Alter Egos, Car Shows & Happy(ish) Endings with Kenny Dupar

In this lively return episode, Sam welcomes back author Kenny Dupar to dive deep into his novel—a heartfelt COVID-era love story set against the vibrant world of pinup dolls and classic cars.They discuss the book's authentic, messy working-class characters navigating divorce, co-parenting drama, questionable decisions driven by love and lust, and the power of alter egos, with Sam sharing how relatable figures like the patient Owen (who reminded her of her husband) and strong women like Corinne and Audrey felt like real people. Kenny reflects on drawing inspiration from actual car shows and pinup scenes, the parallels between building a show car and crafting a pinup persona, the humor and competition at events, and why he wrote a "low heat" romance full of bad behavior and happy(ish) endings rather than fantasy tropes. The conversation also covers Kenny's recent marriage, gratitude for strong co-parenting examples, his upcoming novel blending ancient history, archaeology, sci-fi, and the bizarre, plus plenty of laughs about everything from bra shopping to bisexual vampires. A fun, insightful chat for fans of cars, culture, and stories about real human connections.- The first chapters of the audiobooks and print version of both of Kenny’s novels are available for preview here: https://kennydupar.com/ - To find all my deals, visit: https://mydeals.page/7fu7 - Want to be a guest on Shades of Jade Podcast? Send Samantha Jade Wooldrik a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/shadesofjadepod - Music: Mozart Horn Concerto No. 4, K. 495 – III. Rondo: Allegro vivace, performed by Dennis Brain (public domain recording from Archive.org)