In this episode, we discuss our fav lore! We actually didn’t fully talk through everything and ended up discussing a lot about exposition (but I’m sure we’ll return to lore discussions in general–but exposition is a huge part of that convo!). We do our reading check ins (spoiler alert for When the Moon Hatched and Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk!) where we heavily discuss Allie’s experience finishing When the Moon Hatched and the things she liked and also had some issues with for that book! We also end with a fantastic poem called “Another Elegy ["This is what our dying looks like"]” by Jericho Brown. Read it here:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57693/another-elegy-this-is-what-our-dying-looks-like

What about you?? What do you look for in terms of lore? What breaks your immersion quickest??

Intro and Outro Music is by Chasing West

https://www.instagram.com/chvsingwest/

http://www.youtube.com/@chasingwest

Chapters:

00:00–Cold open, intro song, and episode intro

00:41–Reading check ins!

Allie finished When the Moon Hatched and had some THOUGHTS (SPOILER ALERT for When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker!!), plus exposition tangent

Sam finished Mother of Death & Dying and started the Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk (both by Carissa Broadbent)

33:42–Writing check ins!

48:43–Main Discussion: Lore Discussion

1:09:07–(TW–implied SI) Poem of the Week! “Another Elegy [“This is what our dying looks like”]” by Jericho Brown

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57693/another-elegy-this-is-what-our-dying-looks-like

1:16:18–Next week, closing & outro music

In this episode, we check in with our reading and writing as always and we spend our main discussion doing a writing exercise! The exercise prompt is given at 21:45 (also written below) and we read what we came up with at XX:XX. This one was super fun to do as two people at different stages and experience with our writing (Sam has never done this style of writing exercise, Allie has done hundreds of them; Sam’s a plotter, Allie’s a pantser; etc!).

We also get into a tangent about writing kid dialogue and end with a fantastic poem called “The Glass” by Sharon Olds. Read it here: https://www.deepcenter.org/deepcenter/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/the-glass_sharon-olds1.pdf

Prompt for the writing exercise: Write a scene where a parental figure is telling a story to a child in your world. Does not have to be a core myth, doesn’t have to mean anything or ever be included.

Intro and Outro Music is by Chasing West

https://www.instagram.com/chvsingwest/

http://www.youtube.com/@chasingwest

Chapters:

00:00–Cold open, intro song, and episode intro

00:33–Reading check ins!

9:38–Writing check ins!

21:14–Main Discussion: Writing Exercise!

Prompt for the writing exercise: Write a scene where a parental figure is telling a story to a child in your world. Does not have to be a core myth, doesn’t have to mean anything or ever be included.

22:32–Reading our drafts

31:50–Kid dialogue tangent (discussing two of Allie’s characters)

38:53–(CW–Yucky? lol) Poem of the Week! “The Glass” by Sharon Olds

https://www.deepcenter.org/deepcenter/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/the-glass_sharon-olds1.pdf

44:07–Next week, closing & outro music

Raihn from Crowns of Nyaxia by @aseriaart on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy3dC0rohbe/?img_index=1

Rhysand from ACOTAR by @charliebowater on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLEsQ6FABPR/

Xaden from Fourth Wing by @carraert on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/C35ArZqMzRE/?img_index=1

**SPOILER WARNING FOR CROWNS OF NYAXIA SERIES, ACOTAR, FOURTH WING, LIGHT SPOILERS FOR BROKEN KINGDOM SERIES, AND WHEN THE MOON HATCHED!**

In this episode, we jump into discussing enemies to lovers within the romantasy genre! As one of the most popular tropes, we chat about how it appears historically and in three very popular series (ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, Crowns of Nyaxia)--note the spoiler warning! We have a fun reading check in discussing WtMH and Crowns of Nyaxia (and especially how exposition and world building is written). Next week we’re doing a writing exercise!

Let us know what your fav enemies to lovers story is!!

Intro and Outro Music is by Chasing West

https://www.instagram.com/chvsingwest/

http://www.youtube.com/@chasingwest

Chapters:

00:00–Cold open, intro song, and episode intro

00:26–Writing check ins!

7:07–Reading check ins! Allie discusses the first part of When the Moon Hatched, Carissa Broadbent in general (and also specifically her latest, The Fallen and the Kiss of Dust), Sam is still working on War of Lost Hearts Series!

Main Discussion: Enemies to Lovers!

34:51–Early enemies to lovers, Shakespeare/10 Things I Hate About You, LJ Andrews’ Broken Kingdoms series

45:18–Discussing ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, Crowns of Nyaxia & categorizing types of enemies to lovers (internal vs external factors)

1:18:03–Next week, closing & outro music