Illicit Liaisons

This week, we talk with romance author Maria Vickers about KU changes, dark romance, and our hot takes.Maria is a bestselling and award-winning author who currently resides in St. Louis, MO with her pug, Hunny. She has always had a passion for writing, and after she became disabled in 2010, she decided to use writing as her escape. She believes that life is about what you make of it, you have to live it to the fullest no matter the circumstances.Getting sick changed her life forever, but it also opened doors for her that she thought would always be out of reach.Maria's Amazon Page https://link.amazon/B0dgg3vaYMaria's Website https://authormariavickers.blogspot.comMaria's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authormariavickersMaria's Linktr.ee https://linktr.ee/mvickers.authorMENTIONED ON THE SHOWCaptain's Obsession by Maria Vickers https://link.amazon/B0b7Pyb8yThe Mafia King's Hex by Maria Vickers https://link.amazon/B0edCSaYIMoonlit Mystique: SaSS Charity AnthologySexy & Sassy Signing (SaSS) Richmond, VA, July 2027  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sass27-unforgettable-nights-richmond-signing-event-tickets-1993293205636Sexy & Sassy Signing (SaSS) Savannah, GA, September 2027 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sassy-in-savannah-author-event-tickets-1997185291971TENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesTender & Tempting Tales Calls for Submissions https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we talk with author David Gordon, author of the Cutter suspense series, where we talk about the secret lives of men who read romance, bookish events, and more. David's Amazon Page https://www.amazon.com/author/davidegordonauthorDavid's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/degordonauthorDavid's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/david.e.gordon.author.2025/MENTIONED ON THE SHOWCutter Series https://link.amazon/B08j1DjSCTENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we talk with Sara Snow, author of Luna Rising, a YA paranormal romance, about fan fiction, book events, and more. Sara Snow Website  https://www.sarasnowbooks.comSara's Amazon Page https://link.amazon/B0ef0fJtfSara's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarasnowauthor/Sara's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SaraSnowAuthorMENTIONED ON THE SHOWLuna Rising by Sara Snow https://link.amazon/B01ijJV7qArchive of Our Own (AO3) https://archiveofourown.org/Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5YjgTENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we talk with author Natalina Reis about Blind Date with a Book, scams targeting authors, her new and upcoming release, and more.Natalina usually has two or three books going at the same time. She might be reading a physical copy of a romantasy, listening to a rom-com during her commute, and carrying an e-reader with her just in case. That of course explains why you’ll find such a variety of romance subgenres under her name. She loves writing all kinds of rebels and outcasts into her stories, and she always roots for the underdog. She speaks five languages (six, if you count sarcasm), unwisely keeps adding books to her towering TBR pile, and doesn’t believe in a life without coffee. She could easily live on bananas and lobster (probably not at the same time), and she has an irrational love for technology, puzzles, and crochet. When she’s not writing, reading, or crocheting a chicken (don’t ask), you’ll find her watching British mysteries or Chinese period fantasy shows.Natalina's Website https://natalinareis.com/Natalina's Amazon page https://link.amazon/B08I3usbhNatalina's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reisnatalinaNatalina's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authornatalinareis/MENTIONED ON THE SHOWStinky Sardines & Roses by Natlina Reis https://link.amazon/B00dFOVPqTENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack: Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we talk with author Lizzy Hartwell about cliffhangers, writing what you know, and her upcoming new release and advent romance on Substack. Lizzy Hartwell writes witty, warm romance about competent women who've spent years doing everything right and are finally ready to do something deliciously wrong. A former NASA employee married to a test pilot (for real), she knows a thing or two about smart women in dangerous situations—and the men brave enough to love them. When she's not crafting page-turners, she's reading in sweatpants with her Instant Pot doing the heavy lifting. She lives in Southern California and is a recovering children's book author who finally let her characters kiss. Lizzy's Substack https://substack.com/@lizzyhartwellauthorLizzy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzyhartwellauthor/MENTIONED ON THE SHOWThe Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon https://link.amazon/B0cfXMqUGNot Another Love Song Julie Soto https://link.amazon/B079RogFgNaked in Death by J.D. Robb https://link.amazon/B0gqmWwqvCordials Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold https://link.amazon/B0ihqT3sjThe LOVE Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood https://link.amazon/B0eiWpgUpThe LOVE Hypothesis TV show https://link.amazon/B01gLUH03The Deal by Elle Kennedy https://link.amazon/B048wYlAGOff Campus (The Deal) https://link.amazon/A02JrltGoTommy & Tuppence by Agatha Christie https://link.amazon/A0gdwWfGUPartners in Crime (Tommy & Tuppence) (1980s TV) https://link.amazon/A0aRQyHQnTommy & Tuppence (new show) https://link.amazon/A0gdwWfGUTENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack: Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions: https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack: https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte: https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we continue celebrating the release of Starlit & Spellbound, our first fall anthology featuring 10 spellbinding romances with witches, ghosts, fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, curses, fate & more!We're chatting with Suzy Langevin and Lynne