Romantazine💘 Dive into a Romantasy Magazine for Book Lovers 💘

Hey fellow readers, it's me, your friendly Booktrovert Reader. Let me spill the beans on Romantazine, the dreamy magazine for us romantasy lovers. Alex and Sara, founders of Romantazine share their amazing magazine with us readers in this amazing interview!

Watch us on YouTube: HERE

Listen and enjoy this amazing conversation of Romantazine: a Romantasy magazine for book lovers

Takeaways

• Romantazine is a romantic fantasy bookish magazine that combines romance and fantasy.
• The magazine features author interviews, book recommendations, playlists, recipes, and interactive elements.
• Community involvement and showcasing voices from both the signed and indie author communities are important to Romantazine.
• The creators hope to see more authenticity, slow burn romance, and adventurous plots in the romantic fantasy genre.

Where to purchase Romantizine:
https://www.faeriesandfangirls.com/romantazine

Where to follow:
Instagram: Romantizine

Blog: Romantizine Interview Article
Booktrovert Reader Amazon Shop: HERE

I get a commission every time you purchase a product through my affiliate link above

Chapters

00:00-Introduction to Romantazine
01:24-The Origins of Romantazine
03:23-Creating Content for Romantazine
04:57-Features and Themes of Romantazine
07:44-Involving the Bookish Community
09:06-Digital and Physical Copies of Romantazine
10:44-Podcasts and Other Content in Romantazine
13:50-Lessons Learned from the First Edition
16:54-The Process of Creating a Magazine
21:27-Trends and Hopes for Romanticie
28:07-Desired Changes in Romanticie
31:26-Theories about Silver Flames
32:00-The Trend of Romantic Fantasy
32:19-The Editing Process
33:18-Perspective Change in Silver Flames
34:19-The Balance of Spice in Romance Novels
35:28-The Importance of Balance in Romance
36:16-Honesty in Book Reviews
37:44-Selecting Books for

Transcript

Booktrovert Reader (00:01.619)
Okay, and then hopefully I don't read too fast. Okay. Hello, readers. I am Charity Booktripert Reader and with a new episode for the bookish community, here are the creators of magazine called Romantazine, a romantic bookish magazine that has a combination of romance and fantasy. Let me introduce you to Alex and Sarah who I found on

And this is what I love about the community. I'm always finding new people, new things. And I just want to introduce Alex and Sarah. Say hello. So tell me, romanticine. I think that's just an amazing concept for us romanticie lovers to have it all in one little cover. I'm not a big magazine person, but I might be now. So just talk about it. Introduce yourselves and how it came in first.

Alex (00:33.84)
Hello!

Sara (00:34.938)
Bye!

Sara (00:49.05)
I'm going to go to bed.

Alex (00:54.474)
Yeah, Sarah, do you want to keep this one up and you want me to?

Sara (00:57.565)
Sure, I could get off. So Alex and I started a podcast, really, Alex started a podcast, looped me into it, sucked me in, because we were obsessed with the Sarah J. Maas books. So we've been podcasting now for like two and a half to three years-ish. Our podcast is called A Court of Fairies and Fangirls, little plug, but we, it was like, I don't know, like a year and a half in.

Booktrovert Reader (01:05.695)
Hehehehe

Booktrovert Reader (01:20.176)
Shameless.

Sara (01:25.229)
And I was just sitting up one night, like I could not sleep. I think this is when I was pregnant and I just had the worst insomnia ever. And I was just laying there and I was like, I felt like I was being told that I needed to start a magazine. I was like, I was just thinking of like the podcast and I was like, how could we expand it? And I was like a magazine. I don't even know why I literally didn't really even do magazines when I was, you know, high school age. I just always saw them and nobody does magazines anymore. But I was just like, this would be exactly.

Booktrovert Reader (01:51.665)
the grocery store look, you know.

Alex (01:53.547)
Yeah.

Sara (01:54.373)
I was like, this would be such a cool thing. And so I was just like pondering it. And then I told Alex, because we always just swap the most ridiculous ideas. I was like, what if we did this? And she was like, yes. She was freaking out. And I was like, maybe I'm not crazy. Like maybe this could actually be a thing. And Alex, as she does with everything, took off and project managed it, ran with it, like plotted out, like, okay, we need to do this, this is this, and this is like how we're going to produce it. I was like,

Alex (02:03.53)
and I lost my mind.

Booktrovert Reader (02:05.087)
Hahaha!

Sara (02:21.329)
Oh, this is like legit happening. So that's kind of how it all started. Um, Alex, you want to take over?

Alex (02:29.326)
Well, project management is the right title to give me here. Sarah's still though, our creative brain. So in terms of visualization and what we wanted it to be in terms of vibe and experience, like we really dove in and Sarah took a huge lead on this of being like, I wanted this upscaled. I wanted this to be something that folks would have on their coffee table. We want it to be beautiful, have a lovely aesthetic, but also

Booktrovert Reader (02:34.323)
Yeah.

Alex (02:57.186)
hit all of those needs because we found ourselves on our podcast talking about books that weren't Sarah J. Maas and people seemed to really like them. We were like, this genre has exploded and we can continue to be a part of it and what if we were able to expand in a medium that we all already love, which is like the physical copies. You know, you see on Bookstagram and on Book Talk, all these people with their beautiful bookshelves and I was like, what if we could be on that in some way? So that's how we got here.

Booktrovert Reader (03:04.411)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (03:25.051)
Yeah, I know. Like you said, romantasy have exploded and to Sarah J. Mass, mainly. And, you know, and I think just there's been a onslaught of romantasy lovers. There's either haters or lovers, but there's a lot of them. And yes, there is a section for it. There is a industry that needs to break into it. And I've seen some of the work that you guys have in it. And I just like, okay.

So tell me about the content you guys have been creating into it. Like I saw there was MASH and there's a dark story that's happening. There's author interviews and you got Thea Guanzana on there and I'm like, hmm. So.

Alex (03:59.792)
I'm going to go to bed.

Alex (04:05.338)
Yeah. So, um, it we so what we did is we thought what would we love in a magazine and what, you know, when we were growing up might give us some nostalgia, what brought us joy, made us want to order like the Teen Vogue or whatever it was, right, that we were obsessed with at the time, and make it bookish. So obviously, we thought we had to have some fun features in there. And our first issue just

Booktrovert Reader (04:22.12)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (04:31.946)
It was the winter issue, so timing-wise, it covered December through February, and we all know Crescent City 3 drops during that time. And so we were like, of course, what's Crescent City 3? So we wanted to make sure one of our features highlighted that, and we thought, how fun would it be to have a feature about how to throw a drop party, how to celebrate the release of Crescent City 3? And we got...

Booktrovert Reader (04:42.662)
What's Crest in City 3? No, I'm just kidding.

Sara (04:44.177)
Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (04:54.471)
Mmm.

Alex (04:57.546)
We had a lot of fun with it. That's where the mash came in of how, like what's your perfect experience to, you know, be reading CC3. We had like CC3 theory, like bingo cards in there. So lots of fun interactive stuff. But beyond that, right, we wanted to have authors brought in and Thea happens to be signed, but we're really looking to make sure we're including books and authors from both the signed and indie communities. So you'll see in some of those.

Booktrovert Reader (05:23.112)
Mm.

Alex (05:25.014)
books we're looking forward to, things that we're reading, that we're also really highlighting authors from all backgrounds and from all walks. So highlighting what we're reading, books we're anticipating, author interviews, and then some other fun stuff like recipes, my brain just escaped, playlists. We also, you mentioned the In the Dark story. So I have always wanted to write a story, but never.

Booktrovert Reader (05:45.831)
Yeah

Alex (05:54.57)
had like discipline to do that. So I was like, you know what, Sarah, what if we over the course of a year had a four parts short story? And like we let readers kind of come along the journey with each issue. So we have a fresh new story in each of the issues. There's just, there's so much in there and the features change each time and the theme changes each time with the season because it's done quarterly and it's done seasonal. So it's just meant to be a true immersive experience where you get to participate.

Booktrovert Reader (05:57.04)
Mm.

Booktrovert Reader (06:19.098)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (06:24.194)
You get to add things to your TBR and just really relish in the bookish community.

Booktrovert Reader (06:30.355)
So, something that kind of popped up in my head and, you know, I'm not trying to cause trouble or hear anything. So what if your three stories end and someone gets the third edition of that story? Will they be able to read the first and second of that story?

Alex (06:44.482)
They will. That was a really great question. So we're planning on having on our website a space where people can read the story historically when the next issue comes out. So for example, if you purchase volume two, but you didn't purchase volume one, volume one story will be online. And then when volume three comes out, volume two story will then be posted online. So definitely want to make sure we include folks and that.

Booktrovert Reader (06:51.107)
Okay.

Alex (07:09.554)
force them to retroactively buy things for one single part and make sure it makes sense. So we already thought about that. It's a good question.

Booktrovert Reader (07:11.975)
Yeah

Sara (07:15.569)
Yeah. And Alex, I wanted to highlight you mentioned community. And that is like probably one of the biggest parts of this magazine is that it's like, it's not just Alex and I's thoughts. Like we obviously we think we have great thoughts and we think we prefer the best books and like we're anticipating certain books, but like, it's not just Alex and I's thoughts. We want the whole community to be involved in this and to give feedback. So the playlist that we created, like that's all songs that people told us, like that's what their thoughts were when they thought of.

Booktrovert Reader (07:16.126)
So...

Alex (07:19.935)
Oh, that's right.

Booktrovert Reader (07:44.519)
Mm.

Sara (07:45.537)
what would they listen to when they were reading CC3. And same with like we have a whole community spotlight section that just highlights like Book Talkers, Bookstagrammers and just like people's book reviews. Like those are all things that people sent in and we just wanna highlight like everyday readers. Like these are people that may have like 200 followers on Instagram or they may have 200,000. Like it's not, we're trying to like showcase everybody and.

I guess the next issue, a little spoiler, like our recipe for our drink is actually from a brewery in Ohio that they created a Starfall drink and they like reached out to us and they wanted to showcase it. So like, this is somebody's drink that they created. So I just think it's like the coolest thing that the community wants to be involved and we can just highlight everybody.

Booktrovert Reader (08:22.728)
Mmm.

Booktrovert Reader (08:31.496)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (08:33.574)
Yeah, we've been calling this our magazine, but not just like Sarah and I being that hour. Like it's our as a community, our magazine.

Sara (08:40.2)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (08:40.243)
Mm-hmm.

That's what I'm really excited and I'm glad you guys are on to share more about this because I'm hearing playlists. That's like a whole section that you have to dive into, Bookstagram, recipes, podcasts, talk about that, reviews, Goodreads. You're taking all the good things of so many different things and meshing it together like a romantic brainchild.

Sara (09:06.361)
I'm going to go to bed.

Alex (09:06.675)
Exactly.

Booktrovert Reader (09:07.651)
You know, and I think that's just amazing. And I love the point that you made. It doesn't matter the following count or anything. They're going to be involved. And it doesn't matter if they're an indie author or a big publishing author. They're going to be involved. There's no like big or great thing. And I love your involving the community in a totally different space as well, you know, with brewery. So I'm very fascinated. I'm so excited for you guys, you know, because it's amazing. And I'm saying it from the bottom of my heart. I'm not just fluffing your butt here. So, you know.

Sara (09:15.089)
Mm-hmm.

Sara (09:30.589)
Thank you.

Sara (09:35.31)
I'm sorry.

Alex (09:36.834)
No. Well, we very much from the beginning, we're like, we're open to feedback and ideas. And so we kind of just put that out there. We were like, hey, if you guys want to include something, like, we don't have a specific ask. Like, just reach out to us. And so we have like a contact us portion on our website. And folks just like poured in there and gave us a whole bunch of ideas, gave us a whole bunch of book recommendations and the recipes. So like, we are so accessible. We are.

Booktrovert Reader (09:37.378)
Um.

Booktrovert Reader (09:42.897)
Okay.

Booktrovert Reader (09:55.305)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (10:05.212)
We read every single submission we get and try to include as much as we can.

Sara (10:08.915)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (10:08.979)
What about podcasts? No pressure. But you know, because I like the space that you're creating for people. And I think it's really nice to see that I've just I've never seen this concept before. And I think you guys are accomplishing very well. One thing that stood out to me is that not only do you have a paper version, but you also have a digital copy.

Alex (10:11.038)
Yeah, those too!

Alex (10:27.502)
Thanks.

Booktrovert Reader (10:33.563)
Which, you know, that was, would have been my question is like, how do you overcome this, you know, the digital age for magazines in general, what guys led to that and how you're overcoming it as well.

Sara (10:45.669)
Well, so I think for us, when we were talking through it, like I've always, I used to say that I hated digital reading, but now all I wanna do is read on my Kindle. So I feel like my mindset has changed because I travel a lot, so it's so handy. But Alex and a ton of other people in the book scrim community, they have bookshelves filled and they love physical copies of books and to display their copies of books. Sorry, am I, can you guys hear me? Did I freeze?

Booktrovert Reader (10:54.675)
Yeah.

Alex (11:07.988)
Sarah!

Booktrovert Reader (11:09.599)
I don't know.

Alex (11:11.99)
We'll come back.

Booktrovert Reader (11:13.727)
Come back to me.

Alex (11:15.062)
Sarah!

Sara (11:16.574)
Mmm.

Alex (11:18.742)
Oh no, let me see if she's texting.

Booktrovert Reader (11:20.859)
I wonder if she's on her, the internet connection sometimes can be bad.

Alex (11:25.938)
Yeah, the area she lives in has one million trees. And so sometimes when the wind blows wrong, her inner, give her. Yeah, I used to be her next door neighbor. That was kind of how we, not how we started. We were friends, but then we became like next door neighbors, literally like 50 feet from each other. And that's when we started spending like all of our time together. It was like being in college again, it was the best.

Booktrovert Reader (11:32.981)
Her neck goes out.

Booktrovert Reader (11:52.399)
That sounds good. For adults.

