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Friday Jan 14, 2022
Friday Jan 14, 2022
Vibe Check
Danielle and Gwen are both basking in the afterglow of taking time away over the holidays and disconnecting! Danielle has been taking care of her health and going to all the doctor’s appointments and Gwen has started eating more veggies at every meal.
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Main Discussion
Gwen’s Recs: Sex and the City (also And Just Like That), The Phantom Thread. Halston, FASHION CLIMBING by Bill Cunningham and The Times of Bill Cunningham (documentary film), GRACE by Grace Coddington
Danielle’s Recs: The Devil Wears Prada (with the most iconic fashion montage ever), The Mindy Project, Insecure, Project Runway, House of Gucci, IRIS APFEL: ACCIDENTAL ICON by Iris Apfel
We’re both obsessed with the anachronistic fashion found on Reign, The Great, Marie Antoinette, and Bridgerton
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Recs from Mimi Matthews
THE SIREN OF SUSSEX is now available!
Mimi wrote about Victorian Fashion in A VICTORIAN LADY’S GUIDE TO FASHION AND BEAUTY.
Mimi’s author and book recs: Lisa Kleypas, Evie Dunmore, Harper St. George, Suzanne Allain, JANE AND THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER by Stephanie Barron
Find Mimi on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and on her website, https://www.mimimatthews.com/.
Look for the second book in Mimi’s series, Belles of London, THE BELLE OF BELGRAVE SQUARE, in fall 2022!
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Danielle has finished her book 2 revisions and will send it to her editor soon. Her new goal is to work on a writing schedule for the first half of 2022! She is also obsessed with Soap and Glory Hand Food hand cream.
Gwen definitely enjoyed traveling over the holidays. She would now like to take 30 minutes every Sunday and set up her journal/plan for the week. Gwen is also loving the Showtime show, Yellowjackets (and Danielle rec’d a recent episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour that does a deep dive on this show).
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? Email danielle@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Sunday Dec 26, 2021
Sunday Dec 26, 2021
Vibe Check
Danielle and Gwen both can’t sleep and are very tired. No one at Fresh Fiction told Danielle about her book’s cover reveal and it went really well; the cover of THE ACCIDENTAL PINUP is now out in the world! Gwen made two new recipes ahead of the holidays: beef pot roast stew and apple cranberry sauce.
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Our Faves of 2021!
Danielle’s Faves
TV: Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso, Virgin River Season 3, Insecure, Dickinson
Movies: Raya and the Last Dragon, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, In the Heights, Passing (Danielle mentioned a Reddit thread and Salon article about the book Passing by Nella Larson, how it relates to The Great Gatsby, and how perhaps Gatsby was passing, too)
Books: Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson, The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams, Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola
Gwen’s Faves
TV: Tuca & Bertie season 2, Rick & Morty, Succession, Hacks, White Lotus, Insecure, Ghosts
Movies: King Richard, Tick, Tick, Boom; Malignant, Candyman, Barb and Star Go to Del Mar
Board Games: Fort, Abandon All Artichokes, Accension Realms Unraveled
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2021 “SENIOR SUPERLATIVES”
The Media that Saved You
Gwen: Podcasts and reality TV
Danielle: Graphic novels
Something That Made You LOL
Danielle: Nailed It! On Netflix; this clip of Prince Harry and Prince William doing obstacle courses set to Do You Remember
Gwen: Noodle the Pug
Under the Radar
Gwen: Bo Burnham’s INSIDE
Danielle: We Are Lady Parts on Peacock (Premium)
Wild Card
Danielle: Romancelandia Stickers
Gwen: Alba Botanicals Natural Vegan Jelly
What We Want to See in 2022
What we hope to see in entertainment in 2022
Gwen: History, but not just what we’re already used to
Danielle: Diverse stories, more voices represented, and more HAPPY content.
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
BIGGEST GOAL FLOP FROM 2021
Gwen: Drinking water
Danielle: Re-reading Austen
BIGGEST GOAL SUCCESS FROM 2021
Danielle: Anything writing related
Gwen: Uncrossing my legs at my desk
BIG GOAL or INTENTION for 2022
Gwen: Creating and finishing something
Danielle: ENJOY releasing a book!
GOALS FROM LAST WEEK:
Danielle: Finish The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante by the end of the year—ALMOST DONE!
Gwen: Finish Christmas shopping—YES!
