Dirty Diana started out as a sexy fictional podcast voiced in real life by the queen of sultriness, Demi Moore herself. It's now been adapted into two novels by the University of Texas at Austin grads who wrote the podcast; the first book in the series has more than 4,500 reviews on Goodreads, and initial reviews of Diana in Love, officially out since February 5, are already looking promising.

The podcast story follows a 41-year-old woman who secretly runs an erotic website. It seemed to hit home with a lot of people, because the podcast quickly rose to number one in Apple's fiction section. Using that momentum, show co-creator and Austinite Shana Feste and her best friend Jen Besser got to work transforming this story into a book trilogy.

The first book in the series, Dirty Diana: A Novelleft readers with a tantalizing cliffhanger. And now, the wait for book two is finally over.

Diana in Lovehit the shelves earlier this month with a celebration at BookPeople and an after-party at Justine's. Since Feste lives in Austin and both Feste and Besser went to UT, the city seemed like the perfect place to launch the book's latest installment.

"I was a grad student at UT, so for me, BookPeople was one of those places that was like 'Oh my god, if I ever had a book at BookPeople...'" Feste says. "I just couldn't imagine it. So to have a book at such a special place. Same thing with Justine's; as a grad student it was like, 'Will I ever be fancy enough to go to Justine's?' So to have this little after party there was a very full-circle moment."

Feste and Besser both went to UT, but they originally met when they were 11-year-olds in California and have been collaborating ever since. Together they've written, directed, produced, and even starred in some (regrettable) middle-school talent shows. Feste is based in Austin and works as a screenwriter and director, and Besser lives in Connecticut and is an editor and publisher.

Besser and Fesse hug at their recent book release celebration at Justine's. Photo by Taylor Guillory

It was during the early days of the pandemic that Feste and Besser had the idea of creating the podcast. Although the main character is inspired while working on her erotic website, at home she struggles to find the same spark with her husband.

"At the time we were both looking for ways to still be creative and work," says Feste. "And we just started writing and turned the story into six episodes. It was sort of like an old radio play."

As was the case for many pandemic-born passion projects, creative collaborations fell into place relatively easily. The duo had strong casting options as many actors sought out new gigs.

"Demi was our first choice, because her voice is sort of the most sexy, sultry, vulnerable voice in Hollywood," Feste says. "We sent her the script and she immediately said yes."

Once it was clear people resonated with the story, Feste and Besser began co-writing the first Dirty Diana book from a distance.

"We talk on the phone constantly when writing," says Besser. "When we're not writing, too, actually. And we'll just email pages back and forth... We're so lucky because I don't think I could do this with anyone else — show someone writing that is so unfinished and raw and messy."

Book One in the series, Dirty Diana was released in November of 2024 to high praise. Moore said about the novel, "Too many women are made to feel that their sexuality is something dangerous, something that should be kept under wraps. Dirty Diana busts that myth wide open. Diana’s struggles will be relatable, and her awakening inspiring, to women everywhere. Dirty Diana is a deliciously entertaining, funny, tantalizing treat of a story.”

Diana in Love continues Diana's story. Like so many popular romances these days — think Netflix's Nobody Wants This or Miranda July's All Fours — this book is grounded in the realities of real-life relationships. The characters are not twenty-somethings anymore; they are older, wiser, and in this story, married with children. This book may be filled with sex and sexiness, but it is also a sort of guidepost for lasting relationships; a PSA for women of all ages.

"I think a piece of what's happening in the zeitgeist is that we're talking more about female desire, sex, and what that looks like in a marriage," Besser says.

"Culturally we're seeing a lot of women who are like 'Finally, we get to have this conversation,'" says Feste. "I think it's really an exciting time right now, and I hope it inspires women to think about their own desire and if their needs are being met — and that they deserve to have their needs met."

Book two of the Dirty Diana series, Diana in Love is now available ($18 paperback) wherever books are sold, and book three will be released August 12, 2025.