Alex (11:56.842)
Yeah, no, but like seriously, I would be like, Sarah, I'm out of butter, do you have butter? Or, you know, if one, there was one point when I, yeah, she'll come back. I had my newborn and my heat went out and I was like, Sarah, help me. And it's like, it was so convenient to have someone who was like right there. And it just, it made podcasting easier, it made, you know, random dinners easier. So it just, I can't recommend it enough. I miss not living next door.

Booktrovert Reader (12:02.138)
No.

Booktrovert Reader (12:16.241)
Oh gosh. Yeah.

Alex (12:27.274)
We'd have issues like this where I would be in my house and my internet would go out and she'd be like, Alex, just come over. And I'm like, okay, I'm putting on my slippers and would like run over.

Booktrovert Reader (12:34.931)
Hahaha!

Alex (12:38.492)
Sarah!

Booktrovert Reader (12:40.255)
She's in the dark.

Alex (12:42.992)
Um... Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (13:00.191)
There's a way that I can turn off like the view feed, but whoo. Whoa.

Alex (13:06.23)
It's okay. There you go. You're back.

sara (13:07.274)
Okay, okay, well I xed out on my computer. Can you guys hear me? Okay, yeah, I had to x out of my computer and then log in on my phone. I don't know why technology hates me so much. I know, I literally never do, I'm so sorry. Did it mess up the recording or anything?

Alex (13:13.136)
Uh, yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (13:20.851)
Hehehe

Alex (13:21.182)
You never have these issues. That's bizarre.

Booktrovert Reader (13:25.787)
You're good. Let me...

Alex (13:30.57)
No, it's still recording if you just want to start over.

Booktrovert Reader (13:33.263)
Um, can you get out of your computer for some reason? It's just, it's like, it still thinks you're still there on your computer.

sara (13:39.776)
I close.

I'm gonna X out of the link on my computer. I'm totally out of it.

Alex (13:45.642)
You might be able to kick her out.

Booktrovert Reader (13:47.771)
Oh, there we go. There we go. All right. Yeah. Hopefully it is the right one.

sara (13:49.21)
Okay, all good? Yeah. Okay. I'm so sorry. Okay, um, I don't even remember what I was saying. Um...

Alex (14:00.454)
You started talking, she asked about digital and physical.

sara (14:04.322)
Oh yeah, okay, so basically I love to use my Kindle. I'm very much a minimalist. So I don't know if I wanted a digital copy necessarily, but I definitely think a digital copy was something that we needed compared to Alex who has beautiful bookshelves filled with books. And there's so many other people in the Book Scram community that are just like, they just showcased their bookshelves, which I think is amazing, but I think we realized we needed both options. And Alex doing.

All of her research was amazing in figuring out a way that we could give this to people in a digital way. They can also print it out, which I thought was a really cool feature of the digital downloads. If they wanted to do the mash, they still could. They could still print it out and participate. Same with the bingo card and stuff like that. But having a physical copy is also so much fun, especially I feel like as a Bookstagram community, we love bookmail. It is like...

Booktrovert Reader (14:41.395)
Mm.

Booktrovert Reader (14:57.659)
Yeah... it's crack!

sara (14:58.066)
Bookmail is like the highlight of the year. Like if any of us get a free book, it doesn't matter what it is, we are just like, look what I got. So we felt like with the hype of bookmail, we absolutely needed physical copies too, especially to get our name out there. But also like Alex said, like this is like almost like a collectible thing. Like we want people to showcase this and display it. So we really wanted physical copies as well. So it took a lot of research and I think we're still really trying to figure out.

Booktrovert Reader (15:10.015)
Mm-hmm.

sara (15:27.486)
the printing process, like as a new tiny little baby magazine, there are a lot of hurdles to jump through with printing. So a lot of printers require like minimums of 5,000 orders. We do not have 5,000 people subscribing as of right now. Maybe one day that would be amazing. So we had to find ways to get creative about printing it while still being like not a hundred dollars a magazine basically.

Booktrovert Reader (15:29.116)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (15:37.665)
Mmm.

Booktrovert Reader (15:44.443)
Thank you.

Booktrovert Reader (15:55.155)
Hehehe

sara (15:56.174)
So we found some options and that's currently what we're using, but we are trying to research other avenues that we could be able to sell it for a better price than where we're currently at. So it's definitely a work in progress. So if anybody is a printer for magazines and can help us out, please reach out. We'd love that.

Booktrovert Reader (16:11.707)
Hahaha!

Alex (16:14.286)
Let us know. Ha ha ha.

Booktrovert Reader (16:16.12)
So just kind of diving into the process of creating a magazine. So obviously you got to get your content and tell me the steps on that, you know, of how you create all that fun stuff.

Alex (16:29.89)
Well, first we started almost like storyboarding. Like what are the things we want to talk about? So we kind of thought through that. We also thought through theme. It's not cheesy in the sense of an obvious theme, but each issue, like I mentioned, is quarterly and seasonal. So there's subtle shifts with each season in terms of color and aesthetic.

Booktrovert Reader (16:33.331)
Mm.

Alex (16:55.778)
But also we really wanted to just make it a cohesive experience. So there was that kind of storyboarding effort, the getting us set up branding wise with our color palettes and such. And then it's just, it's a lot of iteration. It's a lot of, okay, let's brainstorm the content and throw it on a page and see what makes sense and shift this and try that. And there's a lot of collaboration. You know, Sarah and I kind of divvy up the sections that we want to kickstart.

Booktrovert Reader (16:59.859)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (17:22.004)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (17:22.114)
But we're talking almost every day, going through every single page, being like, is this right? How could we do this better? How can we make this look better? How can we level this up? And just asking those questions. And with enough iteration, you end up with a magazine. And so that's a really exciting thing to me. I remember when we completed our first issue, we were just like, it felt like we could breathe. It was just, it was so exciting.

Booktrovert Reader (17:40.744)
Yeah.

Alex (17:52.37)
Um, and then there, there was that, like Sarah mentioned, the whole process of figuring out printing and we, we definitely had to do a few trial prints because of edges and things cutting off and all of that. So making sure proof wise, we were good. And with our first issue, all of it was such a good learning experience. There was a lot of trial and error. And we found ourselves as we've built out this second issue, that a lot of things are actually a lot simpler now that we've figured a lot of these things out. So.

Booktrovert Reader (18:02.495)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (18:21.342)
you know, page sizing, we've nailed that. Kind of starting visuals for different items, we've got that down. So the second time around, I don't wanna speak for Sarah, but for me, it's just, it's been really fun. Like just thinking through and getting extra creative on what are the different things that we can be talking about. So.

sara (18:39.946)
I think the second time around, like the first time...

I almost didn't think we could do it. I kept texting Alex, I was like, we're so close to the deadline, I don't think we can do this, we should just push it off. Let's wait to release this. Because I'm very much, I know, I know my personality type was freaking out. I was like, no, if it's not perfect, we can't do it. And Alex is very much like, it's never gonna be perfect. We are gonna get as close as we can and do as best we can and let's put it into the world and see what happens. And this.

Booktrovert Reader (18:48.935)
Hehehehe

Alex (18:51.488)
I was like, no, Sarah, we're freaking doing this.

Booktrovert Reader (18:54.643)
Hehehehe

Booktrovert Reader (19:06.256)
I'm sorry.

Alex (19:10.476)
Yeah.

sara (19:11.054)
I think once it was released I was like, oh my gosh, we did it. It's a real thing. We can breathe again. And now, like Alex said, it's definitely much more fun the second time around because I don't feel like I've put the same amount of pressure on myself because I know we're capable of it. So it's not as bad the second time.

Booktrovert Reader (19:26.303)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (19:31.25)
But on a side note, you mentioned Sarah, just like the anxiety around it. I think it's so funny because we when we started our podcast, there was a lot of similar aspects from Sarah's perspective of being like, well, what about this and this and that? And I'm like, Sarah, we're just gonna do it. We'll figure it out. Yeah, like, we don't need microphones. Let's just use an iPad to start. We don't need this. And then eventually, like we evolved, you know, I work in

Booktrovert Reader (19:49.389)
Buckle up!

Alex (19:58.41)
my daytime job is project management, and there's a theory around it called Agile. And it's that idea of like, what's the most basic thing you can start with? And then go, and you can add, and you can change, and you can adapt, and you can learn. I just love taking that approach to everything. And so I think that's part of the reason why Sarah and I are such good partners in that way, because I'm able to bring that Agile mindset, but Sarah also brings a level of, I almost wanna say like, professionalism to things.

Booktrovert Reader (20:07.746)
Mm.

sara (20:12.383)
So, I'm going to go ahead and start with the first question. So, I'm going to start with the first question.

Booktrovert Reader (20:27.45)
I want to say perfectionism, but...

sara (20:28.973)
Yeah.

Alex (20:29.866)
No, no, I wouldn't go so well, maybe it starts as perfectionism, but together we scale it down a little bit and she just she makes sure that the quality of what we do is good and solid. And so together it we think we figure it out and we go and we adapt and that's one of the super fun things about this and I think another reason why volume two is so good is because we've been so open about hey we want to hear from you what are your ideas.

Booktrovert Reader (20:39.623)
There we go. Yeah.

Alex (20:57.13)
How would you change things? What did you like? What did you not like? We've been able to make tweaks and get the community super involved, like Sarah mentioned. And like, they've also been guiding kind of what's in this magazine. Right, the first issue was a little difficult because it was brand new, but now they're really involved. And so that's been a lot of fun and made the creative process easier.

Booktrovert Reader (21:04.98)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (21:21.171)
What would you say is the one thing that you like, you tried on your first edition and you're like, let's not do that again.

Alex (21:30.475)
I'm trying to think, Sarah. Do you remember anything?

sara (21:33.199)
Um, I think, I definitely think the timing of ordering and everything, that was definitely something that I did not like how we were timing everything with like, okay, we're going to order it and then, you know, our printer, they like when we order big print amounts versus little print amounts. So there was just a lot of stress in regards to the printing timing wise, we didn't give ourselves enough time.

Booktrovert Reader (21:42.836)
Mmm.

sara (22:00.882)
So that's one thing that we are definitely well more aware of this time around. And then I think within the magazine, some of the, I think like just the graphics that I put in for some of the things, I'm like, why did I do that? That looks so dumb. Like, just looking back on it. So I think just definitely having more perspective, asking other people to like take a look at pages before we send them out. Because...

Alex (22:05.79)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (22:15.615)
I'm sorry.

sara (22:26.482)
I mean, I think even the one thing that Alex and I were both like, yeah, why did we do that? Like, was the table of contents. We put table of contents on the top of both pages. And it's like, visually it's balanced and it looks right. But then we like sent it out and my mom was like, why do you have table of contents twice? Like, I know it's the table of contents. And I was like, why do we have it twice? Like, you're right. Like, so like just like little things that...

Alex (22:34.734)
I'm sorry.

Alex (22:46.03)
Thank you.

Booktrovert Reader (22:47.167)
I'm sorry.

Alex (22:49.294)
Thanks for watching!

sara (22:51.058)
you think about but you don't really think about. You need a third person sometimes to just give you fresh eyes. So we're definitely way more open to that and asking other people for that fresh set of eyes. And I think the first time we just wanted to truly be our baby and really completely ours, even if it was bad, even if it was mess ups, it was ours to own. And so now I think we're open to expanding, getting other people involved, other people's opinions on stuff like that.

Booktrovert Reader (23:09.151)
Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (23:19.755)
Yeah, that's, I like that. I love hearing like what you guys learned because that's, I think that's a journey that everyone needs to understand that everybody takes. Um, you will make mistakes. You might think it was a great idea and you had to fricking had it and you're like, you gotta have double table of contents, but then you look back and you're like, okay, and you're always changing or always evolving. I actually talked about that and that was my vice was, is like, it's okay. Keep changing. You know, it's okay.

sara (23:24.212)
Mm-hmm.

sara (23:36.697)
Hehehehe

Booktrovert Reader (23:48.027)
You know, it's the beauty of it and you're gonna see the growth in your magazine in each edition. So, I'm very excited about that. So, let me ask you, what kind of trends do you see for Romanticie coming up? Because you guys, I'm gonna say, you're gonna be the experts to me now. So tread lightly.

sara (23:54.009)
Yep.

Alex (23:54.131)
Exactly.

sara (24:09.598)
Hehehehe

Alex (24:14.746)
I, in terms of trends, I almost want to answer your question differently because I'm not, like we have hopes for the genre this year more than being focused on what the trends are. It's almost like the hopeful trends, if you will.

Booktrovert Reader (24:22.54)
Mm.

Booktrovert Reader (24:28.189)
Okay.

Booktrovert Reader (24:35.647)
Mmm.

Alex (24:36.974)
Um, cause we, we've been reading a lot. Sarah is a Kindle unlimited machine. She's just knocking books out left and right. Um, and so we, you know, we're, and we bring this up actually in this next issue. Like we, we have a lot of hopes for the genre. And one of the things you mentioned, Faya, um, in our first issue, one of the things she shared with us was how bringing her culture into her fantasy story and integrating the two.

Booktrovert Reader (24:42.163)
I'm sorry.

Booktrovert Reader (25:05.357)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (25:06.674)
was such an incredible experience for her and helped create a really unique story and one that she was bought into. She mentioned how at first, you know, she was writing a very like Eurocentric style fantasy and it just wasn't true to her. She's from the Philippines. That's not her experience at all. And so she took her experience and her story and integrated it in. And so we're really hopeful that in this next year we see more of that. I mean...

Booktrovert Reader (25:22.037)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (25:33.566)
Eurocentric story is not a bad thing, right? Like Lord of the Rings till I die is one of my favorite book series of all time Right, but we want to see more people bringing their selves into their stories and not just writing What they know works or what they think the community wants to hear. I think that's where Authenticity really comes in and out of authenticity There's a real Beauty and an opportunity to connect

Booktrovert Reader (25:49.631)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (26:02.906)
And so we're really hopeful that there's more of that this year. Um, we're also really hopeful that indie authors continue to, you know, hit their stride and grow and be heard. Um, you know, publishing is a really difficult industry to get into. And that's one of the wonderful things about Book Talk is we've been able to experience more authors and hear from more people.

