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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.
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Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Thursday Aug 19, 2021
Thursday Aug 19, 2021
Gwen had a harrowing adventure this week, but has a new mattress to show for it! Danielle planned two birthday parties and is the mother of a 7 yr. old! They think these are huge accomplishments!
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Celebrities!
Celebs Danielle Follows in Social Media: (mostly on Instagram) Mindy Kaling, Jennifer Garner, Reese Witherspoon, Retta, Gabrielle Union, Nicole Byer. Also! Don’t sleep on celebrity stylists: Elizabeth Stuart, Law Roach, and Karla Welch
Celebs Gwen likes to follow: Many of the same that Danielle follows, but also fashion designers, makeup artists, Issa Rae (HER WEDDING!!!!), Beyonce, musicians and bands like Taking Back Sunday and Foo Fighters
Gwen’s Recs: The old standards: Celebitchy, Lainey Gossip, Page Six, RealityTea for reality show gossip, CrazyDaysandNights and Deux Moi for blind items, and books by Anne Helen Peterson and Karina Longworth for the business side of celebrity; Behind the Music (Paramount), Tabloid, NOBODY SPEAKS (Netflix), AMY, FRAMING BRITNEY SPEARS. Very old show DIRT starring Courteney Cox
Danielle’s Recs: Bohemian Rhapsody, Judy, My Week with Marilyn, The United States vs. Billie Holiday (and Lady Sings the Blues), The Aviator; Beyond the Lights, any version of A Star is Born, Birdman, The Artist; American Crime Story (Gianna Versace and OJ Simpson), Entourage, The Crown, “thinly veiled” shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, One Mississippi; You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria (also Take the Lead), Reel by Kennedy Ryan, While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory
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Recs from JENNET ALEXANDER
Jennet spent part of her release day with us, and we were very chuffed about it! You can follow her on Twitter, @JennetAlexander, and find out more info on her website, http://www.jennetalexander.com/.
Horror film/show recs: Dog Soldiers, Haunting of Hill House, Haunting of Bly Manor
Romance rec: Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler
Gossip/Celeb culture sites: Celebitchy, The Mary Sue (mostly does reviews, but sometimes covers bigger, “tabloid” stories)
Pop Culture she’s been enjoying: the newer Godzilla movies (most recently, Godzilla vs. Kong) that have a lot of throwbacks to the original Gojira, MCU and looking forward to Phase 4 (specifically Hawkeye with Hailee Steinfeld)
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Goals/Comfort & Joy
Danielle has been writing something every day! Now, she wants to figure out a work routine for the upcoming school year.
Gwen’s inbox is much more organized and as the week goes on and she completes more tasks, it will be all clear again. An evergreen goal (for everyone – even you!), Gwen would like to drink more water.
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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 Aug 05, 2021
Thursday Aug 05, 2021
Gwen has been going to bed at 10:30 consistently this week, and we want to know the secret to this sorcery.
Danielle’s debut novel is about to head to copyediting and proofreading, she finished the first draft of her WIP, and she planned TWO parties for her daughter’s upcoming 7th birthday!
ESCAPISM
Is escapism more about a feeling? Maybe a sense of place? Or is it just watching rich people do a bunch of wild things? We’re not sure, but we do have opinions.
Danielle’s Escapist Recs:
TV: Bridgerton, Grey’s Anatomy (in particular, the infamous bomb episode)
MOVIES: Wes Anderson Movies - The Royal Tenenbaums,The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom. Shout out to the The French Dispatch, which finally premiered at Cannes this year!
BOOKS: THE EX TALK by Rachel Lynn Solomon, PUMPKINHEADS by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks, WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by Denny S. Bryce, Sarah MacLean’s Bareknuckle Bastards series
Gwen’s Escapist Recs:
Opulence: Anything that revolves around insanely rich people, because it is sooo different from my life. I also love watching the pettiness and insecurity money brings to people -- again, not in real life. THE WHITE LOTUS, REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC, DR. DEATH, and FBOY ISLAND
Travel/”City as a character”: NYC/LA/Paris as the backdrop for a person discovering themselves. BITTERSWEET, SWEET FILTHY BOY, and food travel shows like David Chang’s BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER
Podcasts – WHO?Weekly and EVEN THE RICH
Recs from Melonie Johnson
Does anyone know why there are so many paintball scenes in rom-coms? (PS There’s one in Melonie’s book, too!!)
Our favorrite rom-com movie and book recs! Melonie: When Harry Met Sally, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Gwen: You’ve Got Mail (but also His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby), Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. Danielle: Clueless, The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa.
Some things Melonie did early on in her publishing journey to learn about the business: NaNoWriMo, read the Smart Bitches Trashy Books website and listened to the podcast, attended the Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling Conference.
Melonie is thrilled about the warm weather and being outside, and listening to audiobooks: GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert and WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by Denny S. Bryce.
Look for TOO WRONG TO BE RIGHT, Kat’s book, coming soon!
Go to Melonie’s website for more info, follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Reader Group, Instagram, and sign up for her newsletter.
Goals/Comfort & Joy
Danielle chose a baking project (puff pastry), but will wait to start until it’s not so hot out. She would like to get back into a regular writing routine this week. And she’s been making sun tea on her deck!
Gwen has procured her air fryer, but has not found a fried chicken recipe... YET. She wants to keep her work email inbox clean and organized! And spying on her neighbors and seeing/hearing their exploits has brought her much joy this week.
Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
This week, Gwen got to see friends who came to visit and she started composting! Danielle survived her family vacation to Michigan and changed her social media handles to @DJacksonBooks to start changing into her author persona!
Food in Pop Culture
Do we ever stop talking about food? NOPE! Do we have a TON of recommendations? YES!
Gwen’s Chef Shows: Celeb chefs like Ina, Martha, Tabitha Brown, plus Giada and Bobby Flay’s forbidden love.
Gwen’s Food Competition Shows: Top Chef is the OG!
Gwen’s TV/Movies: Chocolat, Hook, Kitchen Confidential, A Matter of Taste; Controversy over Roadrunner
Gwen’s Books: Louisa Edwards’ “Recipe for Love” series featuring chefs and restaurant owners. And I back Danielle’s choice of Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev.
Danielle’s Chef Shows: Nadiya Bakes, Chef Show, and I’ve been known to just turn on the Food Network and watch whatever comes on
Danielle’s Food Competitions Shows: Top Chef, Chopped, Great British Baking Show, Nailed It!
Danielle’s TV/Movies: Chef, Ratatouille, Dinner Rush
Danielle’s Books: Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev, Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera, A Match Made for Thanksgiving by Jackie Lau, The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory, Accidentally Engaged by Farrah Heron
Recs from Sonali Dev
The first Austen novel that Sonali read was Pride and Prejudice.
There was a very 80s, very awesome P&P retelling called Trishna that she watched when she was younger.
The Raje Series: Pride Prejudice and Other Flavors, Recipe for Persuasion, and Incense and Sensibility Coming soon: the 4th book in the Raje series, based on Emma.
Head to https://sonalidev.com/ for more information. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, join her Facebook Reader group, Dev Nation, and sign up for her newsletter!
Goals/Comfort & Joy
Gwen did not find a GP or a vet, but she did go to the dentist! This week, Gwen would like to find a “fried” chicken recipe for her new air fryer! Gwen has found immense comfort in oat milk lattes.
Danielle survived family vacation, and wants to find a new baking recipe to perfect (she is leaning toward puff pastry). Danielle LOVES this Crushed Oreo and White Chocolate Chip cookie recipe!
Find us on the Socials!
Gwen Reyes
Danielle Jackson
Fresh Fiction