A Re- Read on The Fanatics Have a New Best Friend, Meet Kate Goldbeck!

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This week we are taking a re-read on the episode "The Fanatics Have a New Best Friend, Meet Kate Goldbeck!". We hope you enjoy a look back on one of our favorite episodes with one of our favorite people!

Hey Nerds, have you ever wondered what it's like to leap from the world of fanfic to the shelves of your local bookstore? The enchanting Kate Goldbeck joins us to recount her metamorphosis from fanfiction aficionado to the author of the bewitching novel "You Again." We wade through the complexities of reimagining beloved characters for a whole new audience, and the shift from the fanfic community's embrace to the terrain of traditional publishing. Kate's insights illuminate the dedication required to breathe new life into well-loved tropes and the delicate balance of staying true to the fanfic spirit while courting mainstream success.

If you're hankering for a tantalizing tale of love, laughter, and the occasional sprinkle of life's bittersweet symphonies, Kate's "You Again" is a rendezvous you won't want to miss. Join us for a podcast episode that's a love letter to storytelling, a toast to personal growth, and, above all, a tribute to the books that make us swoon.

***Produced by Jen Hardin***

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***Produced by Jen Hardin***

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hi, I'm Chanel.
Hi, I'm Stacy hey nerds, thisis Ashley and this is Fiction
Fanatics.
Oh well, I guess let me showyou my.
We can start my.

(00:29):
Yes, I had to wear this Wow Ilove it.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
I should have worn mine.
I have a whole wardrobe that.
I acquired back in 2018 that Ishould have put on.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Right, right, the thick of the fandom.
Well, yeah, okay, so let'sintroduce you.
We have a special guest.
Kate Goldblac is with us forthis episode.
The author of our Book of theMonth.
You again, ooh, we're so happy.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Yay, excited to be here.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Yay, so thank you for joining us.
Yeah, so we can dive right injust to get to know you.
We all kind of compiled thisamazing list of get to know you
questions.
So, yeah, when did youofficially start writing?
Going back to, I guess, fanfiction, but yeah, when would

(01:23):
you was your first inspirationto start writing?

Speaker 3 (01:28):
So actually I started , it started when I started
really reading fan fiction.
So I had dabbled in fan fictionthrough like many different
fandoms, like you know,throughout my like young adult
life I guess.
But when, when the sequeltrilogy for Star Wars came out,

(01:51):
I was just like instantly likethere's something here Like my,
my spidey senses were tinglingand I actually got really into
reading like metas on likeTumblr.
So this was like when Tumblr wasso really the fandom community
and was just like super involvedin like analyzing you know sort

(02:16):
of like the interactions andthe films, and I myself am a
film.
I was like a film major, I'veworked in film museums, so like
analyzing film is like catnip tome, so like with all, and I was
always a Star Wars fan, so likethis all combined to just make
me like extremely obsessed withStar Wars again.
So this would have been like2017 and 2018,.

(02:38):
The last Jedi came out andwithout even really like
realizing it, I just like kindof threw myself into just being
like a lurker reader in the Ralofandom and I discovered like
the like really great fanfiction that had already been
going on in for the ForceAwakens and really like exploded

(03:04):
after the last Jedi and Istarted I like rebranded my
humbler to kind of just be likerecommending different Ralo fan
fictions.
This was like literally all Idid.
I would I would likeobsessively read them and then
write very long recommendations.
I love it.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
It sounds like the kind of Tumblr page I would be
following honestly and thenthrow in some fan art.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Oh, this goes with I was reblogging the fan art and I
was and that's how I started tomeet people was because I was
just like writing like longessays about these, like
different, you know, likefanfics that I was really
enjoying.
And so I think at first in thefandom most people knew me as

(03:50):
somebody who was just literallylike the fanfic recommendation
person, like one of the onesthat kind of like was
recognizable when the fandom wasreally like really taking off.
And at some point, like a fewmonths after doing that and just
being like a voracious fanficreader, I was like, huh, I

(04:12):
wonder if I could, like I'veread enough of these, like I
wonder if I could just try towrite something.
And a friend of mine, like afanfic writer, friend of mine
who I had gushed about which ishow I meet literally everyone I
know who's a writer is just mesliding into DMs, being like I
love you, and she had written areal one shot that had a one

(04:36):
Harry Met Sally reference in it.
It was like something aboutlike that's I knew, like you
know about a good melon, whichis like a random line from one
Harry Met Sally.
She had it in her thick Like.
So I messaged her and I waslike I liked that reference and
so we got to talking and it justsort of like got the wheels
turning.

(04:57):
I was like if, if I were towrite a when Harry Met Sally a
you there are a lot of relo, aus it's like probably more than
there are a lot of people thattake place in the Star Wars
universe there are like a use.
But if I were to write that Ifeel that it would have to be
gender swapped.
Because Sally is veryfastidious and spends a lot of

(05:20):
time on her hair.
There's like multiple shots ofher like blow drying, doing her
makeup and I was like that wouldbe the Kylo Ren, you like,
because I feel like he is alsoprobably very like fastidious
about his hair and his wholelook, yeah.
And so I was like, okay, what ifI gender swapped it and I just

(05:40):
started writing it.
So that was literally the firstthing I've ever written.
That was like fiction, like Ireally have never tried to write
anything like that before.
I'd never tried to write reallylike a fanfic before and like
put it out there and I juststarted like hosting it and
that's how I started writing andit took me about like a year to

(06:04):
finish that one and in in thattime I wrote a few other like
fanfics, shorter ones mostly,and that's honestly just like my
only real like creative writingexperience.
In a lot of ways was like I waslike I feel inspired and I'm
just going to do this so that's,that's how I started it.

(06:28):
You know, it's like a full adultwhere I think most people are
like teenagers and I mean thisin the best way, yeah who are
like getting so into this andlike really developing their
craft.
And I was just like writing itat work on my phone.
It was kind of my escape and Ijust like got so into it and got

(06:50):
so into the community andalways continued reading fix too
.
So it was just like to me it'sone of the best ways to get into
the writing community becauseit's it's not as like I'm kind
of like competitive in the sensethat like in publishing your
whether you're traditionallypublished or self published
you're always getting rejectedor you're getting like there's a

(07:12):
lot of yeah for a negativefeedback loop, but in fanfic
it's like primarily positive andencouraging, so it was just
like directfeedback.
Yeah, I mean the comments youget just keep you going and
you're like I owe it to, likeyou know screen name, whatever,
69 to that next chapter out, andyou know people are going to go

(07:33):
and then they write these longapologetic notes like oh, like I
was in the hospital of anynurse, like it's okay, this is.
You know, you're doing this forfree, don't worry about it.
So it's just such an amazingcommunity.
I think that that's how I Ifell into it and yeah, that's
that's the, the origin story.

(07:54):
It just all came back to thislike weird fanfic idea.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
That's so awesome.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
It's so it's so crazy .
It's your first thing thatyou've written and it's just.
I mean, I'm obsessed with it.
I'm only halfway through thebook right now, but their banter
.
I feel like I could just readit forever.
It's amazing how incrediblethat's your like first writing
experience.
I'm blown away.
Well, I was gonna say how yousaid you were like just slipping

(08:20):
into people's DMs, like writersand stuff, and talking to them.
I was like that's us justslipping to, like I remember
when Chanel said that she waslike.
I remember when Chanel saidthat she was going to message
you and she's like I think I'mgoing to message, message Kate
about her book, the future wheelof podcasts, and I was like,
yes, do it, it's going to begreat fingers crossed, like I
know I was.
I was like this is never goingto happen, but you go for it Now

(08:41):
let's see if it works out.

