Bad On Paper Podcast: February 2026 Three Things

Hosts: Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Release Date: February 18, 2026

Episode Overview

This “Three Things” episode is packed with personal updates, playful banter, behind-the-scenes insights into book tours and home renovations, as well as their go-to comfort songs, restorative solo day plans, and a big discussion on the logistics, myths, and realities of book events. Sprinkled throughout are tales of new apartments, recovering from burnout, the magnetism of Tom Hiddleston, and dream casts for The Traitors. Becca and Olivia keep it real, relatable, and fun, while diving deep into their recent highs, lows, and hopes for the coming year.

Highs and Lows (00:44 – 11:28)

Becca’s High: New Apartment & New Beginnings (00:53)

• Finally moved into her much-anticipated new apartment.
• Felt surprisingly settled and happy; furniture fits better than expected.
• Painted her office a soothing blue and is embracing the Lunar New Year, specifically the “Year of the Fire Horse.”
• Exploring her new neighborhood and enjoying the warmer weather:
  “It’s nice to… I’m obsessed with my four walls, but it’s nice to get out of them too.” – Becca, (02:35)

Olivia’s High: Book Tour Success (03:10)

• Returned from nearly two weeks on book tour, encompassing seven events in as many cities.
• Loved interacting with readers/listeners and answering unique questions at Q&As.
• Cherished the special moments:
  “It was honestly, like the stuff of dreams. It was really, really nice…to be celebrating it with people who are just also interesting and kind.” – Olivia, (04:05)
• Becca attended her NYC event and gifted her a set of Swedish candy, which became a nightly treat.

Olivia’s Low: Touring While Sick (05:46)

• Started feeling ill after the NYC event but pushed through remaining tour stops powered by “adrenaline and over-the-counter drugs.”
• Reflected on burnout and the ongoing challenge of self-care on the road. “I think I have been some version of burnt out for now like going on a month.” – Olivia, (07:11)

Becca’s Low: The Forgotten License Fiasco (08:35)

• Forgot her driver’s license for her apartment closing and experienced a “heart palpitations” moment but was able to proceed due to digital scans of ID. “The absolute stomach sinking, heart beating out of my chest feeling I experienced at the 11th hour, realizing that I did something so boneheaded…” – Becca, (09:56)

Olivia Empathizes (10:16)

• Recalled similar closing day stress when she and Jake completed a wrong bank transfer. “It was that feeling you describe of like, oh my gosh, has been such a process. I so excited. We’re so close. And then…” – Olivia, (11:01)

Three Things Segment

1. Comfort Songs on Every Playlist (13:08–18:58)

Prompt: "What song is on the most number of playlists you have?" (13:09)

• Becca:

  • "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley (always in rotation since college, connects present and past selves)
  • "the 1" by Taylor Swift (more recent, versatile mood song)
  • “It connects you with past versions of yourself… it does feel like time travel a little bit to listen to one of those songs.” (15:15)

• Olivia:

  • "Go Do" by Jónsi (“your life is a music video, your life is a movie song” – (14:21))
  • "The Woodpile" by Frightened Rabbit (appears on almost every playlist)
  • Ray LaMontagne (especially reminiscent of high school and “bathtub listening”)
  • “I feel like I have listened to Ray Lamontagne through every phase of my life.” (16:55)
  • "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root (iconic for its nostalgia and driving memories)

• Memorable Moment: Olivia sings a bit of “Send Me On My Way” and they both reflect on the literal lyric meanings and their personal nostalgia (18:13).

Listener Prompt: Both agree this is a great question for their Facebook/BFF group (18:00).

