We took this one to the movies.

In this special episode, we headed out to see Project Hail Mary , then talk through all of it, and yes, this is your official spoiler warning.

We’re breaking down what worked, what surprised us, and the moments that stuck with us most. From Gosling's glasses crawling all over his face to Rocky being Amaze Amaze Amaze, we’re getting into everything.

If you haven’t read or seen it yet, maybe save this one.
If you have, come hang out.

Matt & Andrea here. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
We'd love to hear from you. Visit us at www.OurNextChapterPodcast.com

Matt and Andrea kick things off with an audiobook narration audition before welcoming bestselling author Natalie Keller-Reinert to the show. Natalie shares how a lifelong love of horses turned into a writing career, the path from indie publishing to Flatiron Books, and the story behind her new novel The Jump.

We then wrap up with a story about the Dreamers and Readers festival and how the Dallas-Fort Worth book community showed up for authors when it mattered most.

Matt & Andrea here. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
We'd love to hear from you. Visit us at www.OurNextChapterPodcast.com

We’re back with a conversation we loved with bestselling author Jenn Dugan, whose newest novel, Anderson in Bloom, is out tomorrow!

Jenn shares her journey from writing after bedtime to publishing multiple books a year, and what it really means to write messy, complicated characters who still deserve big love. We talk about finding your voice, navigating YA and adult romance, reclaiming your story, and why she likes to take “two disasters and make them kiss.”

Matt & Andrea here. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
We'd love to hear from you. Visit us at www.OurNextChapterPodcast.com

We’re continuing our one-year POD-aversary celebration on Our Next Chapter — and this week we’re joined by USA Today bestselling fantasy romance author Kate Golden.

Kate stops by to talk about her new romantasy novel Half City, the first book in the Harker Academy series — a dark academia story featuring demon hunters, forbidden attraction, and a mystery that unravels at an elite supernatural academy.

We also play our recurring author game, The Impossible Meet Cute, which somehow results in a rom-com that has dogs and Hawaii. You’ll understand when you hear it.

If you love romantasy, fantasy romance, dark academia, conversations about the writing process, and authors getting honest about craft, you'll dig this.

Thanks for celebrating year one with us!

Matt & Andrea here. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
We'd love to hear from you. Visit us at www.OurNextChapterPodcast.com

One year in, and we’re celebrating our podaversary with romance author Sophie Sullivan. In this chapter, we talk about her long road to publication, redefining success, and trusting the timing of the story you’re in.

We dig into anxiety, joy, and what it means to keep writing anyway, even when the goalposts move. Plus, we play Check In / Check Out, wrap with our final five questions, and reflect a bit on what one year of conversations has taught us so far.

Matt & Andrea here. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
We'd love to hear from you. Visit us at www.OurNextChapterPodcast.com

In this chapter, we’re joined by YA romance author Jessica L. Cozzi to talk forced proximity, big teenage emotions, and her debut novel We’ve Hit Turbulence. We dig into what it’s like writing a book while also working as a publishing publicist, seeing the industry from both sides of the mic, and knowing how the sausage gets made. Plus, we play a quick game of Real or Fake Genres, where things get weird fast.

Matt & Andrea here. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
We'd love to hear from you. Visit us at www.OurNextChapterPodcast.com

We’re starting 2026 with coffee, chaos, and a little main-character energy.

First up, Matt and Andrea swap New Year’s resolutions and immediately rate how likely they are to actually happen. Spoiler: confidence is high, follow-through is questionable.

Then we’re joined by a true legend, Jayne Ann Krentz, for a fun and thoughtful conversation about writing, intuition, romantic suspense, psychic energy, and her upcoming novel The Shop on Hidden Lane. It’s craft talk, career wisdom, and a few “wow” moments all rolled into one.

And because this is Our Next Chapter, we also dive into our podcast-within-a-podcast, The Bedazzled Archives, where we revisit the gloriously unhinged 2000 film Bedazzled and ask the important questions. Like… did we love it?

Matt & Andrea here. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
We'd love to hear from you. Visit us at www.OurNextChapterPodcast.com

We’re hanging out with romance author LaQuette and chatting about her latest novel Janae Sanders' Second Time Around, releasing January 6th! We talk second chances, high school enemies who come back hot and emotionally competent, and why romance after real-life experience just feels good. There’s soap operas, Brooklyn stories, confident heroines, and a very fun game where charming men keep turning out to be walking red flags. If you like smart romance, messy conversations, and brilliant authors, give it a listen.

Matt & Andrea here. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
We'd love to hear from you. Visit us at www.OurNextChapterPodcast.com