Speaker 3 (08:44):
I'm like you're amazing the best like emails or
messages to get to, because it'slike usually it's like scams or
like stuff that you absolutelydon't want to do, or like
something you're late on andthen like sometimes it's really
nice, it's like, oh, I thinkthese are my people and, like I
said, I am, I still to this daylike a lot of the people like

(09:05):
honestly.
So one of my closest writingfriends is Ali Hazelwood, the
famous author, also obviouslyfrom the Railofandom.
But the way that I kind of likemet her was that I she was the
only person I knew who had anagent and I had had an agent

(09:26):
approach me after reading someof my fanfic and I had no idea
about publishing and I was likeI don't know who to talk to
about this in the real world.
so I'm just going to like DMever so Railo, who was Ali, and
she was like so like kind andyou know like she just like told
me like everything.

(09:46):
She did not have a book dealyet.
She was like really strugglingbut she's like, okay, here's
what this means and do this andwhat and that's how, like we
became friends and it's likethat's kind of how I've met
almost everyone.
Is just me like going intotheir DMs and like yelling at
them like I love you and evenlike Julie Zodo, so we have the
same agent actually.

(10:08):
And the way I met her, I think,was when she had a fic in the
Railofandom called Food of Love,which if you looked at the
cover reveal for the next book,it's cello, very steamy cello
cover.
That's Food of Love.
She reworked it and that fic islike notorious and famous and

(10:32):
and also I love your tweetsabout it.
I just went back the other daywhen she was doing the cover,
it's like I feel like I havelike a few unhinged tweets
before I even knew loves fic 8and was like there is a scene in
here that is absolutely insaneand we all need to be reading
this.
And and now it's like we, wetalk every day and she's like a

(10:56):
very close confidant and it'slike because I was just like
screaming like cello when, whenI saw the cover reveal for her
new book, I was like, oh my god,I was so pumped.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
It was Nikita Jobson again who did it and like it
looks so, but it looks I justlike from the little thing she's
posted, and like people havebeen commenting like how steamy
this one is and stuff, likebecause we really loved her,
forget me not.
So I'm pumped to read.

Speaker 3 (11:24):
Yeah forget me not, was not.
I think she had the idea as apotentially to be a real little
fic, but it was not a fic, and alot of big misconception about
that.
She's amazing.
She wrote that book.
She was like I think I'm goingto try to like write another
book and she just like finishedit in like a few months and I
remember being like I've been inthe dev edits for like two

(11:45):
years now and you just finisheda book and then like sold it.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
It sounds like.
It sounds like her.

Speaker 3 (11:51):
She's unbelievable, and but like I try to remember
the actual title, not anotherlove song, I just think of it as
cello, it's, it's, it's reallygood.
And then the time I go to likethe symphony or some kind of
classical music thing, it's likeyou will never look at cello

(12:15):
and violin players the same way.
So I cannot wait, I know, ohyeah, it's hilarious.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
Ok, so you kind of touched on it a little bit just
with the agent stuff.
But I guess, how is writing anactual book different than
writing a fanfic?
You kind of talked aboutwriting your one Harry went
sally fanfic, but how did youactualize it into an actual, you
again book?

Speaker 3 (12:47):
Great question.
Personally, I find writingfanfic way more enjoyable and
fun, and I'd probably only dothat if I had time to do that
now.
I would also say that I don'tnecessarily recommend you
reworking a fanfic as the bestpath into publishing, just

(13:09):
because it's almost like youhave a whole first draft that
you've already been around theblock with once and then it can
be very hard to take it and thenhave to then twist it and mold
it into something different fora lot of reasons, and I think

(13:29):
it's probably just a lot easierfor people to just start fresh,
knowing that, ok, I'm trying towrite an original novel and,
just based on where I am now,I'm like, yeah, it's actually
easier to not have to takesomething that I struggled with
for a year and had all thesethoughts about and then have to

(13:51):
throw a lot of that away andthink about this new, different
version of it.
So in my case, because it wasan AU and took place in the real
current world and didn't reallyhave any particular starwarsy
components, it wasn't like I hadto really do away with IP

(14:13):
whereas, like you know, likeFaya had to, like D, starwarsify
an entire magic unit system.
So not having to do thatactually really helps, obviously
, but there were some thingsthat I definitely had to change
and I think they're very commonin fanfic.
One is too many characters,like.

(14:36):
I think when you write fanfic,you tend to try and have
everyone make a cameo.
And you're like, oh, how can Ifit in like this person?
And then you're just sort oflike oh, it was a friend.
Everyone has like sevendifferent named friends and
that's fine, because people whoread it don't need to learn who
everyone is.
When you read an original novel, it's like people cannot keep

(14:57):
track of more than like four orthree.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (15:01):
Like who, what?
What's their characteristic?
You know it's like, butobviously in fanfic you can just
throw everyone in there andit's fine.
So I had to, unfortunately,reconstruct a lot of the
landscape of who was in it.
I also in the original thickthe Ben character was a lot more

(15:21):
this is going to sound weirdbecause a lot of people are like
these are bad people about thebook but he was worse.
He was like a libertariantalking head kind of person
Because I was always like Ireally want him to be like a
villain.
You know like, yeah, which youcan do in fanfic and still have
people be fine with it becauseof that fandom connection.

Speaker 2 (15:46):
Yeah, we love it.

Speaker 3 (15:49):
So when I turned in the first version of the
manuscript to my agent and shehad obviously read the thick she
was sort of like you know, Idon't think we're going to get
away with this.
He's going to come off as veryunlikable and anything with
politics.
She's like no one wants to readthat.
In a rom-com, which I was likefair, especially around the time

(16:14):
I was revising it, which waslike 2020, and there was just
like hey the situation hadgotten so much worse than when I
wrote the fanfic that I waslike you're
right.
So he turned into a chefinstead of a political
commentator and the Raycharacter had originally been

(16:35):
like a very left-wing kind ofpolitical consultant and I had
to change her career and sheturned into a comedian because
one of the early pieces offeedback I got from an editor
who rejected the book was thatshe was like too funny, which I
was like what?

(16:55):
Like she's just like.
She just comes off as like toofunny.
I was like OK.
Then I was like well, how couldI get away with the character
being too funny?
Maybe they're a comedian?
And then it kind of all like fittogether and they're more like
rom-com careers which areusually like not your typical
office job, Like you have tohave them doing something, like

(17:19):
I run a bakery.
Yeah, it's like they always haveto be doing something
heightened, and so I was like,ok, those are two careers that I
feel like I can get some dramaout of that.
Sound kind of interesting.
So once I changed that it waslike, ok, now I have to change
the backstories, like what therelationships are.
So ultimately there's probablylike maybe 20% of what was in

(17:42):
the thick ended up in the bookin some form.
Like some of the tentpolescenes I would say are like
somewhat the same, but likeeverything else had to change
and essentially be rewrittenbecause it just wouldn't have
hung together as a story.
Once I had.
It's like once you move onepuzzle piece, it's like you've

(18:03):
got to figure out everythingelse again, and I'm sure it
would have taken me less time tojust like write a fresh book
Rescrash.

Speaker 2 (18:10):
Yeah, that's what I was just thinking like.
You're right, having to reworkeverything versus just coming up
with something fresh.
Yeah, I'm sure it was a lotmore tedious.
It's like double the work, Iknow.

Speaker 3 (18:18):
It's going to say that's art.

Speaker 2 (18:19):
It's like writing two books, yeah.

Speaker 3 (18:22):
And I truly think they are two separate works at
this point Like I think thepeople who really enjoyed the
fanfic and have read the bookhave been like, yeah, I could
totally see like why you madethe changes and like I think
this is, you know, it's likedifferent and it works well.
And I still love the fanfic forlike what it is, even though,

(18:43):
like it probably has a lot ofstuff I wouldn't do today and it
has like so much more sex in it.

Speaker 1 (18:50):
Which I'm always here for.
That's the main thing I had togo about.

