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PODCAST

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Sarah Wendell & Jane Litte

Each week on Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, Sarah Wendell interviews authors, readers, reviewers, bloggers, publishing professionals, editors, and librarians about romance novels, which are among the most popular genres in fiction worldwide. Popular guests include: Ilona Andrews, Robin Bradford, NPR"s Barrie Hardymon, Chuck Tingle, Sarah J. Maas, and Rachel Aaron. Amanda Diehl, co-pilot of the SS Smart Bitches, makes regular appearances with maximum silliness, especially during our Romantic Times

arts literature

All Episodes

1:03:47

737. RT Rewind: February 2012 Ads & Features

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/09/25

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

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1:25:54

735. RT Rewind: September 2012 Reviews

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/09/11

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

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1:20:55

729. RT Rewind: March 2009 Ads & Features

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/07/31

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 womenReading in a recessionFolks explaining steampunk!Pop vs. SodaAnd 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

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1:08:16

722. RT Rewind: May 1996 Reviews

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/06/12

We love the 90s, and that’s where we’re headed this month, gazing at the impossible mullets from Romantic Times magazine.We’re talking about the newest books from May 1996, including the second book in what is now a 15-book much-loved series, and some truly memorable character names.We’ll investigate, “What’s wrong with this man?” We’ll have “lashings of good fun.” Plus we learn a SHOCKING TRUTH about Amanda’s reading history.Want to watch on YouTube?We also mentioned:Movie PooperClassic Romance:

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1:02:11

721. Exploring Platform Decay with Martha Wells

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/06/05

Martha Wells is back, and we are taking a deep spoilery dive into Platform Decay.I want to be clear here: if you haven’t read Platform Decay, we are about to spoil the dickens out of it. Yes, Charles Dickens is in Platform Decay, you heard it here first. We’re going to discuss infrastructure fury, trains in Japan, Honor Princess Detective, and more – and when I say we are spoiling, we are spoiling.In other words, if you haven’t read Platform Decay, and you don’t want to know much about the story,

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1:37:23

716. Here for All the Reasons: Bachelor Critique With...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/05/01

Programming note: this week's episode is dropping on 30 April 2026. Smart Bitches Trashy Books, LLC, is withdrawing our labor on May 1, 2026, alongside other companies, school districts, and activists as part of the May Day Nationwide Day of Collective Action. For more information, visit MayDayStrong.org. ...Ilana Masad and Stevie K. Seibert Desjarlais are the editors of a new and excellent anthology calledHere for All The Reasons: Why We Watch the Bachelor.The essays inside are incredible, and

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55:40

715. Books, Wine & Nachos at Joie de Livres, with...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/04/24

Thanks for Geoffroy in thepodcast Patreon(merci, Geoffrey!) my guest this week is Claire Trottier, owner ofJoie de Livres, a romance and speculative fiction bookshop in Montreal, Canada. Hi Neighbors!We’re going to talk about:Opening a romance and speculative fiction book storeWealth disparity!Seeing the world premiere of episode 1 ofHeated Rivalryat the Image+National queer film festival in MontrealThe effect ofHeated Rivalryon Joie de LivresThen we trade book recs and you get the scoop on the big

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1:06:12

712. Like, Follow, Subscribe: The Cost of A Childhood...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/04/03

You’ve been hearing me talk about this book for awhile, and I am so excited to share with you my conversation with Fortesa Latifi, author ofLike, Follow, Subscribe: The Cost of a Childhood Online. Her research into family vloggers and influencers is superb and I’m still thinking about some of the revelations in this book.We discuss the origins of influencing and family vlogging, the benefits and the harms that arise from becoming popular, and the emotional, financial, social, and personal costs of

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1:05:58

709. RT Rewind: July 2000 Reviews

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/03/13

We're back in the time machine, heading to July 2000 - for real this time - to check out the reviews in this issue of Romantic Times magazine!We’ve got anthologies, Carpathians, and several books where we’re pretty sure the happy ending is to throw the entire man away. We also debate who is possessed by demons because it’s a valid question for several of the books we talk about.A mild warning that when we discuss Mystery & Thriller there is a truly gross plot. It’s a doozy.And you can watch this

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58:18

708. From the Vault: Sociology, Romance, and...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/03/06

Thank you for joining me for a “from the vault” episode! This is episode 147, originally aired June 26, 2015, so almost 11 years ago.Drs. Jen Lois and Joanna Gregson did a multi-year study on the community of romance authors and I have never stopped thinking about it. In this conversation, we’re talking about that study, what they learned about romance as a community, especially about gender dynamics.You can find their published work based on this study in the following articles – these link to the

