
Spill the Smut
Where the books are spicy, the conversations are juicy, and the stories rarely fade to black. Each week, I dive headfirst into the delicious world of smut with the people who live and breathe it—authors, creators, and bookish babes who aren’t afraid to spill all the steamy tea. Through interviews and unfiltered chats, I'll explore everything from fan-favorites to behind-the-scenes secrets of the bookish world. This is your weekly escape into the world of steam, swoon and unapologetically bookish.
So get comfy. Pour a drink. And get ready to spill the smut.
Spill the Smut
Interview with Author Assistant: Lauren (@lbcreads)
The unsung heroes behind your favorite authors' seemingly effortless social media presence, newsletter magic, and seamless book launches are often their personal assistants—and Lauren represents the gold standard in this demanding profession. In this engaging deep dive, she pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to support multiple bestselling authors while maintaining her sanity and passion for books.
Whether you're a reader curious about publishing's inner workings, an author considering assistance, or someone intrigued by this unique career path, Lauren's insights offer a fascinating glimpse into the essential but often invisible role that keeps the book world turning. Ready to see what happens when one assistant manages four major book releases in a single month? As Lauren would say: "It's a lot!"
Lauren's Links: IG: @lbcreads TT: @lbcreads x Author Assistant IG: @lbcreadsauthorservices x Website: www.lbcreads.com
Cover Art by: moi
Intro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on Capcut
Contact Email: spillthesmutpodcast@gmail.com
Podcast IG: @spillthesmut TT: @spillthesmutpodcast
Jordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction
From book talk to bookstagram and now a force behind the scenes as top tier author assistant. Her journey through the book world is nothing short of impressive. She manages it all Newsletters, facebook, reader groups, arc teams, social media, new releases and for more than 10 authors, and still finds time to run her own book club. If you're an author hoping to work with her, you'll likely need to join the waitlist, because, yes, she's that in demand. Please welcome to the podcast, lauren. Hi, I realized as I did that I was like I don't know if she still has her book club.
Lauren:I literally was like I don't have the book club anymore, but I am doing like an in-person book club with some of my friends. I wouldn't say that I'm like the host, but like we're trying to. So we it's like our version of the silent book club if you've seen people post about silent book clubs. So it's instead of like you picking a book and everybody reading, that you just get together and read whatever book you're reading and you don't talk. So it's silent book club and so that's like an actual organization and they have them all over the country.
Lauren:I know, so I have I follow some people who like go to them. I am so sorry, like I actually am very antisocial in real life and I don't want to get together with people I don't know to read. Like that sounds not like the best time to me. So my friends and I have put together our own like silent book club and we're anyway, so we're trying to host it with like the local romance bookstore and start doing that like every month and like anybody who like likes to read romance can come, because I'm like that's a little more like appealing to me than just like strangers from Facebook understandable, understandable.
Jordan:I didn't even know.
Lauren:That was like a thing I've like never yeah, I didn't either, but one of um like my friends on online and bookstagram book talk community. Her name is Meg and she lives in like Seattle and she helps run like one of the silent book clubs in Seattle, like her and her sister. So, yeah, so I was like interested in it and I looked into the one in my town and I actually know the girl who runs it. She went to college with me but I get like anybody can come and so to me it's just like I just get so awkward and in real life, like in person, and I like talked with my friends and like the idea of all of us trying to like bend our tbrs like one book a month, like it's just too too complicated. So we do our own.
Jordan:So you just get together and read for like an extra time, like your own book, so you don't even talk about like a book we, like, we, so we've only had one official meeting and we, um we yapped the entire time.
Lauren:We actually did no reading, um, so that's why we were like maybe we need to invite more people. So, instead of just like gossip time, we're like actually like talking and like and by gossip time I mean like here's what's going on in my life, um, so yeah it. I think the goal for us is, like anybody who reads romance locally like wants to go to the romance bookstore in town and like hang out for an hour and read whatever book you're reading. And we all, like said, oh, this is what I'm reading. And we were like, oh yeah, we love that book, like, so it was fun, it was fun.
Jordan:But honestly, that sounds kind of awesome, so maybe I need to look that up. Granted, my town's really small, so I'm sure there isn't one, but maybe it's time to make one.
Lauren:Yeah, you could start one, and I love the idea of like dedicating at least an hour a month to like reading. I mean, you know it's necessary sometimes.
Jordan:It really is. So I know we kind of chatted about that, but I want to ask you what has been the highlight of your week so far?
Lauren:Yeah, so I don't know why every time we do one of these podcasts together it's a concert, Because I just saw Post Malone last week.
Jordan:That's amazing. Sorry, I did want to say like there is another interview with Lauren. These are like for the listeners, but on a different podcast. So this is technically the second interview with Lauren. But similar questions, but different questions.
Lauren:Okay, now talk about Post Malone oh yes, so sorry I, but yeah, it's just funny that every time I yap with you we I've been to a concert recently. Yeah, so Post Malone was amazing. It was my second time seeing him. My last time was literally a month before COVID. Crazy how the world just has changed so much and like time has flown. But my husband and I went and he was not that excited to go because he's not a concert guy. I talked about that with Sabrina but he said it was the best concert he's ever seen like. It was so good. I know Post is in his like country era but there was actually a lot of like his older songs that he sang and he is just he's not like a dancer performer like that, but his vocals sound identical to like his recordings in real life, like he just is a powerhouse like on the microphone like. So good, all right. Anybody who's a post Malone fan like should see him live.
Jordan:I would love to see him live. Well, see the thing. But because you said he's like plays some of his older things, like I'm not like totally obsessed with his like country era, but like I love his older stuff, so if he plays his older stuff, yeah it was.
Lauren:It was like 60% older stuff, 40% country, like it was not like I was worried it was gonna be mostly country and it was a lot of his older stuff, like from Hollywood's Bleeding and uh, beerbongs and Bitly's and even like his new, like his very first album, like he played Feeling Whitney and White Iverson and like old songs that's nice.
Jordan:That's nice, actually kind of totally 180. But I want to see Benson Boone in concert so badly like I feel like wait, have you seen him?
Lauren:no, but my husband I'm who would he want to see? And I literally was like I know you probably don't want to see him, but I would love to see Benson Boone. Oh my God.
Jordan:Yes, like I asked like my fiance. I was like, would you go see Benson Boone with me Because he likes him too? And he's like, yeah, I would.
Lauren:But then I was like I feel like tickets are just crazy, just in general right now, like they kind of are well, yeah, this.
Jordan:These prices were like what I paid for. The first time I saw Taylor Swift, which I would drop anything for her. So like right early, like I would pay that, but like Ben, but I think Benson Boone would be so good, so I'm like maybe it's so good, maybe.
Lauren:Yeah, I'm sure it is, I'm sure it is I like I just I. Every time I talk about Benson Boone, I have to remind myself that he's like 22, 23 and I'm just like how, like insane that he started singing like two years ago and this is him now at 22 have you seen like the?
Jordan:I know he got like really big on like Instagram and like that kind of like thing. But like, have you heard of like the Taylor Swift effect of like yes, because so he like opened for her and so I'm like this is definitely how I'm like well, granted, he deserves it like he and I'm so glad he did open for her because, like, he now can get like bigger hopefully. But I'm just like so I agree.
Lauren:I feel like Gracie Abrams also, and like Sabrina, like all those people are having explosive careers after opening for her well, because I'm I'm gonna take it way back Ed Sheeran for red, and then now then Shawn Mendes.
Jordan:I'm like let's go. I actually yeah, because like Fearless, she opened for Keith Urban and then she went on her own, but I don't know, I don't remember who.
Lauren:I know that her reputation. I'm pretty sure it was Camila Cabello and Charli XCX, I think yes and Charli XCX is having her like comeback.
Jordan:I feel like Camila cabello kind of like fell off yeah, she got a little weird yeah I don't think. Yeah, I know, I don't really know what happened, but now I feel like she doesn't do anything yeah, that's okay. Anyway, that's my highlight um, oh my gosh, so funny like I feel like no one ever asked me that, so I never have anything prepared anymore. Crickets I need to like insert crickets. I literally don't have anything your hair looks fabulous.
Lauren:Was that in the last week?
Jordan:it was but like I don't know, I don't know how I feel about it.
Lauren:I like it. It's a change up, but I like it. It's like a lot. It's now if, for the listeners who are not on video with us, it's a lot more blonde and it looks fabulous oh well, thank you.
