Fated Mates S08.08: Romance Short Stories and the Ladies in Waiting Anthology

Date: November 5, 2025
Hosts: Sarah MacLean and Jennifer (Jen) Prokop

Overview

This episode dives into the world of romance short stories, sparked by Sarah's contribution to the new anthology Ladies in Waiting, where romance authors reimagine Jane Austen’s “ladies in waiting”—characters who never got their HEA (Happily Ever After). Sarah and Jen discuss what makes romance shorts so challenging and unique, explore formats that work well, review standout recent reads, and offer recommendations for listeners eager to rediscover their reading stamina or wanting a "pure shot of romance." The conversation also spotlights anthologies, novellas, the intersection with fanfic, and key works in the genre.

Episode Structure & Key Sections

• Opening Banter & Podcast Setup (00:00–01:41)
• Introduction to the Episode's Theme (01:41–04:24)
• The Challenge of Writing Short Romance (04:24–10:12)
• Why Short Stories Matter & Their Appeal Today (10:28–13:47)
• Structuring Romance Shorts (Fanfic, Second Chance, etc.) (15:24–22:34)
• Anthology Contributions and the “Ladies in Waiting” Project (22:08–27:43)
• In-depth Short Story and Anthology Recommendations (29:19–89:36)
• Quick Shout Outs to Anthologies/Authors (89:42–90:07)
• Show Notes Reminder & Outro (89:50–91:34)

Main Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Difficult Art of Romance Short Stories

• Shorter Form vs. Novellas/Novels:
  Sarah dissects the nuances between the forms:

  • Novels: 75K–100K words, allow for B-plots/secondary characters.
  • Category romance: 50K–70K words.
  • Novellas: 20K–40K words, focus almost exclusively on the main couple.
  • Short stories (<15K): “As things get shorter, stuff gets cut out…you rarely in a novella see the hero or heroine…separate from the other protagonists in the book.” (Sarah, 05:13)

• Why So Few Romance Shorts?:
  Building enough emotional arc in under 15,000 words is a skill, leading to fewer satisfying romance shorts than in other genres:

  “It is very difficult to build up the level of emotion it takes to have a satisfying romance in 10, 20, 30 pages. You really need short fiction to be your art form.” — Sarah (07:16)

• Popular Structures in Shorts:
  Second chance/characters who already know each other is the dominant structure, as it provides built-in emotional history:

  “It is incredibly difficult to succeed writing a short story with two characters who've never met before…all of mine are also characters who already know each other…most of them, at least one already has feelings for the other.” — Sarah (20:09)

2. Reclaiming and Rethinking Austen’s “Ladies”

• Ladies in Waiting Anthology:
  Sarah discusses her process writing “The Triumph of Hetty Bates” (based on Emma’s Miss Bates), and the challenge of writing in Austen’s world:

  “There was definitely a moment where I texted Nikki Payne…‘not me over here, just fucking writing literal the world of Emma’...it was awful…there were moments where I was like, this is a crazy thing to do.” — Sarah (22:34)
  She approached it as character study, not imitation: “I went through Emma…I wrote a short story about that person and gave her the self-awareness to acknowledge that what Emma believed her to be is what the rest of that society started to treat her as.” — Sarah (25:13)

• Fanfic Influence:
  Many stories in the anthology use existing emotional knowledge/“fic-adjacent” approaches.

3. Relevance and Accessibility of Short Romance

• Changing Reading Habits:
  Jen addresses declining reading rates, the class and economic issues of book buying, and how short stories can help people “build capacity again” and break slumps:

  “Maybe right now, if you're listening, you're like, ‘I used to read a lot more, and I just don't have the time or energy...’ Reading some of these shorter things might be a great way to just sort of like, build that capacity again.” — Jen (12:47)

• Shorts as “Pure Romance” Hits:
  Because there’s no time for backstory or subplots, short stories are “pure romance reasons,” with high-concentration emotional payoff.

4. Standout Short Stories & Anthology Recommendations

The Ladies in Waiting Anthology

• Diverse Austen retellings by authors including Sarah MacLean (“The Triumph of Hetty Bates”), Nikki Payne, Diana Quincy, Eloisa James, Eleanor Lipman, Adriana Trigiani.
  • Structural note: Familiarity with Austen shortcuts setup—“the characters already know, the readers already know who the characters are.” (19:51)

Notable Short Story Recaps (with timestamps & details)

• No Taste Like Home by Nisha Sharma (Home Has No Borders anthology) (29:21)

  • Freshman students with the same last name and swapped care packages, sharing treats from South Asian families; sweet, gentle, and closed-door; “a delightful little morsel.”

• Falling for Nola by Katie Ruggle (35:18)

  • Neighbors (firefighter hero); slow-burn over months, closed-door, NOLA setting, “an interesting lab for romance”—shows how short stories can experiment with format.

• His Duchess’s Lovers series by Elizabeth Rube (40:14)

  • Ultra-short, erotic historical shorts: married couple reignite their relationship; explicit, highly serialized, “one-handed reads”; shows the power of concise, spicy arcs.

• Give It to Me by Angelina M. Lopez ("The Phone Call") (41:19)

  • Friends-to-lovers, widow asks dead husband’s best friend for a hookup two years after loss; “so emotional…barely 20 pages, the story…and it is so sexy and so romantic.” (46:39)

• Hands On Learning by Maggie Elliott (50:39)

  • Best friend’s jerky brother as love tutor for heroine dumped for being “bad in bed”; high heat, experimental format, “a real laboratory for romance.”

• Remedy for a Rake by Ginny B. Moore (Romancing the Rake anthology) (56:12)

  • Regency blue-stocking heroine, last-ball confession, meets rakish hero; tight “one night” setup.

• Other Notables in Romancing the Rake

  • The Worst Possible Thing by Melissa Kendall: guardian/ward romance.
  • Jim Harper is the Worst by Cat Sterling: 1909 women’s rowing, based on university archives, fun, historical research.

• While It Was Storming by Cara Dion (63:17)

  • Age gap, heroine stranded at boss’s Rhode Island farm due to storm, forced proximity, “a great time for everyone.”

• The Gray Mirror Cliffs by Anne Knight (66:07)

  • Gothic, female friendship-to-romance, women escaping a cursed castle; “everything is real fucking weird…what happens to the husband is great.”

• Books and Broadswords by Jessie Mihalik (69:20)

  • Fantasy shorts/novelettes, fairy-tale structure, characters who steal books from kings and fall in love with knights. “Beautifully creates a fairy tale of her own.”

• Cinders and Ash by Elizabeth Boyle (72:07)

  • Cinderella reimagining, lively prose, “uses older woman as fairy godmother,” expertly plotted for short format.

• Flash Me by Laura Lovely (78:26)

  • Mermaid roleplay kink, contemporary, celebrates “having a great time even if it’s not your kink”; joyful and fun.

• A Season for Second Chances (Hearts Through History anthology) (83:35)

  • Diverse range, from medieval India to 1960s USA.
  • Whispers of Love by Jayashari Gopal: time-traveling heroine in medieval India.
  • “Robin Hood” story (title unspecified): reunited lovers plot against tax collector.

• Spicy Bites anthology (Romance Writers of Australia) (88:47)

  • Annual themed short story collection (e.g., tattoos); proceeds fund organization.

Notable Quotes & Insights

On the difficulty of short romance:

"Short fiction needs to be your art form for you to be able to pull that off...Romance just doesn't lend itself to that." — Sarah McLean (08:20)

On reclaiming Austen:

“I'm not actually writing like Austen…It became a real character study…She's a darling, wonderful, older, spinstery character, and I wanted her to have a heroic ending.” — Sarah (26:16)

On changing reading habits:

“Leisure time for reading … it's so easy. The appeal of short fiction is like, it's so easy…might be a great way to just sort of build that capacity again.” — Jen (12:47)

On experiment and format in shorts:

“This is like a real laboratory for romance...You can make an interesting choice without it feeling super high stakes.” — Jen (52:33)

On pure romance focus:

“Sometimes it’s just like a pure shot of romance.” — Jen (13:22)
“You can really elide all the setup…you’re able to say, in a short story, just trust me that these two have had a past.” — Sarah (55:35)

Key Takeaways

• Romance short stories are structurally different: Most successful short romances rely on built-in emotional history (second chances, former friends, or existing connections) rather than new meetings.
• Format encourages experimentation: The low word count enables playful risk-taking and subversion of tropes, as well as facilitating “microtrope” explorations.
• Anthologies provide variety and experimentation: Projects like Ladies in Waiting, Romancing the Rake, and organization-based anthologies (Romance Writers of Australia, Hearts Through History) offer low-entry-points for new or lapsed romance readers.
• Short stories are great for readers in a slump or pressed for time: They’re a bingeable, satisfying way to get your romance fix even with a busy modern schedule.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Introduction & Setup: 00:00–01:41
• The “Ladies in Waiting” Anthology & Sarah’s Process: 02:02–04:24, 22:08–27:43
• Differences Between Romance Novels, Novellas, and Shorts: 05:13–08:18
• Fanfic Influence, Character Familiarity, and Structure: 15:24–22:34
• Appeal and Relevance of Short Fiction Today: 10:28–13:47
• Recommendation Deep Dive: 29:19–89:36

For Further Exploration

• Show Notes with Book Listing: Available at fatedmates.net (in order of mention)
• Sarah's “Fire That Lasts” in Generation Wonder anthology: For YA/superhero romance
• Online Threads with More Recommendations: Link in show notes

Tone and Language

Throughout the episode, Sarah and Jen balance warm, enthusiastic banter with in-depth critique, championing all forms of romance while candidly discussing challenges, personal slumps, and what makes a short story structure work. There’s zero kink-shaming, and the tone is playful, celebratory, and welcoming to both die-hard genre fans and casual readers.

Memorable Moments

• Sarah’s Austen Anxiety: Sarah admits her imposter syndrome writing as Austen:

  “Not me over here, just fucking writing literal the world of Emma!” (22:34)

• On Friends-to-Lovers in Shorts:

  “This might be the only way Friends to Lovers works for me.” — Sarah (41:19)

• On Experimentation:

  “You can make an interesting choice without it feeling super high stakes...maybe if this had been a novel, I would have been frustrated, but instead I could be like, oh, this is interesting.” — Jen (52:33)

• On Format-Driven Forgiveness:

  “We are willing to forgive a lot more, I think.” — Sarah (55:27)

Overall:
The episode is a joyous, insightful romp through the evolving ecosystem of romance shorts, offering new reading avenues, boosting the short format’s legitimacy, and reassuring all romance fans that whether you want historical, erotic, sweet, queer, fantasy, or contemporary, there’s a short story for you somewhere on their very extensive and thoughtfully curated list.