2. Home Renovations & Dreaming Big (19:20–29:20)

Olivia: “I want to hear about the house. What have you been dreaming of?” (19:20)

• Becca: Focused on decorating and personalizing her newly renovated apartment.
  • Office: Painted, planning for bookshelves, wants a much bigger desk.
  • Main living area: Using her interior designer to help distinguish and “cozy” the open plan.
  • Bathroom: Offensive lighting (“Welcome to my bathroom. Would you like to confront every flaw you’ve ever had...?" (24:18)), possibly new medicine cabinet, maybe wallpaper.
  • Kitchen: Wants to swap out stark black hardware.
  • Bedroom: Pausing renovations to save money.
• Reflections on homeownership: Feels more invested in upgrades and less concerned about "amortizing" costs. “The thing about owning this place… is that in my last apartment, I feel like there was so much that was like, okay, well, how long will I be here?… There’s just more longevity in this apartment because I own it.” (28:41)

Dishwasher Joy:
“Every time I turn it on, I get a tingly rush of euphoria.” – Becca, (27:51)

3. Book Tours & Author Events: Pulling Back the Curtain (29:26–48:31)

Becca: “I want to talk about book events and your experience with them…” (29:26)

Planning & Funding Book Tours (29:48)

• Tours typically begin planning post-copyedits.
• Publishers are hesitant to invest unless sales numbers justify it; often, authors must self-fund or co-fund tours.
• Olivia: “I think the publisher will invest in a tour if one, they can see a track record where you can sell out events… or two, you are an author with a major profile.” (31:41)

Realities vs. Perceptions (36:19)

• Book tours look glamorous but rarely guarantee ROI.
• Social media amplifies impact; audience photos create valuable “touch points.”
• “There are a lot of things, I think, in publicity… where the actual ROI… is not necessarily as clear as, like, the optics of it, you know, and I think a tour is something that optically always looks very exciting and flashy to people, but doesn’t necessarily… directly correlate with sales.” – Olivia, (36:59)

The Mechanics of Events (40:04)

• Securing conversation partners often depends on author connections; sometimes Instagram callouts help.
• Conversation partners & authors are not paid; it’s “literary citizenship.” (42:29)
• Olivia: “It is work. You asked great questions, by the way.” (42:32)
• Both agree events with personal rapport or a shared history make for best discussions due to avoidance of spoilers.

Audience Questions & Nerves (43:33)

• Olivia less nervous now but finds uncertainty over turnout creates anxiety. Becca is more nervous as the author than as a partner.
• “There’s so much that the bookstore is risking… and the publisher is risking… and there’s a lot of people involved. So I like when I know how many people are going to each event.” – Olivia, (43:50)

What Makes a Great Event? (45:33)

• Rapport with conversation partner is helpful.
• Engaged audience with good questions elevates the experience.
• “If you’re in the audience of a book event and you’re like, I don’t know if I should raise my hand, please do. Because I promise you, everyone is curious to hear what you are going to say.” – Olivia, (47:53)

Restorative Solo Day Plans (50:22–58:13)

Prompt: “What does your ideal restorative solo day look like?” (50:22)

• Becca:

  • Sleep in; walk for bagel & coffee; slow morning; shower and plan a special outing like a museum.
  • Fancy lunch alone with a good book (“We’re not just having a quick lunch… we’re getting two courses.” (52:40))
  • Wandering shops, then home for a relaxing nap and an evening with a favorite show.

• Olivia:

  • Coffee in bed; homemade breakfast; cute/comfy outfit; intentional trip to Goodwill for specific needed items.
  • Indulgent lunch out (envisioning a chicken Caesar wrap or buffalo chicken wrap).
  • Back home to tidy or organize, long walk with dog Winnie, pasta and a cozy movie in bed by 7:30pm.
  • “I just want to get rid of stuff. I want to streamline stuff... I tend to just hold on to things for too long. I just want to… find something better.” (57:32)

Dream Cast for The Traitors (58:17–65:52)

Becca: “If you had to pick five people who plausibly would go on Traitors… who would your dream cast be?” (58:17)

