Femme On

Ria speaks with author Suzanne Junered about feminine rage, motherhood, the patriarchy and unreliable narrators as they discuss Suzanne's book Goodnight Monsters. Ria is very excited because she loved the book but don't worry, she calms down after the first ten minutes and both Ria and Suzanne have a great chat exploring the themes of the book and somehow Ria manages to get in a Studio Ghibli reference despite Goodnight Monsters absolutely not being a children's book.

They also discuss a wonderful short film written and produced by Femme On co-host Alyson Shelton, To Hold the Night. Find out more about this amazing film (and Alyson): https://www.alysonshelton.com/to-hold-the-night-film.html#/

Find out more about Suzanne and her work: https://suzannejunered.com/

About the book:

Southern suburban housewife Lia and her husband Evan have long dreamed of becoming parents—but when a pregnancy test shows positive, Lia questions whether she wants the child and keeps her pregnancy a secret.

As she’s holding new life inside, she intentionally surrounds herself with death by blackmailing her way into a job at a forensic anthropology center endearingly called The Body Farm. At The Farm, monsters emerge from within Lia—the desire to kill—and she begins daydreaming about murder. Because fantasizing never hurt anyone. Or so she thinks.

Then a body donation to The Farm turns out to be someone she’s imagined killing, and reality and fantasy begin to blur. As people around her begin to die, Lia loses trust in her loved ones and herself . . . and ultimately must put her monsters to bed. Find out more: https://suzannejunered.com/books/

We found some 'lost' episodes! Recorded back in September 2024, and recently discovered in the depths (bowels?) of Ria's laptop, we are releasing it now for your pleasure!

Ria's questions is here and the question of the day is Burps or Farts. That's it. We gross Tonya out with smell conversations about burps and farts, and enjoy talking about other smells, especially outside smells.

Come join in the conversation!

https://riasquestions.com/

Jade & Wilnona are back! They are here to talk about their new book, a cosy murder mystery The Famous House Cleaners. They discuss their creative process, especially as co-authors, as well as the Inspirational Woman in Literature Awards.

Find out more about Jade and Wilnona: https://andithoughtladies.com/

Famous House Cleaners (Wilnona Marie and Jade Dee) book synopsis:

Pete and Violet went from tech darlings to house cleaners in a day. With their money, and maybe their own house cleaner missing ,they must gather all the skills they have, and some they don't have ,to solve a murder because why would people blame the new house cleaners.With one keystroke the money from their business is all gone. A bank error wiped out their main bank account..In an accidental mistaken gaff at a bridge game they start a new career, as house cleaners. If only their safe haven swinging a mop could be a place of solace away from the spotlight.

In this episode of Active Activism, Tonya speaks with author Amy DebEllis about raw-dogging emails, people trading their brains for convenience, and how paranoia is causing writers to limit their own creativity.

Follow Amy DeBellis:
https://www.instagram.com/royal_ouroboros_press

https://x.com/amykdebellis

https://linktr.ee/amykatherrrine

Buy Methuselah:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/methuselah-amy-debellis/4e223eb9aeb63a47?ean=9798218828257&next=t
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTTGMGD2

Alyson sits down with Lynn Harris, founder and CEO of Gold Comedy, to talk about the power and joy of comedy–how it keeps us going and helps us engage with challenging topics. It’s an enlightening conversation that reminds us that we can all have a fruitful relationship with comedy and what’s funny to us. Have a listen!

GOLD Comedy http://www.goldcomedy.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/GOLDcomedy

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@gold_comedy

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GOLDcmdy

When the Ria's Questions website went down, the Collective pivoted and called upon a friend of the pod, Wendy Wimmer and her Wendy Weetabix questions!

Wendy asks: What is your ideal sleeping situation? Do you wear pyjamas, preferred pillow type, sheets or duvet... do you need a fan running or perfect silence?

Jess shares her story about being delirious at the bed shop and investing in excellent pillows. Alyson calls good pillows 'game changers' and shares her disgust at fluffy little pillows. Ada has incredibly specific sleeping arrangements which is super impressive. Ria extols the virtues of a v-pillow and how she would keep it with her in a post-apocalypse world. Also, separate duvets are a game changer. Do it. Tonya thinks Brits are weird for not having top sheets, and her ideal sleeping situation which is VERY specific.

How do you sleep?

Alyson sits down with Jill Christman, serial memoirist, editor and author of The Heart Folds Early, a book about choice. The most obvious being her choice to have abortion when she finds out halfway through her pregnancy that her child has developed only half a heart and will live a short and incredibly painful life if he is carried to term. It is also about her choice to heal, to keep hoping, to keep building a family and a life, in the face of loss and trauma. Alyson loved the book and connected with Jill on so many levels. An incredibly powerful conversation.

This passage is one of Alyson’s favorites:

“I tried to push the pain under by submerging memory, but we all know repression doesn't work forever. Holding onto secrets makes us vulnerable, and there is always someone waiting to exploit that vulnerability. This is one of the ways that patriarchy does its work. The patriarchy teaches us to capitulate, smooth over, hide. Most damaging, the patriarchy teaches us to stay silent. The patriarchy discourages real healing because healed humans want bodily autonomy. Healed humans want their power back. Wounded, hiding humans are easier to manipulate. When we’re at our most vulnerable, there's usually someone waiting to use our subterranean pain to get what they want out of you. Above ground.”

You can find Jill and her books at her website: https://jillchristman.com/

In this episode of Femme on Creatives, Tonya speaks with Clarence A Haynes about writing, the revision process, and how real world experiences can inform writing and writing with authenticity.

Clarence speaks about his book The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery.

Find out more about Clarence: https://www.instagram.com/clarenceahaynes/

Goodreads bio: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22220239.Clarence_A_Haynes

Tonya speaks with Charity Herndon about her delightful Jane Austen-inspired mobile bookstore, her Audiobook Walking Club, and the ways she has used her most painful experiences to champion her literary citizenship.

Follow Charity's socials:

Website: austensshelf.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austens_shelf
tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@austensshelf

Charity's charity: https://www.tcfoodjustice.org/

Join us in this episode where Ria slightly loses her mind and we find out that Tonya has been warned off Marmite, to Ria's disgust. Jess slips in a comment about eggs because she is egg obsessed. Alyson talks up bone dry toast. Jess argues for wet toast. They discuss if fruit is dessert. And it is just chaos!!!

If you