Interview with Author: Meredith Trapp

Crypto is supposed to be about trustless systems, but what happens when trust gets shattered anyway? Francesca Frost and I talk about why she set her debut novel, The Crypto King’s News, inside a cryptocurrency startup and how the real-world FTX collapse pushed her to imagine founders who are brilliant and also moral. If you love enemies to lovers, billionaire romance, workplace tension, and an older heroine paired with a younger love interest, the story delivers the heat while still making blockchain culture feel understandable. We get into the craft side too: how Francesca taught herself fiction after years of nonfiction, the romance genre “rules” that helped her build structure, and the hardest part for her as a writer, earning a believable happily ever after. She also shares a fun detail readers don’t expect from a crypto romance, an EDM-heavy Spotify playlist, plus the one song that captures the turning point when the couple finally gives in. Then we go behind the curtain on self-publishing and book marketing: edits that changed character dynamics, the value of controlling your cover and audiobook narrator choices, and what it really takes to launch an indie romance novel. If you’re writing your own book, you’ll leave with practical mindset advice and big inspiration for telling stories that actually matter. Subscribe for more author interviews, share this with a romance-reading friend, and leave a review if you want more conversations like this.  Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

Two assassins walk into a small town in Wyoming… Meredith Trapp and I get into the real origin story behind her writing life, including how journaling, reading, and storytelling became an escape during hard seasons. From there, we dig into what romance does best: the promise of a happily ever after, the relief of knowing the landing will be soft, and the joy of letting a book brighten your day. Meredith also shares what she hopes readers feel beneath the tropes, plus how she thinks about trigger warnings and emotional safety on the page.If you love romantic suspense and romance with mystery elements, you’ll love the craft talk. Meredith breaks down how challenging it is to merge romance beats with mystery plotting, what changed across drafts, and how she learned to keep both the chemistry and the twists working together. We also talk publishing realities, from self-publishing to traditional support, why being a hybrid author can be the best of both worlds, and the mindset shift that helps when your passion becomes your job.Listen now, then subscribe, share with a romance reader friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

You can feel it when a romance book gets squeezed into a movie runtime: the big moments are there, the chemistry is there, and yet the tiny choices change everything. We’re digging into The Love Hypothesis as both a rom-com film and a romance novel, comparing what hits harder on screen, what lands better on the page, and why your “watch first vs read first” order can totally reshape the experience.Olivia and I talk about the adaptation changes that stand out most, like how the movie adjusts Olive’s backstory with Jeremy to keep the friendship dynamics cleaner for a modern audience, and how trope-awareness plays differently when the film leans into reality TV instead of Olive’s rom-com brain. Of course we get into the classics: fake dating, one bed, the satisfying cringe that makes rom-coms work, and the little details that readers notice immediately when they’re missing or rearranged.Then we go deeper on what The Love Hypothesis is really trying to say: women in STEM navigating power, reputation, and the ugly side of academia. We loved the fun of the movie, but we also debate whether the ending moves too fast past the most serious stakes, and what gets lost when Olive’s internal process and agency are shortened for pacing. We even touch the Star Wars fanfic roots and the movie’s wink-wink nods if you know what to listen for.If you’ve watched, read, or done both, come argue with us: which version worked better for you and why? Subscribe, share this with a romance-reading friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

Magic is illegal, speakeasies are thriving, and the person tasked with enforcing the ban just walked into the wrong club. I sit down with historical romance author and librarian Martha Waters to celebrate Spellstruck, her fantasy romance set in an alternate 1920s London where potions and powders still carry real power even if the government says they should not exist.We talk through the heart of the book: Vesper, the youngest daughter of an old magical family who runs her club like it is still the golden age, and Max, the government agent who raids places like hers for a living. When a magical poisoning kicks off a larger mystery, they team up to investigate other clubs, and the tension turns into an enemies-to-lovers romance with genuine stakes. Martha shares why London is such a fun setting for prohibition-style vibes, how she balances humor with danger, and what she hopes readers notice about a heroine who can feel a little spoiled at first.If you enjoy smart romance, historical fantasy, and behind-the-scenes writing talk, listen now, then subscribe, share the episode with a romance-reading friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find us.Follow Martha on IG: @marthabwaters Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

FAB IS BACK!!Fall flips a switch in our brains and we’re not fighting it. One minute we’re talking cinnamon buns, pumpkin runs, and cider mill traditions, and the next we’re building a fall reading list that goes from cozy small-town comfort to full gothic dread. If you’ve been hunting for fall book recommendations that actually match the season, we’re naming the titles and the exact vibes they deliver.  If you love cozy fall books, spooky reads, gothic romance, and building a TBR that fits real life, hit play, then share your best fall rec with us. Subscribe, leave a review, and send this to the friend who starts Halloween on August 31. Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

