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What if your favorite fandom didn’t just consume your life—it gave you one to build? We sit down with author Kaenyn King to trace the wild path from running a fan account to publishing an MM romance debut, Teach Me K-pop. The conversation is equal parts craft clinic, fandom love letter, and behind-the-scenes tour of indie publishing, told with the kind of candor that only comes from living it in public.

We start with origins: how posting twice a day on Mulvaney Media turned into friendships, industry contacts, and a supportive creative circle. Kanan shares the spark that changed everything—a fully formed story idea that hit while driving, leading to a twenty-two-page outline and a commitment to write through health setbacks. We talk about the mental game of author life: why some writers read less to protect their voice, how fanfic skills translate to novels, and what it feels like to hand your heart to an editor who can shape chaos into clarity.

Then we zoom into the world of K-pop and why it works so well on the page. Parasocial pull, stage personas versus offstage goofs, and the cultural rhythms of shows like Kingdom give texture to character and conflict. You do not have to be a stan to enjoy the book, and that is deliberate—Kanan builds gentle on-ramps so newcomers can follow the romance without prior knowledge. We also unpack indie publishing choices: picking the right editor and cover designer, navigating Kindle Unlimited versus selling direct, and growing sustainably with newsletters and special boxes without letting perfectionism stall the launch.

If you love stories about turning obsession into art, or you are curious how a secret-celebrity romance can welcome readers who know nothing about K-pop, you will feel right at home here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a creative nudge, and leave a quick review—your support helps us bring more voices from fandom to bookshelf.

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Want the uncut chaos + bonus episodes? Join us inside the cult at Patreon.com/TheBurnedOutMuse. Or find everything else (Discord, socials, freebies) at linktr.ee/theburnedoutmuse.

Send us a text

Support the show

Want the uncut chaos + bonus episodes? Join us inside the cult at Patreon.com/TheBurnedOutMuse. Or find everything else (Discord, socials, freebies) at linktr.ee/theburnedoutmuse.

Send us a text

Ever wonder why the second couple feels like the real main event? We sit down with Peachy—guest relations director for CitrusCon and creator of Church of BL—to trace how Boys’ Love evolves from gateway ships to full-blown obsession, and why fandom keeps returning to dangerous tropes, exquisite art, and redemption arcs that actually land. From Inuyasha-era headcanons to AO3 as a badge of honor, we connect the dots between fanfiction, validation, and the joy of seeing your characters live rent-free in someone else’s brain.

We trade manhwa must-reads—Taming The Tiger, Bloodlink, Mania—and dissect the gravitational pull of BJ Alex and the hard line some of us drew with Jinx. Along the way, we talk ABO Desire’s scene-stealing side couple and what writers can learn when secondary arcs outshine the leads. Regional flavors matter too: Korean BL as the perfect palate cleanser with real chemistry and earned intimacy; Thai BL leveling up direction, consent, and storytelling while shedding dated language and fixable misunderstandings. It’s fandom as critique, craft as care, and a reminder that global audiences are pushing the genre forward.

The conversation turns personal—visual novels as interactive BL where “bad endings” can be delicious, trans joy in getting to “be the boy,” and how gender exploration often blooms inside these stories. We open up about neurodivergence, masking, EMDR therapy, and the comfort of narratives that let emotions run high without apology. Parasocial boundaries get equal airtime: shipping actors vs. characters, calling people readers not fans, and keeping Discord communities vibrant without burning out. By the end, you’ll have a stacked rec list, a sharper lens for consent and redemption, and a deeper sense of why BL feels like home to so many.

Love the show? Follow, rate, and share it with a friend who has second couple syndrome. Drop your spiciest manhwa rec or your favorite redemption arc in the comments—what should we cover next?

Support the show

Want the uncut chaos + bonus episodes? Join us inside the cult at Patreon.com/TheBurnedOutMuse. Or find everything else (Discord, socials, freebies) at linktr.ee/theburnedoutmuse.