Booktrovert Reader (26:03.166)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (26:13.555)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (26:19.375)
Yep.

Alex (26:29.458)
And so I think that's been really cool for both Sarah and I. We've loved getting to know indie authors and interviewing them on our podcasts and reading their books. And there's been so many people have been so generous in sending their books to us. And we don't take any of that for granted. And so we want to continue to see indie authors get an opportunity to share their stories and for their voices to be heard. Um, so that wasn't your question, but that's what we're hoping.

Booktrovert Reader (26:46.58)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (26:55.486)
some trends are for this next year. Sarah, avid Kindle Unlimited reader, do you have actual trends that you've been noticing?

Booktrovert Reader (27:02.515)
Hehehehe

sara (27:03.327)
Well, I think I'll do, I'll do part of what you did and then maybe like trends as well. But I think hopes wise in regards to like the actual content of the books, you went very like.

beautiful high level like talking about these great things. I was thinking more along the lines of like, I'm hopeful that there's maybe more romance and slow burn versus like just spice and like quick burn. I think that I think Romanticie blew up and it was absolutely incredible those first like, you know, 20 books of Romanticie that you read.

Booktrovert Reader (27:16.391)
Hahaha!

Alex (27:25.97)
Oh yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (27:27.305)
Mmm. Yeah.

sara (27:38.738)
Cause they, I mean, they have similar vibes and they hit similar tropes. But I think that was before I really understood like what tropes were and like how a story goes. And just like seeing those things for the first time was incredible. But once I read 15, basically like, okay, we've slept together by half of, halfway through the book. And yes, we have magic and he's an old say and I'm not powerful, but I'm actually a secret princess. And like, I've read the same book probably like a hundred times.

Alex (27:55.118)
Thanks for watching!

Booktrovert Reader (28:04.574)
Yeah.

Alex (28:05.838)
Thank you.

sara (28:08.418)
no shade at all to authors because what they've written, it's incredible. I've never written a book, so I cannot ever put judgment on anyone. It just wasn't for me. But once I've read so many of very similar, what we call copy and paste, it's just not, it doesn't do anything for the genre. The genre's not evolving. I feel like readers are not evolving, and we just kind of all get stagnant and sick of the same things. So my hope is really that people...

Booktrovert Reader (28:21.695)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (28:31.44)
Mm-hmm.

sara (28:34.738)
don't just do what has been done. Like I want, I'd rather you put out one book every two years as an author that's like super depthful, super creative, something so unique, the world is new, it's not just the same story. So I really hope that's like a trend that we see is more focused on, like Alex said, individuality and authenticity. I think it all kind of ties together. So that's.

Booktrovert Reader (28:42.879)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (28:58.598)
Well, Sarah, also what you were talking about with the spice, like I just the reason we got so excited about spice in general, because we all know about chapter 55, right? Like everybody knows chapter 55. But the reason why chapter 55 was great is because we had chapter 54 and everything that happened before that. And so I think we all just get so excited about sexy paint time. And we're like, that was epic. But we forget that there was so much buildup.

sara (29:14.218)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (29:19.196)
Yes!

Alex (29:28.099)
I'm just dying for more slow burn.

Booktrovert Reader (29:29.059)
Like, kiting. Yeah.

sara (29:31.046)
Yeah, the pining and slow burn, I'm very hopeful that that's a new trend. And I think I've seen a couple like TikTok videos about, you know, like what we hope the trends are what we want to see more or less of. And I definitely think like the secret royalty, we're all kind of over that. Like we know, we know that she's, we know she's going to be the princess or whatever, we know he's the prince, like we know. And I think maybe

Alex (29:35.024)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (29:46.798)
Thank you.

Booktrovert Reader (29:51.695)
Yeah

sara (29:58.302)
trying to think of some of the other things that we like maybe less trials and more like heists and like more just like cool adventure. I think we want to see more adventure like kind of like Bridge Kingdom where it was like it's really like it's a fun adventure like that's what people want and I'm hopeful that that's a trend for this year. I definitely think some of the books that I've read at the start of this year have been better than a lot of the stuff I read like mid last year. I do think a lot of authors are creating.

Booktrovert Reader (30:07.263)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

sara (30:27.874)
new worlds or they're using similarities to books that we're all familiar with like from Blood and Ash, which was great, but I've seen elevated versions of it. So I'm really excited about what I'm seeing coming out this year so far. So it makes me very hopeful that Romanticie was not a one-hit wonder and it is here to stay.

Booktrovert Reader (30:48.655)
Yeah, because I think I can say this for myself. This is more my personal opinion is that, you know, like the level of spice in a book, it's getting a little too heavy for me. You know, it's just, you know, and, you know, not like it's wrong. It's just we, I think there is a call for like, we want more plot than just the smut. And we're, and then in some cases, romantasy is getting a bad rap.

sara (30:58.154)
Mm-hmm. Yes. Yeah.

sara (31:11.781)
Yes.

sara (31:17.791)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (31:17.819)
because of the level of smut that's like littered throughout the book. I love Sarah J Maas, but she's changing a little bit. Chris at Cine2, I'm looking at you.

Alex (31:26.442)
Well, I have theories about why Silver Flames was different than all the others, but we'll talk about that later.

Booktrovert Reader (31:31.351)
Yeah. So that's a good theory. So I'm hoping for the same trend. I am really like the venture. I am looking for that. Pirates. Come on, give me some pirates. And, you know, yeah, I'm hoping the same and I hope it does last a while because that is a thing. It's like, it's a trend. Romanticie is a hype. So could it last or will it, you know, like, go out the door? But I don't.

sara (31:44.452)
Yep.

sara (31:52.883)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (32:00.603)
think it's necessarily, think that the way romanticity is done is how it's going to change. And besides, I want you guys to last forever. So you said you had a theory, Silver Flame. So what was that, Alex?

sara (32:06.075)
Yeah, I think so too.

sara (32:10.366)
Thank you, we do too.

Alex (32:10.494)
We hope so too.

Alex (32:19.055)
Oh, well, so just the, oh, go ahead, Sarah.

sara (32:21.962)
Sorry, I gotta grab my charger because my phone's about to die. So, you can talk. I just had to... Well, I wasn't planning on using my phone, so...

Booktrovert Reader (32:24.447)
I'm sorry.

Alex (32:24.923)
Oh no!

Alex (32:28.835)
Oh, that's fair.

Booktrovert Reader (32:31.42)
Yeah

Booktrovert Reader (32:37.019)
What's great about the River facade is the editing too now. It's like so quick. I was doing everything in like audacity at first and it would take me like four or five hours to edit, 45 minutes with the audio and now it's like 30 minutes, 45.

Alex (32:37.334)
Seriously? Ah, we love it.

sara (32:40.35)
Yes, I know. Yeah. I was like, sorry.

Alex (32:48.922)
Hmm.

Alex (32:53.09)
So we actually use, because we don't always interview. Usually it's just like Sarah and I talking and we're in person for that. We've used Spotify for podcasters, which is phenomenal, super easy editing tool. So definitely recommend it as an option if you ever need.

Booktrovert Reader (33:02.779)
Mmm.

Booktrovert Reader (33:06.809)
Okay, I'll look into that.

Yeah, as a solo podcaster, it's like I'm trying to balance it out. So, all right, what were we saying? Yeah, Silver Flames Theory.

Alex (33:16.962)
at you.

sara (33:18.076)
Oh, your theory, sorry.

Alex (33:21.05)
Well, so there's a perspective change in Silver Flames, right? Like we're no longer hearing Farrah's story, we're hearing Nesta's story. And so even though it's not told from the first person, there's a huge shift there. And Nesta reads romance novels. So why would her story not read like a romance novel? Why would it not have more spice in it? Why would it not be a little bit more intense? And I think that's another reason why we get such an interesting perspective

Booktrovert Reader (33:26.015)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (33:29.416)
Right.

Booktrovert Reader (33:35.983)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (33:51.162)
Reese and Silver Flames. A lot of people when they read that were like, oh, who is this Reese? This isn't the Reese I know. Or like, now I don't like Reese. Or they're like questioning that. And I'm like, we're getting this from Nesta's perspective. She hates the guy. Like, of course, from her point of view, he's going to be a piece of crap. The same way from Feyre's point of view, her sister abandoned her and did all of that other crap. So I think Sarah J. Maas did a more subtle

Booktrovert Reader (33:52.767)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (34:19.746)
perspective change by making it more romance, making it told through the eyes of Nesta, even though it's not like first person Nesta. So I'm convinced that the next Akitar book, whoever that's told from, it's going to be a huge perspective shift again. I don't think that's how she's going to continue to write her novels for Akitar. Personally, I'm not

Booktrovert Reader (34:41.379)
Yeah, because I do worry that the trend of the romantic is the level of spice. Get it as dirty as possible as often or it's not going to be good. That's guess what I worry about.

sara (34:55.261)
Yep. I mean, I'll tell you my last, I read I think three books at the end of last year that I started and got.

Alex (34:56.337)
I think it's about balance.

sara (35:03.702)
not even a quarter of the way through and I had to DNF them because it was all spice. And I was like, this is too much. I can't read it. I get uncomfortable. I don't need four people in one vaccine. Maybe that's for you, but it's not for me. I don't need... Right. I feel like there's such a push to add more and more spice, you're right, but it's just not for me personally.

Booktrovert Reader (35:08.479)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (35:16.319)
Hehehehe.

Alex (35:18.83)
Or at least maybe she's got to be in the mood for it, you know, not an inactive.

Booktrovert Reader (35:21.267)
Hehehehe

Booktrovert Reader (35:28.297)
You're right.

Alex (35:28.566)
Well, I don't hate spice. I just want to work for it. You know what I mean? Like I'm not, I'm not there for the spice, but the spice is part of the story at the same time. Whenever you talk about romance, right? Whenever like in your own relationship, right? Like is the relationship with my husband centered around spicy sexy time? No. Is that a wonderful perk? Yes. Is that something that I enjoy on occasion? Yes. You know, so it's like, you gotta have both involved. And I think that's what.

sara (35:31.303)
Yep.

Booktrovert Reader (35:32.426)
Yes!

sara (35:38.181)
Mm-hmm.

sara (35:56.595)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (35:58.622)
me the more average person is looking for. No shade either way. Sometimes I'm in a mood where I'm like, just give me spicy time. Like that's all I want. But I do think saying that maybe the market's a bit oversaturated in that isn't a lie, you know?

sara (36:07.154)
Mm-hmm.

sara (36:15.828)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (36:16.195)
Right. So I, on Bookstagram, I was following on Bookstagram and you guys are talking about Iron Flame and I liked how you said, oh, this is three chili peppers and one person's like, no, I didn't like it as much. I like how you guys do that on Bookstagram because it's two different perspectives because Iron Flame is one of those books that says you either really liked it or you really didn't. So I liked how you-

Alex (36:31.459)
Yep.

Alex (36:42.698)
Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (36:44.563)
both came together and said, I didn't really like it, but I did, you know? So how do you guys decide to which review to talk about? Because there was some things about, you know, I actually got shadow banned by talking about I got inflamed one time on TikTok. I think I said something about not liking it, but I liked it, but I didn't love it. And I got shadow banned. So yeah.

sara (36:48.235)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (37:00.871)
Whoa!

sara (37:01.299)
What? Oh my goodness.

Alex (37:03.954)
Okay.

sara (37:09.79)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (37:13.511)
Okay.

Booktrovert Reader (37:14.319)
I know, that's a rabbit trail, but...

sara (37:14.41)
That's one. Yeah, I will say I'll piggyback off of the last question and lead it into this question. I do think that's one of the things that I'm really hopeful for the bookish community this year is to really stop with the negative energy, the fake reviews, just more honesty. Like if you don't like a book, that's perfectly fine. Don't bash it. Don't tag the author, but just post an honest review. You can say, I didn't like it for these reasons and move on. You don't have to hate on the book.

Booktrovert Reader (37:32.259)
Mmm.

Booktrovert Reader (37:43.956)
You're right.

sara (37:44.094)
And you don't want an author to see that because that's not fair to them. It's their work and they're passionate about it. So don't tag them. But then also don't just jump on book trends. If people say, oh, this is the best book ever or you got the book for free from an author, that's also wonderful that they sent it to you. But you don't have to say you loved it just because they sent it to you. We want honest reviews. And if you're following people and all they say is everything's a five-star book and then you read it and you don't agree, it's, I don't know. To me, it's like lying to the people that are following you.

Booktrovert Reader (38:00.648)
Mm-hmm.

sara (38:14.01)
So I really would love honesty in the boogers community and just sincerity and like kindness. That would be very nice.

Booktrovert Reader (38:14.386)
Mmm.

Alex (38:22.378)
And there was one book talker, I love how she did this, and I sent it to Sarah and I was like, this is how we need to think through more negative reviews. She was doing yes if and no if. So yes, this book is for you if, and then listing these reasons, and then no, this book is not for you if these reasons. And I thought that was such a diplomatic way to speak to it. Because

Booktrovert Reader (38:44.915)
Mmm.

sara (38:47.572)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (38:52.394)
we don't look at a book as like good or bad. It's like, this was what I needed or this wasn't for me. And like everybody's different. Sarah and I have different opinions on books. Like you mentioned, Iron Flame was a great example. And we can come together and have these discussions and not have to be so toxic about it.

