Today, I’m a guest on an episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, which is among the best of the NPR podcasts. My inner 13 year old barely kept herself together, I was so excited. But I figured since perhaps some PCHH listeners are romance fans, or curious about romance, or curious about what we do around here, I’d introduce the site a bit. So: Hi! I’m Sarah, and welcome to the Hot Pink Palace of Bitchery, … Continue reading Greetings, PCHH Folks!
Well, bookshelves. Who can possibly have just one? I have recently moved (well, recently, like six months ago, but I lived in my last place for six years before that, so recently is relative) and as such I have had my hands on every book I own- twice. It’s a lot of books, and one of the requirements for a new place was enough places to put up my bookshelves… and roommates who would understand … Continue reading A Tour of Redheadedgirl’s Bookshelf
Being honest about what we think of romances (and movies, and covers, and man titty, and Jeremy Renner gifs) is our intent here. I want the comments to be a safe space for you to talk about personal and challenging subjects – subjects that romance deals with frequently, such as sexuality, emotions, assault, overcoming obstacles, vulnerability and happiness. I don’t take myself seriously at all, but I take the community at Smart Bitches very seriously. So … Continue reading Nothing But Squee: Is it Spam? How Do You React?
Next week I will be a guest of the Surrey International Writers' Conference in British Columbia, Canada, and one of the workshops I've giving is on reviews. Specifically, it's called, Reviews: How to Get Reviewed, and How to Put a Review in your Rearview Mirror. I'm a blogger and reviewer who regularly gives negative review to books, and I'm also an author of two books, both of which have received positive and negative reviews. I … Continue reading The Choices of Kathleen Hale
IT'S TIIIIIME! Time for The Most Expensive Thread where each month we talk about what we're reading and then we all buy a pile of books. Ready? Whatcha reading? Me, I just finished Chalice by Robin McKinley ( A | BN | K ). After I mentioned that I was reading The Blue Sword in last week's podcast with Ilona Andrews, all the lovely fantasy romance readers who know much more than I do about this genre came … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? September Edition
One topic I discuss a LOT – and do workshops about – is reviews. Finding them, requesting them, and dealing with them and reacting to them. I did a workshop on that topic at RWA this year (and thank you again to everyone who came). One of the points I stress is that the book and the author are separate things. I know it can be difficult to separate, because writing a book, especially one … Continue reading Pitching for Review: A Bitches Discussion
Yesterday, Christine Merrill tagged me in the Ice Bucket Challenge. Dammit. (Link) So in return, I challenge Nalini Singh, Sarah Morgan, Angela James and Jane Litte: I believe you have 24 hours to accept the challenge. For more information about the ALS Foundation, and the Ice Bucket Challenge, you can go to the ALS website, or log on to most social media because much of the footage of people doing the challenge is … Continue reading Ice Bucket Challenge: Game On
I want to confess something: I love paperback books. Yeah, I know that ebooks are cheaper and easier and generally awesome, but I love my paper. I grew up in a house filled with books. I think literally every room had a bookshelf in it. In fact one entire wall of my mother’s spare bathroom is a large bookshelf. So if you if have to be constipated, that’s the room to do it in, my … Continue reading I’m a Paperback Kind of Girl
Eleventy billion years ago, when I was in college, I took a bunch of classes with an awesome professor who used the Blues as a method of framing Southern American literature. We read William Faulkner and Alice Walker and listened to Bessie Smith and just had feelings. Both the Blues and literature have been described as “equipment for living” (read Kenneth Burke’s literary theory tonight if you can’t sleep), a means of capturing what’s working … Continue reading Chronic Pain and Coping: Why Romance Novels Are My Equipment For Living
Last weekend I was a guest at BayCon 2014. BayCon is a mid-sized science fiction and fantasy convention in the Bay Area. This was an impeccably well-run convention, and it left me with a lot to think about in terms community, and of the roles fiction can play in inspiring and liberating the reader or viewer. Also, there were light saber battles, so that was cool! Carrie and a young Jedi warrior BayCon came at … Continue reading Community, Hope, and Liberation: Fandom and Fiction as Activism
I recently received a letter from Sue, who was looking for an author whose books she loved: I am trying to find out what in the world happened to Christi Phillips, author of The Rosetti Letter and The Devlin Diary. I enjoyed these books and want to find out how everything works out for the current day heroine. Last note on Amazon was that she was publishing the third book (set in France) in 2011. … Continue reading What Ever Happened to: Christi Phillips
