A (0:00)

Hi, it's Eric. I produce the show. I feel like it's been a while since I've popped up in your feed, but I'm here today just to introduce the Fated Mates Live episode. I had to cut out a couple of moments from this episode where people in the audience were talking and you couldn't hear what they were saying, so I just cropped those sections right out. I don't think you'll feel it to be particularly jarring or disjointed, but I just wanted to let you know that there are a couple of things that were there in the live moment but are not present in the recording. This was the first Fated Mates Live that has happened without me in attendance.

B (0:50)

And.

A (0:52)

It felt weird not to be a part of it. I kind of had the feeling that I was not necessary in this instance and that it wouldn't really matter one way or the other. But in the moment when it was happening live and I was at home not there, I felt it. Being in the Fated Mates Live room full of happy people and feeling like maybe I play a small part in helping bring that joy. It's a great feeling. It's one of those things that, you know, can keep me going for a while. So that will not happen again. I don't know when the next Fated Mage live will be, but I'll be there. So we're gonna run this live episode this week, and then next week I'll find something else to run, and then we'll be back for a whole new season doing what we do somehow still. Thanks for listening. Enough of my yakkin. On with the show.

B (2:04)

Hello, everyone. Oh, my God. Hi, everyone. This is so exciting. I'm Sarah MacLaine. I read romance novels and I write them, and. And I'm Jennifer Prokop, a romance reader and editor, and we are Fated mates. Welcome to Fated Mates Live Midwest. I'm so excited to learn about your culture. There's an ice cream shop. I'm told that. What is. No. Maybe it's a gas station. Could it be both? Sure, probably. There's a great barbecue out in the. Out in the parking lot, too. I was sent pictures of logos, I'm told. Oh, you guys. Wait, did we. Did Banter plus go out yet? No. No. Okay. Okay. So on Banter plus, we talked about this, but apparently there is an American giant museum. Oh, yeah. On the way back. Does anybody know about this? Yeah. We gotta go. There's not time for science, but it's reporting halfway between here and Chicago. There's A place called the American Giants Museum. And all it has, apparently are like, you know those. Okay, Midwesterners, I'm talking to you now. You don't. I'm watching this like a. Yeah, like Indiana Jones people. You know how there's like all those, like, huge roadside, like the big boy and all that business. It's just a museum that is collecting those things. Yeah. There's like a man with thighs the size of a McLean hero. Right. We gotta go. We'll see. So I'm like, I'm also driving tomorrow. We are driving. Good luck to you, Chicago. I might show up. I could be at the American Giants Museum. Yeah, we dropped Sarah off and then I showed up at the sighting. We should have it at the American Giants Museum. We cracked the code. So thank you all for coming. We're so excited. Oh, my gosh. It's really great to see so many faces we know and recognize, but also so many people that have never been to a fated mates live before. Raise your hands again. Raise your hands again. We like that. Oh, yay. So it's easier if you like, who has been to Fademates live. There you go. Hello, team. And then can we also just do, like, who thinks they're from the furthest distance? You. Yeah. You're from California. Further than California. Yes. In the back. Okay. Some California. Also California. Up in front. Did somebody say Saigon? Okay. North Carolina. Hey. All right. California. I'll allow it. Welcome, West Coasters. You too are learning the culture. Yes, that's true. This is going to be fun for everyone. So speaking of fun of everyone, we have our special friend Kate Claiborne with us. Come on up, Kate. Yay. Another Midwesterner. Another Midwesterner. Without me. Oh. As Eminem would say. Okay, so what we are going to be doing, everybody. So just a couple housekeeping things. If you think of a question as you get up and get a drink and you want to wander over and write them down, you could. You could. Or you could just send them this. Right? You'll send them this way. Or Stephanie will bring them up. And then we. We have a bunch of things. Sometimes we'll be calling on people in the audience to ask answer a question, and then you can come and get a prize, which is an arc from one of our libraries, to be honest with you. It's fine. These are giveaways. We still want you to buy as many books as you can over there. And I'm not sure that they talked about it, but a lot of the books over there are books that we have recommended or that ones that you know. So if you're looking at, like, what are those other books? Those are books that we're like, you all should read these. They're also. But we should say they're not necessarily faded mates classics. Some of them are like new wrecks from us. We haven't talked about on the podcast yet. So. But everything is Sarah and. Or Jen and or Kate approved. Right? Right. So if you are like, why is this book over here? That is why. So we hope that you will support the novel neighbor. We hope that you will have a drink. We hope that you'll buy T shirts. I bought some earrings already. Because you know what a Midwesterner is going to do? Not pass up on a good sale. That's right. Okay, what did I do? That was my phone. Okay, it's fine. All right. I'm in the middle. Breaking up the orange. All right, so we didn't plan it. We did not plan it. But. But I like it. It's fantastic. Okay, we have a couple icebreaker questions to start just to, like, get us. And like I said, we might call on one of you to answer it. Okay, so icebreaker question number one is we're all gonna answer this. Like, sometimes I'm just moderating, but I'm also cruise director. I'm cruise directing. What is your biggest childhood fashion disaster? That's a good one. You guys can think about it too, because I'm going to have a couple. You tell me. Sarah, want to start with you. All right, listen, I'm going to tell a story of my senior year photographs in my senior year. I did not. By the way, I don't know any of these questions. We're all going off the cuff. But my senior year yearbook photograph, I decided that I was going to mourn Kurt Cobain. So I had a. Thank you. You understand. You understand. So I had a real, like, flannel. I was like, I'm going to wear flannel. And my mother, who is very English, was like, you are not wearing flannel. And I made my friend Erin Cooney, like, sneak her dad's camera because we had to use film to our. Our high school to take pictures of me in flannel in honor of Kurt Cobain. And then I snuck the photo into the yearbook instead of the photo my mother had approved. And when I tell you, everyone, it's an embarrassment and it was bad, but also like, Kurt Cobain. Yeah. You want me to go next? Yeah, we're going. Okay, so everybody, I. I need to understand that this is mine. This. Okay. It's not my natural color anymore, but, like, the straight of my hair is the straight of my hair. And I grew up at a really unfortunate time in the. In high school where everybody. About a perm. It is gonna be about a perm. Oh, yeah. Amazing. I'm gonna go back. I'm gonna. We can't get to perms anymore. Untrue. A lot of guys, a lot of young men, a lot of. Okay. You know that wipe thing they do with the hair? Now, is anybody here a hair stylist? Yeah, somebody must be. Sarah. Somebody has a perm story besides you. Correct. The boys do it now. The kids. Perm. The kids are perming the boys because that's how they get that. Sure. That very specific thing that's happening like a straight stray cat. That's a deep cut. There you go. Okay. It's a deep cut. Now, here's the good news. I'm going to start with the good news before I get to the bad news, which is in high school, at the time I was in high school in the Midwest, there was this thing happening where you'd, like, kind of create like, a football of your bangs and then spray the hell out of it. Aqua nets. Oh, yes. You remember that. And I did not do that. So in my high school yearbook, I actually look like the only person with scents. But the reason is, is because I do learn a lesson the hard way. And in sixth grade, I beg my mom to get a perm, and. Okay, you see how straight my hair is? Like, if you have really curly hair and you, like, need to blow out, and you know how much effort that takes. Like, that's what it would take to make my hair curly. And I just have this, like, school photo of me. I bet I can smell that photo, you know? You really, really can. You really can. And now I just think I look like my unfortunate. It was unfortunate. So mine is more of a hair thing than really remembering. I had a school uniform. I think that saved me from a lot of unfortunate things. My. A memorable fashion disaster. And I just want to say, I don't think it was my fault. We'll be the judge of that. But there's, like, a period of time where. When I was in elementary school, where my dad was the one getting me ready for school, he was, like, not working for a period of time, and so he was getting me ready for school. And, you know, I'm not gonna say he was bad at it, but he was not. Like, my mom about It. And I have one more, actually. This is like, a good icebreaker to maybe, like, transition into the main event, which is talking about Sarah's book. No, we're not gonna do that, though. You know that. It's not happening. Listen, Sarah's editor's here, and she's like, you're not Sarah's book. Right. Yes. Yes, we are. Don't worry about it. I got you, Shauna. But what if I don't want to? All right, go ahead. Okay, fine. What if I don't want to? Okay. Okay. Last week, I did a really fun event with Mia Sosa, and one of the audience members asked a question that I just thought was really great, which is, this reader said romance really specializes in, like, a small moment that's just so memorable. Right? Like, you've read this book, and you're like, I will never forget this moment. I will never forget when Derek Craven stole Sarah's glasses. That's a good example. Thank you. But now I would like another example. Everybody already knows that one. Sarah. Okay, well, that's my small moment of memory from my childhood as well. I will never forget when Derek Craven stole Sarah's glasses. We'll be talking more about Derek Craven later. Don't worry. Okay. Of course we will. What about. Okay, here's. Can I. Can. What about a moment you have written? All right. This lady remembers when, like, wit asks to be tied to the mast of his ship. Maybe that's not small, though. Maybe that's big. It's big. It's very big. Very big. Yeah. It's a great moment. Okay, so you're refusing names. That's a good one. Okay, pass. That's a good one. Okay, what about. Do you want me to go? Do you want to go? You go. Okay, I'm gonna do one. I read recently because I have been rereading Susan Elizabeth Phillips, which was, like, a really foundational kind of reader, like, you know, kind of reading experience for me. And I read a new book of hers. Like, at some point, I stopped reading her. Right. Or, you know, just didn't catch up. And so in. I don't remember the name. Necroborn Charmer. It actually is not about either of the main characters. But Jack Patriot is, like, kind of. I'm like, listen, what a name. What a name. Jack Patriot. Never change. And there is Jack Patriot. There is a. Like, a little. His daughter is. And they're not estranged, but he is a very absentee kind of father. But he, as you can guess by that name, is like a superstar. Right. He's a. He's a rock singer, and he's been famous for decades. And his daughter asks him, like, if. So he. Basically, he realizes she doesn't have her own guitar and that her mother, who is also a musician, didn't let her, you know, kind of use one. And so then she's like, but I've been practicing. And he's. And he asked her, how have you been practicing? And she said she made one out of cardboard. And this man goes into the bathroom and puts his head in his hand because he has done wrong, and he knows it. And he's feeling a feeling, right? He's like, my. I am one of the most famous musicians in the world, and my daughter has been practicing on a cardboard guitar. But it was just such a great moment of, like, just the feelings. It was so good. I have one that I read that I think about, literally. I think I've probably written an homage to it and, like, 19 of my 20 books. But it's a Judith McNaught moment in the Christmas novella that Jen no longer lets me discuss in our Christmas novella episode, because I talk about it every year. Every year. I'm like, there's that McNaught. She's like, no, you may not talk about that anymore, but I can hear. Oh, God, what's it called? Miracles, maybe. Thank you. Thank you. You know, and it's. Oh, God, it's brutal, this story. Like, they. She thinks she trapped him into marriage. He sends her away to the country. His mother is dying then. And his mother is like, I can't die without knowing that you're happy in marriage. And so they go to the country, and he has just. He's basically, like, so mean to her, and he's like, you must fake loving me. And it's brutal and so emotional. And then they, like, of course she fakes loving him, and they fake loving each other, and then they fall in love. Because romance. Because romance. Where have you been? And. But then when he finally realizes it, he, like, goes into the room and she's wrecked because he's been. You know, it's a McNaught. He's been terrible to her. And she's staring out the window, and it's nighttime, and there's candle in her room, and the window is frosting. And she draws a stage circle in the frost on the window. And then she draws another one inside. And then he appear like he's behind her, and she sees his reflection in the circle she drew on the window. And it is so perfect and I will never write a moment like that. Untrue. Okay. All right. What about you? When I've written or when I've read either or, I would just say I'm a real sucker for, like, any small moment featuring a character's beloved pet or, like, an interaction with an animal, because I think it often, like, says something very deep about a character. So one of my favorites. I'm gonna be, like, in my classroom. You know what I say all the time? Animals are always symbols. Yeah. I mean, I know. Yeah, I get it, Jen. I talk about this book all the time, so, like, won't be a surprise. But one of my favorite romances, as you all know, is Flowers from the Storm, when Gervau finally gets out of the asylum and he is reunited with his dogs and he still cannot speak, and he presses his face to the fur of his dogs. I'll never forget reading that. I think I read it and thought, this is what books should do. They should make you feel like this. Julianne Long is really, like, terrific. Everyone. Everybody should read those. She's so good that I can remember lines of her book. Like, there's one line where she. Where the hero's thinking and he says, it's like watching someone treat the Holy Grail like a spittoon. She just has these things that'll just stay in your head. She's so good. Oh, my God. That's a Julienne Long tattoo. Has she seen this tattoo? It's