Ep #205 – LUST & FOUND

“SAFE HAVEN”

This week Ana hosts the podcast with special guest author Rebekah Weatherspoon as they introduce our October theme of Found Family

EP 205 HOST

> ANA COQUI (she/her) A lifelong genre reader, Ana grew up reading fantasy, sci-fi & mystery novels in Puerto Rico, before finally wandering into the romance section of the library in search of HEA’s after bawling through one too many dystopian novels. When she is not reading, knitting, writing about romance for Love in Panels or running #RomBkLove on Twitter as @anacoqui, Ana is a school librarian

EP 205 GUEST

> REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON (she/her) After years of meddling in her friends’ love lives, Rebekah Weatherspoon turned to writing romance to get her fix. Raised in Southern New Hampshire, Rebekah Weatherspoon now lives in Southern California where she will remain forever because she hates moving. Her 2018 romantic comedy RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny received praise from both Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times. Rebekah’s most recent release HARBOR, the final installment in her Beards & Bondage trilogy is available now. Look for IF THE BOOT fits, the second book in her COWBOYS OF CALIFORNIA trilogy, out Fall 2020 from Kensington Books. In the meantime, you can find Rebekah and her books on her website www.rebekahweatherspoon.com and on Twitter @RDotSpoon and Instagram @RebekahWeatherspoon

>> Rebekah is also the mastermind behind WOC in Romance, an essential service and destination for inclusive romance, you can visit the website at www.wocinromance.com or follow on Twitter and Instagram @WOCinRomance

EP 205 DISCUSSION

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

NOTE: These notes include affiliate links to Bookshop.org and Amazon.com

NOTE: This interview was recorded in mid-September during the 2020 Covid pandemic

> Title: Forbidden

Author: Beverly Jenkins

Relation to theme: found family

Representation: Black author, Black MCs

Content Warnings: colorism, racism, kidnapping, abandonment in the desert

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3nlis6h

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25760151-forbidden

> Title: Night Song

Author: Beverly Jenkins

Relation to theme: found family

Representation: Black author, Black MCs

Content Warnings: colorism, racism, threat of harm, attempted kidnapping, pregnancy loss

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3jJjDdy

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18934398-night-song

> Rebekah is a huge Beverly Jenkins fan, and you may have noticed, so is RomBkPod:

>> RBP #JenkinsJuly interview with Beverly Jenkins

Link: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/bonus-ep-jenkinsjuly-ms-bev/

>> RBP #MyFirstJenkins roundtable discussion

Link: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/bonus-ep-myfirstjenkins/

>> RBP Beverly Jenkins Family Tree

Link: http://lustandfoundreads.com/rombkpod/jenkinsjuly-family-tree/

> Title: Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny (Loose Ends #1)

Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon

Relation to theme: Found Family, forced proximity

Representation: Black, queer author, Black MC, white MC

Content Warnings: divorce, emotional abuse (ex-husband), gaslighting, death of parent (past), criminal behavior (past), attempted assault

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2GAjyuf

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42085164-rafe

> Read Corey Alexander’s interview with Rebekah, circa the publication of Rafe, here

Link: https://coreysbookcorner.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/interview-with-rebekah-weatherspoon/

> Title: Wrapped (Fit #3.5)

Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon

Relation to theme: Found Family

Representation: Black, queer author, Black MC

Content Warnings: none identified

Bookshop: unavailable

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2SERJDf

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37645241-wrapped

> Title: Xeni: A Marriage of Inconvenience (Loose Ends #2)

Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon

Relation to theme: Found Family, arranged marriage/marriage of convenience, small town

Representation: Black, queer author, Black MC, bi MCs

Content Warnings: family death (off-page), grief, family secrets including parental abandonment, biphobia, broken engagement, debt, heart attack

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2F83XRX

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53133786-xeni

> Title: Haven (Beards & Bondage #1)

Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon

Relation to theme: Found Family

Representation: Black, queer author, disabled rep, kink rep

Content Warnings: serial killer plot, references to sexual assault, descriptions of physical assault, murder of a loved one, detailed descriptions of running from danger and an MC killing someone in self defense, grief, both traumatic grief and grief that’s not connected to trauma is threaded throughout the story, brief mention of loved one dying of cancer in the past, brief mention of loved ones dying in a car accident in the past, kink shame

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2SxZQl0

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34745311-haven

> Title: Sanctuary (Beards & Bondage #2)

Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon

Relation to theme: Found Family, fake relationship, small town

Representation: Black, queer author, Autism rep, diabled rep, kink rep

Content Warnings: story opens with female MC being attacked in her apartment during a break in, PTSD, male MC has toxic relationship with his sibling

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3jGuHI3

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35209847-sanctuary

> Curious about The Pleasure Chest Los Angeles flagship store? You can find them here:

Link: https://thepleasurechest.com/store-locations/los-angeles

> Do you have any recommendations for Rebekah who’s seeking more queer romance with strong frienships?

> Title: In Case You Forgot

Author: Frederick Smith & Chaz Lamar

Relation to theme: Found Family

Representation: Black, queer author, Black, queer MCs

Content Warnings: separation/divorce, toxic relationships, grief, alcohol abuse

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3lrbkDh

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52920323-in-case-you-forgot

NOTE: This is not a romance novel but has romantic elements

> Title: Play It Forward

Author: Frederick Smith

Relation to theme: Found Family

Representation: Black, queer author, Black, queer MCs

Content Warnings: closeted MCs, homophobia, forced outing

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/36IqYq2

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24567934-play-it-forward

NOTE: This is not a romance novel but has romantic elements

> Title: Boyfriend Material

Author: Alexis Hall

Relation to theme: Found Family, fake relationship

Representation: White, queer author, white queer MCs

Content Warnings: parental abandonment, gaslighting, toxic exes, homophobia, mention of disordered eating

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3jHau4Z

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48994908-boyfriend-material

> Title: The Fling

Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon

Relation to theme: Found Family, one night only

Representation: Black, queer author, mixed race MC, queer MCs

Content Warnings: homophobia, broken engagement

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3dePoZu

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19412028-the-fling

> Title: Beyond Shame (Beyond #1)

Author: Kit Rocha

Relation to theme: Found Family

Representation: White, bi authors, Black, white, & Latinx MCs, bi MCs

Content Warnings: sexism, violence, guns, war, kidnapping

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: the first book, Beyond Shame, is free https://amzn.to/2F8bSP1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/87051-beyond

Title: Bear’s Gold (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales #1)

Author: Yvette Hines

Relation to theme: Found Community, Goldilocks retelling, small town

Representation: Black author, Black MC, fat rep

Content Warnings: single dad, death of spouse (past), kidnapping, torture and exploitation (past)

Bookshop: unavailable

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3jEDsCL

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19043937-bear-s-gold

> Ana mentions Chencia C. Higgins Werewolves of West Texas series, and Chencia will be a guest on RBP in November

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2SwEaWG

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/277304-wolves-of-west-texas

> Rebekah mentions the TV miniseries Morning Glory based on the book by LaVyrle Spencer, which also includes found family

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3jGfNl4

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11568333-morning-glory

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107604/

> Honestly, if you haven’t visited WOC in Romance do it now!

Link: http://www.wocinromance.com/

> Title: Years

Author: LaVryle Spencer

Relation to theme: Found Family

Representation: White author, white MCs

Content Warnings: 1918 pandemic, secondary character death

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/host-ana-s-recs

Kindle: unavailable

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17347645-years

NOTE: Sadly, the current Kindle edition of Years appears to be unlicensed, and the hard copy seems to be out of print, but you can try your local library

> Rebekah also mentions another LaVyrle Spencer novel The Endearment

Bookshop: out of print?

Kindle: https://amzn.to/34yhmv5

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6510804-the-endearment

> What are your #InclusiveRomance Found Family favorites? Tag us @RomBkPod or share with us in the comments

EP 205 MUSIC CREDIT

Music: “Lift Off” by Jahzzar

From the Free Music Archive

CC BY-SA 3.0

TRANSCRIPT FORTHCOMING