Surprise!! 🎀 We couldn't fully conclude season one of Booked & Busy without taking it back to our very first guest, the one and only Alex Aster! I sat down with Alex at Spotify Studios to chat all things Starside, her most recent book that she'd been writing in secret for years. From the world of Starside vs. Stormside, magical swords, the 'beast tree,' and female rage - to the romantasy genres booming success, audiobooks as an immersive portal into new stories and even the one's we already love... this is a bonus episode you do not want to miss! Special thanks to Spotify for hosting us at their studio, and if you're an audiobook reader - be sure to check out their 'Page Match' feature! This may be the OFFICIAL last episode of season one... but I have a feeling there's an update in store for you all very very soon ;)xoxo,Olivia Listen to the Starside Audiobook on Spotify Now: https://open.spotify.com/show/3heMK5Z9F20k9r0j2EoZjH?si=a1bec28f19924c6f❤︎ Join The Conversation→ Patreon (it's free!): https://www.patreon.com/cw/OliviaPonton→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olivia.ponton→ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamoliviaponton→ Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/olivia_ponton12Timestamps:00:00-00:06 - Intro00:06-00:53 - Writing adult romantasy for the first time00:53-01:41 - What does Alex want people to get out of 'Starside?'01:41-02:25 - Escapism, and why fantasy and romantasy are having a moment right now02:25-03:10 - Books as medicine + swapping scrolling for reading03:10-04:08 - What inspired the world of 'Starside' + the talking the sword magic system04:08-05:28 - How the audiobook format amplifies the reading experience05:28-07:20 - Reaching a new audience through this adult genre + the audiobooks07:20-07:48 - How reading transforms us + builds community07:48-08:11 - If 'Starside' had a playlist, what songs would be on it?08:11-08:35 - Alex describes 'Starside' in three words08:35-09:40 - Sword tattoos, dagger sisters, and the 'beast tree'09:40-09:51 - Outro✎ This Episode Is For You If You Like...→ Genres / Topics: romantasy, fantasy, author interviews, world-building, maps and magic systems→ Themes: female rage and resilience, rising from the ashes, enemies-to-lovers, → Books & Authors Mentioned: Starside by Alex Aster, Lightark series, Summer in the City, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, King of Greed by Ana Huang★ If You're Searching For:→ Alex Aster Starside book review and discussion→ Alex Aster interview→ author interview 2026→ Lightark series→ enemies to lovers fantasy books 2026→ female rage in fantasy books→ best romantasy books 2026→ how to get back into reading#booktube #romantasy #bookrecommendations #fantasybook #bookish #booktok

Season one of Booked & Busy is a wrap, but we honestly could not let it go by without a best moments compilation 🎀📖

From my best friend Emma Brooks talking about the wretched Korea Town apartment that started it all, to Rebecca Serle revealing the psychic prophecy that literally inspired In Five Years...this season was one for the books ;))

We talked about changing dreams, crying in ubers, writing on kitchen floors covered in index cards, friendship soulmates, manifestation, what the 20s are actually for, and why a crush is just a lack of information (life changing revelation, by the way).

If you're new here, this is your sign to go back and watch every episode, and if you've been here from the start...thank you!!! genuinely. this podcast started because i kept DMing authors with questions and someone told me to just start a show and now here we are 🥹🪽

big things coming soon 💝

xoxo,
Olivia

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Rebecca Serle is officially Booked & Busy 📖🌊

Okay so I need to set the scene. I started reading 'In Five Years' on a 6-hour bus ride to the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch surrounded by surfers who absolutely did not care about the emotional spiral I was having. I finished it on the way back... was not okay. Stared at the wall for a minimum of 30 minutes after the last page and had so many questions. A few weeks later I somehow ended up sitting across from the author herself, and that's why I love this podcast!!

We get into EVERYTHING. The full breakdown of In Five Years (spoilers included so be sure to pay attention to the timestamps), the psychic prophecy that actually inspired the entire book and turned out to be true, why Rebecca wrote that ending, and a peek into her brand new book 'Once and Again.' We also talk about motherhood, growing apart from friends, why happy marriages don't make interesting novels, and sooo much more!!!

Grab a drink and snack and let's get into it 🎀

xoxo,
Olivia

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Haley-Grace McCormick is officially Booked & Busy 💙🕗

If you know me, you know I don't cry from just any book, but then I finished 'The Enemy of Time' by Haley-Grace McCormick in a hotel room the night before a big shoot and proceeded to absolutely fall apart...

