Welcome to Smart Podcast, Trashy Books! Each Friday, I talk with authors, readers, reviewers, bloggers, publishing professionals, editors, and librarians, or combinations thereof, and share the fun and mayhem with you. Frequent topics include romance fiction, the brilliant and interesting people who read, write, and produce it, and issues common among romance readers, along with a hefty side order of silliness. Plus, we always recommend some books we’re reading and really enjoying.
And speaking of recommendations, are you new to the podcast? Welcome!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, fear not: here are some of our most popular episodes – so far!
Episode 206. Proving Love: An Interview with Dr. Chuck Tingle
Episode 200. The Books That Made Us Romance Readers
Episode 229. Romance, Dating, and Very Real Expectations: An Interview with Alisha Rai
And here are our latest episodes so you can join in the fun!
We are back, recapping the July 2000 issue of Romantic Times! We’ve got: Anthologies Carpathians Several books where we’re pretty sure the happy ending is to throw the entire man away We also debate who is possessed by demons because it’s a valid question for several of the books we talk about. A mild warning that when we discuss Mystery & Thriller there is a truly gross plot. It’s a doozy. You can watch the … Continue reading 709. RT Rewind: July 2000 Reviews
Thank you for joining me for a “from the vault” episode! This is episode 147, originally aired June 26, 2015, so almost 11 years ago. Drs. Jen Lois and Joanna Gregson did a multi-year study on the community of romance authors and I have never stopped thinking about it. In this conversation, we’re talking about that study, what they learned about romance as a community, especially about gender dynamics.
Amanda and I are traveling back to June 1997 to discuss: Touring inside author’s homes and whether we think it’s kinda intrusive and uncomfortable Neverending reader hate for “the F word” The fans used to blow back cover models’ hair And speaking of, what’s on the Cover Model Pageant contestant’s heads? And more! We DO have a video episode for this one with images – you can find it on our YouTube channel. And you … Continue reading 707. RT Rewind: June 1997 Ads & Features
Kate Quinn’s new book, The Astral Library, is out this week and I was so excited to not only get an advanced copy but an opportunity to interview Kate Quinn. We talk about the inspiration for this very magical book, and about books that are sanctuaries. We also talk about library advocacy, book banning, and the deadly threat of bureaucracy. My favorite thing that Kate says: “When you love a book, it also loves you.”
Amanda and I are back, deep diving into romance and pop culture history with issue 1997 of Romantic Times Magazine. The cover reads Love, Lust, Laugh, and we’ve got some vintage books to talk about. Then we talk about what books we’re most looking forward to right now, and what we’re currently reading. In two weeks we will be back with the ads & features, and you know a magazine from the 90s has the … Continue reading 705. RT Rewind: June 1997 Reviews
My guest this week is Julia Quinn and we are talking about, of course, JQ Editions, a new subscription service creating special limited editions of historical romances. I’ve been writing about this since it was announced, and so I got to ask all my questions – and some of yours. Along the way we talk about the historical romance genre, administrative mayhem, and the practicalities of creating special editions of beloved books. Plus you get … Continue reading 704. JQ Editions with Julia Quinn
Kayleigh Donaldson is back! She is the guest on some of the most popular episodes, and I know what that is: she’s brilliant. We recorded this just before the Oscar nominations were announced, so Kayleigh is making (some pretty accurate!) predictions about Oscar nominations, and explaining what makes this year’s group of films so interesting. Along the way we also talk about vintage Hollywood gossip, character actors who go weird gremlin, and the way actors … Continue reading 703. Oscars and Gossip with Kayleigh Donaldson
Candy recapped Heated Rivalry, and is that enough? No, of course not. We had MANY things we wanted to exclaim at each other about, so why not podcast about it? We’re going to talk about the show, the acting, the adaptation, and the fact that this show could never have been made in the US. Jacob Tierney is a genius, and we have many a rabbit hole of research to explore. If you’ve been thinking … Continue reading 702. Heated Rivalry with Candy Tan
It’s never too late for Holiday Wishes, right? We had such a record number of interviews for the Holiday Wishes episodes this year, and I truly love doing them. Thank you. But many of you asked about Amanda’s recs and wishes, so to wind up our holiday extravaganza, Amanda and I are talking about the books that we loved in 2025, our wishes for everyone in 2026, and of course we talk about a LOT … Continue reading 701. Holiday Wishes with Amanda and Sarah
Happy 700th Episode!! Amanda Matta is a debut author (her book is coming in 2027!), media commentator, royal analyst, and an art historian. I’ve mentioned Amanda, and her podcast Art of History, which I love. In that show, she focuses on one particular piece of art and explains the history, context, symbolism, and even the details of how it was made. I like it. So I thought, why not have Amanda Matta give the Art … Continue reading 700. An Art History Analysis of Romance Covers with Amanda Matta
Happy New Year! This week we are talking with Katie, Kate, and Adam – we’ve got book recs, wishes, spreadsheet discussions, dungeons, and some wishes that don’t violate the Hatch Act. There’s also rather appalling poo adventure immediately after my first interview. Pew pew! Thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads are now turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much! … Continue reading 699. Holiday Wishes VII with Katie, Kate and Adam
