It’s no secret that Whoa!mance is a product of the university — a meeting of minds that began with the pursuit of knowledge and ended in a holocaust of emotions. But we digress. This week, Morgan and Isabeau audit a few classes with Katrina Jackson’s ivory tower romp, Office Hours. High-achieving and beleaguered Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Deja Evans is in a rut. With her 3-year track to tenure review looming, her separation between work and life has blurred into non-existence. But her desire for the tenured history professor and dressed-to-the-nines hunk of all things past, Dr. Alejandro Mendoza, is keeping her pilot light aflame. What’s a proper work/life balance? Can a romance novel test the depth of our allyship? Why does higher education make us feel so low? This one’s for all y’all left jilted by the educational-industrial-complex.
We don't know about y'all, but this summer had us spending way more time indoors than usual. This week, Morgan and Isabeau share some of what's been keeping them afloat and joyful in these trying times.
Before we get started, this book is brand spankin’ new. And if you know anything about us here at Whoa!mance, y’all know we peddle in spoilers. You have been warned! This week, Morgan and Isabeau sneak on the set of a telenovela in You Had Me at Hola, the much anticipated new novel by RITA award winner Alexis Daria. Jasmine Lin Rodriguez, a budding star after a stunning rom-com debut, is back in NYC to pursue another leading role across telenovela heartthrob Ashton Suárez. But when their parts require a fiery on-screen chemistry, their pasts and insecurities collide. Do we have control over our attractions? Is representation enough? What is button work? This one’s for all the leads out there looking for their perfect roles.
In honor of Romance Bookstore Day this past week, we're re-releasing one of our recommendations from the new romance section at Women & Children First in Chicago. Throwing it all the way back to episode 14! Giddy up.
For this episode Morgan and Isabeau tackle a western! Do you love cowboys, history, and sex positivity? Got secret hots for the country doc? This book has it all!
As promised, Part Two of yr girls’ conversation with the illustrious Scarlett Peckham, and a deeper dive into Judith McNaught’s canonical debut novel Whitney, My Love. Sexiest parts, weirdest parts, and all the parts in between.
CW: sexual assault, intimate partner violence
If you experienced sexual assault and need or would like help, visit centers.rainn.com for resources in your area, or call 800-656-HOPE (4673) for confidential support.
On July 25th, as part of the 2020 Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling Writers Conference, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau were joined by the brilliant and talented Scarlett Peckham for a very special live-via-zoom-taping of Whoa!mance, to discuss Judith McNaught’s authorial debut, Whitney, My Love. This week, part one of yr girls’ conversation with Scarlett on how this novel sparked a burgeoning love of Romance, the polarizing politics of pleasure, and how to judge a text that doesn’t age as well as its cover. Warning: this novel depicts scenes of rape and sexual violence, and the conversation reflects these difficult topics, listener discretion is advised. Stay tuned for Part two, coming to podcatcher near you.
CW: sexual assault, intimate partner violence