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!
After mentioning Heather Graham, one of the Grande Dames of RT, so many times while recapping issues of Romantic Times, I got to sit down with her to talk about her career, the way the industry has changed, and of course, her memories of Romantic Times, both the magazine and the convention. We talk about… Her memories of meeting Kathryn Falk The earliest Romantic Times Conventions Her incredible RT parties The work of hosting conferences. … Continue reading 691. Romantic Times Memories with Heather Graham→
My guest today is Lux Raven, author of the Siren’s duology that starts with Siren’s Mark, which came out – together – in early October. Lux wanted to join me on the podcast to talk about disability portrayals in romance, and about her own journey to diagnosis and how it influenced her writing – and vice versa. We talk a lot about the pernicious ableism in the writing of disabled characters, and about writing your … Continue reading 690. Disability in Romance with Lux Raven→
We’re going back to May 2016 to look at the Ads & Features in Romantic Times magazine. The kilts are kilting and the abs are ab-ing, and we’ve got some questions. How do we feel about the terms “book boyfriend” and “pre-con”? How much of the 2016 conference depended on Twitter to announce pop up signings and special limited time events? And do you remember how important Twitter was to a conference? How many different … Continue reading 689. RT Rewind: May 2016 Ads & Features→
I’m bringing back a classic episode from the archives of the show, and because she has excellent taste, Amanda said it should be this one. When I originally published this episode, I focused on how silly we were – and we are plenty silly. But since then Amanda and I have talked about the fact that when we recorded this, we were, in fact, baked out of our gourds. So it’s a different kind of … Continue reading 688. Rewind Replay: “You have a Type and it Might be Mullet” – June 22, 2018→
Grab your carry on, your snacks, and a blanket, because we’re hopping in the time machine again to go back to the May 2016 issue of Romantic Times to look at the new releases and reviews! This issue caused some big questions. Coke or Pepsi? Backstreet Boys or NSYNC? Did you worry about spontaneous combustion? Should I read the Midnight, Texas trilogy by Charlaine Harris? How many erotic romance titles in this issue contain the … Continue reading 687. RT Rewind: May 2016 Reviews and New Releases→
Alexandra Vasti is back, because her new historical romance Ladies in Hating is out this week! We are going to talk about: Good angsty yearning When a character is their love interest’s bitch eating crackers Lesbians in history! Erotic Victorian fiction Side trips include historical publishing houses, how nothing in romance is new, and how a lot of our current erotica, including that book where someone schtupps a door, is connected to books with the … Continue reading 686. Ladies in Hating and Yearning with Alexandra Vasti→
It’s the 90s so the Ads and Features from the August 1996 issue of Romantic Times are a treasure trove of confusion. We’ve got: A tour of Jude Deveraux’s Grade II Listed Home in Suffolk Barbara Cartland perfumes How should emoji faces be written? Nose or no nose? What is the appeal of “nursing him back to health” plots? And RT is going to answer the eternal question that has plagued womankind throughout the ages. … Continue reading 685. RT Rewind: August 1996 Ads & Features→
The second book in Holly Black’s Night duology, Thief of Night, is out now, and I was so excited to talk with her about it. We start right off by talking about creepy places – like, what kind of magic comes out of Jersey? Then we talk about world building, starting with atmosphere instead of plot, and the intricacies of shadow magic in her duology. Plus, we squee about books we’ve loved, magic powers we … Continue reading 684. Thief of Night with Holly Black→
We’re going back to August 1996 – that’s a bit of distance – to take a peek at the new releases and the book reviews in Romantic Times magazine. We’re back in the era of time travel, a scifi imprint named Avonova, and probable worms. NSFW worms. As usual, we learn astonishing amounts of unexpected information from this magazine. For example: we’re both obsessed with the 1996 movie Twister and we have many thoughts on … Continue reading 683. RT Rewind: August 1996 Reviews→
Valerie Bowman returns to talk about her new book, The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn, out September 9. Valerie has written over 30 historical novels but when asked by her agent if she’d be interested in pivoting to contemporary, Valerie jumped on the opportunity. Please join us as we puzzle through the reasons why historical romance isn’t as popular, and what led to the pivot that so many authors are making. Plus Valerie shares the differences and … Continue reading 682. Pivoting Between Historical and Contemporary Romance with Valerie Bowman→
It’s July 2016, and we’re back in the time machine to check out the ads & features from this issue of Romantic Times Magazine! We spot an SBTB friend in the letters to the editor, and we talk about romances translated into English, the appeal of the wounded hero, and we spot an ad that’s very clearly some Tay-fic, as I’m calling it. We also discuss an article about Kickstarter in romance – and this … Continue reading 681. RT Rewind: July 2016 Ads & Features→
