Thursday, May 22, 2025

166: Mimi Matthews and RULES FOR RUIN

 


Today I welcome Mimi Matthews to the show to discuss her new book, RULES FOR RUIN. It’s a fantastic historical romance that’s Peaky Blinders meets Great Expectations. I love all of Mimi’s books, but this is my favorite historical romance from her, and it’s one I’ll definitely reread. She gives us revenge, subterfuge, a sexy hero named Gabriel who grew up in the slums of St Giles and rules it with the savvy of Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent and the renown of The Ghost of St. Giles (IYKYK) We also get a weapon wielding heroine named Euphemia who aims to overthrow the patriarchy, setting her boundaries and taking up space in the world. I loved this book, and I hope you enjoy the episode! 


Tuesday, May 13, 2025

E165: Happy Mermay! Mermaid Books with Desiree M. Niccoli


Today I welcome mermaid aficionado and longtime friend, Desiree M. Niccoli to discuss mermaids across genre fiction. I had her on for a previous MerMay episode a few years ago, soon after the release of her book CALLED TO THE DEEP. Today she created a fun mermaid quiz, which we do at the end of the show, and we discuss the rise in mermaid fiction since our last episode. We also give several book recommendations, listed below and linked to my Bookshop when available

I mentioned in the episode that San Marcos is the "Mermaid Capitol of Texas, and I wanted to link here for more information. 

Photo from City of San Marcos webiste


Titles mentioned or featured on the episode: 


 

Thursday, May 1, 2025

E164: Queer Gothic with Paulette Kennedy

 



Today, Paulette Kennedy joins me on the show to discuss Queer Representation in Gothic. Her new book, THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE is out today, and like all of Paulette’s Gothics, it includes queer characters. We chat about how queerness was once subtext, and how it’s evolved over time, and we give some great book recommendations that reflect this evolution. 

Titles include:
- FINGERSMITH by Sarah Waters
- REBECCA by Daphne Du Maurier
- GAYWYCK by Vincent Virga (out of print)
- HOUSE OF HUNGER by Alexis Henderson
- LAVENDER HOUSE by Lev AC ROSEN
- THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
- GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir
- MOTHEATER by Linda H. Codega
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice
- THE LAST WITCH OF EDINBURGH by Marielle Thompson
- THE MADNESS by Dawn Kurtagich

Thursday, April 10, 2025

E162: Historical Fantasy with Leslye Penelope

 


Today I welcome an author I’ve long adored to the show, Leslye Penelope. We discuss Historical Fantasy and define the basic parameters of the subgenre. We discuss her work within that context, and we give some great book recommendations, listed below. I hope you enjoy it!



Thursday, April 3, 2025

E161: A Cozy Mystery in Space! Olivia Waite and MURDER BY MEMORY



Today I welcome Olivia Waite to the show to discuss her new book, MURDER BY MEMORY, a cozy sci-fi mystery. Olivia is known for her sapphic historical romances, so this is a new fiction genre for her, but one that suits her voice well. We chat about knitting and how the fiber arts relate to science, her journey through genre, and what’s next in this series.


Thursday, March 20, 2025

E160: Cozy Fantasy with Julie Leong

 


Today I welcome Julie Leong to the show to discuss the wildly popular subgenre, Cozy Fantasy. We chat about Julie’s book, THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES, as well as the history of Cozy Fantasy, our earliest experience reading the subgenre, and we offer some wonderful book recommendations, listed below:





Friday, March 14, 2025

E159: The Gothic Novels of Emily Carpenter



Today I welcome Emily Carpenter to the show to discuss her new book GOTHICTOWN, as well all her previous gothic novels. We chat about her books in context with beloved gothic tropes, characters and settings, like isolation, creepy towns, and the American south.

GOTHICTOWN is on sale March 25th, so get your preorders in now!