By the time we embarked on our first Dungeons & Dragons campaign seven years ago, my now-husband and I had already been dating for three years. But while our own love story didn’t get its start with our group’s weekly adventures, it’s not difficult to imagine how tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) offer the perfect opportunity for a budding romance to blossom. Between the liberating unselfconsciousness of improvisational world-building and the foundational bonding experience of working toward a shared mission, it’s hard not to develop a special connection with the folks you gather around the gaming table with. And if you happen to have undeniable chemistry with one of your fellow adventurers? Well, you’re in for a critical hit to the heart.
Such is the case in writer and longtime D&D devotee Lenora Woods’s debut novel Roll for Romance, which sets a small town, friends-to-lovers romance against the backdrop of a tabletop campaign. When Sadie, a burned-out, freshly unemployed city slicker meets Noah, a charming, small-town Texas bartender, sparks begin to fly. And as the pair spend more and more time together, they fall head-over-heels in worlds both real and imagined. A cute, cozy romance rooted in friendship, found family, and fantasy, this new listen is as sweet as it is spellbinding.
Alanna McAuliffe: Your charming debut, Roll for Romance, follows a love story that unfolds between two players over the course of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. What inspired this conceit and the two characters at the plot’s center?
Lenora Woods: Truthfully, I've always been fascinated by the idea of a book about a Dungeons & Dragons group that tells the story of both the players and their characters. I first started playing D&D simply because I wanted to engage with a cool fantasy story, but the friendships I forged with my group in real life away from the game are just as special—more special, really!—than the storylines we play out in-game. In Roll for Romance, I wanted to explore that dynamic of the players' relationship both to the game and to each other. I also loved imagining what a budding romance between two players would look like, and how roleplaying characters in-game might blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
Admittedly, the inspiration for the main character, Sadie, came directly from my own experiences with burnout. I wanted to write about a woman who uses the game and the character she plays as a way to feel brave, adventurous, and capable during a time in her life when she feels otherwise defeated and helpless. Connecting with community and indulging in hobbies like D&D can be a huge part of the healing process, and I was inspired to tell Sadie's story about how playing the game helped her to start believing in herself—and in love—again.
There are two backdrops for Sadie and Noah’s nascent relationship: the real world, where they connect in a small Texas town, and within their campaign, as human cleric Jaylie and elven bard Loren. What was the process of writing so distinctly across genres—from contemporary romance to fantasy—in one project like?
It was actually a really freeing experience! I'm a huge fan of both fantasy and contemporary romance, and it was great to be able to "escape" from one world into another. Just as Sadie and her friends sometimes use D&D as an escape, getting to hop right back into writing the fantasy story when things IRL started to feel too "heavy" or complex was so much fun. It gave me the opportunity, as a writer, to really explore these characters through a different, fantastical perspective, because it let me ask the question: Are they just using the in-game fantasy storyline as an escape from the complexities of their real lives, or are there aspects of their own personalities they're exploring through their in-game characters?
Do you play TTRPGS yourself, and if so, did any characters, arcs, sessions, or improvisational flair ultimately find their way into your book?
Absolutely! I've played D&D for almost 10 years now, and lots of inspiration from the games I've played in made it into this book. The campaign that the characters in Roll for Romance play through is new and unique to the book, but I've included fun references to my past games and characters. Without giving spoilers, there is a portion of the D&D storyline in the book where our heroes must call on other adventurers to aid them in their quest, and the adventurers who answer the call are all references to characters my friends and I have played in previous campaigns. I included them as a tribute to all of the stories that inspired Roll, and as a way to honor everyone who supported it on its journey.
D&D turned 50 last year but remains as popular as ever, a testament to the game’s lasting cultural impact. From your perspective, what is it about the game that keeps us rolling for initiative all these years later?
I'm sure I could write an essay on this, but I'll keep it short! At its heart, I really believe what keeps us playing D&D is how it fosters community. It connects everyone at the table, uniting them together for one great, magical story. Of course, it's also set in a fun fantasy world with plenty of beloved genre and culture touchpoints that make it accessible to new players, but it's specifically designed in a way that really invites you to make these worlds, stories, and characters your own by encouraging you to engage with it on your own terms.
"Regardless of which quest you choose, at the end of the day, what's really special about D&D is the way it brings people together."
You get the choice to either accept the quest to save the princess, or defeat the dragon, or whatever your mission is—or you can pursue a different path and choose shirk the quest and open a tavern with your party members and try to make it the best one in town. It can be whatever you like—it's your story to tell. Regardless of which quest you choose, at the end of the day, what's really special about D&D is the way it brings people together. For me, telling stories with my best friends is just never going to get old. After all—the real D&D adventure is the friends we made along the way, right?
Ellie Gossage, who has lent her voice to both romance and fantasy—and perhaps most fittingly, the newly released Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd—narrates Roll for Romance. Can you share a bit about the casting and recording process and your feelings on what she brings to the story?
When first discussing the audiobook, I was very hopeful to find a narrator who could capture both portions of the story: the real-life scenes from Sadie's first-person POV and the fantasy adventure scenes set in the D&D world. My audio team prioritized that, and they sent through a list of extremely talented narrators who auditioned by reading snippets of both perspectives. They were fantastic, but Ellie really stuck out to me from the jump. She immediately captured Sadie's wistful, optimistic, and anxiously earnest personality, and her narration of the D&D scenes was incredibly transportive and immersive, with so much range for our colorful cast of characters! I'm so delighted to have Ellie narrating Roll for Romance, and I'm immensely grateful for how she's brought the story to life!
I'm also listening to Heir of Strahd right now and loving it! Curse of Strahd one of my favorite campaigns, so I'm honored and charmed that we share a narrator. I'm crossing my fingers for even more D&D campaign stories performed by Ellie!
On the topic of audiobooks, are you a listener? Are there any personal favorite listens you’d like to share with fellow fans of fantasy, romance, and adventure?
I consume my books on a pretty even 50/50 split between reading or listening, so yes, I am an avid listener! And wow, there are so many I could recommend, but for readers who enjoy the cozy fantasy aspect of Roll for Romance, I recommend Legends & Lattes. I love that Legends & Lattes is read by its author [Travis Baldree], who is a fantastic audiobook narrator. Getting to hear him narrate his own book is so wonderful: He brings so much warmth and love to it!
For contemporary romance, I had a ton of fun listening to Mallory Marlowe's Love and Other Conspiracies! It's the nerdy romcom of my dreams about two podcast hosts debating popular cryptid conspiracy theories, and the way the audiobook transitions to the podcast portions was super fun.
What can we expect to hear next from you? Are you working on any future romances set within the scope of a tabletop quest?
I am! There are so many fun dynamics left to explore at the D&D table, and my next book is another D&D romance where we'll get to watch the story play out in and out of the game again. I can't share more yet, but I'm so excited to tell readers more about it soon!
