E171: Goth Girl Summer with Rachel Harrison and Stephanie Gagnon from Books in the Freezer

 

Today I welcome two of my favorite people back to the show to help me celebrate my birthday (July 4th) Stephanie Gagnon, from Books in the Freezer and Rachel Harrison join me for this special episode full of Goth Girl Summer book recommendations! 

• Hungerstone by Katt Dun
• Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun
• The Seas by Samantha Hunt
• The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke
• The Ruins by Scott Smith
• Ghost Summer: Stories by Tananarive Due
• The Sirens by Emilia Hart
• Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
• Haunted Ever After by Jenn DeLuca
• I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
• Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
• A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez
• Bad Dolls by Rachel Harrison
• Ghost Business by Jenn DeLuca
• Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender (the one we mention with the pumpkin heads story)

E170: Libraries in Books with Jenny Adams and Jocelyn Codner

Today we celebrate Libraries! To do this, I welcomed back Jocelyn Codner and author Jenny Adams whom you all may remember from my Literacy episode last Fall. For the first 20 minutes, we discuss the state of libraries, celebrate a few victories, and share ways you can support your libraries. The rest of the episode is dedicated to book recommendations that feature libraries across genres. I've listed the recommended books below, as well as Jenny Adams' book, with links to my Bookshop. I hope you enjoy the show!

Jenny

The Underground Library - Jennifer Ryan 

Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor

The Library of Lost Girls - Kristen Pipps

Overdue - Stephanie Perkins

Jocelyn

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

Grasshands by Kyle Winkler

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Agatha

The Librarians by Sherry Thomas

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner

The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka

Funny Story by Emily Henry

E169: Riley Sager and WITH A VENGEANCE

 

Today I welcome Riley Sager back to the show to discuss his new book, WITH A VENGEANCE, a fun midcentury train mystery that was so captivating I couldn’t put it down. We discuss his inspirations for the book, as well as the process. Riley Sager is also on tour right now, so check his website for tour dates in your area. I hope you enjoy the show!

E168: MURDER BALLADS with Katy Horan

 

Today I welcome Katy Horan to the show to discuss her new book, MURDER BALLADS. She painted each powerful illustration in the book and spent years researching these folk songs, which often depict young, beautiful, murdered women floating ethereally down a river. We discuss her process and background and, for my own curiosity, focus on songs by Johnny Cash, PJ Harvey and Nick Cave, and Nirvana’s famous Unplugged performance. Videos for each of these below.

We also mention a nonfiction book she referenced in her research. That link, as well as the link to Katy Horan's book, are also below. 

E167: The Gothic Witch Novels of C.J. Cooke

 

Today I welcome C. J. Cooke to the show to discuss her new book, THE GHOST WOODS, and since I loved this book so much, we discuss books from her backlist too, including THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES and THE BOOK OF WITCHING. I’m fascinated by her gothic writing and consistent themes of witches and motherhood. I do want to take a moment to apologize for the way my voice sounds in this episode. I had an issue with my microphone connecting to my new computer, but that issue has been resolved on other recordings. I hope you enjoy the show!

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! 

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: 

• SKIN OF THE SEA - Natasha Bowen
• THE DEEP - Rivers Solomon
• WITCHFUL THINKING - Celestine Martin
• DAUGHTER OF THE TIDES - Kit Rocha
• THE CAPTIVE MERMAN'S PROMISE - Zoey Castile 
• OCEAN BLEEDS SALTY - Azalea Crowley
• PROVIDENCE GIRLS  - Morgan Dante
• TREACHERY OF WATER - Angela J. Ford
• THE RAKE - Kass O'Shire
• A MAGIC DEEP AND DROWNING - Hester Fox
• UPON A STARLIT TIDE - Kell Woods
• THE SIRENS - Emilia Hart
• THE WOMAN IN THE WAVES - Camille Booker
• A SWEET STING OF SALT - Rose Sutherland

 

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

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!

• The Conductors by Nicole Glover
• Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clare
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
• Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas
• When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill 
• The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
  
• The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
• The Fervor by Alma Katsu

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.

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:

• Salt and Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher
• Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
• The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
• The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
• Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
• Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater 
• Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
• A Natural History of Dragons by Mary Brennan
• The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner
• The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
• Redwall by Brian Jacques 

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!  

E158: True Crime and the Real Hester Prynne with Kate Winkler Dawson

 

Today I welcome journalist, professor and true crime podcaster, Kate Winkler Dawson, to the show to discuss her new historical true crime book, ALL THE SINNERS BOW: TWO AUTHORS, ONE MURDER, AND THE REAL HESTER PRYNNE. We discuss the 1832 murder of Sarah Maria Cornell and how that murder inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write The Scarlett Letter, as well as the research into both the murder and the writing of FALL RIVER, the first American true crime book written about this murder in 1833. 

