I published that

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Speaker 2: in twenty twenty one, and the rest, as they say,

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Speaker 2: is history. Wow.

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Speaker 1: Wow, did you always feel like you needed to do this,

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Speaker 1: like your your path will lead you exactly to where

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Speaker 1: you are even when you were working that job. Did

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Speaker 1: you dream of this?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? I think, you know. I think I did when

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Speaker 2: I was a kid. And it's so funny because I

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Speaker 2: remember telling my mom I was maybe eight years old,

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Speaker 2: and I told her I wanted to be an author.

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Speaker 2: And back then, publishing is a very different landscape than

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Speaker 2: it is now. And I remember her looking at me

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Speaker 2: and when I said I wanted to be an author,

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Speaker 2: and she was like, hmm, She's like, maybe do that

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Speaker 2: as a hobby and for your job, do something. I'm

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Speaker 2: more financially stable, you know, like parents. And so when

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Speaker 2: I went to college, I studied international relations, very different

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Speaker 2: and I kind of put this aside in my mind

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Speaker 2: as a career I could have. But when I started

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Speaker 2: writing again in twenty twenty, like I said, the landscape

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Speaker 2: had changed. There's so many more opportunities for authors now

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Speaker 2: in terms of like marketing and visibility. And once, I

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Speaker 2: think once I put out Twisted Love and I saw

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Speaker 2: kind of the reaction to it, I was like, you know,

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Speaker 2: maybe I could do this as a career. And that

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Speaker 2: was when I really focused on kind of building this

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Speaker 2: space for myself and preparing to leave my day job.

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Speaker 1: Wow. Yeah, that must have been such a pinch me moment,

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Speaker 1: like I can actually support myself full time writing and

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Speaker 1: doing what I love.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And it's crazy. I remember when, like that very

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Speaker 2: first time, when I started earning more from my books

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Speaker 2: than I did for my day job, and I was like, wow,

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Speaker 2: like this is actually a thing, because you know, for

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Speaker 2: so long, especially, I think sometimes people there's this sense

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Speaker 2: in society that feels like creative should be almost struggling sometimes,

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Speaker 2: you know what I mean, like and they shouldn't be

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Speaker 2: prospering in a certain way. But when I saw it,

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Speaker 2: I'm like, this is totally doable, Like it's not just

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Speaker 2: a far off dream that's reserved for the top one

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Speaker 2: one one percent of the creative fields, right, And so

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Speaker 2: that was very inspiring to me.

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Speaker 1: And that twist the Love series, man, it caught on

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Speaker 1: like wildfire. What do you think it was about that

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Speaker 1: that made literally the entire world fall in love with it?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? It was. It was so unexpected, and you know,

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Speaker 2: I will say when I wrote Twisted Love. I really

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Speaker 2: had no expectations for it because I wrote a series

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Speaker 2: before that and it's like fine, but it wasn't. It

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Speaker 2: didn't take off the same way, right, So I wrote

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Speaker 2: the book basically, I wrote what I wanted to read.

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Speaker 2: So I wrote everything that I liked into that book

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Speaker 2: and I marketed it. And I do think half of

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Speaker 2: it is maybe the content. Like that series is about

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Speaker 2: a group of girlfriends that men in college and it

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Speaker 2: follows them through their twenties, and I think that is

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Speaker 2: my core audience, Like there are a lot of gen Zers,

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Speaker 2: people who are in their twenties and thirties that maybe

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Speaker 2: resonate with that sort of storyline. But I also happened

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Speaker 2: to be publishing that at the same time that book

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Speaker 2: talk was taking off, so I think there was a

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Speaker 2: lot of synergy there.

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Speaker 1: And for everyone wondering what that is, what is book talk?

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Speaker 2: So book talk is a community on TikTok where basically

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Speaker 2: it's readers like sharing their recommendations, memes, videos all about books,

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Speaker 2: and there's a lot of subcommunities. But it's huge and

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Speaker 2: it's thriving, and there is wonderful.

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Speaker 1: And you somehow got in it right, like That's what

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Speaker 1: amazes me. It's how your book, aside from it being brilliant,

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Speaker 1: got into this community and then it just was literally

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Speaker 1: word of mouth.

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Speaker 2: Yeah right, word of mouth. It's always and people ask me,

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Speaker 2: you know, I think authors are always trying to look

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Speaker 2: for the best marketing strategy, and there's all these tools now,

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Speaker 2: but I always tell people, you know, at the end

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Speaker 2: of the day, word of mouth is still the most

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Speaker 2: powerful thing you can do to market anything, and TikTok

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Speaker 2: is basically word of mouth amplified.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it really is. It's one of I would say,

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Speaker 1: one of the most important mediums now for getting your

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Speaker 1: your creative in Denver out there.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, right, can change.

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Speaker 1: You always go at TikTok because you know how to,

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Speaker 1: you know what you're doing.

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Speaker 2: Thank you. No, you know, it's funny. I was pretty

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Speaker 2: resistant to it at first. Realized I was an instant.

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Speaker 2: I was on Instagram for years before that, I didn't

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Speaker 2: really do video, and when I started publishing, I actually

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Speaker 2: wanted to be anonymous. Obviously I'm not anonymous now, but

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Speaker 2: back then I was like, I didn't want to show

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Speaker 2: my face, and so I was very resistant to TikTok

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Speaker 2: as a platform because I was like, I don't want

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Speaker 2: to try. I don't want to learn this new platform.

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Speaker 2: They're just dancing on there. I don't do dancing. But

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Speaker 2: I've heard from like a few authors at the time,

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Speaker 2: right before it was taking off, that they're like, you know,

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Speaker 2: you can actually do a lot on this platform. There's

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Speaker 2: a great community. And me, being like a social media person,

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Speaker 2: I was like, you know, I'll just download the app

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Speaker 2: and I'll see what it's about. And I actually ended

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Speaker 2: up really liking it, Like there was a wonderful community

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Speaker 2: of authors and readers and I just got into it,

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Speaker 2: you know, yeah.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, And like you said, it really propelled the Twist

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Speaker 1: of Love series into the universe and made it partially

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Speaker 1: what it is. You made it what it is, but

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Speaker 1: you know, the marketing behind that was just so genius.

