Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Today brings a vulnerable and honest conversation about the prevalence of penetrative sex in romance, and what happens if a writer decides to create a character with pelvic floor pain, for whom that kind of sex isn’t possible? Let’s find out!Jane Buehler’s new book, The Fire Apprentice, is out this week, and we’re going to talk about the book, and the series. But we’re also talking about the asexual spectrum, body changes from menopause, reactive desire, and kegels!Content Advisory: We are talking about pelvic floor, vaginismus, vulvodynia, asexuality and demisexuality, effective performance of kegels, sexual trauma, traumatic effects of bullying, and the paltry state of scientific research into conditions that affect people with vulvas and vaginas.You can find Jane Buehler at her website!We also mentioned:Our Reg League on books with vaginismusA Reddit r/RomanceBooks thread on similar recs Britain by Narrowboat (YouTube)Cruising the Cut (YouTube)Great Canal Journeys (YouTube)Episodes with Jen Gunter:367. The Vagina Bible, Shoes, and Other Essentials: A Conversation with Dr. Jen Gunter459. Facts, Feminism, and Menopause with Dr. Jen GunterJamiGold.com: Romance Beats vs the 12 Stages of Intimacy Pelvic Floor Biofeedback

Amanda and I have loaded the time travel machine with snacks and bubbly beverages. We’re headed back to May 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 separate visual aid post for this one. All the images and books are in this post.Music: purple-planet.com

Once Upon a Time, Princess Mabel van Oranje, founder Vow for Girls, an organization dedicated to ending child marriage, met Stacey Abrams, author and the former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives.They hatched a plan to unite the romance community with Vow for Girls, which led to Every Girl Deserves Happily Ever After. Today, Princess Mabel and Stacey Abrams are here to tell us all about it.Please be aware we are talking about child marriage in the US and around the world, about childbirth, trauma, domestic violence and gender inequality.We are also talking about inspiration, hope, and determination – if you need a lift right now, you might find it here.You can find out more about Vow for Girls: Every Girl Deserves Happily Ever After online.You can find Princess Mabel van Oranje on LinkedIn and on Instagram.You can find Stacey Abrams at StaceyAbrams.com.We also discussed:The Elders organization founded by Nelson Mandela(PDF) Devolution’s Discord: Resolving Operational Dissonance with the UBIT Exemption (1999)The Fistula FoundationMusic: Purple-Planet.com

It’s time for the ads and features of the October 2000 Romantic Times magazine, where they’re both talking about new releases AND celebrating their 200th issue.What did we learn?We learned about waxing, magazines, and galleys, but not about skin care, gun parts, or boats.We’ve got Extreme Troy, everyone. Grab a drink and come hang out with us.And don’t miss the visual aids!WE HAVE LINKS.The Angelfire site devoted to Cherif Fortin (warning, loads very slowly, it’s not your internet connection)The Loose Cravat: Romantic Times vs PlaygirlAn interview with Cherif FortinBertriceSmall.com and the auction that ended in December 2024An eBay listing for the comic “Romance Novel Madness”Waxing galleys!

Kimberly Lemming’s new book, I Got Abducted By Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in A Rom-Com is out this week.What’s inside? A fantasy world with underfunded researchers and mishandled animal restoration caused by fiscal irresponsibility, academic malfeasance and nepotism.And talking lions and fire breathing aliens powered by garlic bread.Music: purple-planet.comYou can find Kimberly Lemming at her website, KimberlyLemming.com, and on TikTok, Instagram, and Bluesky @KimberlyLemming. 

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, reviewer extraordinaire (Wikipedia)The Rec League: Feminist FantasyMy review of Who’s the Daddy by Judy Christenberry

My guest today is Candy Tan, who 20 years ago co-founded Smart Bitches Trashy Books with me. Yay!!We’re looking back at the founding of SBTB, about her reactions to Bridgerton, and her perennial favorite romances. We talk about different ways that romance has changed since 2005. Then I show Candy the casting photos for the Black Dagger Brotherhood adaptation.You can find Candy @BeautifulDuckweed on Bluesky, on AO3, and on Tumblr.We also mentioned:MrsGiggles.comLayla F SaadThe Reddit thread with all the images of the Black Dagger Brotherhood casting.Music: purple-planet.comCheck out the Fits Everybody Collection at https://www.skims.com/sarah #skimspartner

Savannah Carlisle is the author of The Library of Second Chances and is a sports business reporter and nonfiction author under the name Kristi Dosh.Her romance centers on a Little Free Library, so of course we are talking about that. We also discuss the difficult economies of small coastal towns, and the ways that memories can be attached to a place. Then we talk about sports romance – and why she doesn’t want to write one.CW/TW: At about 18 minutes in, we talk about online harassment Kristi faces and some of the comments fans make about her. If you want to skip that part, move ahead 2 minutes.You can find Savannah Carlisle at her website, SavannahCarlisle.com. She’s on Instagram and TikTok @SavvyCarlisle.You can find Kristi Dosh at her website, KristiDosh.com, and on socials @Sportsbizmiss.We also mentioned:The Montgomery BiscuitsThe Jersey DinersThe Rocket City Trash PandasThe Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpMusic: purple-planet.com

Joanna Shupe posted a TikTok on November 11, 2024, in response to angry readers chastising her for writing in her newsletter about her disappointment with the election results. I have included the audio with her permission.She says in her comments that she could teach a whole class about the parallels between the Gilded Age and the current political and cultural climate, which I am calling The Dumpster Age. I reached out and said, I can’t offer a class, but how about a podcast episode?Joanna was kind enough to walk us through some of the parallels between then and now that give her some despair, and how infuriating it was to have readers scold and chastise her for expressing in her newsletter a perspective that she already thought was pretty clear from, you know, all her books about the Gilded Age.And, if I can take a moment: this is my 650th episode.Six. Fifty.And at the end of the month, on Jan 31, Smart Bitches will celebrate our 20th anniversary.Thank you. Thank you for valuing my work on the podcast and online, for valuing our perspective on the site when we explore romance and everything surrounding it.Just…thank you. Thank you so much for being here.You can find Joanna Shupe on her website, joannashupe.com. Her newsletter is joannashupe.com/newsletter. She’s on Instagram @Joannashupe and on Bluesky.She also writes dark mafia romance as Mila Finelli.We also mentioned:Schoolhouse Rock: “The Great American Melting Pot”Heather Cox Richardson’s SubstackJoanna Shupe’s original TikTok VideoThe r/RomanceBooks thread about it