In this special edition of the Historical Romance Sampler, host Katherine Grant welcomes Meg and Laine from Plot Trysts to the show. They read an excerpt from 'Mr. Impossible' by Loretta Chase and discuss the book's setting, characters, and unique elements. The episode features an in-depth conversation about the evolution of historical romance, the impact of the genre's conventions, and the roles that adventure and progressive themes play in modern historical romance. Later, they play a fun 'Love It or Leave It' game, sharing their personal preferences and hot takes on common romance tropes. Tune in for a delightful and insightful episode on all things historical romance!

Award-winning and international bestselling author Eliana Piers joins the podcast to read from her Regency romance, GOOD DUKE GONE WILD. She talks about the importance of life experiences in writing, the influence of ethical philosophy, and the balance between historical accuracy and creative freedom. 

Ellie St. Clair reads a sample of her Regency romance, HER RUNAWAY DUKE, talks about Beauty and the Beast inspirations, and shares some of the research that has led her to writing interesting characters!

USA Today Bestselling author Julie Johnstone reads the prologue from her fairy tale-inspired historical Scottish romance, THE HEART OF THE HIGHLANDER. We talk about fairy tales, researching historical periods, and how the industry has changed since Julie started publishing. Listen now!

Emily EK Murdoch reads from A FIGHTING CHANCE, the first book in her series about the Chance family. Then we talk about writing humor, what Emily has learned from publishing dozens of historical romances, and her latest venture into nonfiction. Listen now!

Louise Mayberry reads from THE SONG OF THE MAGPIE, a historical romance set in colonial Australia. We talk about redeeming villains with their own love story, writing in settings not often seen in historical romance, and more.

Annabelle Anders joins the podcast to read her award-winning novel, HELL’S BELLES. We talk about why we love Regency romance so much, Mary Balogh as our gateway author, and where Annabelle hopes to grow in 2025.

Annie R McEwen reads from her holiday novella, THE CHELSEA MILLINER. Then she shares about the Regency holiday tradition of Twelfth Night bonfires, how her career as a historian informs her writing, and why she keeps writing romances!

Christina Diane reads from THE EARL AND THE VIXEN, then talks about her inspiration for writing a series set within the same Regency house party, how she keeps track of her plots, and why she started writing romance in the first place!

Kate Bateman stops by to read SECOND DUKE’S THE CHARM. Then we chat about her love of adventure in romances, her day job as an antiques excerpt, and her one rule for romance books!

Steffy Smith joins the podcast to read from HIS REGENCY GODDESS, a body positive Regency romance, and talks about writing across historical eras, the romances that most influenced her, and lessons she has learned so far.

Kelsey Painter joins the podcast to read from her Titanic historical romance, SHIP OF DREAMS! We talk about the challenges of writing a Titanic story (HEA guaranteed), fan fiction vs original romance novels, and the other eras she is interested in exploring!

I’m back to celebrate THE MISS WITHOUT A MISTER, and this time, my copyeditor Sara Israel joins as guest host to ask me about historical accuracy, metaphors, and more!

Author Felicity Niven reads her latest release, VOLUPTUOUS, then chats with me about why she chose to write historical romance, the joy of brining characters together, and how her background in screenwriting influences her novels.

Author Sri Savita reads THE DEED WITH THE DUKE. Then we chat about the real Robin Hood’s Bay, how her experience as a cognitive psychologist informs her writing, and why it is so important to her to add authentic Indian culture to historical romance.

Author Britt Belle reads a sample of THE EARL WAS WRONG, then chats with me about the difference between writing contemporary and historical romance, why she loves history, and how playing collegiate sports prepared her to be a novelist!

Andrea Martucci, host of the Shelf Love podcast and community, reads a passage from SECRETS OF A SUMMER NIGHT by Lisa Kleypas, and then we do a close reading together! Plus, we discuss how historical romance has changed since the 1970s and why I should want my books in an airport bookstore.

Award-winning author Bliss Bennet reads from NOT QUITE A MARRIAGE and then chats with me about historical accuracy in names, why she loves writing the Regency period, and her journey back to romance after early experiences with Harlequin.

Giovanna Siniscalchi reads from her historical romance, THE TASTE OF LIGHT, then chats with me about the inspiration behind her series set in Portugal, the authors she admires, and the rules of romance she loves to follow!

Rose Prendeville samples MAGGIE AND THE PIRATE'S SON, then chats with me about her inspiration to write a pirate book (it's not what you might think), the hands-on research she did, and why she switched from dreaming of being an astronaut to writing historical romance!

Nicki Pascarella reads from CHARLOTTE'S KISSES, her recent release that kicks off her new steamy Regency romance series! Plus, we talk about creativity and how Nicki is growing as a writer since she started off with contemporary women's fiction.

Kelsey Swanson reads from her recent release, A MOST UNSUITABLE LOVER, and talks about how her history degree and childhood informed this Regency romance!

Daria Vernon reads from THE ROGUE'S LAST LETTER and talks about weaving non-romantic subplots into historical romance novels and the surprising way she discovered she prefers writing in third person!

Emmaline Warden reads from THE SEASONAL HABITS OF HUSBANDS AND HONEYBEES and talks about what she learned about herself from writing Phoebe and the TikTok videos that inspired the beekeeping subplot!

Ginny B Moore joins the podcast to read from RUIN ME BY MIDNIGHT and talk about why writing neurodivergent characters in historical romance is so important (and meaningful) to her!

Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple joins the podcast to read a sample of MAIDEN OF THE STORM, talk about researching multiple historical eras at a time, and why she started writing fairy tale villlain stories!

Elizabeth Everett joins the podcast to read a sample of THE LOVE REMEDY and discuss her approach to writing feminist history into the romance genre!

Maggie Sims reads a sample of CHARLOTTE’S CONTROL and discusses why she writes super steamy Regency romances, her love of the age gap trope, and the authors who influenced her as a reader and writer.

Debut historical romance author Evelin Laczi joins the podcast to read from her Victorian novel, THE ROSE OF GRANBOROUGH PARK. Then we chat about how her characters were inspired by her own family history, why she decided to write in English instead of her native Hungarian, and how her experience as a film editor influences her creative writing.

Heba Helmy reads from her debut novel, THE EARL'S EGYPTIAN HEIRESS, and teases her second novel, A VISCOUNT FOR THE EGYPTIAN PRINCESS. Plus, we discuss her journey from dystopian YA to historical romance, how much fun she had researching Victorian-era Cairo, and why she is such a trailblazer for future historical romance writers.