Authors Off Script

This week on Authors Off Script, we're talking about one of the weirdest expectations that has crept into modern romance reading culture: why do readers expect authors to publish books so damn fast?We dive into the pressure authors can feel when readers are asking, "When is the next book coming out?" barely five minutes after finishing the last one, and how the rise of indie publishing may have helped create this expectation (it's our fault then, sorry).Let us know what you think about it on IG at @authorsoffscript

This week on Authors Off Script, we have absolutely no idea what we're doing. There is no book talk. No writing advice. No publishing discourse. No carefully prepared topic to pretend we're organized adults. Just us. Chatting.We bounce from coregasms to the sports we used to practice, childhood memories, random life stories, and approximately seventeen conversations that have absolutely no business being in the same episode.It's one of those episodes where you basically get to hang out with us without the pressure of having to learn something productive, which, honestly, we all deserve sometimes.

This week on Authors Off Script, we're talking about pen names, and why they can be about so much more than creating an author persona.For many writers, using a pen name is a creative or marketing choice. But it can also be a way to protect your privacy, your personal life, and sometimes even your physical safety.We chat about why authors might choose not to publish under their legal names, the boundaries between an author's public and private life, and how much personal information we're really expected to share online just because we write books.

This week on Authors Off Script, we have officially lost the plot.There was no real plan. There was a tangent. Then another tangent. Then somehow we started manifesting our future, imagining where our writing careers could take us, and getting increasingly unhinged about all the things we want to make happen.And honestly? We may have manifested a little too hard.Connect with us on IG!

This week on Authors Off Script, we're covering a truly logical combination of topics: hair colors, writing processes, and the eternal battle between plotters and pantsers.We talk about how we actually write our books, what our creative processes look like behind the scenes, and whether we need a detailed outline or prefer to simply throw our characters into a situation and see what happens.IG: @elenalocatelli_ and @letiziafirmani and @authorsoffscript

This week on Authors Off Script, a single casting announcement sends us completely off the rails.Thanks to Jamie Campbell Bower joining The Rings of Power, Letizia takes the opportunity to deliver what can only be described as a full-blown TED Talk on Tolkien lore. Elena, meanwhile, does her best to keep up, asks the questions everyone else is probably thinking, and learns far more about Middle-earth than she ever planned to.One of us had the time of her life. The other survived.As always, we're 50% writing, 50% chaos, and 100% off script.Connect with us on IG @letiziafirmani and @elenalocatelli_

This week on Authors Off Script, we’re talking about translation deals, international publishing opportunities, and the growing concern around publishing houses using AI in ways that can harm authors and translators.As two Italian authors living abroad, we dive into what we’ve observed in both the Italian and Spanish publishing markets, the opportunities they offer, and the red flags authors should watch for before signing a contract. Connect with us on IG @elenalocatelli_ and @letiziafirmani

This week on Authors Off Script, we accidentally convince ourselves that opening a bookstore in Italy is a perfectly reasonable life plan.What starts as a dreamy "what if?" turns into a conversation about the Italian book market, reading culture, and how Italians interact with books. We also take a nostalgic detour into what it was like growing up in Italy in the 2000s, reflecting on the pressure to be "perfect," cultural expectations, and the experiences that shaped us as readers, writers, and people.Follow us @letiziafirmani and @elenalocatelli_ or @authorsoffscript on IG

This week on Authors Off Script, we're celebrating Letizia's birthday! 🎉We kick things off by talking about her birthday celebrations, the theme party, and all the fun that comes with embracing your inner main character for a day.But because staying on topic has never really been our thing, the conversation quickly shifts to tattoos—our own, the ones we still want, and the irresistible appeal of bookish tattoos that only fellow readers and writers would understand.Follow us on @letiziafirmani and @elenalocatelli_

This week on Authors Off Script, we did something dangerous: we hit record without a plan.What started as "let's just chat" quickly turned into a conversation about creative flow, explaining to English speaking people what a malessere is, and so much more. We talk about following the circle of creative life, and the ups and downs that come with building a creative life.Follow us @letiziafirmani & @elenalocatelli_

