Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Savannah Carlisle is the author of  The Library of Second Chances  and is a sports business reporter and nonfiction author under the name Kristi Dosh. Her romance centers on a Little Free Library, so of course we are talking about that. We also discuss the difficult economies of small coastal towns, and the ways that memories can be attached to a place. Then we talk about sports romance...

Joanna Shupe posted a TikTok on November 11, 2024, in response to angry readers chastising her for writing in her newsletter about her disappointment with the election results. I have included the audio with her permission. She says in her comments that she could teach a whole class about the parallels between the Gilded Age and the current political and cultural climate, which I am calling The Du...

One! More! Time! We’ve got one last set of interviews with all of you, and we’re going out with a banger of a book list. We’re talking about Y’all Fest, koalas, how terrifying David Tennant is, bonkbusters, Taylor Swift lyrics as book titles, and pop culture portal fantasies in romance. TW/CW: As part of my conversation with Carisa, who teaches history, we discuss some historical police viole...

We’re traveling around the world again, with Sarah Jane, Lilisonna, and Martin to gather recs, and wishes, and terrible jokes. We’ve got more joyful recommendations for AJ Sherwood’s books, more cozy games, more pop culture documentaries, and more cats visiting the show. We’ve got one more episode featuring listeners in various parts of the world. Record number of people signed up this year. Thank...

We’re traveling all over the world again, from the west coast of the US to Germany to discuss the price of PopTarts, book recommendations, and wishes for 2025 with Megan, Alanna, Sue, and Rhonda. Thank you for being part of these episodes! You can find all the books at SBTB! We also mentioned: Lost in Austen  (tv show)  Jae’s Sapphic Book Bingo  I Heart Sapphfic Gimme the Brain! Hos...

My guest this week is Elizabeth Hoyt!! This episode was SO MUCH FUN to record and produce and I am so excited to share it with you. We talk about her latest book,  No Ordinary Duchess ,  writer’s block, emotionally constipated heroes, and the special place for sunshiny heroines. Plus we talk about how genres have changed in popularity over the course of her career. Side trips include the...

We’re taking a tour around the US with stops in California, Ohio, Maryland, Texas, and Georgia with Carrie, Jenna, Melissa, Lisa, Josephine, and Cara! We’ve got holiday wishes and a bunch of recommendations. Thank you to everyone who signed up in record numbers to do a holiday recording with me. These are very fun! We also mentioned:  Paint Love- Atlanta GA Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on...

My guests this week are, in the words of my home vernacular, yinz n’at. We’re traveling all over the country this week and we’re talking about fanfic, finding an unending treasure trove of books to read from a new favorite author, and taking time for restorative actions. There is still time to sign up if you’re  a member of the Patreon community! Head over to Patreon  and you’ll find the...

It’s the first of our holiday episodes, and my guests are…all of you! Members of the podcast Patreon have signed up in record numbers to do interviews, so in the coming weeks, we’ll have recommendations, wishes, and bad jokes galore from folks all over the world. There is still time to sign up – head over to  Patreon  and you’ll find the link. This week, we’re headed to South Africa, Was...

Sophie Vershbow  is a freelance journalist who writes a lot about books, reading, and the publishing industry. You might have seen her article about celebrity book ghost writers and about DNFing without guilt. We talk about her experience with social media strategy for authors and publishers, and with writing about publishing. We also discuss how much book publicity has changed, so stay tuned...

It’s time for the Ads & Features from the November 2015 issue of Romantic Times magazine! Our cover story is…the 10th anniversary of Samhain publishing. We’ve got articles on series bibles and rugby romance – and a lot of ads when YA covers were all White Girls in Giant Dresses. Come back in time with us – we had a lot of fun chatting about this issue, even though it was a bit of a snooze. Don...

Lucy Jane Wood’s debut book,  Rewitched , is out, and we connected to talk all things cozy, witchcraft, all the different 90s witches in pop culture, and the big feelings around turning an age with a zero on the end. Ultimately, this is a book about a person who wants to keep her own power – a theme I could certainly celebrate! Lucy Jane is also a TikToker and YouTuber with a sizeable followi...

It’s time to take a look at the new books in November 2015 inside Romantic Times! We’ve got spanking and small towns, and a magazine that seems more targeted toward aspiring writers than readers. That yielded a mixed bag! But we have some books to talk about so let’s get to it! So many small town contemporaries, so many historicals, so many Four Star reviews with word salad. And some cat poo. TW/C...

Tara Scott, staff writer at SBTB and co-host of the  Queerly Recommended podcast , is in the interviewer’s chair, asking Amanda and me questions about  Smart Bitches After Dark,  our new community support wing. We talk about what After Dark is, and also about the larger enshittification of different parts of the internet, and how we navigate that as a 20 year old blog. Yay blogs! I...

It’s time for the Ads & Features of the October 1988 (!!) issue of Romantic Times Magazine. Y’all. We’ve got: Vintage gossip! Blind items that are very easy to guess! Danielle Steel’s  two  blue Mercedes! Fuchsia covers with giant flowers and startled animals! Riverboat gambler romance heroes! And a truly paltry obituary for an extraordinary author. It’s 1988. Fuchsia.  So much...

Freya Marske’s new book  Swordcrossed  is out this week, and she’s joining us from the other side of the planet to talk about what she calls, “Fantasy of manners, mercantile edition.” We also talk about writing fanfic and her new favorite show, Interview with the Vampire. Yes, I did mis-number last week’s episode – sorry about that. Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

It’s time to journey back to the October 1988 issue of Romantic Times! That’s right, we’re going all the way back to 1988, a time when one of us on the show wasn’t born yet. We’ve got absolutely appalling plots, some extremely luscious covers, and more – like Amanda’s engagement! Congrats Amanda and Brian! TW/CW: crappy family tales in the first 4 minutes, and overall, a number of references to en...

Courtney Milan is here to talk about her newest book,  The Earl Who Isn’t ,   and about climbing Mt. Fuji! Along the way we talk about training, the shifting style of historical romances, and audiobooks. And we have questions from you! A few moments to be aware of before you listen: we talk a little about her dog Pele, who passed away earlier this year. We also mention briefly the topics...

The ads and features of the September 2015 issue of Romantic Times are a nine-layer cake of wonderment and weird. Don't miss the visual aids! WE GOT FONTS. And dogs! Side trips include: Janet Dailey and who is writing her books (we don’t know) lawyer romances changes in cover design a twist cliffhanger in a quiz with no answer key! Plus, this issue of the magazine and also Amanda both have terrifi...

Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer are podcasting powerhouses with shows like  By the Book  and  How to be Fine With Friends . This season they’re looking at friendship, the research behind sustaining friendships, ending relationships, and creating new connections with people – and they joined me to talk all about it. You can find their show,  How to be Fine with Friends &nb...

We’re going back to September 2015, and I want to ease you into this knowledge, so take a breath, center yourself: that was nine years ago. I don’t get it either but apparently it’s true? JR Ward is on the cover, and there’s all kinds of good stuff inside! Come with us to visit some reviews that are word salad, and some that made me say, a few times, “Way harsh, Tai. Way harsh.” Don't miss the vis...

Chris DeRosa  is co-host of the podcast   Fixing Famous People , and has been  a reality tv producer for 11 years . We talk about his career starting with Food Network then moving into unscripted reality tv like the  Real Housewives , how reality tv has changed, and how much of the narrative producers have influence over – and what parts they don’t. We’re also locating RH on th...

Alison aka Fashionably Evil is back with us recapping the ads and features from Romantic Times’ October 1999 issue! There were leers, horny men, and nipples with personalities, and we explore effective friction and learn about The Douche Chills. The visual aids are amazing this week – don’t miss the horny covers! We also mentioned: Daniel Craig’s campaign for Loewe The updated text of  Whitne...

Continuing my exploration of reality franchises that are favorites of romance readers, Shana joins me to talk about the  Real Housewives  franchise: her favorite  Real Housewives  locations and seasons, and what aspects of this reality franchise appeal to romance readers. We cover relationships, conflict, and the blend of fiction and “reality,” and some of the ethical cons...

We have a special guest! Alison, aka Fashionably Evil, won our Romancing the Vote auction to co-host this round of RT Rewind with us! Congratulations!! Alison picked our issue, October 1999, and wow, it’s just as weird as we’d hoped. And, as part of the auction, we offered a midroll ad, which we typically don’t run. Alison chose to use her midroll to promote a website we love and admire,  Sca...