Speaker 3 (18:54):
My imprint was sort of like we need to trim some of
that.
I kept trying to like sneak itin.
So yeah, obviously that'sanother downside.
Like fanfic, you can just gowild and it's like there's no
boundaries and as long as youtag it, it is fine.
And in like traditionalpublishing, they just have a

(19:18):
different set of expectationsand standards, even though I
have to say I think it'sactually changed a lot since I
signed my contract, like I thinkthe things I can get away with
now with my editor and likesubsequent books probably more
sex scenes than she was probablycomfortable with on this one,
Like even the books that she hasedited from other authors in

(19:41):
the past year.
I'm like you let them do thatand like you made me cut this
little scene.
So I think that has actuallychanged a little bit and I think
it might have something to dowith like the merging of like
indie romance, trad pub and fanfiction writers, all like

(20:04):
converging or something.

Speaker 2 (20:06):
No, I think you're completely right.
Like I think like the smut isway more like in the last year.
So like okay, and morepublished books now, especially
with like independent authorsand stuff, it's cool, yeah, how
much more welcoming it is.
I'm here for it.

Speaker 1 (20:23):
Yeah, Okay, I think I know this because again I've
stalked you, but the inspirationfor Ari and Josh besides I
guess, yeah, I mean obviouslylike the sort of I don't want to

(20:44):
say opposite to track.

Speaker 3 (20:45):
But that dynamic, I think, of people who are very
different but that makes it work, is obviously a touchstone of
the yin-yang thing of the realfandom.
But if you read a lot of realfanfic you'll find that it is
all over the map.
There are so many fics wherethe Ben character is a cinnamon

(21:10):
roll.
It almost doesn't even meanwhat I think originally people
were into it for.
So it's like in my own mindit's almost like such a
secondary thing for me nowbecause I had to figure out how
to create characters thatwouldn't rely on that

(21:30):
pre-existing fandom conceptionof who the characters were.
So, honestly, they're bothsides of me in a sense.
I'm kind of like a sally, likea Josh kind of person, in a lot
of ways kind of like type A, andcan be very rigid and

(21:51):
judgmental sometimes.
And there's also a side of methat's more like Ari, that can
be very impulsive and also veryavoidant and kind of like bad
communicator and hides behindsarcastic jokes a lot, doesn't
want to spend the night with you, wants to leave right away.

(22:13):
That is me.
So I just was basically kind ofwriting characters out of both
sides of my personality and alot of it, a lot of the banter,
honestly, is kind of inspired by, unfortunately, like my ex, who
I went through a divorce thislast year which I've been trying

(22:33):
to be pretty open about.
But a little awkward because,like a lot of the book is like
reflections of our relationshipto an extent.
So it's sort of like weird tobe like, oh my God, it's like
I'm reliving this thing that Iended.
But I think you know when youare have a dynamic with someone,

(22:55):
it kind of flows into you knowyour, your writing and how you
have characters interact, and sowe were like big banter people
and a lot of that made its wayinto the book too.
So, like he's definitely inthere, he's actually more the
Ari.
I was identified more as theJosh when I was like writing it,

(23:17):
so that that's kind of funny.
It's kind of funny to me whenpeople say they don't like Ari
and they're like, oh, she's suchan unlikable character and part
of me is a little offended butpart of me is like, yeah, you're
like yes, it's funny you saythat because I was actually
talking to Chanel.

Speaker 2 (23:36):
When I first started this book, I didn't dislike Ari,
but I didn't know how I feltabout her at first and now that
I'm halfway through the book Ijust understand her better.
But honestly, I love that it'ssuch a different female, male or
female main character than whatyou're typically seeing.
It's such a refresh on that andso, like I'm so into it now,

(23:57):
like and I got into it prettyquickly, just like getting to
know her, but yeah, it's just sodifferent.

Speaker 1 (24:01):
I told her I was like mm.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
Hmm.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
It takes a minute for you to like Ari.
Like you don't like her atfirst, it just takes you like
you have to warm up to herversus.
Even though Josh is like quoteunquote prickly at the beginning
, you love him instantly becauseobviously you're like in his
mind or whatever.
But but yeah, and that'sexactly what happened, because
you know you texted me and she'slike I love Ari Because you're

(24:27):
halfway through the book now,Because you're like rooting for
her.

Speaker 2 (24:29):
You want her to like figure it out.
You're like figure it out andget it together.

Speaker 1 (24:33):
And obviously, like Josh is a part of her figuring
out her life like she helps, andI mean not that he doesn't have
his own problems too, but yeah,and I did have to like soften
him a bit.

Speaker 3 (24:45):
Like that's the feedback that I got kind of
repeatedly when we took themanuscript for the book on
submission to publishers.
Is that a lot of people?
Actually it wasn't Ari that wastheir issue, it was the Josh
character and I had to do a lotof work in the rewriting to make
him more I don't even want tosay likable, but maybe like more

(25:07):
relatable or like to kind oflike not make him so like
instantly, like oh, and so thatthat was kind of interesting.
Also interesting from the fanficconnection, because people in
the relo fandom also tend toalways have a very, very like
forgiving attitude towards theBen characters.

(25:29):
Like yeah, which always kind oflike annoyed me because you're
always very hard on the Raycharacter.
If like she would do somethingwrong and you'd see it in real
time in the comments.
So it's something that I'm likekind of sensitive to.
But I also think it has a lotto do with just like fandoms
with actors versus likeactresses and stuff like that.

(25:49):
They're like I had already beenthrough some kind of like
complaints about that with thethick, and so I was.
I'm always like very likedefensive about Ari and like
she's trying OK, like doing herbest.
It is hard to be a woman.

Speaker 2 (26:08):
Yes, I love so much that you're saying that, because
that was the same conversationwe had.
And it's like, yeah, why are webeing so hard on this female
character, but we're never thathard on the male character, like
we had a whole conversationabout this and it's so valid,
which I think is what made mejust love Ari even more.
It's like it is unfair, and Iwas even doing it and I didn't

(26:29):
realize that so was.

Speaker 1 (26:30):
I so was I.

Speaker 2 (26:31):
I told you that when we talked about this last week,
me and Ashley were like, oh youknow, at first when we read it
we were like very hard on herCharacter, kind of in the
beginning.
And then we're like you knowwhy?
Because the society like whyare we being that hard on Josh,
Like he's not being that niceright now either.
But it's like it's fine.

Speaker 3 (26:48):
It's fine, yeah, yeah , it's also because I think,
like I am, my favorite genre toread is like unhinged woman.

Speaker 2 (27:00):
That's.

Speaker 3 (27:01):
Ashley's favorite to gone girl changed my life, so
yeah, I mean, I love any bookthat has a very complicated like
woman at the center of it and Ithink like and I have read so
many romance, like I am aromance reader and obviously a
fanfic reader, so like I am usedto reading sort of those

(27:22):
characters too but like I just Ialways just want to bring in
some of that like unhinged womanenergy into like anything I
write, which which I thinksometimes like people just
honestly don't necessarily likethat.
And yeah, sometimes when peopleespecially read a rom-com or
they just look at the cover, Ithink they're maybe expecting
something that is a little bitlike the characters are a little

(27:45):
bit like softer or nicer toeach other or, you know, like
they may not expecting it quiteso much.
So it can be sometimes like anexpectations game with romance
because they get they're allover the map Right.
It's like some of them are,have the cartoon covers but are
so angsty You're just likedevastated and like what the now

(28:09):
?
Sometimes they're Omegaverseand their cartoon cover, which I
think is cool as well.
I love writing Omegaverse, butno one would ever let me do that
.
So it's like romance has becomethis thing where it's like
you're rolling the dice.

Speaker 2 (28:25):
Yeah, every time.

Speaker 3 (28:26):
Truly, it's like what is this going to be?
Like you know, is this a closeddoor, sweet, whatever.
Or is this going to be somelike Omegaverse, like crazy
thing with shifters, Like Idon't know?

Speaker 1 (28:40):
That's so true.
It's so true.
Ok, so for the, for New YorkCity as your like location in
the backdrop.
What was the like significanceof that Like?
Why did you end up choosing NewYork as the location for this
novel?

