Listen Now

Although in North America, the bulk of the available holiday romances are Christmas-oriented, Cara searched for stories from other faiths and traditions to include in this episode as well.  For a full list of the titles mentioned in the podcast, visit thefeministromantic.com.

Revising a novel is largely the same regardless of the genre, but there are some things that are specific to each. Cara specifically focuses on character and plot revision for romance. Links: Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

What is NaNoWriMo, and what is the point of trying to write 50,000 words in a month, exactly? Cara talks about what she thinks NaNo is all about, and why she does it, as well as her personal history of writing (winning and losing) for NaNo. Note: there is new theme music! It's the beautiful "Gemini" by Pipe Choir. http://www.pipechoir.com/ Links: National Novel Writing Month: https://nanowrimo.org Cara's NaNo page: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/ofstarsandstone  

On this special Halloween episode, Cara delves into the niche genre of Horror Romance. Sometimes called Dark Paranormal, these books don't simply borrow elements that were once the sole province of horror (demons, shifters, vampires). They truly seek to terrify their readers, as well as providing a satisfying romance with a happily-ever-after. Books/Series mentioned: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (because it's the elephant in the room) The Sign of Seven trilogy by Nora Roberts The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal and the Charm of Magpies series by K.J. Charles Whyborne & Griffin series by Jordan L. Hawk The Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton Sunshine by Robin McKinley A fun and timely blog post from Heroes and Heartbreakers: https://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2017/10/halloween-movie-classics-that-are-secretly-romances License info: The spooky music for this episode is the song “Cathedral” by Xenojam, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://xenojam.bandcamp.com/track/cathedral.

What makes a romance series? For the most part, the word "series" in romance means something different than it does in any other genre. In this episode of the Feminist Romantic, Cara McKinnon explores the traditional romance series and contrasts that with a few examples of series that follow other genre models but still contain strong romantic elements. For the next episode, Cara will celebrate Halloween with a discussion of the unlikely combination of romance and horror. If you have any books to suggest for this mash-up, email thefeministromantic@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog at thefeministromantic.com. To check out any of the romance series mentioned in this podcast, click on a link below (you'll be taken to the series page or the first book in the series on Amazon). Lisa Kleypas Travises series Elizabeth Hoyt Maiden Lane series Eloisa James Desperate Duchesses series Suzanne Brockmann Troubleshooters series Jennifer Ashley Shifters Unbound series J.D. Robb In Death series Jordan L. Hawke Whyborne & Griffin series Diana Gabaldon Outlander series Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series Katie MacAlister Dragon/Guardian series Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson (and Alpha and Omega) series Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series MaryJanice Davidson Undead series Amanda Bouchet Kingmaker Chronicles

On this episode of The Feminist Romantic, Cara McKinnon responds to the Washington Post PostEverything article "We Need to Talk About Princess Leia, PhD" (Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/08/07/we-need-to-talk-about-princess-leia-phd/?utm_term=.1cc47921c59a) For fun, here is a link to a MarySue.com page gathering some reaction tweets to the news that Leia has a PhD: https://www.themarysue.com/doctor-leia-organa/ Apologies for the sound quality this episode, and all of the flubs, sniffs, coughs, and awkward pauses while I tried not to cough. Normally, I would edit and re-record, but my voice was really failing by the end of even fifteen minutes, so I left them in this time. For the next episode, I will be talking about series romances, contrasting series that follow a single romantic couple with those that take place in the same world but follow a different couple in each book. If you have any series to recommend, especially ones that follow the same couple, email me at thefeministromantic@gmail.com or leave a comment on my blog at thefeministromantic.com.

On this episode of the Feminist Romantic, Cara McKinnon talks about how the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon have been adapted for the Starz television series, focusing specifically on the season three premiere.

This week's episode is a little late due to technical difficulties. My computer hard drive died and had to be replaced. But I wanted to get the podcast out as soon as possible, so I haven't edited as heavily as I might otherwise have done. Please forgive our "ums" and "ers" that I haven't deleted and all the environmental noise from recording in the living room of a beach house. In this episode, I am joined by my brother Vince, comic artist and ardent television fan. We discuss the "Will They or Won't They" romance trope primarily as it is displayed in television series. We also digress a bit into representation, diversity, and some current controversies about reviews, feminism, and more. Enjoy! -Cara McKinnon

In this episode, Cara talks about why she started the Feminist Romantic and what she plans to cover on the podcast. Links: Cara's blog The Feminist Romantic Website Stars and Stone Books

The Feminist Romantic is a half-hour podcast that will be released every other week on Wednesdays, beginning August 16th, 2017. Visit thefeministromantic.com for more information and to subscribe for blog updates. Subscribe to The Feminist Romantic on YouTube Subscribe to The Feminist Romantic on iTunes Visit The Feminist Romantic on LibSyn