The goal of Storytime with Skye is to share the joy of storytelling and romance with listeners. Romance is the single most popular genre in all of literature, but due to biases that is often not reflected in the layout of bookstores or even the major book-focused podcasts. Storytime with Skye aims to make the genre accessible, diverse, and fun, whether the listener is an avid reader of romance novels or not. The sole requirement to be a romance novel is to have a happy ending for the main couple (or more in a poly group), which provides a beacon of hope in a harsh world. While some people who aren't familiar with the genre may think this means the insides are all light and fluffy...not so. Romance novels grapple with some of the toughest issues we face as humans, including loss, prejudice, and pain. The happy ending, or HEA as it's affectionately known, is the safety net, so that readers can endure grief and fear knowing they will be brought home safe in the end.
While other podcasts feature interviews with authors or book reviews, Storytime with Skye created an original spin on featuring the romance genre. Instead of asking authors how they get their ideas, how they craft their stories, what do they think about when they decide what choice a character makes... We take from that old writing advice chestnut: "show not tell." The host, New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren, along with her guests, who are themselves bestselling authors, craft a completely original story on the fly. It's part improv, part choose-your-own-adventure as listeners are able to contribute suggestions and vote on the hero, the heroine, and the meet cute. We explore the bounds of storytelling, examining character motivations, plot structure, and pivotal scenes. What constitutes love? What qualifies redemption? These are questions we explore in real time as we move characters through conflict after conflict...toward their happily ever after. In order to execute this vision, Skye Warren sought interviews from a successful and diverse range of New York Times bestselling, Wall Street Journal bestselling, and RITA award winning authors. This is her very first podcast, so there was a learning curve, but her background in computer science helped her from being too intimidated by the tech.
We're so pleased to have a small but regular listenership within the first couple months of launching. We've been able to feature authors of color, LGBTQ+ authors, and authors with disabilities as our guests. We've been able to attract to our listenership readers, fans of the romance genre, as well as authors who are interested in the story-creation process. We have published 16 episodes as of this submission with a goal to continue weekly episodes. For us success is of course the size of listenership but also the breadth and diversity. We're grateful for listeners who give our new podcast a chance.