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Gwen’s New Goal: Enjoy the next two weeks of traveling
Danielle’s New Goal: Book 2 Revisions, round 1.
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? Email us at danielle@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Saturday Dec 11, 2021
Saturday Dec 11, 2021
Vibe Check
Gwen is on a mission to get her cart back! She has not gone to jail and this is a major achievement. Danielle feels accomplished, but is still busy. And she has addressed and stamped her Christmas cards!
Candle Recs from Gwen’s Bath and Body Works haul: Champagne Toast, Campfire S’mores, Apple Hot Toddy.
Candle + Tea rec from Danielle: Winter Wonderland (it’s LIMITED EDITION at Target) and Winter Wake Up Tea from Trader Joe’s
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Main Discussion
Old School Holiday Entertainment
Danielle
TV: Star Wars Holiday Special, Pee Wee’s Playhouse: Christmas Special, Disney Christmas Parade
Movies: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Story, Home Alone 1 & 2
Books: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, Babysitters Club Christmas books
Gwen
TV Specials: The Spirit of Christmas
Movies: Muppets Christmas Carol, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol.
Books: The Nutcracker
New School Holiday Entertainment
Danielle
TV: The OC/Chrismukkah, A Very Murray Christmas, The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show, Mariah Carey Magical Christmas Special & The Magic Continues
Movies: A Christmas Prince, The Princess Switch, 8-Bit Christmas
Books: Christmas Miracle in Jamaica by Ann McIntosh, What He Wants for Christmas by Brenda Jackson, Just for the Holidays by Adriana Herrera, OMG Christmas Tree by Stephanie J. Scott, A Princess for Christmas and Duke Actually by Jenny Holiday, Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes. Also, there are a TON of sexy Santa romances.
Gwen
TV: The Office Christmas episodes!
Movies: A Castle from Christmas, a Clusterfunke Christmas
Books: The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
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Recs from ROAN PARRISH
The Garnet Run Series: BETTER THAN PEOPLE, BEST LAID PLANS, THE LIGHTS ON KNOCKBRIDGE LANE
THE LIGHTS ON KNOCKBRIDGE LANE is the first Harlequin category romance to feature a same-sex main couple.
Smitten Kitchen “Craggy” Pumpkin Bread
Dear Romance Writer Podcast
Birding has brought Roan immense joy!
Coming soon: THE HOLIDAY TRAP (rom-com, house-swap, double romance; 9/6/22) and THE UNHAUNTING OF CASPER ROAD (final in the Garnet Run Series, Halloween romance, late September ‘22)
https://twitter.com/roanparrish
https://www.facebook.com/roanparrish/
https://www.instagram.com/roanparrish/
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Danielle has completed her Christmas shopping, overachieving on last episode’s goal of finalizing her lists. This week, she wants to finish The Story of the Last Child, the final book in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series. Danielle’s comfort: the return of the podcast For Colored Nerds
Gwen wanted to get better sleep and she is working on it! This week, she’d like to finish her Christmas shopping. Gwen’s comfort: Salt & Straw Ice Cream
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? Email us at podcast@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Friday Nov 26, 2021
Friday Nov 26, 2021
Vibe Check
Gwen is BOOSTED! And she is glad she has planned for Thanksgiving in advance.
Danielle is working through THE ACCIDENTAL PINUP’s pass pages and book 2 revisions, and had an awesome chat with Denise Williams on the 11/19 episode of the Boozy Book Broads.
Gwen is thankful for her move across the country, meeting silly dogs and pets in her neighborhood, and feel-good TV like Ted Lasso and Rick & Morty.
Danielle is thankful for the health of her family, her dream coming true of becoming an author, her pandemic hobby (watercolor painting), Harlequin Desire romance novels (we chatted with Naima Simone and Reese Ryan on the pod), and Ted Lasso.
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Main Discussion
Thank you to EVERYONE who sent in questions!
Best New-to-You Author
D: Edie Cay, Kaia Alderson, Bolu Babalola
G: Abby Collette, Olivia Dade, Preslaysa Williams
Holiday Book Recs
D: YA-Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant, Cookbook-Simply Julia by Julia Turshen, Historical-The Kat Holloway Mystery series by Jennifer Ashley or Bombshell by Sarah MacLean, Mystery/Suspense: The Final Hour series by Juno Rushdan
G: YA-a nice omnibus of a beloved YA classic series like The Hunger Games, Narnia, or Percy Jackson, Historical-anything by Lauren Willig, Mystery/Suspense: David Baldacci
Favorite thing about the podcast
G: having a creative outlet and building on our friendship
D: working with Gwen! And doing deep dives.
