S2E9: Get Into Romance Novels

February is the month of romance at FOLD! In this episode, romance author Farah Heron joins Jael and Lin to talk about romance novels and spice levels.FOLD's February Reading Challenge is romance by a queer male author. Read our book recommendations at thefoldcanada.org/readingchallenge2026. Track your reading on Beanstack! Visit thefoldcanada.org/foldreads to learn how to join our online reading community.About Farah HeronFarah Heron is a critically acclaimed author of romantic comedies for adults and teens. Her books have been named best book of the year by CBC books, USA Today, and NPR. She writes romantic comedies and young adult romances full of huge South Asian families, delectable food, and most importantly, brown people falling stupidly in love. Her books include Accidentally Engaged, Jana Goes Wild, and A Little Holiday Fling. She lives in Toronto with her family and her cats. (https://farahheron.com/)Jael, Lin & Farah's Tips for Writing Spicy Scenes:1. Understand the purpose of your spicy scenes. Do you want to further the plot or character development? Is it only meant to be titillating? Make sure you write to that purpose.2. Make sure the characters have an emotional bond on the page that correspond to their physical actions. Don't only describe the physical activity, also show what the characters are feeling in the moment.3. Make sure the writing is good and appropriate for what the purpose of the scene is. If you have questions for Jael & Lin, submit them to [email protected] and we may answer them in a future episode!If you've enjoyed this podcast and would like to support the work of the FOLD, please consider donating at https://www.thefoldcanada.org/donate.Podcast Page: https://www.thefoldcanada.org/intothefoldWebsite: https://www.thefoldcanada.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_foldFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FestivalofLiteraryDiversity