Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Latest Episodes:

617. A Romance Soundtracks Sampler May 31, 2024

Show notes

In episode 611, we talked about the ads and features in the April 2005 issue of Romantic Times, and there was an ad on the back cover for Romance Soundtracks. We could not find anything about them, but Malaraa in our Patreon sure did!

We’ve got samples! We’ve got MUSIC that you’re meant to read with, and Amanda tries to identify the genre/album the music was from.

MASSIVE THANKS to Malaraa for finding this treasure trove!

We’ve! Got! Links!

Music: Purple-Planet.com

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616. Reading Rubrics with Shana May 24, 2024

Show notes

In a review for Never Cross a Highlander, Shana came up with the ACAB scale, or the Alyssa Cole Anti-Slavery Book Scale, which ranks how central the horror of slavery is to the storyline. I asked her to tell me all about it, and Shana, kindly, said yes.Our conversation grows (of course) to include the field of narrative therapy and bibliotherapy, other evaluative rubrics for reading, and the subgenres, professions, settings we can, and cannot, relax into.

NB: I had a cold when we recorded, so apologies for my very low voice.

You can find Shana here at SBTB, and on Instagram @BlackBabeReads.

We also mentioned:

Music: purple-planet.com

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615. RT Rewind: May 1994 Ads & Features May 17, 2024

Show notes

Amanda and I are traveling back in time to May 1994 and taking a look at the ads and features inside Romantic Times Magazine – oh, it’s a time.

We have questions – and answers!

Are Eric Braeden and Victor Newman the same guy?

Is Kathryn Falk writing celebrity gossip and outing people?

Are there Lorena Bobbit jokes?

Were Glamour Shots™ very well represented among author headshots?

We had a great time looking at the reviews, and the ads & features do not disappoint.

Don’t miss the visual aids. Seriously. There’s crooning.

Thank you to Mari the Romance Girl for this issue!

Music: purple-planet.com

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614. Dollar Princesses and Marriages of Convenience with Harper St. George May 10, 2024

Show notes

Harper St. George joins me to talk about The Stranger I Wed (look at that gorgeous cover) and the dollar princesses of the Gilded Age. We talk about transactional marriages, the power dynamics of marriages of convenience – and Harper has a few recommendations of her favorites!

You can find Harper St. George at her website, HarperStGeorge.com, and on Instagram @HarperStGeorge.

We also mentioned:

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613. RT Rewind: May 1994 Reviews May 03, 2024

Show notes

Amanda and I are traveling to May 1994 and taking a look at the book reviews in this edition of RT Rewind!

We’re answering many questions, including:

Why does five stars mean something is a classic, but one star is acceptable?
What do CS, RM, VR, and F stand for inside Contemporary and New Reality?
What grade did Dreaming of You receive?

There’s so much Fabio, a telepathic cat, blaming tornadoes for murder, and a lot of time travel.

But my gosh, golly, gee whiz, do not miss the visuals for this episode!

Music: purple-planet.com

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612. Poetry in Scots with Len Pennie Apr 26, 2024

Show notes

Len Pennie’s book of Scots poetry poyums is out in the US this week, and you might have seen my post about her book launch earlier this week. Len is my guest today and we’re going to talk about:

Poetry!
Healing from trauma and abuse
The subversive revolution of teaching a word a day in a minoritized language
Using humor to overcome the “cultural hangover of linguistic oppression”
More poetry!

TW/CW: discussion of intimate partner violence and domestic abuse, depression, stalking.

Music: purple-planet.com

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611. Romantic Times Rewind: April 2005 Ads & Features Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

Y’all, the April 2005 issue of Romantic Times is a treasure of truly amazing fun. So many of you told me that episode 609, where we looked at the reviews, made you laugh so hard you cried.

Well, let me share some highlights of what is about to happen to your eardrums.

The Mr. Romance Cover Model Pageant was a Six-episode reality tv show on the Oxygen network, and we missed it when it ran. It’s not all on YouTube but we have a few links!
We have the arrival of what I called the “venti sized” paperback
Romance writers with “dedicated rooms for Star Wars collectibles!”
We’ve got some disturbing gimp masks on computer generated Poser people.

It’s a glorious time. Come on over.

Did you ever attend Mr Romance at RT? Did you see the Mr Romance Pageant on tv?! And gosh, do you have a Romance SoundTrack CD? Please tell me everything.

Don’t miss the visual aids!

Links! For your browsing pleasure!

And visit the visual aids for a clip from Mr Romance on the Oxygen network!

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610. Writing Super Fun Fantasy with Kimberly Lemming Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

What happens when you write the books you want to read but are having a hard time finding? Many good things. Kimberly Lemming loves fantasy, and started writing her own catnip, which led to the joy that is the Mead Mishaps series.We answer ALL the tough questions, like how many mead mishaps have we personally experienced? How does one make the bananas spin? And why is Galavant the greatest production ever made?

Note: in the middle of the episode, the email Kimberly sent that gave me a peek at the cover for That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human, which was in the final stages of development, so you’ll hear me lose my cool.

For the book and video games we discuss in this episode, please visit our show notes page!

You can find Kimberly Lemming at KimberlyLemming.com, and on Instagram @KimberlyLemming.

We also mentioned cover artist Mike Pape, and the cover art for the Mead Mishaps series is visible on his website, too!

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609. Romantic Times Rewind: April 2005 Reviews Apr 05, 2024

Show notes

We’re taking a tour through the new releases across many genres from April 2005, nearly 20 (!!!) years ago. Romance has changed a wee little bit.

How much cringe shall we find? Plenty!

Other oddities? Mainstream includes YA and Chick Lit. Contemporary includes New Reality. Regency in Format includes Corinthians! And we’re trying to understand a character who wants to “dim the pain of turning 30.” It’s a ride, as usual.

Side trips include Sea Breeze, Stridex, and St Ives Medicated Apricot Scrub.

TW: for mention of sexual assault, body horror – we do announce it in the audio so you can skip ahead.

You can find all the Romantic Times Rewind episodes, visual aids posts, and more in one convenient place!

Don't miss the visual aids for this episode!

We also mentioned:

Regency in format, not genre: This r/HRNovlesDiscussion post shows a treasure trove of Regency/format books.
Did you use St. Ives Medicated Scrub? I sure as heck did.
RegRom.com answers the question, ‘What is a Corinthian?’
Amanda mentioned author Naomi Hirahara in a recent Get Rec’d with Amanda post

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608. Women as Shields and Scapegoats: Talking Kate Middleton with Melissa Blue Mar 29, 2024

Show notes

Mel Blue was my guest when we discussed Spare – which has become one of my most listened-to episodes – so I asked her back to talk about the narratives of PR, why the weird stories around Kate Middleton grabbed attention worldwide, and why so many people were and are paying attention.

On one level it’s a story that originated in gossip about rich and powerful people in an archaic power structure being weird. But it’s also a story of misinformation, propaganda, and a complicit media system, and we deal with that over here in the US, too.

This was recorded on Wednesday, March 20, and we did a follow up this week following the announcement late Friday, March 22, that Kate Middleton is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer. So there are two parts to this episode.

A few content warnings: Discussion of self harm, disordered eating, suicidal ideation, and child abuse and exploitation.

Please visit the show page for all the resources used for this episode, including news articles, Instagram live recordings, and Twitter threads.

Music: Purple-planet.com

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