the Mentally Oddcast

This week, the Empress of Tawnlandia and I discuss our horror beginnings, cozy fiction, genres Wednes doesn't write in, and why gets left out of yt feminism. We also talk "What is a Safe Space" and how the people who think they don't need them actually may need them the most. Plus hot chicks we like, community outreach, and Wednes learns a zillion things about piloting and airplanes.

Known as Mothshade to his peers, David A Hill is a passionate writer of fantasy, dark science fiction, and an array of TTRPGs. We talk about what makes a horror movie and horror in general. Plus living with a stutter, coping tools for anxiety, and what publishers mean when they say "doesn't meet our needs." Also zombies, breakdowns, secret spilling, and Wednes learns a whole bunch about RPG culture and alternative nerdery. 

Known by his stage name, Jarrett Lennon has appeared in beloved shows like Cheers and Freaks & Geeks, as well as the haunting Short Cuts. We talk about improv, acting, and what it's like when you succeed without trying as a kid. How ADHD can actually help you accomplish things, and why acting can be a coping tool for autism. Jarett debunks a few rumors of Hollywood dicketry, and helps parse the importance of community vs isolation. We also talk stage parents, prodigies, fakeness, rejections--and why people really ought to remember their passwords. 

This week 411Mania reviewer and new author Bryan Krystopowitz schools host Wednesday Lee Friday on the finer points of action movies with small budgets, the perils of affordable stunt work, and why representation is such a touchy topic in film. We also talk about why adult friendships are hard, why JD Vance should be ridden out of town on a rail, and we parse whether Sharknado movies are really better than Inhumanwich. 

This week, we talk with Sheldon Higdon about his new book and writing career. We discuss how Stephen King impacted our work as young writers, the perils of psyche meds...and the perils of living without them. Also movie scores as writing music, writing about family, living with the same name as a popular character, and classic zombie lore. 

How does being an unwanted child impact a person? Is there really an AI Authors Guild? What's it like getting doxxed? We talk about all of that--plus we call out Wellbutrin and Bill Burr. We talk politics, (ep was recorded a day after Charlie Kirk's killing) weed strains, were-panthers, MAGA trolls, and Zooskeeping. TW for suicide, DV, SA, and animal tragedy. 

Find more from Jaime Johnesee here. 

Our 50th episode features sci-fi/horror novelist, publisher, and podcast pioneer Scott Sigler. We talk the pro and cons of ADHD, King Kong, and parse ChatGPT for language creation. We also discuss AI ethics, a drug called caffeine, and close with a 1990's radiodrama that Scott and I made with some friends way back in undergrad. And of course, there's a MadLib. 

Michael Allen Rose talk horror and comedy, writing and art, and the remarkable resilience of the weird kid. We examine the changeable nature of success, wonder what the hell is wrong with Snoop Dogg, and opine on why humans make art in the first place. Also, the value of kindness, Jason Vorhees and Roy, and Wednes explains why she has a lifeaversary.

This week, we talk horror and comedy, women in television--behind the scenes, and examine why only 12-15% of TV comedy is written by women. Also, neurodivergence in media, why autistic folk don't understand liars, caving, code switching, and what I'd do with a giant grant. 

This week we get way political as we air our grievances with the rise of fascism in America--and share some ideas for resistance and collective action. Also, separating art from artists, writing as therapy, open carry dildos, and the rerelease of A Stabbing for Sadie. Find more from M Kelly Peach here.