Holiday Shopping in 2021
D: we can actually go to stores, paring down on spending, and buying local as much as possible
G: more online shopping for me, and trying to be thoughtful about gifts
Movies We Are Looking Forward To
G: King Richard and Tick, Tick... Boom!
D: House of Gucci, Spider Man: No Way Home, The Hating Game, Downton Abbey: A New Era
Favorite holiday food and Tradition
D: Food-corn pudding. Tradition-Thanksgiving is the holiday we don’t go anywhwere!
G: Food-chunky mashed postates. Tradition-watching the dog show and the Macy’s parade
EBook Organization
G: Impossible. Although I do love folders, but I can’t ever find what I’m looking for again
D: I don’t! It’s chaos!!!
Guests on the Pod
D: dream guests-Beverly Jenkins, Brenda Jackson, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. We’ve been so lucky in our guests who have been so generous with their time, like Alyssa Cole, Talia Hibbert, Naima Simone, and Lauren Willig (and seriously, everyone else).
G: we’d love to interview industry professionals-editors, agents, cover designers, screenwriters, actors, more film & tv critics, etc.
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Danielle watched a TON of TV (Succession, Dickinson, Call the Midwife, Only Murders in the Building, Howards End, Ted Lasso, Queen Sugar – goal achieved! This week she would like to finalize her holiday shopping lists.
Gwen started journaling daily because Danielle sent her a one line a day journal! Her new goal is to sleep 7-8 hours a night, and trying to go to bed by 10pm.
Danielle’s Comfort: Harlequin Holiday Romance Novels! Moonlight, Menorahs, and Mistletoe by Wendy Warren, Christmas at the Chateau by Rochelle Alers, What He Wants for Christmas by Brenda Jackson, Christmas Miracle in Jamaica by Ann McIntosh and breakup albums (Adele’s 30, Taylor’s Red, and Kacey Musgrave’s Star-Crossed)
Gwen’s Comfort: Cowboy Bebop, both the original anime and the new live action show.
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? Email us at danielle@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Vibe Check
Gwen is leaning into Daylight saving. Danielle did a whole bunch of stuff but still feels like she didn’t “do” anything. Gwen learned the importance of cleaning out your fridge. Danielle read a bunch of books (MISS MORIARTY, I PRESUME? by Sherry Thomas, JUST FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Adriana Herrera, THE BAD BOY EXPERIMENT by Reese Ryan, and YINKA WHERE IS YOUR HUZBAND? by Lizzia Damilola Blackburn) and her 8th wedding anniversary is this week!
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Pop Culture Pets
GWEN’S RECS: NOODLE THE PUG (tik tok), UP, SECRET LIFE OF PETS , All Disney movies with a journey, VIVO, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, THE CROWN, IT STARTED WITH A DOG by Julia London
DANIELLE’S RECS: Salem on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Heihei from MOANA, the guard horse from TANGLED, GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert, TOO GOOD TO BE REAL by Melonie Johnson, HEARTS OF ALASKA series by Alanna Martin
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Recs from LUCY GILMORE
The dog show in Lucy’s novel is based on Westminster, but on a much smaller scale. As for beauty pageant research? Toddlers & Tiaras!
Lucy is enjoying watching Only Murders in the Building (on Hulu) and recently read Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat.
For self-care, Lucy loves taking her dogs on long walks!
Be sure to follow her on social media for info about her books and all the pet pics:
https://tamaraberry.com/lucy-gilmore
https://twitter.com/Words_by_Lucy
https://www.instagram.com/tamaratamaralucy/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLucyGilmore/
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Danielle, and hopefully everyone else, enjoyed Halloween! This week she wants to watch more TV. Gwen did not do morning meditation, but she is going to start journaling every day (Danielle recommended her One Line A Day journal).
Danielle is finding joy in eating leftover Halloween candy, and loose leaf tea from her local tea shop, The Tea Tree. Gwen is enjoying the return of Starbucks’s red holiday cups.
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EMAIL US!
Don’t forget to send us your questions/thoughts/ideas for the listener request show later this month. Email us at podcast@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Sunday Oct 31, 2021
Sunday Oct 31, 2021
CALL TO ACTION: For our “listener request” show in November, send us a note at podcast@freshfiction.com and let us know what you want us to talk about: advice, book recommendation requests, gift-giving help, or any topic you wish!
