There's really no better expression of love and friendship than that, and we must reciprocate to the best of our ability. (4/4)

We all have to watch our pennies, especially right now, but everyone deserves to be paid for their labor, and that includes loved ones who believe in us enough to dedicate their time and expertise to our projects. (3/4)

Even if they offer to do it as a favor, give them *something* in turn (baby/pet sit, help with a chore, give them a lift somewhere, replace their air filter, etc.). Anything that both parties are happy with is great, as long as we return the appreciation they have for us and our work. (2/4)

While I probably won’t add the author’s upcoming Xmas ranch romance to my TBR, I came away with some new tools to make my own work shine brighter (or darker, as it were. 😈) 5/5

The moral of the story is: don’t automatically tune out of a writing conversation just because it may not revolve around your preferred genres or writing style. There’s so much that we writers can learn from each other that transcends all of that. 4/5

Lo and behold, it was a great conversation. The author was funny, articulate, and obviously very passionate about her work, and I learned a lot about how to structure relationships between characters (romantic or otherwise) that I had never considered before. 3/5

Holiday romance isn’t typically a genre I gravitate towards (I have nothing at all against it, it’s just personal preference), so I went in to pick a different episode. But then I had a thought: “You know, why not just give it a listen? Maybe I’ll learn something new.” 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2/5