Spill the Smut

Interview with Acquisitions Editor: Kelly

• Jordan • Season 1 • Episode 10

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Behind the Books: Inside the World of a Publishing Editor

Ever wondered what it's really like to work in publishing? Spoiler alert: it's not just reading books all day in a cozy armchair. In this episode, I sit down with Kelly, an acquisitions editor who pulls back the curtain on the realities of the publishing industry.

Kelly shares her journey into publishing—a path that began with a simple suggestion from a friend and led to her dream career. With refreshing honesty, she reveals that her job consists of 75% emails, with only about 20% of her time actually spent reading manuscripts. Yet despite the administrative load, her passion for books shines through as she describes the joy of championing stories she truly believes in.

Whether you're a book lover curious about how your favorite stories make it to shelves, an aspiring publishing professional, or simply enjoy insights into creative industries, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the complex world of bringing books to life. Subscribe, share, and join the conversation about your own publishing questions or book recommendations!


Cover Art by: moi

Intro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on Capcut

Contact Email: spillthesmutpodcast@gmail.com

Podcast IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcast

Jordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

Jordan:

She has the dream job, the one we all secretly or not so secretly wish we had working with books every day. Yes, please. Sure, I know she probably does more than just read for a living, but let me hold on to my little fantasy. On top of that, she's a fellow Swifty, which makes us love her even more. Please welcome to the podcast, kelly Hi.

Kelly:

Hi, oh, my gosh.

Jordan:

I actually interviewed you like months ago for this podcast, but this was back when the podcast was in the works and not out yet, and I thought this was going to come out so much sooner than when it did.

Kelly:

So I was.

Jordan:

I'm so grateful that you were like yes, we can record it again, because I think it, if that episode came out, it would have just dated us. I feel like that was in the prime of something happening and we talked about that in a lot of detail and I think I think it would just like scream like, oh, this was like a while ago. So I'm like so happy that this is like sooner to when this episode will actually release.

Kelly:

Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me.

Jordan:

Of course, okay, so I do. Before we get into the questions, I do want to ask you what has been the highlight of your week so far.

Kelly:

Girl, I have been racking my brain for anything to say to this, my brain for anything to say to this, because this week has just been pure survival mode for me. Um, because I have just not been feeling my best. I've been having migraines all the time. Anyways, irrelevant, I'm sorry. Oh, it's fine. Um, but we did go out to dinner for my father-in-law's birthday earlier this week and that was. That was nice. I got some delicious hibachi, so I guess so sad. Now I'm hungry.

Jordan:

No, that is not sad, because I love honestly I love a dinner, going out to dinner, someone making food and bringing it to me and getting something really yummy.

Kelly:

Though, depressingly, I couldn't get any Mai Tais, which is one of my favorite things in the entire world. I love a good margarita. Oh my God, I'm not even going to, we're not even going to get into this right now, because I'm going to get so sad For anybody listening. I'm currently pregnant, so I cannot drink alcohol or anything.

Jordan:

I didn't know if you wanted to say that, so I was not gonna bring it up, but I was like, oh, I love a margarita no, I don't, I don't care about bringing it up, I just wasn't sure you felt, um, you can cut that.

Kelly:

Yeah, oh my gosh, I we went out for mexican on sunday. Actually, maybe that's my highlight of the week. Um, it's always solid, nick. Nick got a delicious looking margarita and I was just staring at him in so much jealousy and I was like we're immediately coming here. The second, this baby is out of me, so I can have one of those.

Jordan:

Understandable. Understandable Because I feel like you deserve a margarita. You deserve one. Thank you, gosh darn it, I deserve multiple. Yes, that is true. That is very accurate. Okay so we'll just oh sorry, Do you have?

Kelly:

more to say oh no, no, no. I was just going to say so that's no, no, no.

Jordan:

I was just going to say so that's my week. I like it. No, I think that's a good week. It is a good week. Okay, we're diving on in. Oh, I guess I never really said you were an acquisitions editor.

Jordan:

Oh, that's what I knew. Oh, this is. I'm so sorry people, she's an acquisitions editor. In my head I knew that. I said you worked with books. I never said like what you did. So she's an acquisitions ever editor, everybody. So the first set of questions is editor thing, what? What inspired you to become an acquisitions editor? Did you always want to work in publishing or did you fall into this job?

Kelly:

The answer to both of those questions, like both yes are. The answer to both of those questions is did I always want to work in publishing? Yes, but did I fall into to work in publishing? Yes, but did I fall into this job Also?

Kelly:

yes, yes and yes, because in high school, like I always was reading, as many of us were, and I, like I never I'm a person that, like I never click passions and like actual things you use to like then having jobs that do those things you know. So I never thought like, oh, I like to read books, I could work with books in the future, like that's a job I could do. Um, so I was gonna go to school, uh, to be a uh doctor, and then my friend was just like that seems a little off there like, maybe why don't you?

Kelly:

you love to read books, why don't you like try to go into publishing? And I was like, oh yeah, that's a thing that like people do.

Jordan:

I should.

Kelly:

I should do that to the dismay of my parents, I decided not to become a doctor and go to school for English literature.

Jordan:

I like it. I mean, now you can just read romances about doctors and hot doctors, always hot doctors, come on. Always, always. Yeah, okay, what advice do you have for people that want to work in publishing?

Kelly:

Hmm, so it's a very good question.

Jordan:

I know right, I was proud of it.

Kelly:

It's a very good question.

Jordan:

It's such a good question.

Kelly:

Such a good question. How long can we stall, yeah, as I'm like gathering my thoughts how long? How many times could I say such a good question? Before answering um, I would say number one is you do not need degree in English or anything like that to get into publishing. Honestly, I would recommend, if you want to go to college, because to get into publishing you generally will need a degree. I would recommend getting a degree in something you could.

Kelly:

If you ever wanted to like leave publishing. You could have those skills, like, if you want to do business, tech, whatever, because it doesn't matter, as long as you are reading all the time and you like have some common sense skills, everything. You can get a job in publishing. Um, internships are. I also feel so silly saying this because I didn't follow any of this. I wish I had um, but you know you can still get in, no matter what um, no matter how hard you try. Rather, um, internships are really important if you can get like an internship with even just like your local newspaper or um. A lot of literary agencies are doing virtual ones. Now I'm just trying to get in because publishing is such a small little circle it is really really hard to break in. So any contacts you can make will help.

Kelly:

I got my job because, obviously, obviously to my own heart, because I am good at what I do now, but they didn't know that and the reason I essentially got this job and heard about it is someone my mom worked with, used to work with my boss, and knew that I wanted to get into publishing and was like, hey, you should check this company out. And I did and I was like, oh, never heard of them before. That's awesome. And I applied and after a couple interviews then she reached out to him and was like, hey, by the way, this is ellie. And I mean, you know, I didn't just get the job from someone else. I did go through multiple interviews before he found out that I knew someone he knew no, I feel, but I feel like it.

Jordan:

This just also proves that it's like you need to know people like I think that always helps, no matter what.

Kelly:

I would never have. The point of that is I never would have even known about this company if, like, my mom's friend hadn't worked with him previously and was like, oh, there's a publishing company that actually is in our state that like you could work at if you apply, like I'm sure that you know that would be a great fit for you, and I was like, oh yeah, that sounds good, but I never would have heard of them prior to this and so I wouldn't have even known to apply.

Jordan:

I don't think I knew that part of the story of you and I actually applied for a different role. I knew that. I knew that, but I did not know and then my boss.

Kelly:

Boss, he sat in on the second interview and he emailed me afterwards separately and was like hey, I see that you applied to be an acquisitions editor a couple months ago and we'd already filled the role when you applied. But are you interested now, are you?

Jordan:

still interested? Yes, I am.

Kelly:

Yes, please, thank you, Because I was just applying to anything to get in the door. That's another tip. Don't fully focus on the role that you want to get into, because if you can just get into a company, it's going to be a lot easier to transfer over to a department, if that's where you want to go.

Jordan:

Agreed. Just getting your foot in the door is like the best first step, and it could be in something that you don't totally love yet and, who knows, maybe you'll grow to love it or you can always because they're more. I feel like companies are more likely to hire internally than externally do you already know all the systems?

Kelly:

you already know, like the culture, everything. Um, it just makes it a lot easier. And when you apply for those less quote, unquote, less desirable roles because, let's be real, everybody goes into publishing essentially wanting to be an editor and work directly with the text Nobody is going in being like I want to work on typesetting this book, yeah.

Jordan:

No, it's true, it's true. So it's like, honestly, just get your foot in the door. Okay, what does a typical day in the office look like for you?

Kelly:

Emails, so many emails. Yeah, you would probably be surprised at how much my job is just emailing people. I would say 75% emails. I would say 75% emails, 5% looking for books on my own. And then what?

Jordan:

20% looking at manuscripts and reading them, I feel like that's still a pretty decent amount. If you just take away the 75% of emails, so so many. My inbox right now is at 879.

Kelly:

Oh my god, that would stress me the fuck out.

Jordan:

Yeah, yep, yep, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kelly:

Oh, I'm so sorry I'm so stressed, but it's fine because I get to do what I love.

Jordan:

So I love it, but I mean it's so tough because I think a lot of people I do think you should go into a job that you love and you love doing. But it's still a job at the end of the day and there's things that, like, we don't all love. So it's like if it was your dream to open a coffee shop, you're gonna have days where it's not fun because it's now your job and you're living off of it so it's like but you need to still.

Jordan:

I think you need to do something you love, because you'll find that it's easier to go into the office even if it's a bad day yeah, and you'll eventually find something like I have a little folder that's emails that make me happy.

Kelly:

Oh, that's amazing.

Jordan:

I love that. I didn't mean to cut you off, no, no, no, but like that's the thing is like. So it's like, even though there's bad days and it's like not always the best, and you're still like doing something you love, you still have that. You're reading books while working and I think that's really cool.

Kelly:

Yeah, and I think it's great because I get to work with books that I am really passionate about, so that helps a lot books. I still have so much love for them. That pushes me on to get through the hard times.

Jordan:

The good old hard times. What do you find to be the most challenging in your job and what is the most rewarding?

Kelly:

Most challenging. I don't know if I should say this, but I'm still going to say it is uh, when I have to work with licensors or terminology, when I have to work with, like agents or authors or whatever that that our visions don't necessarily align, and I understand books are authors' babies sometimes. Sometimes it's just a little too much passion there and it it turns into pointed anger at not the best you know gets blown back on me.

Kelly:

So I have to mitigate all of that um. So that's probably the most challenging is, you know, navigating those, uh, those difficult seas. I'll try to explain to authors and agents our side of things and what's going on and try to make sure that they don't get too upset. We understand their feelings. I don't know if that made sense, but I think it, it does it's.

Jordan:

It's tough. I think it can be really tough with maybe people wanting things to go a certain way, but like that's not life, life happens. Yeah, there's just certain circumstances that that are out of out of your control.

Kelly:

I understand why you feel passionately about that, why that's what you want, but sometimes it's just not feasible at all. It's just really hard to mitigate all that stuff, because if I were them I would be just as passionate about my own work. I get it.

Jordan:

So it makes sense, you're here for it, you get it. But so it's like it makes sense, like you're here for it, you get it.

Kelly:

But it's also like I have to do my job. Please, please please be nice to me. I'm doing the best I can here.

Jordan:

I'm just a girl. I'm just a girl, I'm just a baby, I'm just a 31 year old girl. But it's true. It's true, wait, okay. But then what's the most rewarding? This will end on a.

Kelly:

Yeah, sorry. Most rewarding is I mean I kind of talked about it earlier is working on those books that like bring me so much joy and that I'm so excited and I get to. You know, tell all my friends like, oh my God, you need to go read this book. It's coming out and it's like it's, it's so good, um, just, it makes me so happy to be part of those kinds of books, especially when the author is also like just as excited about our partnership and everything. Oh my God, it makes me so happy, um oh my god, it makes me so happy.

Kelly:

Um to just yeah, uh, to help bring that stuff to life, love it like I like that. I like that. Yeah, okay, also also a big sorry, a big perk is also being able to go to like conventions for work. Yeah, that's so yeah I mean, we just, we just love books, man, we just love books like a reader convention that you would want to go to as a fan and you get paid to go to it.

Jordan:

Please and thank you yeah, yes, please, yes, please, send me, send me um. Okay, so what genres do you feel that you acquire the most of? Do you find that you acquire those books the most because you like reading them?

Kelly:

Yes. The answer to that second one is yes. I mean, I gravitate towards what I like and I'm going to be more passionate about what I like and I know the market for those more so I can advocate for them. Be like this is worth it, I promise. Sorry, that was aggressive.

Jordan:

No, I like that. We are here for it. We are here for it.

Kelly:

Yeah, I would say, most often I get, like you know, romance, obviously, romantasy, lots of romantasy, romantasy and then just fantasy. Also, I love a good fantasy book. Um, rom-coms. Rom-coms are my favorite, my personal favorite, just like so fucking solid, they're so good and you know what, I don't care if they can be tropey, that's what I want.

Jordan:

Like that's the point I want, like a happy laugh out loud moment.

Kelly:

There's so much to be upset about in the world, I don't want to continue to read about distress most of the time. I mean, a lot of romance is about political turmoil. Yeah, yep, but that's different guys, okay. Different it guys, okay, different it is yeah, I like a light fluffy, fluffy. But you know, light, fun, spicy, rom-com, spice.

Jordan:

I just love spice. Okay, what trends are you noticing in the book world and what trends are you noticing in the book world, and what?

Kelly:

trends are you noticing in romance?

Jordan:

So, dare I say, romanticism is starting to like fill it, and I'm talking both like indie books, traditionally published books. But I don't know if it's they just push so much out there because it was doing well, yeah, and now. I'm like, but then? But do you think too that they just like they kind of these like mediocre books, and then the good ones get lost in the mediocre ones?

Kelly:

I think that the good ones actually still are able to stand out. I think the issue is that publishers have seen the success of stuff like Fourth Wing and and sarah j mass, even though sarah j mass has been successful for over a decade way longer.

Jordan:

Okay, that's my I. I have to give you credit. I have to give you credit because, and clearly, if people couldn't tell, we're friends. But this is like my one, like we have had so many conversations about this we have.

Jordan:

But this is like my one, like, oh, what is it called? When you're like my, it's like my one. I don't know what it is, but like, basically, everybody says that they read it when they like, basically, when COVID happened and quarantine happened, everybody read Sarah J Maas then. But but I love love when people are like, well, when did you read it? And I'm like, well, I read it back in 2018. Actually, before Kingdom of Ash came out, my friend she told me to read A Court of Thorns and Roses and I fell in love with Sarah J Maas and then read it, read it read everything of hers.

Jordan:

So actually I've been waiting, like before Crescent City. So like when we got like teasers of Crescent City, we had to wait years for it, while everybody now those teasers shattered my soul. And the thing is is like I don't think people understand, because if you pick up Crescent City and then what happens in chapter seven, you're like like, okay, but we for two, over two years, thought one way, so we were fucking devastated. So mean to us. So mean because the thing is is like other people don't understand because they did not see those teasers for over two years of one of something that we were, I was, I was devastated. No, I literally can't. But you try to explain that to somebody. They're like, well, what do you mean? And I'm like, no, no, like we knew about crescent city from when, when Kingdom of Ash published in 2018. And we were waiting for March 22, 2020 to come out. That and we thought, and if you've read it, you know what happens. We thought it's hard to explain because, like, we did not think chapter seven would happen.

Kelly:

It's hard to say without spoilers.

Jordan:

Exactly, but we did not. We never saw chapter seven coming.

Kelly:

Yeah At all At all. Also, this is now a Sarah J Maas podcast, exactly, but we did not. We never saw chapter seven coming. Yeah at all at all also.

Jordan:

This is now a sarah j maas podcast. Sorry everybody, I hope you enjoy and thank you for into a ted talk, but it's literally the coolest thing to tell people and I am so grateful that you told me to read this series, but like to be able to tell people like I read it before you so you can all fuck off, thank you imagine the distress I was in having read throne of glass when it published yeah, I am at least.

Jordan:

I just had to wait like time I think I just had to wait like three months from when I finished tower of dawn to when Kingdom of Ash released, and I remember you were like bitch, please.

Kelly:

You were like, oh no, this is so hard to wait and I was like I'm gonna punch you in the face.

Jordan:

Actually, you think that's hard.

Kelly:

You think that's hard Honestly, though, but it was hard, but I'm not, yeah, yours was a lot harder your pain is not equal, but our pain is still our pain but it is not equal um all that, all that little oh tangent side, yeah sorry, I digress yeah, I, we, we both digress because you know, when it comes to Sarah, we just get very passionate. We have so many thoughts, so many thoughts.

Jordan:

We could have a whole podcast about Sarah.

Kelly:

Honestly, genuinely, we could have a whole episode just about her and her books and honestly, we should probably do that. I think we should do that. Okay, I will happily do that. Are you kidding me? Yes, there's so many things we could talk about. I mean, people have whole actual podcasts about like that stuff, so I mean one episode easily filled.

Jordan:

Yes, oh no. No, we are doing it. So people as you're listening, just know that there's a full Sarah J Maas universe. Maas destruction, oh my god. I love that Is that what people call it. Well, I've seen that on like stickers and shit.

Kelly:

I'm not like super clued into all of like the social media stuff.

Jordan:

I haven't seen that recently. To be completely honest, it was when I was reading it and I was looking up everything on Etsy because I needed to own everything and I was like, oh my god, I love these moss destructions.

Kelly:

I have a little. I have a little otter um from Crescent City on my Kindle. I think I showed it to you probably did, but I don't remember. I'm sorry okay, all right, I promise now we'll stop talking yeah we'll save it for the next episode. The point I was making with that is, publishers saw the like massive spike in sales, I will say, of Sarah books which were never labeled as romantic until like a couple years ago, and I was like what is happening? What were they labeled as before?

Jordan:

Just like young adult fantasy oh, I did see that they'd shake, because I'm pretty sure we never mind we're, we're not gonna talk about it, we're not gonna talk about it, um, but that like fourth wing and everything.

Kelly:

And publishers were like, we want that, that's what we want, um, and so then they started trying to get their next sarah day mass, their next rebecca yaros and it. And then, like self-pub authors were like seeing the massive success of that stuff and so they hightailed it into that direction. We're like, okay, we can capitalize on the success that's happens in any, any genre, um, in any sub-genre. Like people will write to what's popular. It's like dystopian books started. I'm sorry, can you hear, earl? He's so loud. Oh, that was earl that was earl.

Jordan:

He's upstairs. Oh, that was so loud. I don't know if the audio, well, I'm sure if I heard it, then the audio picked it up. So you're upstairs. Oh, that was so loud. I don't know if the audio, well, I'm sure if I heard it, then the audio picked it up. So you're welcome, people, that was my girl my cat Earl Grady.

Kelly:

Um, what was I saying before I got distracted by him?

Jordan:

oh, dystopian what? Yeah you, because I think that's making a comeback. I literally got an email from a publisher like their like newsletter and it was like dystopian romances, we're back, baby. And I was like hey, oh yeah.

Kelly:

Dystopian has been on the up and up for the last probably six months or so I've been seeing a lot more of that um same. I've been seeing a lot of like um, more fantasy based stuff in the ya space coming through, um, but yeah, just a lot of, a lot of dystopian, a lot of romance is. I think is gonna have a bit of a, a little bit of a downturn. Oh my gosh, jordan just showed me a photo of our cat yeah, I have a little baby Poe.

Jordan:

He's not little and he's he's laying right next to me. Okay, sorry, um, you see like uh, we keep getting so distracted. I'm so sorry everyone yeah, I know me, me too. Sorry, what were you saying? I'm so sorry.

Kelly:

I was just reiterating. Like dystopian is on the up and up and romantic is going to probably take a little bit of a downturn, but honestly it probably won't, because everybody eats it up, including myself.

Jordan:

Yeah, I was going to say to like, don't get me wrong, like I'm still even though I think I agree with you and I think it's oversaturated, I'm still freaking reading it like I just finished.

Kelly:

the assistant to the villains, like series which obsess love, another one that you told me to read them.

Jordan:

well, I was just gonna say I read it because you told me to read it, but like um, but that and that's the thing, but I do really like I like that one. I think that's a the thing, but I do really like I like that one. I think that's a solid one, though, but I think there's other ones like there's definitely ones that I've like picked up and I'm like Ooh, no, and I put down.

Kelly:

I feel like assistant to the villain is very loosely romantic. Yes, yes. But I think it just feels like an adult take on Ella enchanted to me basically, obviously without like the weird spell that Ella is under. Shit it is.

Jordan:

I love it. Wait, I hope you know I'm going to use that in a TikTok later. So sorry, I'll give you credit, don't worry.

Kelly:

I mean you don't have to, because I don't have one I'll shout out.

Jordan:

Everybody here will know. Yeah, if you listen to this episode and then you remember a TikTok I did a couple weeks ago, then you're welcome. You're in the know. You're in the know. If you know, you know.

Kelly:

Yeah, that one's like. I mean it's marketed as romantic but like does not feel like romantic to me at all I like, I like okay I just saw poe's butt.

Jordan:

Oh don't mind, poe, I love it um, okay, so what gaps do you currently see in the market that you would like to fill? Are there any?

Kelly:

I don't know. Well, I guess it technically would be considered a gap in the market because I haven't been seeing too much of it. But I love magical realism. Same same, same, same, same, same, same Elevate for magical realism. I, same, same, same, same, same, same, same Elevate for magical realism, and it's so rare to find it.

Jordan:

Have you read Ashley Poston before? Yes, oh my gosh. So I read her novel Love Story and I'm obsessed. I still need to read the Dead Romantics, the Seven Year Slip, and I think she has a new one. But I'm like I really I still need to read the dead romance, romantics, the seven year slip, and I think she has a new one. But I'm like, I am here for it, I love it and I can that go on the rise?

Kelly:

Please and thank you, I will eat it all up. I love it so much. One of my you don't, you never you didn't gel with it, but one of my favorite magical realism authors, aggie Stivator oh, yeah, she does. Yeah, you never gelled with her, which that's how we I can't, it's fine.

Jordan:

I guess we can still be friends Loosely. I tried so hard. I tried so hard with the Raven Boys. I tried so hard. I still stand hard with the Raven boys.

Kelly:

I tried so hard. I still stand by. You should try her other book. She has an adult book that just came out that I really am excited to read. Oh okay, you know you could try, cause I understand Raven boys might not be everyone, and that's also, it's YA, it came out like so long ago, it's fine. It's ya, it came out like so long ago, it's fine. I get it.

Kelly:

It's not fine, but you know I get it um, but I, like would love just more books like those, these. If anybody here is a writer and like wants to write a magical realism book, tell jordan about it. Jordan will tell me about it, because I need them.

Jordan:

I know, I agree I need to read. I really want to read more Ashley Poston because I loved a novel love story. I loved it so much but just, like, I don't know, like I just but I love like magical realism in the way that it's not paranormal, they're not witches, they're not. It's like like a contemporary romance with like magic.

Kelly:

Yeah, just, it's just normal, it's just part of the world.

Jordan:

But nobody like it's not like a big deal, it just like yes is oh, it is like I want some magical realism in my life, like, why can't I have one of her arcs from when I worked at sorry, I'm saying this so far away.

Kelly:

I have one of her arcs from when I worked at sorry, I'm saying this so far away. I have one of her arcs from when I worked at my bookstore, but I don't know where it is. I'm trying to look for it Ashley Poston.

Jordan:

I actually don't know what her last name is.

Kelly:

I always I always pronounced it posten posten.

Jordan:

Okay, well then, I will keep saying posten, because usually I'm the one that has the horrible names or horrible at names, but I'm so jealous that you have it's like one of our first books and it's ya or maybe not one of them.

Kelly:

I'm not so jealous yeah, no, I knew you didn't really care about it. I don't know where it is. It must be somewhere, somewhere.

Jordan:

I hope I didn't put it in a donation box. Oh, I hope you didn't either oops, um, okay, so that was the last question in editing, editoring okay, so the next one is reading. What is your favorite book and or series, a book you would recommend to anyone and everyone?

Kelly:

the stress remember remember earlier that I said um we were done talking about sarah, um I lied, I lied um. I mean, the basic answer for me is Throne of Glass, not ACOTAR oh, 100% that Throne of Glass.

Jordan:

The series is my all-time favorite series of all time yes, yes, yes, yes.

Kelly:

And I stand by that if that series was written by a man, it wouldn't get a bunch of the like. Not hate, but like the teasing, oh, it's like not good.

