Will Knauss Podcasts

Jeff and Will review books they've read recently, including "Manhandled" by Lauren Blakely, "The Billionaire's Assistant" by Silvia Violet, and two books by M.A. Wardell, "Teacher of the Year" and "Mistletoe & Mishigas." M.A. Wardell discusses the "Teachers in Love" series, the inspiration he drew from his teaching career, and how "Teacher of the Y…

Jeff and Will celebrate Big Gay Fiction Podcast's 8th Anniversary! Jeff shares reviews of recent books he's read, including "Stars in Your Eyes" by Kacen Callender, "Tempted by the Bollywood Star" by Sophia Singh Sasson, and the holiday romance from this week's guest LaQuette, "Secret Heir for Christmas." LaQuette then discusses "Secret Heir for Ch…

Jeff and Will discuss some of their favorite reads for the Halloween season, including "The Rivals of Casper Road" by Roan Parrish, and "This is not a Horror Movie" by Sara Dobie Bauer. They also recommend the "Reformed Rakes" podcast and their recent discussion of the gay gothic classic "Gaywyck" by Vincent Virga. The guys revisit the Big Gay Fict…

Jeff and Will kick off the show talking about two movies they've recently seen: the film adaptation of "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" and the Hallmark Channel original "Notes of Autumn." They also have recommendations perfect for your Halloween viewing, including "Dante's Cove," "Chucky," "Interview with the Vampire," "O…

Gregory Ashe talks about his new crossover series "Iron on Iron" uniting characters from the four series that make up the "Hazardverse." He also shares his strategies for balancing the large cast, and why he decided to do a Kickstarter. In addition, Greg discusses his day job as a high school librarian and the book bans he's dealt with first hand. …

Jeff & Will kick off the episode reviewing two YA books, "Lion's Legacy" by L.C. Rosen and "Fake Dates and Mooncakes" by Sher Lee. Then they bring you a panel discussion that Jeff hosted for a Barnes and Noble NOOKEvent Live featuring authors Gregory Ashe, Josh Lanyon, Layla Reyne, and Felice Stevens. The authors discuss their careers writing queer…

https://frolic.media/podcastsJeff & Will welcome journalist and podcaster Tre'vell Anderson to talk about their book "We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film." Tre'vell discusses the history of trans and gender expansive characters in TV and film, and how these representations impacted their own identity and community. They al…

Jeff & Will kick off this episode with their thoughts on "Heartstopper" season 2, and the movie adaptation of "Red, White & Royal Blue." Timothy Janovsky discusses his new book "New Adult," including its inspiration from time travel movies like "13 Going on 30." He talks about the book's themes of character growth, "queer time," memory, and the imp…

This week we revisit our interview with Casey McQuiston from May 2019. It's the perfect way to get ready for the "Red, White & Royal Blue" movie adaptation that hits Amazon Prime Video on August 11. Casey shares the inspiration for the book, how it changed during the 2016 election cycle, and some of the tropes and pop culture influences that are in…

Jeff & Will welcome author Robin Knight as he celebrates 15 years of publishing stories featuring queer characters. He talks about the conclusion of the "Fathom's Five" adventure series, which is the series that began his career. We also get details on his latest romances with "Under the Arabian Sky" and "Heartless," which is his first m/m/m story.…

Jeff & Will welcome authors Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone to talk about their new installment in the "Christmas Notch" series, "Snow Place Like LA." Julie and Sierra discuss the origins of "Christmas Notch," which began with "Merry Little Meet Cute" and continues this coming holiday season with "Holly Jolly Ever After." Of course, they share what'…

Jeff & Will welcome author Jess Everlee to talk about her Victorian historical romance series "Lucky Lovers of London," including the new book "A Rulebook for Restless Rogues." Jess discusses what led her to historical romance and what she loves about the Victorian era. We also find out about the varied characters she's written so far, including a …

