Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Hey, y'all! A special treat bonus episode for your American holiday week needs. Yup, there will be a regularly-scheduled episode on Friday, but here's an extra treat! I was a guest on Talking Simulator discussing...romance in video games. Isn't it weird when a topic puts itself in front of you so many times? Here's the description from host Jordan Webber. Enjoy! ...Sarah Wendell is the co-founder of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, a website for readers of romance fiction, and host of their podcast Smart Podcast, Trashy Books. When she's not reading, she loves to play video games, so Jordan invited her on the show to talk about how games approach her area of expertise: romance.For this whistlestop tour through how romance is written in the kinds of games Sarah plays (Dragon Age, Mass Effect, The Witcher, Stardew Valley...), she and Jordan discuss the male gaze, indecision when faced with an abundance of love interests, happily ever afters, whether or not romanceable characters should have their own preferences, and what romance novels Sarah would like to see adapted into a game.Sarah has also discussed this topic with her cohost Amanda and with Laura Nash from The Short Game podcast.That Twitter thread about the male gaze that lived rent free in Sarah's head is from @kyalbr. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AC Arthur’s new book The After Party is out, and she joins me to talk about all things friendship, cocktails, murder, revenge, and more.Because it was inspired by the movie 9 to 5, we deep dive into revenge on bad bosses and movie nostalgia, too....Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for another Vintage YA Recap, this week with Laurie's Song by Suzanne Rand.Prepare yourself for some exhausting friendships, boring boyfriends, social stress, and some ~*absolutely outstanding*~ outfits and POETRY.Oh, yes. Poetry. This is a good one....Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I have been teasing in recent episodes, this is part two of our crossover episode with The Big Gay Fiction Podcast! Amanda and I connected with Jeff and Will and answered listener questions from our Patreon communities.The Big Gay Fiction Podcast released part one Thursday 4 November so you get all four of us being ridiculous together for two episodes back to back.We’re talking about the first m/m romances we ever read, and we have book recs, food discussions, and some thoughtful conversations about genre and community, too.Part One of this Conversation! https://www.jeffandwill.com/biggayfictionpodcast/2021/11/04/episode-344-mega-crossover-event-with-smart-podcast-trashy-books/Don't miss the Big Gay Fiction Fest, on December 4, 2021! Find all the details at http://www.biggayfictionfest.comShow notes: https://bit.ly/482BigGayFictionAMA Music: Purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for part two of the Sweet Dreams Romance Recap Project, featuring The Popularity Plan by Rosemary Vernon. Unlike P.S. I Love You, I hadn't read this one before, so it's an adventure for all of us. We've got some hefty social anxiety, friends with Plans (and wall calendars as seen on the cover) and some very classic dating tropes. Grab your tea and your comfy hoodie and come hang out with me!...Music: Purple-Planet.comShow Notes! https://bit.ly/481PopularityPlanSD2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Hachtel and Nikki Brock put together Love In The Mix: A Cookbook for Romance Readers to benefit ProLiteracy, and she joins me to talk about it. Leslie tells me all about the cookbook, how it came to be, and some of her favorite recipes. We discuss family favorites and family history through food, and then, as a bonus, I’ve added info about two favorite recipes for you to try. Over 70 romance authors contributed recipes and stories, and you can find the cookbook in print and digital editions everywhere books are sold. All proceeds benefit ProLiteracy!...Music: purple-planet.comShownotes: https://bit.ly/480LoveintheMix Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time! It's time! This is the first of the Sweet Dreams Romance Recap Project, wherein I am recapping the first twenty Sweet Dreams YA romances, starting with Sweet Dreams #1,  P.S. I Love You by Barbara Conklin.This book is a lot. It's angsty and tragic, but there are some moments I remember so very clearly, and I probably read this more than 30 years ago. This was definitely one of my gateway books. What about you? Show Notes: https://bit.ly/479PSILoveYouSD1Music: Purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda and I take a deep dive into interactive fiction with Rebecca Slitt from Choice of Games and Heart’s Choice. We get into the details of how interactive fiction works, and what the process of writing it is like - and we have some recommendations, never fear!...Music: purple-planet.comShownotes: https://bit.ly/478RebeccaSlitt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is author Ryka Aoki, whose new book Light from Uncommon Stars is out this week! We cover transgender identity, found family, space opera & The Brady Bunch, the liminal state of The Olive Garden, Chonky books, and what, and where, is the best donut? I really want to hear your donut recs: sbjpodcast@gmail.com! ...Music: purple-planet.comShow Notes: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our last collection of Patreon listener questions, we had two about the process of reviewing: what we look for, and what questions we’re trying to answer when we write a review. Shana joins Amanda and me to talk about the process of reviewing romance, how reviewing helps us identify what we most like to read, and how reading and review works for each of us as writers, and for me doing editorial oversight.Thank you to Patreon members Tara C and Leslee for the very kind and thoughtful questions!...Music: Purple-planet.comShow Notes: https://bit.ly/476Reviewing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.