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!
In the May 2014 Ads and Features episode of our Romantic Times Rewind series, the cover feature was all about Valerie Bowman, her latest book – and inside was a mention of her appearance on Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta in 2014! So Amanda and I connected with Valerie to hear all the details! We talk about weddings and dresses and reality tv, including a side trip discussion to the real housewives, Scandoval, and … Continue reading 586. Saying Yes to the Dress with Valerie Bowman→
We’re back, traveling in time to May 2014 to take a look at the ads and the features inside RT Book Reviews magazine! Side trips include Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, the immortality of strange stock images on book covers, and the importance of alligator fritters in the marketing budget.
THIS is episode 584 (I said in the intro that last week was 584 but I was wrong. Oops – my bad). Maggie Tokuda-Hall returns as a guest to talk about The Siren, The Song and the Spy, and so much has changed since our last conversation in Episode 406 when the first book, The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea released in May 2020. We also talk about racism and her experience with Scholastic … Continue reading 584. Queer Pirate Decolonization Fantasy with Maggie Tokuda-Hall→
It’s our first Romantic Times Rewind episode, starting with May 2014! We are looking at all 298 (!) book reviews in issue 363 of RT Book Reviews Magazine. Amanda and I are going to pick a book from each of the review collections by genre, from historical to urban fantasy to the Teen Scene. We also discuss the very narrow grading rubric, and the rarity of two- and one-star reviews. Journey back to May 2014 … Continue reading 583. Romantic Times Rewind: May 2014 with Amanda→
Lorelei King has been a guest on the show before, and you may recognize her name and her voice from her work in romance audiobook narration. This week, Lorelei joins me to talk about her role as a core participant in the official UK government COVID Inquiry, which begins its second phase on October 3. We also discuss her volunteer work on the COVID Memorial Wall in London. A content warning: We’re talking about COVID, … Continue reading 582. COVID Bereavement and Activism with Lorelei King→
Several years ago, Amanda had coffee with Maria Vale at a conference, and Maria mentioned a book she was working on that sounded really cool. And now, Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death is available to read! So we got together to talk about the book, what it’s like to write something that feels risky, different, and comes with warnings about HEA-expectations. This becomes a conversation about the HEA, how it works, and how … Continue reading 581. Death, Candy Corn, and Witches with Amanda and Maria Vale→
I had a whopping good time talking with Jennifer Armentrout about her new book, Fall of Ruin and Wrath, about ApollyCon – which is now almost 10 years old! We’re going to talk about the behind the scenes of ApollyCon, her launch title for the new Bramble imprint of fantasy romance, plus she takes questions from some of you about disability advocacy, living with a visual impairment, and what changes she’s seen in publishing. Music: … Continue reading 580. Stop and Look at the Stars, with Jennifer L. Armentrout→
Dr. Chuck Tingle is back! My episode with Chuck Tingle from 2016 remains one of my most popular, and I was very excited to have Chuck back on the show while he was in the middle of his tour for Camp Damascus. We’re going to talk about eliciting joy, proving love, the three most maligned genres and why they’re denigrated, and Chuck’s ever-evolving trot as an artist and a person. Thank you to Caroline Perny … Continue reading 579. Punk Rock Writing with Chuck Tingle→
Louise Hare is the author of the Canary Club mystery series, and book two, Harlem After Midnight is out this week! Louise joins me to talk about her main character, Lena Aldridge, and how Lena uses every asset at her disposal to navigate both a transatlantic cruise in book one, and Harlem in the 1930s in book two. We also talk about writing in dual timelines and the fun of writing family drama and murder, … Continue reading 578. Harlem After Midnight with Louise Hare→
Deanna Raybourn is back, and we’re talking about some of the unusual methods used to kill folks in Killers of a Certain Age –and there are mild plot spoilers for that book, please be aware. We also talk about the images she receives from fans of her series, and the larger context of why there’s a sense of catharsis reading about terrible people meeting terrible ends. TW/CW: I mention lice when talking about networks of … Continue reading 577. Killing Folks with Deanna Raybourn→
Pop culture critic and former book blogger Kayleigh Donaldson joins me to talk about BookTok, hockey romance, and the Seattle Kraken. We’re locating this conversation in a larger discussion about fandom, fanfiction about real people, and the ways celebrity culture, fan culture, and romance intersect. I want to mention that we do talk very briefly about Johnny Depp and fandom, and larger issues of misogyny and sexual harrassment. Music: purple-planet.com
