Fated Mates S08.29: Jen & Sarah Answer Your Burning Questions
Release Date: April 8, 2026

Episode Overview
In this lively "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) episode, Fated Mates co-hosts Sarah MacLean (bestselling romance author) and Jen Prokop (romance critic and editor) get together in Brooklyn to answer listener questions pulled from their Discord and social media. The conversation flows with their trademark warmth, humor, and deep knowledge of the romance genre, covering everything from book recommendations and publishing history to favorite tropes, industry anecdotes, and personal insights. The episode is peppered with memorable quotes and reveals, including a foray into quirky author recipes, reflections on place and setting in romance, and advice for both librarians and readers.

Jump to a section of interest:

• Recapping Romance Publishing History & Katherine Falk
• AMA: Personal & Fun Question Highlights
• Deep-Dive Romance Book Recommendations
• Industry Questions: Formats, Signings, and Editing
• Setting, Place, and Author Favorites
• Sex Lessons Trope Rec List & Meta

Recapping Romance Publishing History & Katherine Falk (00:00–15:19)

• Jen and Sarah open with lighthearted banter about travel mishaps and being "busy and important" (00:34), leading into a deep dive into romance history.

• Sarah introduces Katherine Falk—iconic figure and publisher of the Romantic Times magazine, comparing its influence to "the Rolling Stone of romance" (04:23).

• Jen reveals she still owns 20+ years of Romantic Times and is considering cataloging them (03:20).

• Discussion of Love's Leading Ladies (1982), Falk's book profiling romance novelists, famous for including author astrological signs and favorite recipes (07:27–08:39):

  "Every person is asked to give a recipe, their favorite recipe. And I think this is the sort of... how do you do it all and keep the house kind of completely." – Sarah (08:52)
  

Standout Moments & Quotes

• Jude Devereaux on writing heroines with agency:

  "I wanted a heroine with a mind of her own and one who had decided a purpose in life other than being raped... personally, I wouldn’t want a kidnapper and rapist in my house. I’m the old-fashioned type." – Jude Devereaux via Sarah (09:13, 09:28)

• Fern Michaels origin story: revealed to have begun as the pen name for two women, inspired by a plastic plant (11:01).
• Hilarity over the “Liberated Stud”–an unpublished “graphic” manuscript by the Fern Michaels duo, used as their sex scene guide (12:12–13:13).
• Rosemary Rogers’ legendary lifestyle:

  "She bought an apartment in New York City and she basically started going to Studio 54 every night... Brown rice is one of Rosemary’s favorite dishes. She swears by its nutritional benefits." – Sarah (13:38–14:14)

• Sarah teases an Instagram series making author recipes (“Maybe I want to do a little...like, make every single recipe in this book,” 10:31).

AMA: Personal & Fun Question Highlights (15:19–26:30)

Questions for Eric:

• Eric’s response to “What song do you want to hear played on the organ?” prompts laughter:

  "Be Aggressive, by Faith no More, which everybody is a song about blowjobs." – Sarah (16:25)

If They Were Regency Spinsters (22:31):

• Jennifer: the nosy local gossip (“I’d be really good at the, you know, chatting up the locals,” 24:12).
• Sarah: the rabble-rouser, rallying the parade (“I’d be in the parade,” 24:25).
• Sarah on “tying up” tools in historical romance:

  “I said, a ship’s rope. And it was like, answer number four. Number one was a cravat, everyone. And I mean, fine. But in the Sarah MacLean universe, that is not accurate.” (25:28)

• Book ref: Brazen and the Beast, notable for “ship’s rope” scene (“there’s a very famous line...related to the ship’s rope—enjoy yourself,” 26:00).

Deep-Dive Romance Book Recommendations (26:30–50:39)

For Librarians—Advice on Romance Advisory (26:10+)

1. Understand Romance = HEA (“happily ever after”)—it means more than marriage-and-babies (26:45).
2. There’s a “deep bench” in romance—something for everyone; find cornerstone resources (28:00).
3. Know current romance entry points for new readers (Heated Rivalry, Bridgerton) and anticipate those requests (29:21).

Motorcycle Club & Mafia Romance (19:27+)

• Great MC/mafia “vibes” authors:
  • Mila Finelli (Joanna Shupe’s pen name)—New York State of Mafia series
  • Amelia Shea—Ghost Town series & variants (“heroines really different and interesting” – Jen, 21:06)

Mystery/Suspense “X Files” Vibes (45:13):

• Julie James—FBI/US Attorney series.
  • “Something About You” as classic enemies-to-lovers, forced-partners mystery (“work partners who hate each other and then fall in love,” 46:34)
• Jen will add gay FBI agent recs in show notes; mentions “liquor” in titles.
• Other recs: Sherry Thomas for historical mystery (“writing what I would consider, like, mystery—which some have romance elements,” 48:21).

Romance with Joy & Sadness (“The Gunk” but Romantic, 51:57):

• Kennedy Ryan—Before I Let Go (“draws sadness perfectly,” 52:47)
• Kate Claiborne—The Paris Match (“goodness of letting go of failure, finding new joy,” 54:16)
• Mariam Pereira—The Beast Prince (“romance as healing—very heavy, complex emotion,” 55:26)

Toronto Settings (63:12):

• Farah Heron
• Jenny Holiday—Bridesmaids Behaving Badly series set in Toronto (“One and Only” a favorite)
• Mila Finelli (again): New York State of Mafia #2, part set in Toronto
• Advice: check out Toronto Romance Writers group

Ohio-based Romance (71:27):

• Janet Dailey (caveat: not truly about Ohio)—Jen notes “in name only” (72:59)
• Jenny Crusie—Welcome to Temptation (“This lady really knows Ohio,” 73:16)
• Emily Henry lives in Cincinnati but isn’t “about” Ohio

Sex Lessons Trope (77:22):

• Sarah: The Pleasure Principle by Jane O’Reilly (“her boss throws sex parties...teaches her everything,” 79:21)
• The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (sex lessons, neurodiverse heroine, “modern classic,” 80:11)
• Sarah’s own: One Good Earl Deserves a Lover
• They promise a full episode on this trope (“we will, because we keep saying we should, and you love it,” 78:17).

Industry Questions: Formats, Signings, and Editing (36:38–63:57)

Paperback Formats—Mass Market vs. Trade vs. Hardcover (36:38):

• Trade paperbacks began supplanting mass market in early 2010s (Julie James and Kate Noble among first, 37:47); reason = higher price point, changing reader habits (YA crossover).
• The shift accelerated pre- and post-pandemic due to printer closures and profitability pressures (“used books are going to become really valuable...the only versions of a lot of those books in print”—Sarah, 42:13).
• Note: Most historicals remained mass market much longer; only recently have some gone trade (Harper St. George, India Holton, Evie Dunmore—but often positioned as “historical fiction”).

Book Signings—“How Not to Make it Awkward” (33:42):

> “It’s not awkward for the author, is my answer...there is no...awkardness.” – Sarah  
> “Ask genuine questions—meet the author where they want to be met, about the books they have written.” – Jen

• PSA: Do NOT print out negative Goodreads reviews for signings—“that’s just being mean” (34:49).

Editing Life—Has Editing Changed How Jen Reads? (60:12)

> “Unless you are paying me, I’m not going to read like a developmental editor. Can you turn it off? I sure as fuck [can]...I would honestly stop editing if that...was ruining me as a reader.” – Jen  

• If she cannot “turn it off,” it’s “usually a book I’m disappointed in” (62:24).
• She values intentionality and sees “broken promises to the reader” as a key sign a book isn’t working.

Writing Contemporaries vs. Historicals (64:48)

• Sarah: “I think there is a certain kind of writer who cares a lot about setting. I think I care a lot about setting.”
• Writing contemporary (A Duke Worth Falling For) during the pandemic was her way to “bring me out of this crazy world” (65:11).
• Contemporary novels allow her to “expand the world of characters,” unlike her “two dummies falling in love” focus in historicals (66:24–67:26).

Setting, Place, and Author Favorites (63:57–75:50)

• Both discuss the importance of setting and how it shapes identity—Jen: “Place does matter. Place matters deeply. I really believe that, like, where you are, you are who you are because of where you are...” (76:19)
• Nostalgia and author DNA:
  • Jen: Julie Garwood “is in my DNA,” also Beverly Jenkins, Jude Devereaux (69:03). • Sarah: Judith McNaught for emotional comfort (“get a quick hit of Kingdom of Dreams,” 70:01); Lorraine Heath as her “favorite, fearless, modern” historical author (“all gas, no brakes”—Sarah, 70:27).

Sex Lessons Trope Rec List & Meta (77:22–81:54)

• They brainstorm the challenge of identifying “sex lessons” books since it’s rarely highlighted in blurbs—Sarah is building a list.
• Recap of favorites (see above).

  “Sometimes the best romances are the ones where it’s just a clear, straight shot of concept.” – Sarah (79:21)

• Sarah promises more on this trope in future episodes.

Notable Quotes

• “It seems wild that somebody loved romance enough that they would invest so much of their time, energy, and frankly, money into building a magazine that was essentially a romance review.” – Sarah, on Katherine Falk (04:00)
• “Sometimes the best romances are the ones where, like, it’s just a clear, straight shot of concept.” – Sarah, on “The Pleasure Principle” (79:21)
• “Place does matter. Place matters deeply. I really believe that where you are, you are who you are because of where you are in a lot of ways. And you can, like, fight a place...but you cannot be happy everywhere.” – Jen (76:19)
• “If only I could be as fearless as this woman is.” – Sarah, on Lorraine Heath (71:03)
• “We are fated mates.” – Sarah, closing

[Timestamps Referenced Throughout; Ad Sections Omitted]

Find all the books and resources mentioned at fatedmates.net under Episodes.

This episode is a goldmine for romance fans seeking recommendations, publishing context, and community—and a treat for anyone curious about the lived experience of two “novel people.”