Speaker 3 (28:58):
I mean, obviously part of it was the one Harry Met
Sally is a pretty famous NewYork story, so kind of you know
I had to pay homage to that.
But I lived in New York, youknow, for most of my like adult
life.
I now mostly live in Atlanta.
I'm kind of a digital nomad,but that was kind of just like

(29:21):
where I had all my adultexperiences and like dating and
all that kind of stuff.
So honestly, it's almost likemy inability to just make up
interesting things kind ofplayed to my favorite.
I remember this market,literally like every location is
based on, either like a placethat used to be there that I

(29:41):
used to go to you know, it'slike it all has some kind of
connection to like me or likebad dates.
I went on like almost all ofthe like little, like date
anecdotes that happened in thebook are just like dates I was
on.
So it's just all kind of likemy memories and even like one of
my best friends, actually, whoI lived with for a while in New

(30:03):
York, when she read the book shewas like she was like, oh my
God, like what are all theselocations Like?
You're all of them like this iscrazy to read.
Like this is like our 20s, youknow, like on the page, and I
was like I know, so, yeah, it'sjust all from my, my own

(30:24):
experiences and you know, kindof mashing up all of that
together.

Speaker 1 (30:29):
Yeah, it's cool in the back.
I because I read an arc, so Ididn't get to see it the first
time I read it.
But then I bought the book,obviously, and I just loved how
you you literally wrote downlike this place isn't here
anymore, but I love thepastrami's there or they have
great locations that.
Yeah, that was like publishersidea.

Speaker 3 (30:49):
Actually we were originally going to do some kind
of map, but it kind of with theprint format, like they were
like the map would be too small.
So like what, if we just kindof like did it like a guide or
whatever?
Yeah, I was happy to do that,but actually in.
So I now have this like winterthemed dust jacket, which I
don't have those are gorgeous Onthe back side of it is the map

(31:13):
and, oh yeah, one of my, one ofmy best friends.
Sorry, I am no no she so she, wewere like fandom wives in the
real of fandom.
Her name is Selena and she dida lot of art for my thick we co
wrote fixed together and shedoes a lot of commissions and
just like any time I need art,I'm like I'm going to commission

(31:36):
you to do this.
And so she did the dust jacket.
And then she it was her ideashe was like what if we put the
map on the other side?
So we finally got to like putthe little map together.
So that was kind of a funlittle like full circle moment.

Speaker 1 (31:50):
Yeah, that's really cool, really cool.
Yeah, they're gorgeous.
Yeah, it's cool that you likewe're sending them out.
I saw you sending them out.

Speaker 3 (31:58):
I feel like literally like trimming them, scoring
them, like I'm trying to do asmany as I can, but it I'm like
making them myself, basically.
So it's like it's only as muchtime as I have to do it that I
can actually like get them topeople.
So it's like little likeassembly line operation yourself
I literally just looked it up.

Speaker 2 (32:22):
It is so like as I'm talking about.
I know I told you I've seenit's beautiful, it's so pretty.

Speaker 1 (32:28):
Okay, again, I already know the answer to this
question, but, stacy, this was agreat question you wrote.
Do you listen to music when youwrite and then like how are
certain songs like influenced orlike obviously like significant
to you again, which you do talkabout throughout the book?

Speaker 3 (32:48):
Yeah, I absolutely have to have some musical
inspiration when I'm writingsomething If I don't.
Actually this just happened tome.
I was working on a subsequentbook and I didn't have any
musical inspiration, like Ididn't have a playlist, and I
was trying to like force it.
I was like, what about this,what about that?
And like I had to stop writingit because I was like this isn't

(33:10):
going to work if I don't have,if I don't have like the right
vibes.
Yeah, if I don't feel like justlike blasting something and
going for like a run and likereally thinking about like an
emotional scene, like it's justnever going to work.
So I always do.
And I had a playlist during thethick and it's pretty common

(33:31):
for like long fanfics to kind oflike put out song, you know,
like Spotify plays and stuff.
So I had done that.
So that was already kind ofbaked into it a bit.
And there are a lot of songsthat are like mentioned in the
book, which is kind of somethingthat you're probably not
supposed to do that too muchbecause it can like date books
sometimes, but most of them areolder songs.

(33:51):
So I thought it was okay.
But yeah, I have and I've madea couple like ticktocks and like
reels about some of the songsthat are featured in the book.
Unfortunately, while I wasdoing that, I realized that most
of them were associated with myex, who is he was like in the
music industry.
So like he that to me, like Ialways associate that with him,

(34:14):
which, by the way, it's likeit's fine, we're not like
acrimonious or anything, butit's like it's a little
bittersweet because, like, oneof the songs that is mentioned
is Don't Dream it's Over, whichis a crowded house song, which
is where they're dancing to it,the kind of pivotal scene anyway
, and a lot of people like youknow, telling me, oh, like,
every time I hear that song, Ithink about them or whatever.

(34:36):
And unfortunately it's like Ipicked that song because crowded
house was one of his favorite,my ex's favorite, like groups,
and so every time I hear it Ithink about him and I'm like, oh
, it's fine, but you know, it'slike it's kind of funny how much
, like all that stuff, kind oflike you're like, oh, like, yes,

(34:58):
like this, all kind of driftedtogether.
But yeah, I have to have thosekey songs that like, just like,
make me, make me feel like theangst and the emotions for sure,
and like a new project that Istarted pretty recently.
I knew it felt right because Iwas like I know exactly which

(35:19):
song is going to make me crywhile I'm writing that.
You know like, once you havethat and you can like trigger
those emotions with music, Ifeel like it just like flows so
much easier.

Speaker 1 (35:31):
Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.

Speaker 2 (35:34):
I, yeah, I love reading fan fanfics or even
books where, like, theymentioned songs or playlists
they listened to, because I likethe idea of like, even after
you're done reading it, you'relike thinking about a book and
like listening to it.
I love that whole vibe.
Also, I'm sad you went throughthat breakup.
I don't write things so I can'timagine, but as a writer, I
imagine that that happens a lotwith people, that they write

(35:56):
certain like friendships andrelationships, like inspiration
and books, and it's probablyhard to look back.
But at the same time it'sprobably you can see this like I
don't know like season in yourlife, I guess reflected in your
work so well, and it's abeautiful book.
So, yeah, it's beautiful.
Yeah, like I said, it's fine.

Speaker 3 (36:15):
I wouldn't talk about it if it, if it were still like
very like fresh or whatever.
And I do have.
I have a boyfriend now and it'sI'm doing fine.
But it is kind of funny how,like even in the because
publishing takes so long, it'slike yeah, acknowledgement like
the last one, which is like thelongest one, is about him and I

(36:37):
actually was like, is this weird?
And then I was honestly it's,it's like a time capsule and
that's fine.
It's like, yeah, it's like hewas a big part of my life for
like 13 years, which is likeforever, and yeah, he should
still be like honored orwhatever in in this book.
So it's actually beeninteresting too, because, like

(36:59):
Ari is going through a divorceand I totally had that same
experience that I wrote about,except I lived it like a few
months ago.
You know, it's like this yeah,I am sitting alone in an empty
apartment and I don't have anydishes.
Like this is kind of weird.
So it's funny how like I it'salmost like I predicted it for

(37:20):
myself.

Speaker 1 (37:21):
Oh, that is.
Yeah, that is weird.
Okay, not about your book.
What was your favorite bookfrom last year that you read?

Speaker 3 (37:32):
From last year, I would have to say, and I just
kind of like rediscovered itwhen I was like looking through
some old Instagram posts.
Not a romance, it's an unhingedwoman book, but it's so funny.
It's a book called Exalted byAnna Dorn and it's I feel like

(37:55):
it maybe was like acontroversial but like people
either love it or hate it, butit the audio book is one of the
weirdest audio books I've everlistened to.
The narrator has such a flatdeadpan like affected.
She voices two differentcharacters but kind of with the
similar, it's just like I.
I was so like fascinated by thisbook.

