The Hopeless Romantic
by Amanda Jean and Austin Chant
Amanda Jean delights in wrestling manuscripts for her day job, worships at the altar of tropes, and has never met a villain or sexy alien she doesn’t like. Austin Chant writes books about gay magic and toxic masculinity, likes his queer stories with a slice of anguish, and kinda wants to be a pirate. Together, they discuss queer romance fiction and the broader world of queer media.
Episodes
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Episode 40: Thanks for Coming to Our TED Talk
**Content warning: This episode contains spoilers for the movie *Annihilation* (as well as some spoilers for the book it's based on). The ending is in no way spoiled, but some plot elements are laid out. There are also spoilers for *The Picture of Dorian Gray*. Also, suicide is mentioned.** After...
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Episode 39: What's in a Pen Name?
**Content warning:** This episode mentions the *Killing Stalking* manhwa, discusses problematic elements of dramas (such as non-consensual grabbing, stalking, kidnapping, and misogynistic behavior), mentions drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, fictional suicide in *Orphan Black*, underage...
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Episode 38: Problematic Gay Stuff
**Content warnings: This episode references potentially triggering topics, including abusive relationships, gaslighting, murder, cannibalism, sexual assault, violence, incest, Real Person Fan Fiction, and age differences--a lot of triggers that constitute "dark" or "problematic" fiction. While we...
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Episode 37: Meet Nasty
**Content warning: This contains a trigger warning for a dead dog in Killing Eve and also mentions mild spoilers for the endings of *Time Was* and *Person of Interest*.** After repeated technical failure, Brooklyn Wallace finally manages to chat with Austin and Amanda about her upcoming black F/F...
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Episode 36: Chekhov's War
**Content warning: We discuss (though not in any detail) Amanda's current ear infection and a staph ear infection Austin had a few years back, as well as general health/medical stuff. Skip to 9:38 if this is a potential trigger or squick for you. There are also some spoilers for *The Ring/Ringu*...
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Episode 35: The State of Things
**Content warning: This episode references sexual abuse and harassment, and generally a lot of toxic behavior and boundary crossing. None of it is explicit, but please take care of yourself if you might be triggered.** Austin and Amanda get serious and address racism, gatekeeping, abuse,...
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Episode 34: Manic Pixie Scottish Banana
At the top of the episode, Austin and Amanda briefly address the ongoing revelations of misconduct and abuse within queer publishing. We stand with authors. Austin and Amanda go digging for comedy gold in ancient Harlequin blurbs, then get serious and talk about how damn hard beginnings can be....
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Episode 33: If I'm Wrong, @ Me
**This episode contains spoilers for God's Own Country.** Celebrate Valentine’s Day two weeks late with the always-prepared THR! Amanda recommends a podcast and tells a story about how she wins friends and influences people, which is followed by the hosts struggling to contain laughter over…
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Episode 32: Waiting for My Emotions to Run Out
**Warning for very mild spoilers for The Adventure Zone podcast. We warn in-episode and it's nothing earth shattering.** Austin and Amanda reminisce about their experiences at Read With Pride, which recently announced its end, and try to describe the Lynchian quality of the Seattle Public…
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Episode 31: A Peach by Any Other Name
**Content warning: part of this episode discusses a fictional relationship between a 17-year-old and a 24-year-old.** THR returns with a semi-revamped format! Austin and Amanda talk about the future of the show, delve into some of the realities of freelancing from their own experiences, and spend...
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Episode 30: Beefman
**Content warning: Austin and Amanda are tipsy/drunk in this episode again. Weird stuff happens. If drunkeness or people talking about being drunk (and hungover) bugs you, take care to skip this ep and we'll be back with another regular one soon.** THR celebrates its second anniversary with…
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Episode 29: Machines Fueled By Spite
**Content warning:** There's two pejorative terms/slurs for a promiscuous person (and a sex worker) mentioned in the episode. This episode tried its hardest to foil us: between meowing cats, barking dogs, ambient rain, and Amanda's recording mysteriously stopping at four minutes and forcing her…
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Episode 28: The Long Con
Ginn Hale's newest book, *The Long Past*, is out as of 10/3/17! She joins THR to talk about writing and researching alt Westerns, world building, avoiding the whitewash of history, and also chickens. The episode has a chicken thing. Also discussed is the miracle of modern plumbing, writing…
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Episode 27: Hopeless After Dark #2
**Content warning: this episode contains references to fisting, actor Kim Woo Bin's cancer diagnosis, and our typical NSFW irreverence.** Austin and Amanda bore the heat of summer in an enclosed space to bring you this episode of Hopeless After Dark. Hear them talk about Kdramas, deadlines,...
