Smart Podcast, Trashy Books Podcast

229. Romance, Dating, and Very Real Expectations: An Interview with Alisha Rai

This week, we have a longer-than-usual, in person conversation with author Alisha Rai! Yup, a live recording, and of course we start by talking about my “professionalism” as a podcaster. Over brownies and tea, we discuss sexxytimes romance, her new series with Avon, and how reading and writing romance informs and influences her dating life – because sometimes you meet people who you *know* you’ve read before. She talks about the pressure on women to meet expectations in various stages of life, and the old accusation that women harbor “unrealistic expectations” because of romance. As a bonus, my cat interrupts a discussion of inclusivity, sensitivity readers, and portrayal in literature – you know, a typical podcast.

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Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:

Alisha also mentioned this interview with Tracee Ellis Ross in Marie Claire.

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This Episode's Music

Our music is provided by Sassy Outwater.

This is “Marx Terrace,” by the Peatbog Fairies, from their album Dust.

You can find all things Peatbog at their website, or at Amazon or iTunes.


Podcast Sponsor

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Transcript

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This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.

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  1. Willa says:

    It’s the Wilbur and Orville Show! I think they should have their own Podcast, Wilbur can chat and Orville can do the tricks with the flying turds!

  2. SB Sarah says:

    @Willa: Wilbur and Orville would love their own show! They’d lecture everyone on proper litter cleaning (every 30 minutes please), the best way to drink out of the faucet, and why dropping a pencil in the bathtub and chasing it around is the BEST SPORT EVER.

  3. Pamala says:

    Wonderful! It sounded like you two were having so much fun 🙂 And Alisha’s laugh just warmed my heart throughout the entire podcast. Also, Wilbur and Orville are allowed to express their admiration for your fine work too, mom 😀

  4. Can I tell you how much I loved this episode? OMG. This was just awesome.

    I just turned 30 at the end of November and even thinking about dating gives me hives. I wasn’t allowed to date for most of high school and by the time I was allowed, I was the odd girl, who liked to sing Christmas carols in Latin in May and researched serial killers in my spare time. No one wanted to touch me with a 10 foot pole. When it was time for college, I went to a commuter school and was more interested in getting my degree than I was in getting laid. I thought Grad School would be different as I was getting my MS in a male dominated field, but my first day there, I learned that my program consisted of 30 women and 4 men, two of which were in serious relationships. I didn’t have time to socialize with other people, so I just concentrated on school. Now that I’m out in the real world, I’m just so awkward around people. Last year, I was on OKCupid and came close to actually connecting with someone until he turned into a real creeper (I don’t think he realized he was being a creeper as he was a high functioning autistic, but I didn’t have time to explain to him why what he was doing was weird/stalkery). I’m on Match now and the sheer number of guys that only want skinny girls, who like hiking and are the 49ers Biggest Fan Ever, make me cringe. I’m neither of those things or any of the things these guys want. Doesn’t anyone want to just marathon Netflix with me? In 10 years when they’ve done the female reboot of the 40 Year Old Virgin, which I’m sure will happen, probably with Melissa McCarthy or Kristen Wiig in the title role, it will be an uncomfortable bio-pick of my life.

  5. This Alisha Rai podcast? Everything I hoped for!

    The best part about the podcast these days is that I no longer even have to email/tweet SB Sarah to ask her to interview a favorite author… she does it without asking! And the people she interviews that I’ve never heard of are so interesting that they’re my new favorite guests! Best. Podcast. Ever!

  6. Nic says:

    Ooh, so many books ob my TBR pile now!

    This podcast’s not one for headphones unless you run something over it to equalise the volume – lots of laughs, but I couldn’t find a volume where I could hear the talking without having it go really loud during the funny bits. Play it at home!

  7. Trish says:

    Agree with Nic, love the podcast at all times, just had a hard time with the audio on this one. I listen at work w/ headphones, and missed a lot of the conversation.

  8. SB Sarah says:

    Agh – I’m really sorry about that. I tried to smooth things out but alas, seems I didn’t do so enough. I’m sorry!

  9. violet says:

    This episode was the first one I listened to in the new year and I loved it so much! I became a fan of alisha rai last year and it was so lovely to hear her talk about writing and dating and diversity in romance. thank you so much!!

  10. June says:

    Thanks so much for the episode. I haven’t read Alisha Rai before, but I will look for her now. If you, or others, are looking for romances involving heroines widowed from happy marriages, I can recommend Tangled in Texas by Kari Lynn Dell. The two main characters meet again after a college romance. In the years since they had dated, she had been been happily married but her husband is killed in an accident. It’s a good balance. The heroine is grieving, but the story is not really about grief. And the late husband was beloved by her and many other people. I don’t read much western romance, but I really like Dell’s books. Virgin River by Robyn Carr is another one. The hero and heroine meet when she moves to his small town after she has been widowed.

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