Reclaiming Desire: Lila Herron on Plus-Size Dark Romance, BookTok Fame, and Breaking Purity Culture

In this episode of The Curvy Literary Podcast, Keshia sits down with romance author Lila Herron to talk about plus-size dark romance, BookTok virality, purity culture, and reclaiming desire.Lila shares how losing her marketing job unexpectedly led to posting scene snippets on BookTok — videos that went viral and ultimately launched her publishing career. That momentum led to a two-book deal with Atria and the upcoming trad release of Any Means Necessary on March 10, 2026.Raised in devout Mormon purity culture, Lila opens up about growing up with modesty expectations, shame around desire, and what it means to navigate sexuality as a plus-size woman. She shares how reading romance and writing explicit scenes helped her deconstruct guilt, build confidence, and create unapologetic heroines like Lexi.This conversation is about yearning, being seen, and giving yourself permission to want more.If you love body-positive romance, dark romance with boundaries, and behind-the-scenes publishing journeys, this episode is for you.Preorder Any Means Necessary and follow Lila Herron for updates on Book Two:InstagramTik TokCheck out Lila's website