The Wicked Wallflowers Club

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**The Wicked Wallflowers Club**

Welcome to The Wicked Wallflowers Club! We are two authors who read, write, and love everything about the romance genre. We celebrate female empowerment and sex positivity. Entertainment Weekly featured us on their “Must List” as “a compelling reminder of why the oft-dismissed genre is a real force in cultural conversations”.

Latest Episodes:

42 - What We're Reading #3 Aug 22, 2018

Show notes

Our third iteration of What We're Reading, featuring Jen Prokop from JenReadsRomance!

We give a few life updates on Sarah's new book and Jenny's adventures in motherhood. Also, dicksoap. We have thoughts.

Books we discuss in this episode:

A Taste of Pleasure by Chloe Blake
Gorgeous cover!
"Ghost Chef" meets handsome Italian man at a wedding
Snappy dialog, great banter.
Jen considers it "perfect"

Whiskey Sharp: Unraveled by Lauren Dane
Angst vs stakes
high stakes low angst (external conflict)
Forbidden Hearts series by Alisha Rai

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins
Historical in which hero is passing as white
High stakes/high angst, but the drama is driven by the internal conflict

Sparks Like Ours by Melissa Braeden
F/F surf romance
Friends to lovers with one heroine discovering her sexual identity

My Lady's Lover by Nicola Davidson
F/F historical novella
Lady's maid falls for her employer
"spectacular"

Vegas Top Guns Series by Katie Porter
Sexy kinks.
Exhibitionism at its finest
Bisexual showgirl and a photographer

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
Dark story of a woman escaping an abusive marriage
Incredibly powerful story of a woman surviving and fighting
Basketball romance

Burn Down the Night by M. O'Keefe
Motorcycle club romance
AMAZING heroine who is not here for your bullshit

Judgment Road by Christine Feehan

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

Rules of Scoundrels series by Sarah MacLean

Radiance by Grace

Hidden Legacy Series by Ilona Andrews

Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

Guardian Series by Meljean Brook

Anita Blake Series by Laurel K. Hamilton

Recs We're Looking For:

Angsty Books!

Vikings!

41 - Avery Flynn: Butterface Aug 15, 2018

Show notes

Our guest this week is Avery Flynn who chats with us about her previous career as a crime reporter, her transition from writing romantic suspense to writing romantic comedy, and her newest book, Butterface!

You can find Avery Flynn on her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

Highlights from our conversation include:

How she got started reading romance.
Her experiences as a crime reporter.
How she embraced her sense of humor in her writing and started writing romantic comedy.
How Butterface explores embracing women exactly as they are and how powerful that is.
Our mutual obsession with enemies to lovers.
The story of the cat Sarah and Jenny had in college who liked to hide in the bathroom and attack men's genitals.
Where her ideas come from.
How her career as a romance novelist began.
How she juggles motherhood with writing.
Why we love Scrivener!
How she deals with writer's block.
How she's grown as a writer and her craft has changed.
Books mentioned in this episode:

Butterface by Avery Flynn

Books by Johanna Lindsey

Books by Jackie Collins

The Charmer by Avery Flynn

Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Schaefer

Scoring the Player's Baby by Naima Simone

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

Rock Chick by Kristin Ashley

Dangerous Kiss by Avery Flynn

In the Woods by Tana French

40 - Laurell K. Hamilton: Serpentine Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

Highlights from our conversation:

How the world has changed in the 25 years she's been writing the series in terms of feminism, representation, technology, and so much more--and how that has impacted her writing.

How social media has changed the world and our interactions with people whose views differ from ours.

Why her readers were so distressed when she broke two characters up in the aftermath of 9/11.

How she responds to negative fans and the criticism that her series has changed and now has too much sex.

Her experiences with polyamory and how it was through research for Anita that she learned about that world.

What her research into BDSM looked like in 1997 long before discussions of BDSM were mainstream.

Her hilarious first experience in a BDSM club when she knew absolutely nothing.

Why you're safer at a BDSM event than at an average bar.

How she learned to balance motherhood with her own identity and her art.

Can you be happier?

Books mentioned in this episode:

Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton

Guilty Pleasures (First in the Anita Blake Series) by Laurell K. Hamilton

Different Loving by William and Gloria Brame

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben

What You Can Change and What You Can't by Martin E.P. Singleman

To keep up with Laurell, you can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook--or on her website.