(38:17):
It's basically a woman who islike a tick tock like astrologer
and kind of becomes obsessedwith a man who she thinks has
like an amazing like chart andthen it kind of like takes all
these twists and turns and it'snot like a like a thriller or
anything.
It's kind of like a lit thickthing but it's really funny, if

(38:39):
you like sort of dark humor andI just like remembered it the
other day and I'm always liketagging the author to probably
like weird.
I'm always like I love thisbook.
Everyone like you know likecheck it out.
She's probably like what, butyeah, that was definitely one of

(39:01):
my favorites of of last yearand another, I'll say a romance
to.
There's a book that actuallycame out the same day my book
came out.
So I met the author likevirtually just by you know,
because we're like, oh, we havebooks coming out the same day.
I'm like wait more, like.

(42:40):
I watch it like very regularly,even though I'm sort of like
sometimes like annoyed bycertain things in it.
But anyway, Well, okay.

Speaker 1 (42:49):
So then where do you because me and Ashley watched
you've got when Harry Met Sallyfor New Year's and we were
ranking out of the three of them.
What do you rank them at?
Obviously you've got males.
Last Do you?
Is Harry Met Sally first.

Speaker 3 (43:07):
I guess it would be.
I feel like it's very hard tocompare sleepiness in Seattle to
when.
Harry Met Sally because they'rejust very different.
Yeah, they're very differenttypes of movies and I almost
have seen one Harry Met Sally tolike.
I've literally read the scriptmany times.
I watched it all the time inorder to kind of like try to get
it so.

(43:29):
And I have not seen sleepinessin Seattle quite as much so.
But I do think that there'ssomething special about when
Harry Met Sally.
Just because of the, the teambehind it, it like it launched a
lot of career.
It actually launched like MegRyan into the romcom, like go to
person.

Speaker 1 (43:48):
That was the first one, yeah.

Speaker 3 (43:50):
So I feel like that really helped establish Nora
Efron.
Even like Billy Chris, likewhat the?

Speaker 2 (43:58):
hell, was that Exactly In a?

Speaker 3 (44:00):
romcom.

Speaker 1 (44:01):
That is true.
What was that?

Speaker 3 (44:03):
Whereas Tom Hanks I feel like yeah, of course Of
course he should be in that soit's just so hard to compare
them.

Speaker 1 (44:11):
That's.
I'll take that.
Okay.
How about the Drew Adam movies?
Which is better, the weddingsinger or 51st dates?
And there is a clear winner forthis one.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
It's the wedding singer hands down for me.

Speaker 1 (44:29):
Oh, I was going to say 51st dates, but nothing
compares to the wedding singer.

Speaker 2 (44:34):
I do the wedding singer Okay.

Speaker 1 (44:36):
All of it, my, my reasoning is because, okay,
maybe because I'm getting older,but, like you, just want
someone to love you sounconditionally that if you had
an accident like that, that theywould be there for you no
matter what.
They would push that tape inevery single day and they would

(44:58):
be by your side when you can'teven remember your own name,
while she remembers her name.
But you know what I mean.
That's why it's like that.
I get that.

Speaker 3 (45:08):
I don't mind 51st dates, I just think the wedding
singer is it's.
It's really good, it's so goodI haven't seen it in a long time
, but like it is, I think it'sactually like.
I think it did a lot also tolike make Adam Sandler more
believable in in non like hisearly movies.

Speaker 2 (45:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (45:30):
I kind of helped push him out of that.
But didn't they also make likea third one with with like all
their a bunch of?
They had all a bunch of kids,it's like family or something.

Speaker 1 (45:39):
Yeah, that was blended.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
I didn't know if that made the cut.
I thought you were gonna saythat when I was like oh, I did
not catch that one.
I don't think I've seen thatone either.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
I don't see it I didn't see it.

Speaker 1 (45:50):
That didn't make the cut.
Okay, okay, how about have youseen Kumail Nanjiani, lovebirds
or the big sick?

Speaker 3 (46:02):
Which I love, the big sick.

Speaker 2 (46:05):
The big sick is so good and I was also a big fan.

Speaker 3 (46:08):
He and he and his wife real life wife Emily used
to have a podcast where I don'tremember what the I don't know I
was.
I was really into this wholepodcast world like a few years
ago and so I knew of that storyfrom hearing them tell it.
You know, on these various likepodcasts and comedy podcasts,
and then when I found out theywere like writing this, I was

(46:30):
like, oh, that's, that's kind ofinteresting.
And then like the movie itself,I I really like.
I think it's like one of themost interesting and the best
like modern you know like 2010sand up, or whatever year came
out.
Romcom's yeah, it's great.

Speaker 1 (46:47):
It is, it's really good.

Speaker 2 (46:48):
I haven't seen it.
I need to walk, I guess.
Yeah, it's really good.

Speaker 1 (46:53):
Lovebirds is also really good.
It's like different take isit's like kind of murder mystery
but also a romcom kind of but.
But you're right, the big sickis so good.
Okay, what was the bettermulticast movie?
He's just not that into you.
Or love actually, it's likehard to compare.

(47:13):
There's so many.

Speaker 3 (47:15):
Yeah, I have to say I've only seen he's.
He's just not that into you, Ithink, maybe like once Me too,
Like I just I, I don't have thehistory with it.
Yeah, Love, actually I go backand forth on.
I feel like the hate for it isoverdone.
It's like, okay, we know, it'slike there's bad things about

(47:36):
this movie and there's likeweird, really weird stuff, but
then there's also like charmingstuff.

Speaker 1 (47:42):
So I guess, okay, so is the hate for it, cause I've
only, I've only seen each ofthem once.
Is the hate for it like thelove actually once?

Speaker 2 (47:49):
That's crazy, chanel.
I've seen it so many times.
Is it every Christmas?

Speaker 1 (47:54):
The whole like cheating thing and like I don't
even know, like what.
What's the whole stuff?
Cause there's only one blackguy in it.
What do we hate about it?

Speaker 2 (48:04):
It's like multiple things that people like the age
gap.
Age gap yeah, that was somepeople hate the best friend.
That's like hitting on thebride, the wife of his like best
friend.

Speaker 1 (48:16):
Yeah.
That people think it's reallycringy.

Speaker 3 (48:21):
Okay, gotcha, gotcha, all I've heard is sexual
harassment and the human storyline.
There's the woman.
Is it Emma Thompson who gets onThompson?
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (48:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (48:31):
Then there's like the little kid with the song.
It's like every storyline hassome like thing that I think a
lot of people are like hey, waita minute about.
So it's sort of like.
And then it's just ubiquitous,you know, it's just like oh,
like my favorite Christmas.
And then people were like no,that can't be your favorite
Christmas movie.

Speaker 1 (48:50):
It's like, well, yeah , but that's the other thing.
I'm like I thought it wassynonymous with Christmas, you
know.
So I was like, oh, okay, Ithought we loved this.

Speaker 3 (48:58):
I always thought the storyline with the stand in horn
actors is pretty funny.
But like now it's like, I guesslike Martin Freeman is
problematic and so people arelike cancel that one too.
I don't know, I guess youshouldn't enjoy this movie, but
it's like I think I've comearound on it again where I'm
like I can just enjoy this onits own.

(49:19):
You know, like I could justthrow it on and be like fine,
Maybe I should watch.
He's just not that into youagain.

Speaker 2 (49:29):
It's good to.

Speaker 3 (49:29):
I mean I like it.

Speaker 2 (49:30):
I've seen it a couple of times.

Speaker 3 (49:31):
There are so many actors in that there's like
famous people in that.

Speaker 1 (49:35):
There is crazy amount , yes, but I mean I guess that
could be problematic too,because it's just like you're
always, like there's like noexpectations, like you should
never expect to be like thechosen one you should be.

Speaker 3 (49:50):
You're all that whole book, that whole movement, yeah
, written by a man.

Speaker 2 (49:56):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (49:57):
I think is just suspect.

Speaker 1 (50:00):
Maybe the question is is which one is least
problematic?

