Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

We received an email from Megan, who wanted to know about the possibility of building a rating system for sex in books. TL;DR, we don’t think it’s entirely feasible given how subjective heat levels can be for different readers, but the idea gives us a lot to talk about. We also talk about Prime Day this week, my younger child’s bar mitzvah, which was last weekend, virtually, from our backyard, and...

Happy Valentine’s Day! Amanda and I are chatting about everything from bookstores and trade romance to her Reylo fanfic. Our conversation is inspired by a question from Jasmine, who is part of our Patreon. She wanted to ask us about sci-fi and space romances, and ask for recommendations. Amanda’s much more fluent in space romance than I am, but we absolutely have recs, suggestions, theories about...

Welcome to part four and the final episode in my series on RWA: One Month Later. We’ve heard from C Chilove, Laurel Cremant, and Diana Neal, the officers of CIMRWA, from past RWA president HelenKay Dimon, and from Jessie Edwards, Marketing and PR Manager for RWA.Today, I’m speaking with Courtney Milan. There’s a lot to process, and this is a somewhat emotional interview wherein we talk about what...

Welcome to part three of my four-episode series, RWA: One Month Later. Today, we’re hearing from RWA.Jessie Edwards, Marketing and PR Manager for Romance Writers of America, joins me to answer questions about loss of trust, steps being taken to address member concerns, filling leadership positions, and what comes next for RWA, for the national conference, and for the membership. Check your podcast...

Welcome to part two of a special four episode series on RWA: One Month Later. We’ve heard from C Chilove, Laurel Cremant, and Diana Neal, the officers of CIMRWA, and today I’m speaking with RWA past president HelenKay Dimon. I interviewed HelenKay in late September 2019 about the end of her term as president. Now we’re looking back on the past month since the RWA decision against Courtney Milan wa...

Welcome to episode 388, and the first of a four-episode special event: RWA: One Month Later. I recorded this episode on the 23 of January, one month to the date when a decision from Romance Writers of America was delivered to Courtney Milan informing her that due to an ethics complaint, she was being barred from leadership for her lifetime, and suspended from RWA for one year. If you were online,...

Jen Lois, Professor of Sociology at Western Washington University in Bellingham, and Joanna Gregson, Professor of Sociology at Pacific Lutheran University, sit down with Sarah to discuss studying the community of romance from a sociological perspective. We talk about the sneers and the leers that romance writers and readers are subjected to, and the gender dynamics of the community. You’ll also he...

Sarah sits down with Dr. Joanna Gregson and Dr Jen Lois, two professors of sociology who are doing a years-long study of the sociology of the romance writing community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane and Sarah discuss contemporary romance, especially those successful self-published books that are essentially category romances. Plus, book recommendations, and book characters that made us so irritated we had to stop reading. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Jane interview New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day about her book "Bared to You," and about her upcoming presidency of RWA. Erin Galloway and Cindy Hwang are also part of the roundtable of much laughing, discussing how they brought Day's self-pubbed book to Penguin, and the response the book has received. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

n this podcast, we look at summer reading! Jane and Sarah sit down with Jane's ARC drawer (That's a real thing) and take a look at the books we're excited about coming this summer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Jane interview Nalini Singh, who is trapped in their hotel room, unable to escape the questioning. The good news: we learn which US reality tv show Nalini is secretly addicted to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah tunes in to the DBSA Podcast voicemail and adds listener messages to the podcast as we discuss what we're reading. Plus, there's an interview with Sarah's mother in law about audiobooks she loves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Jane discuss the romance canon - what it is, who is in it, and why the term 'canon' might mean different things to different people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Jane talk about the upcoming DABWAHA, A March Madness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Jane take a look at your suggestions as to the best name for a book wherein a hymen is located in the incorrect place. We also talk about other things, like romance novels. No, really. Swear! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Jane discuss book buying, reading, and reviewing, and Jane attempts to recommend a book to Sarah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah & Jane talk about coltish legs, books that make us cry, being happy drunks, and werewolf fiction best-of. We also talk about Lisa Kleypas' upcoming 'Rainshadow Road.' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane and Sarah talk about the ridiculous threshold, where hyperbolic characters and plots become too much - and why that threshold varies for different readers depending on genre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Sarah convinces Jane to talk about the Agony / Ecstasy Anthology, and we reminisce about old ebook stores and old reading devices. We also discuss schmoopy epilogues, were-bears, and books we're reading right now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Jane talk about what we're reading, whether there's more cursing in romance than there was previously, and what we wish for in a paranormal werewolf romance. We also talk about football. Really. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane and Sarah interview Sarah Mayberry, talk about her books and her current work in progress, and make her try on an American accent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: we peek in the mailbox and answer listener email. Are paranormals and vampire romances on the way out? Have we reached saturation? What surprises does our email inbox hold for us? And what book will Sarah read aloud this time? All the answers are here for your enjoyment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane interviews Sarah and asks merciless questions about Everything I Know About Love, I Learned from Romance Novels, Sarah's new book, which is in stores and libraries now. We also talk about romance novels we love that feature wonderful female relationships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are all about romangst this week: angsty romances with a lot of emotion, strife, and (we hope) uplifting, believable endings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.