Kat Mayo and Rudi Bremer are the team behind the BookThingo podcast, an Australian podcast about romance fiction. As you might imagine, I’m a fan - and I’ve known Rudi and Kat for a long time. Our conversation meanders all over the place, and we discuss:Podcasting, the process, and learning how to get the show doneWhat podcasting and the podcasting community is like in AustraliaKat’s recent trip to Manila and her episodes with the #RomanceClass authorsReading books that reflect the experience of living between two culturesRepresenting and discussing nuance in Indigenous Australian writing - and the overwhelming Whiteness of Rural Australian romanceWe also take a deep dive into kinship rules in different cultures and communities, and how the concept could provide conflict and setting for an entire raft of romance novels. And of course, we have recommendations.Special note!! Stay tuned after the show for a special audiobook sample of The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, brought to you by our sponsor, Hachette Audio! Thanks, y'all! Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

355. Podcasting, Representation, and Romance: A Conversation with Rudi Bremer and Kat Mayo

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 Times Rewind episodes, where we take a look at old issues of Romantic Times Magazine (1981-2018). Frequent topics include romance novels, the way the genre is changing, and the brilliant and interesting people who read, write, and produce it, and issues common among romance readers. Plus, we always recommend some books we're reading and really enjoying. Learn more at SB-TB.com/Podcast. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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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 much Fabio, a telepathic cat, blaming tornadoes for murder, and a lot of time travel.
But my gosh, golly, gee whiz, do not miss the visuals for this episode!
Music: purple-planet.com
Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get 15% off with promo code [SARAH15 ] at LumeDeodorant.com! #lumepod Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

613. RT Rewind: May 1994 Reviews

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 abuseThe subversive revolution of teaching a word a day in a minoritized languageUsing humor to overcome the “cultural hangover of linguistic oppression”More poetry!TW/CW: discussion of intimate partner violence and domestic abuse, depression, stalking.
Music: purple-planet.com Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

612. Poetry in Scots with Len Pennie

Y’all, the April 2005 issue of Romantic Times is a treasure of truly amazing fun. So many of you told me that episode 609, where we looked at the reviews, made you laugh so hard you cried. Well, let me share some highlights of what is about to happen to your eardrums.The Mr. Romance Cover Model Pageant was a Six-episode reality tv show on the Oxygen network, and we missed it when it ran. It’s not all on YouTube but we have a few links!We have the arrival of what I called the “venti sized” paperbackRomance writers with “dedicated rooms for Star Wars collectibles!”We’ve got some disturbing gimp masks on computer generated Poser people.It’s a glorious time. Come on over.
Did you ever attend Mr Romance at RT? Did you see the Mr Romance Pageant on tv?! And gosh, do you have a Romance SoundTrack CD? Please tell me everything.
Don’t miss the visual aids!
Links! For your browsing pleasure!Jafar’s staff on EbayThe 2005! cover snark featuring The Big Sword and the Naked GuyThe 2006 post about the Venti sized paperbacksThe cover for Running Anonymous – NSFW, NSFL
 And visit the visual aids for a clip from Mr Romance on the Oxygen network! Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

611. Romantic Times Rewind: April 2005 Ads & Features

What happens when you write the books you want to read but are having a hard time finding? Many good things. Kimberly Lemming loves fantasy, and started writing her own catnip, which led to the joy that is the Mead Mishaps series.We answer ALL the tough questions, like how many mead mishaps have we personally experienced? How does one make the bananas spin? And why is Galavant the greatest production ever made?
Note: in the middle of the episode, the email Kimberly sent that gave me a peek at the cover for That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human, which was in the final stages of development, so you’ll hear me lose my cool.
For the book and video games we discuss in this episode, please visit our show notes page!
You can find Kimberly Lemming at KimberlyLemming.com, and on Instagram @KimberlyLemming.
We also mentioned cover artist Mike Pape, and the cover art for the Mead Mishaps series is visible on his website, too!
Thank you for supporting our show, and our advertisers! new customers GET $5 OFF a Lume Starter Pack with code SARAH15 at LumeDeodorant.com. That equates to over 40% off your Starter Pack when you visit LumeDeodorant.com and use code SARAH15. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

610.  Writing Super Fun Fantasy with Kimberly Lemming

We’re taking a tour through the new releases across many genres from April 2005, nearly 20 (!!!) years ago. Romance has changed a wee little bit.
How much cringe shall we find? Plenty!
Other oddities? Mainstream includes YA and Chick Lit. Contemporary includes New Reality. Regency in Format includes Corinthians! And we’re trying to understand a character who wants to “dim the pain of turning 30.” It’s a ride, as usual.
Side trips include Sea Breeze, Stridex, and St Ives Medicated Apricot Scrub.
TW: for mention of sexual assault, body horror – we do announce it in the audio so you can skip ahead.
You can find all the Romantic Times Rewind episodes, visual aids posts, and more in one convenient place!
Don't miss the visual aids for this episode!
We also mentioned:Regency in format, not genre: This r/HRNovlesDiscussion post shows a treasure trove of Regency/format books. Did you use St. Ives Medicated Scrub? I sure as heck did.RegRom.com answers the question, ‘What is a Corinthian?’Amanda mentioned author Naomi Hirahara in a recent Get Rec’d with Amanda post Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

355. Podcasting, Representation, and Romance: A Conversation with Rudi Bremer and Kat Mayo

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