This week we're joined by travel rom-com author Kat Mackenzie to talk about her latest release, Experiments in Offline Dating (Avon), out today. Set in County Clare, Ireland, the book is built around a real-life Irish matchmaking festival, and Kat did the research the only way she knows how: she went. She lived in Galway, traveled all over Ireland, went to the actual festival in Lisdoonvarna, and signed up with a real third-generation matchmaker, Willie Daly, complete with his generations-old leather-bound book of dating magic.

We get into all of it: why every pub, shop, and plate of fish and chips in the book is a place Kat has actually been, how she nailed the Irish dialect, her Cajun life in Louisiana with six rescue dogs, and the baby lamb author photo she refuses to give up. Then the conversation turns to the honest stuff, Kat's winding path from indie to a trad deal with Avon, why traditional publishing keeps so many secrets, and the real differences between going indie and going trad.

Also, Kat believes her true literary legacy is the perfectly crafted insult. After this episode, we're inclined to agree.

Plus: our brand-new segment, The Book Break, kicks off with Liar Liar by Lucy Lee, a steamy fake-dating rom-com you'll want on your TBR.

Pour a margarita or a Guinness and settle in.

In this episode:

• Six rescue dogs, wildlife rehab, and the baby lamb that started it all
• The real Irish matchmaking festival in County Clare
• Meeting world-famous matchmaker Willie Daly
• Writing authentic Irish dialect (and one very memorable curse word)
• The art of the insult
• Kat's journey from indie to a trad deal with Avon
• Trad vs indie publishing: control, transparency, and why trad keeps secrets

Links:

• Grab Experiments in Offline Dating by Kat Mackenzie
• Follow Kat on Instagram
• Subscribe to our Substack and e-newsletter
• Loved the episode? Follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It's the easiest way to support the show.

This episode's book break:

Liar, Liar by Lucy Lee, a steamy fake-dating debut romance from a Florida sister duo. Broke, jobless, and accidentally the winner of a $100k love-story contest, Lena talks her favorite banter buddy into fake-dating her to claim the prize. Fake dating, forced proximity, secret pining, roughly three chili peppers. Content notes for mental health, food insecurity, and references to abuse and loss.
Grab it: https://books2read.com/u/mVEQg2

Margs & Manuscripts is hosted by Jenna G. Judith and Cait Waynelovich.