Jeff & Will present a panel discussion featuring YA authors Abdi Nazemian, Jason June, and Sonora Reyes. They talk about their latest books, Abdi's "Only This Beautiful Moment," Jason June's "Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball," and Sonora's "The Luis Ortega Survival Club." The authors each discuss the inspirations for their stories, …

Jeff & Will welcome Mark Kanemura to talk about his debut children's book "I Am a Rainbow." Mark—who is well known for his stint on season four of "So You Think You Can Dance," his time dancing with Lady Gaga, and his Instagram dance parties—discusses how he came to write this book and how much it reflects his childhood. He also shares what he hope…

Debut author Dominic Lim joins Jeff & Will to talk about his second chance romance "All the Right Notes," which is one of Jeff's favorite books of the year. Dominic talks about why he wanted to write Quito and Emmett's story, and which parts of it are inspired from his own life. We also find out about the song he co-wrote for the book, and how Aaro…

Author Rey Terceiro and illustrator Bre Indigo join Jeff & Will for this Pride 2023 episode. Rey and Bre are the creators of the "Northranger," the young adult graphic novel retelling of Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey." Rey discusses how he approached this adaptation and Bre tells us how she brought the story to life through the artwork. Bre and R…

Pride 2023 continues as Jeff & Will welcome author Lisa Bunker in this conversation that was recorded live at Capital Books in Sacramento. Lisa discusses her new middle grade book "Joy, to the World," which she co-wrote with teen activist Kai Shappley. The book tells the story of a 12 year old girl who is banned from her school's cheer squad becaus…

Jeff & Will kick off Pride 2023 with authors Byron Lane and Steven Rowley. Byron's "Big Gay Wedding" looks at a wedding in a small Southern town. Steven's "The Celebrants" features a group of college friends who reunite every few years and now have to face a secret one of them is harboring. In addition to the books, Byron and Steven talk about bein…

Jeff & Will welcome married couple and collaborators Anna-Marie and Elliott McLemore for a conversation that was recorded live at Sacramento's Capital Books for the launch of the YA fantasy "Venom & Vow." They discuss how the book went from something Anna-Marie was working on solo to a co-writing project, and they share great stories about all aspe…

Jeff & Will welcome debut author Ari Baran to talk about their enemies-to-lovers, age gap, hockey romance "Game Misconduct." Ari discusses how the story evolved as they worked on it, why they created a co-ed pro hockey league, and the story they wanted to tell with the characters of Mike and Danny. Ari shares their deep love of hockey, and how that…

Jeff & Will offer up a ton of recommendations in this episode. They kick off talking about "Pretty Woman: The Musical," Eurovision 2023, the documentary "Judy Blume Forever," "The Great American Baking Show," and Netflix's "Bridgerton" spin-off "Queen Charlotte." Then it's on to books as they review "Afterglow" by Phil Stamper, "Always the Almost" …

Jeff & Will announce the Super Summer Bonus Episodes event, which will feature weekly premieres through the end of June. Jeff also shares details on two upcoming author events that will be recorded for future shows. The guys welcome the creator of the "Heartstopper" universe Alice Oseman to discuss the U.S. release of the novel "Solitaire." Alice t…

Jeff & Will welcome author K. Sterling to discuss "The Handy Nanny" and the "Nannies of New York" series. The guys talk to her about what prompted her to write her first book, and why today she writes primarily romantic suspense and romantic comedies. She also has details on the long running "Lake Cliff" series, a tease about a possible new series,…

Jeff & Will welcome author KD Casey to talk about the "Unwritten Rules" series, including the latest book "Diamond Ring." KD shares what sparked her love of baseball and why she enjoys setting romances in that sport. She also discusses the articles she's written on the representation of Jewish characters in romance, and their presence in her books.…

Jeff & Will are joined by author Onley James to talk about her "Necessary Evils" series, including the latest book "Maniac." Onley discusses how she went from writing as a hobby to deciding to publish her stories, and what fascinates her about psychopaths and why she writes happily ever afters for them. She also chats about her Patreon community, a…