incredible. Incredible. Everybody, come see this tattoo later. Yeah. Okay. Ask this lady to show you. We're one more. There's, like, a song. Is your name Lydia? There's a song about Lydia. Olivia, have you met Lydia? Lydia, the tattoo lady? No. She has eyes and menadorso. And a torso even more so. Okay. Okay. We didn't know Sarah was going to. I'll do that later for everyone. Go ahead. Eric will hate it. Yes, but he's not here. Okay, so, Sarah, we would like you to talk about storms. And you can't say no, so we have a few questions only, I promise. Okay. Okay. Now answer three questions you will answer. Answer five. We did five. You're answering five. Everyone here knows there's a whole episode about it tomorrow. There is. And that's why we only did five. Okay, let's just do it quick. So one is just like. And you've done this already. But, like, just tell us about storms. Give us, like, you know, these summer storms, which is out today. And thank you all so much for joining me for this incredible night. There is really no better way to celebrate storms than with my friends and my friends. It is the story of a dysfunctional family, the children of a billionaire who dies in a freak billionaire accident. It's great. And then they are all summoned home to a private island, the family compound, which is on a private island off the coast of Rhode island, which is where I grew up. And we. Our protagonist, the person who brings us to the island, is Alice, and who is the estranged third child of this family. She hasn't been home in five years. She hasn't spoken to her family in five years. And this is the first time she's home on the. The day after her father's death. It's going to be chaos, and it is chaos. And she just wants one night of, like, quiet before she goes home and has to deal with the grief, the crazy, the family, the money, the dysfunction. And there happens to be a very handsome man sitting next to her on the train. And they agree. No names, and they spend one great night together. And she gets home only to discover that this handsome man is in charge of the inheritance game. Her father left for all of his children, and he. They are all stuck on this island for one week. And Jack Dean is in charge. So that transitions nicely to question number two. You want to ask. Okay, so this is a fated mates crowd, so we want. We didn't want to. We want to make sure we asked you a question that forced you to tell us about the romance of it all. So can you tell us a little more about this handsome man? He is very big. He belongs in the American giants Museum. I'm gonna check it out tomorrow, everybody. I'll report it. You're not. Okay, so Jack. Jack is. I mean, I think he's a pretty. If you've read a McLean novel, I think you're gonna recognize Jack 200 years later. They're built the same. He's a. Why don't you talk about his. Oh, yeah, he has a tattoo. Yeah, yeah. It's hot. It's a sextant. It's a compass. Of course it is. He's extraordinarily competent. He's my favorite flavor of man. Exasperated 1. And he is in charge. He has. He is a fixer. And he comes to this island intending to complete his final task for his boss and do the job, and instead he does Alice. Perfect. Thank you. No, no. It's a Faded mates. Has anybody here never listened to faded Mates? Oh, yeah, sometimes. Like, is there anybody. Right? Anyone here ever not read a romance novel? That's Always a real. Wait, no, for real. You're welcome. Okay, here's one. There's a lady over here who won't raise her hand. But it's okay. We'll get you. We're gonna bring you along. It's fine. The water is fine. It is. Okay, so how many people in here have siblings? Okay, so you are siblings. Oh, nice. How many people are here with a sibling? Oh, yeah, I like that a lot. Look at how that. Oh, that's. These two aren't sitting together, though. Okay, now that's more like the storm right now. So one of the thing that is really interesting, I have two brothers, is how much of this book is really actually about the siblings. So give us a little brief overview of Alice's siblings. Alice is the third of four. They are Greta, the oldest, who is perfect in every way and like, a little like the exact replica of their mother or at least was designed to be the exact replica of their mother. Sam, who is a boy king, he has a little bit of that Kendall Roy, I'm the eldest boy vibe. But also he is very obnoxious. He is. Talks a lot. He's a blowhard. He thinks he is destined to inherit these billions because of course he is. He's the oldest boy. He's terrible. He's married to a terrible woman. And so there's that. But he's also very funny in that way that, like, obnoxious older brothers can be very funny when you don't hate them. Then there's Alice, who's exiled and has left the family. She has a job. It's. I know she has a job. She pays her rent. And then there's Emily, who is the youngest and who is just a baby. Everybody thinks she's just such a delight. And she's very. Everybody thinks of her as being like the flighty, like, you know, the one who's not serious, who runs the crystal shop on the mainland, which she does. And Emily has a lovely partner, Claudia, who is maybe one of my favorite characters in the book. So let's. I want to ask a follow up about that. You have maybe a favorite. One of your favorite characters in the book. But do you have a scene that you either remember writing or that, like, it turned out exactly how you wanted it to, Like a scene in the book that really sticks with you, that won't spoil anything too major for this crowd? There are a few scenes and they are. I mean, there are obviously some romance scenes that are. Do you mean in general? Yeah, in general, in general. Well, there's a scene that Jen really likes that's on a sailboat. Yeah, it's great. It's great. And it's Alice and Jack. Because here's the truth. When you've written 19 romance novels and then you sit down to write a book that you're pretty sure is not a romance novel, you end up writing a banger of a romance right through it. And then you go, what have I done? I don't know what's happening. And by banger, I mean, yes, they bang. And so. But that sailboat scene is. Is good because it's the moment, you know, I don't plot. We all know this. We listen to Faded Maids, right? And so while there was an outline for this book, because there had to be, I didn't plot it. And I. And so there was always a scene in the book where characters reveal themselves and they reveal their trauma or what. You know, Alice has been exiled for five years. I didn't know why. Like, I was just like, she's been exiled. We'll figure that's a problem for future Sarah, which is actually how I live most of my life. And so that sailboat scene is where I discovered why Alice had been exiled. And I was like, oh, look how this. And then also Jack could be McLean hero in that moment, because she couldn't reveal it to her siblings. They would. Well. And they certainly weren't ready to be sympathetic to her. Right. You can't tell siblings the truth. Then it becomes weaponized. Maybe that's just my family. A little lesson for all the siblings in the event. Exactly. Okay, one last question about storms, which is you grew up in Rhode Island. That's the setting of the book. It's so evocative, right? Like, it's very. I've never been to Rhode island, but I felt like I had been there after reading the book. So why was that? Why you decided to set the book there? How did you have to do research, like, tell us about making it very Rhode Island. I did grow up in Rhode island, and I don't know how many people here left their hometown and moved somewhere else, like to a big city or just somewhere else. And we're like, peace