Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

At last: Sanjana and Tyler are talking Omegaverse. Sanj gives Tyler the quick and dirty on alphas, betas, and omegas, while acknowledging the loaded question of which one you think you are. Then Kate Stayman-London joins to talk See You Next Tuesday and writing an enemies-to-lovers romance in a no-Republicans setting. Plus: Sanj and Tyler saw Wicker and basically have no notes.
Omegaverse 101, ft. Ali Hazelwood’s Bride, Lana Ferguson’s The Fake Mate, and Tyler and Sanj revealing their designations.
Kate Stayman-London on See You Next Tuesday (out now!), her years working in politics, why the real fighting happens in primaries, and a plug for voting in the midterms. Also, check out her other seasonally relevant romances Fang Fiction and One to Watch, set in the world of a reality dating show.
Wicker is based on a short story and stars Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, medieval village drama, and suggestive sound effects.
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It’s (still) a Monster Romance Extravaganza over here! But first, Sanjana and Tyler saw the Sense and Sensibility movie and, of course, have thoughts. Then Gracie Delgado joins for an extremely fun chat about sentient-object romance—love interests include twelve-foot skeletons and apartment doors—and explains why these inventive stories have serious things to say about desire. Then, Tyler completes her monster-romance homework with Morning Glory Milking Farm and, against all odds (this one is a doozy!), emerges ready for more.
The latest Sense and Sensibility adaptation from Focus Features is out now!!
Gracie Delgado, sentient-object romance expert, brings the recs: Unhinged by Vera Valentine (apartment door love interest),  No Bones About It by Cassandra Elizzabeth (KU; hardware-store skeleton—related: Hot Frosty),  Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt by Chuck Tingle,  and The Kyleverse series by Nicole Parker.
Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta is this week’s homework. A follow-up mothman rec: Sweet Berries by the same author.
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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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