Booktrovert Reader (39:05.213)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (39:12.83)
Right?

sara (39:12.902)
Yeah, but to your original question about Iron Flame, so Alex and I, we are very blessed in that there are so many authors out there that have sent us, you know, arcs to read. We get some through NetGalley, we get some from the authors themselves. We feel so honored every time and part of what we've like pitched with romanticizing to authors is, hey, if you want to send us your book, we will absolutely read it, we will absolutely review it. Only going to tag you if it's like a four or five star.

but we will 100% review and read it. And then we offer all sorts of other services, like if they wanted to put an ad in the magazine for their book, that's fine, but we will always, for free, read their books post about them. And so we've gotten a lot of books, which again, we're very grateful for, but there's a lot of books to read, and there's only so many weeks in the year, so many days in the month. So we've kind of split a lot of the books just between the two of us, and if there's a book that I like,

I loved, I'm like, Alex, you have to read this. It's an amazing book. And so generally, if there's books that we absolutely love, we'll share that with each other and one of us will just take the reins on posting the review. If there's a book that we're not 100% sure about, if there's been books that I like three-star, but I was like, I think you might really like this. I would like you to read it as well. She'll read the book as well. And if...

it's a four star, then we'll give it the higher rating because it's a one star difference and we'd rather give a better review for something like that if it's a one star difference. But for high profile books, something like Iron Flame, with us having such different opinions on it, because she was a five star and I was like a two and a half to three star, we really wanted to make sure that everybody knew that we're not just gonna post a five star because it's Iron Flame. There's definitely difference of opinions and it's okay to have different opinions.

Booktrovert Reader (40:46.303)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (41:05.803)
Mm-hmm.

sara (41:06.95)
and we just talked through why. So I thought it was, I think that was the first time we were both like, this is really important that we do this and establish that this is our precedent and we're okay with different opinions and we're okay posting different opinions. So I think it was a good opportunity for us as well.

Booktrovert Reader (41:25.135)
So have you ever guys, you know, disagreed on what books to put in your magazine? Because you may have liked one book and you may have not as loved, but you know, it's kind of like, what do you vote off the island kind of a situation, you know?

sara (41:32.797)
Hmm.

Alex (41:33.421)
Hmm.

sara (41:38.191)
Heheheheheheh

Alex (41:40.61)
We haven't crossed that bridge yet. Um, so we'll, we'll see how that goes. Um, but I mean, Sarah and I, part of the reason why we've, you know, been partners for so long is because we make a really good team and we are really good at, you know, solving problems and creating good products together. And so, and being respectful as we work through different things. So.

sara (41:42.89)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (41:59.593)
Mm.

Alex (42:03.774)
I think we both do a really good job about hearing where the other person's coming from, why they think something's more important, and neither of us are afraid to say, okay, yeah, we're wrong. You go. Like, you're right. And so having that humility and honesty has, I think, created an environment for us to work in that is safe to give our opinions and to, you know, create good products.

sara (42:13.98)
Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (42:14.487)
Yeah

Booktrovert Reader (42:30.623)
I like that because you have the bookish friends goals life.

sara (42:35.71)
Ha ha ha!

Alex (42:36.654)
Well, we were friends first. Like we were just casual friends first, you know? And so we had that foundation to start with before we expanded and did all of this stuff. So we're very lucky in that way.

sara (42:40.703)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (42:41.769)
Mm-hmm.

sara (42:47.719)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (42:49.907)
That's cool. Let me show you. I have some questions. I didn't need any of them until now. So that's a good day. Let's see. So if author were to submit, want to submit their book to that, obviously there's different selections they can do.

sara (42:55.178)
I'm going to go to bed.

Alex (42:59.01)
Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (43:13.915)
they can pay for advertisement or they can get like how the Guangzhan did. She did like a full page spread. Uh, do you guys write that for her or does she submit something to you guys? Or how do you, how does that process work?

Alex (43:27.074)
Well, so that was an interview. So Sarah and I kind of pick who we want to interview based off of the things we've been reading. So as we were building volume two for the magazine, we were thinking, like we went through all the books we've read. We were like, what do we think would make a good interview? A story where we'd have a lot of great questions for the author, where we wanna expand on the relationship with the author.

Booktrovert Reader (43:29.032)
Okay.

Booktrovert Reader (43:34.719)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (43:55.122)
Um, so we kind of just try to keep it, you know, a little bit clinical for the author interview that's purely choice based off of the books we've read and our opinions on it. Um, from there, it, it just kind of organically happens at this point, Sarah. I don't know. Do you want to add anything?

Booktrovert Reader (43:58.943)
Mm-hmm.

sara (44:13.598)
Yeah, so I think part to what Alex was saying was we personally select them like based off of what we've taken in at that point, but we also wanted it to be relevant and also on theme with the issue at hand. So for like the winter issue, we were wanting like that darker feel, we wanted something that was released during the timeframe of the book.

Booktrovert Reader (44:22.783)
Mm-hmm.

sara (44:43.394)
or of the magazine when it was coming out. So we were trying to pick that. We were feeling that culture was very much something that was coming up on trend and with Thea's book being Filipino and her world being based on that. So there was a couple of factors in how we chose Thea. And then we, can we spoil who's gonna be our next author?

Alex (45:05.106)
I mean, yeah, this one is coming out any minute, so.

sara (45:07.286)
That's true. Yeah. So Kate Golden is actually going to be our featured interview for volume two. So her second book, A Promise of Peridot comes out in April. And then she just did her cover reveal for the third in the trilogy, A Rain of Rose, which comes out in October. So it'll be a trilogy. She was actually the first ARC book that we ever got. She reached out to us and was saying that she listened to our podcast. She would love to send us a Dawn of Onyx.

Booktrovert Reader (45:08.328)
Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (45:12.528)
oof

Booktrovert Reader (45:17.855)
oof

Booktrovert Reader (45:35.751)
Mm-hmm.

sara (45:36.038)
So she was our first interview that we ever did and so we already had an established relationship with her But we were really excited about her second book. It's very much a spring feel The magic the world-building the romance So everything about the book and the fact that we had a great relationship with her already was something that we wanted to not reward her for because she had like picked us first but Something that we want to show like hey, we have a relationship with you and it's important

for us to maintain something like that as well. So we wanted to bring full circle. That's a better way to put it. Thank you, Alex. So yeah, so we thought Kate would be a great fit for the interview. So absolutely other authors will be decided on even if we don't have a rapport with them already and they're welcome to request to be interviewed. And we interviewed them on the podcast so that we could take an excerpt from the interview and put it into the magazine. And then the...

Alex (46:06.762)
It's like a full circle moment.

Booktrovert Reader (46:10.807)
Hehehe

sara (46:33.022)
full episode airs so anybody can listen to more questions and answers that we have with them afterwards. Thanks for listening.

Alex (46:40.39)
Yeah, and we, our podcast, we just generally will interview offers as well. So just because someone's not featured in the magazine doesn't mean they might not get an interview and get to, you know, be showcased to our greater theories and fan girls community. Um, so some folks are on the podcast, but their interview is not necessarily featured in the magazine. It's just some decisions we have to make.

Booktrovert Reader (46:52.467)
Mm-hmm.

sara (46:53.993)
Mm-hmm.

sara (47:02.958)
There's only one a quarter. Like there's only four interviews a year, so it is hard to select.

Alex (47:04.96)
Yeah.

It's very hard.

Booktrovert Reader (47:08.063)
Gosh, that sounds painful. I'm like every author of Comic Con, I love you. That's going to be tough. And as you guys grow, it's going to get tougher. So I don't envy your job. So, um.

sara (47:11.034)
Hehehehe

sara (47:15.442)
Yeah.

Alex (47:16.296)
I know.

