Robin Bradford, Amanda, Elyse and I hosted a live recording of the podcast at RT 2018, and now it’s here for everyone’s enjoyment as our 300th episode! If we were tv we’d be well into nonstop TNT syndication.
A few things you should know:
First, there was wine, because people are noble and good.
Second, there are three parts.
In Part 1, we talk about what the closing of RT means for Robin and other librarians, and what we’d enjoyed at RT thus far. We also talked about boob money, ongepotchket, and what we were looking forward to that week.
In Part 2, I do a four question interview with Sarah Penna from Frolic Media, a new destination for romance and pop culture fans. I’m on their advisory committee, and folks at RT had already met them at the opening night party.
And then, in Part 3, we embark on a high-stakes, very competitive game of Romance Feud, built on the survey I posted a few weeks ago. Team Amanda battles Team Elyse with excellent audience volunteers, and a great deal of silliness.
The live show was so much fun. Thank you to everyone who came, to Amanda and Elyse for being excellent team captains, and to Eva, Frannie, Robin, and our excellent friends who brought us wine and glasses.
❤ Read the transcript ❤
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Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:
We also mentioned in this episode:
- The fact that this was the last Romantic Times Convention, which I wrote about after it was announced.
- You can learn more about Frolic Media at their website. They’ve hosted essays from Alisha Rai about Magic Mike XXL Smashing Toxic Masculinity, and the rom com of Alien v. Predator, written by Alyssa Cole.
And here are the pictures of Team Elyse, courtesy of Eva Moore:
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This Episode's Music
Our music is provided each week by Sassy Outwater, whom you can find on Twitter @SassyOutwater.
This is from Caravan Palace, and the track is called “Beatophone.”
You can find their two album set with Caravan Palace and Panic on Amazon and iTunes. And you can learn more about Caravan Palace on Facebook, and on their website.
Podcast Sponsor
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Transcript
❤ Click to view the transcript ❤
Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, May 25, 2018
[music]
Sarah Wendell: Hello, and welcome to episode 300 of Smart Podcast, Trashy Books. Woohoo! This is our live show from last week. Robin Bradford, Amanda, Elyse, and I hosted a live recording of this podcast at Romantic Times 2018, and now it is here for everyone’s enjoyment as our three hundredth episode. Yay! If we were TV, we’d be well into TNT nonstop syndication. We could beat Law & Order! Not really; that’s not possible. But anyway, here are a few things that you should know: first, there was wine, because people in this world are noble and good. Second, there are three parts! So this is almost like an outline, so this is A. So there’s one and two, and this A. A: In Part 1, we talk about what the closing of Romantic Times means for Robin and for other librarians and what we had enjoyed so far during RT. We also talked about boob money, ongepotchket, and what we were looking forward to that week. In Part 2, or B if you’re outlining, I do a four-question interview with Sarah Penna from Frolic Media, which is a new destination from romance and pop culture fans, of which there are many. I am on their advisory committee, and folks at RT had already met them from the opening night party, so that when I introduced her everyone was like, oh, it’s you, yay! which is really cool. Then, in Part 3, we embark on a high-stakes, very competitive game of Romance Feud, built on the survey that I posted a few weeks ago. Team Amanda battles Team Elyse with excellent audience volunteers and a great deal of silliness.
The live show was so much fun, so I want to thank RT for giving us a room to host it in. I want to thank everyone who came, to Amanda and Elyse for being excellent team captains, and to Eva and Frannie and Robin and our excellent friends who brought us wine and also glasses.
This podcast is being brought to you by You Never Forget Your First Earl by Ella Quinn. USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn returns for the newest adventure of the loud, boisterous, extended Worthington clan. Witty and packed with adventure and humorous, fun antics, Ella Quinn’s complex and loving Worthington clan never have a dull moment when laughter and romance rule, and a young lady never settles for less than true love. Ideal for fans of the famous Regency families from authors like Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and Julie Anne Long, You Never Forget Your First Earl by Ella Quinn is on sale now wherever books are sold and at kensingtonbooks.com. And thanks to Kensington for sponsoring podcasts this month.
Every episode gets a transcript, which is hand compiled by garlicknitter, who I got to meet on Saturday at the book signing, which was super cool. Hi, garlicknitter! Thanks for the transcripts! [You’re welcome! It was super cool for me too! – gk] This week’s transcript is brought to you by Organization Academy, which is another business that I run. Every other week, I send out a newsletter that offers tips to declutter your schedule using Google Calendar and custom automations. I also offer courses and mini-courses about menu planning and travel packing. If you’ve ever wondered how I do all the things that I do and also sleep – I like to sleep – a lot of it is because I have managed to organize my time through Google Calendar, and I love sharing what I learn with other people. So if you would like to subscribe, visit organizationacademy.com.
And if you would like to sponsor a transcript, it is very easy. Just email me, [email protected], and we can talk all about it.
Now, would you be interested in throwing this podcast a dollar every month? Would you like to suggest questions for our upcoming podcast guests? Very cool! We have a podcast Patreon. You’ve probably heard me talk about it. Without the podcast Patreon community, live shows would not be able to happen, because all of the upgraded equipment that I use for live shows or on-location recording was made possible by Patreon, so this episode and all of our other live events could not happen without them. If you would like to have a look, go to patreon.com/SmartBitches. Pledges of one dollar a month, three, five, however much, your monthly pledges help the show and help me commission transcripts for older episodes as well.
And I want to thank some of the Patreon folks personally, so to Eva, Alyssa, Becks, Barbara, and Norette, thank you so very much for being part of the Patreon community. Are there other ways to support the podcast? Yes; I am eventually going to set this to music: leave a review wherever you listen or however you listen, tell a friend, subscribe, whatever works, but thank you for hanging out with me each week.
The music you’re listening to is provided by Sassy Outwater. I will have information at the end of the show as to who this is, though I bet you can guess.
And at the end of the episode, I will also have a preview of what is coming up on the website next week and a terrible joke. This one is extra terrible; I really like it, as a result. And as always, we will have links to the different things that we talk about during this live show and all of the books that we mention.
Like I said, this live show could not have happened without the Patreon community and with the support of people who enjoy listening to the show, so everybody, this one is for you. On with the podcast.
[music]
Sarah: Thank you guys so much for coming to our live recording! So we have a lot of mayhem planned, but we’re going to start by talking at you, ‘cause that’s exactly what you came for.
[Laughter]
Sarah: And then I’m going to do a quick three-question interview with someone who I know you’re going to be really excited to meet, and then, we’re going to play Romance Feud.
Someone: Woohoo!
Sarah: And it’s going to be brutal, because Elyse and Amanda did not come to play.
Elyse: I have been shit-talking her all day.
[Laughter]
Amanda: And I’m, I’ve just kind of been taking it, so –
[Laughter]
Sarah: This says a lot.
Robin: I think wine is here. Wine is here!
[Cheers]
Sarah: If you did not get a glass of wine –
Someone: Raise your hand!
Someone else: Just bring the bottle here.
Sarah: Just –
[Laughter]
Sarah: So thank you so much for the additional – did you go to Total Wine?
Robin: We did, last night!
Sarah: Oh my God, you guys are the heroines we all need.
[Laughter]
Sarah: What did I tweet at you this morning? A woman of valor, her price is above rubies? What’s a little Proverbs between friends? Okay, so –
Robin: More wine has arrived!
Sarah: More wine has arrived? You are the most –
[Cheers, laughter]
Sarah: – wonderful human beings. Oh my God. This is amazing. So now it’s RT: we have liquor. All right. So to my right, right here, is Robin Bradford. Yay! My favorite librarian.
[Cheers, applause]
Sarah: Are you still anywhere near being an Adult Services Librarian?
Robin: Oh yes. Yes, I serve the adults.
[Laughter]
Someone: That sounds so dirty.
Sarah: That is my favorite library title, Adult Services Librarian? Oh my! All right, so we have absolutely nothing to talk about. There’s no news.
Elyse: None.
Robin: It is so dead!
Sarah: So boring. Really, not, nothing to talk about in the whole genre at RT. Like, really, this is going to be so boring.
Robin: I hope something happens the rest of the year.
[Pop, cheers]
Someone: Party’s on!
Sarah: Okay!
Robin: I hope something happens the rest of this year, ‘cause I have been asleep the whole time.
Sarah: All right, so here’s my first question for you. So we have to share a mic; this won’t get awkward. As a, as a librarian, what does RT Magazine closing mean?
Robin: Oh my God!
Sarah: Does it suck out loud sideways?
Robin: It sucks out loud sideways.
Sarah: Why?
Robin: I use – it sucked out loud, out loud side- – I only have one glass.
Sarah: You need more wine? You need more wine.
Robin: I have a glass. It sucked out loud sideways when they went from a print magazine to digital.
Sarah: I mean, I understand; print’s expensive.
Robin: It is expensive!
Sarah: And it’s not a huge circulation.
Robin: Like, I get it!
Sarah: I get it.
Robin: I used that – a lot. That was my main source for romance things. Not necessarily the reviews, but the publishers’ previews are key to me.
Sarah: So that was the one place where you could find a complete listing of every book coming out from a publisher in a given month.
Robin: Yes, for trad publishers.
Sarah: There is no other place where that happens.
Robin: Not that complete.
Sarah: That seems –
Robin: There’s lots of other places to look, and you can aggregate that. I use Edelweiss.
Sarah: Right.
Robin: Both of our vendors, Ingram and Baker & Taylor come out with lists.
Sarah: Right.
Robin: But they’re not anywhere near complete.
Sarah: That’s terrible!
Robin: So no –
Sarah: Your job just got harder.
Robin: My job just got exponentially harder.
Sarah: I’m sorry; that sucks!
Robin: So that’s, yeah, that’s not going to be fun.
Sarah: No, that’s bad. And I, and I will say this: I had somebody contact me on Twitter and say, you know, I’m a librarian, I’m looking for more romances, and I’m having trouble finding a place to look to find where all the romances are, and so I connected her on Twitter to Robin, and Robin was like, oh, I use RT, and I privately messaged her. I said, you’re the only person I know who pays to subscribe!
[Laughter]
Sarah: I felt so bad! But apparently this is a major –
Robin: Apparently that was it, and I can’t, I can’t save it by myself, apparently.
[Laughter]
Sarah: [Sighs] You did bring wine, though.
Robin: My library’s money is no good here. That’s –
Sarah: That’s just sad.
[Laughter]
Sarah: So the conference is ending, and the magazine’s closing, which totally sucks in a whole lot of ways, and there’s a new potential conference on the horizon, Book Lovers Con in New Orleans. Have y’all heard about this?
Many: Yes!
Sarah: Are you interested?
Many: Yes!
Sarah: So here’s what I do know: I know that it’s shorter. It’s, I think, Thursday through Sunday, and it’s $395 flat fee for everybody, which I’m pretty pleased – I think that’s a really good number. I like those three numbers in that order.
[Laughter]
Sarah: You know, if you put a decimal point in between one of them, that would be also fine –
Robin: Oh, well, that would be –
[Laughter]
Sarah: – but that’s not feasible, ‘cause I know – right? – but I know how much hotel food costs, so that’s not going to –
Robin: $39.95!
[Laughter]
Sarah: Act now, and we’ll throw in –
Robin: A set of steak knives!
Sarah: Whoo! Yes! No, no, nonono, if you’re going to get an act, act now for RT or a conference for romance readers –
Robin: An inflatable penis!
Sarah: Yes!
[Cheers]
Sarah: Or some wineglasses?
Robin: Oh, you’re so nice.
Sarah: I know!
[Laughter]
Sarah: I know. Elyse and Amanda, how has this RT been for you so far?
Elyse: Oh, it’s been really good.
Amanda: Sure!
[Laughter]
Sarah: I have to say, this hotel is pretty amazing.
Amanda: It is really nice.
Elyse: Yeah.
Someone: There’s an arcade!
Sarah: There’s an arcade!
Elyse: Yes.
Sarah: So do you go, do you guys know the Yiddish word ongepotchket? So this is ongepotchket, right? Okay, so ongepotchket is a Yiddish word that basically means overdone, over-decorated to a point of over-, over-ostentatious taste – yes, this whole – just look at the ceiling: ongepotchket.
Elyse: Yeah.
Amanda: Do all of your televisions –
Sarah: You walk down the, like –
Amanda: – have their own frames?
Sarah: My television!
Amanda: Okay, good.
Sarah: My television in the bathroom has its own frame, like –
Elyse: Now hold up, though. You also have a toilet phone in your room. Like –
[Audience exclaims]
Someone: Don’t touch it! I –
Sarah: Okay –
Elyse: Like, way to throw it back to 1992, Peppermill.
Sarah: Right. Okay, (a) who calls anybody, and (b) who wants to talk to me while I’m trying to –
Someone: I do!
[Laughter]
Sarah: Who did you call?!
Someone: I called my boss.
Sarah: Yes!
[Laughter]
Sarah: That’s brilliant! You know the people who are going to be like, I can call everyone I know for the next forty-five minutes is a dude.
Someone: Right.
Sarah: ‘Cause we’re like, I’ve got to get – actually, I will say this: it is really nice, ‘cause I have two boys, two cats, and two dogs, and peeing alone is a luxury?
[Laughter]
Sarah: Is everyone else feeling that, like, oh my God, no one’s going to touch me or wake me up or come in the bed- – right? It’s, like, the third best thing about RT, after the wine and also the wine.
[Laughter]
Elyse: I think my favorite part of RT so far is when Amanda and I ranked the Hemsworth brothers by density.
[Laughter]
Amanda: And you all know who the dense one is. I don’t have to tell you.
Elyse: We were like, how much water would they displace if put in –
[Laughter]
Sarah: One of them will definitely –
Amanda: It’s Liam; Liam is the one who floats.
Elyse: Right. We, and we don’t remember the third one’s name. It’s just Liam, Chris, and Other Hemsworth.
[Laughs]
Amanda: Yeah, yeah, Other Hemsworth. [Laughs]
Someone: Luke!
Sarah: Luke!
Amanda: Thank you!
Elyse: Luke!
Sarah: You’re the best!
Elyse: Yeah, he’s on Westworld.
Amanda: Westworld, and that’s it.
Sarah: So, Amanda, you met a really cute couple in the hallway today.
Amanda: I did! I was walking to Sarah’s room, and they stopped me ‘cause I had the badge on, and they wanted to know what was going on.
Sarah: They were in their seventies at least.
Amanda: Yeah. Yeah, they wanted to know what was going on, and they had mentioned that they saw a lot of Pride stuff and trans stuff and LGBT stuff, and they’re like, we had a, a granddaughter who is now our grandson, and it’s been a learning process, but we’re so glad to see stuff like that.
Everyone: Aww!
Amanda: Yeah, and I told them where they could buy books for their grandson, and it was just so adorable.
Sarah: Isn’t it cute?
Robin: Yay!
Elyse: Did you adopt them to be your grandparents now?
Amanda: I wish. The only set of grandparents I have left are the bad ones.
[Laughter]
Robin: Food, food has been amazing here.
Sarah: You, you know what? That is definitely true.
Robin: The food has been amazing, and I’ve, up three hundred dollars in the casino, so.
Elyse: Nice!
[Cheers, applause]
Sarah: All right, so Robin, what are you doing with the rest of RT? What are you doing for the rest of these days?
Robin: Oh, let’s see. So tomorrow, Frannie and I are doing a program for the booksellers and librarians, The Books That You Didn’t Know You Needed to Give to Your Readers. Or something like that.
Sarah: Ooh, can you give us a preview? What are you talking about?
Robin: I can tell you what I’m talking –
Sarah: This is, sounds very expensive, I agree.
Robin: I’m going to talk about things like military romances, so Cheryl Etchison and Jessica Scott.
Sarah: Ooh?
Robin: I’m going to talk about Talia Hibbert?
Amanda: Yeees!
[Cheers]
Robin: Okay! There you go!
Sarah: Y’all, that was my favorite – did y’all hear my interview with her? Like, while I was recording, I would hit mute and be like, oh my God, this is so great! And then I would unmute, because she was so much fun to talk to.
Robin: And I can’t remember right now what else I’m going to talk about.
Sarah: You going to just make it up?
Robin: No! I have it written down, thank God.
Sarah: Oh!
[Laughter]
Sarah: That’s a thing that you do?
Robin: Yeah, kind, sometimes.
Sarah: Ohhh.
Robin: Sometimes. When other people are relying on me, yes, I write it down.
Sarah: That’s probably a good strategy.
Robin: Yeah, yeah.
Sarah: Yeah, otherwise you end up making phone calls from the bathroom.
Robin: And I’m going to spend more time in the casino.
Sarah: Dude! Dude.
Someone: Party.
Sarah: Dude. So I am – today’s Thursday, right?
Someone: Yeah.
Sarah: ‘Cause you know I really don’t know what day or time or year it is. Like, don’t ever ask me to write a check; it’s really an existential crisis. So tomorrow is Friday; tomorrow morning I’m doing my workshop with Mel Jolly about newsletters? So unless you have a newsletter, I don’t think you need to, to attend, unless newsletters are, like, a burning passion of yours, but we get to start our newsletter by talking about the GDPR regulations about what data you have to – it’s going to be so sexy! We’re going to talk about data. Data collection?
Robin: Ooh, bow-chicka-bow-bow.
Sarah: It’s just going to be so. Hot. Y’all.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Like, smoking hot.
Elyse: Tomorrow is also the Bollywood party, so –
Sarah: Oooh!
[Cheers]
Elyse: Yes. If you did not go to that last year, or you weren’t at – it was so much fun. So it’s Sonali Dev, and I think M. K. Schiller is there.
Robin: Sienna Snow.
Someone: Suleikha Snyder.
Elyse: And they play clips from Bollywood movies that aren’t in English, and then we have to guess the romance trope; that’s what we did last time? It’s amazing. It’s so much fun.
Sarah: What else are you guys looking forward to?
Amanda: Well, I’m also going to the Bollywood thing. I didn’t go last year –
Elyse: You totally missed out.
Amanda: – and I think when we did the group podcast, that’s all the other women would talk about?
Elyse: Yes.
Amanda: I don’t know what I was doing, but I’m like, man! So I’m going to that. That’s the only thing I can remember tomorrow that I’m doing.
Elyse: If anyone would like to join us, Joyfully Jay and garlicknitter and I are going to Jimmy Beans Wool Saturday morning at 10 a.m. to make terrible choices.
[Laughter]
Someone: Awesome! Awesome!
Elyse: I’m going to spend so much fucking money. So excited!
Sarah: This is like knitter pilgrimage, right? Like some people –
Elyse: Yeah.
Sarah: – walk across northern Spain for a week.
Elyse: Right. Let me tell you how awesome Jimmy Beans Wool is: my husband ordered me something for Christmas to knit, and he called them, and they looked at my previous purchases to determine what colorway I, he, they thought I would like the most. And my husband’s colorblind, so he’s like, just pick something.
