How has the target of romance changed since then?

I mean, I think it's worth us having a conversation, just me taking you a step back and talking about the history of the genre.

Please do.

When we talk about romance novels, capital R, capital N, we are talking about a specific genre of literature that was birthed In the 1970s.

1972 is a year that we all sort of point to.

It was the year that Kathleen Woodowitz wrote a book called The Flame and the Flower.

And that is, while there were sort of categories, small, what we would refer to as pulp fiction romance novels prior to that.

And do you think that, you know, do you think that, that as a reader, that this can be inspirational in a way? A thousand percent.

What was it like to write a contemporary main character versus, you know, a historical?

It's really interesting because I really did struggle with the contemporary of it all.

And I think part of it is because world building exists in contemporaries too, and research exists in the world, and I had to really think through what does it look like to write a contemporary? Mm-hmm.

But Alice was really clear to me from the beginning because I knew I wanted to write about a dysfunctional family.

I knew I wanted it to be about wealth and power and the things that wealth and power do to people and how they build us and break us.

And I knew I wanted it to be about what happens to a family in the wake of this kind of power vacuum.

But Alice... was always exiled, right? The story behind Alice is that she is the third of four children.

Okay, so if someone reads these summer storms and loves it thank you first of all what books would you recommend to them

So I'm so excited to hear what you've brought for us today and what's on your radar right now.

Yeah, well, I mean, obviously, I'm a romance novelist and a romance reader.

So for me, romance, I always have my eyes out for great new romance.

And this year, I'm really excited because two of my very favorite authors have new books coming out.

The first is Kate Claiborne, who, she's a star.

And, you know, she has a real voice that is...

It sort of rides that line between, you know, commercial fiction, literary fiction, romance.

Yeah, I mean, aside from