Ep #114 – LUST & FOUND

“MORE PERV, LESS BAD POTATO SALAD”

This week Meka and Melinda, aka Melinka, host the podcast with special guest author Melissa Blue as they discuss second chance romance

EP 114 HOSTS

> MEKA WHITE (she/her) is the voice behind BookAbility.me where she writes about her adventures in reading romance and being visually impaired. Meka loves pushing books and can’t wait to share her favorites with you. When she’s not reading, Meka also enjoys singing and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her guide dog, Treble. You can follow her on Twitter @Mektastic

> MELINDA UTENDORF (she/her) was that child reading Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High books with a flashlight until 2 a.m. and checking out stacks of books from the library every week. After getting sick of ‘important’ books in her English degree classes, she turned to romance and HEAs and hasn’t looked back since. Melinda spends her time doing puzzles, listening to podcasts, and helping as admin for @RomanceSparksJoy. When she’s not busy with all of that, she’s a freelance editor or talking about books as @MelindaEdits

EP 114 GUEST

> MELISSA BLUE (she/her) Melissa Blue’s writing career started on a typewriter one month after her son was born. This would have been an idyllic situation for a writer if it had been 1985, not 2004. She penned that first contemporary romance, upgraded to a computer and hasn’t looked back since. Outside of writing, Blue works as a mail clerk for the federal government, has a paralegal certificate (that she has more use for as a dust pan) and is a mother of two rambunctious children. She lives in California where the wine is good and, despite popular belief, is not always sunny. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @Mel_TheGreat

EP 114 DISCUSSION

> “Melinka” is Meka and Melinda’s cute portmanteau

> Melissa Blue also writes under the pen name Dakota Gray

> Melissa refers to the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho (1960)
Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/

> Melissa briefly mentions Wild Rose Press which is an indie press still in operation
Link: https://www.thewildrosepress.com/

> While Perv is not a second chance romance, it is the first book in Melissa Blue’s Filth series, written under the pen name Dakota Blue, and the subject of Meka’s hysterical Thanksgiving dinner story
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30059610-perv

> Title: Hardcore (Filth #3)
Author: Dakota Gray
Relation to theme: MCs reunite years after ONS
Representation: Black author, white cis het MCs
Content Warnings: none
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33138680-hardcore

> Title: Only For a Night (Lick #1)
Author: Naima Simone
Relation to theme: Second chance
Representation: Black author, white cis het MCs
Content Warnings: miscarriage, emotional abuse (in the past), gaslighting (in the past), slut shaming (in the past)
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30124920-only-for-a-night

> Title: Seared (Master Chefs #1)
Author: Suleikha Snyder
Relation to theme: Step-siblings reunite after parents divorce
Representation: South Asian author, bisexual MCs
Content Warnings: step-siblings, bdsm/kink, references to domestic violence and past emotional abuse
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36304684-seared

> Title: Trashed (Eastside Brewery #2)
Author: Mia Hopkins
Relation to theme: MCs reunite months after ONS
Representation: Filipina author, Latinx MCs
Content Warnings: gang violence, gun violence, physical violence (fighting but never between the main couple), drug use
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36607472-trashed

> Melissa refers to Mia Hopkins’ Cowboy Cocktail series which you can find here
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/172765-cowboy-cocktail

> Title: Hard to Forget (Black Ops Heroes #2)
Author: Incy Black
Relation to theme: MCs reunite years after traumatic event
Representation: White author, white cis het MCs
Content Warnings: past trauma, stalking, gun violence
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23014306-hard-to-forget

> Title: Appealed (The Legal Briefs #3)
Author: Emma Chase
Relation to theme: Childhood crush MCs reunite as adults
Representation: White author, white cis het MCs, disabled MC
Content Warnings: loss of limb in accident
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22926494-appealed

> Melissa also recommends Sustained by Emma Chase, the previous book in this series
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22926485-sustained

> Title: A Second Chance Road Trip For Christmas (Holidays with the Wongs #2)
Author: Jackie Lau
Relation to theme: High school sweetheart MCs reunite as adults
Representation: Asian author, Asian male MC + Black female MC
Content Warnings: none
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48375358-a-second-chance-road-trip-for-christmas

> Title: Find Home Again (Catalina Cove #3)
Author: Brenda Jackson
Relation to theme: MC returns home, second chance high school sweethearts
Representation: Black author, black MCs
Content Warnings: stalking
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43191826-finding-home-again

> Melinda also recommends the entire Catalina Cove series by Brenda Jackson
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/234331-catalina-cove

> Melissa mentions the Westmoreland Series, which is one of Brenda Jackson’s longest running series with over 50 related works
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/60700-the-westmorelands

> #InclusiveRomance blog shout-out! Check out Sharonda Isadora who writes and podcasts about black romance at http://www.brazenbabereviews.com/, plus you can follow her on Twitter @BBrReviews and Instagram @brazenbabereviews

> Which #InclusiveRomance favorites of yours did we miss? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram @RomBkPod

Happy Reading!

EP 114 MUSIC CREDIT
Music: “Lift Off” by Jahzzar
From the Free Music Archive
CC BY-SA 3.0