Tia Williams on What We Want Out of Modern Romance + Why She’ll Never ‘Raise a Man’

QUESTION EVERYTHING

Bestselling author Tia Williams (Seven Days in June, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde) sits down with Danielle Robay for a juicy, unfiltered conversation about love, dating, and why modern romance is more complicated than ever. From her days as the first Black beauty editor at Glamour to writing the books she wishes existed, Tia shares how her own experiences—including how dating a “charismatic psycho”—shaped her novels.

• What modern women are craving in love stories and why “friends to lovers” isn’t enough
• The end of ‘Build-a-Bear Boyfriends’ – why she refuses to write women who raise men
• Soft girl era vs. emotional labor: Why women still want to be “saved” (but in a new way)
• How romance novels went from ‘milky-thighed virgins’ to complex, powerful heroines
• Tia’s real-life whirlwind love story (spoiler: she knew instantly!)
• Her go-to beauty tip from her magazine days that actually works
• The biggest mistake writers make when trying to capture romance

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Grab a copy of Tia’s latest book Audre & Bash Are Just Friends here.

Book Reccomendation: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin