Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: Reviews, Interviews, and Discussion About All the Romance Novels You Love to Read

Sarah chats with Avon publicist Jessie Edwards for more behind the scenes info about working in publishing. They talk about Avon’s KissCons, and the value of intimate reader and author events in different locations around the US. They talk about what it’s like being a publicist, and what that job involves. They also discuss what she’s working on, both immediate and in the short term. And of course there’s a LOT about books and the tropes they love, and books Jessie obsessed with lately. Plus - listener email! Learning about the books that made you into romance readers is the best, though adding to the TBR pile with each episode gets a little expensive.

TW: discussion rape or attempted rape Inspired by a listener email, Sarah and RedHeadedGirl casually discuss the most recently aired episode of the BBC’s Poldark. They discuss the intricacies of spoilers, and the television portrayal of what in the book is a rape scene, along with the viewer reaction to the episode. They also explore the idea of altering or preserving original source material for adaptation: should the television production take into account modern audiences and adapt accordingly, or should the television show have stayed more true to the source material? It’s not an easy question to answer. So spoiler warnings, and salty language warnings, and above all, trigger warnings ahoy. There is also a discussion of what they’re reading, and what they want to see next. PLUS! A disgusting interlude! From Sarah: “At about 37 minutes, while I’m recording, Orville, my cat with colon difficulties, strains to move his bowels in front of (not IN) the litter. Then, well, it gets smelly. But it’s amusing and I know how mu ch you love cat misadventures in the podcast, so I left this part in. I hope it makes you laugh as hard as I did while editing. And please forgive me if you hated it.”

Sarah interviews New York Times bestselling historical romance author Loretta Chase. They discuss Chase’s new books, writing horrible, dreadful, men, and where she starts in her writing. They also talk about historical details and research, museum exhibits, and deep dives into rabbit holes in history - plus the books that live on her keeper shelf. Most of all, we learn the power of building smoochies.

This week my guests are: you! I have email, voicemail, more email, and an update as to what exactly the hero in Defy Not the Heart learned from a prostitute all those purple leggings ago. I try not to crack up at your email messages, (fail) and I try to describe a really convoluted Sandra Brown plot (also fail). Then Amanda joins me for a short conversation about pets, cats, and what she’s reading, with extra commentary from Zeb the dog.

Carrie, Elyse, RedHeadedGirl and I chat about ghosts, ghost stories, and reading creepy scary stuff. Some of us don’t think ghosts are real, some of us do - so we talk about it. We also talk about empathy, sensitivity to emotions, and reading for catharsis and vengeance. There are a LOT of book recommendations, too - scary books, horror, romance, and mystery, plus a discussion of the fact that mortality is a stubborn romantic conflict.

This week, Sarah chats with author Mina V. Esguerra, a romance writer in the Philippines. They talk about how self-publishing has changed her career immeasurably, and her experience writing characters who endure sexual shaming to reach their happily ever afters. They also discuss the reading series she hosts wherein scenes from romance novels by local authors are performed by actors - and of course what books she’s reading and loving.

Bestselling author Sherry Thomas talks with Sarah about her new historical mystery series, featuring a gender-bent Sherlock Holmes, and her keynote address at RWA in 2016. They also discuss languages, learning English by reading romance, and writing in several genres. And of course, what Sherry’s reading and recommending lately - plus learning a word that will be tremendously useful for everyone.

Sarah interviews bestselling author Julie Kenner, who also writes as J. Kenner. Her latest book Sweetest Taboo came out on October 4 - so it’s release week for her! They discuss theories about romance and why the strongest tropes endure, writing big taboos, writing hot vs. really, really hot, how Google and real estate listings help all writers, and different writing routines for different genres. Julie also talks about mixing real world details with invented elements in the world of her novels, and what books she’s reading and enjoying lately.

Sarah chats with bestselling author Jill Shalvis. They’ve known one another for a long time, but not quite as long as Jill has been writing romance. They discuss writing for multiple publishers over her nearly 20 year career, writing secondary romances within established marriages, the proper gear for writing outside in the winter, and romance in small towns and bit cities. They also touch on favorite tropes, and the genre and story she wishes she could write.

You left voicemail messages! You recorded voice memos! You shared the books that turned you into romance readers! That’s so awesome. I’m sharing your messages, plus two reader messages about romance history, and a very, very honest and important letter from Linda, who was inspired by our episodes with Emily Nagoski to share her history with vulvodynia and vaginismus. So we’ve got books and history and sexual health, all in one.

Sarah interviews author Rhoda Baxter about writing scientist heroines and her most excellent pen name origin story. Along the way they chat about books, television, and movies, the differences between the US “romance” market and the UK “romantic” market, and gin & tonic baked goods.

Sarah interviews contemporary romance author Molly O’Keefe, who also writes erotic contemporary as M. O’Keefe. They discuss the differences between her contemporary romances, and what it means to put the reader through the emotional wringer. They also explore how to build erotic intensity in one’s writing, and the power of portraying sexuality. Plus, a listener named Katherine had a question about trends and groups of heroes that they discuss as well.

Sarah interviews Suzanne and Matt, who are both romance readers, and Elyse and her husband Rich, who also both read romances. Suzanne introduced her husband to the genre, and their reading experience prompted Suzanne to contact Sarah about whether there were other couples who read romance together. Elyse and Rich, who also share a lot of reading material, join the interview to talk about their reading perspectives as well. We talk about consent, the female gaze, the male gaze, conflicting messaging in the narrative, descriptions of heroes, and how readers interpret what we are saying about sexuality and gender in romance.

In an interview recorded at RWA in San Diego, Sarah chats with author Sharon Kendrick, author of 100 books for Harlequin and Mills & Boon. We discuss the particular dynamics of Harlequin Presents, the essential absolute elements Harlequin Presents hero, and the unique connections between people, and between characters. Sharon reveals how she got started writing for Presents and how much she loves her job. (Spoiler: a lot!)

Amanda, Elyse, RedHeadedGirl and Sarah chat about reading influences - alas, Carrie couldn’t join us at the last minute. Amanda opens with talking about a Tig Notaro show coming to Amazon this fall, and Elyse explains why her entire office is scared of a woodchuck. We chat about the sexism Olympic media coverage, toy nostalgia, the Olympic romances we wish we could read, and what internal or external factors influence our reading tastes, like holidays, pumpkin spice, or changing seasons. And because it’s us, the conversation meanders over many other inane topics.