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If you’ve ever masked your anxiety while looking wildly “high-functioning,” this episode is going to hit.

Today I’m chatting with returning guest Cat Sebastian about her new contemporary romance Star Shipped — a slow-burn, forced-proximity love story between two actors on a long-running sci-fi show who “hate” each other in the most domestic way possible.

We talk about why Cat took a risk moving from historical to contemporary romance, how fandom and sci-fi shaped this book, and why she wanted to write a character with anxiety, OCD, and migraines who doesn’t magically “heal” by the final chapter. This is a conversation about radical acceptance, surviving in a noisy world, and finding love without fixing yourself first.

If you loved the emotional intensity of hockey romances but want celebrity PR chaos instead, this one’s for you.

⏱️ Timestamps

[00:00] Welcoming Cat back + what she’s been up to

[00:01] Inside Star Shipped — enemies-to-lovers on a sci-fi set

[00:02] The Gene Roddenberry letter that inspired the book

[00:04] Taking the risk from historical to contemporary

[00:06] Researching fandom vs. TV industry details

[00:08] Writing invisible disability & high-functioning anxiety

[00:12] No “pink cloud” healing — why incremental growth matters

[00:16] Radical acceptance in romance

[00:18] Romance recommendations with buttoned-up/chaos pairings

[00:23] Where to find Cat + newsletter over social media

📚 Books Mentioned

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian — Contemporary Romance | Celebrity | Enemies-to-Lovers | Anxiety Rep | Audio ✅

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly — LGBTQ+ Romance | Outdoors Setting | Neurodivergent Rep | Audio ✅

With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson — Workplace Romance | Opposites Attract | Slow Burn | Audio ✅

Chef’s Kiss by TJ Alexander — Workplace Romance | Queer Romance | Polyamory Rep | Audio ✅

A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander — Historical Romance | Queer Romance | Tender Slow Burn | Audio ✅