Romance & Carrying On : Recent Episodes
Janette Gellar
Welcome to the Romance and Carrying On Podcast where we discuss romance stories, because who doesn’t need a guaranteed Happily Ever After? I’m your hostess Janette Gellar, aspiring author, blogger and book reviewer extraordinaire.
First of all, I’ll be the first one to say it. It’s been a while. I think I underestimated the work that went into a podcast and I’m not the type of person who can’t say it when I’ve made a mistake. So I started podcasting unprepared but no fear I think I’ve figured it out. I read on buzzsprout somewhere that it takes a podcast 9 episodes to decide if podcasting is right for him. I enjoy podcasting. I enjoy talking to new people. I enjoy having a platform that doesn’t really care about algorithms and what not. It’s simple. I have something to say and I can just say it. So what I’m saying is that I’m now prepared.
So a lot has happened in these two months. By the time this episode goes live my Kindle Vella Dystopian Romance Cause for Ruin will be days away from going live! That’s super exciting! So if you like a romance where you can watch the world burn go check out Cause for Ruin on Kindle Vella. I’ve put the link in the show notes. The first 5 episodes will go live soon!
And on to the topic at hand. You may have read the reviews that the stories on Kindle Vella are basically fanfic that never ends but I don’t think that’s true! There are a lot of hidden gems on Kindle Vella. (Like my story Cause for Ruin!) (pause) And I’m going to share with you 10 stories that I’ve found on Kindle Vella that you might not have found yet. I’m assuming you haven’t found them because these stories one thing I will say bad about Kindle Vella is the search feature kinda sucks. If you’re on top you’re visible to the public scrolling through for a new read but if you are not on top well sifting is hard work.
To be considered for this list the story has to be well written, the plots are well thought out and original, and the characters are amazing. The trifecta of how I assign stars on my book reviews as well. The only difference is I can’t judge the ending until the series is complete. One more thing: this list is in the order that I found the Kindle Vella serial and not in any ranking order.
1. Up first is a finished Kindle Vella story so if you’re the type of reader that wants to know you’re going to get to the end of a story this one is for you. Kristen Lance’s Human Sexuality! This is a polyamorous bisexual alien romance that takes place on EARTH! I can’t say that I’ve seen that so much. Normally the humans find themselves stranded on an alien planet or they are set in the future where humans are intergalactic traveling left, right and center. But no, in this one we’re still our normal screw up selves who couldn’t figure out how to exist off this rock we call Earth when aliens show up and basically squat Montana. Apparently they saw War of the Worlds and they want to exist amongst us but with social distancing so they don’t catch anything from us. This is a fated mates troupe so the characters have plenty of fun unlocking all kinds of feelings that come from all the erotic behaviors they sign up for. And if that wasn’t enough there’s a war going on and these aliens have brought their enemies with them. Humankind is kinda screwed pun intended.
Full Episode Show notes at the show notes page:
https://janettegellarbooks.com/2022/12/21/10-kindle-vella-romances-you-need-to-read/
Welcome to the Romance and Carrying On Podcast where we discuss romance stories, because who doesn’t need a guaranteed Happily Ever After? I’m your hostess Janette Gellar, aspiring author, blogger and book reviewer extraordinaire.
Last episode I told you that I’m planning to release my current WIP, a dystopian romance set in contemporary times, as a Kindle Vella story in December 2022. To prepare for that release I first had to look up what Kindle Vella is, because it’s been a year and I feel like Amazon hasn’t really put much effort into publicizing that the program exists. To help me fill in the gaps of what I know about the program I’m joined by two Kindle Vella authors, Nikki Rome and Amber Sanchez.
Some people in the audience may not realize that serials aren’t a new thing. I grew up reading manga magazines. In the East Asian markets serials are a big thing. People read them on the train/bus when they’re commuting to school and work. They’re available at any convenience shop on the street. Each one has a specialty.
So the first thing I want to ask is what has Amazon added to the serial market? Why should readers get their serial fix with Kindle Vella?
