Romance Novels, with Falon Ballard and Robin Bradford

Circulating Ideas 235

Feb 24, 2023

I can count on one hand the number of romance novels that I have read in my life with three fingers remaining. Those two romance novels? Just My Type and Lease on Love, written by my first guest on Circulating Ideas, Episode 235 (transcript available here!), Falon Ballard! We chat about her experience with libraries, her writing process, her two novels and her podcast, and which Marvel romance she would love to write.

After my chat with Falon, I got the rundown on the romance genre from Robin Bradford, author of the Readers’ Advisory Guide to Romance!

Will I read more romance novels in the future? It’s a mystery.

…

Okay, I’ll probably read a lot more mysteries instead, but never say never!

CI235 Show Notes

To win the job of her dreams, a relationship-prone journalist needs to learn how to stay single in this heartwarming and hilarious new romantic comedy from the beloved author of Lease on Love.

Lana Parker is an expert girlfriend. After a disastrous breakup with her high school boyfriend, she’s bounced from long-term relationship to long-term relationship and even works as the dating and relationships columnist for one of Los Angeles’s trendiest websites. But when Lana suddenly finds herself single, she’s ready to take a break, both personally and professionally.

That is, until her high school ex, Seth Carson, takes an assignment at Lana’s site. Having spent years traveling the world as a freelance journalist, Seth’s finally ready to put down roots. Seth and Lana’s chemistry is just as combative—and undeniable—as ever and quickly leads to a competition that could shape both of their careers. Pitted against each other by Lana’s boss, they are each tasked with writing an article series that goes against their usual dating type: Lana needs to write about being single and staying single, while Seth must learn to settle down and become boyfriend material. Whoever’s series is most popular winds a highly coveted dream job. But when the two square off, it’s not only their careers on the line—it’s also their hearts.

the book | goodreads

Falon Ballard

Falon Ballard loves to write about love! She also has an undying affection for exclamation points and isn’t ashamed to admit it! When she’s not writing fictional love stories, she’s helping real-life couples celebrate, working as a wedding planner in Southern California. She has a deep appreciation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a Disneyland devotee, and is a reality TV aficionado. If she’s not busy wrangling her seven-year-old, you can probably find her drinking wine and posting a picture on Instagram while simultaneously snarking on Twitter, because multitasking!

Robin Bradford

Robin Bradford has earned a BA and MA in English, an MS in Library Science, and a JD, but has found a home in building reader-focused, popular collections in public libraries. She was recognized as RWA’s 2016 Librarian of the Year, and Emerald City Library Conference's Librarian of the Year in 2022. She is addicted to books and dedicated to helping others discover a love of reading. She has worked with authors to help get their titles into these collections, and wrote the forthcoming ALA’s Guide to Romance Fiction to further help libraries with their romance collection. She also worked with libraries to push for equal treatment of genre fiction, and worked with readers so that they can find their favorite authors on their library's shelves.

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