Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

Welcome to a Monster Romance Extravaganza! Kicking it off, Sanjana gives Tyler a crash course in the subgenre, explaining the allure of aliens and lake monsters—and why freakishness is part of the appeal. Then Villain Edit author Rosie Danan joins to talk vampires, reality TV, blood play, and finding tenderness in a non-human love interest. Plus: Sanj and Tyler react to SeaWorld’s "Just One More Chapter," a dark-romance scare zone we didn’t see coming.
Monster Romance 101: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu, Beauty and the Beast, R.M. Virtues’s Sing Me to Sleep (KU), Heather Guerre’s Demon Lover, and Lillian Lark’s Found by the Lake Monster.
Rosie Danan is the author of ​ The Roommate, The Intimacy Experiment, Do Your Worst, Fan Service, All Wrapped Up in You (KU), and—coming soon—Villain Edit (out Dec. 8!), a paranormal rom-com about a reality TV producer trying to cast a reluctant vampire as the first supernatural lead of a dating show. Her paranormal touchstones: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and The Mummy. There might also be an 831 book in her future…
The scare-actor thirst economy: SeaWorld’s “Just One More Chapter,” Fryboy, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando,  Chelsea Curto’s In the Dark, Holly June Smith’s Scary in Love (KU), and Navessa Allen’s Lights Out.
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Sanjana and Tyler reveal their dream romance adaptation slate, from non-Austen historicals to the paranormal franchises Hollywood is sleeping on. Then Once in a Timeline author Iman Hariri-Kia joins to talk about writing contemporary love stories that lean into influencers, apps, and the infinite scroll. Plus: a listener voicemail gets Sanj and Tyler chatting about reader expectations, publishing pressure, and who has the power to push romance somewhere unexpected.
The adaptation wishlist: Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflowers series and Again the Magic, Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series (ft. Slave to Sensation), Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark, and Kennedy Ryan’s Score and Reel.
Thrilled to have Iman Hariri-Kia, whose Once in a Timeline (out Oct. 13!) takes inspiration from Groundhog Day and Palm Springs and follows an influencer trapped in her own timeline. Also mentioned: Iman’s Female Fantasy, The Most Famous Girl in the World, and A Hundred Other Girls, plus Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries, Mediator, and All-American Girl series.
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Sanjana and Tyler dive into romance criticism, the newsletters keeping it alive, and why even a good hater should be devoted. Then Bad Words author Rioghnach Robinson joins to talk about turning book criticism into a whole (extremely compelling!) enemies-to-lovers plot. Plus: the best sex scenes Sanj and Tyler read this month, from Scandalized to a stalker romance involving a multi-tasking hockey stick.
The Substack romance criticism reading list: Sanjana’s own Scratch Paper, the trio of newsletters from the Reformed Rakes podcast crew (Sawyer Upton’s The Loose Cravat, Beth Haymond’s Ministrations, and Emma Kearney’s Restorative Romance), and Andrea Martucci’s Shelf Love.
Rioghnach Robinson’s adult romance debut, Bad Words, is out Oct. 6, and it’s enemies-to-lovers done right.
This month’s best sex scenes: Scandalized by Lauren Billings (one half of Christina Lauren) and Midnight Message by Avina St. Graves (on KU).
Also: Come hang with Sanj and Tyler at RomCon on Saturday, October 24, in Industry City, Brooklyn. Guests include Brooke Averick, Regina Black, Hannah Brown, Sarah MacLean, Casey McQuiston, Nikki Payne, and more!
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Our hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall are talking all things The Love Hypothesis with contemporary-romance queen Ali Hazelwood this week, from the book's leap from page to screen to what it's like to hand your characters over to Hollywood and become forever associated with one very famous fake-dating experiment. Plus: Ali's influences, thoughts on messy people behaving badly, and how her relationship with writing has changed since her debut became a phenomenon.
Sanj and Tyler on The Love Hypothesis—Ali Hazelwood’s book and the Prime Video adaptation, out now!—including its Reylo/Star Wars roots and Lili Reinhart’s performance on-screen and during the press tour.
Ali Hazelwood talks what it feels like to have her debut novel adapted (!!). A handful of the other books we love in her very deep catalog: Bride, Not in Love, and Problematic Summer Romance.
Ali’s romance influences and taste in messy characters include Anna Maria Volkova’s Games and Sherry Thomas’s Not Quite a Husband and My Beautiful Enemy. Her author career inspo: Olivie Blake (she of The Atlas Six and many more).
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Sanjana and Tyler kick off the show imploring sports romance to look beyond hockey—and then Lily Herman joins to talk about why Formula 1 is perfect genre fodder. Plus: a VM from listener Danielle gets Sanj and Tyler into the tropes and choices that can turn them off a book, along with their DNF philosophies. Also, reminder: We love voicemails! Reach us at 833-831-LOVE.
The sports romance wishlist: more WNBA, ice dancing, and skiing, with mentions of Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid, Rooting Interest by Cat Disabato, Finding Her Edge on Netflix, Off Course by Julie Cook, and Can I Tell You Something? by Holly June Smith.
Lily Herman—who hosts the podcast No Grip and writes the newsletter Engine Failure—on Formula 1 romance, from Drive to Survive and the Lewis Hamilton–Nico Rosberg rivalry to her recs Crash Test by Amy James and Faster by Andie J. Christopher.
Hang with Sanj and Tyler in person at RomCon on Oct. 24 in Brooklyn.
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