Your Mom's Romance Shelf

Afleveringen

1. Susan Elizabeth Phillips on Sports Romance, Alpha Heroes, Epic Grovels & the Evolution of Romance

   21 oktober 2026 · 53 min

   Afspelen
   On this episode of Your Mom’s Romance Shelf, I’m joined by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times bestseller, RWA Hall of Fame member, and the Queen of Romantic Comedy. Susan has been writing romance for more than 40 years, and her Chicago Stars series is widely credited with launching sports romance. Lees meer

   We talk about why Kiss an Angel has one of the best grovels of all time, what it was like to read bodice rippers in the ’70s as someone raised in the ’50s, and how The Flame and the Flower was pulled off a slush pile and changed the genre forever. Susan also shares how the Chicago Stars series happened completely by accident, the unwritten “rule” that once kept athletes out of romance, and why she thinks the NFL owes her an award.

   Chapters
   00:00 Cold open
   00:27 Welcome and introducing Susan Elizabeth Phillips
   01:59 A Cincinnati connection and sports romance fandom
   04:09 How Susan started writing romance
   05:35 Kiss an Angel and the art of the grovel
   08:38 Why alpha heroes are harder to write today
   10:35 “A book about your marriage would be kinda boring”
   11:50 Nuance and flawed heroes in older romance
   12:56 Bodice rippers, the 1950s, and “good girls didn’t”
   14:16 Bodice rippers and the rise of the feminist movement
   17:20 How The Flame and the Flower was pulled off the slush pile
   18:34 Sweet Savage Love and the missing grovel
   20:22 Before bodice rippers: Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and more
   21:12 Alli’s nostalgia reading list and Susan’s recommendations
   23:25 Rewriting Risen Glory as Just Imagine
   24:11 Reading older romances in historical context
   25:42 Sandra Brown’s “way of getting even”
   27:09 LaVyrle Spencer and Laura Kinsale
   29:18 Pacing and point of view, then and now
   30:06 Why romance history matters
   31:31 Why we reach for romance in hard times
   32:21 How the Chicago Stars series happened by accident
   36:17 Strong heroines ahead of their time
   38:14 Writing secondary love stories
   40:47 Will the Chicago Stars kids get their own books?
   41:55 Sports romance today …

2. Romance, Sexism & the Books That Shaped the Genre with Jodi McAlister

   7 oktober 2026 · 58 min

   Afspelen
   Why has romance been dismissed for so long—and what can the books of the past tell us about the genre today? Lees meer

   In the first episode of Your Mom’s Romance Shelf, I’m joined by romance author and scholar Jodi McAlister to talk about the history and evolution of romance, from bodice rippers and bonkbusters to dark romance and the books that shaped the genre.

   We talk about sexism and the stigma around romance, why older romances were so wildly popular, how the genre has changed, and what we can learn from the books readers loved decades ago.

   Learn more about the podcast:
   allireadstoomuch.com/podcast

   Follow Alli:
   Instagram · TikTok · YouTube · Facebook

   Follow Jodi McAllister:
   Instagram · TikTok

   Join theYour Mom’s Romance Shelf book club:
   Fable Book Club

   Books Mentioned in the Podcast:

   Jodi McAllister

   An Academic Affair — Jodi McAlister — Amazon

   A Study in Sparkling — Jodi McAlister — Amazon

   Books Discussed & Recommended

   Welcome to Temptation — Jennifer Crusie — Amazon

   The Flame and the Flower — Kathleen Woodiwiss — Amazon

   Scruples — Judith Krantz — Amazon

   Hollywood Wives — Jackie Collins — Amazon

   Lady Boss — Jackie Collins — Amazon

   Paradise — Judith McNaught — Amazon

   Bet Me — Jennifer Crusie — Amazon

   Lovelight Farms — B.K. Borison — Amazon

   Devil in Winter — Lisa Kleypas

3. Introducing Your Mom’s Romance Shelf: A Nostalgic Romance Book Podcast

   2 oktober 2026 · 1 min

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   What can the romance novels women have loved for generations tell us about us? Welcome to Your Mom’s Romance Shelf, a new podcast exploring the books, authors, fantasies, and cultural conversations behind the romance genre. New episodes coming soon