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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 Ti ...
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A gothic, mystery and horror podcast.
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Dark Downeast: Maine and New England's True Crime Podcast digs into the decades-old and modern day cases that prickle the history of Vacationland and beyond – the unsolved homicides, undetermined deaths, unexplained disappearances and other dark stories of New England. Investigative journalist and storyteller Kylie Low gets straight to the story with a mix of narrated episodes and documentary style production featuring interviews with surviving family and friends and insight on the investiga ...
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This continuing education podcast connects CASA volunteers with engaging and relevant training designed to help strengthen advocacy for children and families. Each short, dynamic episode features informative discussions with subject matter experts exploring topics connected to child welfare and best practices for CASA advocacy. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker(s) in their personal capacity and are not the official policy or position of Texas CASA.
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E131: Cronelit with Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
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Today I welcome back Sarah Wendell from the beloved Smart Bitches, Trashy Books blog and podcast. We talk about CRONELIT, in other words, why books that center women of a certain age are having a moment. We also discuss books that address aging within a youth obsessed culture. We offer plenty of recommendations and examples, which I will have in a …
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620. Romance and Kickstarter with Oriana Leckert
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Oriana Leckert is the Head of Publishing at Kickstarter, and works with the many, many authors who are finding community support on Kickstarter. They’re hosting a celebration all this month, Heartstrings & Hardbacks: Kickstarter and Romance, so we connected to talk about successful romance projects, strategies that work and don’t work on Kickstarte…
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The Suspicious Death of Philip Wendel Boyce (Maine)
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During the winter of 1941, the death of Philip Wendel Boyce found in a downtown Portland, Maine alleyway left investigators divided by two very different theories: Was it an accident or was it murder? Every once in a while, I like to go way, way back and unearth cases that might otherwise be lost with time. Given its age and the circumstances you’r…
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Today I have E.K. Sathue on the show to chat about her new book, YOUTHJUICE. We discuss the toxicity of beauty culture, including the wealth privilege that accompanies it. We look at various inspirations for this novel, from the historical figure of Elizabeth Bathory to social media influencers. We also chat about the gruesome body horror she leans…
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We asked our Patreon community to vote on this month’s issue, and September 2002 won by a wide margin. So let’s dive into the book reviews, shall we? There are strange subcategories and overlapping genres, and also color-conscious aliens and amnesia, too. Plus, we talk a bit about one of the best lines Avon ever produced. Don’t miss the visual aids…
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The Murders of Audrey Lynn Harris, Christine Dumont, & Stacie Goulet (Rhode Island)
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During a nearly 18-month span beginning the winter of 2003, Audrey Lynn Harris, Christine Dumont, and Stacie Goulet disappeared without a trace from Woonsocket, Rhode Island, leaving their families and investigators searching for answers. It wasn’t until detectives received an anonymous voicemail that the pieces finally came together in what would …
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618. The Romance Reader’s Handbook with Steve Ammidown
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In June 1989, Kathryn Falk published The Romance Reader’s Handbook, a 354 page spiral bound collection of everything a romance reader would need to know. Steve Ammidown leads us on a brief tour of this artifact of romance history. There’s a collection of over 2000 pseudonyms, plus a directory of where to contact authors, lists of bookstores that lo…
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The Murder of Shari Lynn Roth (New Hampshire)
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When Shari Lynn Roth left her apartment in North Conway, New Hampshire for a short afternoon hike to one of her favorite spots among the White Mountain National Forest, what should’ve been a peaceful retreat turned into a fateful encounter with a still unknown predator. Several theories have been floated since that August afternoon in 1977, but non…
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In episode 611, we talked about the ads and features in the April 2005 issue of Romantic Times, and there was an ad on the back cover for Romance Soundtracks. We could not find anything about them, but Malaraa in our Patreon sure did! We’ve got samples! We’ve got MUSIC that you’re meant to read with, and Amanda tries to identify the genre/album the…
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Sarah Hunter was only 15 minutes late for work when her coworker called police to report her missing, but despite his swift action, Sarah’s case would go cold and stay that way for years. Decades later, an individual known to the case from the earliest days of the investigation became a prime suspect and advanced DNA testing even led to an arrest. …
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In a review for Never Cross a Highlander, Shana came up with the ACAB scale, or the Alyssa Cole Anti-Slavery Book Scale, which ranks how central the horror of slavery is to the storyline. I asked her to tell me all about it, and Shana, kindly, said yes.Our conversation grows (of course) to include the field of narrative therapy and bibliotherapy, o…
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E130: THE LAMPLIGHTER with Crystal J. Bell