Jordan:

Like people are criticizing her writing in it and I was like, have you actually read it all the way through? Like, do you not see what she started at 16? And she's like now in her mid-30s, like, can you not? Like don't get me wrong Like I think Court of Thrones and Roses it is an easier read to get into because it's not as crazy as Death. It's a great one to start with, exactly Perfect, but Throne of Glass is intense.

Kelly:

Yes, I always, whenever I like, pitch it to people I just talk about. I say that it's basically like a a um less graphic and more young adult. Quote-unquote, because it's not young adult version of Game of Thrones.

Jordan:

I can't read Game of Thrones. I've tried but like I've tried to and it's just, it's very dense to me, it's so dense, and there's just so many big words, but like big words as in places, and I'm like fucking.

Kelly:

I am people and I'm like I can't keep up yeah, and there is a lot of like senseless traffic stuff, like I I don't mind when there's, I obviously, obviously I don't mind when there's like and there is a lot of like senseless traffic stuff, like I don't mind when there's, I obviously obviously I don't mind when there's like smut and stuff, like if there's, you know, sexual stuff, that is for the plot yeah, if it's for the plot, then it's great.

Kelly:

If it's, you know, just kind of showing horrible acts happening to people, yeah. Not really into that.

Jordan:

No, I feel that.

Kelly:

I do love Game of Thrones as a show, yeah it's a great show.

Jordan:

It's a solid show. It's a solid show.

Kelly:

Yeah, so I would say Throne of Glass. And then, if you made me pick a non-basic answer, um, as Jordan knows, I also am a sucker for YA romance books. Um, and I one of my all-time favorite books is, um, stephanie Perkins. Um, trying to see if I can find the Anna and the French Kiss, jordan got me a special version of it a while ago and I think it's upstairs somewhere. I was going to pull it. But Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, the cutest.

Jordan:

I was wondering if you were going to say that one, because that one, I know, is like One you love.

Kelly:

Yeah, I don't recommend it to everybody because not everybody is going to like YA stuff, um, but it's like like older YA, um Okay, and it's just so cute and so sweet and amazing. And I love Stephanie Perkins and that was actually the um, because it's a three book series and that was my first introduction to like authors who do um, a series where each book is a different couple in the same universe. Oh, I didn't know that.

Jordan:

I didn't know, that was like your first one yeah, I mean, it was in high school. I read them but no, but I yeah, no, I get that, no, this was recently. I mean I yeah, no, I get that, no, this was recently. So I mean I don't think there were.

Kelly:

Honestly, I don't think that trend was super popular until I don't know. I could be wrong.

Jordan:

I feel like I no, you're right though, because I feel like it's more of like a indie, self-published scene.

Kelly:

Yeah, not so much like a traditionally published author it's such a sweet story and it's it's about a girl who like oh darn, has to get get sent to paris for boarding school for her senior year. She's like so upset about it and it's just everybody's like get a fucking grip, get a going to paris, get a grip Going to.

Kelly:

Paris, and oh, this actually might fit. I know that you like eating stuff, sometimes the whole book. Basically he has a girlfriend. They don't do anything until later, but like he has a girlfriend the whole time, say what Jordan's like. Maybe I actually will read this now.

Jordan:

Right, okay, good to know, good to know it's just so good.

Kelly:

I highly recommend, even if it's not like, doesn't sound like your bread and butter. I just recommend trying it because it fills me with so much joy, so much happiness. His name is etienne cyclare. Come on but my.

Jordan:

Thing is he's a british, frenchman oh shit, we got all the stuff. No, but like, my thing is is like, is it bring it? Does it bring you so much joy? Because it brings you back to when you read it for the first time in high school. Like I don't know if it will bring me that joy because I know I think it's already if you like, yearning.

Kelly:

I do like yearning it's got, like it's so much yearning. Oh my god, like I reread it and it still makes me happy, and it's not just because it makes me think of the first time I read it, it's because, like, I just love the story. Okay, also. I'm also gonna throw in there to All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han, because, oh, that I'm also going to throw in there to All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han, because that book is also amazing.

Jordan:

I did read that one and that was pretty solid.

Kelly:

I would say it's like the same type of vibes, same type of feeling you'll get.

Jordan:

I don't think I loved the book that much, but I am loving the summer.

Kelly:

I turned pretty show no show is so much better than the books, but my opinion agreed even though I didn't read the books.

Jordan:

Um, oh, okay. So what is the spiciest book you have ever read? Drop the smut read.

Kelly:

Drop the smut. Oh, I should have said spill the smut. Spill the smut. Come on, girl. I know dumb, that's a good question because I've had to read. I've had to read for work a lot of um, oh, shucks, spicy. I'm trying to think like a book that I've read, like for me.

Jordan:

Let me pull my Kindle up, you can count for work.

Kelly:

Just don't say it's for work yeah.

Jordan:

No, but like I just you know, I want to be Authentically you yeah.

Kelly:

Oh, no, that doesn't count. Oh, what's the book that you? I have it on here somewhere. I think it's a book that you recommended to me when we first met, and it was like two people who worked together, is it?

Jordan:

christina lauren book oh, it might be her like beautiful disaster that one's yeah, bastard, yeah, oh beautiful bastard. That's what I said.

Kelly:

It's not what I said and like actively slash, inactively reading gothicana because I keep expiring my library hold. I love that book and it's perfect for right now.

Jordan:

It's perfect for right. I love that book with my whole heart, yeah, um.

Kelly:

So I'd say probably like those ones so good, okay, this one might.

Jordan:

This one might be a little tough. What's easy scene and it can be attention scene too lives in your head.

Kelly:

Rent free I saw that and I was like racking my brain.

Jordan:

This might be a stupid answer no, there are no stupid answers, kelly the first book that like.

Kelly:

The first thing that came to mind was I don't remember which book it is in, but in Jennifer Arman Chow books is it Blood and Ash, Whatever the scene, when they're in the cavern in the water.

Jordan:

No, I'm not thinking that scene.

Kelly:

I didn't finish the series so I don't know. It's like when they're traveling with the two of them. Yeah, oh, I, I know what you're. I think I know what you're talking about with uh, with.

Jordan:

I don't even fucking remember his name, but like his yeah, yeah, I didn't finish the series either, but I'm pretty sure we left off around the same spot yeah, I thought, but um, oh, I forgot about that.

Kelly:

I don't know something about that scene when they're in, like in the, the springs in the cave, oh, in the cave in the cave.

Jordan:

I know what you're talking about. Yes, yes, yes. You know what scene lives rent-free in my mind and it probably doesn't really count. It's at the end of the first book. She stabs him yes, spoiler and then like he runs and chases her and then they do it on the forest floor. I think that might be like a scene that lives rent-free in my head. I don't know if I would say it's the spiciest scene, but that never lives in my head rent-free.

Kelly:

I agree, I agree, like it's not. Like that cave scene isn't the spiciest thing I would say, but it's like, it's it like I, just I really like it.

Jordan:

It's a really good scene. It's a really good scene, it's solid. Okay, so what is a favorite quote of yours? It could be in a book. You read a poem, a quote. Someone once said oh my gosh.

Kelly:

I wish, oh my gosh, I don't know. I saw that question like 10 minutes before I hopped on here and I was like fuck.

Jordan:

Oops.

Kelly:

Oopsie, poopsie, I don't know. I don't really like save quotes. What I could, what I. What I'm gonna do, instead of answering that as a favorite quote, is I'm gonna pull one of my old books that I used to sticky and I'm just gonna flip to a random page that had a sticky part and I'm just going to redo what I apparently thought was important to sticky.

Jordan:

Oh my gosh, Wait. No, I'm here for this, please.

Kelly:

Okay, the only ones that I can I know for sure have been stickied are my City of Bones series books Stop it.

Jordan:

This is amazing. No, yes, please, please, please, please. I feel like City of Bones is such a solid series like I loved those books when I read them. I think I read them like back in college, but they're so good okay, you gotta see them right now oh my god, yes, can you?

Kelly:

we want to do OG City of Bones, or I just picked a random one.

Jordan:

Oh, what do you think? I feel like the OG City of Bones and the random one. Let's do both. Let's do both, okay, yeah.

Kelly:

It's not even like okay, this is just like a two-sentence thing that I highlighted probably because I thought it was funny. Chase's smile was as bland as buttered toast. Go on, go after him, Pat his head and tell him he's still your super special little boy.

Jordan:

So stupid Wait, but I love it. I'm here for it.

Kelly:

And then Nope, not that one Stupid that's long Nope, not that one, not that one. Half of these I'm like what. So if I have it angled, it means that I it's like a whole paragraph, and there's so many of those that are angled. I don't know who she is. There's no name of she in this entire page. I'm gonna assume it's Clary.

Jordan:

I thought you were reading the quote, girl. I was like this is odd this is so odd.

Kelly:

It says I'm not gonna attack you. She said impatiently I can take the sight of your naked chest without swooning. This is stuff that, like 17 year old kelly thought was so funny. I'm so stupid, it's funny. I wish I pulled out one where it was like talking about how he hated ducks, because that would have been more worth it I don't remember that did you ever read the clockwork prince series?

Jordan:

yeah, okay, no comment, just no comment. Okay, the next question?

Kelly:

Yeah sorry guys, that was probably so disappointing.

Jordan:

No, I loved it. I loved it. Okay. So the last question in reading, what is one underrated romance author, someone you don't see on social media or like whatever, and you think everyone should read Libby Hart.

Kelly:

What was that? Libby Hart L-I-B-Y-H-A-R-T. What? Why are you smiling? Is it because I say that every time?

Jordan:

Because I think that I think when I first interviewed you I was like thinking about it and I was like I'm pretty sure that's who you said last time.

Kelly:

Yes, my answer is consistent.

Jordan:

I like it. I I like it. Do you have a specific book?

Kelly:

um, I would say, um, oh, my gosh, what's the name of it? Hold on, it's a good one, let me grab the name of it I can only think of, like one of the more recent ones that I read, and that's not I mean that one's good too. It's called planes, trains and all the feels. Um, but talk flirty to me by libya heart I like the name it's about two exes that have to record an audiobook together who doesn't love that? A spicy audiobook together.

Jordan:

I'm here for it. It's so good. It is so good, Okay. Well, now I will read this one.

Kelly:

Possibly, maybe, sometime in the future, because I've I mean, I've recommended it how many times now.

Jordan:

No comment. Okay, so we are in the last portion of the interview question, so it's the last three questions. What is a fun fact about you that the listeners might be surprised to learn?

Kelly:

Hmm, I know it's a good one. I think this is what I say every time, because it is a weird thing that, like most people are like huh, I used to be a camp counselor at a circus camp. I think that's cool, it's a pretty cool one, and they did like stilting and what else did we do? We did unicycling I forget what it's called, but like that big sphere ball that you would like balance on. We taught the kids how to do that and like at the end of the year or throughout the whole well, not year throughout the whole summer, the kids would work on an act that they would do. We would work on an act that they would do, and at the end of camp, we would put on a huge circus show for the city and people would come.

Kelly:

That's so fun. Yeah, it was so fun. It was a really, really, really awesome experience. I did it for two summers before I graduated college and then I never, went back to Florida fair then got a big girl job. I moved to Florida for like six months and then I came back home. No, but I think that's cool. Yeah, it's totally cool. Yeah, unicycle who can say you taught a kid how to unicycle, but you? Don't know how to unicycle yourself.

Jordan:

That's got to be hard.

Kelly:

Yes, okay, miss Kelly, just do it. You show us how to do it. I'd be like no.

Jordan:

I can't do that, you just you can't do that. Okay, so if you could give your life, a romance book title.

Kelly:

What would it be? That is also a wonderful question. Such a good question, such a good question. I feel like mine would have to be something like like a new adult romance book would be called because, like nick and I met in college. Well, at the end of college you can barely call it college, but oh, is that the title?

Jordan:

Wait, I'm so confused.

Kelly:

No, no, no, no. I'm just like. I don't know what it like. I'm so bad at naming things. My job isn't to give books titles. Imagine if it was. I feel like that would be fun. It'd be so stressful for me. I'm not good at coming up with stuff like that. I don't know. It would be like.

Jordan:

Oh my gosh. It's such a good question, but it's a hard one.

Kelly:

It's such a good question, but it's a hard one. It's such a solid one, but, no, but a hard one. A lot of this is gonna have to get cut out.

Jordan:

This is just silence but I think that's gonna actually make it better.

Kelly:

Never mind leave it all. Just hear me suffering. Oh my gosh.

Jordan:

I don't know what would yours be I don't know, I haven't thought about it. I haven't thought. I think, like when uh, wow, I did a post a while ago of like the relationship of like nick and I and one of them was it's like book theme, so like give it a title. So I think it was like whispered words and secrets said or something like that. It it was like alliteration in there and Nick came up with it.

Kelly:

Maybe mine should have some sparks in it, like a spark, because Nick's an electrician. Oh, sparks fly, but I'm going to combine it all. Sorry, nick, you're my love, but my first love is taylor swift like they need to know their place and I think he does yes um, yeah, maybe like sparks burn or something like that oh, I like your face, I like it, we'll, we'll, we'll give it that, okay.

Jordan:

So the last question drumroll, please, okay, anyways. Um, what's one future goal that you would like to achieve? Either long term, short term, it could be personal, it could be work related, it could be anything else.

Kelly:

I, I want to so cliche. I would like to write a book, oh I like that idea that I came up with is it on paper? It's a little bit on paper like the like, the like I have. I have an idea of the world okay. I don't have an idea of the story Like I'm still working on that.

Jordan:

I got it, I got you, I got you. I think that would be really cool.

Kelly:

Yeah, so it would be nice to like get that down, but I don't have time, so that's going to be a very lofty goal for quite some time.

Jordan:

It's always there. You can work on it when you want to work on it. It's like you got it.

Kelly:

Yeah, but I mean, that's a pretty cliche.

Jordan:

No, no, it's not this field. Yeah, Okay.

Kelly:

Fair.

Jordan:

Okay.

Kelly:

Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Thank you for me, my imposter syndrome's like why am I here?

Jordan:

um, because you deserve to be here, kelly. So thank you. I had so much fun chatting with you and I think this is gonna be so like. I think people are really gonna like this episode because there's not many like there's a lot of podcasts out there with like authors and like agents and things like that. I don't think there's a lot of podcasts out there with like authors and like agents and things like that. I don't think there's a lot of people like publishing, like the traditional publishing, and I think a lot of people are going to enjoy this episode and I and if you don't lie, it'll hurt my feelings.

Kelly:

I have very sensitive feelings be, nice didn't your parents ever teach? You that if I didn't answer anything that people wanted to know, then ask the comment somewhere and then Jordan and I can chat about it in our dedicated Sarah J Maas episode it will be happening, guys, so stay tuned anyways, thank you, thank you.