In Bed With Books

Join me and author Jonathan Edward Durham for a conversation about his novel Winterset Hollow. Rereleased on October 6, Winterset Hollow follows Eamon and his friends on a pilgrimage to the home of their favorite author. Their trip takes a dark turn when they discover that not only are the animals from their favorite book real, but they really hate the book and its fans.
Durham and I talked about the creation of the novel, as well as his decision to rerelease the book as a traditionally published work after a few years as a self-published work. We talked at length about his experience with different forms, which was primarily focused on scriptwriting until he wrote Winterset Hollow. In writing Winterset Hollow, Durham also tested his hand at poetry (you can find passages of the book-within-the-book throughout the novel!). His ability to toggle between forms made for a suspenseful and at times heartbreaking story of the cost of nostalgia.

Buy Winterset Hollow now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781454965329

Learn more about Jonathan Edward Durham here:
https://www.jonathanedwarddurham.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thisone0verhere
https://substack.com/@jonathanedwarddurham?r=4obieu&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile&shareImageVariant=light
https://www.threads.com/@thisone0verhere?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

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If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

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IG: @inbedwithbookspod
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EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

Join me and author Tanaz Bhathena to talk about her recent adult fantasy, Witch Daughter. A modern retelling of part of Ferdowsi’s epic, The Shahnameh, this book follows the princess Tahmineh and her relationship to fate. First, as she runs towards it and her marriage to Rostam, a famed warrior who she hopes can provide the protection she needs as a suspected witch. And later, after the birth of her son, as she desperately tries to avoid a prophecy where her son and his father fight each other on the battlefield.
Bhathena explores classic prejudices and patriarchy through the main character, Tahmineh, and the suspicions around her lineage. She explores what lengths a person will go to in order to secure their own safety, and then how that changes when those concerns have to include someone other than yourself. In all of her attempts to secure her safety, and then her son’s, Tahmineh also unknowingly works through the tensions she has around love, first through passion, and then through a slow burn and earned trust. Bhathena and I also discuss the research that went into writing this story. Tahmineh’s journey as a literary figure has shifted over the centuries, with suspected origins as demon or a witch, and was potentially sanitized for reader consumption. What does it mean to give this power back to her?

Buy Witch Daughter now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781538780862
Learn more about Tanaz Bhathena here: https://tanazbhathena.com/

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If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!
Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

Join me and author Ryan Douglass to talk about his latest release, Night of Madness. When Jack Stanley, famed horror movie maker announces a competition with a $100k prize at the end, Mara knows that could be her ticket out of poverty. But once she makes it to the show, she fears that $100k may not be worth the cost.
Douglass and I discuss the theme of influencer culture, especially how it skews our ability to cope with trauma and our understanding of class. Mara’s main motivation is the cash prize promised to the winner, but that’s not the case for all of the contestants of Jack’s haunted asylum. We look at how Mara’s upbringing - living with her grandparents, abandoned by her father, less fortunate than those closest to her - become driving forces for her, even after the asylum becomes a true case of life or death. Using classic slasher tropes, Jack plays out his fantasies with a cast and a crew held hostage to the promise of money and begs the question, how far would you go?

Buy Night of Madness now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781665983044
Learn more about Ryan Douglass here: www.instagram.com/ryan_souflee

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If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!
Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

Join me and poet Isabelle Correa to talk about her recent release, “Portrait of a Person Who Pushes Love Away in Fear of Losing It.” The collection explores intergenerational trauma, religious myth, and pop culture in an intimate, cinematic interior life. Throughout the collection, Correa looks at the different ways we can corrupt our perceptions of love, and the power “no” has in healing that.
During our conversation, we talk about how Correa establishes Love and Death as opposing universal forces, and how that becomes a foundation for peeling back the layers on how love and pain can become twisted. We take a couple of tangents, to talk about similar lessons we were taught as kids in church, and then later to talk about our joint interests in tarot and astrology. We also dive into a subject we lovingly called “The Work,” as in, the healing work that we are blessed to be able to do now that those who came before us could not.

Buy Portrait of a Person Who Pushes Love Away in Fear of Losing It now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781968451110

Learn more about Isabelle Correa here:
https://www.isabellecorrea.com/
https://isabellecorrea.substack.com/
https://www.instagram.com/isabellecorreawrites/

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If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

Join me and author Ann Aguirre to talk about her latest book, The Hocus Pocus Handbook. The book follows Thea, a human member of the Winter Court. After being replaced with a changeling as a baby, Thea has grown accustomed to the ways of faerie - their customs and rules, and the ways she can bend the rules for her own acts of “good trouble.” But when she takes things a little too far, she’s forced on a quest with the broodiest knight in the court. With the threat of being exiled back into the human world looming over her head, Thea must find her missing betrothed and try not to fall in love with someone else in the process.
Aguirre and I had chatted about how she tied in heavier themes of classism, privilege, and The Other to her cozy fantasy. Afterall, who decides what’s cozy? We explored this theme of The Other through Thea, the main character, but also through Kerboros, the brooding enforcer for the Winter Court who’s trapped in servitude as punishment for his father’s crimes. The more they work together to find her betrothed, the more they start to understand each other, which threatens the very thin ice they’ve found themselves on.

Buy The Hocus Pocus Handbook now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781464224119

Learn more about Ann Aguirre here: https://www.annaguirre.com/

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If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com