Eleanor Anstruther and Alisa Kennedy Jones on radical publishing, women’s voices, and Fallout

Allie Rowbottom on Lovers XXX, Los Angeles, and writing about taboo topics

Today I sit down with Allie Rowbottom [https://allierowbottom.com/], author of the memoir Jell-O Girls, the novel Aesthetica, and the new novel Lovers XXX. Set against the backdrop of the Los Angeles adult film industry in the 1980s, Lovers XXX follows two young women whose friendship, ambitions, and lives become intertwined over the course of decades. Photo credit © Matthew Weinberger (https://www.instagram.com/mweinbergerr [https://www.instagram.com/mweinbergerr]) Our conversation covers the origins of Lovers XXX [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/788105/lovers-xxx-by-rowbottom-allie/], researching the history of of this era, and why Allie is drawn to writing about subjects that are often misunderstood or dismissed. We also discuss Los Angeles as a literary setting, recurring themes across her work, and the differences between writing fiction and nonfiction. Get Allie’s books: * Lovers XXX https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/788105/lovers-xxx-by-rowbottom-allie/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/788105/lovers-xxx-by-rowbottom-allie/] * Aesthetica https://sohopress.com/books/aesthetica/ [https://sohopress.com/books/aesthetica/] * Jell-O Girls https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/allie-rowbottom/jell-o-girls/9780316510622/ [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/allie-rowbottom/jell-o-girls/9780316510622/] Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan https://maglory.bandcamp.com/ [https://maglory.bandcamp.com/]

Yah Yah Scholfield on weird girl fiction, horror, and On Sundays She Picked Flowers

Today I sit down with author Yah Yah Schofield [https://www.instagram.com/fluoresensitive/], whose debut novel On Sundays She Picked Flowers [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/On-Sundays-She-Picked-Flowers/Yah-Yah-Scholfield/9781668091210] began as a project on Tumblr before being self-published and later rereleased by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. We talk about the novel’s long journey to publication and writing honestly about trauma and identity. Our conversation covers weird girl fiction and microgenres, horror as a space for grief and catharsis, the tension between separating art from the artist, and how lived experience inevitably shapes writing. Author Photo © Hunter Photography Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan https://maglory.bandcamp.com [https://maglory.bandcamp.com]

Isaac Fitzgerald on Dirtbag Massachusetts, American Rambler, and the stories we inherit

Today I sit down with Isaac Fitzgerald [https://www.isaacfitzgerald.net/], bestselling author of Dirtbag Massachusetts, Pen & Ink, How to Be a Pirate, and the forthcoming book American Rambler: Walking the Roads of Johnny Appleseed. In the new book, Isaac retraces the path of Johnny Appleseed from Massachusetts to Indiana while exploring family history, storytelling, faith, loneliness, and the generosity of strangers across America. Our conversation covers writing honestly about family, how memoir changes when the people you’re writing about are still around to read it, and the experience of retracing Johnny Appleseed’s path across America. We also talk about long walks, why Isaac believes America is kinder than the internet would have you think, and why he likes moving between different styles of writing. Author Photo © Nader Farzan [https://www.instagram.com/nader.tiff/] Get Isaac’s books: * American Rambler [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/736787/american-rambler-by-isaac-fitzgerald/] (out May 12) * Dirtbag Massachusetts [https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/dirtbag-massachusetts-9781635573978/] * Pen & Ink [https://bookshop.org/p/books/knives-ink-chefs-and-the-stories-behind-their-tattoos-with-recipes-isaac-fitzgerald/8df18cbfede84def?ean=9781632861214&next=t&next=t&source=IndieBound] * How to Be a Pirate [https://www.lemuriabooks.com/How-to-Be-a-Pirate-Isaac-Fitzgerald-p/9781681197784.htm] Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan https://maglory.bandcamp.com/ [https://maglory.bandcamp.com/]

Eleanor Anstruther and Alisa Kennedy Jones on radical publishing, women’s voices, and Fallout

Today I sit down with Eleanor Anstruther [https://www.eleanoranstruther.com/] and Alisa Kennedy Jones [https://alisajones.com/], author and publisher behind Fallout [https://empresseditions.io/our-books], a punk-hearted coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. Our conversation dives into the radical history that inspired Fallout, the power of protest and community, and why stories about women’s lives—especially in midlife—are often overlooked by traditional publishing. We talk about alternative paths to publishing, from Substack to indie presses, what it means to truly support authors, and how Empress is rethinking the model to center creative freedom, transparency, and collaboration. Author photo credit: Rosalind Hobley [https://www.portlandphotographersforum.com/news/get-to-know-rosalind-hobley] ⸻ Get Eleanor’s book: Fallout [https://bookshop.org/p/books/fallout-eleanor-anstruther/a5cc5b1eed58fb37?ean=9798999527035&next=t&next=t&affiliate=93729] (out April 21) ⸻ Learn more about Empress Editions: Empress Editions [https://empresseditions.io/] ⸻ Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan [https://maglory.bandcamp.com/]

Eric LaRocca on grief, transgressive horror, and his new novel Wretch

Today I sit down with Eric LaRocca [https://ericlarocca.com/] who is a Bram Stoker Award finalist and the author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, We Are Always Tender with Our Dead, and many other works of transgressive, boundary-pushing horror. His latest novel, Wretch, explores grief, loss, and the terrifying lengths we might go to reconnect with those we’ve lost. Our conversation dives into Eric’s approach to writing horror and how he navigates pushing boundaries while working with publishers, what kinds of content some large retailers won’t carry, and why he’s drawn to stories that leave readers feeling “unclean.” We discuss the evolving landscape of queer horror, the current renaissance of queer voices in the genre, and why horror has always been a space for outsiders. ---------------------------------------- Get Eric’s books: * Wretch [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Wretch/Eric-LaRocca/9781668070093] (out March 24) * Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/714716/things-have-gotten-worse-since-we-last-spoke-and-other-misfortunes-by-eric-larocca/] * We Are Always Tender with Our Dead [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790259/we-are-always-tender-with-our-dead-by-eric-larocca/] * More [https://ericlarocca.com/books] ---------------------------------------- Craig's recommendation this week: Trad Wife [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807398/trad-wife-by-saratoga-schaefer/] by Saratoga Schaefer ---------------------------------------- Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan [https://maglory.bandcamp.com/]