Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

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A weekly discussion of everything romance—from the novels and the tropes to the book-to-screen adaptations and, of course, the drama of it all—with hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall. Brought to you by the romance publisher 831 Stories.

  1. 3d ago

    Sports Romance Needs New Material, Lily Herman on Formula 1, and a Listener Voicemail

    Sanjana and Tyler kick off the show imploring sports romance to look beyond hockey—and then Lily Herman joins to talk about why Formula 1 is perfect genre fodder. Plus: a VM from listener Danielle gets Sanj and Tyler into the tropes and choices that can turn them off a book, along with their DNF philosophies. Also, reminder: We love voicemails! Reach us at 833-831-LOVE.  The sports romance wishlist: more WNBA, ice dancing, and skiing, with mentions of Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid, Rooting Interest by Cat Disabato, Finding Her Edge on Netflix, Off Course by Julie Cook, and Can I Tell You Something? by Holly June Smith. Lily Herman—who hosts the podcast No Grip and writes the newsletter Engine Failure—on Formula 1 romance, from Drive to Survive and the Lewis Hamilton–Nico Rosberg rivalry to her recs Crash Test by Amy James and Faster by Andie J. Christopher. Hang with Sanj and Tyler in person at RomCon on Oct. 24 in Brooklyn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. Sep 10

    Let Mary Bennet Be a Freak, Nikki Payne on Austen's Imprint on Romance, and Sense and Sensibility Double Homework

    It's an all-Austen episode: Sanjana formally pitches The Other Bennet Sister, arguing the show works because it lets Mary Bennet stay a genuine weirdo instead of “yassifying” her. Then Nikki Payne joins to talk Jane Austen: her Clueless-into-Emma origin story, why Sense and Sensibility reads more like a philosophy argument than a romance, and her theory that you can always tell when the characters boned off-page. And: Mutual homework, as Sanj and Tyler both consumed Sense and Sensibility for the first time. Sanj pitches The Other Bennet Sister on BBC/BritBox (an adaptation of a novel by the same name by Janice Hadlow).  Nikki Payne is the author of Pride and Protest, Sex, Lies and Sensibility, The Princess and the P.I., and the upcoming The Pro and the Con. Two of Nikki’s favorite Austen retellings:  Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin and Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal.  Mutual homework: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Perhaps the audiobook narrated by  Nicola Coughlan? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Sep 3

    The State of Goodreads, Alexandra Romanoff on YA vs. Adult Romance, and Our Fall Romance Forecast

    Sanjana and Tyler bravely enter the Goodreads discourse: the good, the bad, the entertaining. Then Alexandra Romanoff—author of 831’s Big Fan, Square Waves, and Vacation Self trilogy—joins to talk about moving from YA to adult romance, writing sex across genres, and whether teenagers can really get a happily ever after. Plus: The books and movies our hosts are most excited for this fall. Alexandra Romanoff on writing YA to erotica to adult romance. Her YA books: Grace and the Fever, A Song to Take the World Apart, and Look. Her adult romances, for 831: Big Fan, Square Waves, and Vacation Self. (The complete three-book set!) Zan’s intimacy and YA pick:  Our Shouts Echo by Jade Adia. The fall watch-and-read list: Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, Damned If I Do by Alexandria Bellefleur, You’re the One That I Haunt by Katie Jung, Free Falling by Lyla Sage,  Sunflower Season by Danica Nava, Verity, Wicker, and, of course, The Love Hypothesis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. Aug 27

    The Sex Purge Movie Is Actually Good, Rachel Lynn Solomon on Celebrity Romance, and What We Consumed This Month

    Sanjana and Tyler saw One Night Only, and, listener, they loved it. More on that before Business or Pleasure and Extracurricular author Rachel Lynn Solomon joins to talk about the fantasy and complications of celebrity romance. Plus: what our hosts read and watched in August (shoutout Scandal). The One Night Only verdict: Give yourself over to the premise, support theatrical rom-com releases, and acknowledge that—spoiler—they probably should have had sex. Rachel Lynn Solomon is the author of Business or Pleasure and Extracurricular, two fresh takes on celeb/norm romance. Sanj’s recent cultural consumption: Sterling Point, Scandal, and C.R. Jane’s The Wrong Player series. Tyler’s latest: Brooke Averick’s Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It, Ann Patchett’s Whistler, and Jenny Jackson’s The Shampoo Effect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. Aug 20

    The State of Celebrity Romance, Lit Agent Ariele Fredman on What’s Next in Romance, and Our Q3 Internet Boyfriends

    Why is it that some celebrity romances feel genuine and others feel like fake news? Sanjana and Tyler dig into the authenticity of it all before UTA literary agent Ariele Fredman joins to chat about what romance publishers want right now and what may be coming next. Then, Sanj and Tyler crown their Q3 Internet Boyfriends. Celebrity romances mentioned: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Matty Healy and Gabbriette, Dua Lipa and Callum Turner, and Tom Holland and Zendaya. Ariele Fredman on what’s trending in romance publishing, with a shout-out to I. V. Marie’s YA romantasy hit Ruinous Ends. Q3 Internet Boyfriend nominees: Dónal Finn (Young Sherlock, The Other Bennet Sister) and Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani, with special acknowledgements for Irish accents and public officials willing to solve your dating problems. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. Aug 13

    "Realistic" Is the Wrong Word, Adrie Rose on Sex Workers in Romance, and The Pairing Homework

    Sanjana airs a pet peeve—the "didn't feel realistic" critique—and she and Tyler make the case that exaggeration is one of romance's best tools. Then Adrie Rose, a former sex worker and editor of the book of essays I Hate My Job, joins to talk about how the genre handles sex workers (not well) despite being kind of obsessed with writing them. And: Sanj completes her Tyler-assigned homework and comes back thrilled by The Pairing by Casey McQuiston, and especially by the line "the Kierkegaard of c**k." Adrie Rose edited and contributed to I Hate My Job and cohosts the Pages and Prejudice podcast. Her recs: the TV show Harlots, Kathryn Moon's Monster Smash Agency series, and Charlie Amen's Hawk & March. Sanjana's homework: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. From Sanj: For more on “realism” vs. “truth” vs. “performance” vs. “artifice,” here’s an interesting bit of writing from Vicky of the Chicky Substack from a more film-crit angle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. Aug 6

    Open-Door vs. Closed-Door Romance, Kate Goldbeck on Writing Under Reader Surveillance, and a Case for Cheating

    Bring the steam: Sanjana and Tyler advocate that sex scenes count as character work and that too many books miss that opportunity. Then Kate Goldbeck—the author of You, Again and Daddy Issues—stops by to talk about what it's actually like to write romance in an era of chronically online readers and, well, Threads. To close things out, Sanj and Tyler make the case for messier, sillier plots: well-executed cheating and unhinged premises, please. Our two closed-door book picks are YA: Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert and Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood. Kate Goldbeck is the author of You, Again and Daddy Issues, and her Substack is a great BTS look at being a romance writer right now. The wishlist for messier romance: the kind of emotional cheating brought to us by You’ve Got Mail and the sort of ridiculous set-ups Susan Elizabeth Phillips delivered with Nobody's Baby But Mine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. Jul 30

    The Case for Bad Sex Scenes, Riss M. Neilson on Disability in Romance, and What We’ve Consumed This Month

    Hear us out: An awkward sex scene can actually be better than a frictionless one. Take the examples Sanj and Tyler cite from Business or Pleasure and Act Your Age, Eve Brown! Then, Riss M. Neilson shares her experiences writing chronic illness and disability and delivering romance to characters who deserve love and steam. Plus, a what-we’ve-consumed-this-month roundup ending with a wildly bad Italian accent courtesy of a rewatch of The Wedding Planner. Most-memorable sex scene mentions: Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon and Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert. Riss M. Neilson is the author of A Love Like the Sun and The Bridge Back to You. Her rec: Reel by Kennedy Ryan. What we’ve consumed this month: The Invite, Lisa Kleypas’s The Wallflower series, Fossil Feud by Maggie North, Chase Me If You Can by Heather Francis, and The Wedding Planner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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A weekly discussion of everything romance—from the novels and the tropes to the book-to-screen adaptations and, of course, the drama of it all—with hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall. Brought to you by the romance publisher 831 Stories.

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  • Channel
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Creator
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    Radio 831: A Romance Podcast
  • Provider
    iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc

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