This week on Authors Off Script, we're tackling one of the least glamorous—but most important—parts of being a self-published author: marketing.We're sharing how we approach promoting our books, organizing launches, showing up online, and balancing strategy with creativity. Spoiler alert: despite our best intentions, there's also a fair amount of winging it involved.Because the truth is, most indie authors are figuring things out as they go.And, because this is Authors Off Script, we inevitably get distracted, go on several tangents, and end up discussing things that have absolutely nothing to do with marketing.Find us on IG @letiziafirmani and @elenalocatelli_

This week on Authors Off Script, we're celebrating Elena's birthday! 🥳Birthdays have a funny way of making you pause and reflect, so in this episode we're talking about what it means to be a writer in your 30s, how our perspectives on creativity and success have changed over the years, and the lessons we're still learning along the way.We dive into the pressure of milestones, the feeling of being "behind," and the comparison trap that so many writers fall into—especially in the age of social media. Find us on IG @elenalocatelli_ and @letiziafirmani.

This week on Authors Off Script, we actually start with something productive: a check-in on where we are in our writing and editing processes.We talk about what we’re currently working on, how the drafting/editing brain space is treating us, and the very real emotional rollercoaster of trying to finish books while also being alive in the world.And then, as per tradition… we immediately go off script.Somewhere between editing updates and creative accountability, we find ourselves deep in a conversation about Italian village fairs (sagre di paese) and roasted chestnuts.IG account: @elenalocatelli_ and @letiziafirmani

This week on Authors Off Script, we're doing what every author swears they won't do and then absolutely does anyway: fancasting our books.We're talking about the actors, models, musicians, and fictional characters who inspired our protagonists, the faces we see while writing, and the impossible challenge of finding someone who perfectly matches the version of a character that exists only in our heads.Expect passionate debates, questionable celebrity crushes, and a lot of "no, but you have to see the vision."Whether you're an author building character boards or a reader who immediately starts casting a movie adaptation while reading, this episode is for you.Come join us as we bring our fictional worlds to life—one wildly unrealistic casting choice at a time.You can meet Elena & Letizia on IG.

This week on Authors Off Script, we discuss Off Campus, what made the series explode the way it did, and which characters absolutely rewired our brains. Welcome back to the off script spiral.Find us on IG @elenalocatelli_ & @letiziafirmani.

This week on Authors Off Script, we’re talking about “cash grabs,” authors making money from their work, returning to successful universes, and the strange guilt that seems to follow writers the second they admit they’d actually like their books to pay their bills. Because apparently authors are expected to create art purely for love… while also surviving capitalism. We also spiral a little about author spaces, publishing culture.Connect with us on IG @elenalocatelli_ @letiziafirmani @authorsoffscript

This week on Authors Off Script, we’re exploring one of the messiest conversations happening in creative spaces right now: AI.As authors, creatives, and people whose entire careers revolve around storytelling and imagination, we talk about our thoughts on the rise of AI tools in publishing and creative industries, where we think the line is, and why this conversation feels so emotionally charged for artists.You can get to know our host Elena & Letizia on IG @elenalocatelli_ @letiziafirmani

In this episode of Authors Off Script, we dive into why we genre hop.We also accidentally expose our age by discussing formative fictional men, the cultural impact of Twilight, and whether being Team Edward or Team Jacob permanently altered our brain chemistry as writers.Expect conversations about:why romance is the common thread in everything we writethe freedom (and chaos) of genre hoppingwriting different vibes without losing your author identityparanormal crushes we should probably unpack in therapyand the very specific millennial experience of growing up online with vampire discourseBasically: if your TBR has both shadow daddies and hockey players on it, welcome home.You can find Elena on IG @elenalocatelli_ and Letizia @letiziafirmani.

Welcome to the very first episode of Authors Off Script—aka the moment we hit record and decided to let you into the group chat.In this episode, we’re keeping it simple (well… as simple as we can). We’re introducing ourselves—who we are, what we write, how we ended up becoming authors abroad, and the slightly chaotic paths that led us here.If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a book, are currently in your drafting era, or just want to hear two romance authors overshare about their lives… you’re in the right place.This is 50% writing, 50% chaos, and 100% off script.Follow us and come hang out beyond the podcast:Elena Locatelli🌊Website: www.elenalocatelliwrites.com🌊 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenalocatelli_/🌊 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elenalocatelliauthor?lang=enLetizia Firmani✨ Website: https://www.letiziafirmani.com/✨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letiziafirmani/✨ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@letiziafirmaniPodcast🎙️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsoffscript/