135: How stories change the world (Our Choice: Romance for Roe anthology)

Have you ever wondered about how we can use our stories to change the world, or the power of the books we read and write? That’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly! INTRODUCING... Our Choice: Romance for Roe anthology in aid of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice. 

This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.   

TUNE IN NOW to learn about the #RomanceForRoe anthology, and what YOU can do to make a difference in the world with the power of storytelling...  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Get podcast and book updates delivered to your inbox at SaganMorrow.com/behindthescenes .
• Learn more about all of Sagan's books (including the Polyamorous Passions romcom series and the business books) at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Our Choice: Romance for Roe anthology in aid of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice: RomanceForRoe.com .
• Rate and review A Choice Between Two (Polyamorous Passions Book 1) on GoodReads .
• Episode 50 of Indie Author Weekly: FAQ about the Polyamorous Passions series .
• Get productivity and success coaching with Sagan: SaganMorrow.com/workwithme .
• Reach out to Sagan on Twitter or Instagram: @Saganlives .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email hello@saganmorrow.com .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

Transcript

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Hello and welcome back to Indie Author Weekly! This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and the behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. I’m your host, Sagan Morrow (or @Saganlives on Twitter & Instagram), and I’m an anti-hustle productivity strategist and an author of polyamorous romantic comedies.

Now, have you ever wondered about how we can use our stories to change the world, or the power of the books we write? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!

But first, don’t miss an episode: You can now get all Indie Author Weekly podcast episodes plus book and writing updates delivered directly to your inbox each week at SaganMorrow.com/behindthescenes—link is in the show notes.

Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, I want to share about an awesome romance anthology I’m part of, and why it matters… it’s called Our Choice: Romance for Roe, and it is a collaboration between 36 romance authors, led by Jackie Barbosa, in aid of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice

EVERYONE deserves happily-ever-afters… including people who decide to terminate a pregnancy for any reason. Given everything that’s been going on in Texas with reproductive rights and abortion access, all of us romance authors wanted to come together and DO something about it. Our Choice is a 100% donation based anthology, which means that none of the authors or organizers are getting any money for it—we are contributing our romance novels purely in support of abortion rights and access.

I’ll share more about the Our Choice anthology in a moment, but first, let’s talk briefly about the power in storytelling…

...Because there IS so much power in the stories we read, listen to, and watch—there is so much power in the stories we tell and share. 

Storytelling is its own form of activism. The more stories we hear/read/watch from different content creators, the more we learn, connect, understand. ⠀

If you ever think to yourself, “There are a lot of changes we need to make in the world, but what can I possibly do, as one person? How can I make a difference? What can I do, moving forward? How can I continue to be part of the much-needed change in the world?”, then here you go: Start with stories.

Stories are powerful and empowering. Stories carry so much meaning. Stories are how we communicate with one another. Stories are how we learn. Stories can inspire us, motivate us, spur us into action. Stories create a deeper connection between all of us. The voices of diverse storytellers share a breadth of emotion, values, principles, and messages.

And of course: it doesn't matter how "fluffy" vs "serious" a story is. Romance novels, young adult novels, fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, memoirs, biographies, essays, podcast interviews, literature, standup comedy, documentaries, all of these genres have that same ability to change the world.

This, as you know, is the exact reason why I chose the fun and lighthearted romantic comedy genre to share my own message about polyamory and alternative relationship styles. Since starting to write and publish my Polyamorous Passions romantic comedy series (which currently has 7 books published in the series), I’ve had multiple readers reach out to shared with me how those books have changed their perspective and even their entire lifestyle as a result. Stories are powerfully life-changing!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

So, if you're at a loss, or you're trying to bridge the gap from where we're at right now to where we want to go… Start with stories.

And that is where the Our Choice: Romance for Roe charity anthology comes in! Because when it comes to reproductive rights and access to abortion, we need to do A LOT better. Reproductive rights are for everyone. Abortion rights and access must be improved significantly.

Here’s how it works: You make a donation of at least $10 to either Planned Parenthood or NARAL Pro-Choice, submit your receipt for proof of donation at RomanceForRoe.com, and you’ll receive a copy of the Our Choice anthology. Your email addresses aren’t given to the authors or anything—you are simply making a donation to one or both of these important organizations, and in return, you get a collection of awesome romance novels! 

Quick note, the Our Choice anthology is not affiliated with Planned Parenthood or NARAL Pro-Choice; it’s a voluntary collaboration.

Let’s get into the details of the Our Choice: Romance for Roe anthology…

• Features 36 romance stories (20 contemporary, 8 historical, and 8 speculative romances)—ALL with happily-ever-afters or happily-for-nows (because that’s what the romance genre is about)
• At least 2 stories feature a person having an abortion & living happily ever after
• Most of the stories are full length (>50,000 words or 200 page) novels, but there are also short stories & novellas—the full anthology is 6,418 pages in total!
• Nearly all of the stories are by Americans, but there are international authors from Canada, the UK, and beyond, from women, men & non-binary authors
• The anthology covers much of the spectrum of romance currently available, with gay, lesbian, polyam, bisexual & straight characters
• Stories range from ‘sweet’ kisses-only to erotic. All the stories have their heat level listed, so you as the reader can *choose* what you’d like to read
• One of the stories in the Our Choice anthology is my own! It’s called “A Choice Between Two,” and it’s Book 1 in my Polyamorous Passions romcom series. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

And again, this is 100% donation based: You donate to either organization, submit your receipt at RomanceForRoe.com, and then you get access to your copy. That’s it! We the authors, and the organizers of this anthology, aren’t receiving any money for this—it’s entirely to support Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice. The organizers won’t use your email address for anything besides sending you the anthology, and none of the rest of us, the contributing authors, will have access to your email address

So: What are you waiting for? Visit RomanceForRoe.com to make your donation and get your copy! We recommend a donation of $36, as that’s one dollar for each story you get in the anthology.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Please also spread the word and use the hashtag #RomanceForRoe. This anthology will be available for up to 9 months, but the sooner you grab it, the sooner you can enjoy fun and delightful romance novels by a diverse group of authors.

Thank you for your support. Together we can change the world through stories.

All right. That, my friend, is a wrap for today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly. As always, you can access the show notes for this episode, including all links and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/podcast.

Thank you so much for tuning in. Please take 2 minutes to rate and review Indie Author Weekly on Apple Podcasts—I really appreciate your support. 

Until next week, this is Sagan Morrow, signing off the Indie Author Weekly podcast.