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Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast
Bonus: RTRW Clips and Outtakes
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This bonus episode is some clips and outtakes from this past month's RT Rewind episodes. We talk about how few historical romances are being published, how gorgeous some of the books from Bramble will be, the house style of review formatting in RT, and finally a topic I very rarely discuss (hence the paywall): Cassie Edwards.
If you check the post on Patreon, I've included a few pictures (visual aids! woo!) including the magazine issue I'm talking about.
Links:
Sweet Savage Flame: Cassie Edwards
Books we mention:
Whispers in the Reading Room and The Spellshop.
Do you collect special editions of books? Do you read the summary or the review first? And what do you think we should do with this magazine feature?
More episodes
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635. 635. RT Rewind: October 1988 Reviews
48:21||Ep. 635It’s time to journey back to the October 1988 issue of Romantic Times!That’s right, we’re going all the way back to 1988, a time when one of us on the show wasn’t born yet. We’ve got absolutely appalling plots, some extremely luscious covers, and more – like Amanda’s engagement!Congrats Amanda and Brian!TW/CW: crappy family tales in the first 4 minutes, and overall, a number of references to enslavement, violence, colonialism, predatory behavior and assault in the reviews.Music: purple-planet.comDon’t miss the visual aids!We also mentioned:Jonathan Bailey at the Emmys (Town & Country)Belle Starr (Wikipedia)Water Witching: Fact or Fake? (Farmers Almanac)And you can see Amanda’s beautiful engagement ring on her Instagram!634. 634. Climbing Mt. Fuji with Courtney Milan
56:43||Ep. 634Courtney Milan is here to talk about her newest book, The Earl Who Isn’t, and about climbing Mt. Fuji! Along the way we talk about training, the shifting style of historical romances, and audiobooks.And we have questions from you!A few moments to be aware of before you listen: we talk a little about her dog Pele, who passed away earlier this year.We also mention briefly the topics of antifat bias in medicine, weight gain, chafing, trauma, workplace abuse, cancer, and sexual harassment.Thank you to Tara, Emily for the questions!Music: purple-planet.comYou can find Courtney Milan at her website, CourtneyMilan.com, and you can sign up for her weekly tea newsletter as well! Support for this episode comes from The Starling Inn, the new novel by Claire Therese! Find The Starling Inn by Claire Therese inside Kindle Unlimited now!633. 633. RT Rewind: September 2015 Ads & Features
58:48||Ep. 633The 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.com632. 632. Being Fine with Friends, with Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer
54:31||Ep. 632Jolenta 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.com631. 631. RT Rewind: September 2015 Reviews
01:16:27||Ep. 631We’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!630. 630. Behind the Scenes of Real Housewives with Chris DeRosa
55:36||Ep. 630Chris 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.629. 629. RT Rewind: October 1999 Ads & Features
01:06:40||Ep. 629Alison 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.com628. 628. Real Housewives and Romance Readers with Shana
53:50||Ep. 628Continuing 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?627. 627. RT Rewind: October 1999 Reviews!
01:18:49||Ep. 627We 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!