Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

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 regarding her book Love in the Library, and we talk about Baldur’s Gate and queer pirate fantasy. Come for the discussion of dismantling facism, and stay for the video game and book recs. You know, as usual.You can find Maggie Tokuda-Hall at her website, PrettyOKMaggie.com.We also mentioned:"Scholastic and a Faustian Bargain" Maggie's podcast, Failure to AdaptHarper's Bazaar: "Refusing to Censor Myself" by Maggie Tokuda-HallAnd the picture from Our Flag Means Death that had us both on the floor.I also mentioned my appearance on the Rephonic.com list of 12 Best Author Interview Podcasts - thanks, y'all!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 with us! And come find all the fun visuals and books in the show notes at https://bit.ly/RTRW584 and at Instagram and Tumblr!You can find all the visual aids, screengrabs, and covers right here at SBTB.And the entire RT Rewind archive is at RTRewind.comMusic: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Typically on Tuesdays I release bonus episodes for the Patreon community, but this week, everyone gets the bonus because Amanda and I are introducing Romantic Times Rewind, a new series of podcast episodes where we look back at old issues of RT Book Reviews and Romantic Times Magazine. WOO HOO!Amanda and I are going to re-read old issues of RT, and record two episodes each month. One issue will be looking at all the reviews by genre in a particular issue, and the other will look at the features, ads, and book covers inside.I’ll be posting images and screengrabs from the issue on Smart Bitches, and on Instagram and Tumblr (for that extra retro flavor!).Plus, as a member of the Patreon, you’ll have access to the complete issues we’re looking at, so you can read along with us - and tell us which books from back issues you’d most want to read.Part of the inspiration for this series comes from the absolutely wonderful podcast Listen to Sassy, where Tara Ariano, David T. Cole, and Pamela Ribon re-read old issues of Sassy Magazine, which was a formative part of my teenager-hood.Romantic Times Magazine and RT Book Reviews isn’t online anywhere that I’ve seen, and the site went dark in May 2018 shortly after the closure of the magazine and the conference was announced.Most humbly, I ask: if you have back issues of RT Book Reviews or Romantic Times, print or digital, and you’d like to send them to be, PLEASE get in touch with me - sarah AT smart bitches trashy books.com. I’m scouring eBay magazine vendors and trying to gather as many as I can, and right now I have some from 2014, 2015, and 2016.Links!Listen to Sassy at ListenToSassy.comTime Magazine, March 2008: “Crazy and In Charge.”Delia's Catalog NewType Magazine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, and about death, as Lorelei’s husband Vince Marzello died from COVID in March 2020. We’re also going to talk about Boris Johnson, so big content warning for buffonery there. So I want to give you a heads up now that this episode may not be what you want, and that’s ok. Please look after yourself.We’re talking about difficult things in this episode, but it’s fundamentally about living with grief, finding hope and finding purpose after terrible loss.Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda and Maria Vale discuss the challenges of writing a book that deviates from traditional romance tropes, focusing on the concept of happy ever afters. They also explore the portrayal of death in literature, debate the definition of happily ever after, and discuss their opinions on candy corn and witches.

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: Purple-planet.comYou can find Jennifer L. Armentrout on her website, on Instagram, and her Facebook Group JLAnders.We also mentioned:Retinosis PigmentosaThe Wilmer InstituteDragon DictationAnd, I request a humble favor: If you have a moment and your thumbs are not busy, would you be so kind as to leave a review for the show? I used to have a few on Apple Podcasts and now they are all gone! Apple is a mystery - but reviews help other folks find the show. So if you enjoy the podcast and you want to help me reach more nifty people, please review us. Thank you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for coordinating this interview!Music: purple-planet.comLINKS! You can find Chuck Tingle on his website, ChuckTingle.com, and on Tumblr (!!) at DrChuckTingle.Tumblr.com.It's been a long time since I've linked to Tumblr. Ah, good times.We also discussed his prior episode, Episode 206. Proving Love: An Interview with Dr. Chuck Tingle.Finally, a humble request: if you are so inclined, would you please leave a review for the show? I used to have some on Apple Podcasts - and now I have none? I would appreciate your time and comments so very much. Thank you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, and most of all writing a character whose most familiar home is whatever stage she is on.It is a little tricky to do an interview for the second book of a mystery series, so to give you a bit more context, this is the cover copy for Harlem After Midnight:Harlem, 1936: Lena Aldridge grew up in a cramped corner of London, hearing stories of the bright lights of Broadway. She always imagined that when she finally went to New York City, she’d be there with her father. But now he’s dead, and she’s newly arrived and alone, chasing a dream that has quickly dried up. When Will Goodman—the handsome musician she met on the crossing from England—offers for her to stay with his friends in Harlem, she agrees. She has nowhere else to go, and this will give her a chance to get to know Will better and see if she can find any trace of the family she might have remaining.Will’s friends welcome her with open arms, but just as Lena discovers the stories her father once told her were missing giant pieces of information, she also starts to realize the man she’s falling too fast and too hard for has secrets of his own.…Music: purple-planet.com...A humble request from me, your podcast host and producer: If you have a moment and your thumbs are not busy, would you be so kind as to leave a review for the show?I used to have a few and now they are all gone? It is a mystery - but reviews help other folks find the show., so if you enjoy the podcast and you want to help me reach more nifty people, please drop us a review if you're so inclined? Thank you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 women. And we’re talking about poison, murders, and some serial killers.Music: purple-planet.com...A humble request from me, your podcast host and producer: If you have a moment and your thumbs are not busy, would you be so kind as to leave a review for the show?I used to have a few and now they are all gone? It is a mystery – but reviews help other folks find the show., so if you enjoy the podcast and you want to help me reach more nifty people, please drop us a review if you’re so inclined? Thank you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.comYou can find Kayleigh Donaldson on Twitter @Ceillidhann, and on Pajiba.com. Her newsletter, The Gossip Reading Club, is excellent.We also mentioned the Dundee Stars hockey team in Dundee, Scotland, and I mentioned Klout, which was a way, way old memory of online weirdness.And here are the articles she mentioned that she wrote:Paste Magazine: "The Hottest Romances of the Season are All Happening On Ice"Paste Magazine: "Why is Adam Driver the Hero of Every Romance Novel Now?"Pajiba.com: "Krack My Back: Booktok, the Seattle Kraken, and Why You Shouldn't Turn Real People into Your Playthings."Important Coupon News!To celebrate 5 years of HEAs, Love’s Sweet Arrow is offering Smart Bitches listeners 20% off purchases in store and online throughout the month of August with code SMARTBITCHES. All orders over 100 dollars will receive a free gift with purchase. Enter code SMARTBITCHES at checkout online or mention it in store to receive your discount. Code applies only to in-stock products. Free gift will be selected by staff when filling your order.Ritual is all about hot data and stone cold facts. Get to know your nutrients on a deeper level with 30% off during your first month. Visit ritual.com/SARAH to start Ritual or add Essential For Women 18+ to your subscription today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.