In the Western market serials were super popular in newspapers and magazines as early as Victorian England times and in America people read serials well after World War 2. Serials gave way to radio versions until they faded in numbers with TV. This might date me a little but I remember in high school I had a Washington Post subscription for the Sunday paper so I could read the Dave Barry comedy serial. As an adult I believe I have bought every book Dave Barry has published after he left the Post. So I know serials can produce fans that are loyal.
Why do you think readers should pick up serials today?
Amazon has tried to create a way for readers to give Vella authors feedback with their polls and author notes. It’s created a scenario where authors have added polls that allow readers to direct the story. As a plotter this terrifies me but have you ever considered a reader-led story?
Before we end, I know it’s important to keep readers aware of what you’re doing in the near future. What do readers have to look forward to coming from you soon? Either on Vella or in long format like ebook or paperback?
How can they follow you on social media?
I want to thank you guys out in podcast land for joining me! Talking with Nikki and Amber has got me pumped to release my own Kindle Vella story in December. I’m going to reveal the title of my Kindle Vella story in a few weeks so make sure you follow Romance and Carrying On on Facebook or Janette Gellar on Twitter so you don’t miss it.
Next episode I’ll be going over the October book releases that you don’t want to miss! That episode should go live September 30 and I can’t wait to see you then! Bye!
Welcome to the Romance and Carrying On Podcast where we discuss romance stories because who doesn’t need a guaranteed Happily Ever After?
I’m your hostess Janette Gellar, aspiring author, blogger and book reviewer extraordinaire. On this podcast we have two rules. Rule number one is I don’t read YA. I’m sorry but I left high school a long time ago, it wasn’t fun and I don’t want to read about it. Kind of a “Sorry not sorry.” That brings me to Rule number two: I’m a grown woman, so the days of reading a book I don’t enjoy are over. If I don’t like something I’ll DNF it because life’s too short to read books I don’t like.
The good news for you out there in podcast land is that you will always get my honest review of books and any romance industry news items. I hope you’ll subscribe because we’re going to have some fun. On this podcast we will discuss new releases, review older books (so if you’ve recently read something that was good let me know) and more.
One thing I love about the romance writing community is how helpful everyone has been. I try to do my part by participating in book street teams, so if you have a book launch coming up and want to do an interview on the podcast let me know. I’m on Twitter using the handle Janette Gellar and Romance and Carrying on has its own page on Facebook so feel free to follow me.
Reach out if you have questions, comments or want to tell me your thoughts on the podcast topics. We have some exciting interviews scheduled in the upcoming episodes with some amazing authors that you are not going to want to miss so stay until the end to find out who is coming next episode.
Now a little bit about my work in progress! My current WIP started with NaNoWriMo 2020. I had written a dirty draft earlier during lockdown but I really didn’t know anything about the rules of Romance books and I killed off my Male protagonist (Oops). So once I found out the rules I rewrote the story during November and December 2020. I had a great group of ladies as Critique Partners and I finished my dystopian romance the day of the insurrection at the Capital. That stung so I shelved the project and didn’t pick it up again for another 6 months. From August 2021 until now I’ve rewritten my story twice, cleaning up the plot and now I’m planning to release it on Kindle Vella in December. So over the next few months I’m going to be investigating this new edition to the world of western serial writing called Kindle Vella.
Alright, next time we’re going to have Authors Nikki Rome and Amber Elzinger (Sanchez).
Nikki Rome recently released book 1 of her Dark Kings series and the first book of her Christmas themed Saint Family Christmas series so I might want to speak to her again for another chat.
https://nikkirome.com/
Amber Sanchez writes contemporary small town romance and has completed Book 2 of her A Space for 2 series. She’s a veteran Kindle Vella author and we’re looking forward to hearing from these two women.
I want to thank you guys out in podcast land for joining me! I’m going to reveal the title of my Kindle Vella story in a few weeks so make sure you follow Romance and Carrying On on Facebook or Janette Gellar on Twitter so you don’t miss it.
I can’t wait to see you then! Bye!