Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

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 Rakes’ episodes on Janet Dailey Part 1 and Part 2JanetDailey.com – all present tenseTopaz Literary: “Janet Dailey and the Curious Case of the Missing Author”The Contemporary Romance Color of the Year (SBTB)Joyfully Jay“This is the Last RT: Kathryn Falk Announces End of Romantic Times” (SBTB)Thanks to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Lume!  New customers get 15% off ALL Lume products with our exclusive code and link. Use code SARAH15 at LumeDeodorant.com Music: Purple-planet.com

Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer are podcasting powerhouses with shows like By the Book and How to be Fine With Friends.This season they’re looking at friendship, the research behind sustaining friendships, ending relationships, and creating new connections with people – and they joined me to talk all about it.You can find their show, How to be Fine with Friends where you get your podcasts – like this one!TW/CW: short discussion of diet culture and diet books just after Kristen introduces herself. When she stops talking, hit your 30 second skip and you should be fine.What are some of the traits you appreciate most about your closest friends?...You can find How to Be Fine with Friends where you get your podcasts, and you can follow the show on Instagram @howtobefinepod.Jolenta Greenberg can be found on her website JolentaGreenberg.com, and on Instagram @jolenta_g.Kristen Meinzer can be found on her website, KristenMeinzer.com, on Instagram @K10meinzer, and co-hosting her show The Daily Fail. Music: Purple-planet.comThanks to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Lume!  New customers get 15% off ALL Lume products with our exclusive code and link. Use code SARAH15 at LumeDeodorant.com 

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 time, kids eat FREE! Go to HelloFresh.com/sarahkids to unlock this exclusive offer. One free kids’ meal per box for two months while subscription is active. Visit HelloFresh.com/sarahkids!

Chris DeRosa is co-host of the podcast Fixing Famous People, and has been a reality tv producer for 11 years. We talk about his career starting with Food Network then moving into unscripted reality tv like the Real Housewives, how reality tv has changed, and how much of the narrative producers have influence over – and what parts they don’t.We’re also locating RH on the larger timeline of major television programs centering women over 40. I think this episode holds a lot for writers because it’s about making the conflict, and the motivations behind that conflict, public and spoken in dialogue. It’s a new way of looking at show/don’t tell.

Alison aka Fashionably Evil is back with us recapping the ads and features from Romantic Times’ October 1999 issue!There were leers, horny men, and nipples with personalities, and we explore effective friction and learn about The Douche Chills.The visual aids are amazing this week – don’t miss the horny covers!We also mentioned:Daniel Craig’s campaign for LoeweThe updated text of Whitney, My Love covered at AAR Our conversation about Crusie’s books which capture a specific time periodMusic: Purple-planet.com

Continuing my exploration of reality franchises that are favorites of romance readers, Shana joins me to talk about the Real Housewives franchise: her favorite Real Housewives locations and seasons, and what aspects of this reality franchise appeal to romance readers.We cover relationships, conflict, and the blend of fiction and “reality,” and some of the ethical considerations as well, especially with the Real Housewives of Dubai.Are you a Real Housewives watcher? Which ones? Do you think there’s a reason why romance readers are often also Real Housewives watchers?

We have a special guest! Alison, aka Fashionably Evil, won our Romancing the Vote auction to co-host this round of RT Rewind with us! Congratulations!!Alison picked our issue, October 1999, and wow, it’s just as weird as we’d hoped.And, as part of the auction, we offered a midroll ad, which we typically don’t run. Alison chose to use her midroll to promote a website we love and admire, Scarleteen.com.We start with a discussion of Alison’s incredible spreadsheet that she made us (❤️!) and a discussion of historical romance. Along the way: many yikes, many bikes.I want to offer some heads up for racism, human trafficking, mentions of stillbirth, ableism, Islamophobia in the reviews.These will be long episodes this month so journey with us back to 1999.Don't miss the visual aids!

This month on the podcast, I wanted look more closely at the intersection of romance and reality tv, particular the Bachelor franchise and Real Housewives. There is only one place to start with that inquiry: with Dr. Jodi McAlister.Jodi McAlister is a scholar of romance and an expert on all things The Bachelor, and she’s the author of the Australia-set Marry Me, Juliet trilogy, which you may remember was available digitally in the US as a surprise after a lot of folks, including and especially Amanda, started talking about the books in the series. Shana reviewed the series and the third book, and loved all of them. So we are talking all things Bachelor, about writing a similar reality tv show for her series, and why romance readers globally dig this franchise so very, very much.You can find Dr. Jodi McAlister on TikTok, Instagram, and BlueSky, and on her website, JodiMcAlister.com.au.We also mentioned:Jodi in People Magazine! IASPRThe SBTB Land AcknowledgementShana’s review for Not Here to Make Friends and the rest of the trilogy as well. And thanks to our sponsor for this week’s episode, HelloFresh!Go to HelloFresh.com/sarahkids to unlock this exclusive offer: one free kids’ meal per box for two months while subscription is active. That’s FREE kids’ meals just by going to HelloFresh.com/sarahkids

We’re going back to December 1997 to look at the Ads & Features from Romantic Times.We’ve got a cover with many, many fonts, several memorials for Princess Diana, and we find out what happens when you win an award and find out while you’re on the john. There are profiles of readers and romance reading book clubs, AOL chat rooms about romance for writers and readers, and the price of the Essence of Romance.It’s a wonderful time capsule, folks.CW/TW: antifat bias and deathDo not miss the visual aids - the covers alone, my goodness.