E210: Simone St. James and Christina Henry on the Iconic Mary Stewart

 

Today’s episode is one of the most special I’ve ever recorded, at least for me. Simone St. James and Christina Henry join me for a conversation about the books of Mary Stewart, an extremely influential Suspense writer that wrote smart, independent women using gorgeous and witty prose. Her ability to write banter, romantic tension and high stakes suspense is unmatched, and it was such a joy to me to speak with two wonderful authors who love her work as much as I do.

E209: Hollywood, Self-Publishing, and Big 5 Publishing with TJ Payne

 

Today I have TJ Payne on the show to chat about writing and how his career has taken him from Hollywood writing rooms to self-publishing to publishing with one of the Big 5. TJ’s screenwriting experience includes cherished memories working with Rob Reiner and on new and upcoming Netflix shows like The Boroughs (produced by the Duffer Brothers) and Little House on the Prairie. I also chat about his latest book, INTERCEPTS.

E208: THE MUMMY Readlikes with Kate Khavari

 

Today I welcome back the always delightful Kate Khavari to give you all some book recommendations if you love the movie The Mummy. Kate’s new book, A BOTANIST'S GUIDE TO TRADITION AND TREACHERY, is also a perfect book comp to this iconic film. As always, Kate has impeccable taste, and she did ask for feedback from you all that read these recs, so be sure to follow her on social media. 

In the episode, she mentions the television show, Time Team, which is both on streaming services and on YouTube here.

Kate is on tour, and I will be in conversation with her in Waco at Fabled Bookshop on Thursday July 16th, 2026 from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Find out more here.

Kate’s Recommendations

•  The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Marie Thorne
•  Into the Sunken City by Dinesh Thiru
•  Raiders of the Lost Heart and Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura
•  The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
•  The River She Became by Emily Varga
•  A Beastologist's Field Notes of Fated Affection by K.M. Gordon

Agatha’s Recommendations

•  The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt
•  Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
•  A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Reybourn (#8 in the Veronica Speedwell series)
•  Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody series) by Elizabeth Peters
•  What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
•  Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase

E207: Goth Girl Summer 2: Electric Boogaloo

 

Rachel Harriosn and Stephanie Gagnon from Books in the Freezer are back with another Goth Girl Summer episode! We had so much fun with it last year, and there are an abundance of books perfect for summer that fit our spooky or melancholy moods so we had to do another one! We had a great time, and I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we had fun making it. 

A few extra things we mention in addition to the book recommedations:

- Glamorous Trash Podcast - about celebrity memoirs

- Ana Mendieta - Cuban artist who inspired Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez. Here is a Wikipedia article about her with lots of great resources cited in the references. This article from Christie's has lots of images of her work, as well as information. 

Rachel

• The Compound by Aisling Rawle

• Greedy by Callie Kazumk

• Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

• What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us by Laura van den Berg

Stephanie

• Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang

• Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine by Kristina Ten

• Reliquary by Hanna Whitten

• Body Count by Cody Crowley

• Third Hotel by Laura van den Berg

Agatha

• Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart

• The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

• Anita De Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

• Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

E206: Crones, Demons, and Witches! Oh My! with CM Waggoner

 

Today I have C.M Waggoner on the show to chat about her books, THE VILLAGE LIBRARY DEMON HUNTING SOCIETY and THE SOMEWHAT WICKED WITCH OF BRIGANDALE. We discuss voice and humor, her ability to write “women of a certain age,” and what it means to write cozy books with stakes. I love her style, her wit and her incredible imagination, so definitely add her books to your TBRs. 

The bookstores CM Waggoner recommended were: 

• Kinderhook Books in Kinderhook, New York
• Golden Leaf Books (this one has the shop dog!) in Waterford, New York

E205: Black Witches in Fiction with Savannah Stephens

 

Today I welcome Savannah Stephens to the show to chat about Black Witches in fiction. To be clear, we are not talking about ‘black magic,’ we are discussing books that feature Black characters that are also witches. Savannah’s book, WITCH QUEEN RISING, is a genre blend of fantasy and horror that takes place in New Orleans. It has werewolves, vampires, and a witch who must reluctantly return home to assume her powers. We have some great book recommendations for you, listed below. 

I recommended Tasha Harrison's Substack on the show, which you can subscribe to here.

Savannah’s recs

• This Poison Heart (This Poison Heart, #1) by Kalynn Bayron
• Death Card by Jasmine Smith
• An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole
• Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold, #1) by Ciannon Smart
• Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle, #1) by Tracy Deonn

Agatha’s recs

• Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin
• Under a Strawberry Moon by Tasha Harrison
• I'll Come Back for You and I’ll Conjure You by Charish Reid
• This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
• The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

 

Today I have Jennifer from "Art of the Clinch," a social media account which features book covers and information on vintage romance paperbacks, including vintage gothics during October. I wanted an episode about collecting old paperbacks, whether you’re interested in old clinch covers, “women running from houses” gothic romances, or paperbacks from hell, and I thought Jennifer was the perfect guest for this. I’ve followed Jennifer since ye old twitter days, though now I follow her on Instagram and Threads. 

Jennifer's website is here. 

In this episode, she references Dr. Maria De Blassie's essay on "Joyful Problematization," which you can find here.