Jeff & Will welcome Ruby Roe to talk about her debut sapphic fantasy romance "A Game of Hearts and Heists." Ruby is the alter ego of author and podcaster Sacha Black, who writes books for authors as well as fantasy YA. Sacha discusses what inspired her to write queer romance and this first book in the "Girl Games" series. We also find out why she p…

Jeff & Will welcome Allie Therin to the podcast to talk about her new urban fantasy thriller "Liar City," the first book in the "Sugar & Vice" series. Allie discusses how Liar City went from the first short story she ever wrote to a brand new trilogy. She shares the origins of Reese and Grayson, their slow burn romance, and why it became her fifth …

In this special episode, Jeff talks about his new non-fiction book "Content for Everyone: A Practical Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs to Produce Accessible and Usable Web Content" along with his co-author Michele Lucchini. Jeff and Michele discuss why they wrote the book, why it's important to create accessible content for websites, emails and soc…

Phil Stamper, who had two books on Jeff & Will's favorites of 2022 list, discusses his new YA novel "Afterglow," which completes the "Golden Boys" duology. Phil talks about why he wanted to tell the story of four high school students, and the challenges of writing a story with four main characters. He also shares his experience as a new father, as …

Jeff & Will welcome authors Mia Monroe and K.M. Neuhold to talk about their new collaboration, writing as Mika Nix for the "Drake Security" series. Mia and Kyleen discuss what came first, the dragons or the bodyguards, plus the origins of the name Mika Nix. They also share how Nico and Lake's fated mates romance came together in "Hot Head," and off…

Jeff & Will discuss some queer graphic novels they've enjoyed including the "Fence" series by C.S. Pacat, plus two by Andrew Wheeler, "Love and War" and "Sins of the Black Flamingo." Author Julian Winters returns and in keeping with the comics theme, he and Jeff discuss "Superman: Son of Kal-El" and the representation it brought to the DC universe.…

Jeff & Will kick off 2023 with authors L.A. Witt and Anna Zabo. They discuss their collaboration with the "On the Board" hockey romance series, which includes "Rookie Mistake" (one of Jeff's favorite books from 2022). Lori and Anna talk about what led them to writing together, and they share some of what readers can expect in the upcoming "Scoreles…

Jeff & Will wrap up 2022 with an episode packed with reviews and recommendations. The guys start off talking about some seasonal programming they loved, "The Holiday Sitter" on Hallmark Channel, "A Christmas to Treasure" on Lifetime, and "Smiley" on Netflix. They also discuss their recent reads, including books by L Eveland, KJ Charles, Zac Bissonn…

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas! Jeff & Will wish everyone celebrating this week a happy, joyful, and safe holiday. E.M. Lindsey discusses what got them started writing m/m romance, what keeps them inspired to write, and how their eclectic reading habits leads to writing across multiple romance subgenres. We also get the details on "Loose Lips S…

Jeff is joined by special guest co-host, author Julian Winters, to talk about favorite young adult books of 2022. They discuss books by Kalynn Bayron, Aaron H. Aceves, Erik J. Brown, A.L. Graziadei, Simon James Green, Kosoko Jackson, Adib Khorram, Phil Stamper, R. Eric Thomas, as well as one from Julian. In addition, Jeff and Julian get into the sp…

Jeff & Will offer up recommendations for watching and reading during the holiday season. Among the shows they discuss are "The Big Brunch," "Chucky," "Ted Lasso," "Spirited," and "Matt Rogers: Have You Heard of Christmas?" In addition they shout out the upcoming queer holiday rom-coms, "The Holiday Sitter" on Hallmark Channel and "A Christmas to Tr…

Author and podcaster Lee Blair talks about her Dahlia Springs universe, which kicked off earlier this year and includes her new holiday romance "24 Dares of Christmas." She also shares how she went from writing m/f romance to cozy mysteries to finding the place that was right for her with queer romance. We also find out about her new podcast, The "…

Jeff & Will love the Happily Ever After Collective, a subscription service that began in July and offers four new, exclusive books, focused on a specific trope, each month. Romance author Avery Flynn joins us to talk about why she created the HEA Collective, how it works, and how its been received by authors and readers so far. Rien Gray and Sera T…

Authors Macy Blake and Charlie Cochet join us to talk about "Shifter Scoundrels." Macy and Charlie discuss how their friendship led them to spending a couple of years building out a world that is a mix of regency and modern, and how that turned into a series that they co-wrote. We also find out about their individual new series, Macy's "Christmas S…

Jeff & Will kick off the show with a discussion of the second season of "Young Royals," which premiered on Netflix last week. They also review two holiday romances, "You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince" by Timothy Janovsky, and "The Holiday Trap" by Roan Parrish. Jeff also reviews the historical romance "Silent Sin" by E.J. Russell. As a special bonu…

Jeff & Will celebrate the podcast's 8th birthday, and Will's 50th birthday! They also wish everyone a very Happy Halloween. Author Lev AC Rosen talks about his new book, "Lavender House," a queer murder mystery set in 1950s San Francisco. Lev discusses the research he did for the time and location of the book, creating the characters inhabiting Lav…

Jeff & Will present a re-broadcast of the October 14, 2022 episode of "Fated Mates" that discussed book bans in the U.S. Ahead of the November elections, this is a crucial topic that affects everyone, and is just one of many important issues on the ballot across the country. "Fated Mates" hosts Sarah MacLean and Jen Prokop interview three experts o…

Jeff & Will begin this milestone episode with a look at two TV series perfect for the Halloween season: "Chucky" and "Interview with the Vampire." For the second part of the series focusing on the "Black Love Matters" essay collection, Kosoko Jackson talks about his essay, which focuses on representation in media and three Black queer characters fr…

Jeff & Will kick off a special two part series focusing on the "Black Love Matters" essay collection. For this episode, "Black Love Matters" editor Jessica Pryde, and romance author and essay contributor Adriana Herrera discuss their essays and the importance of being able to see yourself get a happily ever after in a romance. Jessica also shares w…

Jeff & Will are back from hiatus and have TV, movie and book recommendations. They kick off discussing streaming shows "Welcome to Wrexham," "What We Do in the Shadows," "High Heat," and the new all-queer, big studio rom-com "Bros." In books they review "The Rivals of Casper Road" by Roan Parrish, "Self-Made Boys" by Anna-Marie McLemore, "This Is W…

Jeff & Will begin the show with the news that the podcast will be on hiatus for the month of September. Then it's on to reviews of what they've been reading this summer: "Rookie Mistake" by Anna Zabo & L.A. Witt, "Like I Promised" by Charlie Novak, "Rainbow's Seven Duology" by Max Walker, "Double Exposure" by Rien Gray, "Cafe Con Lychee" by Emery L…

Jeff and Will's deep dive discussions on the sexy supernatural series "Dante's Cove" conclude as they talk about season 3, episode 5, "Naked in the Dark," which is the series finale. Complete shownotes for episode 396 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. …

Jeff and Will's deep dive discussions on the sexy supernatural series "Dante's Cove" continues as they talk about season 3, episodes 3 and 4, "Sexual Healing" and "Like a Virgin." Complete shownotes for episode 395 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Fin…

Jeff and Will's deep dive discussions on the sexy supernatural series "Dante's Cove" continue as they talk about season 3, episode 2, "Blood Sugar Sex Magik." Before they get to the recap though, the guys talk about some other shows they've been watching this summer including "Our Flag Means Death" on HBO Max, "The Lake" on Amazon Prime Video, "Fir…

Jeff and Will's deep dive discussions on the sexy supernatural series "Dante's Cove" continue as they talk about season 3, episode 1, "Sex and Death (And Rock and Roll)." Complete shownotes for episode 393 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many mo…