Gwen’s had a busy week while her husband has been injured, but she feels like Mary Tyler Moore because she’s doing it all.
Danielle has been making the most of the gorgeous fall happening in Illinois, bonfires, hanging out with friends, and more!
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Paranormal Pop Culture Recommendations
TV
Danielle: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, Lost Girl
Gwen: Ghosts on CBS (based on a British series of the same name), Childs Play TV series on SciFi, Bettlejuice animated series,
MOVIES
Danielle: The Addams Family, Casper, Ghostbusters; most of Tim Burton’s Oeuvre: Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow
Gwen: Interview with a Vampire (TV series coming soon!), Gaia on Hulu, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Into the Woods
BOOKS
Danielle: Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert, Shelley Laurenston, Ilona Andrews; Middle-Grade graphic novel: Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee, YA graphic novel: Sheets and Delicates by Brenna Thummler
Gwen: Joe Hill's books combine horror and paranormal (also, he's Stephen King’s son)
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Recs from SULEIKHA SNYDER
Don’t sleep on how diverse and speculative Passions was...
The heroine of PRETTY LITTLE LION is an apsara with some added ablities!
Suleikha has been an entertainment writer for years! Some recs: General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, Ted Lasso, Evil
Romance recs: KJ Charles, Holley Trent, Olivia Waite, Beverly Jenkins, Alyssa Cole, Courtney Milan, Melissa Blue, Charlotte Stien (basically just read every book by everyone)
Suleikha finds immense comfort in Ted Lasso, ice cream (specifically Hagen-Das Creamy Mango and anything by Jenni’s), soap operas, and her upcoming trip to NYC.
Recs from our Halloween Rapid Fire Round:
Suleikha wants to dress up like Taika Waititi in a pineapple romper, Gwen’s all about Jennifer Coolidge’s character on The White Lotus, and Danielle is feeling feline (because it’s easy).
Halloween Movie recs: the first that came to mind for Suleikha was Nightmare Before Christmas, Gwen loves Hocus Pocus, and Danielle enjoys how The Addams Family is weird and has no rules.
https://twitter.com/suleikhasnyder
https://www.instagram.com/suleikhasnyder/
https://www.tiktok.com/@suleikhasnyder
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Danielle did prep for NaNoWriMo, but because of book 2 revisions, she probably won’t be doing it this year. Her new goal is to enjoy Halloween!
Danielle’s Comfort: E.L.F. Nourishing Night Cream ($12) and Uoma Drama Bomb Mascara ($20)
Gwen has been getting up early! Her new goal is to mediate for ten minutes every morning.
Gwen’s Comfort: Meditation Aromatherapy Roll-On from Pompeii Organics
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? And send us your topics for the listener request show! Email us at podcast@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Vibe Check
We want to hear from you! For our Thanksgiving episode, we want our listeners to tell us what to talk about! Email podcast@freshfiction.com with your ideas/requests/topics/questions and we’ll yammer on about it at the end of November.
Gwen has made a ton of soup. She is really proud that she had a game night with some of their new friends, and played Abandon All Artichokes, Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate, and Clank. Danielle has a wild plan to finish her current WIP and maybe (possibly) write another book before the end of the year...
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Main Discussion
We both love witches and the broad scope they cover in entertainment. We both hold the 1996 film THE CRAFT close to our hearts. And we loved the trajectory of a character like the Wicked Witch of the West, who we grew up with in The Wizard of Oz, then saw the flip side of in WICKED by Gregory Macguire, and again with the musical.
Gwen’s recs: Hocus Pocus, The VVitch, Tara and Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fear Street 1666, Lore Podcast, American Horror Story (Coven and Apocalypse), and Ursula the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid
Danielle’s recs: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Scarlett Witch from WandaVision, The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, Witch Please by Anne Aguirre, Big Witch Energy by Kelly Jamieson, Alexis Daria’s Audible original: What the Hex, Witches of Brooklyn series by Sophie Escabasse (middle grade), Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis (YA)
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Recs from LANA HARPER
Lana has written in different genres! Be sure to check out all of her books on her website: https://www.lanapopovicbooks.com/
Lana’s Favorite Pop Culture Witches: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Magicians, True Blood. Danielle mentioned the Wicked Witch of the West but also brought up Gregory McGuire’s WICKED and the Broadway Musical; Gwen brought up Hocus Pocus and American Horror Story: Coven. Then we all remembered Practical Magic and The Craft!!
