x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

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 books

All Episodes

58:05

686. Ladies in Hating and Yearning with Alexandra Vasti

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/09/26

Alexandra Vasti is back, because her new historical romanceLadies in Hatingis out this week!We are going to talk about:Good angsty yearningWhen a character is their love interest’s bitch eating crackersLesbians in history!Erotic Victorian fictionSide trips include historical publishing houses, how nothing in romance is new, and how a lot of our current erotica, including that book where someone schtupps a door, is connected to books with the same sexual pairings in the Victorian era.You can find

en

58:42

684. Thief of Night with Holly Black

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/09/12

The second book in Holly Black’s Night duology,Thief of Night, is out now, and I was so excited to talk with her about it.We start right off by talking about creepy places – like, what kind of magic comes out of Jersey?Then we talk about world building, starting with atmosphere instead of plot, and the intricacies of shadow magic in her duology. Plus, we squee about books we’ve loved, magic powers we wish we had, and Kelly Clarkson.Truly, if you’re writing romance, this episode contains many pieces

en

48:32

680. Aro and Ace YA Romance with Molly Horan

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/08/15

Molly Horan is a YA author, playwright, and professor who is writing a dissertation on aromantic and asexual characters in YA literature. Molly also teaches classes about YA literature, so we have a LOT to talk about.Examining relationships between people within the context of aro/ace characters requires a re-examination of how we portray human bonds in media, and how they work in real life. There are many book recs, so don’t forget to check the shownotes to embiggen your TBR.Find all the books

en

53:45

678. The Osmanification of Fiction Covers with...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/08/01

Recently,I posted a collection of cozy, mostly British mysteries that all mimic the Richard OsmanThursday Murder Clubcoversin just about every way.Then,Kayleigh Donaldsonsaid she had many thoughts about them.One of the worst things you can do is be one of my favorite people to listen to and then tell me you have thoughts about something I posted on SBTB. I WANT TO HEAR THE THOUGHTS. Good thing I have a podcast, right? So here we are.We’re going to talk about the Osman Aesthetic in cozy mystery,

en

52:57

675. Celebrating Confident Fat Black Women with...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/07/11

Danielle Allen is the author of 55 books, including the new releasePlus Size Player,part of the Curve series alongsideCurvy Girl Summer, andBig Girl Blitz. And the player, as you’ll find out, is the heroine.The trilogy focuses on three best friends, and so we talk about friendship, loyalty, and about centering fat Black women as romance heroines. Danielle has also written contemporaries inspired by Poe stories, so of course we talk about interpreting Poe as well.You can find Danielle Allen at her

en

50:15

671. RT Rewind: May 1995 Reviews

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/06/13

Amanda and I are traveling back to May 1995 – yes, thirty years ago.I know, me too.We’ve got weird reviews, outstanding side character names, a debut of a much-loved historical romance author, and a few side trips into pet names and fanfic ships in traditional publishing.We’re talking about the past and the present at the same time, which is one of my favorite things to do when discussing romance fiction!We also mentioned:Reba McEntire’sFancyvideoKelly Clarkson performingFancyat the Kennedy Center

en

54:14

669. RT Rewind - February 2015 Ads & Features Part II

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/05/30

At the suggestion of some listeners, I split the Ads & Features into two parts, in part because it was very long, and also because there are 5 Fridays in May. Woot!You can find Part I here(or in your favorite podcast app).Part II of the Ads & Features from February 2015 features HelenKay Dimon just dropping all sorts of information left and right.We talk about:How many romantic suspense covers look the sameWays to approach reviews when you’re an authorWhat happens when romantic suspense

en

46:52

668. Hot Takes with Sarah & Amanda

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/05/23

Inspired by a recent episode ofThe Sam Sanders Show,Amanda and I are sharing our own hot takes and possibly controversial opinions about romance.We’re talking:Third act bleak moments!Transcending the genre!Rom coms!Cozy things!Conferences and gatherings!Accessories for Readers!TW/CW: We take a brief side trip into parental estrangement and emotional abuse....Our midroll ad was forThe Historical Romance Samplerpodcast – check them out!We also mentioned:The Sam Sanders Show (podcast)A Million Lives

en

54:02

664. Haunted Abbeys and Hidden History with Alexandra...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/04/25

Alexandra Vasti is the author of Earl Crush, Ne’er Duke Well, and the Halifax sisters series, and she joins me to talk about activism in history and about haunted houses, historical lesbians, and historical erotica.A Housekeeping Note: I recorded this several months ago, and due to a bunch of file corruption and restoring backups, this episode fell out of my workflow. My apologies to Alexandra, and to you, for that mishap.You can find Alexandra Vashti ather website, AlexandraVashti.com, and

en

42:49

660. Murder By Memory with Olivia Waite

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/03/28

Olivia Waite is my guest this week to talk aboutMurder by Memory,her new cozy space mystery. We talk about characters, inspiration, tactile memories, and what sport is not on the ship. Then: cozy sci fi mystery recs, especially queer ones.Music: purple-planet.com Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

en

1:11:16

657. RT Rewind: May 2015 Reviews!

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/03/07

Amanda and I have loaded the time travel machine with snacks and bubbly beverages. We’re headed back toMay 2015.Some major books were released this month along with some we’re very happy to revisit.We’ve got answers to the following questions:Are there Amish Inspirational romances that have too much sex in them?How many garage freezers would a crime family need?How many stars did A Court of Thorns and Roses get?Don’t miss the erotica section – we’ve got some bangers, no pun intended.There isn’t a

en

1:12:14

653. RT Rewind: February 2000 Reviews!

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2025/02/07

RT is celebrating their 200th issue, and we’re celebrating, too!We’ve got the OG Monster Schtupping book, a guy whose arm appears to end in a ham, and some incredible covers. You know I’m going to tell you not to miss the visual aids, but I mean it.There’s a series where the focus of every cover illustration is someone's backside? It's wild.You can find all the visual aids here.We also mentioned:Tazo Glazed Lemon Loaf TeaConstant Comment Decaf (Bigelow)Orange and Spice Tea (Bigelow)Marilyn Hagerty,

en

51:20

647. Finding Home: Recs and Wishes from Megan,...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2024/12/27

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 BingoI Heart SapphficGimme the Brain! Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

en

39:47

643. Safety, D&D, and Smut Logic: Holiday Wishes from...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2024/11/29

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 toPatreonand you’ll find the link.This week, we’re headed to South Africa, Washington DC, Taiwan, and Connecticut to talk to Dani, Katie, Sneezy, and Lisa.We also mentioned the following:Theme to

en

1:03:45

642. Books Journalism and Social Media with Sophie...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2024/11/22

Sophie Vershbowis 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 for extremely good advice for managing social media for book publicity.Then, naturally, we turn to reality tv

en

41:02

641. RT Rewind: November 2015 Ads & Features

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2024/11/15

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't miss the visual aids, especially the weird gun cover. We also mentioned:Vox.Com:There’s something off about

en

56:58

638. Smart Bitches After Dark - Tara interviews Sarah...

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2024/10/25

Tara Scott, staff writer at SBTB and co-host of theQueerly Recommended podcast, is in the interviewer’s chair, asking Amanda and me questions aboutSmart 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 was really nervous about being interviewed, and I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes exploration of the site, the podcast,

en

1:05:43

637. RT Rewind October 1988 Ads & Features

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2024/10/18

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’stwoblue 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 fuchsia.Blanket content warning for romances written in the late 80s. Be ready for some very offensive tropes.Do not, and I mean this

en

58:48

633. RT Rewind: September 2015 Ads & Features

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2024/09/20

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 romanceschanges in cover designa twist cliffhanger in a quiz with no answer key!Plus, this issue of the magazine and also Amanda both have terrific memories of RT 2015 in Dallas.We have So many links!Meet Louisa, the cover model dog!(Instagram)Reformed

en

1:16:27

631. RT Rewind: September 2015 Reviews

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast ·

2024/09/06

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 visual aids!Music: purple-planet.comThank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode:HelloFresh!For a limited

en

35 results

Similar Podcasts

Podcast Patapoe

0d0a

Diaries: From the Housing Projects to Power

Mia Z. Edwards

九霄电台

九霄电台

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas

Adam Graham|Old Time Radio Detective Host

The Magnus Archives

Rusty Quill