Kate Winkler Dawson has three True Crime podcasts, one of which is retired and folded into the other. Here are the links to listen: 

E157: Emily Wilde and the Fairies of Heather Fawcett

Today I welcome Heather Fawcett to the show to talk about her Emily Wilde series. These beloved books are about a Cambridge professor who specializes in the study of fairies. This cozy fantasy trilogy has been at the forefront of this subgenre since the first novel, “Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries,” came out a few years ago. The third book, “Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales,” was released February 11th and has Emily studying the faery realm as their queen.

Books mentioned in our conversation include two books by Suzanna Clark, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and The Ladies of Grace Adieu. She also mentioned The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.

E156: Cottagecore Movies with Liz Parker

 

Surprise! A NEW BONUS EPISODE! Today I welcome Liz Parker back to the show to talk about Cottagecore Movies. I really needed a break from the world, so I wanted to do an episode that felt like a warm hug. This also came just in time for Liz’s upcoming book, THE OTHER MARCH SISTERS, which she co-wrote with Linda Epstein and Ally Malinenko, from the point of view of the other March sisters in LITTLE WOMEN. It comes out February 25th, so get your preorders in while you enjoy the show!

Movies included in our discussion include:

• Practical Magic
• Cold Mountain
• Howl's Moving Castle
• The Secret Garden
• Chocolat
• Little Women
• Sense and Sensibility
• The Secret of Roan Inish
• My Neighbor Totoro
• Wicked Little Letters
• The Holiday
• Steel Magnolias

E155: Spicy Cozy SciFi and Fantasy Books by Kimberly Lemming

 

Today I welcome Kimberly Lemming to the show to talk about her work, including a new science fiction romcom series that begins with I GOT ABDUCTED BY ALIENS AND NOW I’M TRAPPED IN A ROMCOM. We also discuss her previous cozy fantasy romcom series that began with THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND SAVED A DEMON. We chat about maintaining her voice across genre, and what folks are seeking when reaching for these distinctive titles. Please note that there is a sound fluctuation for the first ten minutes of the show, so please excuse that and enjoy the chat because Kimberly Lemming is a smart and fun delight that I know you’ll enjoy. The three authors Kimberly recommended are Lexi Esme, Regine Able, and Ella Maven. I also mention Ruby Dixon's Bull Moon Rising. 

E154: Gothic Fantasy with Hailey Piper

Today I welcome Hailey Piper to the show to discuss Gothic Fantasy. Hailey knows this genre blend well, as the author of several books that do this work, including her new book ALL THE HEARTS YOU EAT, and her upcoming 2025 release, A GAME IN YELLOW. We chat about elements that define this subgenre, our earliest interest in Gothic Fantasy, and we give some recommendations, listed below:

• Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles
• The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers
• Plain Bad Heroines by Emily B Danforth
• Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling
• A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock
• Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas
• Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope 
• The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
• House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson 
• Small Favors by Erin Craig 

E153: Grady Hendrix and WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS

Today I welcome Grady Hendrix back to the show to discuss his new book, WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS, a story about the homes for pregnant teenage girls that were largely used in the years before Roe v Wade. We chat about everything from the inspiration of this story, to the food, and the human monsters in the book. The story has a lot of depth and I enjoyed breaking down even the small details with Grady, so I hope you enjoy it.

E152: Poe, Ghosts and Mystery with Christa Carmen

 

Today I welcome Christa Carmen, winner of the Bram Stoker award for her debut novel DAUGHTERS OF BLOCK ISLAND. I have her on the show today to discuss her new book, BENEATH THE POET’S HOUSE, a contemporary story that takes place in the home of famous transcendentalist, Sarah Whitman, a romantic interest of Edgar Allan Poe’s. We discuss Poe and how she connected her plot to his work and his life while centering Whitman’s interest in transcendentalism. I hope you enjoy it!

E151: LITERARY WITCHES and a New Year with Taisia Kitaiskaia

Today I welcome Taisia Kitaiskaia to the show for a chat about her book of illustrated poetry and her oracle deck, both titled LITERARY WITCHES. Taisia lives here in Austin, and worked with another Austin artist, Katy Horan, to create a gorgeous collection of poetry and art, as well as an inspiring oracle deck. Though they came out years ago, I hoped Taisia could bring in 2025 with inspiration for us all. She even does an oracle pull for us at the end of the episode, which I found hopeful. I hope you do too.