Cathy Maxwell on Trusting Readers, Losing the Gatekeepers, and Writing Her Own Rules

What this episode covers

Historical romance icon Cathy Maxwell, author of more than forty novels, joins Samantha Tennant to talk about the biggest leap of her career: going indie for the first time with CURVES FOR THE RAKISH DUKE, her contribution to the collaborative Busty Bodice Club series. Cathy shares what surprised her most about indie publishing (hint: it’s the readers), why direct feedback from fans feels like a gift instead of criticism, and how creative control is changing the way she thinks about her backlist, including a long-planned revision to an old Western novella she is finally giving new life. Along the way, she talks candidly about the topics traditional publishing sometimes asked her to soften, the three-part ”secret sauce” that turns a good story into an unforgettable one, and the author friendships, including Jennifer Crusie and Anne Stuart, shaping her next chapter. Then, in our Fresh Fiction fact round, Cathy reveals the classic she has somehow never read and the dog-eared favorite she still returns to decades later. IN THIS EPISODE ● Cathy’s first-ever author collaboration and indie release ● What indie readers taught her that traditional publishing never did ● Revisiting old stories with a second chance at the ending ● The three ingredients that make a story truly sing ● Her dream author interviews and the classic she has never read Find Cathy Maxwell at kathymaxwell.com and on Facebook and Instagram. For more author interviews, reading recommendations, and weekly book club conversations, subscribe to the Fresh Fiction newsletter at freshfiction.com/newsletters.php.

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