Solisse about audiobook narration, red-flag characters, New Adult/later-in-life romance, and more!Suzy Langevine: Suzy Langevin loves love, even though she forgot how to say it in Latin when she was a contestant on Jeopardy! And she channels that love into writing happily-ever-afters where people are loved because of, not in spite of, the things they see as their flaws. She is the winner of the 2024 RWA Golden Heart Award for her novel The Plus-One Pact, and her short fiction has been featured in several anthologies and magazines. Suzy lives and writes in central Massachusetts, and does, in fact, run on Dunkin'. For information on available titles and upcoming releases, visitSuzy's Website: https://www.suzylangevin.com/Suzy's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/suzylangevinwrites/Lynne Solisse: Writing found Lynne Solisse later in life, and never let go. She writes romance that doesn’t flinch, centering on women who are fierce, loyal, and unafraid to demand more out of life. Women who want to reclaim passion on their own terms.Whether contemporary, fantasy, or even proving that love can still burn bright in a gritty post-apocalyptic world, her stories are raw but sweet, fun and emotionally charged, threaded with just enough tension to keep your heart racing.She lives in the Southern US with her three boys and two spoiled cats, and believes it’s never too late for a second chance. Or a plot twist.Lynne's Website: https://lynnesolisse.com/Lynne's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynne_solisseBOOKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOWStarlit & Spellbound https://link.amazon/B05WqBMrHMisbehaving at Cactus Lanes by Patricia Santos Marcantonio (later in life romcom) https://link.amazon/B06FA7nV1Learning Curves by Rachel Lacey https://link.amazon/B09eSAhLjFalling Into Fiction by Victorine E. Leiske https://link.amazon/B06DxwNsKThe Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore https://link.amazon/B07lpTedpCrew of Hunters Series by Heather Graham https://link.amazon/B0jljO2EAThe Book Witch by Meg Shaffer https://link.amazon/B04f98I11Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward https://link.amazon/B0jljO2EATENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack: Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions: https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack: https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte: https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we continue celebrating the release of Starlit & Spellbound, our first fall anthology featuring 10 spellbinding romances with witches, ghosts, fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, curses, fate & more!We're chatting with Mara Heath and Jenna Harte/Eva LeClerc about love triangles, witchy romance, and more. Mara Heath is the author of the new-adult paranormal romance “Out of Bounds” in Starlit and Spellbound, as well as the author of her contemporary fantasy romance novels Harnessed in Gold and Caged in Silver. Mara's Website https://maraheathauthor.com/Mara on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maraheathauthor/Mara on Substack https://maraheathauthor.substack.com/Jenna Harte wrote the paranormal rom-com “Quantum Entanglement” for Starlit & Spellbound. She's also the author of the Southern Heat contemporary romance series and the sexy Valentine Mysteries. Jenna's Website https://jennaharte.com/Jenna on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jennaharteauthor/Eva LeClerc is Jenna's alter ego, author of the paranormal romance, “A Love Stronger Than Fate" in Starlit & Spellbound. She writes the Southern Gothic paranormal romance series, Oathmarked, set in New Orleans. Eva's Website https://evaleclerc.comEva on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/evaleclercauthor/Eva on Substack https://evaleclercauthor.substack.com/MENTIONED ON THE SHOWStarlit & Spellbound https://link.amazon/B05WqBMrHEchoes in Ashmere by Ann Isaacs https://link.amazon/B04f98I11The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer https://link.amazon/B04f98I11Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead https://link.amazon/B05yI8McaSuccubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid Series) by Richelle Mead https://link.amazon/B0eRfMwrNTENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack: Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions: https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack: https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte: https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we continue celebrating the release of Starlit & Spellbound, our first fall anthology featuring 10 spellbinding romances with witches, ghosts, fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, curses, fate & more!We're chatting with two of the authors in Starlit & Spellbound, T.A. Leederman and Urna Semper, about bookish drama, their stories in Starlit & Spellbound, and more.Urna Semper is a romance author from Argoshaan, known for her books depicting passionate tales of forbidden love between clones and born-humans. Born to a family of scriveners, her breakthrough came with Olava: Fallen into Bondage, followed by Kyrie: Betrayed into Bondage, and Kingdom of Maids. Her most recent projects, The Pearl Crucible and Where All Past Years Are, are available on Amazon. Urna's Substack https://urnasemper.substack.com/Urna's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/urnasemperauthor/T.A. Leederman is a PhD in English Literature and a sci-fi, sci-fi romance, and urban fantasy author based out of Los Angeles, California. She is Lore Lead and central fiction writer for Starship Valkyrie, a science-fiction crisis-simulator game and science-fiction world based out of Los Angeles, which she runs alongside her partner at LA gaming conventions like Strategicon and LFG Con. Her first independent Starship Valkyrie collection, Contact Unknown, is available on Amazon and from her in person at events and conventions.Tara's Substack https://taleederman.substack.com/Tara's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/author_taleederman/MENTIONED ON THE SHOWStarlit & Spellbound