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 of advice and perspective – it’s a banger.Remember: you can’t hide from your own secrets.You can find Holly Black at her website, BlackHolly.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, and on Instagram.We also mentioned:Drowned TownsLost towns of the Quabbin reservoirHolly Black in People MagazineHolly Black on The Kelly Clarkson Show---If you'd like to join the Patreon to help me disable all dynamic insertion ads, you can check out the details at patreon.com/smartbitches. Thank you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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683. RT Rewind: August 1996 Reviews
We’re going back to August 1996 – that’s a bit of distance – to take a peek at the new releases and the book reviews in Romantic Times magazine.We’re back in the era of time travel, a scifi imprint named Avonova, and probable worms.NSFW worms.As usual, we learn astonishing amounts of unexpected information from this magazine. For example: we’re both obsessed with the 1996 movie Twister and we have many thoughts on tornadoes.Content warnings: the following episode contains discussions of large worms, racist language in 29 year old reviews, and spiders. Worm discussion: 5 minutes long at 35:00Spider discussion: 47 seconds long at 45:00We also mentioned:The Galactic Gourmet has its own Wiki page.NSFW! Google Search “the fat inkeeper”NSFW! Urechis unicinctus – the wormThe Monterrey Bay Aquarium: “The fat innkeeper worm: your shelter-in-place inspiration”The Mummers Parade Wiki pageSpecial thanks to the sponsor for this week's episode: The Spite Date by Pippa Grant, available in KU, special print edition, and/or duet narration audiobook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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682. Pivoting Between Historical and Contemporary Romance with Valerie Bowman
Valerie Bowman returns to talk about her new book, The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn, out September 9. Valerie has written over 30 historical novels but when asked by her agent if she’d be interested in pivoting to contemporary, Valerie jumped on the opportunity.Please join us as we puzzle through the reasons why historical romance isn’t as popular, and what led to the pivot that so many authors are making. Plus Valerie shares the differences and similarities in writing contemporary and historical romance, and what question she gets the most from historical romance readers....You can find Valerie Bowman at her website, ValerieBowmanBooks.com. And you can listen to her in Episode 586. Saying Yes to the Dress with Valerie Bowman....Support for this episode comes from Head Witch In Charge by Avery Flynn, out on September 2, 2025. Several romance bookstores in the UK, Canada, and the US will have signed swag goodie bags for anyone who orders Head Witch in Charge while supplies last. Many offer online ordering, too! See the list and place your order at AveryFlynn.com.Plus, Bookshop.org is offering a 15% discount to anyone who orders Head Witch in Charge and uses the code LOVEBOOKSELLERS....Thank you to HelloFresh for sponsoring this week’s episode. Visit HelloFresh.com/SARAH10FM to get 10 free meals and a free item for life! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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681. RT Rewind: July 2016 Ads & Features
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 July 2016 issue also has several scrapbook-style pages of the RT Convention in Vegas. We recorded a separate episode about those pages, with some conference memories, analysis, and memorabilia, and that will be the bonus episode for this month, dropping on August 26, 2025, for Patreon subscribers, with pictures galore.We also discussed:Our Rec League for Sad Historical BusinessmenKickstarter: The Jane Austen Deluxe CollectionKickstarter: After the End – A Dystopian Romance CollectionKickstarter: Bonkers RomanceEpisode 604. Dessert Projects with Katee RobertEpisode 620. Romance and Kickstarter with Oriana LeckertReview: Fresh Romance Volume 1Review: Fresh Romance Volume 2BBC News: “‘Every word has come back to haunt me’: China cracks down on women who write gay erotica” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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680. Aro and Ace YA Romance with Molly Horan
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 Molly mentions in the show notes at SBTB!...Music: purple-planet.com...Want a free preview of our bonus content? You're in luck! Inspired by other Patreon folks, including Chris DeRosa at Fixing Famous People, I’ve made some of the Patreon content free so you can sample what we’ve got.Do you want to do a crossword puzzle from the May 1995 issue of RT? The crossword puzzle is available for free on Patreon right now!Would you like to read an issue of RT Magazine? The December 1997 issue is now available for your perusal.Or would you like to try one of our bonus episodes? Join Amanda and me as we look back at our 2024 predictions about romance and publishing.This collection of special previews is available now to all listeners, and there’s a link in the show notes to dive in. And if you like our free samples, join us in the Patreon community where there’s bonus content and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
About 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 Rewind episodes, where we take a look at old issues of Romantic Times Magazine (1981-2018). Frequent topics include romance novels, the way the genre is changing, and the brilliant and interesting people who read, write, and produce it, and issues common among romance readers. Plus, we always recommend some books we're reading and really enjoying. Learn more at SB-TB.com/Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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