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When your obsessive book boyfriends start looking a little… reasonable compared to real-life dating disasters, this episode is for you. Today I’m chatting with debut author Laura Bishop about her dark rom-com Love Me, Stalk Me—a twisty, funny, walking-red-flag romance that somehow still makes you root for the hero.

We get into why so many of us stay in toxic relationships, what it means to choose the brave-but-scary option in life, and how an AI boyfriend app plus a secretly obsessed coworker turned into one of the buzziest dark rom-coms of the year. Laura also shares her whirlwind path from self-publishing plans to a traditional deal with Atria, her genius BookTok biker content strategy, and why putting yourself on camera is both terrifying and healing.

📚 Books Mentioned 

• Love Me, Stalk Me by Laura Bishop — Dark rom-com | Obsessive hero | Toxic relationship recovery

📺 Other Media Mentioned

• Mr Inbetween (Australian dark dramedy TV series)

⏱️ Timestamps

[00:00 ] – Meet Laura Bishop: debut author, dark rom-com lover, caffeine girlie in Florida

[00:01 ] – What Love Me, Stalk Me is about: obsessive coworker, AI boyfriend app, and a toxic relationship

[00:02 ] – Writing a heroine who stays too long in a bad relationship (and why that’s real for so many of us)

[00:03 ] – Being your own worst enemy, feeling “trapped,” and choosing the brave, uncertain option in life

[00:04 ] – Laura’s personal connection to the book and how her own experiences shaped Izzy’s story

[00:05 ] – When your coworker hijacks your AI boyfriend app: ethical red flags in a safe, fictional space

[00:06 ] – Why we need people who see our worth before we do—and how that shows up in the romance

[00:07 ] – Laura’s whirlwind publication journey: cover reveal, book scout, agent call, and Atria deal

[00:09 ] – Darker, spicier rom-coms as an emerging trend and blending genres that “shouldn’t” go together

[00:10 ] – Building buzz online: BookTok, bikers, and turning a fun idea into a full-on marketing hook

[00:12 ] – Approaching bikers in Barnes & Noble, paying them in books and coffee, and making promo fun

[00:14 ] – Body image, seeing yourself on camera, and pushing past perfectionism

[00:15 ] – What Laura’s watching when she can’t read: Mr Inbetween and the power of long-form storytelling

[00:17 ] – Where to find Laura online and follow her biker-filled book content

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