First Dates & Soulmates: A Romance Podcast

Meg Casebolt & Nikki McKnight

First Dates & Soulmates is a romance podcast where craft meets culture, hosted by romance author Meg Casebolt and pop culture devotee Nikki McKnight. Expect trope frameworks, feminist film critiques, author interviews, and sometimes ridiculous readalongs. firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com

  1. 17 HR AGO

    The 1960s RomComs Were Wild: From Workplace Satire to Fake Hungarian Princesses

    Nikki and Meg are going full film critic this week with the 1960s instalment of their Rom-Coms Through the Ages series and one of them refused to pay $4 to finish My Fair Lady. She has zero regrets. What Nikki and Meg get into: * Why The Apartment‘s CC Baxter is the golden retriever hero of 1960s Hollywood and how he holds up against every mediocre romantic lead they’ve covered so far * The coercion hiding in plain sight in both films — and why the collapse of the Hays Code finally let directors put it on screen * How My Fair Lady‘s makeover arc is the blueprint for every “she just needed to be improved to be worthy of love” story that came after, from Pretty Woman to She’s All That * The George Bernard Shaw feminist origin story that the musical completely ignored, and the Rex Harrison lore that will make you feel deeply vindicated on Julie Andrews’ behalf * Where Eliza Doolittle’s internal life went, and why the answer says everything about women’s agency in 1960s Hollywood One of these films is a hidden gem worth watching immediately. The other one ends with a man asking for his slippers and calling it romance. We’ll let you figure out which is which. Our Ships: * Moderating Love by Jax Calder * Silvercrest U Series by Willow Dixon, Book 1: Wicked Games How You Can Support The Show Share the show with a friend or loved one! Rate, review, and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/ Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Threads: https://www.threads.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates Email us at firstdatesandsoulmatespod@gmail.com Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Check out our sponsorship opportunities: https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/sponsor/ Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: https://amzn.to/4altuTv Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative Get a paid subscription on Substack for one month or for many months! Get full access to First Dates & Soulmates: Romance Podcast at firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com/subscribe

    1hr 1min

  2. 22 APR

    Space Romance Explained: Alien Abduction, Fated Mates, and Why the Genre Actually Matters

    Nikki and Meg are going full galaxy brain this week with a breakdown of Space Romance as a genre: where it came from, why it exploded during the pandemic, and what it’s actually doing underneath all the fated mates and dick spurs. What Nikki and Meg get into: * The abduction to fated mate pipeline and how it makes the kidnapper a good person?! * The Little Mermaid parallels of interspecies communication and intimacy * What space romance is actually reflecting back at readers about fear, uncertainty, and the need to be unconditionally chosen * The quiet deconstruction of othering and the idea that the “bad guys” might not be who you were told to fear It’s a genre that looks like big tall aliens and galactic warfare on the outside. Inside? It’s a whole conversation about empathy, communication, found family, and building the world you actually want to live in. Our Recs: * Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon * The Dark Space Trilogy by Lisa Henry * Blind Space by Marie Sexton * The Star Marked Warrior series by Sam Burns & WM Fawkes * I’m Not Your Pet and You’re Not My King by Fae Quin * Prison Planet series by Emmy Chandler * Hold by Claire Kent * Calluvia’s Royalty series by Alessandra Hazard * Villains in Space series by C Rochelle * How to Train your Human Omega by Arden Fox (Covered Bonds #1) * The Reports of Silas Killian: Beleaguered Space Station Beat Cop by AJ Sherwood (free Patreon serial): https://www.patreon.com/ajsherwood * Amy Padilla newsletter serial: https://authoramypadilla.com/ * Grave Sight (Cursed Arcana #1) by Sheena Jolie: * Happily Ever Indie blog series by Meg (Bailey Seaborn): https://baileyseaborn.com/happily-ever-indie/ * Meg’s Threads: https://www.threads.com/@baileyseabornauthor Listen to related episodes: How You Can Support The Show Share the show with a friend or loved one! Rate, review, and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/ Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Threads: https://www.threads.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates Email us at firstdatesandsoulmatespod@gmail.com Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Check out our sponsorship opportunities: https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/sponsor/ Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: https://amzn.to/4altuTv Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative Get a paid subscription on Substack for one month or for many months! Get full access to First Dates & Soulmates: Romance Podcast at firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com/subscribe

    54 min

  3. 15 APR

    Romance Novellas, Word Counts, and Killing Your Darlings (feat. Author AJ Claremont)

    Sometimes a book doesn’t need 500 pages to wreck you emotionally. Sometimes it just needs two hours and a really tight word count. This week, Meg and Nikki are pulling back the curtain on the romance novella and what it actually takes to write one. Returning guest Megan Flatt (writing as AJ Claremont) is back on the pod and they’re all getting into: * Why constraint is the actual art form and what Megan had to cut to save the cat (RIP desk scene) * What the “two hour read” category on Amazon actually is (and why it’s basically just ex-military, bikers, and mountain men) * How killing your darlings hits different when you’re working in a compressed format (and what Megan had to sacrifice for book three) * When novellas work best as a reader: book slumps, book hangovers, Christmas season, and the 45-minute palate cleanser “A novella is like packing a carry-on — everything has to fit, and everything has to do double duty. There's no 'maybe I'll wear this dress.' Every single scene has to work harder." — Megan Flatt (AKA AJ Claremont) Our ships this week: * Megan: Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright by Bailey Seaborn * Meg: Where We End and Begin by Jane Igharo * Nikki: It Started with a Text by Jax Calder How You Can Support The Show Share the show with a friend or loved one! Rate, review, and subscribe on your podcast provider of choice Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/ Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Threads: https://www.threads.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates Email us at firstdatesandsoulmatespod@gmail.com Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Check out our sponsorship opportunities: https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/sponsor/ Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: https://amzn.to/4altuTv Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative Get a paid subscription on Substack for one month or for many months! Get full access to First Dates & Soulmates: Romance Podcast at firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com/subscribe

    59 min

  4. 8 APR

    Does Romance Need a HEA? What Romance Owes Its Readers (And Why It Matters)

    Episode 101 kicks off with a deceptively simple question that nearly broke Threads: does romance require a happily ever after?Nikki and Meg are firmly in the yes camp. HEA or HFN required, or else it’s a love story and it belongs on a different shelf. But the more interesting conversation is about what “happy” actually means now versus what it meant when the Romance Writers of America first put the definition on paper in the 1980s. Spoiler: it has never stopped evolving, and that evolution is doing a lot of fascinating work.They also get into the shelving problem, why mislabelling love stories as romance isn’t just annoying, it’s a trust issue, and close on Nikki’s spicy provocation: is the push to strip the HEA from romance just literary elitism in a trench coat? Meg has a response. It involves Henry Higgins and yelling about 'My Fair Lady.’ Our Ships: * Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright by Bailey Seabor: https://amzn.to/3PxtY0U * The Runaway Duchess by Joanna Lowell: https://amzn.to/4rYon0S * Hot Axe (Axeford Brothers Book 2) by May Archer: https://amzn.to/4tbS2ov How You Can Support The Show Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/ Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo Email us at firstdatesandsoulmatespod@gmail.com Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: https://amzn.to/4altuTv Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack Get full access to First Dates & Soulmates: Romance Podcast at firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com/subscribe

    58 min

  5. 1 APR

    100 | Live Reactions to Romance's Greatest Hits (and it's our 100th episode!)

    Episode 100 is here. Nikki and Meg are popping every metaphorical champagne bottle and celebrating the way all great romance milestones should be celebrated : with live reactions, hot takes, and a deep dive into the most iconic romance moments ever put on screen. To mark the occasion, Nikki pulled together a set of YouTube clip compilations covering the top rewatched romance movie scenes, the greatest TV couples of the 2010s, and the best love confessions in pop culture. Meg, in full form, has not seen most of them. They cover everything from the Princess Bride (perfect) to Grease (iconic but those are not high schoolers) to the When Harry Met Sally love confession (the one). There are strong opinions about who belongs on the list and who absolutely does not — 500 Days of Summer, we’re looking at you. Along the way, Nikki and Meg also talk about why romance matters, why women are allowed to enjoy it loudly, and why a hundred episodes in, neither of them is done. Our Ships: * Parallel by L. O’Rourke: https://amzn.to/3NukfI7 * Under the Surface by N.R. Walker: https://amzn.to/40Zttz3 Videos We Watched: Top 20 Most Rewatched Scenes in Romance Movies Best Confessions of Love Top 10 Greatest TV Couples of the Decade How You Can Support The Show Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/ Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Email us at firstdatesandsoulmatespod@gmail.com Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: https://amzn.to/4altuTv Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack Get full access to First Dates & Soulmates: Romance Podcast at firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com/subscribe

    57 min

  6. 25 MAR

    99 | New Release! Two Wrongs Don't Make a Playwright by Bailey Seaborn

    Nikki has put Meg back in the hot seat as her romance author persona Bailey Seaborn to celebrate the release of “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright”, the third full-length novel in the All or Nothing universe. This episode dives into: * The pandemic romance-novel dreams about Chris Evans-type hometown reunions to a massive dual-timeline story that became the emotional center of the entire series * Characters who are both SO right and SO wrong at the same time * Why Meg refuses to let characters escape hard decisions with convenient cheating plots * Chaos gremlin side characters doing their absolute best work * Writing a dual-timeline, dual-POV story without losing your mind The result is a romance about timing, growth, and the idea that once someone changes you, you’re never quite the same again. Buy Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright by Bailey Seaborn: https://amzn.to/4cOlNH5 Join the Bailey Seaborn mailing list here: https://baileyseaborn.com/ Follow Bailey on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baileyseabornauthor/ How You Can Support The Show Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/ Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Email us at firstdatesandsoulmatespod@gmail.com Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: https://amzn.to/4altuTv Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack Get full access to First Dates & Soulmates: Romance Podcast at firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com/subscribe

    1hr 4min

  7. 18 MAR

    98 | Sweet Home Alabama: The Love Triangle Romance That Makes You Yell at the Screen

    Meg & Nikki celebrate Second Chance Month with a rewatch of Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Patrick Dempsey. This episode breaks down: * Hidden identities and the “reinvent yourself in Manhattan” fantasy * Small-town roots vs. big-city ambition * The ethics of not mentioning you’re still married * Whether the reunion is romantic… or just nostalgia with humidity The real debate: is this a sweeping second chance romance or a woman shrinking herself back into an old version to make everyone comfortable? Ships: * Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright by Bailey Seaborn: https://amzn.to/4cP6hdX * Blue Balling the Demon by Callie Colby: https://amzn.to/3P7WF4h * Wings & Whispers series by Calli Colby: https://amzn.to/41516zk How You Can Support The Show Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/ Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo Email us at firstdatesandsoulmatespod@gmail.com Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack Get full access to First Dates & Soulmates: Romance Podcast at firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com/subscribe

    52 min

  8. 11 MAR

    97 | Second Chance Romance: Why We Love Getting Back Together

    This week on the show Meg & Nikki deep dive into second chance romance trope with a deep dive: the emotionally volatile, nostalgia-soaked, “but what if this time?” category of love stories. This is not just “they loved each other once.” This is: * Why shared history creates instant emotional gravity * The “we’ve already suffered” bonding mechanism * The rupture: it cannot be something dumb like “miscommunication and vibes” * Time apart: did they grow, or did they just get hotter and richer? * What proof of change actually looks like Because sometimes it’s romantic. And sometimes it’s just texting your ex in 4K. Our favorite second chance novels: * Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright, Bailey Seaborn: https://amzn.to/4beU0wZ * Again the Magic, Lisa Kleypas: https://amzn.to/4b9ixTY * Love & Other Words, Christina Lauren: https://amzn.to/4bfnDOV * The Ex Vows, Jessica Joyce: https://amzn.to/3Pn1bvC * Repeat, Kylie Scott: https://amzn.to/4bfo6AF * Hot for Slayer, Aly Hazelwood: https://amzn.to/4b8uvNH * Before I Let Go, Kennedy Ryan: https://amzn.to/4b7O3lp Movies discussed: * The Notebook * The Vow * What’s Your Number? Also discussed (not second chance): * Saddle to Sunup, Emmy Sanders: https://amzn.to/3Ndv6po Ships: Faking It and Crashing Together by AJ Claremont: https://amzn.to/4ssGrB1 Doppelbanger by WH Lockwood: https://amzn.to/4uf1I2M How You Can Support The Show Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/ Follow Us On Social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo Email us at firstdatesandsoulmatespod@gmail.com Share the show with a friend or loved one! Got a Little Extra Money to Spend? Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk Get Meg’s Latest Book: Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright: https://amzn.to/4beU0wZ Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack Get full access to First Dates & Soulmates: Romance Podcast at firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com/subscribe

    1 hr
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About

First Dates & Soulmates is a romance podcast where craft meets culture, hosted by romance author Meg Casebolt and pop culture devotee Nikki McKnight. Expect trope frameworks, feminist film critiques, author interviews, and sometimes ridiculous readalongs. firstdatesandsoulmates.substack.com

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