out. I'm never coming back. But that's how I felt when I left Rhode island. And I was like, I'm never, ever going back there. And I moved to New York City, and I never looked back. And then during the pandemic, New York City got real small. My apartment got real small with a kid and a dog. And a other person. And then the producer of this podcast, he's not here. He's not here. So. And then. So a friend of a friend of a friend had a, like, cabin, like, on the water in Rhode island, and she said, you know, Rhode island had shut down during the pandemic and said, like, no one can Airbnb. Like, no outsiders can come into Rhode island because it had been, in a lot of ways, ground zero of COVID And so a friend was like, I have this cabin, and if you guys want to stay in it for the summer, you can. And I went. And that's where the idea came to me. And it took several years to write because I also write historical romance novels. And I have to do that, too. I want to do that. I want to do that. But also I have to. So set on a different island. England. Okay. Yeah. Now, how many. I don't know if any of you all follow Kate on Instagram or threads, but she posted something really funny this week. Did you guys see this? About the parallel parking job? Okay. And then she went viral. Yeah. Right. Okay, so tell us about this photo. This will be relevant in a second, I swear. So I did a parallel parking job several weeks ago that was, like, magical. It was like the best parallel park I've ever done in my life. There was, like, so little space between me and the other cars. And I did. I didn't. It wasn't even like, I did it in like, 25 turns like that. Like, I did it well. Three point. Yeah. And I sent this picture to every single person I know. I mean, like, this group chat. Every group chat I have, but I also sent it to my family group chat. And I was like, look at this parallel park job. First of all, my brother didn't respond. Of course he didn't. Or he was jealous. Yeah, he was jealous. That guy. He didn't even give it a heart. Anyway, but my dad. I mean, like, after I called later, my dad was like, I mean, that park job, you know, we talked a little bit about it. Anyway, so I went. I've. I've gone back to visit my family in Ohio over this past week. And my dad had the parallel parking photo framed. There it is. Yes. And he's just like. And also, here's the photo here. I posted the framed, like, photo online. And I was like, haha, that's funny. And, you know, I told my dad later how many likes it got, and he was really. He was like, well, you know, I was gonna have that reframed because it doesn't really show. So he wanted me to post it again when he got. And I was like, dad, it's. That's not how. That's over now. That's over now. That's passed. Here's the part that's funny. I am also an Ohioan. And Sarah, to our other group chat, was like, was that ironic? Was your dad being ironic? And we were both like, no. Yeah. Like what? I thought it was a joke. And Sarah, law. I don't understand your culture. Yeah. And so we thought it would be very funny to imagine you don't know anything about this. This is gonna be great. I am coming in. We. We perfected this at breakfast this morning. Is there anybody in this room who was at our hotel at this breakfast this morning? I Like, like, the Meridian. No. Yeah. Okay. I want to make sure, like, nobody over here. She was like, there's somebody over there. There are spies. I don't know. At hotel breakfast. It's really important that this is a surprise to you. Okay? Okay. Okay. All right. So it's not the Khyber Pass. It's St. Louis. Yeah. Okay. You. Okay. You don't understand our culture, and that's our point. So what we've decided to do is to challenge you, and we're gonna have. Oh, no. To write. No, stop. Yeah. You can ask the audience. Who's your friend? Midwest romance hero. That's what you're writing. And we have some questions for you that will help you do a little character sketch. What would your Midwest romance hero. Yeah, right. Okay, so we have some questions before we start. Who here is not a Midwesterner? And also discovering the. You are also going to learn our culture. Okay, that's fine. Okay. Okay. Who would say. Wait, I need to prep. Who would say. They are an excellent phone. A friend. Candidate for this. Okay. You are Midwest, literally. Okay, I see a handbag. See, they're all the people not raising their hands that are from here are the experts, but they are not going to. Midwesterners are braggers. It's already begun. So. Okay. All right. I know that questioner is gonna brag on that. They just know. You know what? You can't. You can't help Sarah right away. You have to let her sit with the question first. Yeah. Okay. Okay, Ready? We have some questions for you. Ready? Okay, we're gonna start with the E. Starting with E. I'm sorry. I'm like. Okay, ready? Would your Midwest romance hero have a riding or a. Or a mulching mower? She got. Say it again. I'M sorry. Yeah. It's about a lawnmower. Okay. Would you have a riding or a mulching mower? What the is a mulching mower? See, I'm ashamed of you. Wait, what do I have to mulch in the yard in the Midwest? Wait, is it for corn? This is better. Yeah. Okay, you need to phone a friend. You don't even know. You don't even know. I mean, I'm gonna guess he has a mulching mower. I mean. Wait. Yeah, see, people are helping you. Okay, who wants to explain to Sarah what a mulching mower is? Why? Okay, the grass. Yeah. Okay, but she doesn't even. She don't even know how to mow a riding mower. Unless you have a lot. Does your riding mower shoot? Not only I'm from New England, I live in New York City. So, like mowers or what? Yeah, unless you spend a lot of land, a riding mower is a vanity project. Like, do you push them all together? You ride both of them? No, you. You push one, but it's like it has gas in it. Yeah. It's not this. Yeah, I got it. Okay. We're gonna give you credit because you knew that gesture. I get it. I know that. Okay. Okay. You ready for number two? I'm ready. Okay. Sort of. This is sort of relevant for your book. According to your Midwest romance hero, from where is the best place to watch a summer storm roll in? Is this a multiple choice? No, we can just say maybe you're at home. You're at home. Like your Midwest romance, zero, from where is the best place to watch a summer storm roll in? The porch. Is that correct? We would have porch. Yeah. We would have also taken garage. Garage is the correct garage. Is it garage? Garage. Open door. The garage. We needed this and. Wait, wait. Okay. I will give a book to anyone in this audience will show me the way the mid breast romance hero is gonna stand and walk. Yeah, do it, Dan. Go ahead, do it. You know, There you go. There you go. There you go. There you go. Come get a book. Come get a book. Yes. I see you back there. You stood up. I saw you. Yeah. You have to have a beer on one hand for sure. We need. We're running out of books, but we're getting up. What? A gully washer. Oh, What? What? A gully washer. A gully washer. That sounds dirty. Clean. It's clean, though, because water. I got it. Okay. You and your Midwest romance here are driving through a new neighborhood, right? This Is not your house. You're just driving around looking at real estate. Probably just to, like, pass the time not to move. Just to look. Yeah. Just to look. And you see a house with a long inclined driveway. What does your Midwest romance hero say about the driveway? Like, really helping you. Wait, I wonder if this is a New England thing too. Maybe that's going to be hard in the winter. Yes. You got it, Sarah. Listen, America, come together. Come together around snow and ice removal. It's a snow removal. Yeah. Are you from California? She is. There you go. Yeah. If anyone needs us to explain anything. Yeah, right. We can shout it out. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a lot of factors. There are. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Kitty litter in the back of the car will help you. Yeah, yeah, we do that too. Yeah. Okay. We see. We're not that different. Okay. Ready for number four? Yeah. Yeah. Ready for number four. Okay. We've recently passed a holiday weekend in this country. According to your midwest romance hero. How high is the porn right now? You know what? We're gonna wait. We're gonna have the entire wait. We're gonna give Sarah a chance and then we're all gonna shout it out for her at the same time. Everyone's gonna get a chance on this one. There is a woman in the front row who's like, you know this. She believes in me so much and I'm so sorry, ma'. Am. Tell us, Sarah, how high is the corn on July 4th? Yes. This is a specific date. Yes. Okay. I would like to ask a follow up question. Is the answer related to Independence day? No. Like as high as George Washington. Oh, no. That's a good answer. I'll be like, that's cute, though. Oh, no. Hints, a lot of things. What does it rhyme with? We're not helping you with that. How high is the corn? Who doesn't know this? Oh, my God. Interesting. All right. It's an embarrassment. Okay. All right. You won't know. I don't know. Everybody who does know, on the count of three. 1, 2, 3. Knee high by the 4th of July. Knee high by the fourth of July. Everyone, are you all enjoying me learning your culture? Would you like to add something? Oh, yeah. Oh, taller than the. Yeah, right. Yes. I. My understanding of this was always like, corn. I know this is gonna be a real dumb question is when does corn happen in the Midwest? Because in New England you get corn in August. August. Yeah. See, we're the same. The same. Yeah. Come up and get a book. Come up and get a book. I love you Please come and come up and get a book. Both of the people who. And also, by the way, that was beautiful over there. The earring lady has some corn earrings. And I was like, those are cute. She's not there right now, but you can check it on later. Okay. You both. You were. Okay. Okay. Now, this question is about Midwest rivalries. Okay. Your Midwest romance hero is from Illinois. If he was from Illinois, what Midwest state does he hate the most? Wait, I know this because everybody. You told me everybody in the Midwest hates a state. Sure. It's the Connecticut of the Midwest. And it is rough. It is. Is it? Because they're very arrogant? Is that Connecticut's problem? Yeah, that's Connecticut's problem. Yeah. I don't know. Which Midwestern is it? Ohio. No. Oh, okay. No, wait, wait. Where are you from? Where are you from? Everyone in Ohio hates Michigan and vice versa. But where are we? Indiana. Everyone hates Indiana. That's true. I'm sorry. If you're from Illinois, I gotta be honest. I'm not wild about Indiana either. We're gonna talk about faded states in a bit, you guys. All right. Cute. Okay, ready? Yes. All right. You and your Midwest romance hero are making out a little. I don't feel like this man would like me very much. He would. Aspirated man. Which of the following sayings is giving your Midwest romance hero consent to proceed? I'll give you three options. A, yeah, no. Keep going. Give her B, yeah. No. Yeah. Or C, no. Yeah. This is our culture. We have to be proud of this. Do you need your thoughts? I'm gonna go with no. Yeah. Is that correct? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No is no. Yeah. No. And what's no? Yeah. No. That's. That's like. Yeah. No. Yeah. It's like. Did I say no? Yeah. No. Yeah. That's like. I agree. That's a no. You know what I mean? Yeah. Okay. No. Yeah. Okay. Someone has threatened you in front of your Midwest romance hero. Which of the following things would occur right before he punched the guy? Now, wait, I have a question. Would my Midwest. Not mine. Because he. Would a Midwestern romance hero punch a guy? Yeah. I just want to make sure we're all the same. I don't know. Okay, now, here's your job. There are four sayings, and your job is to say, like, which one you think is comes right before the punch. Like, you could put them. They're like a Likert scale. Is that what that's called? Okay, I got it. You know what I mean? Okay, I got it. Okay, Listen. Here. Is he from the Old West? How dare you. Okay, all right. Sorry. Geez Louise. I'm sorry for this one, everybody. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. For Pete's sake. So which is the most serious? What was the first one? Listen here, pal. Jen, for those of you listening after the fact, Jen is crying. I can't even get it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So my options are. Listen here, pal. Yeah. Geez Louise. Yeah. Can't be back. Come on. And what. What are the other. Oh, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Yeah. And for Pete's sake. Which is the most severe? It's gotta be the God one. No, no, no. Take the Lord's name in vain. Midwest. What is it? Listen here, pal. Yes. Listen here, pal. Listen here, pal. Yes. Jeez Louise. Is. You're right. Is like the most. That's the easiest. And people say for real still. Yeah, Sarah. I say it in the group chat constantly. I thought it was ironic. See, she didn't understand our culture. I didn't know. I don't speak it fluently. Okay, what is your Midwest Romance heroes superstore of choice? Is it Walmart or Menards? It's Menards. Because I know that Tim Kaine loves Menards. No, not Kane. Tim Waltz loves. Yes. Bonus. Can. Single. Tim. What? Can you sing the jingle? Wait. Okay, no, we're. We're all going to sing it. We're going to do the same thing. Jingle. We're all going to sing the jingle. Three. One, two, three. You're also learning. This is the greatest day of my life. Okay, you are going to a summer potluck, and you're mid. Okay. Oh, no. And your Midwest romance hero asked you to make his favorite salad. It has Jello in it. What are you making? We will accept a variety of answers. Does it have some kind of, like, fluffy white stuff in it? Like, does it have, like, a wool whip or. No, probably not. Mayonnaise. Is it mayonnaise? Yes. Yeah. All right. It has mayonnaise. Does it have fruits? No. It has veg. This is. Now it's become 20. I think you have to name. You could have to name, like, a kind of mayonnaise. Like, you're fine. Be like, macaroni salad. I'm gonna help her. Oh, like. Oh. You don't have to name ingredients. Be a fruit salad. I don't know. Well, I thought it was like, a jello thing. We would have also accepted Jello. Right. But really, the answer is potato salad. Yeah, potato salad. Macaroni salad. Sounds normal. Yeah, that's what I would bring too, you know, it's not different. Oh, wait, it sounds different. I think it's a little different. It's different. Your potato salad probably have herbs in it. Okay, everybody. My grandmother made amazing potato salad. And she had a favorite kind of mayonnaise for potato salad. This is a real Cleveland thing. She would be like, well, it's just not really good without using Spin Blend. What's that exactly? She was. She's been. She. God bless Betty. She's been dead for like 15 years. Everybody, what is Spin Blend of Cleveland kind of mayonnaise? Who knew? I never heard. Right, exactly. Because sometimes the mayonnaise you like has to be real specific. And I'm not talking about Aoli. Yes. Yeah. Hello. Hello home. Sure. I bet you too. We all love potato salad. Sure. We're going to give you a couple. Easy. Okay. Okay. We have one final question, then we have a little lightning round. Yeah. Okay. So our final question is. You are at a four way stop with your Midwest romance hero. Every corner is full. Make any of the acceptable hand gestures. Not. Go ahead, we're waiting. I mean, everybody here is very nice. It's not like the New York version of this. Correct. But I think I assume you can wave someone on. Yes. How many hand gestures could there be? Oh, okay. Do some of them. Let's do some of them out here. Wait, what? There's a pinky. What's this? What is this? What does this mean? What the fuck? What? They're fingers. Where? Yeah. Are you hold the steering wheel? Yeah. Oh, you're holding the steering wheel. Yeah. Yeah. Wait, I'm confused. But what. So do they mean something? Is it like you go, two means that guy. Three means it's always the guy. And you're doing it all toward each other. So it's like all of you are doing it. Then you're going by and I am now. Love your people. And now you've been at the same stop sign for five minutes and no one goes. No, no. I mean, you know, in fact, if you're. If you're the first to go, it's kind of a failure. Yeah, you failed a little. Yeah. We have a hand up over here. Yeah, tell me. Yeah, yeah, come get a book. Thank you. There you go. That's important. Yes. Hair. Thank God you're not driving back tomorrow. We'd never get out of it here. Okay. No, we would. Because I would go. Okay, fair. Okay. Here is the lightning round. Your Midwest romance hero is a. A sports fan. I am going to tell you the Name of a team. You are going to tell me the city and or college associated with this team. Ready? I mean, sure. Chiefs. Kansas City. There you go. That was a gimme. I know. I know about Taylor Swift. See, we wanted to start. We wanted you to feel successful. Okay. The Buckeyes. Ohio State. Good job. That's where. Buckeyes, Ohio. Yeah. Okay. Badgers. Oh, somebody said, oh, I know about oh. Because I am friends with these two. The Badgers. So if somebody's of Minnesota. No. Yes. You. You can call for help for these. University of Wisconsin. Yes, Correct. Wait, but you didn't say it the way I said it. How did you say it? Hey, you know what you call it if you're really a local? Wisco. Whisco. It's true. All right. Okay. Hawkeyes. So Ohio. No. Oh, no. I feel like I'm offending people, but you all just bought my book anyway, so. Fine. All right. Where? What? Caitlin Clark. Iowa. Iowa. You did it. You did it. You did it. That state has been in your mouth. You're like, iowa. I've never said that word before. I did not know this game existed. But literally, while we were standing over there and Stephanie was introducing us, I turned to Jen and I said, you know what would be funny is if you asked me what cardinal direction states were in from here. And I was like, oh, no, we're gonna do something way funnier than that. Okay. Wait, Iowa. What? Iowa. Yeah, but is it like, University of Iowa? Yeah. Okay. Is there an Iowa State? Sure. Yes. I don't know. What is your mascot? This is the Cyclones. We have the Cyclones. My minor league baseball team in Brooklyn is the Cyclones. See? Yeah, that's one America, you know? Okay, the Cardinals. You have actual Cyclones, though? The Cardinals. The Cardinals. St. Louis, you guys. Our hotel refers to it as St. Louis. Oh, yeah, it did. I called. I called and it was like, welcome to the Meridian, San Luis. And I was like, is that real? And then it was like, am I calling America? And then it was like, we hope you have a great time on San Louie. I was like, yeah, I don't know where that is. It sounds fun. Hoosiers. The Hoosiers. Indiana. Good jobs. Just stop right there. We did it. Okay. They're doing good. The Guardians. This is a trick. One that feels like one of the ones that's cold milk, like Wisconsin or Minnesota. Is Minnesota a West. A Midwestern state? Yeah. Right? Yeah, we'll accept it. Who here is from Minnesota? Are you Midwesterners? Yes. All right. Thank you. You're like, you knew all these questions. You know all this side for her. Okay, who's gonna tell Sarah where the Guardians are from? Cleveland. Cleveland. They changed their name. Ohio. Cleveland, Ohio. Okay. The Wolverines. We did. We didn't just do the. No, we did the Badgers. We did the badgers. Now we're doing the Wolverines. I don't even know what a Wolverine is. Nobody does. I help her out. Help her out. Her. The Wolverine. Is there a wolverine in. Yes. Yeah. Come get a book. Where are you from? There we go. Michigan. Come get a book. Wolverine. Get a book over here. Yeah, you have to show. If you're from Michigan right now. Show where you are. But she went to. She is a Wolverine. Okay. Oh, okay. Well, that's a cheat. Is there a wolverine in the house? Okay. All the way back there. Come get a book. Yeah, we have a lot of pair. Okay. The Bulls. The Chicago. Yeah. Nice. Nice. Okay. The Bengals. The Bengals. Cincinnati. Yay. I think that Sarah deserves a big round of applause for that. Thank you so much, everybody. You are now ready. I'm ready to write a Midwest romance here to the bank, and I will have a conversation with somebody. Now, that is Sarah dragging me a little bit. Sarah loves. Yeah. I mean, my favorite place to go is the bank. Inside the bank. Talk to the teller, second runner up, the post office. That's what I like to do. Chat. Nice weather we're having today. Midwest chat. That's my favorite. My husband is from California, and when we move, I mean, I'd been with him for years by the time we moved to Chicago. And he, like, two days later was like, I really understand you better now. He's like. I was on an escalator and someone was talking to me, and I thought, yeah, this is where Jennifer gets this from. Where'd you go to high school? Yeah, that kind of stuff. Yeah, for sure. Okay, so now what we have everybody. Okay, we have 20 more minutes to be funny. Yeah. Okay, we're gonna. I have. No, we have more to do. That's for, like, the last couple minutes. We have. We're gonna get to it. But Jen's in charge. I'm in charge. I'm in the middle. Okay, we have a round of wood. Derek Craven questions. Some of these. Well, because. So for those of you who don't listen to the podcast. All right. Well, I mean, I don't know what to say. Derek Craven is amazing. And he's so amazing that Jen and I invented a holiday. He's the hero. Sorry. Happy Derek Craven, neighbor. February 4th, the most important romantic holiday in February. And Derek Raven is the hero of a book called Dreaming of youf by Lisa Klepas, who is amazing. And on every Derek Craven Day, we put out a special Derek Craven Day episode because we must celebrate the holiday. And Kate came on one year and we played a game called Would Derek Craven. That's all you really need to know. You're going to pick it up. Yeah. And you know what? To. To prove the. To you, my friend Ernie, who I is like a friend. A guy I used to work with, but he listens to the podcast, which my husband doesn't even listen to the podcast, but Ernie does, and he loved. That's his favorite episode. He's like, I've never read this book, but I understand this man intuitively from playing this game. So if you don't know Derek Craven, you will. You will. You're about to meet him. And then on February 4th, you can just turn to the person who brought you this evening to us and say, happy Derek Craven Day. Yeah. Okay. Customary gifts. I want to say thank you to our Discord because I asked them to brainstorm some of these. So if you're in the Discord. If you're in the Discord. Yay. Oh, my God. So many of you. So some of these were brainstormed by you, and you're all really funny. Okay. And then we. Some. And it's good. All right. Would Derek Craven try a slip and slide? Absolutely not. No way. In fact, I would argue that that is one of the few things Derek Craven would not do, even if someone, Sarah, really pushed him to do it. I think that's right. He would never. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go ahead. Tell us more. Derek Craven would never. Derek Craven would never play bas. So he would be a. Yeah, maybe. Oh, come on up and get a book. Come on up and get a booker. It's fine. That's fine. That's fine. You can be a slip and slide Van. I guess. Okay. Serious person. A lot of these are like pop culture that I don't know what's happening. I like this one. Would Derek Craven listen to Taylor Swift? And if so, what is his favorite album? I think Reputation is correct. That is. Who said Reputation is Craven's album? Here's. Okay, I'm gonna say he will have passively. I think he's passively listening when he's, like, driving the carpool around. It's on when the kids are home. Yeah. But I know that he's, like, choosing it. But then, you know, when she came, came on tour, he would buy all the best seats for Lydia and her friends stadium. I. You know what? I think he would. He made those braces privately get emotional at this song. Delicate. I really feel. I feel like you're on to something. I feel like Derek Craven would work on bracelets with his kids. Yeah. That's good. I think. And then he would say, I'm bored with this. And then hire somebody. Yeah. Say eventually. Yeah. Is this a money making venture? Yeah. Oh, here's one. Would Derek Craven successfully grow a houseplant? Now we know that the other guy does. Winterbourne. Sorry. Winterbourne. I'm sorry. I should have referred him to the other guy. Now you're really seeing behind the curtain, huh? Would Derek Craven's experience. So I think Derek Craven would successfully grow a house plant. If in the winterborn scenario, like, if that happened to him, he would take care of the house plant. He could. But would he. There. Come get a book. There you go. That's the answer. That's the answer. Go ahead. No, no, no. What's the point? Right? He'd be like, is that something I could eat? Succulent. Oh, okay. Would Derek Craven know how to edit a spreadsheet? Absolutely not. No. No. He doesn't know. No way. He doesn't know how to. He doesn't know how to click or double click. There's no. What would he possibly have to do? That's disgusting. He has a factotum. Exactly. Yes. Worthy. Worthy would do it. Right. He was born in a drain pipe. He was listening. Not in a Microsoft. All right. I don't know about this one. Does Derek Craven use a password manager? I think he does because I think he's so suspicious. Suspicious? I don't know. You think he also has a factotum? He is also doing. Just follows him around and has all the passwords. It's Sarah 2314. All passwords would be Sarah. When Sarah. I agree. He's not. Listen. Derek Craven is amazing. He does not do that, like with the AT signs and the numbers and the dashes. Like, it is Sarah 1, 2, 3. Yes. Sarah 1, 2, 3, 4. And then when it's like, it must be eight characters. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And then when he can't use the previous one, he does. One, two, three, four. Sarah. Okay, we got. We cracked. Okay, that's a good one. All right. These are really funny, you guys. Did you come up with all of these? No, but some of them. The discord. This is hilarious. And I think. I don't mean that to sound like you couldn't come up with this, but this is very funny. Would Derek Craven be okay with Sarah getting Lasik? That was me. That was me. That one was me. We laughed so hard when we wrote this. Okay. Would Derek Craven be okay with Sarah getting Lasik? No. He loves her little spectacles. It's true. Yeah. Does anybody have. I have lots more, but does anybody have one? She's already perfect. I'll let you think. Oh, yeah, you've. See, he likes your glasses. I keep thinking these Derek Craven questions. Does Derek Craven go to the movie theater? Does he stream at home? Does he go to the theater or stream at home? Definitely does not go to the movie theater. He has a home theater. He has a home theater. He's got a lock on, like, the Marvel team. They just send it direct to him. I was gonna ask if he's like, a Marvel fan, but he for sure. Would Derek Craven go to a Beyonce concert? Yes. Yes. Bonus. What's his favorite song? Is a good answer. That is a good answer. I feel like this next one is a Midwestern question. Okay, I'm still on Derek. What is Derek. I might have to be thinking about this. And on a later episode of the podcast, I will say what I think Derek Craven's favorite Beyonce song. I'm not sure. I've. Really. You're not committed? Bodyguard's a good one. What would Derek Craven keep the thermostat at in summer? Yeah. So cold. So cold. What. What stage. What stage of life is Sarah at? How about that? 65. Here's one. Does Derek Craven use headphones to watch videos in public? Derek Craven is a grown man with a job. He does not watch videos in public. That's a good answer. He does know how to, like, sync his Bluetooth to his headphones, though. I think Derek Raven would like a gadget, don't you? It depends on the gadget. I don't think he wants social media. No. Oh, gross. I mean, to Derek. Videos of the kids. Sure. There you go. Okay. Should we take some questions? Yes, we're gonna do questions now. Okay, wait. The one that I thought was really funny was would Derek Ray would get involved in a multi level marketing scheme? And I was like, yeah, he'd be running it on these dummies. Who. You know, right? We're. Now we're changing. Okay, now we're answering your. We're answering your questions and hopefully if you. If you didn't get a chance to. To write one down and you want to ask, please raise your Hand. Eventually. Anyway, if your favorite hero was in charge of the tsa, what would airport security be like? These are the best questions for Kate because she. She will have a really good answer. Okay. So I've been reading a lot of Mafia romance lately. I'm a little embarrassed to tell you, but it's true. So I have to think that, like, if that the case, there would be, like, a special line for those guys to get through. Oh, yeah, right. Where they could carry brass knuckles. They, like, gone up like in the movies. They throw it up and they walk through the metal detector and catch it on the other side. Sure. Real romance hero, right? Yeah. Right. It's really hard to attach the TSA romance here. Like, I. My brain feels full of static. I'll keep thinking. Okay. Okay. Kate Claiborne, question for you. A book recommendation question. Oh, okay. I love these. This person would like, a rake with reputation. With a reputation for being good in bed, but totally bombs it in their first time together. Bonus if she's not a virgin. Well, I mean, the first. First one that comes to mind just because Jen and I both have been on this. Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Yes. Ted Bodine from Call Me Irresistible. Yes. Who is, like, very competent in bed. Right. But there's no passion. Yeah. Yeah. It's really good. Call Me Irresistible by Susan with Phillips. It's good. Anybody else have one that they. Yeah. It's not great the first time around. Yes. Business or Pleasure by Rachel is a good one. Okay. Yes. A lady. A lady awakened. Yeah. That's great. Cecilia Grant. Yeah. What a talent. All right, here's the. Sort of. Here's a more serious one. Okay. Do you think the genre is becoming too tropefied either in writing or marketing? Okay. Can I. Okay. I'm. I know Jen has feelings, which is. I'm. I don't think I've told you these feelings. And I. How dare. That's shocking. So one of the things. I do think so. Right. I think, yes, I would answer yes. But then I had this moment where I really thought to myself, like, are we part of the problem? Because we have episodes that are, like, trope centric. Right. Like, here's episode that is all about, you know, enemies, lovers or whatever, I think. And then I. So I really sat with that for a minute. Like, maybe we somehow were a party to that. But I think the difference is, like, we talk so deeply about, like, the trope. I'm going to then say I then excused myself and us. Right. Like, we talk so deeply about a trope, and then we talk about what works or doesn't, and then we give a bunch of different examples, none of which are the same. And so I, I do think that way, but I, you know, I, I, I, I feel like we talk about tropes in a different way. So I don't know. I did. I really have been feeling guilty about it. Midwest. Feeling guilty about something that's probably not your fault. Yeah, I think it's hard to answer. It's like, my instinct is to sort of be like, you know. Yeah, that does feel right. But I think, think that the market is so big that it's hard to know. Like, it's, it's hard to quantify what is happening at scale, I guess, if that makes sense. Like, I do think there are books that are not doing that, but there's so many books that come out every single week. Right. There's so many platforms. There's. So I don't ha. I don't have a good answer for that. But I would say it has dominated marketing to the extent that, like, it's taking over the language with which we talk about romance. And you know what? That was, like, too boring of an answer. I wish I could have said something funny. That really, I really turned the ball. Oh, that's good. That's a good question. It's an actual question in the thing. One of the ways I kind of answer that question is it's really interesting to go back and read old, like, review, even, like, on Goodreads or whatever, reviews of older books right before we think this happened. And how little of the language used to describe those books is driven by a trope. So, for example, I reread Heaven, Texas, and there is. Right. Which is, again, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Sorry, everybody. And there's a. I'd sort of forgotten that there's a part that's essentially like fake dating, because you would never describe this book in that way. You never. Like, it's a fake dating book. You just wouldn't. But that's because. Don't you feel like that's a little bit? Because when Susan was writing, fake dating was plot, and right now, fake dating is not plot. But that's what I'm saying. It's just the structure of it. Yeah. Like, it's, it's just like, here's the reason why these two are together. Right. So, I mean, I guess I do think that it is really different just in the way that we, like, we talk about it. I think has really changed. So it does feel different in some kind of Way. Yeah. I want to clarify what I just said about plot. Yeah. Because I think the difference is Susan wrote a book about two people who, like, fell for each other against insurmountable odds, and fake dating was, within the structure of that, the solution. Right. Whereas I think now often we're backing into the trope. We're going, fake dating is popular, so let's write a fake dating book. How do I write a book that is about fake dating instead of the other? Right. Which brings me to one of the other questions on here, which is for you, Kate, and for me, which is, is there a trope that you have, like, back burnered and not come to yet? Like, for example, like, I would really love to write an amnesia book, but I'm not. But I just. I might never get there because I might never have the idea that amnesia sorts. I feel that way about, like, me too. One of my favorite tropes is marriage in trouble. And I. But I feel like the same way. Like, I don't know if I'll ever get the idea right, but it's one of my favorite things to read a thousand percent. Like, I really, really want to write a Cyrano book, like, really a lot and have wanted to forget a decade, and I've never had the right story. And so I think, like, it's a question of how you. It's. How do you come to the book as the writer? Okay, what is a book that is a yes for Kate, but a no for Jen and Sarah. And it doesn't have to be a title, like, but like, is there a thing that you really love? Cowboys. Yeah, I love cowboys. And they, they, like, tell them why. It's not that they don't. It's not that they dislike cowboys or whatever, but, like, I love cowboys, but tell them why. Because they do chores. And I. I need to admit that, like, the most. The recent. The recent vogue of cowboy romances, which. It's been like, cowboy romance, been very big lately. Right. And like, the marketing surrounding cowboy romance, it's all wrong. It's not the. It's unrecognizable to me. Like, I'm. I'm just like, does he live on that ranch by himself? Does he. Like, he makes the same breakfast every morning, then he goes out with the cows and he comes back and like, has his coffee or whatever. They. I love the cowboys do chores. That's. That's a fantasy. Like, I. I want to see the chores. I love it. Cowboys and you just. You guys don't care. No matter how much I try to sell you on chores. You don't care. Chores are my love language. I support you. Everybody. If you've never. Okay, everybody, if you've never listened to podcast before, what does it mean when I say I support you? Sometimes she drops that into a text and it's a burn. It means awful. Yeah. No. So the question is, Sarah, can you speak to your decision to move away from straight romance? And I just want to say I did not decide to move away from straight romance. I am still writing straight romance. It is in addition to. I'm writing Duchess right now. I know it's coming. It's slow, but, you know, I'm trying to end it. Right, you guys. What? Okay, thank you. Well, it's coming out next year, so it'll be here next year. And then there will be another of these, the sort of commercial novels. And the answer is that it's what we were just talking about. Like, sometimes an idea comes to you and it doesn't fit the mold that you thought you were in. And storms came to me for a lot of reasons that. I mean, it came to me for lots of reasons about, like, my personal life, about the pandemic, like, about the way that we were all potting, right. We were all on an island in some way. I had lost my father. So I was thinking a lot about. I thought initially that I was writing a book about a daughter and a father. But actually what I ended up writing was a book about love, like, in all of its forms, which doesn't surprise me at all. Like, obviously, that's what I wrote. And so I think. I think my brain is weird and sometimes I have an idea that just cooks for a long time and then I write it. So. But I. I mean, I'm Sarah maclean. I read romance novels and I write them. And like. Oh, I already said it before. Say it again. Anyway, you all. This writer has been to make it come full circle. So it would have been nice if you had said, I'm Jen. I thought it was just an older. No, this is a thing. Midwest thing. It's not really done. We'll go over this all day tomorrow in the car. Everyone. This has been an absolute joy. Faded Mates Live is always one of my favorite. It is my favorite night of the year every year. And this year especially, because I get to celebrate this new book with you. Thank you all so much for coming and for celebrating with us. Thank you to everyone who is new, new to romance, who arrived with your friend. You are a good friend. Please Please. Please. There are. Kate Claiborne, our dear, dear friend. Our friend of the Pod. You've been our guest the most.