Jordan:I went to like my hairdresser and I love her and I was like I want to be more blonde and she's like, okay, I got you. And then it came true, and then it was like oh shoot and I'm like but at least it like it doesn't like look bad. I just don't know how I like feel about it, so like it might just go back to my natural hair color. Just might take a couple years, like five yeah, no, it'll be fine.
Lauren:I feel like it's a good like summer.
Jordan:Look I yeah, I agree with. So, like I can rock it for the summer, yeah for sure, for now. For now, okay, we'll dive into the questions We'll get off my hair, okay. So this is like broken up into three parts, and then part one is like author, assistant reading, and then personal. So, because I've already interviewed you before, these are similar questions, like similar questions, but worded differently. And then I've also inserted, like other questions that I just I want to know about, okay, so this one is definitely one you've answered a bajillion times and 10. So, like, let's answer it one more time. What drew you to the book world and how did you start working with authors and then becoming an author's assistant?
Lauren:Oh, I'm one of those adults that I read a ton. When I was a kid Like that was one of my very first hobbies. I started reading, like when I was in kindergarten I started reading chapter books like Junie B Jones I'm trying to think what else like Ramona and Beezus I don't know if anybody ever read those books as a kid, but those were like kind of the books I read. And then I stopped reading in college, which I feel like there's a lot of other readers I've met in the community who were similar to me. Like I feel like when you start reading for school all the time and then like you enter the job force and like all of that, like it's just something that kind of falls to the wayside. And I actually, when I was right out of college, I did start reading again. I would read free books on Apple Books and I would read romance books and I would stay up so late reading them and then have to get up at like 5am to go work. And that kind of fell again to the wayside when I met my husband. You know I feel like most girls can relate to that. You like fall in love and like you just get so wrapped up in your relationship and I was on TikTok after the pandemic scrolling and I you know books started popping up on my TikTok and I saw some people I knew reading and they were actually recommended.
Lauren:Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I thought that sounded like a really good book. So I read that was like the book. That like reignited my love for reading. And I also read some Ellen Hilder brand I think I've recommended her to you before.
Lauren:I read some of her books, no-transcript. Like I did real estate and I was on social media for real estate and I was like I could totally make like a book and do that. It's actually crazy because one of my very first videos went semi-viral is like over a hundred thousand views. My like second or third video yeah, my husband like will tell you to this day he's like I knew you were going to like, like be so involved in that world when, like that happened, and so that was all January 2022, and then later that year I read one of Holly Renee's books and this has a point to the story and fell in love with her reading and I was probably posting like a video a day for her. I was posting like three videos a day at this time, but I was posting one of those was for Holly and kind of developed a relationship with her.
Lauren:And then in January 2023, so a year after I started posting she posted that she was hiring a content creator and I applied and she's now told me since then that she really didn't look at any other resumes Like she just knew like I would be a good fit.
Lauren:I loved her books I already was making really good content for her so I started taking um, or I started taking well, I took over her tech talk and I started posting videos every single day for her and I did that for a few months and then realized I wanted to do that instead of selling houses, because I hated it and I was terrible at it. And I asked her if she had any friends who would be interested in hiring me to do their TikToks. And literally within 30 minutes of me asking her that, I had like six people in my emails asking me to work with them and I went full-time in April of that year and it's just been like a slow and steady journey. I slowly added an author after that first initial, I took on four, so I had four, including Holly in April and then after that, I was slowly like adding one author to my roster until we've reached 12. Until we've reached 12.
Jordan:Right, mm-hmm, yep, but you don't. I feel like we kind of talked about this like last time but you don't make content for all of them, right?
Lauren:No, so no. And so there's different services that I offer to everybody, like not one client, or like one like each client is unique and what I do for them, like most clients, I like it's just it really pertains to their needs and what they need from me and what they want to offload off of their plate, and it's also our relationship and what we have and the dynamics and everything. So some, some of my authors like a few of them I just do newsletters for, or I do like newsletters and a couple of things I have. Actually, I have one event like a book convention that I help them with their newsletters. So that's one of my clients now and she's a friend, and so she asked if I would help her with that and so like, yeah, that's, that's kind of cool.
Lauren:Yeah, it was. She had reached out. I was like I don't know if you do this and I was like I mean, she asked me to do more, which I really I can't right now, my capacity is so full. But I was like a newsletter doesn't take me very long and a lot of times I can like do it while, like, I'm watching tv or something, and so I like I can easily do a newsletter, one a month, for you, like that's easy for me to add. So she makes it really easy too.
Jordan:So then that kind of like segues into like the next like question what makes a great author assistant relationship work?
Lauren:What makes a great author assistant relationship work, press communication I would say honesty, like if I make a mistake, the first person I tell is that client, and just like owning up to anything you do. But I really think it's. It is trust and it's both ways right. Like you, like you have to trust the author and the author has to trust you.
Lauren:And I think it's it's so interesting because I think about some of my relationships now with my clients and when we first started out and like they didn't hand off as much because they didn't trust me Right, and like the more I've done it or more I worked with them, the more they give me because they know that I'm going to follow through and I'm going to do what I say I'm going to do. And also, I think, respecting each other's boundaries, like I've really been working this year on not going through burnout and taking time off and being able to say like hey, you know I can't do this, or even if, like I know it's outside of my wheelhouse or I don't have time on my plate, like I've had clients ask me to take on things and I'm like I genuinely will crash and burn if you give me any more. So I think it's. It's just communication and trust.
Jordan:Definitely are like very key points. So I feel like that's like really well.
Lauren:And the other thing, too, I will say is like it helps. It's not necessary, but it helps when you're like a genuine champion of that author's books already, and that's something that most of my clients before I take them on, I like to read their work because I feel like I'll be able to do my job organically if I genuinely enjoy and love what they produce, and so that also is something that I think really makes a good relationship work. And also being able to like separate business and personal, which is hard.
Jordan:That can be really hard. Okay, I'm going to ask for like a little tea, which you do not need to give any names and you don't even have to answer it if you don't want to. But I want to know if, when you were taking on clients, did you ever get somebody that you had never read before? And you read something and you just like, didn't like their writing or their book, and then you, just, you were you and you, just you couldn't take them on yeah.
Lauren:So for the most part I do my research before I take anybody on and I really I'm a vibes person so like I feel out the vibes, I'll scope out their Instagram, I'll do all these things. I'll ask my authors like do you know anything about them? Have you heard anything? Because, you know, in today's society with problematic authors and everything like, I just want to make sure that I'm representing like myself and my other clients as well, because whoever's on my list you know reflects on all of us.
Lauren:And I had somebody reach out about doing like beta reading and they sent me their book and I started reading it and I just knew it was not like it. Just I didn't think was a good fit for me and I was really struggling already with reading the first few pages and so I just very politely was like I cannot do this, and I mean they hadn't paid me or anything yet because especially with beta reading, it would be after with like word count and everything that I would charge. But I was just like I'm so sorry, I cannot, I cannot. Yeah, it's hard. I felt really really, really bad because I had said I would do this and then I couldn't follow through and I hate that more than anything, not being able to follow through no, I I get that.
Jordan:I've definitely I'm like really bad with like arcs in the sense of like I don't really look into them too much myself, which.
Lauren:I, I know.
Jordan:But that's like me, like just wanting to go into books blind, but like I don't love like a surprise pregnancy and like anything like baby wise, especially if that's like the sole focus of a book. So I accepted an arc of a book and and then I had to be like I'm so sorry, but like I can't do this book justice. Like it's just I don't vibe with this kind of like trope and but like the like PR company was really nice about it. They were like totally understandable, like thank you for letting us know and I was like thank you. Like I kind of thought they were gonna like yell at me and I felt so bad, but I'm like don't hate me In that instance.
Lauren:I mean because obviously, I manage ARC teams and I do a lot of that. You know I get it. I get it because, first and foremost, I am a reader. I'm an ARC reader as well and that's why I don't chase down people for reviews, because I am one of the worst mood readers ever. So I understand the concept of picking up an arc, wanting to read it, not in the mood for it or whatever, or picking it up there's a trope you don't like. I would much rather you email me and be like hey, I cannot read this, I have to dnf then to hate read it and then post a review about how you hate read it and you hated this. But you read it anyway. Like just why? Why? Why? Why Life's too short, there are too many good books to read. Like why, why do that?
Jordan:Agreed. There are too many books to read a book that you don't like. Agreed.
Lauren:Yeah, so no, I, I totally, totally get that and it, it never bothers me.
Jordan:Oh well, that's good, that's good to know. Are there any parts of your job that people often underestimate or overlook that you do?
Lauren:or I, yes, I feel like, and it's not as bad as last year, I think mainly because PAs have been more vocal on social media about, like, all that they do. And I think there's a lot of amazing PAs right now who do day in the life and talk about everything that goes into our jobs. But in the past, you know, I have been told, oh, it must be nice to read all day, or like people in real life will be like, oh, how's your reading job? And I'm like that is literally not what I do, but that's what. I'm not going to try to explain it to somebody in real life because they'll have way more follow-up questions. I just, I'm just like it's great, thank you for asking. Can I move on? Um, I, but yeah, to be told I read all day, I think it's that and then I think the the time that goes into it.
Lauren:I think there are people who are so interested and intrigued in being an author, a service provider or an author personal assistant and they think, oh, it's part time, it's flexible, I can do this. But I have readers DM me on my personal account. I have readers email me constantly needing something and it's just, it's a lot more work and it's a lot more time consuming and it's a lot more customer service focused than people I think realize. And you know, I have to even consider, like when I post something on social media, I have to think like this reflects me and my authors like am I okay to post this? So I think there's so much to it that people don't think about and they're just like, oh, that would be so fun to assist an author, but it's such a complex job that I don't think there are some people who quite understand all of the dynamics and complexities and layers to it.
Jordan:Oh yeah, I mean, I didn't even think of that, especially like what you post. But it makes sense now that you say it, like it reflects on your authors and so like it makes, it makes sense. But I never would have like that, never even crossed my mind if that's her PA saying X, y, z.
Lauren:And I know there are people who like, don't like certain PAs and they will not read an author because of that. Like I've heard, I've seen the comments in Facebook groups, like I've seen people be like well, I don't like her PA if I don't read her anymore.
Jordan:It's not like the PA wrote the book. The author still wrote the book.
Lauren:I well, you know, but the PA is an extension of the author and if you've had a bad experience with them, like I could understand like that turning you off from it. So that's something that, like I have to think about for literally every interaction I have, every interaction, like I would hate to hear like, oh, I don't want to read Holly anymore because Lauren's her PA.
Jordan:Yeah, that would be like sad. But like I, I get what you're saying and I yeah, I guess I understand too, like if you had like a bad interaction but like still to like totally give up on the author because of that, I don't know, I think that's a little weird, but I also get it.
Lauren:I get it. I get it. I don't know. It is weird to me because, like you said, they're an individual person and just because the PA works for them does not necessarily mean, like, their author even knows what they're doing. But I get both sides, I get both sides. It is a little strange to me, but I also understand. If someone hurt my feelings, I probably would be like anybody surrounding them. I be like no, screw you.
Jordan:So okay, so how do you juggle with working with multiple authors, and what tools and and or platforms do you swear by for staying organized?
Lauren:so I I'm disorganized, chaos I always get, especially with how many authors I work with, and I have a routine I've had well, I had a routine. I've had some clients change some service recently and it's really thrown my routine off. So it's been an adjustment period. That was why I slowly added authors, because I wanted to make sure that I was like reaching, like I wasn't overwhelmed and that I didn't, you know, overextend myself. So I, you know now have implemented. So I hired my best friend to help me is setting up my air table, because I'm not like one of my really good PA friends, reagan, booked with Ray. She is like the air table queen and like authors literally hire her to like set up air table and she has tried to help me and like her systems just like don't work for my brain.
Lauren:I'm very like I'm too simple, like I love a good to-do list, like when it starts doing automations and all this crazy stuff, I'm like, well, what is going on? So I hired my best friend to help me a couple hours a week and she's helping me with the admin stuff, like my calendar and I have a content calendar. So I know, ok, I need to post for these clients. On these days, I have these tasks that need to be done by this day. On these days, I have these tasks that need to be done by this day. So I'm doing, like, all of the main work, the creative work, all of that, but she's just kind of helping me organize because I'm not good at that, and so we use Airtable email, spreadsheets, google Calendar. I mean, I am a classic to-do list girl, like I have notepads everywhere with random lists on them.
Jordan:So I love a good to-do list. That's like my favorite, like writing it out and then like writing like a little or drawing a little box that I can like check off.
Lauren:Oh, so satisfying oh, you will love. Okay. So I'll have to describe it for the people because there's not a video. So I have a Sabrina Carpenter notepad that has little checkboxes next to it and it says that's that me getting stuff done.
Lauren:Oh my gosh, that is amazing and I need one that I know my friend gave it to me for Christmas, I think. But you need to. I to. I'll look for the link and I'll send it to you. But yeah, it's perfect because it has the checkbox built in. And, yes, my favorite thing I feel like this is. So I call myself type C and what's funny is I feel like I've been seeing that on social media lately, like I've had some people send me some TikToks. I'm like I've been saying that for years I am type B. I mean, obviously you guys can't see my office right now. It is a disaster.
Lauren:I can live with certain chaos, but like some things I'm very particular about. Like some things like have to be done correctly when we're cleaning our house. If my husband does not do it a certain way, like I get very critical. So, like I'm type C, right, I'm a mix of both. Some things don't bother me and some things I can live in disaster, and then other things if they're not done a certain way. You better watch out. I'm going to be on a rampage Coming for you. Yeah, you didn't use the right towel for the mirror. How dare you?
Jordan:Amazing. I feel like I'm not on social media that much I feel like even though I am, but I've never seen any of that like type c stuff well, I've said it, for I've just made it like I just made it up.
Lauren:Like years ago I was like well, I'm type c and I would like tell people that and they're like what like you? And they're like what Like you? Like you're like what, what's type C? And so the other day someone was like they sent me a TikTok and it was that girl saying like I'm type C, this is how I'm like explained it. I was like that's my thing. I've been literally saying that for like five years. No, but yeah, it's definitely like I feel like a thing, like I am just not in a box of type A or type B, like I'm both.
Jordan:But I want to say like congrats to like getting so big that you hire somebody. I think that's so cool, like you really are, like growing and expanding.
Lauren:I don't know if you've like taken on more clients since our other interview. Oh, we did that other interview for that other podcast in October I think, or like September, september, october, yeah, somewhere in there. And I think you had asked me like if I had ever hired somebody, and that was something that I actually got a lot of DMs about and I would get emails about like can I intern for you, can I be your assistant, can whatever, can I learn from you? And it was something that was really hard for me to hand off and even now she's my best friend and it's so hard and it was like such a hard decision for me because I know how hard it is to make business and pleasure and I was like you are my best friend and like my best friend first and I don't want to like bring you on, and then something happened and we not be friends anymore and so like, technically, she's like my assistant, but I think it's so dumb. I'm like I'm an assistant, I have an assistant, like you know, and I hate calling her that because because she's because she's my best friend Like being like, oh, you're my assistant, but I've been like we've been kind of joking about it and, um, I haven't really announced it like publicly that I am like that I hired her, but it was something that got brought up because we were at a polycon together earlier this year and she saw how stressed I was and how much I was working.
Lauren:And they were like can we, you know? Um, can we like like sorry, my husband just texted me and it threw me off. Um, he's texting me that we have a tornado coming our way. So I'm like, uh, what's going on? It'll be fine, um, so anyway.
Lauren:So she saw like how busy I was and we would FaceTime and she would see how stressed I was. And she was like I'm your best friend, like I just want to help take some stress off your plate, like what can I do for you? And I would tell her like I need help setting up like a content calendar. But like I don't have time, I get so frustrated, so distracted like trying to set it up. But it would help me to have that visually. So, instead of a to-do list where I'm writing out like every single date that I need to post content on, if I had it visually and I could check it, like you know, and just bounce off on my computer and whatever, and so that's the kind of stuff she's been helping me with.
Lauren:And the other thing is like arc applications. Those take so long because you have to verify every link, you have to make sure they've read the author, you have to make sure they've not low rated the author. All this stuff that takes up so much time and it's not hard, I don't mind doing it. But when I'm trying to do post, you know all these things. It's just it hard to like bounce back and forth between the admin and creative side of things. So yeah, she's just helping me, like I said, a couple hours a week going through those for me. If my author client is okay with that, obviously, like, if they want me to do it I'll do it.
Jordan:But like she's helping me with that, and then it's just like taking some things off your plate. That way you're not like so everything.
Lauren:Yes, and I like I know I can trust her because she's my best friend and like she's worked like a lot of my authors know her because I swore I would never hire like an employee because I didn't want to have like train people and do all that and have that liability, but because it's only a couple hours a week and she's my best friend who already knew like so much about my job, because we're best friends and she's kind of local to me, like it just made, it, made sense.