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Episode 26: Gay Elves and Sexy Lizard People
Fantasy and speculative fiction is the topic of the day! Austin and Amanda throw around some loose definitions, give examples of their favorite queer fantasy (send Amanda more gaslamp manuscripts!). and writing fantasy with romance in it vs writing romance in a fantasy setting. They answer some...
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Episode 25: Avon & Roan
Co-authors of the upcoming *Heart of the Steal*, Avon Gale and Roan Parrish, join THR to chat about their cowriting process! They also talk about working with an agent, hideous hotel breakfasts, and how they got their starts in the queer romance industry. Amanda reveals she cries at every episode...
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Episode 24: Hopeless After Dark #1
**Content warning: this episode (briefly) mentions fisting and choking, calls certain Overwatch characters Daddy, and generally features a lot of irreverent filth.** Welcome to Hopeless After Dark, a new subset of THR that isn't exclusively dedicated to queer romance. We reached out to Twitter to...
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Episode 23: Amnesia and Peril and Cowboys, Oh My
**Content warning: There are a few mentions of racism and a mention of rape in this episode.** THR talks tropes! From their favorites (ask about Austin's love for cowboys and Amanda's for arranged marriage) to their least favorites, when a trope can be neutral, and when it can be potentially...
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Episode 22: Kill Your (Peter) Darlings
Co-host Austin Chant's novel *Peter Darling* was released in February, and Amanda and Austin break down the editing process over many months and three recording sessions. Hear them stress over deadlines, complain about talking whales and Hook's outfits, give props to the *Captive Prince* trilogy...
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Episode 21: Some Sort of Sad Dragon
Megan Derr, CEO of Less Than Three Press and a prolific author of high fantasy and spec, covers world building, including where she starts, info dump, winging it, dialog, and languages. She also talks about ace rep, including what she's looking for at LT3 and as an ace reader. The group also...
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Episode 20: The Captivating Pacat
**Content warnings:** The *Captive Prince* series contains dark subject matter, including sexual and physical abuse, so please proceed with caution as we briefly discuss some of those elements. The *Captive Prince* started life as a free online serial and became a best seller. Author C.S. Pacat...
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Episode 19: Advice for New Authors (Part Two)
Taking up where [part one][1] left off, Amanda and Austin discuss contracts and what some of their clauses may mean, the rundown on royalty rates and payment schedules, the editing process from start to finish, social media etiquette for beginners, and even how to address your submission email....
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Episode 18: You Only Liver Once
**Content warning: Austin and Amanda are tipsy/drunk in this episode. They also discuss the TV shows Hannibal and Attack on Titan briefly, which feature morbid subject matter. (Amanda's generally a creep, too.)** It's THR's one-year anniversary! In celebration, Austin and Amanda got drunk and...
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Episode 17: Do Ask, Do Tell
**Content warning: There is a brief mention of slurs in the episode.** Richard Comspon Sater retired from the US Air Force Reserves having served twenty-four years under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." His debut M/M romance novel "Rank" deals with a second lieutenant in the Air Force falling in love…
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Episode 16: Advice for New Authors (Part One)
For anyone new to the queer romance industry or thinking of joining it, this episode, the first of two, is basically a 101. Part one covers what authors need to know prior to submission--everything from defining the genre, HEA vs HFN, the role of editors and betas, author mills, and the community...
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Episode 15: Self-Publishing with Jordan L. Hawk
Author Jordan L. Hawk brings her expertise to the program to talk about her own beginnings in self-publishing, the decisions authors must make in regards to what they can do themselves, and the group discusses the importance of treating publishing as a business. There's also a call to action for...