• Olivia’s List: Jojo Siwa, Rachel Zoe, Ilona Maher, Bo Burnham (as wishful thinking), Kylie Kelsey, “anyone from 90 Day Fiance” (and classic Cody from Sister Wives for Michael Rapaport energy).
• Becca’s List:
  • Katya (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
  • “Lovely old man” archetype (Tim Gunn, Bill Nye, or Al Roker)
  • Hilary Duff
  • Monica Lewinsky (“I think it would be very healing for the timeline if we all supported her and didn’t say a bad thing about her…” (63:24))
  • Alex McCord (early Real Housewives of NY)
  • Wildcard: Gritty (Philadelphia mascot, “picture it – he does not speak the entire time…” (65:21))

Writing Process & Aspirations for Book Three (66:00–72:58)

• Becca: Planning to approach Book Three differently:

  • Two-week “research and planning” phase (instead of diving in), plotting, character reflection, reading/watching related materials.
  • Focused on consistency and giving herself grace with drafting timelines.
  • Avoiding dual timelines for craft reasons.
  • “I really want to work on my attitude and giving myself grace and knowing that it’s not always going to be good or perfect, but I’m going to get there.” (67:55)

• Olivia: Plans to allow herself to become “completely obsessed” with this next book; ready for total creative immersion.

  • “I want to go to a level of dedication and obsession… that I have never gone to before.” (70:25)
  • Embracing confidence as a two-time published author and seeking creative freedom.

Obsessions & Recent Reads (77:12–84:07)

Becca’s Obsession: Dustbuster (77:12)

• Reveling in the joy of a new Ryobi handheld vacuum:
  “I do not know how I did not have a dustbuster for so long. I take this thing out…twice a day.” (76:01)

Olivia’s Obsession: Tom Hiddleston (77:16)

• Rewatching The Night Manager (enjoyed S1 more than S2); charmed by a viral video of Hiddleston dancing on a talk show.
• “There’s something about it you have to watch with the music, but there’s something about it that… makes me giggle so much.” (78:50)

Recent Reads

Becca:

Bad Words by Rhiannon Robinson (not out until October)

• Adult debut, author/critic social media enemies-to-lovers romance.
• Has a lot to say about book criticism, publishing; features a “giddy” email section.
• “I usually have a lot of trouble with enemies to lovers … but this… felt believable. And it was, it was very Enemies to lovers. It was very good.” (81:45)

Olivia:

• Currently reading, nothing finished this week, but plugs her newest novel Little One, which will be discussed fully in a spoiler-filled book club episode next week.

Notable Quotes

• "It's so easy to forget that thousands of people are part of [our conversations]." — Becca (38:03)
• “If you’re in the audience of a book event and you’re like, I don’t know if I should raise my hand, please do. Because I promise you, everyone is curious…” — Olivia (47:53)
• “Every time I turn [the dishwasher] on, I get a tingly rush of euphoria.” — Becca (27:51)
• “I want to go to a level of dedication and obsession with this book that I have never gone to before.” — Olivia (70:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:44 – Highs and Lows (moving, book tour, apartment closing disaster)
• 13:08 – Comfort Songs on Every Playlist
• 19:20 – Home Renovation Plans
• 29:26 – Behind-the-Scenes of Book Tours & Author Events
• 50:22 – Ideal Restorative Solo Day Plans
• 58:17 – Dream Cast for The Traitors
• 66:00 – Approaching Book Three Differently
• 77:12 – Obsessions (Dustbuster, Tom Hiddleston)
• 80:01 – Recent Reads & Book Recommendations

Final Takeaways

• Becca and Olivia are entering new phases (and homes) with optimism and intention.
• Both are balancing creative ambitions with self-compassion and a dose of fun.
• The realities of book tours are more complex than they appear – and book events benefit from authentic audience participation.
• They’re actively inviting their community into ongoing conversations on music, home, restorative rituals, and pop culture castings.

Join the Conversation:

• Facebook Group, BFF Group, and Instagram: @badonpaperpodcast
• Becca: Instagram @beccafreeman, newsletter at beccafreeman.substack.com
• Olivia: Instagram & Substack @oliviamuenter, author of Little One

Next episode: Spoiler-filled book club discussion of Olivia’s Little One.