Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Romance will never stop bestowing glorious acts of graphic design upon us, so join us for some Cover Snark live! Amanda and I went foraging in the wilds of romance covers and surprised one another with images to discuss.Check out the covers for yourself! Savor the glorious mayhem!So many questions.Which M is the Preg in the MMMPreg?Where IS the Third M?!What is the job market like for alien vampires?If you woke up tomorrow as a wealthy immortal alien vampire, what would YOU do?...Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and award-winning audiobook narrator Julia Whelan visits with me to talk about her new book, Thank You For Listening. Along the way we discuss:Recent press coverage of her bookSelf Aware Book FictionCompetence p0rnMyths about audiobook narrationAnd why Romance Is AmazingPlus, we have book recommendations! (We always do that.)What about you?Do you listen to audiobooks? Do you have favorite books or favorite narrators? Tell me all about them!…Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the words of a spam comment, we have some nice and valuable content!Amanda and I are catching up. What are we talking about? Shoes we are trying to break in, video games we are playing, and all the books we’ve been reading this summer! Amanda’s into sci-fi mysteries, and I’ve read a whole bunch of different genres. Grab a beverage and come visit with us!What about you?What books have rocked your reading time? Have you broken in Birkenstocks? (Am I doomed to agony for eternity?) What are your most comfortable sandals? What is your preferred Mario Kart course?…Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Agatha Andrews is the host of the She Wore Black podcast which focuses on gothic and horror, and a former librarian. I was a guest on her show, and now she comes over to visit with me! Horror and romance need to hang out. So we did!We talk about readers advisory, all the ways to connect books to readers, and then we take a deep dive into the books that rocked her world as a reader.Do you have any erotic unicorn horror to recommend to Agatha? Got a favorite gothic or horror you adore? Tell me about it, please!...Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let’s talk historical heist romances! Erica Ridley joins me to talk about her newest book, Nobody’s Princess, the latest in her Winchester series, which she describes as putting “Umbrella Academy, Oceans 11, and Batman in a blender and pouring out romantic comedy,” or, “Heists that Bang.”You can find Erica Ridley at her website https://ericaridley.com/ She’s on all the socials and medias, and as she mentioned, you can join her VIP group for free books and early access to exclusive content.Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julie Garwood’s latest book, Grace Under Fire, is out now, and I got to chat with her about her writing career, her process, and writing historicals and romantic suspense. Grab a snack and a beverage and come visit with one of the authors I admire most. (No, my inner 13 year old was not chill. Not even a little.)You can find Julie Garwood at her website, JulieGarwood.com.…Music: Purple-planet.comThank you to Julie Garwood, and thank you to Stephanie Felty for setting this up. And to Tara, Laura, and Deanna for questions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danielle Jackson’s new book, The Accidental Pinup, is out now, and I bet you’ve seen the cover in many, many places. It’s terrific. Danielle and I chat about her book, what happened when she saw the cover, and about every professional role she’s had within publishing. She’s been a publicist - she was my publicist for one of my books! She’s also a bookseller, and now she’s an author. So her perspective on the book world is very informed, and pretty unique. We talk about her book, about bookstore events behind the scenes, and what trends we think might be coming next. You can find Danielle Jackson on her website at DanielleJacksonBooks.com. She also co-hosts the Fresh Fiction podcast!Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sonali Dev has some very big news! Her upcoming book, The Vibrant Years, is one of the debut titles of Mindy Kaling’s new imprint, Mindy’s Book Studio. So we talk and squee and talk some more about Kaling’s work, about The Vibrant Years, and what Mindy’s Book Studio means for her new book. Has she texted Mindy yet? I will ask!We also talk about her recent interview in Town & Country magazine, and what she’s working on now. Plus, because Sonali is the greatest, she brought jokes. Multiple bad jokes at the end for everyone to enjoy!Special thanks to Jen Jacobs for editing this episode, and to Garlic Knitter for the transcript. Thanks to Jes Brock for setting up this interview.Special note about the intro/outro: Yup, I have COVID. My voice sounds exceptionally weird. I'm doing okay, and thank you for understanding.Music: purple-planet.comCoupons? Coupons! Visit Carawayhome.com/SARAH for 10% your next purchase: Non-toxic cookware made modern.Visit Ritual.com/SARAH for 10% your first three months of vegan-friendly multivitamins delivered to your door. Visit Thrivecausemetics.com/SPTB for 15% off your first order: the Liquid Balm Lip Treatment is terrific. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sutanya Dacres is a podcaster whose new memoir, Dinner for One: How Cooking in Paris Saved Me, just came out. Her memoir is the story behind her podcast: she met and married a French man, moved to Paris…and then her marriage didn’t work out. It’s also the story of her staying in Paris, rebuilding her life, and learning to embrace her new home. Her podcast features Sutanya cooking dinner for one while telling stories about her life, the food she’s making, and challenging the more easily discovered narratives about Americans in Paris. In this episode, we are going to talk about being a Black American in Paris, roasted red pepper salad, and whether or not there are chicken fingers in French supermarkets. Thank you to Justine Sha and Laura Gianino for helping schedule this interview!Would you like the recipe for the red pepper salad? Merci beaucoup to Sutanya for giving permission to share it! Algerian Felfla Salad (Bell Pepper Salad) Sutanya DacresIngredients 4 bell peppers (any color or color combination) 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt Pepper Preparation 1. Preheat oven to gas mark 8/ 450 ° F/ 230 ° C 2. Put peppers on a baking sheet lined with aluminum and bake for 30-45 minutes, until the peppers are soft. Black spots on the skin are normal. 3. Remove and allow to cool. Once cooled peel off the skin, remove stem and seeds and cut peppers into strips. 4. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add garlic, tomatoes and peppers. 5. Cook until tomatoes are soft and all of the vegetables are well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. 6. This salad can be enjoyed by itself, on toast or over rice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Perpetua Neo is a psychologist and author of the new book, This is What Matters: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Identifying Your Values, Priorities, and Path Forward after a Crisis. I’ve been reading and working through the journaling prompts, and wanted to interview her to talk about the origins of this workbook, and her practice working with people.This is What Matters is a series of questions and prompts to help people with post-traumatic growth in identifying on an individual level, well, what matters to you.We also discuss:Sleeping like a lionEmbracing free unscheduled timeCognitive PhotoshopIdentifying the life one wants and starting to build it nowWhen was the last time your heart really sang?If you’re someone who keeps a journal, this episode will give you a lot to think about.I love books that encourage people to identify their individual desires and goals and enable them to practice the life they want to lead.Thank You to Maria Orlandi from Adams Media.…Music: purple-planet.comCoupons:Get 15% off your first order when you visit thrivecausemetics.com/SPTBGo to paireyewear.com/SARAH for 15% off your first purchase.FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase at athleticgreens.com/SARAH. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.