Alex (47:20.789)
right now.

sara (47:21.374)
I'm sorry.

Alex (47:23.534)
We're gonna have to start getting some hard criteria figured out.

sara (47:25.962)
I know.

Booktrovert Reader (47:28.552)
Just do it dartboard. How about that? Let's just.

sara (47:30.893)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (47:31.582)
Yeah, that's you know what or like a rat or a bingo machine, you know

Booktrovert Reader (47:36.047)
Yeah, you know TBR? Gunball machines are in right now, so just put them all in the gunball machine and say, all right. So, all right. So before we wrap up, I just want to ask some of your favorite moments that you're having with romanticizing, creating it, and each of you, Alex and Sarah, can tell one of your favorite moments from it, and then we'll wrap up from there.

sara (47:36.414)
Yeah.

Alex (47:40.412)
Yeah!

Alex (48:02.126)
That's a good question.

sara (48:04.078)
Okay.

Booktrovert Reader (48:07.519)
I finally got something stumpy, guys. Yeah.

sara (48:09.13)
I know. I think for me, one of my favorite moments was kind of realizing that the talent that I thought I had in high school hadn't gone away. So I was an AP 2D design student and I was going to go to college for like digital art, digital design. And then a whole thing happened in high school, family, school related.

Alex (48:09.378)
Hmmm

Booktrovert Reader (48:26.899)
Okay.

sara (48:38.318)
And I was just like, nope, can't do anything with art, need to get completely out of Georgia, just move away from everything, start over. So I wanted nothing to do with art ever again. And this magazine, Alex, is showing me stuff. And I was like, oh, I love the idea, but it is not coming out how it needs to. And so I just kind of took the reins on it. And I was like, I need it to look like this. And just being able to have that come to Jesus, aha, this is...

Booktrovert Reader (48:44.539)
Mm-hmm.

sara (49:08.378)
it's okay to still love this and want to do it again. Like it was a, it was like a really great feeling to love doing design again. So I think that was a really big positive for me.

Booktrovert Reader (49:17.975)
Mm-hmm. I love that.

Alex (49:20.458)
You're so good at it too. You really are. It's constantly happening where I just throw stuff on a page and I'm like, thoughts and she's like, um, I think I would say for me, there was so like the, the day of our release and we first put the book or the book, the magazine available. I remember seeing the orders trickling in.

sara (49:21.979)
No, thank you.

Booktrovert Reader (49:23.385)
Yeah

Alex (49:49.77)
And Sarah and I would be texting like, we're at three, we're at four, we're at seven. And as it continued to build, I think there was just this joy that we made something that people are excited about. And we would get feedback from people being like, this is incredible. And I just, I loved being so plugged into the community and serving our community in a way that.

sara (49:53.508)
Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (50:17.192)
Mm-hmm.

Alex (50:18.306)
they need it and then it was affirmed. And so release day was just such a special, special moment in our text thread. And I think in our hearts and like we will never like forget that and the support and the encouragement we received from friends and family and just everybody in the community. It's awesome. It's so good.

sara (50:39.485)
Mm-hmm.

Booktrovert Reader (50:41.679)
So the second edition is coming out on March 1st of this year. Tell our listeners and our readers how to find your magazine, get it ordered, what is the deadline or if there is one, and more information on how to get their hands on this copy.

sara (50:46.685)
Yes?

Alex (50:46.869)
Yes.

Alex (50:59.858)
Sarah, do we have a deb- we haven't talked about the deadline, but we probably want to have it.

sara (51:04.522)
probably gonna do like the end of March like it they have all of March to order it.

Alex (51:07.69)
thing. Okay, okay. So well, I just was like, I don't we haven't decided that one yet. Okay, you want to run with this one? Or do you want me to?

Booktrovert Reader (51:09.343)
Okay.

Booktrovert Reader (51:15.364)
Yeah

sara (51:16.894)
Sure, I'll run, yeah. Okay, so, yeah, magazine's coming out, very pumped. This, similar to the first issue, if you weren't around for that, I'll explain, but because we use a smaller printer, it's a lot harder to do a lot of orders for a long period of time. So what we do is we do bulk orders through the month of March, basically. So you're gonna be able to order.

Booktrovert Reader (51:41.05)
Mm-hmm.

sara (51:45.178)
any day for all of March to get a physical copy of the magazine. Releases March first? Yes. Pre-orders are open. Go for it. Yes. But if you miss pre-order, totally fine. But you'll be able to order a physical copy of the magazine throughout the whole month of March. And then after March ends, April and May, you can order digital copies only. So you can order digital all of March as well if that's what you want, but we won't be selling physical magazines in April and May.

Alex (51:49.278)
And pre-orders are even open now. So if you want to pre-order, you can.

sara (52:15.274)
just because of our printer. So you can do that, but you can order on ferr slash romantizine, or you can just go to ferr and click the romantizine button and hit subscribe and it's going to give you what seems like a million options, but it's really actually very simple. There is the print option, the physical option, and then the combo of digital and print. And within each of those three, you can do a single issue or you can subscribe.

for the four issues throughout the year. So it seems like a lot of options. It's really not very simple. And we put for the print that there's a two to four week ship window because of our printer. So I know it seems like a long time and it is sometimes, but a lot of times people get it much quicker than that. But we like to, fair warning, like it could take two to four weeks once you place your order, just because of the printing and shipping time from our printer, because they ship it out.

Booktrovert Reader (53:12.071)
Okay.

Alex (53:12.114)
But if you pre-order, you should get it very quickly.

sara (53:15.944)
Yes.

Booktrovert Reader (53:17.079)
Oh, the ascentive. So, all right. Okay. Nope.

sara (53:18.578)
Hehehe

Alex (53:19.182)
Thank you.

Um, it's also, um, sorry, I was going to say also we're on Instagram at romantic scene and there's links to everything in our bio as well. If that's an easier way for you to hit these things up and we'll be posting about release day and all the details and that good stuff as we lead up to it.

Booktrovert Reader (53:42.663)
And I'll definitely be putting all this in the show notes or the description below so you guys can go and subscribe to Romantizine that's coming out on March 1st in 2024. And I want to thank you Alex and Sarah for coming on and talking about your amazing creation. And I do hope and I know it will be. It's going to grow. It's going to be best. And I'm going to have you on your show and you're going to be too famous for me.

Alex (53:46.664)
Thank you.

Alex (54:09.948)
Yeah.

sara (54:10.921)
Well, thank you so much for the support. We really like honestly, when you reached out, I was like, Oh my God, Alex, we're like legit, we're going to be on a podcast. I know we podcast all the time, but we've never been asked to be on a podcast. So I felt so cool. I'm not going to lie.

Booktrovert Reader (54:11.335)
Now this.

Booktrovert Reader (54:18.783)
I'm sorry.

Alex (54:22.898)
Yeah.

Booktrovert Reader (54:23.779)
I know. I'm so glad. I love that. I love the opportunity of talking to people and thank you so much for hopping on. And definitely readers, check out their links below. Get your copy. Follow them on Instagram. And thank you for joining us and have a good day readers. Bye.

Alex (54:26.087)
means a lot.

sara (54:43.634)
Bye.