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!
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→
Molly Horan is a YA author, playwright, and professor who is writing a dissertation on aromantic and asexual characters in YA literature. Molly also teaches classes about YA literature, so we have a LOT to talk about. Examining relationships between people within the context of aro/ace characters requires a re-examination of how we portray human bonds in media, and how they work in real life. There are many book recs, so don’t forget to check … Continue reading 680. Aromantic and Asexual YA Romance with Molly Horan→
We’re back! Amanda picked this month’s issue and so we are journeying back to July 2016! We tackle vague reviews that tell us no things. I try to coin a new portmanteau! We come up with the most unhinged romance bingo squares ever – tell us if we should use them! We have some plot summaries that are a RIDE, folks. Hop into our newly refurbished time machine – we needed a bigger drinks fridge … Continue reading 679. RT Rewind: July 2016 Reviews→
Recently, I posted a collection of cozy, mostly British mysteries that all mimic the Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club covers in just about every way. Then, Kayleigh Donaldson said she had many thoughts about them. One of the worst things you can do is be one of my favorite people to listen to and then tell me you have thoughts about something I posted on SBTB. I WANT TO HEAR THE THOUGHTS. Good thing I … Continue reading 678. The Osmanification of Fiction Covers with Kayleigh Donaldson→
Jo Piazza’s new book, Everyone is Lying to You, is a trad wife influencer murder mystery out this month. I loved this book. Jo has been covering trad wives and influencers for a long, long time – she has a podcast called “Under the Influence,” and has been writing about celebrity culture for most of her career. We are talking about trad wives, celebrity influencers, and how celebrity has changed with social media. We also … Continue reading 677. Everyone is Lying to You with Jo Piazza→
When I record with Nalini Singh, since she’s in New Zealand and I’m on the east coast of the US, it’s weird hours for both of us – so thank you to Nalini for speaking to me bright and early in the morning. We talk about Atonement Sky, about writing and worldbuilding, and saying goodbye to characters. I also mix up my animal pluralities but I fix it, don’t worry. NOT thanks to Wilbur, my … Continue reading 676. Exploring Atonement Sky with Nalini Singh→
