Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Latest Episodes:

737. RT Rewind: February 2012 Ads & Features Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

We’re back in the time machine to check out the ads and features from the February 2012 issue of Romantic Times.

We’re talking about Anastasia, Madame Toussauds, and how close some cover models get to showing some hog.

THEN! Then, we have about a half hour of live cover snark. I’m wondering if this video will be taken down by the Y’Tube, because these covers are…unclothed.

What was the thing you were obsessed with when you were younger? Was it mythology, Anastasia, or something else?

Do you love historical pettiness? What’s your favorite example?

Don’t forget you can find this episode on YouTube – for now!

And, you can feed the YouTube werewolves if you Lycan Subscribe to our channel!

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736. The Romances that Inspired Dylan Allen and Lucy Wilson-Tagoe Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

My guest this week is Dylan Allen, and Lucy Wilson-Tagoe, who are conveniently the same person. Dylan Allen is a bestselling author of contemporary romance, while Lucy Wilson-Tagoe’s newest book To Catch a Sinner, is out now.

It’s a mystery and a romance set in DC that focuses on art repatriation and the cultural minefield therein. So we’re going to talk about art, writing, the DC of her imagined world in the book, and about the romances that shaped her writing. We also talk about her choosing a new pen name and why that was so meaningful for her.

You can find the links and books we mentions in the show notes at SBTB.

You can find this episode on YouTube if you’d like to watch our conversation.

You can find Lucy Wilson-Tagoe at her website, LucyWilsonTagoe.com, and on Instagram.

You can find Dylan Allen at her website, DylanAllenBooks.com.

We also mentioned:

music: purple-planet.com

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735. RT Rewind: September 2012 Reviews Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

This month we’re going back to September 2012 to take a look at the new books in Romantic Times magazine.

We’re talking about a very male hero, letting teens be teens, and hooray, there are dozens of terrible men to add to the pile. We also talk about our favorite Garth Brooks songs, and our go-to karaoke songs. (What’s yours?)

At about 25 minute in we talk about something rather morbid – books bound in human skin, of which there are very few for obvious reasons.

You can find us on YouTube if you’d like to watch this episode!

And you can find all the books we mentioned at SBTB!

Music: purple-planet.com

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734. Finding Fire Island with Jess Rothschild Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Jess Rothschild is a podcaster and journalist, one of the founding writers at Autostraddle, and her latest project is a documentary podcast called Finding Fire Island, about the history of Fire Island, Cherry Grove, and the Pines. Her prior work includes The Cult of Soul Cycle, and I love BOTH of these productions. Jess has been writing online longer than I have, and we talk about internet history, the process of making a podcast documentary, and what it’s like to have all your neighbors tell their most juicy, gossipy stories to you. For work.

Finding Fire Island is a unique historical record, and I hope you’ll listen or watch.

Please be advised that you can’t talk about gay history in the US without talking about the AIDS epidemic and the loss of so many people, so this episode is a little poignant at times.

You can find Jess Rothschild on Instagram @JessXNYC.

Links ahoy!

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733. RT Rewind: July 1992 Ads & Features - The 100th Issue Special! Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

We are back in the early 90s, when the mullets were epic and the covers were sumptuous. Come on back to July 1992 with us as we explore the ads & features of the 100th issue of Romantic Times Magazine!

This issue contains some FASCINATING retrospective looks at romance, cover art, and more, and I think it is one of the primary sources cited for some of the more common stories I’ve heard about romance.

Were you a Borders, B. Dalton, or Waldenbooks reader, or another bookshop entirely?

Don’t forget – you can watch this episode on YouTube with the visuals on screen, or look for the visual aids at SBTB!

We also mentioned:

The sandals from Keen I mentioned in the outro.
Lucynka’s posts on SBTB about pulp romance
Marysville Public Library: Nora Roberts Go Fish (Facebook video)
Lake Villa District Library: Nora Roberts Challenge (Tiktok video)

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732. The Heated Rivalry Unauthorized Musical Parody with Dylan MarcAurele Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Dylan MarcAurele is the writer and composer behind The Heated Rivalry Unauthorized Musical Parody, and I am extremely excited to share this interview with you!

We’re going to talk about writing musical theatre, his writing process, and how long it took him to write this musical (you won’t believe it).

He also talks about the actors and how the show came to be – it’s delightful. Musical theater and romance have a lot of similarities I hadn’t considered, and I learned so much from this conversation – I hope you love it, too.

I also have some questions from author Kirsty Greenwood, who I saw the musical with, as she is also a massive musical theater fan. Thank you, Kirsty!

You can find Dylan MarcAurele at his website, DylanMarcAurele.com.

We also mentioned:

And of course, you can find tickets to The Heated Rivalry Unauthorized Parody Musical at their website.

...

Special thanks to the sponsor for this week's episode: A Hard Habit to Break by Siera London.

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731. RT Rewind: July 1992 Reviews - The 100th Issue Special! Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

It’s RT Rewind time again! This month, we’re going back to July 1992 to check out the new releases reviewed in…the 100th issue of Romantic Times magazine! Yup, the cover is memorable, and so are the book covers.

We discuss:

Cover models! Who would be the cover model for subgenre specific magazine issues?
Nostalgia! Are the tag lines on the cover both references to cigarette ads?
Reviews! There are some absolute classics in this issue, including Outlander.
Reading slumps! There are so many people in one, including me.

Do you like to listen to your favorite podcasts on YouTube? Come hang out with us there, and you’ll see the book covers, images, and faces we make at each other.

We also mentioned:

Hollywood Demons: “Stephen Collins, America’s Dad” (HBO) (TW/CW Discussion of CSA, CSAM)
A clip of Scaachi Koul and Rob Anderson discussing Stephen Collins from the documentary (Facebook Reel)
“Are You Afraid of the 90s?” Rob Anderson’s comedy special (YouTube – free)
Rob Anderson’s website, Heartthrob-Anderson.com
Whatcha Reading? July 2026 Part I

Music: purple-planet.com

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730. Still the Luckiest Lady in London with Sherry Thomas Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

The re-release of The Luckiest Lady in London has arrived, and Sherry Thomas joins me to talk about the writing of that book more than 13 years ago, how romance and historicals have changed, and how this book is a reflection and subversion of another very, very famous historical romance.

Plus, she gives us recommendations of her favorite historical romance authors and some of their books.

Note: we had some connectivity issues, so sometimes the edit sounds a little abrupt. If you’re watching the video, the video does freeze while the audio continues. My apologies.

You can find Sherry Thomas at her website, SherryThomas.com. She’s on Bluesky, on Instagram @writersherrythomas, and on Facebook as AuthorSherryThomas.

Music: purple-planet.com

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729. RT Rewind: March 2009 Ads & Features Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

Hey, where are you going? Get in the time machine – we want to bring you back to March 2009 to check out the ads & features from Romantic Times Magazine.

We’ve got:

Snippy letters to the editor!
Covers that look like shaving cream ads for women
Reading in a recession
Folks explaining steampunk!
Pop vs. Soda
And you’ll find out what words are used in an acrostic of “pandemic.”

TW: In the middle you’ll hear from Editing Sarah – which is when I interject additional info into the episode while I’m editing it – for about a minute and a half. There is some gross fatphobia and mean terminology in that section. Skip ahead when I start reading the paragraph about 30 seconds.

And you can watch this episode on YouTube to see all the images as we discuss them. You are most welcome to subscribe to our YouTube channel if you would like!

We also mentioned:

“When Your Friend Goes Steampunk” by Key & Peele (YouTube)
Booklender.com
BookMooch.com
Paperbackswap.com
“‘Girls’ EP Inks Deal With HBO, Developing Comedy With Mike White” by Lesley Goldberg, December 2, 2013, Hollywood Reporter
“‘Mr. Romance’ woos New Regency” by Michael Fleming, December 16, 2008, Variety

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728. The Parisian Heist with Jo Piazza Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Jo Piazza is my guest this week to discuss her new book, The Parisian Heist. This book is a dual timeline story weaving together a 1990s heist at the Orsay museum with the story of Jo van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh’s sister in law, who is the reason we know who Vincent is today.

Along the way we talk about