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Speaker 1: And of course Netflix is adapting into a series. I

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Speaker 1: mean casual. Could you ever have imagined?

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Speaker 2: Gosh, no, it's so surreal. I think even now sometimes

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Speaker 2: when I say it, it's hard sometimes because all these

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Speaker 2: things happen and I feel like I don't always get

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Speaker 2: time to sit and take in what's happening, you know,

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Speaker 2: like it's go, go, go. But when the Netflix stal happened.

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Speaker 2: I was like, Wow. Like when I was a kid,

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Speaker 2: I used to dream about when I saw those books

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Speaker 2: getting adapted to big screens. I would think like, oh,

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Speaker 2: I would love for that to happen one day. But

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Speaker 2: it wasn't something I ever thought was actually possible, you

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Speaker 2: know what I mean. It was just kind of like

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Speaker 2: a dream. And so now I'm like, you know, it's

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Speaker 2: a big, big goal.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I feel like the world is talking about

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Speaker 1: the casting for it. Oh yeah, do you feel the

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Speaker 1: pressure to get that right?

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Speaker 2: Yes? I think the casting is super super important, especially

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Speaker 2: you know, and I've talked to a lot of the

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Speaker 2: people on the team about it, you know, We've had

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Speaker 2: a lot of discussions, and for me, especially for a

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Speaker 2: romance casting, I'm always like, you know, yes, we do

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Speaker 2: want people who look like the characters. Obviously they should

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Speaker 2: fit like that. But it is a romance series, and

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Speaker 2: I think what is the most important to me is

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Speaker 2: that there's a street between the characters, right, Like, that

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Speaker 2: is the number one goal for me. And while we

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Speaker 2: haven't gotten to the casting part yet, I think I'm

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Speaker 2: always keeping an eye out when I you know, watch

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Speaker 2: media and see things to see if there's anyone that fits,

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Speaker 2: but I think there may also be kind of an

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Speaker 2: argument to be made for finding fresh faces as well.

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Speaker 1: So you're pretty involved in the adaptation for Netflix, Like

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Speaker 1: do you have approvals of casts and all of that.

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Speaker 2: No, I don't get ftal approval, Okay, I do obviously,

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Speaker 2: like they'll take my they'll take kind of like my

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Speaker 2: consultation into account and I can give my ideas and

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Speaker 2: it's a very collaborative process. We're still in early days,

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Speaker 2: but I do love the team there, and I'm very

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Speaker 2: excited for what we can do together.

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Speaker 1: I imagine when you have a baby, like this part

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Speaker 1: of you is obviously thrilled this is happening, but also like, okay,

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Speaker 1: will you handle it with care? And will you make

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Speaker 1: it what I know it should be? Like right, it's

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Speaker 1: a lot of those emotions, I imagine it is.

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Speaker 2: And it's scary, you know, to to kind of give

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Speaker 2: your work over to someone else and have them make

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Speaker 2: it into something new, because when you adapt something to screen,

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Speaker 2: like things will invariably have to change, right in order

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Speaker 2: to do this to that medium, and especially my fans

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Speaker 2: are so passionate and they are so excited, but they

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Speaker 2: also have you know, a lot of ideas about who

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Speaker 2: they feel should play, the cast or how things should go.

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Speaker 2: So I kind of have to toe that line of

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Speaker 2: keeping the story true to the heart of what they are,

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Speaker 2: but also recognizing that it does have to change once

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Speaker 2: it gets adopted.

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Speaker 1: Oh my god, that seems easier said than done.

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Speaker 2: It is. Now come back to me when.

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Speaker 1: We're yeah, no, I feel you, because we even I

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Speaker 1: have a creative project and I have to let people

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Speaker 1: in or kind of hand something off. It's like, okay,

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Speaker 1: just handle it.

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Speaker 2: I know, handle it. Well, it's good.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Well Netflix is amazing and I have no

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Speaker 1: doubt that they will. But there's so much speculation out there.

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Speaker 1: So nobody has been cast yet.

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Speaker 2: No one has been casting.

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Speaker 1: You're not hiding that out like people think you have

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Speaker 1: some information, You're with hell withholding not the case.

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Speaker 2: No, there are so many rumors like scrolling around, and

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Speaker 2: every couple of months there'll be like a new rumor

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Speaker 2: that X hus been cast as why and it goes

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Speaker 2: viral and I'm like, and so I continuously tell them,

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Speaker 2: I'm like, unless I announce it from my official accounts,

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Speaker 2: nothing has been set yet.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, when when is this aiming to be out. Do

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Speaker 1: you know that we.

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Speaker 2: Don't have a set DAG yet. We're still in the

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Speaker 2: development process, but hopefully.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, very interesting. Well, we look forward

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Speaker 1: to seeing how all of this unfolds. I'm sure, and

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Speaker 1: I'm not gonna make you say, but I'm sure you

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Speaker 1: have a couple faces in mind that you are interested in.

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Speaker 1: Uh huh, I'm sure. So we'll see what happens. But

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Speaker 1: let's talk about this beautiful book right in front of me,

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Speaker 1: your newest book, King of Envy. Yes, oh my god,

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Speaker 1: I was telling you. I was. I was reading it

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Speaker 1: and there were some scenes and words and I was like,

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Speaker 1: I need to be alone reading this right now.

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Speaker 2: I do not read in public.

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Speaker 1: Ooh it is spicy, it is sexy. I love it.

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Speaker 1: I love the two main characters. So, in your words,

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Speaker 1: what is this book all about?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? So, King of Envy is the fifth book in

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Speaker 2: My Kings of Sinceri, which is a series of contemporary

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Speaker 2: romances that's themed around the Seven Deadly Since and it's

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Speaker 2: about Vook and Ayana, who happens to be engaged to

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Speaker 2: Book's best friend, but Book has been in love with

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Speaker 2: her for a while, so obviously there's a lot of

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Speaker 2: like yearning and pining. But what he doesn't know is

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Speaker 2: that their engagement is actually an engagement of convenience, So

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Speaker 2: they kind of have to navigate that part of the relationship.