Jordan:She's kind of local to me like it just made it made sense. So it does make sense, it does.
Lauren:What does a typical day as an author assistant look like. Is there even such a thing as a typical day? No, there's not really a typical day. I mean, there are tasks that I do every single day, and the best part about my job is that I'm self-employed. I'm my own boss, I get to dictate my schedule and so if I, you know, want to go do Pilates in the middle of the day, I can go do Pilates. If I need to run an errand or go to the grocery store or whatever, I can do that. If I want to take a nap in the middle of the day, I can do that. I mean, it's all within my like wheelhouse.
Lauren:I am trying to be a morning person. I am not a morning person, I'm trying to be. So I typically like get up, either go to Pilates or get dressed or whatever. I like to get dressed, at least put on clothes, do my hair or my makeup, or like know the? Have you heard the rule of like two out of three? Or like it's your outfit and your hair is done, but your but your makeup's not done, or whatever? Like, then like as long as like two out of three of those are done, like you feel put together. Have you never?
Jordan:so like I've never heard that. But I've.
Lauren:you could have a crappy. Yeah, you could have a crappy outfit, but if your hair and your makeup's done, you're going to feel good. You could have a great outfit and your hair's great, but if your makeup's not done, you're still probably going to feel good because you have two out of three. So that's typically my rule, usually for the day, as long as two out of three is done. So I put my hair up today, I put on clothes, I don't have makeup on, kind of a thing.
Lauren:So then I get to my desk and I just either I'm making content or ARC applications or whatever it is I'm doing, I will work, try to eat lunch and then I will, you know, log off around five or six and then I have to post on TikTok every day for one client and then, like everybody else has like their schedule, so it just depends on the day. And, yeah, I mean it's a lot of answering Instagram DMs and commenting on posts and replying, like I do that like 24-7. So I am at my desk physically, typically Monday through Friday, nine to five, but I'm working. You know, as soon as I wake up I'm I'm on Instagram doing whatever. Yeah, it's all the time, but but I feel like I've made so much progress since the last time we've talked.
Lauren:I am now off on Sundays, which is something I never thought I would like say yeah, I am completely, completely off. I don't post for anybody or anything like off, do not disturb me, I'm enjoying my day. Yes, that is awesome. Like never thought I'd get there as a self-employed person. I mean, obviously things come up, but I, even before this, I was in real estate and Sunday is one of our busiest days open houses and all all that stuff. So I have not had like a true like I am off this day. Do not deserve me, since I worked somewhere Like so it's very nice that.
Jordan:Yeah, the fact that like you're here because like well, because I also wanted to, you want, wow, I can't talk. I wanted to circle back because you mentioned trying to be a morning person. Didn't you spend like your nighttime reading whether it was like for a client for you?
Lauren:so do you still read into the night.
Lauren:I still read into the night. Like last night I was up until like 1230 and I was like I have to go to bed and but the thing is is that I feel like when I get up earlier, like I can get more stuff done in the morning and be more productive, especially because not as many people are blowing up my phone of like waking up still, and that's honestly. My husband is a morning person. Now he is insane and he gets up at 4am and that will never be me, ever. And but he's like that's my favorite time of day because nobody else is awake and I can just relax and no one's harassing me and it's nice. Um, yeah, I think I mean there's not really like a typical day for me because my schedule changes so much and my Pilates class like that's something else I prioritize, it's like a workout class. Pilates has really, you know, helped me and it changes. My class is different every day, so like I can't say, well, I start my day at nine because, like today, I didn't get home until 930.
Jordan:930. Oh, I really want to try Pilates.
Lauren:Like I've heard a lot of people like talking about it and loving it and I'm like I want to try it. I like I. So I do reformer Pilates, which is basically there's a machine you can do it on a mat. Like I think that's what most people think of when they think of like Pilates yoga on a mat, but there's a machine that I use and it's low impact and so I don't get like super sweaty and I get a really good workout and I just feel much healthier. And my husband's always done like weight training and cardio and he's now started going once a week with me and he really likes it and we wait. We go on Sunday mornings, which is yesterday while we're filming this, and he's like I got a really good workout. I broke a sweat and I was like I did not break a sweat because I've been going to for so long now and I'm like, yeah, you got it.
Jordan:You're like you're good.
Lauren:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I just like moved up. So there's different levels at the studio I go to.
Jordan:And so I'm like level two, which is the highest that my studio offers. So that's been pretty fun to like work towards. Oh wait, that's so exciting. Well, so would you go to a different studio?
Lauren:if you get above two They've talked about so they're like half levels, so the next level up would be a 2.5. And they've talked about like implementing a level 2.5 if enough people get there but enough people in the studio have to like justify filling the class so well, that makes sense, that makes sense, yeah but I've done a few like private in like sessions with um an instructor because I've had some like joint issues and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't damaging anything.
Lauren:And they have a even crazier machine than the machine I use every day, called the Cadillac machine. You'll have to look it up after this. Anybody listening look up the Cadillac Pilates machine and like there's bars overhead where you can like hang upside down and so I could take private and I could progress my like Pilates teachings educations by doing things on that machine.
Jordan:That's kind of cool. And then you like hang upside down.
Lauren:Yeah, yes, that's really cool. There's a lot of insane things you can do, oh that's so fun.
Jordan:Okay, so what is something readers and listeners might be surprised to learn about? What goes on behind the scenes of being an author's assistant.
Lauren:I'm trying to think I mean I don't know about like my behind the scenes that it's like hard for me to think of, like what people would be surprised by. But I'm trying to think of like oh, maybe, okay, so maybe like, 90% of comments and DMS are not actually the author and they're their PA. I know that always surprises people and I know it's a little controversial, because sometimes people want to know that they're not like talking to the author themselves. Because sometimes people want to know that they're not like talking to the author themselves, I don't typically say it's me, um, because most of the time my comment is like thank you, with a heart emoji, like do I really need to be like? That's from Lauren, do you know what I mean? Like, if you make a post and an author comments, thank you like.
Lauren:But if it's something personal that you're DMing the author, I don't respond to that. I will like screenshot it and I will send it to my authors and I will be like hey, you might want to respond to this or whatever, and like usually I'm pretty good at if it's a post and like I don't know, I'm trying to think of something like like a book really meant something to them. Like I'm pretty good at mimicking my authors and saying, like you know, oh my gosh, I'm obsessed with this. Thank you so much. This is like amazing. Like I'm pretty good at being able to like contort to the author that I'm posting for.
Jordan:So I love that. I love that. I mean like also like you're, I feel like that's an understandable. I mean, if you handle their social media. I feel that like, why not? But now I mean, okay, so oh, go ahead. Well. So I was just saying it makes sense now because I've definitely seen some authors do like Q&A's and they'll be like do you, does anybody handle your social media? And I've definitely seen some authors do like Q&As and they'll be like do you, does anybody handle your social media? And I've always thought that was such a weird question to ask. But now I think it's them trying to see if like an assistant is like If an assistant's doing it yeah, and I'm like oh.
Lauren:Yeah Well, but you think about like a celebrity, right? Like you, if a celebrity comments comments, like most of the time they don't comment, but if they're like, if they're pretty active on their social media, you have to know they have like a team handling it yeah, I don't know, it makes sense oh, they just they get they.
Lauren:They're too busy to do that. You know they're writing all the books and being the creative that we want them to be, so I'm the one that's responding. Thank you for your beautiful post. I'm so glad you enjoyed XYZ book.
Jordan:Amazing, amazing. How do you support an author during a book release, either like the month of week day, of type thing?
Lauren:or during a book release, either like the month of week, day of type thing oh, a month, I mean before, months before you know we typically have a strategy what we're going to be doing, what like social media is going to look like, how many posts they want a week or day, whatever. So, leading up to that, if I do content at all for them, you know it's I read the book early, I'm pulling content that I think like from the book that I think would perform well on social media. And if I'm managing our teams, I'm going through their arc list, the application to like select who's going to get the arc, and doing all of those little tasks like leading up to it. Um, like a week or two weeks before we'll send out arcs and I create like a review form for them to turn in their reviews. I answer emails, any questions, you know sending out graphics sometimes we do like currently reading graphics, I mean doing all of. There's so much that goes into it and it's like I have. So at the time we're recording this it's in May and so next month I have my four biggest clients releasing and so, yeah, that's why I've been so stressed and busy and why my office looks like this, so I don't think any of them will care if I say so.
Lauren:I have Karina Halle releasing on June 10. And that is Realm of Thieves, but it is traditionally published with Berkeley. So we didn't have, you know, arcs that you would think of like with an indie author. They were through NetGalley for her publisher. We did send out like a select amount to her team that she has called the Reckler's Reader Society and they could opt into that, and so I'm doing her social media is helping her with, you know, tiktoks and Instagrams and things like that. So I've read the book already and we're that's the focus now. It's social media, making sure that anybody who read it knows that they can share their reviews on Amazon Goodreads. For KA Tucker, I now help her with her social media and so for her it's only social media. I don't do anything else other than her Instagram.
Lauren:So I've, you know we've got a schedule, like we literally have a schedule of every day what we're posting leading up to release, and so that's you know what I'll do for her, and as the closer it gets to release, like, the more posts we'll do. And then Stephanie Archer releases on June 17th and that's also a traditional release, but she also has an arc team and so, like the first arcs actually go out tomorrow. And so today I spent all that time like prepping the book, funnel emails to go out, making sure I had my review for, making sure like they know that they're coming tomorrow afternoon, so not to hound me all day asking me where there are kids, things like that. And then I was working on, like her, social media because we're gearing up for the release next month, so making sure I have tons of posts getting readers interested. We have a pre-order campaign, so like making sure they know about that. So it's just all all these different things.
Lauren:And then Holly is re-releasing on January 24th. I've already read that book, so I don't have to worry about that. I read all these books early but I I've already read that.
Lauren:So really, her social media we're sending out a small amount to anybody who hasn't read it on her team, things like that. So like that's literally like things I'm doing for other authors I'm also doing for Holly and there's more tasks that go into it. But as like this little snapshot, so pray for me next month.
Jordan:Yeah, that's, that's, that's a lot, that's, that's a, that's that's a lot.
Lauren:I got like in there I have another client who's also releasing June 17th Amber Palmer and so like I'm managing her arcs and stuff like that. But she, I mean she's, I love her so much, but like. So I have five authors and like four of them are like my bigger authors, because most of them have traditionally published or they're hybrid or whatever. But like, yeah, that was again why I needed somebody to help me with my calendar, because we have all the things going on next month.
Jordan:Yeah yeah, you got you. Yeah, I'm glad I asked you about this interview for this month because next month would be like out of the question yes, for sure no.
Lauren:When you asked me, I was like I hope it's either May or July, because June is going to be wild.
Jordan:Actually impossible. So then I have a question, an extra question that's not on those questions. So is it like safe to say that, like once a book releases, is it kind of like, does it kind of like calm down for that book? I know you have like several, so just thinking of like one book at a time or do you still have to do like a lot after a book releases?
Lauren:After the book, which I was going to say we didn't really talk about the day of. So like the day of, and then after it's usually like until I close that review form where we're collecting reviews, I am still doing things and even a month after release we're still really pushing it on social media. So like I don't really I would say you know, the day of is always insane because we're trying to keep up with the social media posts and I always get questions about arcs or whatever's going on and like people having issues filling out the form, reviews, all of this stuff. So it's a lot and then it kind of tapers off, you know, and I don't found people for reviews because I'm like if they genuinely want to read and review it, they'll turn in their reviews, like I'm not going to chase you down for a review, um, but you know it's still following up because sometimes people miss emails or whatever and just making sure they've seen it.
Lauren:Because usually what I use the review form for is like the next round of arcs without author, I will pull those emails and I'll email them first and be like, hey, you read and reviewed this book. Do you want to sign up for the next arc. So yeah, I mean it's like I said, it's a. It honestly feels like it's never ending, because then you know, especially indie authors like every three months, or if you're Karina Halle, you're post, you're publishing a book every month, and so it's just like a nonstop on the wheel.
Jordan:Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, my gosh, okay. So then I know you kind of mentioned boundaries before. How do you set boundaries and manage expectations in a job that can be pretty all-consuming? Because I know too before. I'm so glad you have Sundays off now, because I know before you literally were mentioning you work 24-7.
Lauren:So it is hard. I feel like it's very easy when you're starting out as any self-employed person to work 24 seven because you want your business to be a success. And so it is hard and especially me, when I do work basically 24 seven because, like, if I see something on an author's Instagram at night, I'm going to like, sit to them you know what I mean. Like and ask a question or whatever, and be like, hey, I don't know this answer. Like how should I respond to this person? Or if there's something you know that comes up, an emergency, whatever. But I feel like most of my authors know that I'm at my desk Monday through Friday, nine to five, because that's typically when they're at their desk. And if it's outside of hours and somebody asks me something, I've just had to get really good at being like I can't do that right now. Or like, if I'm going out of town, I always bring my laptop with me, but like I'll be. Like I'm going out of town, like I won't be able to do this or whatever. And like if I'm going on vacation, like I just went on vacation last month I said I was like I am off but I'm not off. Like if you need me, I'll have my laptop, I'll be available, but like I'll be slower to respond and for the most part they don't bother me, but obviously there's always things that come up and things that need to get done or whatever. So, like, usually I do a little bit of work, but I think it's you have to respect your boundaries and, like respect your feelings.
Lauren:And I think I was getting burnt out because I'm a people pleaser. So I would like, even if I was dying or so busy, I would be like, yeah, I can do that, and so it's. You know, in that high pitch, like Ross, I'm fine, everything's fine. Like that's me and so, yeah, but like with taking Sundays off, that definitely like has helped and it what the how that worked out is. Like I said clients changed services and I was only going to be posting for one client on Sundays, and so I reached out to her and I was like, hey, how would you feel about, like if I just didn't post on Sundays for you? Would that be okay? And what would you know? What would we need to do to make that be okay for you and that way I can be off? And she was like, girl, you can take the whole weekend off and I'm like no, like I'll still post on Saturdays for you, but like, thank you oh, that's like really nice.
Jordan:But I feel like too, like I think, especially a lot of indie authors, I would assume they also understand, because they're doing something for themselves too. So they probably understand that like you need a break just as much as like they would too.
Lauren:So yes, yeah, and I'm I. If they tell me they're off or whatever, that like I don't bother, like bother them and like if I have something, I try to keep it within work hours, but like sometimes there's just no way around it, like something comes up and you have to bother them. But I think we all try to like really respect each other's schedule and yeah, like really cool.
Jordan:It's like you, I mean. I feel like that's also the what going back to, like what would make a good like working relationship between the two of you guys. It's definitely communication and trust and respect, because you guys both respect each other, so like that's really nice. Um, okay, so.
Lauren:I'm very lucky. Sorry, sorry, oh no, you're sorry. I was just saying I'm I'm very lucky. Sorry, oh no, you're sorry. I was just saying no, you're fine. I was just saying I'm very lucky, like I feel, like I have very amazing clients.
Jordan:You do, you do I don't know your well, I do know one client, but like who is awesome, amazing, but it does sound like you have like really nice clients, which is really cool. Yeah, if you could assist any author, living or dead, who would it be? And why? I thought this? I like took this from, like the previous question, but I just like changed it a little bit and I am dying to know your answer.
Lauren:I mean, I feel like everybody would know my answer it cannot be. Elsie Silver it can't be her yeah, it can't be her.
Jordan:No, it can't be her because you said her last time. I remember, I remember this man I should have. I should have put that in the question. No, it has to be somebody, it can't be.
Lauren:Elsie, why would you do this to me? I?
Jordan:know um if okay.
Lauren:Right now I'm really obsessed with Peyton Curran. I don't know if you know who that is. I don't know if she has a PA. I think because, like I, there are other people that I'm like I could, I could say and I like their PA personally. So that's why I'm like I don't want to say them because I like, but Peyton Curran, she writes hockey romances. She's written Unsteady and Unloved. They're amazing.
Jordan:I haven't read them, but I know of them.
Lauren:Yeah, I talked to a lot about them on my social media. Yes, I would love to assist her. I'm just obsessed with her. I think she's so cute and I just love her book so much. So, peyton, if you listen to this, I would make room in my very busy schedule for you.
Jordan:I love it. I love it Okay. So then what is okay? This is the last question. In the author assistant thing, I feel like doing a really good job.
Lauren:I'm trying, I'm trying to ramble. We're killing this time. We're killing it.
Jordan:So what is one thing you wish more people knew about what assistants do, like what you do?
Lauren:again, this is like a hard question because I feel like I'm so open and transparent about, like what I do for my clients. But I do think I do think it's like that we do so much and that there's so much going on sometimes that like when you email me and then like you continually email me if I have not gotten you an answer or whatever, like it's I especially me juggling how many clients I juggle like it may be a day or two before I get back to you with your email and sometimes it's I'm waiting on an answer or whatever. But I've had people like email me at 10 pm on a Friday night and I hadn't responded, and they DM'd me at 8 am on a Saturday and like, and it's just again, I also have a life, you deserve life and I.
