Chase Me If You Can: A Storm-Chasing Debut + 4 Romance Recs with Heather Frances

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Storm chasing, forced proximity, and a debut romance that's giving Twisters — but make it swoony. This episode is for every reader whose TBR needs a little weather event.

Debut author Heather Frances joins the show to talk about Chase Me If You Can, her contemporary romance about two rival storm-chasing photographers stuck in the same car for the season. We dig into forced proximity done right, the black cat/golden retriever dynamic, and why Sloane is the eldest-daughter coded heroine we didn't know we needed. Heather also shares four romance recommendations she's been loving — cozy dark romance with surprising humor, a chef romance with genuinely great ADHD rep, a Scotland-set romcom full of dysfunctional family yearning, and a messy FMC contemporary that makes you earn the HEA. If you love tropey, emotionally rich romance with characters who feel deeply real, this one's for you.

📚 BOOKS MENTIONED

Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Forced Proximity, Rivals to Lovers, Black Cat/Golden Retriever, Storm Chasing, He Falls First, Single POV

Prey for Me by Allie Oleander — Buy on Amazon | Dark Romance (cozy dark) | Black Cat FMC, Sunshine MMC, He Falls First, Kink Exploration, Humor | Note: mind content warnings

Yes, Chef by Grace Reilly — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Grumpy Sunshine, Chef Romance, ADHD Rep, Tattooed MMC, Messy Characters |

Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Scotland/Travel, Forced Proximity, Dysfunctional Family, Yearning, Romcom | Upcoming release at time of recording

Now That We Don't Talk by Rachel Pologe — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance | Grief, Messy FMC, He Falls First, Laugh-Out-Loud Humor, Yearning | Upcoming release at time of recording

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Welcome & intro — Heather Frances, debut author, photographer, storm chaser

[00:01] Storm chasing 101 — plains chasing, monsoon season, photography goals vs. proximity

[00:03] Heather's romance reading journey — historicals, Pride & Prejudice variations, arriving at contemporary

[00:05] Writing Chase Me If You Can — how storm chasing became a romance setup, the forced proximity logic, balancing technical detail with emotional story

[00:07] Book spotlight: Chase Me If You Can — elevator pitch, Wes & Sloane, black cat/golden retriever, he falls first, single POV

[00:09] Book rec: Prey for Me by Allie Oleander — cozy dark romance, humor, kink with emotional grounding, Caine & Margot

[00:10] Book rec: Yes, Chef by Grace Reilly — grumpy sunshine, chef romance, ADHD rep done with subtlety

[00:12] Book rec: Highland Fling by Naina Kumar — Scotland travel romance, dysfunctional family layers, laugh-out-loud moments

[00:15] Conversation: dysfunctional families in romance, eldest daughter coded characters, trauma and character arcs

[00:17] Book rec: Now That We Don't Talk by Rachel Pologe — messy FMC, grief, earning the HEA, TV comedy writer voice

[00:19] Pre-orders matter — why supporting debut and upcoming authors with pre-orders makes a difference

[00:19] Where to find Heather — Instagram, Threads (@heatherfrancesauthor)

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