662. What’s Deeanne Gist Been Up To? With Dakota Lacoy

662. What’s Deeanne Gist Been Up To? With Dakota Lacoy

Author: Sarah Wendell April 11, 2025 Duration: 50:26

What happens when a bestselling and award winning author of historical inspirational romances decides, after a break of a few years, to write spicy contemporary?


If you’re Deeanne Gist, you start over from scratch as Dakota Lacoy.


Amanda and I were just asking recently what had happened to Deeanne Gist, who wrote some SBTB favorites like Tiffany Girl and Fair Play. Well, as Dakota Lacoy, she’s been busy setting up a series of hot contemporary romantic comedies set in Honky Tonk, Texas, a small town with a sordid history and the greatest pun-filled business names.


So my guest today is both Deeanne Gist and Dakota Lacoy, and we’re going to talk about everything – from writing historical inspirationals to figuring out how to introduce her old readers to her new name.


You can find Dakota Lacoy at her website, where you can buy all her books and sign up for her newsletter.


Dakota is also on Instagram, too.


The illustrator for Dakota Lacoy’s website is Axana Zasorina, who is on Instagram.


Music: Purple-planet.com


To advertise on this podcast please email: ad-sales@libsyn.com

Or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/smartpodcasttrashybooks


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


If you’ve ever felt a little defensive about loving romance novels, or just want to dive deeper into the books you can’t put down, Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast is your perfect companion. Host Sarah Wendell approaches the genre with a critic’s sharp mind and a fan’s enthusiastic heart, creating conversations that are as thoughtful as they are joyful. This isn’t just author interviews, though you’ll hear brilliant voices like Ilona Andrews, Sarah J. Maas, and the wonderfully unique Chuck Tingle. The scope of the podcast is deliberately wide, bringing in reviewers, librarians, editors, and publishing professionals to examine every facet of the romance world. You’ll get honest talk about tropes and trends, the business behind the books, and why these stories resonate so powerfully with millions of readers. Regular appearances from Amanda Diehl add another layer of camaraderie and insight. Listening feels like being part of a smart, welcoming book club where no opinion is dismissed and passion is a given. It’s a celebration of a genre that dominates fiction, explored with humor, intelligence, and genuine curiosity. Whether you’re a longtime devotee or a curious newcomer, this podcast offers a rich, engaging, and deeply human look at the stories we love.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast
Podcast Episodes
654. Dialogue and Shenanigans with Kimberly Lemming [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:12
Kimberly Lemming’s new book, I Got Abducted By Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in A Rom-Com is out this week.What’s inside? A fantasy world with underfunded researchers and mishandled animal restoration caused by fiscal irres…
653. RT Rewind: February 2000 Reviews! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:14
RT is celebrating their 200th issue, and we’re celebrating, too!We’ve got the OG Monster Schtupping book, a guy whose arm appears to end in a ham, and some incredible covers. You know I’m going to tell you not to miss th…
652. Smart Bitches Turns 20 with Candy Tan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:36
My guest today is Candy Tan, who 20 years ago co-founded Smart Bitches Trashy Books with me. Yay!!We’re looking back at the founding of SBTB, about her reactions to Bridgerton, and her perennial favorite romances. We tal…
647. Finding Home: Recs and Wishes from Megan, Alanna, Sue and Rhonda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:20
We’re traveling all over the world again, from the west coast of the US to Germany to discuss the price of PopTarts, book recommendations, and wishes for 2025 with Megan, Alanna, Sue, and Rhonda.Thank you for being part…
646. Swashbuckling and Historical Romance Classics with Elizabeth Hoyt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:49
My guest this week is Elizabeth Hoyt!! This episode was SO MUCH FUN to record and produce and I am so excited to share it with you.We talk about her latest book, No Ordinary Duchess, writer’s block, emotionally constipat…