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Today I have Crystal J. Bell on to chat about her YA Gothic novel, THE LAMPLIGHTER, about woman in a coastal village where sinister things lurk in the woods, the fog, the ships, and the people of the town. It’s a book that revels in gothic atmosphere while centering new story elements. I have THE LAMPLIGHTER in my Bookshop if you want to support bo…
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The Disappearance of April Dawn Pennington (Connecticut)
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When a 15-year-old girl snuck out of her bedroom window one night in May of 1996, it was like she vanished right into thin air with no leads. Years later unsealed court documents revealed that police had a theory and a suspect from the earliest days of the case, but it would take over a decade to build a case strong enough for an arrest. View sourc…
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615. RT Rewind: May 1994 Ads & Features
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Amanda and I are traveling back in time to May 1994 and taking a look at the ads and features inside Romantic Times Magazine – oh, it’s a time. We have questions – and answers! Are Eric Braeden and Victor Newman the same guy? Is Kathryn Falk writing celebrity gossip and outing people? Are there Lorena Bobbit jokes? Were Glamour Shots™ very well rep…
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Advocating for Youth Experiencing Cultural Dislocation with Dr. Robin LaSota and Dr. Heather Fox
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In this episode, we're honored to be conversation with Dr. Heather Fox and Dr. Robin LaSota discussing their research on supporting youth in cross-racial out of home placements. Their work seeks to shine light on the challenges that Black youth in particular face in cross-racial placements as well as how a youth's caregivers, family, and advocates …
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In a one month span during the winter of 1969, the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts was set on edge after two violent attacks on women while they slept in their beds challenged the very sense of safety residents thought they had in their own homes. Nearly 50 years later, one of those cases was finally solved, but the second, very similar homicide i…
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E129: THE HONEY WITCH with Sydney Shields
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Today I have debut author, Sydney Shields, and I’m releasing this episode early because she was such a delight and her book, THE HONEY WITCH, hit every note that many of us need right now. I simply couldn’t wait to share this conversation with all of you. I have THE HONEY WITCH in my Bookshop if you want to support both the podcast as well as indep…
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Since the release of CounterClock Season 1, Delia has received hundreds of requests from families of victims of violent crime. In November 2022, one message in her inbox stood out from the rest. It was from a middle-aged woman asking for Delia's help investigating the mysterious death of her 27-year-old brother from 1991. The message stood out for …
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614. Dollar Princesses and Marriages of Convenience with Harper St. George
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Harper St. George joins me to talk about The Stranger I Wed (look at that gorgeous cover) and the dollar princesses of the Gilded Age. We talk about transactional marriages, the power dynamics of marriages of convenience – and Harper has a few recommendations of her favorites! You can find Harper St. George at her website, HarperStGeorge.com, and o…
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E128: Katherine Arden and THE WARM HANDS OF GHOSTS
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Today I have Katherine Arden on the show to discuss THE WARM HANDS OF GHOSTS, her lastest book that explores historical horror set during World War I. We discuss ghosts and memory, common ground with fantasy and horror, and her thoughts on the early 20th century and steampunk. I have Katherine’s books in my Bookshop if you want to support both the …
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The Murders of Malcolm, Elizabeth, and Page Jennings Part 2 (New Hampshire)
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When investigators in Alachua County, Florida discovered the remains of two people among the charred ruins of a burned down shack and a letter in a nearby car that seemed to explain the entire scene, police in two states thought they were on the brink of closing a multiple murder case that started all the way north in New Hampshire. But as experts …
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Amanda and I are traveling to May 1994 and taking a look at the book reviews in this edition of RT Rewind! We’re answering many questions, including: Why does five stars mean something is a classic, but one star is acceptable? What do CS, RM, VR, and F stand for inside Contemporary and New Reality? What grade did Dreaming of You receive? There’s so…
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E127: Gwendolyn Kiste and THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD
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Today, Gwendolyn Kiste returns to the show to discuss THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD, her lastest book about childhood friends that return to their haunted neighborhood decades after escaping it. We discuss the brutality of youth, the gothic and stasis, as well as horror through the lens of older women. I have Gwendolyn’s books in my Bookshop if you want…
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The Murders of Malcolm, Elizabeth, and Page Jennings Part 1 (New Hampshire)
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When a fire destroyed the home of respected local innkeepers, leaving it in ruins and revealing the horrifying aftermath of a double murder, the close-knit community of Jackson, New Hampshire faced an unthinkable tragedy. As detectives looked into the lives of the victims, they discovered years of conflict caused by the older man their daughter had…
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Len Pennie’s book of Scots poetry poyums is out in the US this week, and you might have seen my post about her book launch earlier this week. Len is my guest today and we’re going to talk about: Poetry! Healing from trauma and abuse The subversive revolution of teaching a word a day in a minoritized language Using humor to overcome the “cultural ha…
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