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Speaker 2: You know, he has to deal with the loyalty to

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Speaker 2: his friend versus his feelings for her. Meanwhile, there's kind

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Speaker 2: of a side plot where kind of a more dangerous

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Speaker 2: part of his past crops up that he has to

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Speaker 2: deal with, and Ayana is also trying to like free

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Speaker 2: herself from her agency. So all of this comes to

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Speaker 2: a head in the climax, and it is a romance,

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Speaker 2: but there's a lot of action and suspense as well.

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Speaker 1: And what's cool is it can very much be a

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Speaker 1: standalone book.

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Speaker 2: Yes it can. All of the my series are all

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Speaker 2: interconnected stand alone, so while you will see characters pop

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Speaker 2: up in each book, they can all be read on

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Speaker 2: its own.

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Speaker 1: I'm going to read it to you one of my

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Speaker 1: favorite things I've ever read in my entire Life's right

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Speaker 1: in the beginning. Oh it's nothing that seeming relax everybody

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Speaker 1: relax relaxed Cravios PGPG. It's right in the beginning, and

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Speaker 1: you're right to all the readers who like their fictional

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Speaker 1: men a little unhinged. This one's for you. So that

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Speaker 1: begs the question, do you like your men unhinged?

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Speaker 2: I do fictional Okay, fictional hing there is a difference.

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Speaker 2: I do love my morally gray characters. I think that

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Speaker 2: is what I'm known for because that's what the Twisted

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Speaker 2: series has a lot. But it's really fun to write

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Speaker 2: them because I can step outside the box a little bit.

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Speaker 2: Like when I write their characters, I don't have to

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Speaker 2: think they have to do things in a certain way

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Speaker 2: that's acceptable to society. Like they can just do their

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Speaker 2: own thing. And I think we all have that fantasy sometimes,

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Speaker 2: you know, where you're like, oh, I wish I could

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Speaker 2: just do this, but you can't. So it's really fun.

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Speaker 1: I have a confession, and I have played many unhinged

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Speaker 1: men on the covers of romance novels myself. It is

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Speaker 1: how I started off in the entertainment business. I'm going

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Speaker 1: to show you one right now. This is me. Uh huh,

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Speaker 1: maybe I don't know, God, twenty years ago.

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Speaker 2: Amazing.

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Speaker 1: Yes, I was doing a lot of covers playing these

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Speaker 1: unhinged characters, which I don't always tell people, but I'm like,

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Speaker 1: I have to tell you. You'll appreciate that.

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Speaker 2: I appreciate this so much because you know, Harlequin novels

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Speaker 2: are how I got my start reading romance.

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Speaker 1: Really, this is really especial. It's called in the Argentine's Bed,

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Speaker 1: Oh my Argentine's Bed, Argentine's Bed amazing And I'm not Argentinian,

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Speaker 1: which might be problematic, but I played one on the book.

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Speaker 2: So you know, you know what, you look great.

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Speaker 1: Thank you, great, thank you, thank you. I hope you

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Speaker 1: have a collection of you, just like they are in storage.

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Speaker 1: They are not out, definitely not out. But I so

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Speaker 1: I so love that when I read that when I

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Speaker 1: opened the book, because you're right, you create a world

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Speaker 1: where these men don't have to be perfect and they

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Speaker 1: can have all these different layers. I think that's really cool.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's the best thing, I think, And I

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Speaker 2: think that's the best thing about fiction is you can

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Speaker 2: explore so many different types of characters, like so many

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Speaker 2: different worlds, and you can make them whatever you want

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Speaker 2: to be.

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Speaker 1: So in this book, what was the most challenging part

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Speaker 1: for you to write?

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Speaker 2: Oh? You know, I think for me because this part

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Speaker 2: does this book does have a stronger suspense subplot than

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Speaker 2: any of the books in the previous series. So for me,

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Speaker 2: it was hard in the beginning to actually figure out

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Speaker 2: how they all tied together. And you know, I was

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Speaker 2: sitting on it for like months and I was like, Okay,

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Speaker 2: I know kind of the general shape of what it

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Speaker 2: looks like, but I can't quite put the pieces together.

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Speaker 2: And then finally one day, for books backstory especially, I

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Speaker 2: literally just started the computer and I kind of wrote

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Speaker 2: a short story, like almost like a biography of like,

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Speaker 2: this is what happened in his past, this is where

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Speaker 2: it leads to him now. And it was very helpful.

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Speaker 2: So I kind of wrote like a mini story before

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Speaker 2: the actual story. It helped me flush it out.

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Speaker 1: That's amazing. Did you do that for everything?

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Speaker 2: Or no? I don't just put this one because it

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Speaker 2: was so much more intricate, I think than the others.

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Speaker 2: But now that I've seen how helpful it is, maybe

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Speaker 2: I'll do it for all of my books going forward.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's so cool. Do you have a scene or

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Speaker 1: a moment that is one of your favorites in this book?

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Speaker 2: Oh? You know what, I actually love. So this may

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Speaker 2: be a spoiler for people, but it's not like a

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Speaker 2: huge spoiler. So there is this moment where Book gets

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Speaker 2: a cat and it's it's pet cat, and it's so

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Speaker 2: funny because he's this like big booty kind of scary

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Speaker 2: guy and then he kind of gets put in his

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Speaker 2: place by this like tiny little kitten. And I think

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Speaker 2: it's so fun to write their dynamic, and you know,

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Speaker 2: I love cats in general, so I think having showing

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Speaker 2: the softer side of him was really fun.

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Speaker 1: Wow, that's pretty cool.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I love getting to the mind of such brilliant artists

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Speaker 1: and really seeing kind of a where like the ideas

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Speaker 1: come from, be what resonates with you. I know. It's

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Speaker 1: like when you hear like favorite scene or favorite this,

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Speaker 1: it's like picking your favorite pet or kid. But some

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Speaker 1: stand out.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, some stand out, and you know, some are fun

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Speaker 2: to write, some are more emotional, and then obviously they're

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Speaker 2: the spicy scenes, which are like a whole different area,

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Speaker 2: so different kinds of favorites.

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Speaker 1: Do you cry when you write emotional scenes?

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Speaker 2: I do. I do sometimes, And sometimes when I write

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Speaker 2: an emotional scene and I don't cry, I think maybe

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Speaker 2: I didn't write this right, really, like, maybe I have

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Speaker 2: to go back and rewrite it until I actually cry.

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Speaker 1: Wow.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think because once you're writing a book

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Speaker 2: and you really get into the flow of it, I

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Speaker 2: feel like I am in that world with the character.

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Speaker 2: So I feel like I am the character. And so

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Speaker 2: when I write certain scenes, like I, if I'm not

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Speaker 2: feeling what they're feeling, then I think, you know, like

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Speaker 2: something's wrong. So yeah, it's a full on process.

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Speaker 1: Are you like a method actor where when you're writing

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Speaker 1: you stay in character and can't break character the entire time?

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Speaker 2: I wouldn't say not break character, but I do have

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Speaker 2: to be in that flow, and once I get pulled

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Speaker 2: out of it, it's hard for me to kind of

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Speaker 2: keep writing in that way and have to find my

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Speaker 2: way back into flow again.

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Speaker 1: How in the world do you pump out so many

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Speaker 1: books like you have multiple a year.

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Speaker 2: I published two a year now, Yeah, I mean, how

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Speaker 2: do you do that?

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Speaker 1: That seems very ambitious and not normal.

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Speaker 2: It is ambitious. It's a lot. Although I mean, I

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Speaker 2: will say, because I started off in the indie publishing space. Ye,

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Speaker 2: and now you know, I'm traditionally published in my books

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Speaker 2: arend stores, but in the indie space, especially for romance authors,

435
00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,320
Speaker 2: I am actually probably pretty slow. Like there are some

436
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:28,480
Speaker 2: authors that will put out a book like every two

437
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:32,520
Speaker 2: to three months, And for me, yeah, I'm a bit slower,

438
00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:36,080
Speaker 2: but I think it's because I already have a lot

439
00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:39,080
Speaker 2: of those characters in my mind, Like I probably have

440
00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,280
Speaker 2: the next two couples that I want to write already

441
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,199
Speaker 2: in my mind. So when I'm writing one book, the

442
00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,119
Speaker 2: others are already in the background kind of simmering. So by

443
00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:48,040
Speaker 2: the time I get to their book, I already have

444
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,600
Speaker 2: a very not if not detailed, then at least like

445
00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:53,520
Speaker 2: a general idea of what their story is going to

446
00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,840
Speaker 2: be like. And I think once you've written, once you've

447
00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:58,720
Speaker 2: found your voice and you've found your style, it gets

448
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:01,200
Speaker 2: a little bit easier to kind of write these stories, right.

449
00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:03,960
Speaker 2: And you know, I have my deadlines, and I'm a

450
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,479
Speaker 2: person that I don't like to when I say I'm

451
00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,840
Speaker 2: going to put out something, I don't like to not

452
00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,400
Speaker 2: do it, so that kind of gives me the motivation.

453
00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,000
Speaker 1: So how long is that process typically like for you

454
00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:16,240
Speaker 1: to write an entire book.

455
00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:20,439
Speaker 2: I would say from the idea process to finishing it,

456
00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:22,320
Speaker 2: probably about six months. I see.

457
00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:24,280
Speaker 1: That blows my mind. That blows I mean, you make

458
00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:27,000
Speaker 1: it seem so easy and doable. I mean, that's like,

459
00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:28,480
Speaker 1: I don't know if I could ever do that.

460
00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,560
Speaker 2: It's not I think you don't underjudge yourself. Okay, you know,

461
00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:34,920
Speaker 2: I will say sometimes it's hard because you don't see

462
00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,280
Speaker 2: I spend so much of that time thinking and then

463
00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:39,639
Speaker 2: the actual writing I actually do in about like six

464
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,679
Speaker 2: to eight weeks. Wow. Yeah, a lot of it is

465
00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:43,560
Speaker 2: just intellecting.

466
00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:45,520
Speaker 1: And do you have any rituals that you do For

467
00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:48,200
Speaker 1: every single book you write? You listen to a playlist?

468
00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:51,000
Speaker 1: You like candles, I mean, are there must MutS, must

469
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:52,520
Speaker 1: do as on your list type of thing.

470
00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,080
Speaker 2: I do create a playlist for every book that I

471
00:20:56,160 --> 00:21:00,240
Speaker 2: put out, and it when I'm not feeling motivated, I'll

472
00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,639
Speaker 2: listen to the playlist because when I write books, or

473
00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:04,639
Speaker 2: even when I read books, I see them as movies

474
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:06,640
Speaker 2: in my head, and we all know a movie needs

475
00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,480
Speaker 2: a good soundtrack. So I'm not feeling motivated, like before

476
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:11,000
Speaker 2: I write, I will just sit there and I'll just

477
00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:14,560
Speaker 2: listen to the soundtrack and get into the mind space

478
00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:17,120
Speaker 2: of that story. But when I'm actually writing, I can't

479
00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:20,119
Speaker 2: listen to anything with lyrics, so I'll listen to like

480
00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:23,480
Speaker 2: binural beats. I have a brain FM subscription and I'll

481
00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:26,600
Speaker 2: just put that on and I'll just type away. And

482
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:28,560
Speaker 2: sometimes I'll do it at home. Sometimes I'll go to

483
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,440
Speaker 2: a cafe. But's that's really like my only must when

484
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:32,399
Speaker 2: it comes to every book.

485
00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,320
Speaker 1: Wow, So the playlist that you actually release is the

486
00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:37,080
Speaker 1: one you listen to when you were writing it.

487
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:37,840
Speaker 2: Yeah.

488
00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:40,800
Speaker 1: Wow, Yeah, that's pretty cool. I thought maybe it was

489
00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:43,000
Speaker 1: something that you just kind of did to coincide with

490
00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:45,240
Speaker 1: the book or but it's your personal playlist.

491
00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:48,080
Speaker 2: Yeah wow. And I mean I'll pick songs that I

492
00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:50,240
Speaker 2: think will give off the same vibes as the book,

493
00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,280
Speaker 2: you know, so it's both for me and it's for

494
00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:52,840
Speaker 2: the readers.

495
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,720
Speaker 1: That's very very actory of you. You know, like a

496
00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:57,919
Speaker 1: lot of actors have their playlist to get into character,

497
00:21:58,000 --> 00:21:59,640
Speaker 1: and before they go on set, if it's a very

498
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,280
Speaker 1: drama scene, they go and listen to something that gets

499
00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:04,880
Speaker 1: them in that that little space right before they would

500
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,160
Speaker 1: start crying and then they start rolling. So that that's

501
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:09,160
Speaker 1: very very actory review.

502
00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:10,879
Speaker 2: I know that. Yeah, that's fascinating.

503
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,240
Speaker 1: That's pretty cool. I really really like that this genre

504
00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:18,320
Speaker 1: is so beloved. I mean, it's it's it's been around,

505
00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:20,480
Speaker 1: I don't know for how long, it seems like forever,

506
00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:22,879
Speaker 1: and people truly, truly love it. And these books, like

507
00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:25,399
Speaker 1: people have parties waiting for them to come out, and

508
00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,120
Speaker 1: there's countdowns and you know, I don't have to tell you.

509
00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:31,600
Speaker 1: So what is it about the romance genre? Yeah, creates

510
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,119
Speaker 1: that feeling for so many people.

511
00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think it's one of those genre.

512
00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:38,159
Speaker 2: I mean, it's one of the very few genres, if

513
00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,680
Speaker 2: not the only one, that I think really centers women's

514
00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,320
Speaker 2: pleasure and women's agency. And I think, you know, there's

515
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,160
Speaker 2: also a part of it that's so broad, right, there's

516
00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,720
Speaker 2: so many different types of romances in there that whatever

517
00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:54,119
Speaker 2: you want to read, whether you like romantic suspense or

518
00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:56,720
Speaker 2: you like kind of softer rom coms, you like dark romance, like,

519
00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,720
Speaker 2: you'll always find your niche in that space and your community.

520
00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:02,560
Speaker 2: And that's and I also think there is a great

521
00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,800
Speaker 2: comfort in reading stories where you know a happily ever

522
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:08,040
Speaker 2: after is guaranteed and it's you know, you don't know

523
00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:09,840
Speaker 2: what the journey will look like, but at the end

524
00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,640
Speaker 2: of the day, you will leave happy. And I think,

525
00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,439
Speaker 2: especially in a world that can be so chaotic and heavy,

526
00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:17,800
Speaker 2: there is a lot of comfort in that would you.

527
00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:20,320
Speaker 1: Ever write a book where it doesn't and like that.

528
00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,200
Speaker 2: Not if I market it as a romance, uh huh,

529
00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:27,000
Speaker 2: be in another genre, But for now I am sticking

530
00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:28,320
Speaker 2: to the try and truth.

531
00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:31,479
Speaker 1: But that makes sense. People want that feel good feeling

532
00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,080
Speaker 1: at the end, and we don't always get that in life, right,

533
00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:35,560
Speaker 1: So it's such a nice escape.

534
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's the escape the fantasy of it all.

535
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:41,560
Speaker 1: Yeah. I think it's amazing that A, you have work

536
00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,120
Speaker 1: that resonates with so many people, but you've been able

537
00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:48,679
Speaker 1: to sustain this career and not let the outside world

538
00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,639
Speaker 1: or opinions influence er factor what it is you do

539
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:53,840
Speaker 1: and how you do it. Yeah, which isn't easy, especially

540
00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:55,639
Speaker 1: when you are so big on social media and you

541
00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,760
Speaker 1: are on TikTok and fans have opinions and they want

542
00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:01,840
Speaker 1: them to be known. So how have you been able

543
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,040
Speaker 1: to kind of avoid getting sucked into that whole of

544
00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,760
Speaker 1: criticism and spiraling and reading all the things. I know,

545
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,600
Speaker 1: there's so much great stuff out there, obviously, but inevitably

546
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:12,280
Speaker 1: there's something that will come our way that we'll see

547
00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:14,520
Speaker 1: that's kind of like, oh that hurt. Yeah, right, So

548
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,760
Speaker 1: how do you protect yourself with your art and the

549
00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:19,120
Speaker 1: public yeah.

550
00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,600
Speaker 2: And I think that's a great question. I think it's

551
00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:25,119
Speaker 2: something that's get easier the more I publish, because I

552
00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:27,080
Speaker 2: think when you have maybe one or two books out,

553
00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:29,880
Speaker 2: the compulsion is to always check, you know, like every

554
00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:31,879
Speaker 2: little thing that someone is writing about you, you have

555
00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:33,880
Speaker 2: to like look it up. I was addicted to good

556
00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:36,080
Speaker 2: Reads at a point, which is not great. Do not

557
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:41,040
Speaker 2: get addicted to it is terrible. But you know, eventually,

558
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:44,359
Speaker 2: as you have more books out and as your platform grows,

559
00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,000
Speaker 2: it's actually kind of easier to insulate myself a little

560
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:51,520
Speaker 2: bit because I don't feel quite as I'm attached to

561
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:53,000
Speaker 2: my books, but I'm not like this is the one

562
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:54,920
Speaker 2: book that I have and it must be this thing,

563
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,560
Speaker 2: you know. And I will say before I write, now,

564
00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:00,320
Speaker 2: I don't go on social media like I I will

565
00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:02,240
Speaker 2: just go straight to my desk and I will write

566
00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,359
Speaker 2: because you never know what you see, Like it doesn't

567
00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:05,680
Speaker 2: even have to be about my books. It could be

568
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,040
Speaker 2: about anything like in the world, and it will just

569
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:09,800
Speaker 2: send me into a spiral and I can't write for

570
00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:13,400
Speaker 2: the rest of the day, right, And so I take

571
00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,919
Speaker 2: that very seriously, that ritual of not doing social media

572
00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,840
Speaker 2: in the morning. And also I have to learn now,

573
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:23,879
Speaker 2: especially that my platform has grown, that while everyone has opinions,

574
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,160
Speaker 2: sometimes they're just their opinions, and I have to write

575
00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,320
Speaker 2: my story the way I want to tell it. And

576
00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,840
Speaker 2: plus there's no one consensus on what something should be like.

577
00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:35,080
Speaker 2: People will give me ideas, they'll give me opinions, but

578
00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:37,479
Speaker 2: they contradict each other. And I'm like, well, you know

579
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,119
Speaker 2: it's you can always give me your opinion, but at

580
00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:41,240
Speaker 2: the end of the day, I have to do what

581
00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:42,080
Speaker 2: feels true to me.

582
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,000
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, And I feel like that's something probably you've

583
00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,120
Speaker 1: worked on over the years, better and better and better at.

584
00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,200
Speaker 2: Yeah. You have to kind of grow a thicker skin,

585
00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,000
Speaker 2: you know, and especially in a business where you are

586
00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:56,560
Speaker 2: kind of a public figure, you have to have a

587
00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:00,240
Speaker 2: great support network, I will say, yeah, And you just

588
00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:03,159
Speaker 2: have to learn to know what voices to listen to

589
00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,000
Speaker 2: and when to shut out, you know, all of the noise.

590
00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,040
Speaker 2: And I do think that it's something that is easier

591
00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 2: once you have grown more into your role.

592
00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:14,000
Speaker 1: Do you think when you have books that are so

593
00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,119
Speaker 1: wildly popular and that people really latch onto the story

594
00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,600
Speaker 1: so much so that you are getting a Netflix series created,

595
00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:21,560
Speaker 1: do you think it's even more intense.

596
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's so interesting to

597
00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,080
Speaker 2: me because I do and I've discussed this with some

598
00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:32,880
Speaker 2: of my friends as well. I do think sometimes when

599
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,000
Speaker 2: you reach a certain level of success, there are some

600
00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:38,639
Speaker 2: people that kind of stop seeing you as people and

601
00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,080
Speaker 2: they see you kind of as like a commoditor or

602
00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:44,080
Speaker 2: that the things that they say don't really hurt or

603
00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,159
Speaker 2: it doesn't really matter because you won't see it, or

604
00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:48,359
Speaker 2: you won't have like the same feelings as maybe people

605
00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:52,040
Speaker 2: they know personally. And so there's a lot of good

606
00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:55,840
Speaker 2: and also like some bad that comes with reaching a

607
00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,280
Speaker 2: certain level. Right, But at the end of the day,

608
00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:01,359
Speaker 2: I it's some that just comes with the job and

609
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,840
Speaker 2: you kind of have to deal with it in whatever

610
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:04,920
Speaker 2: way works best for you.

611
00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:06,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, and we all deal with it, right. I think

612
00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:08,960
Speaker 1: people might look at you and think, oh, there's no

613
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:10,919
Speaker 1: way you would ever have to deal with something like that,

614
00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:12,480
Speaker 1: but we all do. That's part of life.

615
00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,919
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and it's true. And I think sometimes people

616
00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:19,480
Speaker 2: don't talk about the cons of success as much as

617
00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,240
Speaker 2: they talk about the pros. And I think that is

618
00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:24,919
Speaker 2: especially hard for people, let's say, if they have like

619
00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:27,040
Speaker 2: I don't want to say overnight success. Well, let's say

620
00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:28,720
Speaker 2: they have like a book that really takes off, and

621
00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:32,800
Speaker 2: they're not mentally prepared for some of those cons it

622
00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:35,560
Speaker 2: can be really hard to kind of find your sea legs.

623
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:38,320
Speaker 1: One hundred percent. I think it's so cool because you

624
00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:40,600
Speaker 1: clearly give back so much to your community and you're

625
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:42,840
Speaker 1: so engaged with everybody, which is I think part of

626
00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:45,360
Speaker 1: the magic of your whole brand and why people one

627
00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:47,480
Speaker 1: of the many reasons why people resonate so much and

628
00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,440
Speaker 1: so deeply with you. And with that being said, I

629
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,080
Speaker 1: love to have artists like yourself on who pay it forward.

630
00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,600
Speaker 1: And I know there are people listening who have a

631
00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:57,800
Speaker 1: draft of something or who want to write something but

632
00:27:57,880 --> 00:27:59,800
Speaker 1: don't think they have it in them or it can

633
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:02,399
Speaker 1: never happen for them. What advice would you give to

634
00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:03,440
Speaker 1: aspiring authors?

635
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean for me, I say, just get the

636
00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:09,320
Speaker 2: draft done, you know, and I know that, and don't

637
00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:11,640
Speaker 2: try to make it perfect. And I know a lot

638
00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:14,640
Speaker 2: of people, especially the newer authors, I feel like when

639
00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:16,880
Speaker 2: you write that first book and it's something they've always

640
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:18,720
Speaker 2: dreamed of doing, I think there is a sense that

641
00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:21,040
Speaker 2: they're like, this is the book, Like this has to

642
00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,600
Speaker 2: be the most perfect book, like this has to be

643
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:25,760
Speaker 2: the best seller, the groundbreaker, and if it isn't, then

644
00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:27,720
Speaker 2: I'm a failure, you know what I mean. And that's

645
00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,080
Speaker 2: usually not true. Like most of our first books are

646
00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:32,800
Speaker 2: actually not our best book. Then you probably don't want

647
00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:34,320
Speaker 2: it to be your best book because you want to

648
00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:37,840
Speaker 2: be continuously growing and improving as you publish. So I

649
00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:39,840
Speaker 2: always tell them, you know, like for that first book,

650
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,120
Speaker 2: just get that draft done and the magic happens in

651
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,560
Speaker 2: the editing, and then you will just continue to grow

652
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,840
Speaker 2: and improve, Like, don't let the need for perfection hold

653
00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:49,480
Speaker 2: you back from completing something.

654
00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,440
Speaker 1: Oh, don't let the need for perfection hold you back

655
00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:55,320
Speaker 1: from completing something. I might get that tattooed on my body.

656
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,880
Speaker 1: I love that quote. That is so good. Wait, well

657
00:28:58,880 --> 00:28:59,880
Speaker 1: it's all I was gonna say, can I write that?

658
00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:01,600
Speaker 1: But now it's on my show, so I don't need

659
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:03,160
Speaker 1: to write that down. But I really like that. That

660
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:12,640
Speaker 1: is amazing, all right. I couldn't have you on and

661
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:16,520
Speaker 1: not ask some fan questions. Okay, I'm not responsible for these, Okay,

662
00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:18,720
Speaker 1: but these are the top five fan questions that I

663
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,080
Speaker 1: would I was repeatedly seeing in my inbox when I

664
00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:25,880
Speaker 1: announced you as my guests, Number one being will there

665
00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:29,760
Speaker 1: be another Twisted Love book maybe years later, checking in

666
00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:31,040
Speaker 1: on where the characters all are.

