This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Becka Mack, the author of the beloved hockey romance series, “Playing For Keeps”. The two dive into how this series started, how and why this was the creative outlet Becka turned to when faced with grief. Becka also opens up about her own infertility struggles and how that influenced her newest release, “Breath With Me.” They also dive into:- Becka’s favourite snacks and hyper-fixations- How writing stories began at a very early age - What readers can expect next from Becka! CHAPTERS: 0:00 Introduction0:45 Becka’s favourite snacks1:17 Beginning of Becka’s writing career5:02 Becka’s old short stories8:47 Favourite rom-coms9:54 Life before writing 14:05 Therapy and creative outlets17:55 Writing the first book20:04 Advice to your younger self21:29 Grief & Writing 22:56 Hyper-fixations26:10 Creating the Playing For Keeps series36:10 Social media response to Consider Me28:10 Wattpad to traditional publishing 44:43 Miscommunication in books49:10 Breathe With Me (no spoilers)53:30 Feeling ready for Breathe With Me55:00 Balancing fiction with personal experience56:17 Misconceptions with infertility 1:04:39 What’s next?FOLLOW US:Morgann BookTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook Off The ShelfInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en Hosted by: Morgann BookCreated by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston Produced by: Stefanie MacchiusiEdited by: Ricki Biramontes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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#27: Justin Wu on Directing Sidelined and What Comes Next
This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Justin Wu, the director of Sidelined: The QB and Me and Sidelined 2: Intercepted. Justin opens up about his early draw to the arts, breaks down how he discovered Sidelined, the process of adapting a book and if we can expect a THIRD movie? CHAPTERS: 0:00 Introduction0:55 Justin’s draw to the arts6:02 Being confident in yourself10:30 Photography to directing13:16 How Justin found Sidelined16:01 Script or book first18:30 What does it mean to direct 21:10 The first time Justin said Action22:10 Working with Siena Agudong23:08 Working with Noah Beck26:18 Non-negotiables as a director28:01 Difficulties in directing 31:48 The magic behind angles34:45 When did the conversation start about Sidelined 237:35 What Sidelined 2 looks like41:05 Changes between both movies44:32 A third movie…?FOLLOW US:Justin WuTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teamjwu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinwu/?hl=en Morgann BookTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook Off The ShelfInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en Hosted by: Morgann BookCreated by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston Produced by: Stefanie MacchiusiEdited by: Ricki Biramontes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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#26: Why Kate Robb Writes Magical Realism Romances
This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Kate Robb to chat about how this Canadian rom-com queen crafts the best magical realism worlds. From “This Spells Love” to “Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance”, the two dive into how these books (and their character names) came to be… CHAPTERS: 0:00 Hamilton, ON2:41 What was Kate reading growing up4:25 Business school 7:13 Writing your first book9:15 Family reaction to becoming an author11:40 Doubting yourself as an author13:30 Working a corporate job14:58 Is romance slowing down?17:00 Kate’s 2025 favourites 18:40 Blurbling books as an author19:23 Titling books21:06 Day in the life of an author22:32 Type-A 23:05 Kitty St. Clair's Last Dance 28:55 Toronto scene30:22 Med school 33:16 Reeve35:10 How Kate met her husband36:20 Kate’s favourite scene40:30 BOTM42:32 Rom-Com Court49:39 A trope we don’t love51:13 What’s next?FOLLOW US:Kate RobbInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate_robb_writes/?hl=en Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/kate-robb/ Find her books at Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kitty-st-clairs-last-dance-kate-robb/1146800920 Morgann BookTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook Off The ShelfInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en Hosted by: Morgann BookCreated by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston Produced by: Stefanie MacchiusiEdited by: Ricki Biramontes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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#25: How Ghostwriting Led to a Romance Empire with Cara Bastone
This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Cara Bastone to chat all things romance and audiobooks! The two discuss how Cara transitioned from ghostwriting to writing her own romance novels to becoming an Audible Originals author. Cara also shares the difference in writing romance for physical novels vs. audiobooks and what some of her favourites are! CHAPTERS: 0:00 Introduction0:55 Fruit Hot takes2:10 Becoming a romance writer4:50 A scene that changed it all 6:35 Ghost writing to published author10:12 Kristin Hannah's Influence on Cara11:06 What Cara has learned along the way12:01 How does ghost writing work?16:00 Author struggles19:00 The scenes that come out of nowhere22:55 Grief in Promise Me Sunshine30:48 Pregnancy Trope in Ready or Not33:01 Cover Design34:09 Live again list (with a twist)40:16 What it’s like to write Audible Originals41:37 Difference between writing audio and physical dialogue47:08 Would Cara narrate an audiobook?48:02 Favourite audible original50:49 Where are romance audiobooks headed?52:11 Cara’s next book releaseFOLLOW US:Cara Bastone Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carabastone/?hl=en Find her books on Audible: https://www.audible.ca/author/Cara-Bastone/B085Z38C15 Morgann BookTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook Off The ShelfInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en Hosted by: Morgann BookCreated by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston Produced by: Stefanie MacchiusiEdited by: Ricki Biramontes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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#24: How Tessa Bailey Keeps Her Writing Fresh After 69 Books
From steamy banter to loveable blue-collar heroes, Tessa Bailey sits down with Morgann to talk about how she keeps her writing fresh across dozens of bestselling novels, why she gravitates toward opposites-attract love stories, and how she balances heart, humour, and heat. We talk TikTok's impact on romance publishing, dialling back the dirty talk (sometimes), and the unexpected research that went into Pitcher Perfect.Plus — we surprise Tessa at the end 👀CHAPTERS: 0:00 Welcome, Tessa Bailey! 5:29 How to keep your writing fresh7:26 Recipe for creating an opposites attract romance8:41 Tessa and blue-collar MMCs10:04 Tropes were NOT doing11:05 Influence of TikTok on writing 13:18 Pitcher Perfect 15:45 Dialling back the dirty talk17:15 Why did Tessa publish her first book 20:20 What would Tessa do if she weren’t a writer23:24 Softball research for Pitcher Perfect26:33 Tessa’s favourite moment from Pitcher Perfect27:34 Crafting the characters in Pitcher Perfect30:19 Solving people’s submitted problems!41:21 It Happened One Summer Adaptation news45:18 Bellinger Sisters book THREE47:38 What’s coming next51:35 Surprising Tessa with…FOLLOW US:Tessa BaileyTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authortessabailey?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessabaileyisanauthor/?hl=en Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/tessa-bailey/ Find her books at Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/contributor/tessa-bailey/_/N-2xrn Morgann BookTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook Off The ShelfInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en Hosted by: Morgann BookCreated by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston Produced by: Stefanie MacchiusiEdited by: Ricki Biramontes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Off The Shelf – your backstage pass to the book world. Each week, Morgann Book (yes, that’s her actual last name) sits down with a guest to hear the story behind the stories they write– how an author crafts a romance that feels real, the unexpected quirks that shape their writing process, and the little details of their lives that spark inspiration.New episodes drop every Thursday—grab your tbr list and listen wherever you get your podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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