Dark Side of the Word

In this month’s industry topic, Kait and CJ delve into the world of beta readers, discussing their importance in the writing process, how to choose the right ones, and the best practices for gathering and organizing feedback. They share personal experiences from their recent writing retreat and emphasize the necessity of sending out a polished manuscript. The conversation also touches on the emoti...

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? In this episode, we sit down to discuss the content we’ve consumed over the past month. We’ll weed out the bad from the good so you don’t have to.  We discuss our recent reads, including How Can I Help You? We also explore various movies, including Alien Romulus , Shin Godzilla , Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , and Constantine , sharing our thoughts and reaction...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month.  Kait and CJ share their creative updates, discussing the impact of recent weather events on their lives and creativity. They explore their writing progress, blogging successes, and the journey towards self-publishing. The conversation delves into the importance of manifesting success, the emotional depth of their writing,...

Join us to discuss this month’s book club, Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman. In this episode, we dive into a detailed discussion about the narrative style, character development, and emotional connection to the story, while also sharing our ratings and reactions to the book’s themes of innocence and family dynamics. Our conversation highlights the effectiveness of the supernatural eleme...

In this month’s industry topic, Kait and CJ delve into the intricacies of being a critique partner in the writing community. They share their personal experiences, emphasizing the importance of honesty, trust, and support in the critique process. The conversation covers the qualities of a good critique partner, effective techniques for providing feedback, and the emotional journey that comes with...

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? In this episode, we sit down to discuss the content we’ve consumed over the past month. We’ll weed out the bad from the good so you don’t have to.  CJ talks about two books she read, The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan and Briefly Perfectly Human by Alua Arthur. She found The Cliffs to be disappointing, as it didn't deliver on the promised spooky elemen...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. Kait and CJ provide updates on their creative projects. CJ shares that she has completed her novel’s first round of revisions and plans to send it to Kait for feedback. Kait talks about attending a class on selling art without selling out and feeling reinvigorated to pursue self-publishing. They also discuss the importance...

In this episode, Kait and CJ discuss the second book of the Sworn Soldiers series, 'What Feasts at Night' by T. Kingfisher. They both enjoyed the book, with Kait giving it four stars and CJ giving it 3.5 stars. They appreciated the humor in the book and the banter between the characters. They also liked the atmospheric and spooky elements of the story. They discussed the representation of...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. In this conversation, CJ and Kait discuss their thoughts and feelings about the book. They explore the themes of possession, symbiosis, and the morality of survival. They also appreciate the inclusion of non-binary characters and the rich world-building in the story. While CJ enjoyed the gothic horror elements,...

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? In this episode, we sit down to discuss what content we’ve consumed over the past month. We’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to.  CJ recommends the book Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley, a grief horror book with elements of folk horror. She also recommends James by Percival Everett, a retelling of Mark Twain's Adventures of...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. Kait and CJ provide updates on their writing projects. CJ shares that she is starting to revise her book Ghost Children and plans to sequester herself to focus on the revisions. Kait discusses her struggles with medical issues and the side effects of medication, which have affected her motivation and creativity. Despite th...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive by Craig DiLouie. Horror isn’t horror unless it’s real. Max feels like a fool. After attending the premier for the third installment of his horror franchise, he can’t get the audience’s laughter out of his head. It haunts him. It makes him want to quit. But the contract with his producer has him strangled to p...

In this month’s industry topic, Kait and CJ discuss five current writing and creative industry topics. The first topic is 'Fem Gore,' a subgenre of horror novels written by women that feature ultra-violent body horror. They discuss the rise of this genre and its appeal to female readers. The second topic is the emergence of adult-only libraries, particularly in Idaho, due to new laws restr...

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? In this episode, we sit down to discuss what content we’ve consumed over the past month. We’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to. CJ shares about her latest monster movie while Kait recounts seeing Fargo for the first time. CJ might have convinced Kait to read another mystery book, while Kait makes CJ add a book to her TBR shelf. We’...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. CJ updates everyone on the big project she just finished. Kait talks about building her community and hitting 70k words. And together they discuss their productivity when creating in a space of joy. We hope you can relate to our psychotic babble or gain some wisdom for your creative journey.  Make sure to follow us on Inst...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen  Forced to pull strings under the floor for her mama’s seances, Roo discovers that she’s not alone. Another poor girl is there with her. A girl that only Roo can see. A ghost. An apperation. But Roo’s mama discovers her new talent of connecting with a spirit and forces her above the floor to assist in d...

Since CJ’s foray into hybrid publishing, we thought we’d share the good, the bad, and the ugly in this month’s industry topic episode. CJ dives into her experience talking with two different publishing groups, what to look out for, and what separates hybrid publishing from vanity presses. We also delve into whether this option is better than self-publishing, or if you should cough up the cash. Joi...

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? In this episode, we sit down to discuss what content we’ve consumed over the past month. We’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to. CJ has a solid movie recap this year and puts up a surprising nonfiction book for her recap. Kait finally watched Lisa Frankenstein and talks about all the books she’s been binging lately. We’ll also be di...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. CJ spills on getting her first YES and talks about her foray into hybrid publishing. Kait talks about feeling safe to create and why moving was the best step for her. And together, they remind you why it’s important to find a critique partner that know your genre. We hope you can either relate to our psychotic babble or ga...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick The Woods All Black by Lee Mandela.  Leslie is on a new nursing assignment in Spar Creek, a town nestled in the Appalachia mountains. After serving in WWII as a nurse and finding his sexuality in Paris, he thinks he can handle a lot. That is until he meets someone like him in Spar Creek. Someone else who feels like a failed woman. The town blames L...

As promised, this week’s discussion delves deeper into the rumors Kait and CJ have heard about word counts. Are agents looking for shorter manuscripts? Well, it might not be just a rumor. CJ has received a few query responses that blow the lid on the topic. She too seems to be hitting a wall in terms of word count. Join the conversation and make sure to leave your own experiences in the comments. ...

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? In this episode, we sit down to discuss what content we’ve consumed over the past month. We’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to. CJ talks about one of her favorite cozy horror authors, her new obsession with Fallout, and the podcasts she’s fallen into. Kait gives her final thoughts on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and which romance books...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. CJ discusses her latest query responses and updates everyone on her progress with Ghost Children . Kait announces her plans for Praeses, discusses her “morning pages”, and announces her new book reviews. All of this comes with a good side tangent about some hilarious book-buying stories. We hope you can either relate to ou...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick Murder Road by Simone St. James.  Off on their honeymoon, April and Eddie take a wrong turn onto the infamous Atticus Line though they don’t know it yet. They drive past a girl walking along the side of the road with a jacket pulled tight around her. But why would someone be walking alone in the middle of the night? Being the good samaritans that t...

CJ leads this week’s discussion on Women’s Fiction. What is it and why is it such a big conversation? Kait and CJ discuss the current climate of the genre, the title, and how much of it is slipping over into Horror. But the main question on this episode is… Are we too afraid to say that we write Women’s fiction? Kait discusses her thoughts on writing in Science Fiction and Horror and clearly shows...