Lauren:So that's the thing. I think that like I wish more people knew that, like we manage so much sometimes that like just give us a little bit of grace, it's a little bit yeah, I'm.
Jordan:I might sounds like really mean here. I've definitely had those two where it's like and like multiple emails within 24 hours. In my job, that is eight hours, which I'm not gonna say what I do. I know, you know, but I'm keeping that private like in here, but but my it. Have you heard of that quote? That is something about, like your rushing is not my responsibility or like your, I feel like that's like this case, like just because you are so late to emailing me does not make it a priority for me. Like the amount of emails I get, like I'm not putting yours on top.
Lauren:I always say your lack of planning is not my emergency, that's it.
Jordan:Yes, yes, that one, I like that.
Lauren:Yes and so and like that's. The other thing is like I will get so many DMs and like emails too, about like did I fill this out? I didn't get this, I didn't get that, and it's like I have so much going on that, like when you harass me, it takes me, like it takes away from what I'm trying to do, and like it could ultimately be delaying the thing you want. So, like, if you're like where's my arc? If you're like where's the arc and you keep dming me and all these people are dming me, like I now have to respond to all those people instead of like sending out dark it's just.
Jordan:I think it boggles my mind that somebody would want to email you or emails you, then wants to DM you.
Lauren:I'm like on my personal Facebook like or personal Instagram too, which I mean I get it. I don't, and that's why I had mentioned to Jordan like off of for the viewers, like that, I will be probably setting up my own Instagram and by the time this releases I don probably be up for work purposes because I just there is so much overlap and people will DM me and like because they manage so many Instagram accounts and I have so many emails that like things ultimately do get lost and it's not. You know, it's just so much for me to juggle with and it's gotten to the point where, like, I used to respond to every single Instagram message I got and, like I can't even keep up with my own Instagram messages.
Jordan:You do it for like 12 other people. So it's like I feel like that's, that's like I can barely keep up with, like my own Instagram, my own TikTok, like I, I can't imagine doing it like times 12. It's a lot. It's yeah, it sounds like a lot. I feel like that's the theme of this or the the like quote of this podcast is it sounds like a lot.
Lauren:It is a lot yeah, like I feel like the theme of like literally nothing has related to me more than ross geller from friends being like I'm fine, it's fine, and then like picking out like a hot plate of like fajitas out of the oven with no myths on. Like that scene from friends, I it's like literally the motto of my life right now great, it's great, it's great. Everything's great, it's great, it's great.
Jordan:Everything's great, everything's great. Okay, so now we're diving into reading. So these questions are a little bit different than last time, because I definitely gear them towards like romance. So what is the spiciest book you've ever read? And that doesn't need to be like a mouth, it could be just like maybe it was like the spiciest scene and that's the spiciest book.
Lauren:Oh no, I feel like you'll agree with me too. It's Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straub or Straube, or however you say, yes, yeah, formerly known as Split or Swallow yeah.
Jordan:I'm so happy that she kept this a Split or Swallow novel, cause I think that title, because not even like the play on words, but it's just so fitting of a title for the whole book, not, you know absolutely so.
Lauren:I'm like, and what's funny is most people thought it was spit or swallow, like I did. I did, everybody did. I feel like everyone thought that because you just, like your mind, didn't read the L and split. And I actually I have a funny Mr LBC story because I was. I had posted that I got that book, or I bought that book or something and like I think I was reading it, but maybe I hadn't started it yet. But he came in while I was in bed reading and he goes so are you spitting or swallowing? Tonight, and I was like it is split or swallow, sir, like it is not spit, I know. Actually, when I met Lindsay, I told her that story and she thought it was so funny. She's like everybody thinks that it's it but it's split.
Lauren:And if you've not read that book and you're like, why is it the spiciest? Like I don, I think it's best to go into that book so blind, where you don't really know anything. Yes, agreed, completely blind, completely blind. Think of the most unhinged stuff you've ever thought of in your life. It is way more unhinged than that. You have no idea where it's going at all. No idea. I just kept turning the page. I'm like wait. What, what, what is going on.
Jordan:Yes, it's such a wild ride, but it like works. It's like I a lot of those things I probably. This is the thing is like I probably I would not have picked up that book if.
Lauren:I knew what it was going into.
Jordan:It Correct, yeah, but like not knowing but her writing like you can't put it down and like I can't, I'm not going to even say anything. I can't say anything Cause like you just need to go in completely blind. But I completely agree with you. Like that is the definitely the spiciest book I've ever read too.
Lauren:Well, and and I know I know your next question is regarding spice too I'm actually not like I like I don mind Spice, but like I feel like at this point, like I've read so much of it that sometimes I like start skimming it and I just like, I'm like I don't know it, doesn't you know? It's like I don't mind certain scenes, but like sometimes there's it's too much, and I feel like authors have been just adding more and more and more and it actually doesn't do anything for the plot, like I prefer if it's like an emotional scene and obviously it's by intimacy, right, like physical intimacy. But with that book I there, at no point was I ever skimming it like I read every single word, every single page because it was so integral to the plot and like it didn't feel like the sex was just there, just just for shock value agreed.
Jordan:I completely agreed because, like there is was some level of spice in like every chapter, but there are long chapters, so it works it works like it just works for that book it, just yeah, yeah.
Jordan:But I'm so glad you said that because, like I sometimes skim like spicy scenes, because I'm like this, like if they're like I love the build-up, so I love like a good slow burn because like a good build-up is just like everything and like the tension, but then, like, once it happens and then if it just keeps happening, I'm like, well, we already like know, like why this is here. So I, I love a good like first scene and then I don't even mind like a couple like fade to back blacks or like, uh, this is like what we did all weekend, or something like that. Like you know, I get what you're saying.
Lauren:Like where I can yes, really like jump, where they jump a little bit ahead or whatever. Yes, yeah, and I mean like I, obviously I do. There are some books I do really enjoy it, but yeah, it's attention. Like the tension when they just like rush hands and you're just like, or they like get close to kissing and you're like, I heard you kissing, yet like, oh, I recently read um Till Death and Nevermore by Miranda Lin and their fantasy books. There's their Till Death's a standalone. Um Never, nevermore is the first in a duet, but they are the slowest, slow burns. I was literally like screaming at her in DMs because it was like his lips barely brushed my mouth and I'm like, why haven't they kissed yet? And it's like 80%, are you kidding me? Like I'm like dying, like I'm like I just want them to kiss, like I just want to like force their heads together. Like you, like each other. Stop saying you don't Like. I love that, like that's what I don't know.
Jordan:I love, I'm totally here for that Cause. It's like just like the, oh it's. And then you just like want it so badly and it doesn't happen and I'm like yes, I like, I like eat that up, like I'm like please give me more.
Lauren:Yes, yes, that's what I want. I want more of that, just all of it. Bring back the slow burn, like I want that.
Jordan:And that's why I actually and I'm also not even opposed to like I love a good spicy scene but I'm not even opposed to like the spicy scenes that aren't Like. It doesn't need to be like super kinky, like I feel like a lot of authors I've seen, like go super kinky, which is fine, it like works, and I know there's readers that want that. But I love like I, I like Mariana Sada I haven't read too many many of hers, but like I want to, but I love the whole slow burn and I love that like the spicy scenes aren't like.
Lauren:They're not like that crazy, they're emotional, they're realistic like sometimes I they're emotional, they're realistic Like sometimes I'm like where do these men get these ideas? Because I'm like I don't feel like that's like that's only a romance novel thing. Like you know what I mean. I'm like I don't know about that, but I mean yeah. So I just started, I finished my current read last night. I started a new book and I started Not new book and I started um, not safe for work by Nisha J Tooley and the beginning like said this is a slow burn, and I was like yes, give it to me, this is what I want she.
Jordan:She's a good slow burn because, like I, I don't. Did you read her?
Lauren:artifacts? No, I haven't. I need to. I need to. I've heard things.
Jordan:I love that series like with my whole heart, but it is a slow burn, so like for the whole series. So it's like I love like nothing really happens in like the first two books and then it's like the third book but Not Safe for Work is like clearly it's a standalone, so it happens a lot faster than like book three because there is no book three. But yeah, that one's, that one's a fun time, a fun time that one's a fun time.
Lauren:I'm excited. I'm already like 20% into it because I couldn't put it down. Like I said, I've been till 12, 30 reading, so I I'm very excited. And then I got an early copy of evermore, which is the second book to nevermore by Miranda Lynn, and that's my next read after this and I'm like hopefully more slow burns, like let's it going.
Jordan:We're here for the slow burn. We're here for the slow burn, yeah, okay. So then I don't know, like, do you have like one spicy scene or tension scene that like lives in your head rent free? I know that's like you kind of brought it up, but like I didn't know if that was like a scene, I mean there are like a few, yeah, like I.
Lauren:I mean there are like a few, yeah, like I. Definitely, you know, like Holly writes very spicy, fast paced books. You know, kingdom of Stars and Shadows releases next month re-releases, and so I've been like diving back into that and like there's a scene in the library where he uses like a book spine to make her. You know, because he's like I am like so the whole plot of that is that she's engaged, the crown prince of the fae, but then when she gets to the fae kingdom she meets his brother, the captain of the guard, and she's like I like your brother more than I like you, and she doesn't really want to like be with either of them, but like anyway. So the crown prince is like no one can touch you but me, and so he's like, well, I'm gonna use a book, because that means I'm not touching you, so I like that one. And then there is there is a I mean it's just unique, I'm like again, I'm like where would these men, where do these men think of these things? Like, why did he look at a book and he was like, yeah, I'm gonna use that, um, but there's another one I.
Lauren:You know I feel like when it's a podcast with you, I have to mention alien romances. Oh, I have to and I have to. Um zoe draven has been my newest like alien romance, like go-to person, and there's a scene in desire in his Blood that I got an art print of at a Polycon, where he's a vampire alien and he bites her thigh. It's just on a desk and it's very, very steamy. I feel like I'm blushing thinking about it. It's very steamy. They hate each other and they are forced to be married. I love when they hate each other but they're forced to be be married. I feel like that's. I love like when they hate each other but they're like, forced to be together. It's so good, yes.
Jordan:I so. I always say there's like a difference between enemies to lovers and like hate to love or haters to love. But I love a good either like enemies or hate to love, and then it's a slow burn and I'm just like yeah yes, yeah.
Lauren:Yeah, I just I love those. I know I love, I love, hate, I hate, I love. Hate to love and like there. So two two of my clients books next month, so gloves off by Stephanie Archer and through the dust by Amber Palmer is hate to love and I'm like I, those two. I've read those books multiple times out Like they're so good, I love it, I love, like I just love when they truly hate each other. Oh, yes.
Jordan:And then it was like the tension and like the banter or like, yeah, I mean. I think of like I don't know if like banter is the right word, but like their conversations because of like how much they like don't like each other other which also like you could include, like rivals to lovers, because I love that like competitive streak between people, which again I think that's different than enemies to lovers.
Lauren:But I live for, like all of that yes, yes, yes, absolutely yes. I'm here for it, just yes, Okay.
Jordan:so last one in reading.
Lauren:What is one underrated romance author or someone you just don't see on social media that much that you think everyone should read. I feel like I don't know there's so many. I feel like I could sit here and like get on my soapbox about all the people that are being definitely list a few.
Jordan:You could list a few.
Lauren:Okay, Well, I feel like I will list a few. So Amber Palmer she is one of my clients, but she is currently writing cowboy romances and they're amazing. I feel like I need cowboys in my life I love I never did I.
Jordan:Okay, sorry. I need cowboys in my life. I love I never Did I, Okay, sorry, I just have to insert one thing. I bought a cowboy hat just so my fiance could wear it for me.
Lauren:I love this. I love that I've been trying to get my husband to buy cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and he's he's on board with it. He's like I'm here for it.
Jordan:Let's do it, but it just hasn't happened yet. Oh, I didn't know. I just I. I also like. I live in new England, so when I like went to. Texas, and then actually where we met for the first time at like book Bonanza. But I didn't go to book Bonanza cause I did not get tickets, but went to like Fort worth and I got to see like rodeo, like in person. Oh yeah, I remember, yeah.
Lauren:Yeah, and I like I.
Jordan:I died. I died dead, like I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And I remember talking to like somebody about it and they were like do you not have rodeos? And I'm like no, I live in new England, new England.
Lauren:No, no, england, no, so it was literally the coolest thing ever.
Jordan:I love cowboys Like books, so funny.
Lauren:Yeah, okay, so Amber Palmer. Another cowboy is Michaela Jean Taylor.
Jordan:She released Sunshine and Peaches, and they're phenomenal. Never heard of that, her or those books.
Lauren:It's so good, so good. The good, the first book, sunshine, is like a dual timeline, past and present, and she's engaged to this football player and like he is unfortunately alive, like in a car accident, and she finds out at his funeral that he was cheating on her. Okay, okay, okay, okay, I think. And so who helps her is his best friend and the cowboy Okay, it's good, it's so good. So those are my two cowboys. And then I'm trying to think like who else because I could like list a few An underrated fantasy author. She's also my client, sm Gaither, talking about like enemies, good enemies to lovers. She is really really good Her. The Song of the Marked series is complete. It gives me like Throne of Glass vibes, so it's very like found family. Like there's like I don't know why I love when there's like a disease or like a some sort of like illness taking over the kingdom and, like you, they have to go find the cure. Like I love, I love that, uh, and that series has that.
Jordan:I don't think I've ever heard anything more specific that.
Lauren:I know it's a book, I know, but the but Defy the Night by Bridget Kimmerer also has that and it's just so good, like it's just so good. I love that. I don't know why it's weird, I know, but I love that I'm here and then I'm. Then I said Zoe Draven, I feel like though she's not very underrated, but I feel like for Alien, when you think Alien romance, she's maybe not like everybody's first, like a lot of people think like Ruby Dixon and I think like romance she's maybe not like everybody's first, like a lot of people think like ruby dixon and I think like victoria avaline and like, but yeah, zoe draven's my other one.
Jordan:So okay, okay, I definitely need to check out some of those like cowboy ones. I'll just, yeah, I'll check out all of them. Um, okay, so we're on the last two questions. Look at us go.
Lauren:This isn't gonna be two hours Go ahead.
Jordan:Okay. So what is a fun fact about you that listeners might be surprised to learn?
Lauren:I feel like most people don't know that I actually have tattoos. Don't know that I actually have tattoos, do you really? I don't know that. Yeah, I have. Here's one of them. I had seven and I've gotten two removed actually, but yeah, I got my first one at 18 and I have quite a few.
Jordan:Wait, can you, which ones did you get removed? If you don't mind saying oh yeah.
Lauren:So I had a like crescent moon. That was kind of like for my sorority that I had gotten on my ankle and it was like my biggest one and my most visible one, and so I'd get the most questions about it. And after college I was kind of like my sorority was not really like the biggest part of my life anymore, and so I wanted to get that one removed, because I literally people like, oh, what's the crescent moon for? And I'm like my sorority, like I was so over it. And then I had a really really done zebra sign behind my ear, my right ear, and it was just so bad. It was like a my friend and I were out having drinks. They were like let's go do this, and it was just not good. So I got that one removed as well. Um, I wouldn't mind to get a Libra sign again, because I am a Libra to my core, but it would just have to be better than what I had. Oh, I want to get a few more removed. It's just really painful and I was going to ask.
Lauren:It's more painful than getting a test Like it's, it's. I have had like 12 sessions on both of mine and they're still kind of there, so I've heard it's like really painful.
Jordan:I've never like gotten one removed, so like I have no idea. But like everybody talks about like that is like the worst pain they've like ever felt for anything.
Lauren:Yeah, it's not fun at all. It's not fun. It's like I don't even know how to describe it Like people say it's like a rubber band snapping, but it's like sharper than that, like it's. It's very painful and the one of the ones I want to get removed is on my ribs, and so I already know like it hurt to get that done, but I know it's going to be like way more painful.
Jordan:Get it removed is it like big, or is it at least small? It's like that's a decent size that's a decent size girl.
Lauren:I'm trying to think of something to let. People would be like cause we're, I'm literally showing you on camera. They'd be like what are you talking about? I don't know. Like it's like, I mean like a ponytail, like, oh, like. Oh like a like a hair tie, like a hair tie, yeah little bit if you. I thought like your ponytail, like up, and I'm like I don't.
Jordan:I don't know what you mean, oh no my ponytail holder, my hair tie yeah, that's, yeah that's, that's a decent size that's yeah it, yeah it wouldn't be fun no, no, it wouldn't. Um, okay. So last question and I know this was like a similar this is this like same question as last time for a last question, but I want to know if it's you have something different. But what is one future goal that you would like to achieve, either long term or short?
Lauren:term.
Lauren:I especially now with hiring somebody.
Lauren:I feel like it is accomplishable, like I want to scale my business, but I've been wanting to do it in a way that does feel genuine to me and I was always very hesitant about hiring somebody. But something that I wanted to do was implement like a arc matchmaking service where, like you, have readers who sign up and they check off like tropes and genres that they like, and then I have, like an author fill up the same form and I, like match, make vetted arc readers to authors looking for arc readers. And it was something that I wanted to launch last year and I just was too busy and it was something I wanted to launch this year and and I had to say I don't have the capacity for it. But now that I have my friend helping me, she can help me vet our creators and do all of that. So that's something that, like I've talked to her, like after she gets settled in and we get a good routine going having her help me get up and running so we can hopefully launch that later this year.
Jordan:That's going to be really cool so we can hopefully launch that later this year. That's going to be really cool and I'm sure, like you'll have like would you take on more authors in the sense of just finding ARC readers, so if it's like a new author and then you can like match them with.
Lauren:Yes, yeah, I mean and I already I already kind of do so like I have a newsletter where I send out ARC opportunities through my newsletter, like that, my client, like my clients.
Lauren:So that's something that I do now. But so it would be either whether that's if they want to do that and stop doing like the management that I do and we just do that, or if it's a completely new author who wants somebody kind of like I feel like literary PR services, like that we see like PR companies kind of do that for authors. But you know the word PR and the book industry is like not actually what PR is, it's more like I don't even know literary services because like PR is public relations, right, and that's usually like your image and like everything that you're dealing with, like your image and like everything that you're dealing with. And so that's not necessarily like what our companies do in the book space, cause they do like a lot of arc management, pr packages, that kind of thing. So I wouldn't want to be like a PR company. I don't think. I think I'd want to just expand my services and offer this like matchmaking service, as like a way to kind of fill that.
Lauren:But that would be really cool yeah, I mean, I think like in theory, I feel like it sounds like a really great idea, but it's just having the time to implement that.
Jordan:So yeah, that's. That's kind of that's understandable. You, you are doing a lot.
Lauren:You are doing a lot but yeah, well and like oh no, no, I was just gonna say, but you hired someone, so you're like making like step or you're taking steps to like be able to get to that like goal too yeah, yes, and the you know the arc applications, like I said, take the longest, they're the most time consuming and so that's why I pushed it off, because I just did not have time to add that to my plate.
Lauren:But she would be able to do that and so, like the goal is we have this like database of a thousand, two thousand arc readers who we've already vetted and they're already approved, like approved for arcs, and we can just match them to you know, and if we have other people who want to sign up, whatever, but like it would be nice to have like this like approved, vetted database to pull people from people and constantly add to it. Like we can keep at, like anybody can sign up for it and we can like keep, like, keep growing it. That's how I, like an author, could just reach out and be like, hey, I need the amount of ARC readers and I can be like I got you.
Jordan:See that's going to be so cool, because I've definitely chatted with some authors like in the past who said that they like did ARC applications just like themselves, and they said the amount of people that just like reached out, that like would not be a good fit, whether they're like just random people looking for a free book or they like a like some way, a bot, and I'm like so this service would literally be perfect for like so many authors. That would just sorry, I lost my train of thought. I have I have like a kitten and he just like jumped on the like table I have and I just lost my train of thought. But I like that is like literally gonna be so cool and so helpful to so many authors.
Lauren:That can just be like and if like, and I feel like it's something that would be like super easy and quick, so like any author could just be like hey, like I need help and you'd be like I got you yeah and it would be something, I think, where I'd have like spots per month and like you could sign up for a spot or whatever, and I mean the goal would be either to have my friend really run, run that for me and or to like bring on somebody else to help, like do that kind of thing. So we'll see what happens.
Jordan:Never say never, because I said I'd never hire anybody. And here I am. Exactly, it's going to happen and it's going to be so cool and just like whenever it does happen, but like no pressure and no rush, yeah, okay. So that was like all pressure and no rush, yeah, okay. So that was like all the questions I had for you.
Lauren:I wanted to give you the floor, so if you wanted to plug anything, you can, I mean, I guess, follow me. I'm not taking any new clients. I know she said that at the beginning. You know I have a wait list. If an author listens to this and they're interested, the waitlist is on my website. I will just go ahead and disclaim, though that like it's pretty long and the most people don't come off of it because my clients are like, happy with my services, which is a great problem to have. So I don't mind having the waitlist because you never know, if something happens I could need to fill spots. But, um, just a disclaimer. Disclaimer. I feel bad because people reach out all the time and I'm like I'm so sorry, I just cannot. But yeah, so I'm lbcreads on instagram tiktok, it's lbcreadscom, and I have a youtube that I have neglected for the last couple months, but hopefully, if I get some free time again, I'll start filming YouTubes.
Jordan:Get some free time. Actually, I want to make a note. I saw your. I've thought about like joining YouTube, but I don't know why. I feel like I'm too old to be in the space. But I saw you created one and I totally forgot about it until you mentioned it right now and I was like, if Lauren can do it, I can do it.
Lauren:The thing that is hardest for me is the editing, and it's just time consuming. It takes me two to three hours to produce one YouTube, and that's only them being like 20 minutes long. I couldn't imagine like an hour long YouTube, what the time would be and I could pay somebody to do it, but I'm just like I don't know like it's if my, if my YouTube starts monetizing, then sure let's do it, but until then, like I'm gonna do that for myself, yep.
Jordan:I get that, I get that, but it would be like such a nice, like I feel like YouTube is such an easy way to like, once you build the following and you can get like ads and stuff. It's like such a nice, like extra income. So it's like I want to do it, but then, like also having to talk in front of a camera for like 20 minutes sounds like a lot well, I'm a yapper, though.
Lauren:Like I have filmed, so they have to be over 10 minutes, I think for monetization and like I can easily sit and talk for over 10 minutes by myself. Like it's not, I've not had any issues with that, it's just the one having my office clean enough to film in, to editing it and uploading it. So I, which I liked it, I think I only did like three or four videos and I really loved like doing it and I thought had so much fun doing them. But I just have not had the time or mental capacity I do. What I really need to do is like sit down on a light day and like bulk record, multiple and then like edit them as I go. But I even bought a camera and everything for it.
Jordan:See, and I like I want to do that, but like there's so many cameras and I don't know which one's like the good one to get, and they're also expensive, and I'm like.
Lauren:Yeah.
Jordan:That's why I'm like I really.
Lauren:I really need to do it Because I bought a camera. You like spend the money. I literally was like, if I buy a camera, it'll force me to do it, and it did for like two months and then I didn't do it anymore.
Jordan:Well, you got two months and those videos will always be there.
Lauren:Yeah, true, but I really would like to start doing it more, and if I can ever stop saying no to ARCs.
Jordan:Oh yeah, that's hard, I get that.
Lauren:I have over 20, I think right now For the rest of the year, but it's a long list. It's a long list. Well, I'm in Berkeley's influencer program this year, which, like everyone wants to be a part of, but then, like I have been in it twice now and I this is what happens I request so many arcs, I get so stressed out. Oh, I don't think I'm going to apply again, cause I just get way too overwhelmed. But yeah, yeah, cause I'm like I want to read that book. So then I request it and then I'm like crap, I have all these books to read.
Jordan:I feel like my issue is is I request ARCs and I'm a mood reader like how you are, and I'll be like, okay, when this ARC comes through, like the application, I'm like, oh, this sounds so good, I want to read it. And then I get the ARC and I'm not in the mood anymore. So it's. I'm in the mood when I apply for it, so that's my issue.
Lauren:Yeah, and then when you were like me, you have to add in books for work, it's just a lot. So it's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot. Yeah, to me the title of the podcast it's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot. Yeah, to be the title of the podcast, it's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot.
Jordan:I kind of love it. Yes, just yes, and it's a lot, um okay. So thank you so much for coming on this podcast and letting me interview you of course, anytime, anytime.
Lauren:I think we had talked about like doing like a social media strategy one too.
Jordan:So if yes, I like, I want to do that and I will definitely have you on back for that, but I figured I guess it would probably be best to interview you again before we do that and then have you back for that, but you just like interview me every month, every month.
Lauren:You're like hey, lauren, can you do another podcast? Guys, lauren's back guys lauren's back.
Jordan:Oh, you'll never guess, lauren.