Thursday, December 12, 2024

E148: Do We Still Know How to Read? with Jenny Adams and Jocelyn Codner

 


Today I welcome Jocelyn Codner, an academic librarian that I know from her work with the Horror Writers Association and their Summer Scares program, and Jenny Adams, the author of the delightful mystery novel, A DEADLY ENDEAVOR, and an elementary school librarian. I wanted to dive into the state of literacy in America with two librarians that are connected to the genre work I do on the show, and get their insight on how we started our literacy decline, what we’re seeing now, and give you all some fun and meaningful actions items to get us started on moving the dial towards better literacy. We hope it gives folks a better understanding of why all this matters and what we can do about it.

The following are links and books discussed on the show

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

E146: Christmas Mysteries with Stephanie Barron

 


Today I welcome Stephanie Barron to the show to discuss both her Jane Austen mystery series and the appeal of mystery books set at Christmas. We talk about Jane Austen in the first half of the show, and what made her an interesting character for detective fiction, and we use the Christmas book in the series, JANE AND THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS as a launch pad for other Christmas mystery recommendations. Here are the books we discussed, linked to my Bookshop if you want to support the show, and I've also made a list on my Bookshop's front page if you want to browse.


Thursday, November 21, 2024

E145: Green Academia with Kate Khavari

 


Today I welcome back Kate Khavari to discuss Green Academia, a historical science aesthetic we apply to book recommendations. It’s not a real subgenre, but I thought this would be fun. Kate’s Saffron Everleigh mystery series centers a botanist in academia in the early 20th century, so she was the perfect guest for this discussion. We chat about the difference between STEM and Green Academia, and we revel in how often humor and romance factor into these stories. I also want to mention that I didn’t include EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAIRIES in our book recs because the field of study in that book is fairy lore and not science. Here is a list of books discussed on the episode:


Thursday, November 14, 2024

E144: Sarah Hawley and SERVANT OF EARTH

 


Today I welcome back Sarah Hawley to discuss her new book, SERVANT OF THE EARTH, a romantasy with a sentient knife and strong female friendships. We chat about the origins of this book and how it compares to her witchy romcoms, and we discuss the unintentional timing of a story about a woman rising up against a tyrannical king.

Monday, November 11, 2024

E143: Short Story Collections with Cynthia Gomez

 


Today I have Cynthia Gomez on the show to discuss Story Collections by individual authors. We discuss the point of writing short stories vs novels, and the different ways collections can tell a single broader story from the stories within it. We also give you some great recommendations, listed below. Thanks for listening!

Thursday, October 31, 2024

E142: Spooky RomComs with Ivy Fairbanks

 


Today I have Ivy Fairbanks on the show to discuss Spooky RomComs. Ivy is the author of MORBIDLY YOURS, a romantic comedy set in the funeral business. We discuss the work RomComs do and why spooky settings and ghosts are having a moment. We did not include witches or monsters because the non-magical human animal, dead or alive, brings its own spooky elements to any story. We also give you some great recommendations. 

Books mentioned on the show:

Thursday, October 17, 2024

E141: Women of Southern Gothic with Del Sandeen

 


Today I have Del Sandeen on the show to discuss Women of Southern Gothic. Del’s debut novel, THIS CURSED HOUSE, revels in traditional gothic tropes in the context of issues embedded in gothic novels set in the American South. It’s a fresh take on a long tradition of this subgenre, and we discuss what sets Southern Gothic apart from other gothic novels. We also give you some great recommendations, which I've listed below: