Today I welcome Sarah Beth Durst to the show to discuss her newest book, THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE. It’s a delightful cozy fantasy novel with sentient plants, a winged cat, and some subtle commentary on who has the right to learn and the importance of libraries in our communities. We also discuss a bit about craft and genre blending, if you’re interested in writing a cozy fantasy yourself. All links and shownotes available on my website at sheworeblackpodcast.com

Today I welcome Sangu Mandanna to the show to discuss her newest book, A WITCH’S GUIDE TO MAGICAL INNKEEPING. It’s a wonderful book full of whimsy, self-reflection, and the most unusual ghosts I’ve ever read. This book wasn’t just a pleasure to read, it was so well written that I asked as much about craft as I did about her cozy fantasy elements. We also discuss the autism representation in her book, so I hope that has as much meaning for you as it did for me. 

Today I welcome two of my favorite people back to the show to help me celebrate my birthday. Stephanie Gagnon, from Books in the Freezer, and Rachel Harrison join me for this special episode full of Goth Girl Summer book recommendations. Please excuse the number of F-bombs I drop. If you have little ones around you, put your ear pods in, then have a great time with us. All links and shownotes available at https://www.sheworeblackpodcast.com/

Today I wanted to celebrate Libraries and Librarians since they have taken a large hit in this political climate. They are a treasure to our communities, which is why so many books feature libraries and librarians. To do this, I welcomed back Jocelyn Codner and Jenny Adams, whom you all may remember from my Literacy episode last Fall. For the first 20 minutes, we discuss the state of libraries and celebrate a few victories, as well as share ways you can support your libraries. The rest of the episode is dedicated to book recommendations that feature libraries across genres. I’ll list these in my show notes with links to my Bookshop if you want to support my show as well as independent bookstores nationwide. Show notes available at https://www.sheworeblackpodcast.com/

Today I welcome Riley Sager back to the show to discuss his new book, WITH A VENGEANCE, a fun midcentury train mystery that was so captivating I couldn’t put it down. We discuss his inspirations for the book, as well as the process. Riley Sager is also on tour right now, so check his website for tour dates in your area. If you can’t make it out to see him, you  can get WITH A VENGEANCE, as well as Riley’s other books, in my Bookshop if you want to support my show as well as independent bookstores nationwide. All links and show notes are in my bookshop at https://www.sheworeblackpodcast.com/

Today I welcome Katy Horan to the show to discuss her new book, MURDER BALLADS. She painted each powerful illustration in the book and spent years researching these folk songs, which often depict young, beautiful, murdered women floating ethereally down a river. We discuss her process and background and, for my own curiosity, focus on songs by Johnny Cash, PJ Harvey and Nick Cave, and Nirvana’s famous Unplugged performance. All links and show notes are on my website at https://www.sheworeblackpodcast.com/

Today I welcome C. J. Cooke to the show to discuss her new book, THE GHOST WOODS, and since I loved this book so much, we discuss books from her backlist too, including THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES and THE BOOK OF WITCHING. I’m fascinated by her gothic writing and consistent themes of witches and motherhood. I do want to take a moment to apologize for the way my voice sounds in this episode. I had an issue with my microphone connecting to my new computer, but that issue has been resolved on other recordings.

All links and show notes for the episode are at www.sheworeblackpodcast.com

Today I welcome Mimi Matthews to the show to discuss new book, RULES FOR RUIN. It’s a fantastic historical romance that’s Peaky Blinders meets Great Expectations. I love all of Mimi’s books, but this is my favorite historical romance from her, and it’s one I’ll definitely reread. You all might remember my chat with her in one of my first episodes, where she came on to discuss her gothic novel, JOHN EYRE, my other favorite book from her that is a mix of Jane Eyre and Dracula. All links and show notes available on my website at sheworeblackpodcast.com

Today I welcome mermaid aficionado and longtime friend, Desiree M. Niccoli to discuss mermaids across genre fiction. I had her on for a previous MerMay episode a few years ago, soon after the release of her book CALLED TO THE DEEP. Today she created a fun mermaid quiz, which we do at the end of the show, and we discuss the rise in mermaid fiction since our last episode. We also give several book recommendations. All links and show notes available on my website at https://www.sheworeblackpodcast.com/

Today I welcome Paulette Kennedy to discuss Queer Representation in Gothic. Her new book, THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE is out today, and like all of Paulette’s Gothics, it includes queer characters. We chat about how queerness was once subtext, and how it’s evolved over time, and we give some great book recommendations that reflect this evolution. I’ve added any of these titles that are still in print in my Bookshop if you want to support my show as well as independent bookstores nationwide. All links and show notes are available at sheworeblackpodcast.com