667
00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:35,320
Speaker 2: Yeah. I don't want to promise anything. I won't say no,

668
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:38,200
Speaker 2: Like if I do, it will probably be some sort

669
00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:40,880
Speaker 2: of epilogue novel where we kind of have all the characters.

670
00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:44,160
Speaker 2: It won't be like a romance with one couple. So

671
00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:45,720
Speaker 2: for now we'll say maybe.

672
00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:48,840
Speaker 1: Okay, maybe we'll take. Maybe, we'll take maybe. Is there

673
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,160
Speaker 1: a female main character that you would be best friends with,

674
00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,040
Speaker 1: like in a heartbeat, if you can only pick one?

675
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,800
Speaker 2: Oh? Man, I think this is really hard because I

676
00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:00,840
Speaker 2: love all the girls in different ways. I will say,

677
00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:06,920
Speaker 2: I think for me because I am such an introvert

678
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,640
Speaker 2: in my real life, I do think sometimes it would

679
00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,000
Speaker 2: be really nice to have someone like Jewels from Twisted

680
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:15,200
Speaker 2: Hate as like a foil, because she is obviously an extrovert,

681
00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,720
Speaker 2: and if we go out, I need someone like that

682
00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,440
Speaker 2: to actually interact with other people because otherwise I'll just

683
00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:22,720
Speaker 2: like sit at the table and just hang out.

684
00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,120
Speaker 1: Okay, you need a good like wing woman, Yeah, like

685
00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:28,680
Speaker 1: a good wing woman. I support that. I support that. Yeah, Okay,

686
00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:32,040
Speaker 1: is there a character that you were thinking about giving

687
00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:32,880
Speaker 1: their own book too.

688
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,240
Speaker 2: Oh that I didn't end up giving a book too.

689
00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:39,680
Speaker 2: And I know I'm going to get so many messages

690
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,800
Speaker 2: about this, But there was a point where I almost

691
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:45,880
Speaker 2: wrote a book for Andreas, who is a side character

692
00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:49,760
Speaker 2: in Twisted Games. He is the main character Bridget's cousin,

693
00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,680
Speaker 2: and he kind of starts off like you don't really

694
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:54,440
Speaker 2: like him, but then by the end he redeems himself

695
00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:56,240
Speaker 2: and I almost wrote a story for him, but then

696
00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,840
Speaker 2: I ended up not doing it.

697
00:30:58,880 --> 00:30:59,959
Speaker 1: Is there hope for that or now?

698
00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,200
Speaker 2: Probably not? Okay, I decided to scrape that idea.

699
00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:04,920
Speaker 1: I mean, you're a little busy and booked right now.

700
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,040
Speaker 1: It's okay. It's sorry, you have enough going on, all right?

701
00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:10,360
Speaker 1: Two more. You're surviving this pretty well. Okay, this is

702
00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:14,200
Speaker 1: a hard one. Oh gosh, your top two favorite book boyfriends?

703
00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:18,640
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, is this from my book? Wow?

704
00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:19,880
Speaker 1: Your books?

705
00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:23,920
Speaker 2: They can't make me choose like that. That's not okay,

706
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,760
Speaker 2: I will say, Okay. I tend to have a recency

707
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:30,760
Speaker 2: bias when it comes to things like this, Like right

708
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,440
Speaker 2: after I write a book, that couple tends to be

709
00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,560
Speaker 2: my favorite. So I do love book a lot. He

710
00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:39,400
Speaker 2: is also exactly my fictional type, like that kind of booty,

711
00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:44,800
Speaker 2: silent type. So I love him, and you know, I

712
00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:50,360
Speaker 2: think it's hard to say this without mentioning I think

713
00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:52,760
Speaker 2: it's hard to say this without mentioning Alex because he

714
00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:56,239
Speaker 2: is the one that started everything for me. You know,

715
00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:58,800
Speaker 2: he was the hero and Twisted Love, and that was

716
00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:01,680
Speaker 2: the book that kind of changed my life. So I

717
00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,800
Speaker 2: have very fond feelings toward that couple for a lot

718
00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:07,760
Speaker 2: of reasons. But I love all the others as well.

719
00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:10,560
Speaker 1: Okay, that's a good that's a good answer. We'll take it.

720
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:12,480
Speaker 1: And final questions kind of like two in one, so

721
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,800
Speaker 1: I'm sorry about it, but here we go. Would you

722
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:16,680
Speaker 1: ever consider a Mafia series?

723
00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:22,000
Speaker 2: I knew this was going to come. Never say never again.

724
00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:24,200
Speaker 2: I will say I had a lot of fun writing

725
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:27,000
Speaker 2: the suspense in this book, so maybe, but I don't

726
00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:29,280
Speaker 2: have any plans to do that by this time.

727
00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:32,280
Speaker 1: Okay, fair enough, fair enough, And then kind of similar

728
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,920
Speaker 1: this came up quite a bit. Would you ever write

729
00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:36,200
Speaker 1: a male on mail romance?

730
00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:42,160
Speaker 2: Oh? Like I again, never say never. I am open to,

731
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,200
Speaker 2: you know, writing anything, but I think at this time

732
00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:48,560
Speaker 2: I have my next couple of years books.

733
00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:52,160
Speaker 1: Okay, under contract you survived the fan questions, how do

734
00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:52,840
Speaker 1: you feel?

735
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,080
Speaker 2: I feel pretty good. Good you for not you know,

736
00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,480
Speaker 2: just throwing out of left field.

737
00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:01,560
Speaker 1: You did good, you did good. Yenah. This, Oh my god,

738
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,680
Speaker 1: this has been such a pleasure. I love I love

739
00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:08,760
Speaker 1: celebrating people like you who contribute so much to people's lives.

740
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:11,480
Speaker 1: And I don't say that flippantly. I truly mean that.