We are living proof that timing can get weird fast: two best friends, pregnant at the same time, with due dates only four days apart. Once we say it out loud, the conversation turns into the kind of catch-up you actually want when life is changing in real time. We talk about trying to conceive, the emotional whiplash of “it happened” after months of thinking and waiting, and why having a friend who truly gets it can make pregnancy feel less isolating.From there, we get painfully honest about the day-to-day stuff people gloss over. I share what it was like traveling in Italy while pregnant, dealing with intense heat, long walking days, and the small sadness of being offered limoncello at the end of dinner. We also swap stories about pregnancy brain, memory glitches, and the moment you realize your body is doing so much that your mind is just along for the ride. Then we go straight into cravings and aversions, including the truly chaotic combos, plus the more practical side of pregnancy nutrition like protein, fish rules, and why “what you can eat” advice changes depending on where you live. Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

A romance can be a love story and a locked door at the same time. I sit down with USA Today bestselling author Veronica Lancet to unpack why her gothic romance and dark fantasy books don’t rush to explain themselves, and why that slow drip of answers is exactly what makes readers binge. From the fever-dream immersion of Fairydale to the moody, genre-blending pull of her newest release Sinister, Veronica shares how she builds stories that dare you to keep reading until the truth finally snaps into place.We get into the real mechanics behind her work: drafting momentum, writing slumps, and what it’s like to live inside a single project until the last scene lands. Veronica also compares self publishing vs traditional publishing from her perspective, especially when a finished manuscript gets picked up later and protected from heavy creative constraints. Along the way, we talk morally gray characters, point of view choices, and why long standalones can be the best delivery system for clues, payoffs, and deep character development.Then we dive into Sinister itself: a dark academia gothic romance with dual timelines, a present-day prep school storyline, and a shadowy thread that reaches back to 1896 with versions of Petra and Sin that raise bigger questions about who’s good, who’s dangerous, and what love costs. We close with craft advice for aspiring authors, the role of luck in publishing, a peek at her next project Velacor, plus a few personal surprises including the fictional puppy that became a real one.Subscribe for more author interviews, share this episode with a friend who loves dark romance and gothic fantasy, and leave a review if you want more conversations like this.Follow Veronica on IG: @authorveronicalancet Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

We are days away from Italy, and the timing is perfect because we are also in a totally different place with social media than we were a year ago. We talk about how easy it is for Bookstagram and Booktok to turn reading into a performance, what it feels like to post just to keep up, and why posting less can bring the fun back. If you have ever felt guilty for not finishing books fast enough or not having content ready, this one is for you. Then we get practical and messy about the trip itself. We share our plan for creating travel content without letting filming take over the vacation: get the clips, grab the photos, and do the editing later on the train or back at the hotel. We also get into what we actually want to see in Rome, how we are thinking about the Vatican City day and dress code, and why doing the tourist stuff early can save your sanity when the crowds hit. You will also hear the real-life prep that makes or breaks a 10-day Italy itinerary in August: heat management, hydration, comfortable shoes for cobblestones, and the food motivation that keeps you moving. We talk gelato, pasta, a possible pizza-making class in Naples, and our strategy for surviving jet lag without ruining the first few days. Follow along for the Italy content, and do not forget the giveaway: guess his age for a shot at a gift card. If you like the vibe, subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a vacation, and leave us a review. Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

What happens when a beloved coming-of-age warrior story collides with a dystopian future that feels a little too plausible? I sit down with author Dakota Monroe, whose fantasy romance and dystopian romance novels have built a fiercely loyal readership, to talk about the creative spark behind Daughters of Ash and the emotional craft that makes her characters hit so hard.Starting with Dakota’s path from lifelong reader to published indie author, including the series that shaped her love of romance and tension. She opens up about being neurodivergent and how that affects her writing process, from hyper-attuned facial expressions and body language to the way she writes trauma with intense physical detail. If you’ve ever wondered why some books feel like you’re living inside the character’s skin, her explanation lands.Then we go deep on Daughters of Ash, the Bound by Order series, and the scenes that mattered most: a low-stakes simulation that lets the world breathe, and a mission that becomes a turning point for Cassia when safety ends and reality starts. We also talk about the darker theme underneath it all, the pressure indie authors face to publish at an unsustainable pace, and how Dakota protects her creativity from burnout. If you love author interviews, writing craft, dystopian fantasy, slow-burn reverse harem tension, and honest talk about publishing, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a reader friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

Your favorite online identity can turn into a job faster than you think and that’s when the pressure creeps in. Lauren is back, and we get honest about what happens when book content, client work, and constant availability start to blur together. She walks us through her rebrand from LBCReads Author Services to Love On The Line Literary Services, why separating personal and professional accounts matters, and how a clearer brand can create real boundaries instead of just prettier graphics.Then we go behind the scenes on Love Match, her ARC matchmaking and ARC management system built for romance authors. We talk trope-based matching, pre-vetting ARC readers, opt-in emails, and the surprising amount of labor that goes into vetting hundreds or even thousands of signups. If you’ve ever wondered how authors build ARC teams, how review rates actually work, or what “reader matchmaking” looks like in practice, you’ll leave with a much sharper picture of the process.If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a creator friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find us.Follow Lauren: IG & TT @lbcreads x Love on the Line: IG @literaryloveontheline Cover Art by: moiIntro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on CapcutContact Email: [email protected] IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcastJordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction