Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Dylan MarcAurele is the writer and composer behind The Heated Rivalry Unauthorized Musical Parody, and I am extremely excited to share this interview with you!We’re going to talk about writing musical theatre, his writing process, and how long it took him to write this musical (you won’t believe it).He also talks about the actors and how the show came to be – it’s delightful. Musical theater and romance have a lot of similarities I hadn’t considered, and I learned so much from this conversation – I hope you love it, too.I also have some questions from author Kirsty Greenwood, who I saw the musical with, as she is also a massive musical theater fan. Thank you, Kirsty!You can find Dylan MarcAurele at his website, DylanMarcAurele.com. We also mentioned:Pop Off MichelangeloLewis Loves ClarkThe Real Housewives of New York Parody MusicalPlaybill: Heated Rivalry Parody Musical to Release Cast AlbumAnd of course, you can find tickets to The Heated Rivalry Unauthorized Parody Musical at their website....Special thanks to the sponsor for this week's episode: A Hard Habit to Break by Siera London.

The re-release of The Luckiest Lady in London has arrived, and Sherry Thomas joins me to talk about the writing of that book more than 13 years ago, how romance and historicals have changed, and how this book is a reflection and subversion of another very, very famous historical romance.Plus, she gives us recommendations of her favorite historical romance authors and some of their books.Note: we had some connectivity issues, so sometimes the edit sounds a little abrupt. If you’re watching the video, the video does freeze while the audio continues. My apologies.You can find Sherry Thomas at her website, SherryThomas.com. She’s on Bluesky, on Instagram @writersherrythomas, and on Facebook as AuthorSherryThomas.Music: purple-planet.com

Hey, where are you going? Get in the time machine – we want to bring you back to March 2009 to check out the ads & features from Romantic Times Magazine.We’ve got:Snippy letters to the editor!Covers that look like shaving cream ads for womenReading in a recessionFolks explaining steampunk!Pop vs. SodaAnd you’ll find out what words are used in an acrostic of “pandemic.”TW: In the middle you’ll hear from Editing Sarah – which is when I interject additional info into the episode while I’m editing it – for about a minute and a half. There is some gross fatphobia and mean terminology in that section. Skip ahead when I start reading the paragraph about 30 seconds.And you can watch this episode on YouTube to see all the images as we discuss them.  You are most welcome to subscribe to our YouTube channel if you would like!We also mentioned:“When Your Friend Goes Steampunk” by Key & Peele (YouTube)Booklender.comBookMooch.comPaperbackswap.com“‘Girls’ EP Inks Deal With HBO, Developing Comedy With Mike White” by Lesley Goldberg, December 2, 2013, Hollywood Reporter“‘Mr. Romance’ woos New Regency” by Michael Fleming, December 16, 2008, Variety

Jo Piazza is my guest this week to discuss her new book, The Parisian Heist. This book is a dual timeline story weaving together a 1990s heist at the Orsay museum with the story of Jo van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh’s sister in law, who is the reason we know who Vincent is today.Along the way we talk aboutDNFing booksStealing artMythologizing artists usually menAnd how many women do nearly everything half scared.You can find Jo Piazza – and her book tour! – at her website JoPiazza.com. Her podcast is Under the Influence.And you can hear her discussing her book Everyone is Lying to You in Episode 677. Everyone is Lying to You with Jo Piazza.We also mentioned:Anthony Amore, Director of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumThe Gardner Museum TheftThe Red Wheelbarrow Bookshop, ParisIn the Café: Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin, Van Gogh MuseumA Crab on its Back, Van Gogh MuseumBookcase Books, Jo Piazza’s pop up bookstore, on Bookshop.org Music: purple-planet.com

We’re back in the time machine heading to March 2009 to check out the new books reviewed in Romantic Times Magazine.We’ve got:Hot dog shrinesAlpha heroinesPT CruisersAllegories for the siege of LeningradWhore’s DustWe’ve got some new books in the magazine that are still bangers today across many genres, alongside some books that we’re going to leave in 2009, right after we talk about them in this episode. We got big yikes, folks! Big yikes!You can find this episode on YouTube at Smart Podcast Trashy Books.Music: purple-planet.com

A few months ago, Kayleigh Donaldson joined me to discuss Oscar predictions and other pop culture stories, and we decided to connect quarterly to discuss popular culture.We discuss the misogyny attached to Timothy Chalamet hate, a deep dive into the public post history of Club Chalamet as indicative of larger issues in fandom behavior, Madonna’s new album, Lizzo’s new album, and the Tartan Army.The through-line of our conversation is really fandoms, specifically changing fan and audience behavior for better or for worse, what it means, why it’s happening, and maybe, how can it stop already.When two book bloggers who have been on the internet for a good while discuss pop culture, it’s a very good time.You can find Kayleigh Donaldson at her website, KayleighDonaldson.com, on Bluesky, and on Pajiba.com. You can also sign up for her (excellent) newsletter, Gossip Reading Club.You can find Kayleigh on the following episodes:576. BookTok, Hockey Romance, and People as Products with Kayleigh Donaldson678. The Osmanification of Fiction Covers with Kayleigh Donaldson703. Oscars and Gossip with Kayleigh DonaldsonWe also mentioned:IG: footage of Madonna and Connor Storrie at Paris Fashion WeekWidow’s BayBitch by LizzoConfessions 2 by MadonnaMy Lady JaneDo you like to listen to your favorite podcasts on YouTube?https://www.youtube.com/@SmartPodcastTrashyBooks

My guest this week is Kirsty Greenwood, whose new book Romantic Hero is out now everywhere, all over the world.Kirsty writes what she calls “speculative romantic comedy,” and I really loved her first book, Love of my Afterlife.We discuss SHOCKING topics like deleting the first book she tried to write, the character journeys in Romantic Hero, dealing with writer’s block, and punching people in the face.Want to watch this episode? Find us on YouTube!New! I’m posting clips from Romantic Times Rewind on TikTok! ...You can find Kirsty Greenwood at her website, KirstyGreenwood.com, and sign up for her newsletter. You can also find her on Instagram and on Facebook at KirstyGreenwoodBooks.You can also listen to us discussing Love of my Afterlife in Episode 622. The Love of My Afterlife with Kirsty Greenwood.

The time machine is all charged up, and we’re headed back to May 1996 to take a look at the ads & features from Romantic Times magazine. It’s the late 90s, so you know that means Incredible Cover Art.We also discover just how much creepy stuff Amanda owns currently, debates about babies in romance, cheap conference hotel rooms, woman flamingos, and incredible women heroines.I don’t know if you’re a video watcher, but the video for this episode has ALL the visuals on screen. But if you’re NOT a video watcher, the visual aids were so bountiful I needed to give them their own post.