Femme Feral: When Midlife Rage Turns You Into a Werewolf with Sam Beckbessinger

Beschreibung

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What if your perimenopause symptoms weren't just symptoms — what if you were turning into a werewolf? Author Sam Beckbessinger joins us to talk about her debut adult novel Femme Feral, and it might be the most cathartic book you read this year. Sam and I dive deep into why the medical industry has failed women at midlife, the reality of millennial burnout, and why female rage horror is having such a deserved moment. If you're a woman in your 30s, 40s, or beyond who has ever been dismissed by a doctor, told to "just lose some weight," or felt the crushing weight of doing 200% while getting zero credit — this episode is going to feel like a long exhale. We also get into Sam's reading life: from the buzzy Dungeon Crawler Carl series to feminist short story collections you need to know about. 📚 BOOKS MENTIONED Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4cY0Qco] | Horror / Women's Fiction | Audio ✅ Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4cZR9Ky] | Sci-Fi / LitRPG / Adventure | KU ✅ | Audio ✅ She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4nhOGym] | Dark Fiction / Short Stories / Horror Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4eEsqN1] | Literary Horror / Short Stories | KU ✅ | Audio ✅ Gods of Want by K-Ming Chang — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/42mwSsu]| Literary Fiction / Short Stories / Queer Fiction Stag Dance by Torrey Peters — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/48TH7bo]| Literary Fiction / Historical / Queer Fiction | Audio ✅ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Welcome & introduction — Sam Beckbessinger joins the show [00:45] Why female rage and perimenopause inspired Femme Feral [02:00] How the medical industry gasligths women at midlife [03:00] The history of women being excluded from medical trials [04:30] The book's premise — Ellie, the werewolf, and repressed rage [06:30] What Femme Feral is (and isn't) — horror content notes [08:00] Millennial burnout, the "you can have it all" generation, and reckoning [10:00] Funny and dark: luring toxic bosses into alleyways [11:00] Generational work culture — Gen Z vs. Millennial vs. Gen X bosses [12:00] Writing Femme Feral as personal excavation and self-discovery [13:30] Healthcare, for-profit medicine, and the gynecologist problem [15:00] Laura's story: taking a demotion and finding freedom [16:00] The chapter headings — perimenopause symptoms as a buffet (and a doctor's checklist) [17:00] Sam's reading life — what genres she loves and why [18:00] Deep dive on Dungeon Crawler Carl — what it is and why you should read it [20:30] Horror short story recommendations: She's Always Hungry & Gods of Want [22:30] The indie bookshop trick: ask for the hidden gem that nobody buys [24:30] Stag Dance by Torrey Peters — a bridge book for historical fiction fans [25:30] Where to find Sam online + wrap-up JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe to our Substack [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/] for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/]) Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog [https://www.whattoreadnext.com/] | YouTube: What to Read Next [https://www.youtube.com/@WhattoReadNextBlog] Subscribe & leave a review!

Agatha Christie's Housekeeper Solves Murders? | Colleen Cambridge/Gleason: Historical Mystery Author Interview

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. She writes historical mysteries set in post-war Paris, Civil War Washington DC, 1930s England, AND Victorian London — and somehow, Colleen Gleason/Cambridge makes every single era feel like home. In this episode, Laura sits down with bestselling author Colleen Gleason (also writing as Colleen Cambridge) to talk about her four historical mystery series, what makes amateur sleuths compelling, why post-war Paris is basically its own character, and how Agatha Christie's housekeeper ended up solving murders. If you love richly atmospheric historical mysteries with a romantic thread, strong female leads, and satisfying endings — this one is for you. 📚 BOOKS MENTIONED The Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4tJ0cW0] | Historical Mystery | An American in Paris Mysteries #4 Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/42gjQwy] | Historical Mystery, Agatha Christie-inspired | Phyllida Bright Mysteries #1 Lady Darling Inquires After a Killer by Colleen Gleason — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4vXwVZc] | Historical Mystery, Victorian | Lady Darling Mysteries #1 Lady Darling Vexes a Villain by Colleen Gleason — Pre-order on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4cOeE9p] | Historical Mystery, Victorian | Lady Darling Mysteries #2 Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4ejWmOm] | Historical Fiction, Time Travel, Humorous | Chronicles of St. Mary's #1 A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/3Rh9cDm] | Hope Punk, Literary Science Fiction The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4ul0tyf] | Cozy Mystery | Thursday Murder Club #1 The Last Beekeeper by Julie Carrick Dalton — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4d74YFR] | Literary Fiction, Dystopian, Nature The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap — Buy on Amazon [https://amzn.to/4tMSZ7g] | Historical Gothic Fiction, Victorian Scotland ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Welcome & intro — Colleen in Michigan, Laura in Tampa [00:53] Writing under two names: Colleen Gleason vs. Colleen Cambridge — and why [02:45] The pen name strategy: getting on the shelf near Agatha Christie [03:45] Marketing background and the business of writing [04:15] What drew Colleen to historical mystery — history + murder + romance = her sweet spot [05:30] The four series at a glance: 1930s England, 1950s Paris, Civil War DC, Victorian London [06:30] What makes historical crime-solving uniquely fun — no DNA, no computers [08:00] The Quinn & Gates Mystery Series: Civil War Washington DC, Lincoln's inaugural ball [10:00] An American in Paris Mysteries deep dive — Tabitha Knight, Rosie the Riveter, and Julia Child [12:00] Tabitha's backstory: French mother, Michigan roots, Willow Run Bomber Plant [13:15] The Spirit of French Murder — the fourth book, the French Resistance, and the Nine Bluets [14:30] Why post-war Paris is its own character — and why locals didn't trust the police [16:00] Lady Darling Mysteries — a Victorian Dowager Marchioness, amateur sleuth, Sherlock-era London [18:30] Lady Danbury meets murder mysteries — the pitch for the Lady Darling series [20:00] Phyllida Bright Mysteries — Agatha Christie's fictional housekeeper solves murders [22:00] The Civil War series — all three books, dark themes, and romantic arc [23:30] The romantic thread in all of Colleen's historicals — slow burn, strong women, satisfying endings [24:00] What Colleen reads — book club pick philosophy, "This Is Not Oprah's Book Club" [25:30] Comfort reads: Nora Roberts, JD Robb, Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels [27:00] Listener recs: Chronicles of St. Mary's, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, The Thursday Murder Club [28:30] The Last Beekeeper and The Resurrection — book club recent reads [31:30] Signature cocktails for the Paris series + book release parties [32:00] Where to find Colleen online + wrap-up JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe to our Substack [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/] for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com [https://wtrnblog.substack.com/]) Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog [https://www.whattoreadnext.com/] | YouTube: What to Read Next [https://www.youtube.com/@WhattoReadNextBlog] Subscribe & leave a review!

4. Mai 202632 min

Femme Feral: When Midlife Rage Turns You Into a Werewolf with Sam Beckbessinger

Beschreibung

Kommentare

Kostenlos hören bei Podimo

Alle Folgen