Lana finds immense comfort in perfume! She’s also enjoying The L Word: Generation Q and For All Mankind.
Look for Lana’s next witchy romance, FROM BAD TO CURSED, in Spring 2022.
Follow Lana on Twitter, @LanaPopovicLit, and Instagram, @LanaLyte. For more info, go to her website: https://www.lanapopovicbooks.com/.
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Gwen made so much soup with the stock she made last week! This week she wants to wake up by 6:30am. And she finally got a cozy “shacket,” aka a Plush Shirt Jacket from Costco.
Danielle turned in her copyedits! This week she wants to start prepping for NaNoWriMo. And she made Double Chocolate Coffee Addict Cookies by Sweet & Simple Kitchen.
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? Email us at podcast@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Thursday Sep 30, 2021
Thursday Sep 30, 2021
Vibe Check
D had a busy week dealing with her daughter’s cold, but she was able to see her new, grown-up friends! G’s mom is visiting her in WA and she got to show off some of her favorite places in her new home.
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SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE DISCUSSION
A great place to hear more about second chance romance is our interview with Reese Ryan, who wrote three second chance romances in 2020: Second Chance on Cypress Lane, Secret Heir Seduction, and A Reunion of Rivals
Gwen’s Recs:
Movies - Always Be My Maybe, The Philadelphia Story, heartbreaking version of Wuthering Heights from 2011
TV - Ross and Rachel, Lorelei and Christopher, Eleanor and Chidi from The Good Place
Books – Persuasion (The OG Second Chance Romance, in our opinion)
Pop Culture – Ben and Jen 3.0!
Danielle’s Recs:
Movies – Sweet Home Alabama, Love and Basketball, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, High Fidelity
TV – Mer-Der on Grey’s Anatomy (and most of the other major romance storylines on the show... is it nostalgia?), Jess and Nick on New Girl, but also, CeCe and Schmidt’s love story is possibly even more akin to a romance novel!
Books - Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan, Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole, Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev, A Lot Like Adios by Alexis Daria, One Week to Claim it All by Adriana Herrera (her new book, JUST FOR THE HOLIDAYS will be out in October)
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Recs from DIANA BILLER
THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN PARIS hits stores on October 12. Pre-order now!
You can also read her debut, THE WIDOW OF ROSE HOUSE, and a holiday novella, A CHRISTMAS SPARK.
Hot take! Diana doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she loves writing about them. Also, we all think we will make excellent ghosts one day.
Neuroscience as we know it was really coming into its own during this time (though it wasn’t called neuroscience just yet). Diana showed us her copy of Origins of Neuroscience, which looks fascinating... and very dense.
Discovering BTS has brought Diana so much joy (Same, girl!).
Also, she has the best pets! Shout out to Valentino and Giselle!!
We got the scoop on Diana’s future release, The Hotel of Secrets, set in Vienna, with a beautiful hotel owner and a reluctant spy. Look for it in early 2023. Please be aware that dates can change (such is publishing!), so sign up for Diana’s newsletter to get the latest info.
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Danielle is still scrolling at night, but she is also reading more! Reading a print book with short chapters and very lyrical writing, like the Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante, has been a huge help. This week, she is VERY determined to finsih the copyedits on THE ACCIDENTAL PINUP. Her new Rothy’s Driver Loafers are making her immensely happy.
Gwen has been reconnecting with friends by sending them lovely little gifts and she will continue to work on this because it has been really satisfying. She now wants to focus on making stock because it’s soup season! Gwen has started using a Breville milk frother and is making her own lattes at him, which is very comforting.
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? Email us at podcast@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Thursday Sep 16, 2021
Thursday Sep 16, 2021
It’s Gwen’s Birthday week!!!!!!!!! She also put together one of the new desks in her home and it’s making things feel complete.
Danielle participated in #20Kin5Days! It’s hosted by author Tasha L. Harrison and her Wordmakers community. It only opens to new members every few months, so sign up for her newsletter if you’re interested in future challenges or are looking for a place to connect with other writers. In addition to writing 20K on a new WIP, Danielle also published her author website: https://daniellejacksonbooks.com/
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WRITING AT LARGE IN POP CULTURE
Gwen’s Recs: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (screenwriting), Girls (Millennials writing), Ruby Sparks (writer’s creation coming to life, see also Stranger Than Fiction), Almost Famous (music writing), Young Adult (YA author), HappyThankYouMorePlease (for a shade of ridiculous publishing portrayal), Quills (Marquis de Sade), Anonymous (Shakespeare), Poetic Justice (poetry), How to Make an American Quilt (thesis writing), Sex and the City (can’t forget our girl Carrie)
Danielle’s Recs: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (magazine features), Never Been Kissed (newspaper scoop, also, super problematic in retrospect), The Devil Wears Prada (Vogue), 13 Going on 30 (magazine features), The Proposal (editors), You’ve Got Mail (bookstores), Trainwreck (magazine features). Don’t forget about Romancing the Stone (romance writer!!!); stay tuned for The Lost City of D with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. TV: The Bold Type (magazines), Younger (publishing), 30 Rock (TV writer’s room)
Danielle also asked on Twitter for books featuring writers, because she could only think of the recent release, SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE by Tia Williams. Shout out to Leigh Kramer, Theresa Romain, Jon Keogh, and @ThanksForDaVenom for their recs. See the full list here: https://twitter.com/DJacksonBooks/status/1431022653821886472
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Recs from NAIMA SIMONE
Naima finds that doing writing challenges with a partner and writing out plots/outlines by hand help keep her on track for her word count goals!
She’s a big crime show and reality TV fan!
She credits Nalini Singh with writing diverse characters before “diversity” was a big initiative in publishing and wants her diverse casts to be the norm across the board.
Things bringing her joy: her new dog, Dr. Death on Peacock, and Slasher Season 4
All of Naima’s book coming soon:
August 24: Secrets of a One Night Stand
September 1: A Kiss to Remember
October 26: Christmas in Rose Bend
December 28: The Perfect Fake Date
Naima’s Website: http://naimasimone.com/
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Gwen did complete her goal last week and put together one of the two new desks (the second is on it’s way)! This week, she wants to reconnect with friends by sending some fun local Seattle products and cards/letters. She also took a trip to Penzey’s and bought a million spices which is bring her much joy.
Danielle, in no way shape or form, even tried to clean out her guest room closet (she has decided she’s over it). This week, she wants to be better about reading before bed and not just scrolling on her phone. Danielle is obsessed with her Out of Print x S’Well composition notebook water bottle that she got on SUPER sale, and that makes her happy.
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? Email us at podcast@freshfiction.com.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Thursday Sep 02, 2021
Thursday Sep 02, 2021
Vibe Check
Danielle has seen a book cover! And it’s great!
Gwen cleaned out her freezer!
Our guest, Susan, wrote two reviews of upcoming movies for her website, http://thischixflix.com/
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Our Fall 2021 Entertainment Recs
September
Susan/Film: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Candyman, Dear Evan Hansen, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Gwen/TV: I Know What You Did Last Summer, Doogie, The Wonder Years, Le Brea, Big Sky, ACS: Impeachment, Scenes from a Marriage, The Morning Show
Danielle Books: A Lot Like Adios by Alexis Daria, You Got Anything Stronger? By Gabrielle Union
October
Susan/Film: No Time to Die, The Last Duel, Halloween Kills
Gwen/TV: Succession, Insecure, Queens, Dopesick, The Many Saints of New York
Danielle Books: The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller (future podcast guest!), All the Feels by Olivia Dade, Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
November
Susan/Film: Eternals, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Top Gun: Maverick, House of Gucci,
Gwen/TV: The Great season 2, Dexter: New Blood
Danielle Books: Terciel & Elinor by Garth Nix, Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau, Miss Moriarty I Presume by Sherry Thomas
December
Susan/Film: Spider-Man: No Way Home, The King’s Man, The Matrix 4
Gwen/TV: Netflix Christmas movies and finding time to watch all the shows we didn’t watch the rest of the year!
Danielle Books: The Love Con by Seressia Glass
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Susan would like to drink more water and have a consistent bedtime routine! She’s finding immense comfort in Taco Bell (as we all do) and watching Never Have I Ever on Netflix. You can find Susan’s reviews on http://thischixflix.com/. Follow her on Twitter!
Gwen needs to build two desks for her apartment. The weather is cooling off in the PNW, so she’s enjoying wearing funny sweaters, and is considering a western-style sweatshirt from Costco!
Danielle must go through her guest room closet. Her quiet house is bringing her so much joy!
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EMAIL US!
Thoughts or questions? Email us at podcast@freshfiction.com.
*
Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction