Smut & Sensibility

In this episode, Amber and Aly discuss the evolving demands of the publishing industry, the hot topic of social media platforms, and how authors can authentically build their brands without feeling overwhelmed. 0:00 – Introduction 1:24 – Book Nook 12:28 – Craft Corner: Do you need a platform to publish? 55:44 – Happy Endings Nisha Sharma TikTok Post https://www.tiktok.com/@nishawrites/video/758426...

Amber and Aly are back and this week’s minisode is all about getting “un-stuck.” If you haven’t yet voted in our trope bracket poll, check out the link in our bio! E-book OUT NOW from Smut University Press: A MINNESOTAN’S GUIDE TO BREAKING THE ICE: http://tr.ee/MNguide   Subscribe to the Smut & Sensibility newsletter for updates and bonus content:   https://tr.ee/tW4kS7LqwT   Check out our Boo...

Amber and Aly are bringing march madness to the romance genre. But this time, we will be choosing between our favorite romance tropes to see which two make it to the final match up.  It will be up to our listeners to pick our champion via the link in our bio. May the games begin! Poll for Winner: http://tr.ee/tropechamp26 0:00 – Introduction 2:24 – Book Nook 9:42 – Craft Corner: Tropes Bracket 57:...

Amber and Aly are back again with another manuscript minisode. This week's episode talking about our playlists and mood-boards may be even more unhinged than normal because it's a full on late night, pajama party gigglefest. Episode Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3J2fEKDP9MYfThdK5m3ahF E-book OUT NOW from Smut University Press: A MINNESOTAN’S GUIDE TO BREAKING THE ICE: tr.ee/MNguide  ...

Amber and Aly are beyond excited to chat with USA Bestselling author, Denise Williams about her new release, THE RE-DO LIST (available everywhere now)!!! Denise shares her take on the brother’s best friend trope, hot to-do lists, writing craft, and balancing work with writing full time.  Bad Ass Puzzle:   https://jigex.com/A4fiR Denise's VIP list:  https://denise.myflodesk.com/i5k64xtijw THE RE-DO...

Welcome back! This week, Aly and Amber workshop ideas for their short story submissions. Smut University Press is releasing its first ever romance anthology, A MINNESOTAN’S GUIDE TO BREAKING THE ICE, which will be out March 2nd. Physical copies coming soon! Available for pre-order (e-book) on kindle now: https://tr.ee/MNguide All book proceeds to: https://www.ilcm.org/   Stay in touch! Newsletter:...

Author Sam Tschida is back! Aly and Amber chat with Sam  about her new release, GABBY GREENE KNOWS WHODUNIT which is about a mom who accidentally becomes a spy and has to jet off to the Azores (the Hawaii of Europe) with her hot handler to solve a mysterious matter of national security.  0:00 – Introduction 2:19 – Book Nook 2:28 – Julia Song is Undateable by Susan Lee 7:24 – The Re-Do List by Deni...

This week the ladies revisit a book that they read when they were younger and discuss what they think about the book now, how publishing has changed, and what they can learn from the romance genre’s history.  0:23 – Introduction 2:50 – Wallbanger by Alice Clayton read by Aly 17:03 – Dark Lover by J.R. Ward read by Amber 36:16 – Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James read by Marie 01:02:29 – Happy E...

Welcome back to our manuscript minisode. This is our short bonus episode every other week where we talk about our current works in progress. For a brief reminder, Amber is writing a small town hockey romance (AKA adult mighty ducks) and Aly is writing a Spy Rom-Com. We are continuing with our new format this week with a roundtable of our stories with a question prompt we each have to answer. The q...

This week the ladies are discussing their 26 most anticipated new romance releases for 2026! We have a little bit of everything this week (fantasy/romantasy, contemporary, paranormal, action/adventure, etc) and we we share these titles with the huge caveat that this list is not exhaustive! We are keeping our eye out for more deal reports/publishing news, but figured we would get a jumpstart on our...

Welcome back to our manuscript minisode. This is our short bonus episode every other week where we talk about our current works in progress. For a brief reminder, Amber is writing a small town hockey romance (AKA adult mighty ducks) and Aly is writing a Spy Rom-Com. We are continuing with our new format this week with a roundtable of our stories with a question prompt we each have to answer. The q...

This week the ladies are chatting about (what feels like) one of the most recommended craft books out there…Story Genius by Lisa Cron! This craft book promises to teach you how to use brain science to write a riveting novel all while avoiding the dreaded disaster draft. Let us know in the comments if you’ve read Story Genius and what you thought? 0:00 – Introduction 2:10 – Book Nook 2:57 – Roland...

Welcome back to our manuscript minisode. This is our short bonus episode every other week where we talk about our current works in progress. For a brief reminder, Amber is writing a small town hockey romance (AKA adult mighty ducks) and Aly is writing a Spy Rom-Com. We are continuing with our new format this week with a roundtable of our stories with a question prompt we each have to answer. The q...

Amber, Aly, and Marie chat with author Carly Bloom about her witchy contemporary romance, HOT HEX BOYFRIEND, which is Practical Magic meets Sabrina meets Hart of Dixie. Witches, found family, and hot wizards are always in, no matter what time of year.  Carly Bloom’s Books: HOT HEX BOYFRIEND: (aff link) https://bookshop.org/p/books/hot-hex-boyfriend-carly-bloom/7b4e1f134959377d?aid=117469&ean=9...

Welcome back to our manuscript minisode. This is our short bonus episode every other week where we talk about our current works in progress. For a brief reminder, Amber is writing a small town hockey romance (AKA adult mighty ducks), Marie is writing her Romantasy Wizard Soul Bond story, and Aly is writing a Spy Rom-Com. We also wanted to try out a new format this week and roundtable our stories w...

Amber, Aly, and Marie chat with author Sarah Hawley about her newest release and book two in the Shards of Magic series, PRINCESS OF BLOOD. Sarah is the author SERVANT OF EARTH, which is the first book in the Shards of Magic series in addition to the Glimmer Falls series (A WITCH’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING A DEMON, A DEMON’S GUIDE TO WOOING A WITCH,  A WEREWOLF’S GUIDE TO SEDUCING A VAMPIRE) of parano...

In this episode we discuss our writing essentials that keep us motivated to put words on the page.  Amber Items: Scrivener: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview   Bird + Blend Tea: https://www.birdandblendtea.com/   Ambiance Playlist: https://youtu.be/-anN-d_Tk50   Emotion Thesaurus (aff link): https://bookshop.org/a/117469/9780999296349   Notebooks: https://riflepaperco.com/colle...

This is our bonus off week episode we are calling the Manuscript Minisode. As we are getting to know each other over the next few weeks, we thought it would be fun to share about our current writing projects. And this week, we are discussing Marie's project which she is calling Soul Bond. We plan to drop a full episode every other Tuesday, so next week we will be coming to you with our full normal...

Drop a hand raise emoji if you’ve ever wanted to write a novel!  Join Amber, Aly, and Marie as they discuss their different paths to writing and how things have changed since then. As always, at the top of the show, the Book Nook segment features books the ladies have read and loved lately, linked below.  0:00 – Introduction 2:30 – Book Nook 3:39 – Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer 9:40 – You Betw...

This is our bonus off week episode we are calling the Manuscript Minisode. As we are getting to know each other over the next few weeks, we thought it would be fun to share about our current writing projects. And this week, we are discussing Aly's project which she is calling Spies. We plan to drop a full episode every other Tuesday, so next week we will be coming to you with our full normal episo...

Aly and Amber chat with author Sam Tschida about her new release, UNDEAD AND UNWED, which is about a 300 year old vampire who inherits a dilapidated Vermont inn. It’s What We Do in the Shadows meets Hallmark Holiday with a dash of Bridget Jones’ Diary and the perfect spooky season to holiday mashup read.  0:00 – Introduction 1:11 – Book Nook 1:15 – The Princess and the P.I by Nikki Payne 5:21 – Ma...

This is our surprise episode we are calling the Manuscript Minisode. As we are getting to know each other over the next few weeks, we thought it would be fun to share about our current writing projects. And this week, we are discussing Amber's project which she is calling the Hockey Arrangement. We plan to drop a full episode every other Tuesday, so next week we will be coming to you with a very s...

We are continuing the discussion of Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes and diving into our favorite recent reads: Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey, One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune, and Ten Thousand Stitches and Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater. #podcast #romancebooks #writing #bookreviews 0:00 – Introduction 00:37 – Book Nook 01:12 – Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey 03:21 – One Golden Summer by Carly...

Our inaugural episode where you will meet the three of us and learn how we got into romance books. Also, we will be discussing one of our favorite craft books, Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes. #podcast #romancebooks #writing #bookreviews 0:00 – Introduction 0:24 – Who are we and how did we get into romance books? 18:41 – Book Nook 18:50 – People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young 22:27 – Flying Solo...