Sarah: [Laughs]
Elyse: Seriously, he, like, my niece loves to play Candyland with him just to fuck with him; it’s great.
[Laughter]
Amanda: She’s asserting her dominance early; I like that.
Sarah: That’s very smart.
Elyse: Yes.
Sarah: All right, so before we break for our quick interview and setup for Romance Feud, is there anything else that you want to make sure to mention?
Elyse: I’m going to kick your ass.
Audience: Ooh!
Amanda: And I’ll enjoy it!
[Laughter]
Robin: Read more indie books! Read more indie books!
Elyse: Yes.
Robin: Read more diverse books! Read more diverse books!
Elyse: Yes!
Robin: They’re not just for diverse people! They’re for everybody!
Elyse: Yes!
Someone: Yes!
Robin: My soapbox, thanks!
[Laughter]
Sarah: That’s a really good soapbox!
Robin: Thank you, thank you! Where’s more wine?
[Cheers]
Elyse: Yes.
Robin: More chicken!
Sarah: Drink while –
[Laughter]
Sarah: Drink while you read?
Robin: All the time.
Sarah: All the time.
Robin: All the time.
Sarah: Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do next: we’re going to set up for Romance Feud. There’s Team Amanda and Team Elyse. Now, did, did all of you see this questionnaire I put on the site last week? So that is what built this game. It’s going to be brutal, y’all. It’s going to be very brutal, in part because Elyse did the survey and Amanda didn’t look at it.
Amanda: I did not.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Game on. And she doesn’t have access to the parts where I used to build the survey, so it’s going to be even better. Okay. So, what I’m going to do, they’re going to set up. I’m going to do a quick interview with someone, and then we’re going to start selecting teams from the audience, so if you think you might want to play, get ready to, like, shoot your hand up in the air?
Robin: And you want to play.
Amanda: Winners only!
[Laughter]
Amanda: I want to make that very clear! ‘Cause I didn’t look at the survey.
[Laughter]
Amanda: So you’re going to have to carry me.
[Laughter]
Sarah: This is going to be amazing! All right.
Elyse: I keep looking up at the light fixture and seeing, like –
Sarah: Boobs.
Amanda: Those are boobs!
Elyse: Yeah!
Sarah: Those are totally pasties.
Elyse: Yeah!
Sarah: Y’all, every chandelier in this place looks like a pasty. It’s really incredible.
Robin: It’s Nevada!
Sarah: It’s ongepotchket. It’s amazing. All right, so. I’m going to call up Sarah Penna to talk to us, to talk to y’all about cool things. You’re on the spot now. So give me a mic. All right, so I’m Sarah; this is also Sarah.
Sarah Penna: Only Sarahs here. Hi!
[When we have a Sarah party, I like to use last names to reduce confusion. – gk]
Ms. Wendell: So Sarah is from a company called Frolic. Now here’s the thi- –
[Cheers]
Ms. Penna: Oh, yay! A fan club!
Ms. Wendell: You guys are awesome!
Ms. Penna: [Laughs] We did have vodka. Not wine. We leveled up a little bit.
Ms. Wendell: Nice! Next time we do a, a live taping in a place where everything’s legal, I’m going to try to make things a little bit more garden, garden-y.
Ms. Penna: Garden variety.
Ms. Wendell: Garden-y, herbal. Herbal.
Ms. Penna: Yeah. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Ms. Wendell: So there are three people currently at, at Frolic.
Ms. Penna: Yes.
Ms. Wendell: There’s you and Lisa and Lisa.
Ms. Penna: Yes.
Ms. Wendell: So one Sarah and two Lisas.
Ms. Penna: Yes.
Ms. Wendell: You can only be named Sarah or Lisa to work at this company.
Ms. Penna: That’s correct.
Ms. Wendell: Okay, this is good to know, so –
Ms. Penna: And we are hiring, so if you’re named Sarah or Lisa, come and talk to me.
Ms. Wendell: Then you’re good, right? Okay. So tell me what is Frolic.
Ms. Penna: Yes, so Frolic, we are, if you didn’t meet us last night, we are a new media destination celebrating all things romance and pop culture. So –
[Cheers]
Ms. Penna: – we are brand-new; we are eight weeks old.
Ms. Wendell: Congratulations!
Ms. Penna: Thank you! Which is really crazy. We’d been working on it for a while, but we’re huge pop culture junkies, romance novel lovers, and we were just shocked that there was no digital destination for romance fans to come together, talk about everything that we love, geek out. You guys own the reviews, so we’re not really doing a lot of reviews. We’re really doing, we’re having authors write. We have Alyssa Cole writing for us, Alisha Rai writing for us, Chanel Cleeton –
Audience: Ooh!
Ms. Penna: – so all of your favorites, and we have some more coming up, and, you know, we, we have an Instagram and a Twitter, so follow us on Frolic!
Ms. Wendell: Your Instagram is super cool.
Ms. Penna: Oh thank you, that’s me! I run it. [Laughs]
Ms. Wendell: It’s very luscious. You’re very good at lighting! Lighting for Instagram is very hard.
Ms. Penna: Oh, it is very hard. Yeah, thank you!
Ms. Wendell: Like, you didn’t think it would be hard, but you’re like, damn it, it’s only a square! What the hell?
Ms. Penna: I know! And the phone and the filter, it’s very hard.
Ms. Wendell: Right?
Ms. Penna: But, so thank you; I appreciate it.
Ms. Wendell: You’re very welcome! So you had Alyssa Cole write about how Alien vs. Predator is a rom-com.
Ms. Penna: Yes.
Ms. Wendell: And then you had Alisha Rai write about Magic Mike XXL.
Ms. Penna: Smashing toxic masculinity.
Ms. Wendell: So what’s coming up? Can you give us a sneak preview of what’s coming up?
Ms. Penna: Oh! Well, Lisa, our editorial director, is here.
Ms. Wendell: Hi, Lisa! You have two phones. Are you okay?
Ms. Penna: I will say that Alyssa is doing a more regular column for us, so –
Ms. Wendell: That’s excellent!
Ms. Penna: She also did, so, and it’s horoscopes, so, if you love horoscopes, that and Alyssa, she’s combining the two things.
Ms. Wendell: Brilliant.
Ms. Penna: She’s already done one, and they are amazing, so –
Ms. Wendell: That’s cool!
Ms. Penna: – stay tuned!
Ms. Wendell: So what else are you doing here at RT?
Ms. Penna: Well, I did want to say one thing about the hotel, ‘cause I – jumping in on the –
Ms. Wendell: Yeah.
Ms. Penna: – ongepotchket, because –
Ms. Wendell: Ongepotchket, yeah.
Ms. Penna: – do you guys all have coffee makers in your bathroom too?
Ms. Wendell and others: Yes.
Ms. Penna: Okay, the phone and the co-, like, you can make coffee –
Someone: – Keurig!
Ms. Penna: – in the bathroom!
Ms. Wendell: It’s a Keurig!
Ms. Penna: There’s a Keurig in the bathroom, so –
Ms. Wendell: Some of them have a Keurig, and it’s pretty freaking sweet.
Ms. Penna: Yes, ours is in the bathroom, so I felt the need to jump on the phone, coffee – [laughs] – but –
Ms. Wendell: Yeah!
Ms. Penna: – outside of that, we are, we’re doing some wonderful stuff for our Instagram, actually, Instagram Story, so we interviewed some wonderful authors today, like Jasmine in the back.
Ms. Wendell: Jasmine, are you here? Oh my God! Hi!
[Cheers]
Ms. Penna: Oh, I didn’t mean to blow your spot up over there.
Ms. Wendell: I’ve never met you in person; it’s so nice to meet you! Y’all, that’s Jasmine Guillory! Hi!
[Cheers]
Ms. Wendell: That’s so cool! Hello!
Ms. Penna: I just put the spotlight on you; sorry. Well, she’s obviously amazing, and –
Ms. Wendell: Yeah.
Ms. Penna: – we also interviewed Elizabeth Hoyt –
Ms. Wendell: Oh, she’s fun.
Ms. Penna: – and we have Jill Shalvis tomorrow; so fun.
Ms. Wendell: Elizabeth Hoyt is a straight-up smartass, and it’s amazing.
Ms. Penna: So that will be, those, the, and we played Would You Rather, which was very fun.
Ms. Wendell: Always.
Ms. Penna: Very tough.
Ms. Wendell: Always good.
Ms. Penna: So, so those’ll be coming out on our Instagram Stories!
Ms. Wendell: Cool!
Ms. Penna: And that’s really what we’re doing.
Ms. Wendell: Is there anything else you’d like to add about Frolic?
Ms. Penna: We’re just, you know, we’re, we’re very new, but we felt so welcomed by this community, and we really –
Ms. Wendell: This is a very friendly community.
Ms. Penna: It’s really amazing, and, you know, we are huge romance fans and, you know, but, but this is, you know, sort of coming to the conventions and all of that is new for us, so thank you for welcoming us with open arms, and I hope we make you proud!
Ms. Wendell: Aw. Thank you!
[Cheers]
Ms. Wendell: Thank you so much! Okay.
Ms. Penna: Okay.
Ms. Wendell: I will take that.
Ms. Penna: And now for –
Ms. Wendell: And now we’re feuding.
[Laughter]
[The Sarah party is over, so back to first names.]
Our Sarah: So Robin is going to be our official scorekeeper. Are you just spilling the wine back there?
Elyse: Yes.
Sarah: Well, game on, y’all. It’s not a party until you spill wine down your cleave for karmic boomerang.
Elyse: You know what’s super sad about having a small chest is when you drop food –
Sarah: Nothing, nothing is not sad about having a small chest.
Elyse: – down it, it just goes, it goes straight down and lands on the floor.
Sarah: There is nothing sad about having a small chest.
Amanda: Oh, I’ve got, like, a full trail mix going at all times down here.
Elyse: Right.
[Laughter]
Sarah: I love the, I love the stores that say No Boob Money? Like, look –
Elyse: What?!
Sarah: – they’re, you haven’t seen this at, like, pictures of the gas stations, No Boob Money, No Shoe Money?
Elyse: Sir, this is legal tender. You are required by law to take it!
[Laughter]
Sarah: You know what, I get it, I get it, ‘cause, I mean, who wants to take somebody’s sweaty dollar bills, but you know what, if my clothes had pockets, we wouldn’t have this problem.
[Cheers]
Sarah: So until I get pockets, you’re taking the money wherever I can manage to hide it. ‘Cause you also know, like, if you go to the gym –
Jasmine: Bras ARE pockets!
Sarah: Right?!
Jasmine: They’re, they’re built-in pockets.
Sarah: They’re big pockets! Thank you, Jasmine. They are pockets.
Elyse: You should be privileged to touch my boob money.
[Laughter]
Elyse: Thank your lucky stars.
Sarah: I’m taking her to the gas station –
Elyse: Right.
Sarah: – it’s going to be amazing.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right, so are you guys ready to play Romance Feud?
Sarah and audience: Whoo!
Sarah: All right, we’re going to need three contestants on each side, and I am going to delegate the selection of the teams to Amanda and Elyse. Amanda? By the power of the alphabet, you go first.
Amanda and Elyse, would you please go down the line and introduce your team, have them introduce themselves?
Elyse: Yes. Yeah, I was like, I don’t – we’re going to start with Team Elyse.
Sarah: Team Elyse!
Yvonne: I’m Yvonne.
Sarah: Hi, Yvonne!
Eva Moore: I’m Eva Moore.
Sarah: Hello, Eva Moore.
Rebekah: My name’s Rebekah.
Sarah: Hello. Yay!
[Cheers, applause]
Kat: I’m Kat, and a bookseller.
Ione: My name’s Ione.
Sarah: Hi, hi, Ione!
Lydia: I’m Lydia. I’m a reader.
Sarah: Hi, Lydia!
[Cheers, applause]
Sarah: I think, like, at this conference, there’s, like, three authors for every reader, so you’re very popular.
Lydia: Right.
Sarah: All right, so here’s – does everyone need a quick refresher on how Family Feud works?
Someone: Yes.
Sarah: Okay. There’s always an app for that. I plotted the questions, I put up a survey. The exact number is our tiebreaker if we end up with a tie, but I will say that close to a thousand people responded to the survey, so, like, Family Feud is like a hundred. Nonononono, we’re, we’re not playing that. We’re, we’re playing hard core. So I have six questions, and I surveyed the readers of Smart Bitches, and so you have to answer the question, not only guessing a good answer, but also guessing what the readers of Smart Bitches would say. Okay? And then I was like, all right, I got this all set up, I got the mics, I got things, I got prizes – that’ll be emailed to you, because I only have so much weight limit in my luggage, and the recording equipment is very heavy, so –
Someone: Thank you!
Sarah: – feel, fear not, there are prizes; I just have to email them to you. Then I was like, well, well, crap. You know that part after the guy, like, like, introduces all of the teams and then kisses all the ladies – I’m not kissing y’all; that’s not cool.
Amanda: Well, dang!
Sarah: Or it’s Steve Harvey, and he makes some sort of weird, inappropriate comment, kind of, what?
[Laughter]
Sarah: Or who was the older guy?
Amanda and Sarah: Richard Dawson.
Sarah: He was just, like, King Skeeze. No, I’m not doing that. But you have to come up, and you have to ans-, one, one member from each team has to come up and answer a question, and I’m like, crap, I don’t have buzzers. There’s an app for that!
[Laughter, cheers]
Sarah: I, this is the world we live in, y’all. We are blessed to live in this time. Okay, so Elyse and Amanda, you will be coming forward, stand on either side of me.
Amanda: Do we pass our mics off?
Sarah: No, you can hold your mics.
Amanda: I need my hands free!
Sarah: No you don’t; it’s a button!
Elyse: You just need one!
Sarah: That’s a little close, Amanda.
[Laughter]
Sarah: I’m going to start moving away from you.
Amanda: Can I just put my hand already on it.
Sarah: Okay, so, like, I’m going to need to, like, brace my arm. I’m going to get hurt. [Laughs]
Amanda: I’m going to slap it real hard.
Sarah: All right.
[Laughter]
Sarah: What is the first question? Give me the name of a romance hero that begins with “Ch.”
Amanda: Christian.
Sarah: Christian!
Elyse: Oh –
Sarah: Survey says –
Someone: Debatable.
Robin: Ding!
Sarah: Ding! All right, so we’re going to go to Amanda’s team! Now, I’m going to work my way down this line to Amanda’s team. Thank you, ladies, for jumping over the cable. We’re going to do jump rope later.
Someone: ‘Kay.
Sarah: And as we answer, Robin is in charge of the spreadsheet, and she’s going to keep track of the right answers. So the next person in line has to answer this question: name a romance hero, or give me the name of a romance hero that begins with “Ch.”
Kat: Charles.
Sarah: Charles!
Robin: Ding!
Sarah: Whoa, that’s two! Nice job! All right. Ma’am.
[Laughter]
Sarah: She’s like, I’m really sorry I volunteered for this. Why did I do that? All right. Yes, I want to start a new game; hush, phone. My phone is like, I’m going to play you an ad now. Name, give me a romance hero name that begins with “Ch.”
Ione: Chad?
Robin: Eh!
Sarah: That’s one X. All right, good try, good try. You have two more strikes; no pressure. Okay, moving on, ma’am. Lydia.
Lydia: Chris.
Robin: Ding!
Sarah: Very good!
[Applause]
Sarah: Now, in the sense of fairness, I will say that Chris also covers Christopher? So there’s Chris or Christopher; that is now covered. ‘Cause a lot of people wrote in different answers, and I had to combine them. Just wait till we get to the question about sex, y’all.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right, Amanda, back to you! Give me the, give me a –
Robin: Time out!
Sarah: Hang on.
[Indistinct comment, cheers, applause]
Robin: Chad/Chadwick.
Sarah: Chad/Chadwick. ‘Cause Chadwick is a very decent hero name. I expect more Chadwicks in the future. All right, so we’re going strong. All right.
[Inaudible comment]
Elyse: No.
Amanda: That’s, you know, like, that’s all I know of Ch names.
Sarah: Oh no, there’s more. There’s more.
Amanda: I don’t know. I don’t know.
Someone: You’re going to have to take an X?
Amanda: Yeah. I’m taking an X.
Sarah: Oh! EHHH!
Amanda: Wow, guys, thanks for making me feel bad!
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right, no, that’s just one, ‘cause she got Chad.
Someone: Oh, that’s right.
Sarah: That’s right. All right, next up.
Kat: So do nicknames count for the overarching name as well?
Sarah: Yeah, yeah.
Kat: Because, like, Chad and Chadwick – well, like, Chuck is a nickname for Charles.
Sarah: Yes, that has already been – but wait, Charles?
Kat: I did Charles earlier, but is –
Sarah: Yeah, Charles –
Kat: – would Chuck be under –
Sarah: Excuse me, I beg your pardon, yes. Charles, Charlie, and Chuck, nicknames fall under the heading.
Kat: Damn it!
Sarah: I apologize.
Someone: It’s not that easy!
Kat: Fuck.
Sarah: That does not begin with “Ch!”
Someone: That starts with an F. Come on, people!
[Laughter]
Kat: Oh my gosh! Yeah, no, I got no idea!
Sarah: Oh no!
Someone (Elyse?): All right, I’m ready. I’m ready!
Sarah: All right, that’s strike two!
Amanda: One more!
Someone: Damn it!
Sarah: All right. Eye-own or Eye-own-ee?
Ione: Yes.
Sarah: Eye-own-ee.
Ione: Yes.
Sarah: Okay, you got this. You can do it! You got this.
Ione: [Thinking noises] Chester. [Laughs]
Sarah: Chester!
[Cheers]
Ione: Whoa!
Robin: That’s a ding!
[Cheers, applause]
Sarah: I will have you know, nine entire people voted for Chester.
Ione: Chester?
Sarah: Way to pull out the save!
All right, Lydia!
[Cheers]
Sarah: Lydia? Game on.
Lydia: I’m not competitive at all.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Did you tell Amanda that?
Lydia: I’m thinking cowboys. I’m going to go with Chet.
Elyse and others: Ooh!
Sarah: That is a good one.
Robin: No!
[Cries of dismay]
Sarah: Oh, strike three! All right!
Elyse: All right.
Sarah: All right, we’re moving into Elyse’s team for the steal. Elyse, give me an answer.
Elyse: Chase.
Sarah: Yes!
Robin: Ding!
[Cheers]
Sarah: That was our number two answer, with 173 people saying Chase.
Amanda: Well, I will never have sex with a Chase now out of principle.
[Laughter]
Sarah: So no swiping right on Chase.
Amanda: No.
Sarah: Okay.
Amanda: Chase is out of here.
Someone: Is there a filter on Tinder? Can you just –
Amanda: No, God, I wish.
Sarah: Imagine if there was a douchebag filter; that would be great. All right. So that was well done, ladies! Would you like to hear the rest of the answers?
Everyone: Yes!
Sarah: All right, so, number one, with 301 votes, was Charles, Charlie, or Chuck. Number two, with 173 votes, was Chase. Number three, with 128 votes: Christian. Number four, with 63 votes: Christopher or Chris, optional. Number five, 53 votes with Chance.
Everyone: Ohhh!
Sarah: There’s a lot of Chances running around.
Someone: That’s the name of a dog.
[Laughter]
Sarah: [Whistles] Here, Chance! Number six, Chad or Chadwick. Chester –
Someone: The Molester.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Clearly, somebody has –
Someone: I’m really sorry.
Sarah: – different thoughts than I do, because that what, my reaction when I was compiling this, like, what?
[Laughter]
Someone: I’m really sorry.
Sarah: Then Chandler –
Someone and others: Ugh!
Sarah: – Channing –
Everyone: Ohhh.
Sarah: – and – this one was three people – Chesterton.
[Laughter]
Sarah: I have not run into a lot of – did, did you put Chesterton? Somebody put Chesterton! Somebody in this room did it. All right.
Someone: Fess up!
Sarah: Okay. So now it’s time for round two. Yvonne and Katherine. I’m going to bring up my buzzer here.
Amanda: Do you want me to hold your wine?
Kat or Yvonne: Yes, thank you.
Sarah: Do you want me to hold your wine? You’re a good person. Okay. What’s the question, Robin? Name a place in a historical romance where characters have had sex. Oh, that was, that was, that was definitely you, right?
Robin: Yeah, I thought so.
Sarah: I think it was. I think –
Someone: That was you.
Sarah: That was you?
Someone: It was you.
Sarah: Did it –
[Discussion about phones]
Sarah: All right –
Elyse: That was Sarah!
Sarah: – I suck. I suck! I’m sorry. All right, Yvonne.
Yvonne: Thank you!
Sarah: All right.
Elyse: All right.
Sarah: I’m, I’m, I swear I’m, I’m not that drunk, and I didn’t do any kind of fun gummies. All right, name a location, other than a bed, where historical characters have had sex.
Yvonne: Carriage.
Everyone: Ohhh!
Sarah: Oh yes. Ding!
[Cheers, applause]
Sarah: All right, moving on.
Eva: The garden maze.
[Cheers]
Sarah: Garden! Yes, that is in there. Garden or outside or folly are all in that one, because those are all – I mean, folly and garden seemed a little bit too overlap-y. You can disagree with me, but I’m still in charge.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right.
Rebekah: The library.
Audience: Ooh!
Sarah: One, two, and three. Nice.
Rebekah: Says the librarian!
Sarah: All right, Elyse, we’re back to you. Name a place other than a, other than a bed where historical romance characters have gotten busy.
Elyse: I’m going to go Old School and say horseback.
[Cheers]
Sarah: Oh, you know! And that answer is on the list, and it was on a horse, horseback, just the word “horse.”
[Laughter]
Sarah: Okay. So yes, you are still in it. Yvonne, we are back to you. Bring it.
Yvonne: Closet?
Sarah: Yes! That is correct! It’s on the bottom. Yep, there you go. Nice job. Okay.
Eva: The stables.
Audience: Oooh!
Sarah: Oh yes.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Now, for the sake of architectural accuracy, ‘cause I know you’re all into the architectural accuracy, the barn, the stable, and the hayloft I counted as one answer, ‘cause they’re all in the same place. Right. So nice job; that was number two!
Someone: – itchy straw. Yeah.
Sarah: Itchy – you don’t want to bang on straw. It’s like sand! God.
Someone: Learned that at Craptastique.
Sarah: Good!
Someone: Stay away from the straw.
Sarah: This is a very educational experience, this conference; it really is. Okay.
Rebekah: A gazebo.
Sarah: Ooh, yes! Very much so! Very good, very good. All right, Elyse, back to you.
Elyse: I’m going to go kitchen?
Sarah: I’m sorry, no.
Elyse: Damn it!
Sarah: Ehhh. What historical characters even know where the kitchen is?
[Laughter, clapping]
Elyse: – never –
Sarah: You think the Duke of Dukington knows where the kitchen is? He just –
Elyse: Do you know how many historicals I’ve read where they’re getting a midnight snack, and then they’re like –
[Cheers]
Elyse: Yeah!
Sarah: That’s right, Jana wrote that!
Elyse: Yeah. And then, like, one tit’s just hanging out, ‘cause she’s in her pajamas, and he’s like, oh my God! That didn’t happen in that book, but I’ve read the scenario. Night, everyone’s in a nightshirt.
Someone: No corsets.
Elyse: A chemise.
Sarah: Nice, yeah, okay, okay. Keep that in mind.
[Indistinct comment]
Sarah: They’re colluding; it’s fine!
Amanda: Yeah, if, if we steal –
Sarah: Yeah, they’re colluding. All right.
Elyse: All right.
Sarah: Yvonne?
Yvonne: Okay.
Sarah: Three are left. Thank you. Three answers left. [Hums Jeopardy! Theme.]
Yvonne: Okay, okay, okay! I’m –
Sarah: Different show, sorry! No whammies, no whammies!
Someone: Wrong game.
Sarah: Wrong game.
Yvonne: Would a ship count?
Someone: Ohhh!
Sarah: Ehhh.
Someone: That’s a good one!
Sarah: Good guess, but no, no one wrote on the water or on a ship or on a boat or anything like that.
Yvonne: Dang!
Someone: Going in the water –
Someone else: Damn it!
Sarah: I’ve definitely read Susan Johnston books –
Someone: Haven’t y’all read the pirate ones?
Sarah: I’ve definitely read some Susan Johnstons where there was getting busy in water, right?
Someone: Yes.
Sarah: Yeah, I read that one too; okay.
Someone: Yeah, yeah.
Sarah: Ma’am?
Eva: In an alcove or window off a ballroom.
[Laughter]
Someone: No!
Sarah: Ehhh.
[Cries of dismay]
Sarah: That’s three, right? That’s three strikes. All right, Amanda’s team, you have three chances, or three opportunities here for the steal.
Amanda: Study/office.
Sarah: No.
[Cheers]
Someone: So we got it?
Elyse: So we’re good.
Sarah: You got it!
[Cheers]
Sarah: The remaining – so here were the top answers –
Someone: Conservatory!
Sarah: No, I’m sorry.
Someone: Whoa! Okay, it’s rigged. It’s rigged; that should be on there.
Sarah: All right, so here were the answers: number one, carriage or coach, 212.
Someone: Yep.
Sarah: Barn, stable, hayloft; library; folly, garden, or outside; desk.
Audience: Ohhh!
Amanda: I call bullshit on that one!
Sarah: A lot of other surfaces in the study; I’ve read that book. Number six: settee, couch, or chaise.
Audience: Ahh!
Sarah: Gazebo, and then a solid fifteen people wrote “against a wall.”
[Laughter]
Sarah: The wall is an answer, right?
Someone: That is one of them.
[Indistinct comments]
Sarah: No bathtubs in this survey, I’m sorry to say. All right.
Someone: The bathtub is for foreplay.
Amanda: – you’re up!
Sarah: All right, here we go. We’re going for the next one. You guys ready? Here’s the buzzer. All right, what’s our question, Robin? Is this occupation?
Robin: Yep.
Sarah: Name a contemporary romance heroine’s occupation.
Eva: Waitress.
Sarah: Waitress! And?
Robin: Ding!
Someone: Whoo!
Sarah: All right, moving on. Ma’am?
Rebekah: Yeah?
Sarah: Name a contemporary romance heroine’s occupation.
Rebekah: Lawyer.
Sarah: Yes! Number two, actually. Well done! Elyse?
Elyse: Small business owner? Does that count? Do I have to narrow it down? God damn it. Veterinarian; I’ll go with that.
Sarah: Very good! It’s on the list!
[Applause]
Sarah: Yvonne?
Someone: – is always my number one.
Yvonne: Caterer?
Someone: Mm-hmm.
Someone else: What?!
[Cries of dismay]
Robin: Which one was not?
Sarah: Caterer. Caterer was not on the list.
Eva: Bed and Breakfast operator.
Sarah: No! Strike two!
Someone: What?!
Sarah: I’m sorry! All right.
Rebekah: Dog walker.
Sarah: Good guess, but not on the list! Three strikes!
[Cries of dismay]
Sarah: All right, Amanda’s team, you have a chance to steal it.
Someone: Yeah. Yeah.
Sarah: Hmm?
Amanda: Baker.
Sarah: Yes!
[Cheers]
Sarah: All right, with the steal! Nice job. So would you like the answers to this one?
Everyone: Yes!
Sarah: All right, number one: baker, chef, or bakery owner. Sometimes they got very specific – cupcake baker; like, there was a lot of cupcake bakers. We eat a lot of cupcakes in Romance Land, y’all; we eat a lot of cupcakes. All right, number two: lawyer/attorney. Shout-out to all my lawyer friends who are now romance writers, because it just happens that way.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Number three – this is going to be painful, and I apologize in advance – number three: librarian.
Someone: Ohhh!
[Applause, laughter]
Sarah: Number four: wedding planner, event planner, party planner.
Someone: Oh, yep.
Sarah: Number five: FBI agent, detective, or cop.
[Cheers]
Someone: Yep.
Sarah: Number six, my personal favorite: writer, author, or blogger.
[Cheers]
Sarah: Number seven: journalist/reporter.
Someone: All right.
Sarah: And number eight: doctor or nurse. Nurse, doctor. All right, well done!
Someone: All right.
Sarah: All right, Elyse, this question is so designed exactly for you?
Elyse: Shit.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right.
Amanda: Come on, Lydia.
Sarah: You took the survey! You know how this works.
Amanda: Give her a good shin kick –
Elyse: I don’t remember.
Amanda: – right before –
Sarah: All right, do you guys need to trash talk each other or anything?
[Indistinct reply]
[Laughter]
Sarah: Do you need to hug first?
[Squeals, laughter, aws]
Sarah: I love y’all. All right, here we go. Name a way someone would be killed in a romantic suspense novel.
[Indistinct reply]
Sarah: Romantic suspense. It’s a, it’s a, it’s an important question, yeah.
Lydia: By murder, shot.
Sarah: Well, pick one. Which one?
Lydia: Murder!
Robin: No.
Lydia: The shot! Being shot!
[Laughter]
Sarah: No, sorry!
Amanda: If someone is killed, it’s already murder!
[Laughter]
Lydia: Yes, that’s true!
Sarah: Sorry! All right, do you have an answer?
Someone: Steal for your team.
Someone else: Say getting shot!
[Laughter]
Rebekah: I’m going to go with getting shot!
Amanda: Wonder where you got that answer!
[Cheers, applause, laughter]
Robin: Ding!
Sarah: Elyse, you know I wrote this question for you, right?
Elyse: I know you did, and I appreciate it.
Amanda: I don’t!
[Laughter]
Elyse: Hey, I had to answer, last year, those J. R. Ward fucked-up name questions.
Amanda: Good.
[Laughter]
Amanda: Good!
Someone: I remember that.
Elyse: I’m going to go stabbed.
Sarah: All right, yes! Stabbed. Is that what you said?
Elyse: I said stabbed.
Sarah: It is on there.
Yvonne: Strangulation?
Sarah: Yes! Not only was there strangled, strangulation, getting strangled, strangle her. Like, people got real, like, this was a really cathartic question for a lot of people.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right, Eva?
Eva: Drowning?
Sarah: Why yes!
Audience: Oh!
Sarah: Thank you, Robin. All right. Rebekah, it’s not librarian. No one, no one gets killed for librarian-ing. Well, I mean, sometimes. Sometimes.
Someone: The OED is very heavy.
Sarah: That’s true. That’s true; you have a very good point. That’ll mess up your day. All right, go ahead, name a way someone would be killed in a romantic suspense novel.
Rebekah: Thrown off a cliff.
Sarah: Yes!
[Cheers]
Sarah: And I accepted thrown off a cliff or pushed off a cliff. Again, this was a very cathartic question. Elyse.
Elyse: Poison.
Sarah: Yes!
[Cheers]
Sarah: Never trust a big butt and a smile. All right, next up.
Yvonne: Did a man cheat on her?
[Laughter]
Someone: I don’t think we have the story.
Sarah: No, I don’t have any, I don’t have any context!
[Laughter]
Someone: You can build whatever you want.
Sarah: What was – so wait –
Someone: – however you need to.
Someone else: Yes.
[Indistinct conversations, laughter]
Sarah: Oh man.
Yvonne: She blew him up.
Sarah: I will accept bomb explosion.
Someone: Yes!
[Laughter, cheers]
Sarah: I will accept bomb or explosion. Well done. Okay. Eva?
Eva: Blunt force trauma.
[Laughter]
Eva: Damn! Nobody getting hit over the head? No bludgeoning?
Sarah: Nope. How many strikes is that, one or two?
Elyse: It’s one.
Sarah: That’s just one, okay. Rebekah? Three answers left. Thank you.
Rebekah: Chopped up into little pieces.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Sh-, sh-, show me dissection! Ehhh, it’s not on there. Sorry.
[Laughter, clapping]
Sarah: Survey says: No! You are a twisted individual. Elyse.
Elyse: All right.
Sarah: Oh yeah, tell me, tell me what your answer is.
Elyse: Oh yeah. Oh yeah.
Sarah: Oh yeah?
Elyse: Wait, did we do choked as part of strangulation?
Sarah: Yes, choking –
Elyse: God damn it.
Sarah: – strangling, garroting, all of that fell under neck trauma.
Elyse: A staged car accident. Like, cut brakes.
Sarah: Car accident! Yes!
[Cheers]
Sarah: Well done! All right, we’ve got two left. One of them is very specific; one of them’s a little bit more on the esoteric side. I’ll give you a hint. Oh, I’m sorry. It’s, it’s hard to describe this without spoiling it, but there’s two answers. How would I kill someone? Well, you can’t shoot them, you can’t strangle them, poison them, stab them, put them in a car accident, drown them, explode them, or push them off a cliff.
Amanda’s team is plotting busily.
Yvonne: Can I freeze ‘em?
Sarah: Freezing! Like, like, hypothermia?
Yvonne: Mm-hmm?
Sarah: No. EHHH.
Yvonne: Like I’ve pushed ‘em in a freezer?
Sarah: Nope, can’t push ‘em in a freezer. That would either be hypothermia or asphyxiation or both, but no, that’s not on the list. Eh. Strike two. All right, pressure’s on, Eva. Pressure’s on! Bidibidibidibidibidibidi –
Eva: Arson?
Sarah: No. Strike three! All right, Amanda’s team, you’ve got two chances to answer for the steal! I’ve got two answers left –
Someone: Ooh!
Sarah: – of a way someone would –
Someone: Nora, Nora disagrees.
Sarah: Oh, Nora always disagrees. You have two options to name someone, name a way someone would be killed in a romantic suspense novel.
Someone: Ooh, I, I liked that one, but I, I can’t think of –
Amanda: We’re just going to go for it!
Sarah: Go ahead.
Amanda: Buried alive.
Sarah: Ooh, that’s a good one, but no, I am sorry. Elyse’s, Elyse’s team takes the win. So we had, in order, shot, strangled, poisoned, stabbed, car accident, drowning, explosion or bomb, pushed off a cliff, pushed down the stairs –
Everyone: Ohhh!
Sarah: – and then I was, you know, I, I had to compile them by the number of votes, right? A number of people voted just “serial killer.”
Elyse: What?!
Someone: That’s what I was thinking, but I thought that would –
Elyse: That’s not a way you kill people. That’s not a method!
Sarah: I cannot argue with – the serial killer is definitely a method in Romance Land.
Elyse: No!
[Laughter]
Elyse: We need specifics here.
Sarah: Twelve!
Elyse: Wow.
Sarah: Yeah, right? I was pretty excited about that!
Someone: Twelve people said it, I guess.
Elyse: All right, fine.
Sarah: Yeah, I, I’m, I’m just –
Amanda: Yeah, who voted for serial killer? Raise your hands!
[Laughter]
Sarah: You guys ready for the next question?
Amanda: Oh, there’s more?
Sarah: No, we have one more, two more rounds!
Amanda: Okay.
Sarah: Two more rounds; we’re back to you guys. You ready?
Amanda: Ugh, my heart’s just not in it anymore.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right. Name a garment –
Amanda: Name a garment?!
Sarah: Name a garment that would be in a historical character’s dressing room.
[Laughter]
Someone: It was her.
Sarah: It was, it was Amanda.
Amanda: And that’s why I’m going to guess and say “chemise.”
[Laughter]
Robin: Ding!
[Cheers]
Sarah: Well done, Team Amanda! Oh, you look really scared. Are you okay?
Kat: Scary? Oh, yeah, no.
Sarah: Scared. You all right?
Kat: I’m Irish. When I drink, I get real red, real fast.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Are you going to chase a bat around the room?
Kat: I hope so!
Sarah: That’s my favorite video.
Kat: I make no promises.
Sarah: Okay, fine. All right, name a garment you would find in a historical romance character’s dressing room.
Kat: Corset.
Sarah: Yes. Well done! That’s our number one answer.
Ione: I would say slippers?
Sarah: [Tiny voice] No.
[Gasps of dismay]
Sarah: I’m sorry! It was on there, but it wasn’t enough votes. All right.
Lydia: I’m going to go with stockings.
Sarah: Oh yes! Very much, and I also put garter with stockings, ‘cause they are part of the same unit. So, so to recap: we have had chemise – I also counted shift for that. Shift, chemise were pretty, and I, I did Google to make sure they were the same thing, all you historical accuracy people, ‘cause you know I don’t give a crap if the duke, like, drives Porsche up to Almack’s and, like, has a McMuffin; I don’t care.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right. So, what’s your next answer?
Amanda: It’s just a garment, right?
Sarah: Yeah, name a garment.
Amanda: Why can’t I fucking say dress?
Sarah: You can fucking say dress, and it’s on the list!
[Cheers, applause]
Kat: All right, then! Okay, then!
Someone: Nice.
Sarah: Nice!
Kat: No! Hoopskirt? I don’t remember what the technical term is for that, but –
Sarah: Hoopskirt?
Kat: Yeah, those, like, the skirt, the thing that holds the skirt out. Crino-, yeah.
Someone: Crinoline!
Kat: It’s, I mean, it’s a hoopskirt in the South.
Sarah: No, I, I can’t, no, I’m sorry. No, it’s not on the list; I’m sorry. Strike two.
Ione: Waistcoat?
Sarah: No, I’m sorry, not on the list. Apparently they keep their waistcoats somewhere else! Hang on a second, hang on a second, it is heroine. Did you –
Ione: Oh, sorry, I thought, I thought this was heroes.
Sarah: No, heroine. Please go again, because that was my bad. My apologies. Heroine – you get – heroine, heroine. Thank you, y’all. Thank you. We want to make this as fair as possible.
Kat: – what I should have said. You told, you said the real word.
Ione: I don’t – oh! No, I don’t think it’s going to be on there. Okay, a robe?
Sarah: Yes!
[Cheers!]
Sarah: Now, for robe I also counted dressing gown and, is it pezh-noir? Payzh-noir? Peezh-noir? Peignoir, peignoir. Peignoir, thank you! Again, duke, Porsche, McMuffin, all fine.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Somebody write me Duke of McMuffin, please. All right.
Lydia: Okay, so the difference between a garment and an accessory? Should I be wary of that?
Sarah: No, I’ve got some accessories. You’re in the clear there.
Lydia: Okay, I’m going to go with bonnet.
Sarah: Yes! Well done, bonnet! Excellent! All right.
Amanda: I don’t read historicals.
Sarah: So we, how many do we have left now? Four. Four answers left.
Amanda: I know what I’m thinking of, but I don’t remember the name.
Sarah: Describe it.
Amanda: It’s like the little teeny bag that they carry. The little handbag!
Sarah: That would be called a reticule.
Amanda: Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.
What?!
Everyone: Ohhh!
Sarah: Sorry!
Amanda: I dug down deep for that one!
[Laughter]
Sarah: That’s what he said. Reticule! No. All right.
Kat: Shawl?
Sarah: Why, yes!
[Cheers, applause]
Sarah: And I accepted shawl, wrap, or fichu for that. Bitches looove fichus.
Someone: Last chance!
Someone else: Okay, last chance. You got this.
Sarah: All right, there’s three answers left.
Ione: Gloves?
Sarah: Yes!
[Cheers, applause, laughter]
Sarah: All right, ladies.
Lydia: Oh crap, that wasn’t the last one?
[Laughter]
Sarah: No, there’s two more. You got this, you got this, you got this.
Lydia: Is cloak different from shawl?
Sarah: Yes – excuse me, no, that would be, I would have counted that in, so that’s not going to work, sorry.
Lydia: ‘Kay. How about the, I’m going back to the accessories, the parasol, the umbrella?
Sarah: No.
Someone: Ohhh.
Sarah: Ehhh.
Elyse: So –
Sarah: Was that three?
Elyse: Yeah.
Sarah: That was three. All right, you guys, you’ve got to come up with one answer.
Elyse: We’re going to, we’re going to go –
Sarah: There’s two possible answers.
Elyse: We’re going to go petticoat.
Sarah: Petticoat is on the list.
Someone: Yeah!
[Applause, cheers]
Kat: Are they called crinolines? Are the hoopskirts called crinolines, and that’s what I was supposed to –
Amanda: That’s what she was trying to say!
Sarah: Crinoline, petti- – no. No.
Kat: Hoopskirts? Oh, Okay.
Sarah: Different thing, different thing.
Someone: Challenge flag!
[Laughter]
Sarah: I’m sorry. So the top answers were: corset, stays, or bodice; chemise or shift; dressing gown or robe or peignoir; stockings or garter; pelisse –
Elyse and others: Ohhh.
Kat: What the hell is a pelisse?
Sarah: Which is, like, some crappy-ass overcoat that gives you zero protection, and the –
[Indistinct comment]
Sarah: Right, and the heroine always wears it, and then it rains?
Elyse: Right.
Sarah: Like, it’s –
Someone: That’s not a cloak?
Elyse: No, it’s –
Sarah: No, it’s got sleeves and, like, special, it’s like special boob areas, like, right around the, the bosoms. Trust me how I know. Fichu, shawl, or wrap; gloves; bonnet; and dress. Good job, y’all!
Someone: All right!
[Applause]
Sarah: Last question!
Amanda: Should I hold your wine again?
Someone: Thank you.
[Indistinct conversation]
Sarah: It’s our last question, you guys. You guys ready?
Someone: Oh yeah.
Sarah: Try real hard. Try real hard not to, try real hard not to –
Someone: By the way, it’s super cute.
Someone else: Oh!
Sarah: Do you guys need to hug?
Someone: Thank you!
Sarah: Oh, your dress is cute! It’s a Black Widow dress! [Gasps]
Amanda: Show everyone.
Sarah: Where did you get it?
Rebekah: Torrid!
Sarah: I love it!
Someone: Yeah.
Sarah: Looks super comfy!
Rebekah: It is, and it’s stretchy.
Someone: Does it have pockets?
Amanda: Pockets!
Rebekah: It doesn’t.
Sarah: That can be fixed.
Rebekah: Yes, it can.
Someone else: Her jacket does!
Rebekah: But the jacket does.
Sarah: See, you just know how to do this conference thing.
Rebekah: And the jacket also has, like, the way the pockets were put in, there’s inner pockets too.
Sarah: Ooh.
[Indistinct conversation]
Sarah: I’m going to start having, like, hot flashes.
Someone: [Laughs]
Sarah: My goodness, some ser-, listen, this is a, this is a family-friendly show – not really.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right, guys, last question. Name a type of shifter. Girl!
Rebekah: Werewolf.
Sarah: Oh yes.
[Cheers]
Sarah: All right, Team Elyse. That is not a type – who, who is reading about poop shifters?
[Indistinct comments]
Sarah: Is that what that phone is for? Listen, I’ve got a problem. I need somebody to come get me. Okay, name a type of shifter.
Elyse: Bears.
Sarah: Yes! Excellent! Number one was wolf; number two was bear. Go for number three, my friend. What would your answer be?
Yvonne: Do you need a, are you looking for only specific animal types, or do you want, like, a species?
Sarah: Most of these are specific animal types.
Yvonne: Okay, okay.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Yeah.
[Indistinct comment, laughter]
Sarah: Something’s happening right here, and I’m not really sure!
Yvonne: Getting distracted.
[Indistinct comment, laughter]
Sarah: She’s doing the pee-pee dance of fury over here.
Yvonne: Too much wine, too much wine, sorry. I’m focusing.
Sarah: Okay, Rebekah.
Rebekah: Sarah.
Sarah: Yes, what’s your answer? Name a type of shifter.
[Laughter, indistinct comment, more laughter]
Rebekah: I’m trying to think of which kind of large cat to – lion!
Sarah: Yes!
[Cheers, applause]
Elyse: Jaguar?
Sarah: Yes! All right, Yvonne. You got this!
Someone: You got this!
Sarah: Give me an answer.
Amanda: No team help! Are you kidding me here?!
Yvonne: She’s not helping.
Amanda: I’m looking right at her.
Yvonne: You’re hearing things!
Amanda: That’s why I said I was looking right at her!
Yvonne: You hear with your eyes?
[Laughter]
Yvonne: Okay, seriously now.
[Laughter]
Sarah: All right, Yvonne, give me an answer.
Yvonne: Okay, I’m sorry. Leopard?
Sarah: Yes. Nice!
[Cheers]
Sarah: All right.
Someone: How many more?
Sarah: There are one, two, three, four, five answers left. We’ve got five down, five to go. There’s a lot of shifters out there.
Elyse: Honey badgers.
Sarah: Oh yes!
[Applause]
Sarah: Oh yes. That was our number three answer! I also accepted honey badgers?
Someone else: Oh my God, yes. Shelly Laurenston –
Sarah: Are you kidding?
Someone else: – Shelly Laurenston? Shelly Laurenston.
Sarah: Ohhh.
Someone else: I’m sorry. I just –
Sarah: Shelly Laurenston’s –
Someone else: – oh my God!
Sarah: – Hot and Badgered – if you’ve had a really crappy day and you would just like to kill every motherfucker in the room, that is the book you need to read, and then you need the Crows, and you read some dragons, but honey badgers are amazing. Oh yeah.
Someone else: [Whispers] So good! [Normal voice] Dragons.
[Cheers]
Sarah: Oh yes. Because you know the –
[Indistinct comment called out]
Sarah: I’m sorry!
Elyse: I was going with, like –
Sarah: Can you, can you show everyone your dragon pantomime, please? Show me dragons!
[Laughter]
Elyse: All right.
Sarah: ‘Cause you know the people filling out this survey know me, and I have a thing for dragons. A small thing.
Amanda: Our side is well behaved and not cheating over here.
[Laughter]
[Indistinct comment]
Elyse: Yeah, pounding your thighs with both hands at the same time is the universal sign for dragon.
Sarah: I thought you were trying to say horse, and I was like, okay?
[Indistinct conversation]
Someone: For real.
Sarah: Pounding Jason Momoa is not a shifter.
Elyse: Okay. Okay, well, how many do we have left?
[Indistinct answer, laughter]
Elyse: Tiger?
Sarah: Yes! Excellent. Tiger is an option. Good job! All right. We got two answers left. Give me, give me one of your answers.
Elyse: Two or three?
Sarah: Excuse me, two. Two answers left.
Someone: Oh shit.
Sarah: We’ve had, recapping, wolf, bear, honey badger, dragon, lion, leopard, tiger, jaguar. We have two left.
Yvonne: I’ve got one!
Sarah: She has one.
Yvonne: Can I say bird?
Sarah: Bird?
Yvonne: Do I have to say a certain type of bird? Or – yeah. Or can I just say bird?
Sarah: You can just say bird.
[Laughter]
Sarah: I’m sorry, that did not make the list.
Yvonne: Aw.
Someone: People didn’t vote the Crows in?
Sarah: I wanted it to, but it did not! Like, only two people said Crows.
Someone: I’m pretty positive I was one of them.
Sarah: But I have a shitload of people saying honey badger, so I understand. You know, what’s ever, whatever, whatever is fresh. All right, two answers left. Name a shifter.
Eva: So I added a class with Tere Michaels this week, and all that’s in my head is otter shifters.
Sarah: That’s amazing, but that’s not one of the answers. I’m sorry. Strike two.
Eva: It’s all I had left, was otters.
Sarah: Strike two, last call, last call! We have two answers left. Got to hedge your bets here.
Rebekah: I’m going to go mermaid?
Someone: Oh, I’m sorry!
Sarah: No, I’m sorry, not an answer. All right, Amanda’s team, last question, last answer. What –
Amanda: We feel very good about this, right, guys? Right.
[Laughter]
Someone: Very passionately.
Amanda: Very passionate. Coyote.
Sarah: No.
[Cheers]
Someone: Sorry, guys!
Someone else: No, that was a good one!
Sarah: No! Mer –
[Indistinct conversation]
Someone: Cuttlefish!
Someone else: Cuttlefish?
Sarah: No!
Another person: Mercy Thompson is pissed off!
Sarah: I know! Huh?
[Indistinct question]
Sarah: No. All right, my final two answers were panther –
Someone: Oh, sorry!
Sarah: – and then a staggering, a staggering number of people said hedgehog.
[Laughter]
Someone: Oh. Oh my God, I know that book!
Someone else: I had that in my head.
Someone: Right?!
Sarah: Hedging His Bets.
Someone: I was like, nobody could possibly have picked that one!
Sarah: Hedging His Bets. I believe Hedging His Bets is male/male hedgehog shifter romance.
Elyse: I, I don’t – yeah.
Sarah: Yeah, Amanda remembers these things.
Amanda: Yes, I do.
Elyse: I’m surprised, I’m surprised reindeer wasn’t on there.
Sarah: All right, so by overwhelming victory, Team Elyse –
Amanda: Wow, don’t rub it in, Sarah!
Sarah: – takes the game.
[Cheers, applause]
Sarah: Excellent! Thank you very, very much, ladies, for playing our game!
Someone: Thank you!
Sarah: Amanda, you can yell at me later.
Amanda: Love all of you.
Sarah: All right.
Amanda: You guys did great.
Sarah: Well, that’s our show, ladies. Thank you so much!
Someone: Thank you!
[Cheers, applause]
Sarah: All right!
[music]
Sarah: And that brings us to the end of our three hundredth episode. Yay! Thank you so much to everyone who came to our live show. Thank you to Jo Carol and Tere Michaels and the team at Romantic Times who gave us a room so we could host our show. Thank you to Amanda and Elyse and the members of Team Amanda and Team Elyse. One of the members of Team Elyse, our victorious team, Eva Moore, sent me some pictures of the lovely people who are smiling ‘cause they won, so you can take a look at the podcast entry, or the show notes, to have a little peek at our victorious team, and there’s also a picture of me there too with Jasmine Guillory and Rebekah and Eva. So thank you Eva, and thank you to everyone who came and made it so much fun, and thank you to Robin Bradford for, as always, being a wonderful live show guest and co-host.
This podcast was brought to you by You Never Forget Your First Earl by Ella Quinn. USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn returns for the newest adventure of the loud, boisterous, extended Worthington clan. Witty and packed with adventure and humorous fun antics, Ella Quinn’s complex and loving Worthington clan never have a dull moment when laughter and romance rule, and a young lady never settles for less than true love. Ideal for fans of the famous Regency families from authors like Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and Julie Anne Long, You Never Forget Your First Earl by Ella Quinn is on sale now wherever books are sold and at kensingtonbooks.com. And thank you to Kensington for sponsoring our May episodes.
Every episode gets a transcript, thanks to garlicknitter. This transcript is brought to you by Organization Academy, which is another company I run. Every other week I send out a newsletter that offers tips on how to declutter your schedule and organize your time using Google Calendar and its many custom automizations. Automizations: I just made up that word. Automations, actually, but let’s just call them automizations, ‘cause that sounds awesome! I also offer courses and mini-courses about menu planning and travel packing. If you would like to subscribe, visit organizationacademy.com.
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Now, if you would be interested in throwing a dollar a month, one whole dollar, one each month, to this podcast, that would be much appreciated! Have a look at our podcast Patreon at patreon.com/SmartBitches. Every monthly pledge makes a deeply appreciated difference. You help the show, you help me commission transcripts for older episodes in our archives, and you make live shows possible, because without the Patreon community, I would not have been able to upgrade the equipment that creates the live recordings.
I also want to thank some of the Patreon folks personally, so to Katharine, Vickie, Rachel, Skye, and Katy, thank you so much for being part of the Patreon community.
Are there other ways you can support the podcast? Sing along if you know the words: leave a review wherever you listen or however you listen, tell a friend, subscribe, whatever works. Thank you for hanging out with me each week, and thank you for helping all of us reach three hundred episodes. I’m really excited about this; I can’t even, can’t even tell you. So excited. M’kay. Like, the fact that I could edit this in time for it to be the three hundredth episode made me so happy. It was one of the upsides of a long plane ride home from Reno.
The music you’re listening to is from Sassy Outwater. She provides all of our snazzy music. This is Caravan Palace; this track is called “Beatophone,” which I rather like. It is from their double album, Caravan Palace and Panic, which you can find at Amazon and on iTunes, and you can learn more about Caravan Palace at caravanpalace.com.
Next week, there’s a website, goes with the podcast, pretty sure you knew that, but next week we have many fun things. Well, depending on how you define next week. Let’s start with Saturday: Saturday it is time for the most anticipated and most expensive post of the month, Whatcha Reading?, when we ask you, whatcha reading? I have a review of the new Lucy Parker book coming up; spoiler alert, I liked it a lot! And we also have a giveaway for a Nokia watch, two of them, in fact, all next week, so enter to win if you’re interested. I will say that I have one, and I love it, and I wear it every day, and I find it is a great way to keep myself active, because it’s not giving me too much information, just enough to let me know that I need to move around a little bit more. We also have Cover Snark, Help a Bitch Out, and a rant from Elyse and me potentially, and, of course, mayhem and silliness as usual. So I hope you will stop by and join us.
Now it’s time for a terrible joke. It’s my favorite part of the end of the podcast episode: I tell you a bad joke! All right, this, you might have heard this one before, but that doesn’t matter, ‘cause it’s still amazing! This joke is from Wendy B., so thank you, Wendy.
Why do Danish navy ships have bar codes on the hulls?
Why do Danish navy ships have bar codes on the hulls? So that when they return to port, they can Scan The Navy In.
[Laughs] When Wendy wrote this to me, she actually put, brace yourself, so the email actually reads, when the ships return to port, they can – brace yourself – Scan The Navy In. [Laughs] That’s so bad; I love it!
If you would like to send me bad jokes, or you want to send me comments about the podcast, you can do so at [email protected], because I love bad jokes, and they’re so much fun.
I will, of course, have links to everything we mention, some of the links we talked about, and the pictures from Eva – thank you, Eva.
But on behalf of everyone who came to our live show, Amanda, Elyse, Robin, and myself, we wish you the very best of reading. Have a great weekend. We will see you here next week for episode number 301. Woohoo!
[snazzy music]
This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.
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Organization Academy is the home of my online courses on using Google Calendar to declutter your schedule and organize your life.
Every other week, I send out a newsletter that offers tips to declutter your schedule using Google Calendar and custom automations. I also offer courses and mini courses about menu planning and travel packing.
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Hahahahaha! *wipes tears* loved the romance feud – great fun, thank you!
It was one of the highlights of the week to attend this show LIVE. I listened to the podcast with a smile on my face while driving to work this morning. Thank you.
Congrats on 300! I’ve enjoyed all the ones I’ve listened to, and keep track of those I’m still waiting to hear.
I was in the front row and it was one of THE highlights of my trip. SO MUCH FUN! Thanks to all of you for the many laughs!
I just finished listening to this episode – so much fun! But, question, why are there no herbivore shifters (other than the reindeer shifter Elyse mentioned)? There are a lot of dangerous herbivores – elephants, giraffes and hippos. Please someone write a hippo shifter romance and then Elyse please review it here!
OMG that was fun to listen to the ‘game show’. Please – we need another installment SOON!
Duke of Dukington *g*
Was there a board displaying the answers (with their position/counts) as they were guessed? I’m thinking no, since Sarah would often call out how many answers were left, but maybe that was just for the listeners at home.
@Katie C.: Hey, who says shifters have to be dangerous? I’m all about three-toed sloth shifters.
The game at the end was awesome and hilarious!!
This was definitely a highlight of the week! Thank you so much for such a fun, laughter filled evening!
@Katie C: Not dangerous (other than the hero is a biker dude), but there’s a hedgehog shifter book called Hedging His Bets. Not particularly well-written, but hilarious!
@Ren Benton – that is true! Let’s hear it for the three toe sloth shifter!
Oooooh! That was such a great episode! I was laughing out loud half the time. Love your live shows, ladies!!! Happy 300th episode anniversary!
@Ren – I’ve READ a sloth shifter story. It was in one of those free mm anthologies, this one was put out by a UK group. It was pretty good, iirc.
Would it be possible to get the survey results published in a post? I missed some of the wrap-up while I was listening (or actually, interrupted while listening). I would love to see what we all came up with and how many votes each got!
(all i can remember for my choices are honey badger in the library)
@ReneeG: Sure thing! I’ll add the results to the podcast entry asap and comment when I do!
Great episode – lots of fun!
Pelisse!! PELISSE!!! Haha it sucks when no one guesses your answer!
Also, what was the yarn store mentioned? Jimmy Dee’s? Thanks.
The live podcast taping was the highlight of my week at RT. You ladies are awesome and the wine was yummy.
The game show was hilarious. Pretty sure I was laughing like a looney while walking and listening to it the other day.
I can’t believe no one but me said blunt force trauma.