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The Novel:
The Charm Offensive
The Author:
Alison Cochrun
The Noobie:
Lauren Marie Fleming, Founder of School for Writers
IG: @laurenmariefleming (personal)
IG: @schoolforwriters (School for Writers)

The Synopsis:
Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.

Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.

As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.

*Content Warnings* On-the-page anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive tendencies and experiences with depression as well as conversations about mental health stigmas and workplace discrimination. Book talk begins at (00:21:21)

Show Notes:
- Lusting after Hollywood stories (especially LGBTQ+ Hollywood stories) with today's guest, Lauren Marie Fleming
- Fat love, queer love... but where's the fat queer love?
- Check out Lauren's interview with Talia Hibbert on School for Writers Podcast
- Diversifying your romance reading (with intention)
- Jasmine Guillory's Time Magazine piece: "Reading Anti-Racist Nonfiction Is a Start. But Don’t Underestimate the Power of Black Fiction"
- Kelly's next project: a fat, billionaire queer witch romance
- Before there was School for Writers, there was Queerie Bradshaw
- Introducing today's book pick, The Charm Offensive (00:21:21) - be sure to check out our Steamy Spotlight interview with Alison Cochrun
- A brief-ish synopsis for The Charm Offensive
- Our personal experiences with celebrity-handling, reality TV, and "UnREAL"
- Love is not a cure-all
- Choosing "labels" (or not) and also letting those "labels" change (00:38:16)
- Reading queer love stories by queer authors
- A really well-developed ensemble and the movie, "Notting Hill" (00:50:13)
- A few "door-ajar" steamy sexcerpts (01:01:40)
- Do your research!! It's sexy!!
- High school love... but as adults
- Heart, Humor, & Heat Ratings (01:17:18)

Books & Authors Mentioned:
Jasmine Guillory
Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron (Listen to our review HERE)
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Also, shoutout to Bawdy Bookworms

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