Welcome to Story Deep Dive!
In this episode, Dana and Rachel close out the 2025 season with a big-picture reflection on the books they’ve read, the characters they’ve dissected, and the way a year of eclectic picks has sharpened their instincts as writers, editors, and coaches.
Whether you’re a writer, reader, or storyteller, you’ll gain valuable insights on using your reading list as a craft lab, comparing characters across subgenres, and planning your 2026 TBR with intention—especially if you’re writing series or building an author career.
You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube!
Estimate Timestamps
00:00 A Season in Review: 11 Books, Endless Shenanigans
Dana and Rachel kick off the final episode of 2025 by recapping the full reading lineup for their first season of Story Deep Dive. They run through their eleven picks—Ninth House, Things We Never Got Over, Dead Until Dark, The Whistleblower, Indigo, Cold and Deadly, One for the Money, Beautifully Cruel, Sin and Chocolate, The Woman in the Library, and Twisted Love—and marvel at how wildly varied the list is.
From small-town rom-coms and grumpy/sunshine pairings to crime, dark-leaning romance, paranormal, fantasy, and the “Ninth House is its own genre” category, the year has covered a wide spectrum of tone and subgenre. They reflect on how intentional the list feels in retrospect, even though they were initially just choosing books they loved and believed would be helpful to writers. The early picks ended up laying a foundation that later books built on, both in terms of character work and structural choices.
05:00 Reading Wide, Asking Why: Using Your TBR as Training Ground
Rachel talks about how the variety of 2025 picks became a powerful tool for comparing and contrasting genres and subgenres: crime vs. murder mystery, fantasy vs. paranormal romance, and everything in between. She encourages listeners to look back over their own year of reading and ask what they loved, what didn’t work, and—most importantly—why.
Those “why” questions help readers better articulate their tastes, but for writers, they’re essential to understanding how to recreate certain effects (or avoid pitfalls) on the page. She shares how she does this with clients, especially when they react differently to two “alpha male” heroes: same archetype, very different reader response. Examining those differences clarifies what kind of character they want to write.
Rachel also notes that one of the unexpected joys of the podcast has been how often discussions of one book naturally reach back to previous titles.
The individual episodes may be self-contained, but the season as a whole functions like an extended craft conversation where each book becomes a reference point that illuminates the others.
11:00 Building a Shared Language: Characters, Plot, and Being Well-Read
Dana picks up the thread and expands on the benefits of being well-read as a writer. She talks about how helpful it is to be able to compare characters like Knox from Things We Never Got Over and Liam from Beautifully Cruel: both are grumpy, dominant heroes, but they occupy the page and command attention in different ways. Having multiple examples in your mental library lets you check that you’re “in the pocket” of a trope while also giving you ways to push against it.
Dana contrasts The Woman in the Library, where plot and character are so tightly intertwined that she rarely thinks of them separately, with a book like Things We Never Got Over, where the characters dominate her memory and she has to consciously pull the plot into focus beyond “runaway bride.” She reminds writers that their own habits and history on the page shape how they digest story, and that reading books they didn’t personally choose—like she often does for the podcast—stretches both taste and craft.
Over the year, she and Rachel have discovered they’ve been building a shared story language without realizing it, layering references and examples that now inform every new conversation.
17:00 Looking Ahead to 2026: The Books They Can’t Wait For
Turning toward the future, Dana asks Rachel two questions: what book is she most excited to read, and what book is she most excited to have on the 2026 podcast list. For pure reading joy, Rachel picks The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score, their upcoming Christmas pick. She’s eager to see more of Lucy Score’s work beyond Things We Never Got Over and is especially excited about diving into a seasonal, festive romance that leans into holiday vibes without feeling too Hallmark. For the podcast list, Rachel’s clear winner is Hellbent by Leigh Bardugo, the sequel to Ninth House. She loves the concept and characters of the series and is thrilled to spend more time with them, getting to see new layers, deeper growth, and richer interactions.
Dana shares that she’s also excited (and a little nervous) to tackle Hellbent—so much so that she plans to reread Ninth House first. When it’s her turn, Dana names Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan as the book she’s most excited to have on the 2026 list. She’s thrilled to bring an emotionally rich contemporary African-American romance to the lineup, especially one centered on a divorced couple and a true second chance romance.
As an honorable mention, she picks Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas, a beloved historical romance from a sister-centric series that also features one of her favorite grumpy alpha heroes.
23:00 Historical Romance, Representation, and Layered Story Worlds
Rachel admits she’s never read a Regency romance before and is curious about how Tempt Me at Twilight will handle historical research and context, especially after the high bar set by Beverly Jenkins in Indigo. Dana explains that while Kleypas may not lean as heavily into historical detail as Jenkins, she still layers in technology, social rules, class dynamics, and constraints on women, giving the romance a sense of depth and lift beyond the central love story.
They both appreciate how stories like Tempt Me at Twilight blend the emotional core of romance with the richness of historical or cultural worldbuilding, making them great case studies for writers who want multiple layers of meaning and conflict. They circle back to Before I Let Go, highlighting how centering a divorced Black couple in a contemporary setting not only brings representation to the list but also offers a nuanced, emotionally grounded vision of second chance love that will be instructive for writers exploring mature relationships and complex backstory.
27:00 Hooks Without Hate: How Book Twos Keep You Reading
The conversation shifts to series craft, specifically how sequels like Hellbent and Sin and Magic (the follow-up to Sin and Chocolate in the Demigods of San Francisco series) handle endings and hooks. Dana points out that neither Ninth House nor Sin and Chocolate ends with a rage-inducing cliffhanger, and that this matters a lot for reader experience. Both books resolve their primary storylines but leave meaningful threads unresolved—threads that matter deeply to at least one protagonist and naturally pull readers into book two.
Rachel breaks down Leigh Bardugo’s approach: in Ninth House, the main plot resolves, but a more subtle plot thread is revealed to be unfinished, effectively becoming the launchpad for Hellbent. The same pattern repeats in Hellbent itself.
Dana notes that Sin and Chocolate does something similar: readers get some relief and resolution, but an important underlying issue is still active and emotionally charged.
Together they suggest that writers planning trilogies or multi-book series with the same couple should pay attention to how these books balance closure and curiosity—delivering satisfaction while still giving readers a reason to keep going.
32:00 Gratitude, Community, and Kicking Off 2026 with Mistborn
To close the season, Dana and Rachel turn reflective and grateful. They thank new listeners and long-time followers alike for being part of what Dana calls their “eclectic little book club,” and they acknowledge the learning curve of tech, recording, editing, and show-notes logistics that turned into a “labor of love.” They invite listeners to rate and review the podcast, share it with both reading and writing friends, and stay tuned for everything they have planned for 2026.
Rachel officially announces Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson as their January pick, noting the many available formats and gently warning that it’s a hefty ~600-page doorstopper—but a rewarding one. Dana teases Rachel about being allowed to pick doorstoppers, joking that the audience will hold her accountable for letting it happen, while also affirming how much she loves doing this project with her best friend.
Dana wraps up with a heartfelt note about being stretched by the reading list and hoping that their conversations send listeners “running to the page,” spark aha moments, and help them see familiar stories in new ways. They both emphasize the joy of reading in community—where talking about plots, characters, and structure can deepen both craft and pleasure.
The episode closes with warm holiday wishes, a reminder that next week’s episode will be their overview of Mistborn, and Dana’s signature sign-off: happy writing and goodbye.
Next Episode
In the next episode, Dana and Rachel will explore Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, breaking down its worldbuilding, character arcs, and plot structure—and what writers can learn from an epic, series-launching fantasy novel. Be sure to tune in if you’re curious about how to build immersive worlds, manage a large cast, or design a story that can support multiple books.
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Tell them which 2025 pick stretched you the most, what you’re adding to your 2026 TBR, and how these conversations are shaping your own writing journey!
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