Speaker 3 (50:06):
That's a good question, I mean.
But you know, at the same timeit's part of me, maybe it's
because, like when I was a kid Iwould watch Sex in the City and
I internalized like that'swhere that came from and it's.
But there is something to thefact that, like you shouldn't
get jerked around by people whoaren't you know, like upfront

(50:26):
and honest about what they wantfrom you.
And I think that's kind of theseed of he's just not that into
you.
So maybe that is a good thing toyou know, like a good message,
but I don't know if the moviereally like even do that.
There is like a cheatingstoryline again and that one
it's like I always get reallylike I get like a stomach ache

(50:46):
when I see like Jennifer Goodwinand she's just like.

Speaker 1 (50:51):
She's just.
She just got like jerked aroundthat whole movie yeah.

Speaker 3 (50:55):
It feels so like bad and uncomfortable to me to like
watch like beautiful actresseshave to like play these parts
where, like I don't know, I justyeah, okay.

Speaker 1 (51:05):
We can.
We can move on for those.
We just like analyze both.
So so okay, which Leo and Katemovie is better, the Titanic or
Revolutionary Road, which I feellike is actually?

Speaker 3 (51:20):
not all of Revolutionary Road.
I I love Titanic.
I think it holds up a hundredpercent.
Actually just watched it.
So my boyfriend has a eightyear old daughter and we watched
it with her like yes, she didnot want to watch it, but of
course she got totally sucked in.

Speaker 2 (51:40):
Obsessed, I bet.

Speaker 3 (51:42):
And I was asking like she's very perceptive, and she
was like is Jack gonna die?
I'm gonna die, and she was likeno, just tell me, because I'm
good she's like she was gettingagitated and he was telling you
the waters rushing in.
Yeah, and she was so worriedthe whole time and then at the
end of the movie she was likethat was the saddest that has

(52:02):
ever been made and she was likeso upset that we like subjected
her to like and we wouldn't tellher.
And afterward we were like, yeah, maybe we should have.
We should have like not done itthat way.
But it was really funnywatching it through the eyes of
like a child who had never seenthis before.
I unabashedly love it.

Speaker 1 (52:26):
Yeah, I'm still heartbroken over it.

Speaker 2 (52:29):
Ashley can attest to this.
I don't remember how I rememberwhen I got all the Titanic
stuff for Christmas when we werelittle, like the poster, the CD
she got like a box collectorset of like both VHS.

Speaker 3 (52:40):
The VHS.
Are you serious?
Yes, because it had two tapes.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
And like a blue box with like.
It came with a book with likeinlays in it.
What'd you do with that, stacey?
I still have it and remember atthe book fair they had the
heart of the fake heart of thenecklace and I got so upset.
When mom went, let me buy it,she was like absolutely not,
we're not spending $30 on that.
I'm so sad.

Speaker 3 (53:03):
It wasn't a real jewel.
I'm wearing my own version ofthe heart of the ocean.
I love it Gorgeous.

Speaker 2 (53:13):
Gorgeous.
I'm telling mom you're stillupset about it.
I still, yeah, but my grudge isthat when I was 10 years old,
she wouldn't buy me the heart ofthe ocean.
That was from this plastic bookfair.

Speaker 1 (53:26):
Oh, my God.

Speaker 2 (53:27):
Okay, titanic, obviously is the winner.
Revolutionary wrote is terriblysad.
It is like it's hard breaking.
I haven't seen it.
I haven't seen it, I mean it'sa good movie, but it is not a
rom-com.
You can't watch it more thanonce, I swear it's like a one
and done, wow, okay.

Speaker 1 (53:45):
I just was thinking of pairs, acting pairs, because
it was like Meg and Tom and Drewand Adam, and then Leo and Kate
.

Speaker 3 (53:52):
But I do love Leo and Kate, but yeah, In real life
they're still, like you know,friends, and I think that's kind
of cute, yeah, good acting pair.

Speaker 1 (54:02):
Okay, we got a couple more.
What's the best MatthewMcConaughey movie?
The wedding planner or how tolose a guy in 10 days.

Speaker 3 (54:10):
Okay, I'm the right person to ask about this because
I've pitched multiple MatthewMcConaughey rom-com era, sort of
like retellings or whateverfrom my subsequent books, and
then I kind of realized thatit's like there's not a whole

(54:32):
lot of character there, Matthew,I do think that how to lose a
guy in 10 days, I think isalmost a perfect rom-com setup,
Like the fact that they bothhave opposite goals.
You know, it's like forwhatever they did to come up

(54:53):
with that.
It's like I feel like that islike chef's kiss, super duper
rom-com setup.

Speaker 2 (54:59):
Yeah, perfect.

Speaker 3 (55:01):
And I can respect the movie for that.
I've seen it many, many timesin the past year because I've
been trying to kind of likecrack this, like retelling of it
.
But I do think that it'sthere's some real problematic
stuff about it.
But that's fine, it is what itis and I think they're very

(55:22):
charming together.
The wedding planner I've alwaysbeen stuck on the fact that
this man was engaged.
Ok, Give it, you know it's likeyes sometimes what is he doing?
What is he doing?
Or he's engaged.
Why is he, even if he's nottruly in love?
Why is he engaged?

(55:43):
Yeah, so I've never.
And there's a lot of moviesthat have that same set up and,
yeah, I just never rings truefor me that like Something blue,
no, what.
There's a movie also withJennifer.

Speaker 2 (55:59):
Oh, something borrowed, and it's only borrowed
.

Speaker 3 (56:01):
Yes, yes, Also engaged, I think right, so
that's a book series.

Speaker 2 (56:06):
Yeah, the other engage, and then she sleeps, and
then yeah, yeah, like I watchedthat movie, I'm like I don't
there's so many problems likeone, what kind of friendship is
this?
First off, that's happening.
And then two yeah, I was justlike it was two.
That's awesome.

Speaker 1 (56:20):
Kate Hudson.
Right, yeah, she's the portingcharacter.

Speaker 3 (56:23):
She's like the friend and she's the one engaged.

Speaker 1 (56:25):
I think yes, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (56:27):
Yeah, so I have a.
I have a problem with movieswhere the rom-com setup is that
somebody's already engaged butthen by the end of the movie
we're supposed to believe thatthey just do this like
switcheroo and we're allsupposed to be fine with it.
Yeah, like I would actuallylove to write and I feel like me
oh, I think this is EmilyHenry's next book maybe where
it's like the jilted, I thinkstory is like the jilted woman

(56:52):
has to kind of like move in withthe jilted man or something
which I was like yeah, I'd liketo see that because I would read
that yeah.
What happened to all these womenwho were engaged to Matthew
McConaughey's and then who leftthem for a wedding planner for
their wedding?

Speaker 2 (57:07):
Like you never recover from that.

Speaker 1 (57:09):
Yeah, what happens after the credits?
It might be a lot of people fora wedding planner.

Speaker 3 (57:14):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, that's, that's awful.
So how to?
To me it's how to lose a guy inin 10 days, but but yeah, he
really had a ton of rom-coms.
I'm actually working right nowon a kind of failure to launch
Failure to launch, if youremember that one.

Speaker 2 (57:32):
I love that.

Speaker 3 (57:33):
Failure to launch Like gender swapped kind of
thing as well.
So I've, but I haven't actuallywatched that whole movie.
I don't think I need to, but hedid so many rom-coms.

Speaker 1 (57:43):
He had that little era right there where he was
before the McConaissance, that'slike all he did.

Speaker 2 (57:49):
All he did was rom-coms Ghost of girlfriends.

Speaker 1 (57:51):
Pat, it's like you can't go to the ground, remember
the past.
I didn't even see that one.
Ok, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (57:57):
Did you guys hear the interview real fast?
The interview that he didbecause he wanted to get out of
rom-coms and that's all anybodywould pitch him was rom-coms and
he didn't want to do themanymore.
So he didn't act for almost twoyears because he refused to do
any kind of wrong.
And then I remember, like thisinterview that I read with him
like he got offered some obsceneamount of money to do this

(58:18):
movie and he still said nobecause he wanted to do
something else.
And I think he said it took twoyears before they let him do
anything else.
But he finally like broke outof that.

Speaker 1 (58:27):
What was it like then ?
He got Dallas Buyer's Club.

Speaker 2 (58:29):
I think so Like an Oscar, won an Oscar.
It's not been an issue.
But he was like I didn't knowif I was going to really work
again.
I just he's like.
I almost gave in to whatever.

Speaker 1 (58:39):
I don't remember.

Speaker 2 (58:41):
I don't remember what the movie was to that they were
offering, because somebody elsedid the rom-com and it was
really popular.
But yeah, I wish I rememberwhat it was now too.
I think he sent me that tolisten to.

Speaker 1 (58:50):
It's really honestly that makes me respect him a
little more, because he's not myfavorite actor by any means,
but I respect him.
You got to like change yourlane up sometimes.

Speaker 2 (59:00):
Yeah, he didn't work for like two years, I think
because of that yeah.

Speaker 1 (59:03):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (59:04):
And now, look, this is an inner stellar, inner
stellar I know, dude, amazing.

Speaker 1 (59:12):
Ok, ok, Ashton and Mila, obviously, who are married
.
They star in different moviesbut that have essentially the
same plot.
Kate, can you name those moviesthat each of them did?

Speaker 2 (59:25):
Shoot I don't even know, I was like can?

Speaker 1 (59:32):
you can call in for backup.
Oh no, you can't.
They don't know it.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
I think, I know, I think, I know them?

Speaker 3 (59:37):
Is it the Friends with Benefits?
That's one.
Ok, that was her.

Speaker 1 (59:43):
That was yes.

Speaker 3 (59:44):
Was what was.
The album was with NataliePortman.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
Oh, yes, yeah, yeah, I was going to say bonus points.

Speaker 2 (59:51):
You know the people no strings attached.

Speaker 1 (59:53):
Yeah, am I right?
Yeah Right, no strings attached.

Speaker 3 (59:55):
I think one of them used to be called fuck buddies
or something.
They had to change it and Icould have remembered the actual
title.

Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
Wow, what was?
What was because you hadNatalie Portman, and then who
was the guy that she was with?

Speaker 3 (01:00:09):
Justin Timberlake yeah good job.
All the way you get all thepoints.
I was just acting.

Speaker 1 (01:00:20):
OK, how Stella got her groove back, or under the
Tuscan sun.

Speaker 2 (01:00:28):
I've seen neither of these movies.

Speaker 3 (01:00:30):
I've, I've.
I saw how Stella got her grooveback when I was a child in the
movie.
I think my mom wanted to see it.
And I went and I was like so, Iwas like a kid, I was like what
is this?
But I think I liked it underthe Tuscan sun.
I feel like it's kind of ridingon this cliché of like lady

(01:00:54):
goes to Europe and you know it'slike in the starting it.

Speaker 1 (01:00:57):
So it's not fair to say yeah, like that kind of
Christina Barcelona kind ofthing.

Speaker 3 (01:01:03):
Like, but I feel like I would be more interested now
in watching how Stella got hergroove back, just because, like
it's like Angela Bassett, right,and she's my fave, she's
amazing.
I would I'll kind of probablywatch her in anything, yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:01:20):
Yeah, all right, last one how many times has J Lo
played a bride in rom-com movies?
I guess it's not necessarilyrom-com, but majority of them
are rom-coms.

Speaker 3 (01:01:34):
Listen, I have a bias towards J Lo right now and I
cannot say why.
I will defend her, so we're notgoing to talk any smack about
her.

Speaker 1 (01:01:44):
We're not talking.

Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
I think she's the she's the queen we found out
Maybe everyone.

Speaker 3 (01:01:49):
Cross your fingers that someday I can explain why
we are all supporting.

Speaker 2 (01:01:52):
I want to know.

Speaker 3 (01:01:53):
I do, I don't know, I'll tell you off, I'll go for
it Okay.
Yeah, I was like I just watcheda tic-tac like literally
yesterday about why she isbecause she's a bride in her new
music video.

Speaker 1 (01:02:06):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:02:08):
So it's like they were like what is she doing?
Why is she always trying to bea bride?

Speaker 1 (01:02:11):
Yeah, I think that's what came up and I was like this
fact is interesting.

Speaker 3 (01:02:15):
It's like wedding planner shotgun wedding Marry me
Monster and Law Monster and LawMonster and Law is so good.
James did it that movie.

Speaker 2 (01:02:26):
I love that movie.
I built that movie.

Speaker 1 (01:02:29):
You got to go way back as well.

Speaker 3 (01:02:32):
Like, so she been.

Speaker 1 (01:02:34):
Oh, she was.
It's sometimes she didn't gothrough with the wedding, just
to say that you know so I'm likejust throw it that way.

Speaker 3 (01:02:44):
I'm trying to think of what her other rom-com Made
in Manhattan.
She's not a bride, she's a maid.
She does dress up at one point.

Speaker 2 (01:02:52):
This isn't a rom-com, but I love her enough that's
like one of my favorite.
Oh yeah, she, she, she does it,she dresses up.

Speaker 1 (01:02:58):
She plays a bride in that too.

Speaker 2 (01:03:01):
So she just get married in that.

Speaker 3 (01:03:02):
She gets married, right Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:03:05):
That a whole Uh-huh.

Speaker 3 (01:03:06):
I don't know she's been a bride in.
Yeah, I can't think.

Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
Like seven.

Speaker 3 (01:03:12):
Oh wait, to the plan B or something.
Is she a bride?
She's pregnant, she's beenpregnant.

Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
It's not called plan B, but it's back up plan.

Speaker 3 (01:03:21):
Yeah, oh that's what it is that's plan B?

Speaker 1 (01:03:25):
Uh-oh they're.
What else is there?
Okay, selena, they're.

Speaker 3 (01:03:31):
Selena, they do get married in that Uh-huh.

Speaker 2 (01:03:33):
Selena.

Speaker 1 (01:03:35):
So the answer is nine times Wow, selena, wedding
planner, enough.
El Contante, backup plan Marryme, my family, shotgun wedding
and the cell.

Speaker 3 (01:03:53):
She's a bride in the cell.

Speaker 1 (01:03:55):
As it says.

Speaker 2 (01:03:56):
I can't remember.
I mean, the cell is really good.
I haven't watched her, but Idon't remember her being a bride
.

Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
Yeah, she's worn a white dress with the intention
of marrying she.
She's might not have it's afollowed through with it, but
like she's, you know, worn adress and like you know,
interesting, I didn't hear yousay monster in law.

Speaker 2 (01:04:14):
Was that on there?

Speaker 3 (01:04:15):
That wasn't even Maybe she wasn't a bride in that
maybe.

Speaker 1 (01:04:18):
Yeah, maybe she, maybe she was, I can't remember.

Speaker 2 (01:04:22):
They got married cause she wore white to their
wedding.
The mom.

Speaker 3 (01:04:25):
Oh, wait a minute, yeah, cause remember to the J.

Speaker 2 (01:04:29):
James.

Speaker 1 (01:04:30):
Fonda wears white to the wedding.

Speaker 2 (01:04:31):
Cause she likes Bill Marinair's.
The last one, james, somethingright, I forget, maybe it's 10,
but it's 10.

Speaker 1 (01:04:38):
This one, it says nine.

Speaker 3 (01:04:40):
I haven't even caught them all.

Speaker 1 (01:04:42):
Yeah, now it's 10.

Speaker 3 (01:04:44):
No, I have to say I, if you've seen the Netflix
documentary like it's called thehalftime, I think, oh, yeah,
yeah, I, when I watched that,like I don't know last year or
two years ago, I felt deeplymoved, Um, and I might have even
cried.
I feel like she has.
She has been through a lot andshe does not get like respect

(01:05:08):
from you know, like her peers,Um, and but like she's, you know
, she's like a force.
So if she's amazing, a bride 10times, she can do that and I'm
fine with that.
By the way, Mary Meade was likebased on a web comic or
something.
Um, yeah, it's like it has areally interesting origin story

(01:05:31):
and, um, yeah, I mean sheproduces and like all of like.

Speaker 1 (01:05:38):
I'm obviously like her later movies and stuff.
So I'm like, yeah, like yousaid, good for her.
Not only is she starring inthese.
You know what was that one,that one movie she was in where
she it was really good.

Speaker 2 (01:05:51):
It was based on a true story about the strippers.

Speaker 3 (01:05:53):
Hustlers, oh my God.
Hustlers yeah, she was amazingin that and she produced that
too.

Speaker 2 (01:05:56):
Hustlers is great Hustlers was good yeah.
So, um, like you said, shedeserves all that, all that kind
of credit.

Speaker 1 (01:06:03):
So, um, okay, let's do.
Um, we'll do a little bit of a.
Let's do, um we do like alittle kudos corner, which is
basically us giving thanks andshouting out things that we're
thankful for, happy about thisweek, and yeah, so let's start
it off.
We'll we'll do go around thecircle and then we'll end with

(01:06:26):
you Kate.

Speaker 2 (01:06:27):
Yay, no pressure.
If you don't want to do it,just we do it.
No pressure, we do it over time.

Speaker 1 (01:06:32):
If you don't have anything to be thankful for.
That's why.

Speaker 3 (01:06:34):
Oh no.

Speaker 1 (01:06:37):
Um go ahead.
Ashley can start it off.

Speaker 2 (01:06:39):
Oh that, that means they get to copy me when I get
to go first.

Speaker 1 (01:06:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:06:44):
So obviously my kudos is for you.
I just can.
I still can't believe thatyou're on our podcast right now.

Speaker 1 (01:06:50):
And.

Speaker 2 (01:06:50):
I swear it was like fate, because I was at Barnes
and Noble and we had talkedabout doing your book.
Um, so I went ahead and boughtit when I was there and then,
not even 20 minutes after Ipurchased the book, Chanel like
group text with me and Stacy waslike oh my God, she agreed to
be on our podcast.
And I was in Barnes and Noblewith our friend Ashley and I was
just like freaking out in themiddle of this store.

(01:07:10):
I was like you see, this book,this, oh, there's going to be on
our podcast.
Ashley's like I know her.

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
She hadn't even hadn't even met her, yet she's
like, she's my friend hey thatis true, though.

Speaker 3 (01:07:23):
I call everyone my friend, who I have never spoken
to, but I just am like you're myfriend.

Speaker 2 (01:07:28):
So that's right.
So I just feel like it's fateand just thank you for taking
the time to be here.
You're absolutely amazing.
I'm obsessed with this book.
I can't stop reading it.
I will be finished with it, I'msure today or tomorrow at this
point, and, yeah, I'm just soexcited for for that and
anything else that you havecoming out.
It's just, it's going to beamazing.
I know it.
Yeah, that's all my cuteness.

(01:07:50):
I guess I like you guys too, butit's just funny because
Ashley's barn's a noble story.
But, like before we had everdiscussed this, the copy I have
for your book is actually frommy Book of the Month app that I
do or whatever, and so I wastelling Ashley and Chanel when
she decided to do it I go, thisis like the universe is telling
us to have these like reallystrong female writers and like

(01:08:13):
talk about their books and stuff, because I ordered it and then
I had it and then she was likewe're going to do it and then
you're on and I'm just like it's, everything's just like lining
up.
It was just really cool.
So definitely thank you fortaking the time.
It's just been a greatexperience.
I've been excited about thisall week and kudos to, obviously

(01:08:35):
, chanel for being like I'm justgoing to do it, I'm going to
message and see what happens.

Speaker 1 (01:08:41):
Yeah, thank you Seriously.
I mean again just to piggybackoff of what they're saying.
I mean thank you so much.
I mean we have no idea the lifeof an author, but I'm sure you
have, you know, people slidinginto your DMs and emails and so
just to say yes to us.
You know we're this is a littlepodcast we're very appreciative

(01:09:03):
and, yeah, again, I'm juststalking you after I read this
book last year and so it's, I'mgeeking out, it's just being
such a fan.
So, thank you so much.
Kudos to you, because this bookis truly just it's amazing,
it's you can tell, and justreading it, all the hard work

(01:09:25):
that you, that you put into it,because these characters are
great, the supporting cast isgreat and it was definitely a
top read for me last year.
So so, yeah, thank you so much.
I have one more kudos my bestfriend, bob.

Speaker 3 (01:09:40):
He, he retired this week.

Speaker 1 (01:09:43):
And so we had a little retirement party this
weekend.
So I just want to say happyretirement Bob.
Oh yeah, so he's my secondkudos.

Speaker 3 (01:09:55):
Bob.
So yeah, well, let me give youall kudos.
This was really fun.
It also worked out perfectlybecause I have the day off for
the holiday today, so this wasjust like so nice.
Not only do I not have to bedoing my job, I can be like

(01:10:15):
talking to you all, so that's,that's really fun.
So it was, it was my privilege,and thank you for first sliding
into my messages or emails.
I really appreciate it.
And I would like to say give akudos to a book that I am
currently reading, that I'm I'mprobably the last person to read

(01:10:36):
this book.
You've probably already allread it, but I could not wait to
read it.
Actually suspense I'm not evengoing to say what it is yet, but
it was an add on for Book ofthe Month this month.
So when I was getting my booksbecause I am also a member they
were impressed by.
When I went to Book of theMonth, I was like I'm a member.

Speaker 2 (01:10:57):
What.

Speaker 3 (01:10:59):
Yes, I have the app and I ordered it and it was so
popular that they're like yourbox isn't going to ship for like
until mid January.
So I was like, oh, it camethrough on Libby like two days
ago.
Oh, I was like, yes, I acceptit, I'll take it.
So I've been reading it on myphone, but it is Butcher and

(01:11:21):
Blackbird.

Speaker 2 (01:11:22):
I knew you were going to say that I'm waiting for
that too.
That's so funny.
I'm waiting for it for Book ofthe Month too, right now.

Speaker 3 (01:11:29):
What happened?
I just didn't print enough.
I know I should have justbought it in a normal store, but
I was like oh, I'm waiting onLibby right now.
I actually heard, actually TaraDeWitt, I think, the another
famous author of Buddy Feelings,who I also slid into her DMs.
She's the one who she was like.
The audio book is also reallygood.

Speaker 1 (01:11:49):
Yeah, that's what I heard.

Speaker 3 (01:11:50):
So I wish I had the audio, but that's OK, I'll be
reading the book because I'vealready like tried to pitch like
something similar.
I was like used it as a comp,like you know, if you like
Butcher and Blackbird, like whatabout this book idea I have,
because I just like knew I wasreally going to be into it.
So I'm very excited that it'sso, that like took off and it's

(01:12:14):
so popular, because I think it'sso cool to do this kind of like
genre mashup and that peoplelike love it so much.
So, yeah, I'm just I'm reallyenjoying reading that.
Nice who does to Bryn Weaver.

Speaker 2 (01:12:28):
Yeah, I love it.
I can't wait to read it, likeI've heard such great things.

Speaker 1 (01:12:31):
Yeah, Stacey, it seems like your kind of book
Definitely.
Yeah, I can see it.
I can see it.
Yeah, you gave us some goodrecs.

Speaker 2 (01:12:39):
Yes, check them out.
Yeah, definitely check them out.
I've been like putting them onmy Libby app, as you guys are
talking about.

Speaker 1 (01:12:45):
Save and save.
Yes, and to all of ourlisteners, of course.
Obviously, read you again byKate Goldbeck, since we are
going to be talking about itnext episode.

Speaker 2 (01:12:57):
So yeah, amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:12:59):
We love it.
That's the best rec.
That's the best rec for theepisode.
Well, thank you again.

Speaker 2 (01:13:05):
Thank you everyone for listening and yeah, stacey
you gotta read what you like,close it out, stace.
Okay, betcha on.
Now I gotta figure out how toend the recording.