We talk everything from the story behind how this book came to life starting with a college short story class and a bunch of old journals, growing apart from friends, writing through her first real heartbreak and how that changed the story, the 'spicy' scene her dad had to read out loud to her (i could actually never), what's coming next from her and SO so so so much more!

Grab your beverage of the day (ours was a blue smoothie to match the cover) and let's get Booked & Busy ;)

xoxo,
Olivia

✎ This Episode Is For You If You Like...
→ Genres: contemporary romance, emotional contemporary fiction
→ Tropes / Vibes: author interviews, debut novels, emotional devastation and heartbreaking love stories, friends to lovers, flashbacks, non-linear storytelling

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Emma Brooks is officially Booked & Busy 🎀📖

Today's episode is maybe my favorite so far because I'm joined by my actual best friend in the whole word... THE Emma Brooks. And tbh, this episode feels like the one that started it all, because in a way she's lowkey the reason this podcast even exists!!

We talk about how we both fell in love with reading (hint...it starts with a 500-page book and a questionable Koreatown apartment in Los Angeles), our full reading journeys from the Crave series by Tracy Wolf, Colleen Hoover, and Taylor Jenkins Reid to the ACOTAR series and what we've been reading most recentlyyy. We also dive into our favorite tropes, self-care reading routines, audiobooks and the books that made us book a session with our therapists post-breakdown (and like so so much more omg)

Grab a beverage and a snack, get cozy, and let's get Booked & Busy ;)

xoxo,
Olivia

✎ This Episode Is For You If You Like...
→ Genres: romance, romantasy, contemporary romance, fantasy, dystopian fantasy
→ Tropes / Vibes: enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, plot twists, booktok/booktube recs, hidden gem book recs, YA nostalgia
→ Books Mentioned: Crave Series, ACOTAR (Court of Thorns and Roses, Court of Mist and Fury), Throne of Glass, Fourth Wing, The Alchemist, Normal People, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and the Six, Guild, The Butcher and the Blackbird, Book Lovers, If He Had Been With Me, A Thousand Boy Kisses, Quicksilver, Confirm, Every Summer After (and probably so many more i missed girl idk lol)

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Welcome back to Booked & Busy... my podcast for all the girlies who love to read 💌

This week I'm SO excited to be joined by Lucy Score, #1 New York Times bestselling author and the fabulous mind behind the 'Knockemout' series!

In this episode we're talking 'Things We Never Got Over' (including the series adaptation in development with Amazon MGM Studios), writing routines, character chemistry, slow burns and the editing process that "kills your soul." We're ALSO getting a little preview of Lucy's soon to be released, 'Mistakes Were Made,' 👀 which is the second book in her hit 'Story Lake' series.

So grab a drink or a snack, get cozy, and let's get Booked & Busy! 🎀📖

xoxo,
Olivia

📅 Mistakes Were Made drops March 10th, 2026

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Happy (belated) Valentine's Day angels 🎀🪽

On today's episode of Booked & Busy we'll be focusing on 'The Deal' by Elle Kennedy... the perfect fake-dating hockey romance for Valentine's Day!! It's sweet, it's surprisingly deep and emotional, it's... a little cringe tbh. Honestly what else could we ask for?!?!

Instead of doing a heavy synopsis, we'll be mostly chatting about my thoughts and opinions on the characters, their relationship, and why they do the things that they do.

A quick TW for this one: 'The Deal' covers topics like assault and domestic abuse / family trauma, but we touch on it only briefly, so feel free to check the timestamps so you can skip through if needed.

Love you always xoxo,
Olivia

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Welcome back to Booked & Busy 📚💘

Today is going to be an extra fun episode because we're joined by Abby Abell, a member of the Amazon Editors team! We're diving into all the best romance and romantasy books of 2025, the most anticipated releases of 2026, and the trends we're seeing in the literary space continuing into 2026.

Get ready to add 20+ more books to your never-ending TBR... because, from enemies to lovers and forced proximity to second-chance romances and love triangles, we have something for EVERYONE this week 🎀🎀

Let me know your favorite books of 2025 and most anticipated releases of 2026 in the comments down below!!

xoxo,
Olivia

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