https://link.amazon/B05WqBMrHProven Guilty by Jim Butcher https://link.amazon/B0fCSdGGjCetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold  https://link.amazon/B0iedkYTzCryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold https://link.amazon/B040UN4D6The Chanur Saga by C.J. Cherryh https://link.amazon/B0907HIJfMerchanter’s Luck by C.J. Cherryh https://link.amazon/B01qpHq49In Death series by J.D. Robb https://link.amazon/B0jcEXSXg TENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack: Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions: https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack: https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte: https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we celebrate the release of Starlit & Spellbound, our first fall anthology, featuring 10 spellbinding romances with witches, ghosts, fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, curses, fate & more!We're chatting with two of the authors in Starlit & Spellbound, Marissa Marinello and Miranda Tamrakar, about bookish drama, their stories in Starlit & Spellbound, and more. Marissa Marinello is a SoCal native who writes urban, high fantasy, and cozy-romantasy. A TTRPG nerd who grew up on Tolkien, musical theater & comics, she's always been inspired by finding the fantastical in the mundane and building amazing worlds to tell rich stories in. Much of her work is inspired by real life moments that spark something more. Her work can be found in several anthologies, and she is an active participant in fandom and her writing group in Southern California.    Marissa's Website https://marissamarinello.com/Marissa's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mmarinello_authorMiranda Tamrakar was raised in SoCal on a steady diet of books and musicals. She finds joy in creating worlds that chase the same sense of sweeping romance and wonder, sometimes with dragons and sometimes with spies, but always telling a tale of how the right people can change a life. She is inspired by looking at relationships in real life and asking herself, "what if?" When she's not writing, she is winning at cards, losing at elaborate board games, or finding inspiration out in the wild with her husband and two daughters, all of whom are delightfully weird. Miranda's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/miranda_writes_author/MENTIONED ON THE SHOWStarlit & Spellbound https://link.amazon/B05WqBMrHThe Hearth Witch's Guide to Spite & Spellwork by Kiri Callaghan https://link.amazon/B0iT4rGD2Boneyard Key Series by Jen DeLuca https://link.amazon/B031ZMgJmMidnight Bayou by Nora Roberts https://link.amazon/B02taL129Midnight Bayou Movie https://link.amazon/B04PLYt5SSookie Stackhouse Mysteries by Charlaine Harris https://link.amazon/B02qbcg5MWrite with Harte Preptober/Writevember Challenge https://writewithharte.com/preptober-writevember-2026/TENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack: Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions: https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack: https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte: https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte

This week, we chat with author and book event planner Amy Marie about whether romance books need more yearning, Amy's success with SaSS while other book signing events seem to be imploding, the internet's policing of dark romance, and more. About Amy MarieAmy Marie was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago (Go Cubs Go!) until she married the red-headed love of her life in 2005 and made the move to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where she currently resides with her two teenagers and a mini-Australian Shepard, who chases after the four cats!In 2014, she published her first book in the Unexpected Series and hasn’t looked back since. As a contemporary romance and romantic suspense author, she loves to tell everyone about her books and attend as many signing events as she can.Not only did her dream of becoming an author come to life, but so did her love of event planning when she started the Sexy and SaSSy Signing (also known as SaSS). SaSS is an annual romance author book signing held in July, with some mini events held in St. Louis and Savannah. Every year she brings over 500 people together to celebrate their love of books and welcome them into the SaSSy Family!You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads, all under either Author Amy Marie or The Sexy and SaSSy Signing. BTW… SaSS27 tickets are on sale now!Amy Marie's Books https://amzn.to/4xaztm0Amy Marie Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amy.marie.679521/Amy Marie Instagram https://www.instagram.com/author_amy_marie/Amy Marie TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@authoramymarieAmy Marie Threads https://www.threads.com/@author_amy_marieSaSS27 Richmond, VA Tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sass27-unforgettable-nights-richmond-signing-event-tickets-1993293205636SaSS Attendees Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/sassysigningMENTIONED ON THE SHOWAdriana Locke https://amzn.to/4gWHB3NMelanie Harlow https://amzn.to/4gLsnOICollide by Gail McHugh https://amzn.to/4cBlK0hEncore in Death by J.D. Robb https://amzn.to/4r0SgyYUrna Semper on Substack https://urnasemper.substack.com/Come Away with Me by Kristin Proby https://amzn.to/3TemlhYCome Away with Me on Passionflix https://watch.passionflix.com/watch/16e9a261-3fc9-4f0f-bb46-338d78032db2TENDER & TEMPTING TALESTender and Tempting Tales Substack: Subscribe and get a FREE story! https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/Tender and Tempting Tales on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendertemptingtales/Tender and Tempting Tales ARC Team: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/team/56782/tender-and-tempting-talesCalls for Submissions: https://tenderandtemptingtales.substack.com/p/write-for-tender-and-tempting-talesILLICIT LIAISONS PRODUCED & HOSTED BYTara Leederman Substack: https://taleederman.substack.com/Jenna Harte: https://jennaharte.com/Outline and Show Notes: T.A. LeedermanEditing: Jenna Harte