We are joined by the fabulous Kate Clayborn — the first in the Fated Mates five-timer club! — to talk about about retellings in romance and to celebrate the launch of her new book, Love At First, which you can get wherever books are sold. We talk about the difference between retellings and homages, about Shakespeare and mythology and retellings of classic texts versus modern ones. And of course, we fill your TBR. Whether you're new to Fated Mates this month or have been with us for all three seasons, we adore you, and we're so grateful to have you. Next week, we're back with a read along of Mary Balogh's A Matter of Class, a short historical novel. Get it for only $2.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo or Google Books.Show NotesWelcome Kate Clayborn, our first five-timer. She was with us for the Best Friend’s Sibling Interstitial, Kresley’s The Player, the Sickbed Scenes Interstitial, Derek Craven Day 2021, and today’s interstitial on Romance Retellings. Texas and the rest of America got hit with some espically bad winter weather this February. This is climate change. Kate released Love at First this week, which is an homage to Romeo and Juliet. Kate’s 2020 book, Love Lettering, is an Overdrive read. Get it today with no wait! Dr. Jill Biden loves Valentine’s Day.JK Rowling is a problem, and it’s changed the way many Harry Potter fans think about her books. Yes, yes, the English Teacher memes are so funny. Well take that. Tl;dr: archetypes are about character,while retellings are about plot. In Where Dreams Begin, Zachary Bronson is a hero that follows the Beast archetype, and Jen saw it in the scene where Holly first enters his house. Story can be a safe way to explore terrifying ideas about society and people. For example, both La Lloronaand Medea are about mothers who kill their children, but have a kind of distance that the story of Andrea Yates does not.Dr. Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes about storytelling and the universal ID. Our next read along episode will be A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh.