A (sometimes spicy) Podcast for Romance Lovers and Listeners

Hosted by Allie Martina, professional voice actor and narrator, Zipless takes a smart, fun, and spicy look at how romance novels provide mirrors and windows into women’s lives past and present. You’ll hear interviews with the hottest romance authors on the scene, excerpts from classic and contemporary romance novels and literature, personal letters from readers, and a fun few surprises along the way.

Dark themed romances can take readers through some pretty hairy situations, but the scariest scenes involve affairs of the heart. Authors Jennifer Hartmann and Chelley St Clair, two experts at breaking your heart and putting it back together, join us to talk about how the best dark romances can balance scaring us to death with a really good cry.

Whether we're getting cozy with a paperback or escaping with an audiobook, we love all types of romance novels.  In our first interview in front of a live audience, Allie and fellow romance novel narrators Samantha Brentmoor, Gideon Frost, and Robert Hatchet break down the art of romance narration at the most iconic romance bookstore in town.

Grumpy hot shots? Charming playboys? Lovable cinnamon Rolls?  Book boyfriends come in all shapes and sizes, and discovering what traits we like in our leading characters may help us find what we like in real life.  Stephanie Archer, a rom-com queen and author of hot, funny romances including the spicy hockey series "Vancouver Storm" joins us to talk about how the search for 'your person' is at the heart of all of her books. (02/18/25)

Readers may not be ready to blurt out their fantasies in public, but they’re obviously eating this stuff up in private.  Why do romantic fantasies feel so right and the way we talk about them feel so wrong?  Best selling author Sierra Simone joins us to talk about breaking taboo in every way possible, and why readers love it so much. (02/03/25)

The language of love is forever changing, but a constant theme throughout time has been the use of sexualized words to label women, shame them, and take away their power.  Modern romance novels are one of the ways women are taking back the language of sex, and flipping words and behaviors - once deemed inappropriate - into scenes of empowerment and independence.  Evie Dunmore, historical romance author of USA TODAY bestseller Bringing Down the Duke and League of Extraordinary Women series, joins us to talk about how she learned to write strong female characters who balance standing up for themselves while falling in love. (01/21/25)

From pillow talk to praise kinks, romance novels have the power to uncover women's deepest desires and bring them to life in the pages of a book.  Allie Martina explores the stories and sounds of taboo, forbidden romances, and independent women from across a century of writing, and tops it all off with an interview with best-selling author of the Salacious Players Club Sara Cate." (01/07/25)

Jill Ruby and Allie Martina may seem from the outside to be an unlikely pair. However, through their collaboration, they have become close friends and dedicated work partners. With laughter and hard work, they have bonded over this shared passion project (pun intended), creating a first-of-a-kind podcast that explores the sounds and stories behind romance. Jill and Allie put their hearts and souls into making Zipless entertaining and introspective and it shows.

HOST, PRODUCER, CO-CREATOR

Allie Martina is a classically trained actor with thirty-five years of professional experience in voice acting and a BAAS in Theater Arts from University of North Texas. As a narrator for audiobooks, she has narrated over 50 titles. Her commercial and corporate voice acting client list includes Nike, Fisher-Price, Expedia, Cracker Barrel, McDonalds, Mattel, Keebler, and Aquafor, among many others. Allie also voices the iconic characters of Catwoman and Black Canary in the long-running massive multiplayer online action game, DC Universe Online..

PRODUCER, EDITOR, CO-CREATOR

Jill Ruby has developed and produced radio, podcasts, and television series for various esteemed organizations, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, George Washington University, American Academy of Pediatrics, PBS, A&E, Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Court TV, and HGTV. Holding a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University, she is an active member of New York Women in Film & Television and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Jill serves as a judge for the Webby Awards and the Signal Awards, and has previously judged the Daytime Emmys. Her recent accomplishments in podcasting include winning multiple awards, such as four Webby-Anthem Awards, five Signal Awards, and being recognized as a 2024 Webby Honoree for Best Live Podcast.