741
00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,640
Speaker 1: I think when people read these books, it's such an

742
00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:16,880
Speaker 1: important escape for them, no matter what they're going through

743
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:18,640
Speaker 1: in their lives. I mean I saw people who have

744
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,600
Speaker 1: sick family members, who just lost the spouse, who have said,

745
00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:25,280
Speaker 1: like your books, heal them and help them. And I

746
00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,800
Speaker 1: think it's such a beautiful gift you give to the

747
00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:30,280
Speaker 1: world with your writing and with all of this. So

748
00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:32,320
Speaker 1: it's been so much fun getting to know you a

749
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:35,400
Speaker 1: little bit and celebrate the work. And as we wrap up,

750
00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:37,000
Speaker 1: the name of the show is called I have never

751
00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:39,320
Speaker 1: said this before, Yes, And it was born because I

752
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,000
Speaker 1: cover a lot of red carpet premieres and junkets and

753
00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:44,400
Speaker 1: you get three minutes with you know, the star of

754
00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:46,920
Speaker 1: the movie, and you just don't always have time for

755
00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,200
Speaker 1: real conversation. It's very SoundBite based and very quick, and

756
00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:52,880
Speaker 1: I sometimes see this yearning for them to want to

757
00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:54,960
Speaker 1: say something else and it's like, got to go on

758
00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:57,840
Speaker 1: to the next. So it was born for giving space

759
00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:01,200
Speaker 1: for people to talk about something that matter to them. So,

760
00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,440
Speaker 1: with all of that being said, is there anything you

761
00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:05,400
Speaker 1: can think of today that you've never said before that

762
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:06,200
Speaker 1: you want to share?

763
00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:10,279
Speaker 2: Yeah? And I will say this is something that came

764
00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,360
Speaker 2: to mind because I saw this person recently and it

765
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,600
Speaker 2: reminded me of what she told me, and it's that

766
00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:20,319
Speaker 2: I feel like I have never really been fondly vulnerable

767
00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:22,600
Speaker 2: with anyone in my life ever, Like I think I've

768
00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,359
Speaker 2: only ever given maybe a total of eighty percent of

769
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,440
Speaker 2: myself to someone, which is interesting because I write romance,

770
00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,359
Speaker 2: which is so much about vulnerability and opening yourself up.

771
00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:34,120
Speaker 2: And I didn't even realize that until this friend that

772
00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:36,719
Speaker 2: I saw recently. She told me one day, like years ago.

773
00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:38,839
Speaker 2: She's like, you know, Anna, we have been friends for

774
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:40,799
Speaker 2: like almost a decade and sometimes I feel like I

775
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,400
Speaker 2: don't really know you well. She's like, You're so mysterious,

776
00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:45,279
Speaker 2: and she was kind of joking about it. But there

777
00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:49,239
Speaker 2: is some truth in that and probably something that I

778
00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,160
Speaker 2: need to unpack a little bit, but I you know,

779
00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:54,719
Speaker 2: as someone who deals in this space with all the

780
00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:57,960
Speaker 2: romance and vulnerability, it was interesting for me to kind

781
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:02,200
Speaker 2: of get that revelation. And I've never told anyone that

782
00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:05,080
Speaker 2: before because I feel kind of like, I don't know,

783
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:07,840
Speaker 2: I feel like maybe I'll get judged for it. But

784
00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:09,320
Speaker 2: this feels like a safe space.

785
00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:12,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, well it's very safe, and thank you for sharing that.

786
00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,040
Speaker 1: I think it's very real, right. I think for whatever

787
00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:17,640
Speaker 1: the reason, maybe personally people like to protect themselves and

788
00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,800
Speaker 1: have a little bit of a shield, and that's something

789
00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:24,560
Speaker 1: that isn't always easy to admit, I imagine, right, And

790
00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,319
Speaker 1: the fact that you know that, yeah, and you were

791
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:29,000
Speaker 1: kind of talking about it with a friend, which is

792
00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:31,759
Speaker 1: maybe uncomfortable at first. Yeah, then you're like, oh, okay, no,

793
00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:33,439
Speaker 1: I want to figure out why it is that way

794
00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:37,040
Speaker 1: and maybe get that eighty percent to eighty eight percent, yeah,

795
00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:40,400
Speaker 1: ninety five percent, and eventually really give your all vulnerabile,

796
00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:43,400
Speaker 1: all your vulnerabilities to somebody, which is scary, I know,

797
00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:47,000
Speaker 1: I know, but I think that's really cool, and maybe

798
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:48,479
Speaker 1: that's also why you're such a brilliant writer.

799
00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:51,120
Speaker 2: Right, I pour all my feelings into the buddy you.

800
00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:53,319
Speaker 1: Do they say some of the best actors are kind

801
00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:55,680
Speaker 1: of emotionally turned off and then they go into their

802
00:35:55,719 --> 00:35:58,160
Speaker 1: work and it's all there. So you know, maybe it's

803
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:00,319
Speaker 1: the same with that little piece of vulnerability for you.

804
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,120
Speaker 1: But I'm excited to talk down the line and have

805
00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:04,960
Speaker 1: you come back and say I'm at ninety five percent.

806
00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:06,800
Speaker 2: Now we'll just track my progress.

807
00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:09,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, podcast, I'm going to make a little notesapp on

808
00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:11,719
Speaker 1: my phone with your vulnerability levels throughout the years, so

809
00:36:11,719 --> 00:36:12,960
Speaker 1: we're gonna stay in touch on that.

810
00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:13,600
Speaker 2: Anna.

811
00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:16,920
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. You are a joy and please

812
00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:19,520
Speaker 1: come back anytime, and I am always going to be

813
00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,560
Speaker 1: cheering you on and rooting for you. I think you're fantastic.

814
00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:24,239
Speaker 2: Thank you so much. It is so much fun.

815
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:29,279
Speaker 1: Thank you be well. I've Never Said This Before is

816
00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:33,640
Speaker 1: hosted by Me Tommy di Dario. This podcast is executive

817
00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:37,560
Speaker 1: produced by Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio and by Me Tommy,

818
00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:41,680
Speaker 1: with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've Never Said This Before

819
00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:45,560
Speaker 1: is part of the Elvis Duran podcast network on iHeart Podcasts.

820
00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:49,319
Speaker 1: For more, rate review and subscribe to our show and

821
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,839
Speaker 1: if you like this episode, tell your friends. Until next time,

822
00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:54,080
Speaker 1: I'm Tommy de Dario,