Ep. 13: The Hunting Wives: One-on-One with Author May Cobb

Netflix's summer blockbuster series The Hunting Wives has captivated audiences on screen but its roots are on the page.  May Cobb, bestselling author of sultry suspense novels including The Hunting Wives, A Likeable Woman and The Hollywood Assistant, joins us to talk about writing sexy, complicated, and morally questionable women - whether we like them, or not.

 

Description highlights:

• The Netflix adaptation of The Hunting Wives and what it’s like to see her book come to life on screen.
• Voyeurism, blurred friendships, and bicuriosity as recurring themes in Cobb’s work.
• The controversy around “unlikeable women” in fiction and why Cobb insists on writing flawed, messy heroines.
• Why infidelity remains one of romance’s biggest taboos—and how Cobb resisted editorial pressure to “justify” her characters’ choices.
• Reflections on East Texas, obsession, and the intoxicating danger of “bad for you” relationships.
• Alongside the interview, listeners hear a dramatic reading from The Hunting Wives, a playful performance experiment with narrator Gideon Frost, and a poignant Dear Allie listener letter about reckless love and lasting devotion.

Notable Quotes

• “I will die on the hill of defending my unlikeable female characters and their messy decisions—because we’re all messy.” — May Cobb
• “Sometimes the relationships that light you on fire, even if they burn, are the ones that help you know yourself better.” — Allie Martina
• “We all understand that magnetic draw—that chemistry you can’t explain.” — Allie Martina

Books & Links Mentioned

📚 By May Cobb

• The Hunting Wives
  Kindle | Audiobook | Print
• A Likeable Woman
  Kindle | Audiobook | Print
• My Summer Darlings
  Kindle | Audiobook | Print
• Big Woods
  Audiobook

🔖 Recommended by May

• Till Death Do Us Part by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
  Kindle | Audiobook | Print

 

Time-Coded Themes

• 00:00 – Opening Quote: Erica Jong on feminism, desire, and “bad women.”
• 01:00 – Reading from The Hunting Wives: A charged scene of temptation, infidelity, and longing.
• 05:00 – Allie’s Reflection: Why infidelity is nearly forbidden in romance novels, yet resonates in Cobb’s fiction.
• 06:30 – Interview Begins: Allie and May reminisce about 20+ years of friendship and celebrate the Netflix adaptation.
• 09:00 – Voyeurism as Theme: From Hitchcock to East Texas backyards.
• 11:00 – Friendships, intimacy, and bicuriosity: How blurred boundaries fuel Cobb’s stories.
• 15:00 – Lust vs. Motivation: Why women characters shouldn’t need an “excuse” to desire.
• 17:00 – The “Unlikeable Woman” Debate: Cobb defends her messy female characters.
• 23:00 – Infidelity in Fiction: Publishing pushback and Cobb’s resistance to sanitizing her characters.
• 27:00 – Genre & Marketing: Why Cobb’s “sultry suspense” straddles thriller and romance categories.
• 29:00 – From Victorian literature to now: How repression, erotic tension, and female sexuality