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1:27:38

707. RT Rewind: June 1997 Ads & Features

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/02/27

Amanda and I are traveling back to June 1997 to discuss:Touring inside author’s homes and whether we think it’s kinda intrusive and uncomfortableNeverending reader hate for “the F word”The fans used to blow back cover models’ hairAnd speaking of, what’s on the Cover Model Pageant contestant’s heads?And more!We DO have a video episode for this one with images –you can find it on your YouTube channel. And you can find the visual aids for this one below.We have so many links! Are you ready!Mental

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1:00:47

704. JQ Editions with Julia Quinn

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/02/06

My guest this week is Julia Quinn and we are talking about, of course,JQ Editions,a new subscription service creating special limited editions of historical romances. I’ve been writing about this since it was announced, and so I got to ask all my questions – and some of yours.Along the way we talk about the historical romance genre, administrative mayhem, and the practicalities of creating special editions of beloved books. Plus you get to hear my reaction when Julia shares some of the 2027

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59:37

703. Oscars and Gossip with Kayleigh Donaldson

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/01/30

Kayleigh Donaldsonis back! She is the guest on some of the most popular episodes, and I know what that is: she’s brilliant. We recorded this just before the Oscar nominations were announced, so Kayleigh is making (some pretty accurate!) predictions about Oscar nominations, and explaining what makes this year’s group of films so interesting.Along the way we also talk about vintage Hollywood gossip, character actors who go weird gremlin, and the way actors shape public narrative with their project

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2:00:50

700. An Art History Analysis of Romance Covers with...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2026/01/09

Happy 700th Episode!!Amanda Mattais a debut author (her book is coming in 2027!), media commentator, royal analyst, and an art historian. I’ve mentioned Amanda, and her podcast Art of History, which I love. In that show, she focuses on one particular piece of art and explains the history, context, symbolism, and even the details of how it was made. I like it. So I thought, why not have Amanda Matta give the Art of History treatment to some classic romance covers?We also discuss royal watching,

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44:00

694. Holiday Wishes II with Agnés, Emily, Sarah Jane...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/11/28

Ready for more wishes and recs? And bad jokes? I bet you are! This week we’re talking with Agnes, Emily, Sarah Jane, and Jenn – and Min the cat.And in the outro, you’ll hear from ShoesforAll, aka Sarah.And! Important announcement 1: thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads will be turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much!Important announcement 2:the Smart Bitches Candle Collection is LIVE! I partnered withWax

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53:33

693. Holiday Wishes I with Susie, Elizabeth, Alanna

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/11/21

It’s time for our annual Holiday Wishes episodes!Every year I connect with listeners around the world, where we talk about books, wishes, and bad jokes. So this time of year, my guests are…all of you!In this set of wishes, we’ve got classics, new mysteries, and series romances. And we’ve got Sapphic yearning!I have a record number of people signed up to do holiday wishes conversations with me, and these episodes are so uplifting and delightful, I’m extremely excited.And! There is still time to sign

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1:01:23

689. RT Rewind: May 2016 Ads & Features

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/10/17

We’re going back to May 2016 to look at the Ads & Features in Romantic Times magazine. The kilts are kilting and the abs are ab-ing, and we’ve got some questions.How do we feel about the terms “book boyfriend” and “pre-con”?How much of the 2016 conference depended on Twitter to announce pop up signings and special limited time events?And do you remember how important Twitter was to a conference?How many different ways are there to photograph a very muscled shirtless man? I think we’re going to

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1:00:16

687. RT Rewind: May 2016 Reviews and New Releases

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/10/03

Grab your carry on, your snacks, and a blanket, because we’re hopping in the time machine again to go back to the May 2016 issue of Romantic Times to look at the new releases and reviews!This issue caused some big questions.Coke or Pepsi?Backstreet Boys or NSYNC?Did you worry about spontaneous combustion?Should I read the Midnight, Texas trilogy by Charlaine Harris?How many erotic romance titles in this issue contain the word “dirty?”We have lots to talk about so let’s get started!We also

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46:40

681. RT Rewind: July 2016 Ads & Features

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/08/22

It’s July 2016, and we’re back in the time machine to check out the ads & features from this issue of Romantic Times Magazine!We spot an SBTB friend in the letters to the editor, and we talk about romances translated into English, the appeal of the wounded hero, and we spot an ad that’s very clearly some Tay-fic, as I’m calling it. We also discuss an article about Kickstarter in romance – and this is 2016. Look how far we’ve come – and how much RT had its finger on the pulse of new trends.The

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1:31:14

679. RT Rewind: July 2016 Reviews

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/08/08

We’re back! Amanda picked this month’s issue and so we are journeying back to July 2016!We tackle vague reviews that tell us no things.I try to coin a new portmanteau!We come up with the most unhinged romance bingo squares ever – tell us if we should use them!We have some plot summaries that are a RIDE, folks.Hop into our newly refurbished time machine – we needed a bigger drinks fridge – and let’s look at the July 2016 new releases!…Inspired by other Patreon folks, including Chris DeRosa atFixing

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