In our first episode for 2022, Marissa chats with Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera about their new contemporary romance - HERE'S TO US - as well as our semi-charmed road-to-publication stories; the expectations within the romance genre and how it can strengthen the story to approach every relationship as if you don't already know how it's going to end; lots of talk about writing loveable secondary characters, from best friends to boyfriends; how deadlines and pandemics impacted the collaborative process between two different books, and some pros and cons of each method; and the role of the capital-U Universe in both contemporary fiction and real life.Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at  https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyerBooks discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/