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Episode 14: Grim Jim
THR returns from summer hiatus with Jim Grimsley. He's the LAMBDA Literary Award-winning author of "Dream Boy" and "Comfort & Joy." The group discusses the tragic and ambiguous endings Grimsley is known for, the history of publishing's attitude toward queer fiction, and everything from the North...
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Episode 13: Heidi Below the Covers
**Content warning: This episode of THR contains frank discussion of sexual assault, sexual violence, and similarly dark, potentially triggering subject matter.** Heidi Belleau joins the show and Gets Very Real with THR about her history of writing grimdark fiction and the growing pains of leaving...
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Episode 12: There Goes My Anti-Hero
Villains, antagonists, and anti-heroes are the topic of the day. Austin and Amanda critically run through a roster of their favorite queer or queer-coded villains in media. Cartoonish homophobia and transphobia, coded Disney villains, the lack of female villains, how queer villains are seen as...
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Episode 11: Disability Representation
Tracy Timmons-Gray, the director of Gay Romance Northwest conference, joins THR to discuss characters with disabilities in queer romance. The gang shares recs, talks about tropes, including the love interest grappling with the reveal of their partner's disability, the narrow span of disabilities...
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Episode 10: Poly Yammery
Author Racheline Maltese joins THR for episode 9, "Poly Yammery," to discuss poly and ménage romance. Racheline discusses her upcoming poly book, which leads to deeper examination of writing poly: writing multiple dynamic characters, whether having a co-author helps, how different people do poly...
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Episode 9: Boy Meets Earl
**Content warning: There is a mention of an ethnic slur in the episode, as well as some discussion of historical racism (including slavery).** KJ Charles joins THR for episode eight, "Boy Meets Earl". Author of historical fiction and historical fantasy, and an editor, KJ describes her methods of...
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Episode 8: A Freshet of Feels
Episode 7, "A Freshet of Feels," features guest Nicole Kimberling, author and editor at Blind Eye Books. Nicole brings her expertise and wit to the table to discuss editing, the editor/author relationship, and her propensity for wacky ideas. Other topics include the international market for queer...
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Episode 7: Bonus #1
Episode 6.5 is the first bonus episode prompted by a Patreon subscriber. Patrons of $10 or more per month can request that Austin and Amanda discuss a subject of their choice for a minimum of ten minutes. This patron asked how to create convincing and dynamic romantic leads. The hosts go over...
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Episode 5: The Anatomy of a Sex Scene
**Content warning: This episode of THR features frank and explicit discussion of sex scenes (and a lot of swearing for bonus points).** "The Anatomy of a Sex Scene" has Amanda and Austin returning from their holiday hiatus to argue about dickscription, make impassioned pleas for the use of lube…
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Episode 4: Bi Bi Bi
**Content warning: This episode of THR features some discussion of biphobia, transphobia, and other potentially sensitive topics.** Episode four, "Bi Bi Bi," has Austin and Amanda deconstructing bi tropes in LGTBQIA romance and beyond: Gay For You, slutty bisexuals, the conflation of poly (and...
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Episode 3: You and Me Could Write a Trans Romance
**Content warning: This episode of THR features some discussion of transphobia and dysphoria and other potentially triggering subjects.** The third episode of The Hopeless Romantic, "You and Me Could Write a Trans Romance," features the podcast's first guest, author Sam Schooler. Amanda and…
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Episode 1: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
In The Hopeless Romantic, hosts Austin Chant and Amanda Jean talk about the queer romance genre. In this debut episode they talk about the foundations of the genre, from the pulp tragedies of the 1950s to the shamelessly romantic ebooks of today. Future episodes of The Hopeless Romantic will...
About this show
Amanda Jean delights in wrestling manuscripts for her day job, worships at the altar of tropes, and has never met a villain or sexy alien she doesn’t like. Austin Chant writes books about gay magic and toxic masculinity, likes his queer stories with a slice of anguish, and kinda wants to be a pirate. Together, they discuss queer romance fiction and the broader world of queer media.
Hosted by
Amanda Jean and Austin Chant