39 - Carolyn Mackler: The Universe is Expanding and So Am I Aug 01, 2018

Show notes

We’re joined by bestselling author Carolyn Mackler!

38 - Sophie Jordan: The Duke Buys a Bride Jul 25, 2018

Show notes

We're joined by Sophie Jordan to talk about her newest release, The Duke Buys a Bride...as well as some of her other books, things she has enjoyed reading lately, and her theories about what the Gamemaker series can tell us about you as a reader.

37 - Valerie Bowman: A Duke Like No Other Jul 18, 2018

Show notes

We're joined by historical romance author, Valerie Bowman to talk about her new release, A Duke Like No Other, as well as favorite plays, and more!

36 - Robinne Lee: The Idea of You Jul 11, 2018

Show notes

We're joined by Robinne Lee to discuss her powerful debut novel, The Idea of You. Robinne is a graduate of Columbia Law School and is also an accomplished actress. She has been in films like Hitch and Seven Pounds as well as Fift Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. We discuss her experiences as a writer and actress as well as the big themes from her book like ageism, the invisibility of "older" women, the madness of fame, and more!

35 - What We're Reading #2 with Maureen Lee Lenker Jul 04, 2018

Show notes

We share what we've been up to and what we've been reading with special guest, Maureen Lee Lenker. Bonus: hear all about our first kisses, both real life and on stage!

Life Updates:

Sarah got an agent!
Jenny is back from the wilderness!
Sarah is back from Guatamalan adventures!
Recs we're looking for:

Sci fi/fantasy
Enemies to lovers (of the saucy variety)
Ancient or Renaissance historical fiction
Books mentioned in this episode:

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (listen to our episode with Helen!)

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas

Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwaub

Fantasy Maureen loved
pickpocket heroine from Victorian England
Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (listen to our episode with Sarah!)

Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean

Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemison

American Queen by Sierra Simone

Only $.99 right now!
Camelot retold as a
Best portrayal of BDSM in fiction that Jenny has read
Priest by Sierra Simone

Hot Dom Priest
Sexy BDSM
Gloriously filthy and somehow spiritual at the same time
A Storied Life by Leigh Kramer

High on our TBR pile
"Weaving together grief and beauty, humor and romance...will make you rethink life, love, and loss."
A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

Gothic romance
sexy priest
The Forbidden Hearts Trilogy by Alisha Rai (listen to our episode with Alisha!)

Maureen loved the conclusion
sexy, satisfying family drama
Forbidden and Tempest by Beverly Jenkins

Historical Western series
Often based on real historical figures
Jenny is now binge reading all things Beverly Jenkins
The Red by Tiffany Reisz

Art history based erotica
Da Vinci Code erotica!
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

39 year old heroine falls for 20 year old boy band member when she takes her preteen daughter to a meet and greet
gorgeous exploration of ageism, madness of fame, the invisibility of "older" women, art world, and love.
Does not have an HEA.
Rec from Michelle Jenkins!
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan (listen to our episode with Julia!)

Maureen felt it was deeply authentic having experienced her own Oxford Year
found it breathtaking
Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broca

High school sweetheart authors who got engaged at The Ripped Bodice
teenage girl who thinks she's always The Girl Before
about her finding her self worth
lots of Shakespeare
sex positive teen heroine
Royals by Rachel Hawkins

YA with snarky, funny heroine
her sister is getting married to Crown Prince of Scotland and she has to live there for the summer and learn etiquette
Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce

34 - Olivia Boothe: Wicked Dance Jun 27, 2018

Show notes

We're joined by author Olivia Boothe. We talk about her debut novel, Wicked Dance, how she discovered romance, and how she balances writing with a difficult job in the field of child protective services.

33 - Sarah MacLean: Wicked and the Wallflower Jun 20, 2018

Show notes

We're joined by bestselling author Sarah MacLean. Her latest novel, Wicked and the Wallflower, just came out, and it is amazing. We talk about historical lockpicking, her romance review column in the Washington Post, and the true nature of the Alpha in romance.

We also got an incredible list of romance recommendations. Our conversation was so good that we went far longer than normal, so you get a massive episode this week!

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