# Sci-Fi Romance Recs With Formula Zero's Author Meredith Lanzen

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen.md
Podcast: [What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads](https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873)
Published: 2026-07-08T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/65e68e69-6c3f-4b1c-9956-2e02174f499b.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/episodes/sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen
Duration seconds: 1279

## Resource

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Ever wondered what happens when Formula 1 gets launched into zero gravity — and thrown in a childhood-best-friends-to-lovers arc for good measure? Debut author Meredith Lanzen joins us to talk about her sci-fi sports romance, Formula Zero . We dig into how a Drive to Survive rabbit hole turned into a book deal, why she wanted her leads to be equals on the racetrack, and her go-to recommendations for readers who love character-driven sci-fi, banter-heavy urban fantasy, and rom-coms with real emotional depth. If you love found family, slow-burn trust, and worlds that feel just a little bit magic around the edges, this episode is for you. 📚 Books Mentioned Formula Zero by Meredith Lanzen — Buy on Amazon | Sci-Fi Romance / Sports Romance | Audio ✅ Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell — Buy on Amazon | Sci-Fi Romance | Audio ✅ The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards — Buy on Amazon | Urban Fantasy | Audio ✅ The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance / Rom-Com | Audio ✅ Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir — Buy on Amazon | Sci-Fi Fantasy Mystery | Audio ✅ ⏱️Timestamps [00:00] Intro & welcome [01:00] Meredith's side quests: jigsaw puzzling, sourdough [02:00] The Formula 1 obsession begins [03:00] Discovering F1 via Drive to Survive; the writing journey starts [04:00] The idea for Formula Zero is born [06:00] Why she wanted her racers to be true equals [08:00] Formula Zero plot: Clark & Julian's fractured friendship [10:00] The fake-friendship PR twist [11:00] Favorite sci-fi elements & comfort rereads [13:00] Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell [14:00] The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards [16:00] The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun [19:00] Gideon the Nint…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/episodes/sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.