Dark Side of the Word

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 our psychotic babble or gain some wisd...

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 they are, they offer to help no...

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 how she can’t do math. 

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Wondering what to watch and/or read next? 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 the differences between Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire. Kait gives all the reasons that she loved Dune Part 2, while also talking about the feminism in Poor Things. And if you’re looking for your next book, Kait r...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. CJ formally announces that she hasn’t given up writing yet as she provides insights into her current revisions and queries. Kait announces that she’s going to be working through the Artist’s Way and tells a hilarious story about the driftwood that gave her whiplash. All of this comes with a good side tangent about the right agent for you. We hope you can ei...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick Schrader’s Chord by Scott Leed. 

Charlie’s dad shouldn’t be dead. He’s not the type of man to commit suicide. But there’s a text from Charlie’s sisters that has him boarding a plane to deal with the aftermath back home in Seattle. The man with the magic ear, Charlie had a falling out with his father years earlier. Since then, they haven’t spoken and Charlie has tried to forget ...

CJ and Kait peel back the curtain on writing classes and share their experiences. Between online classes, writing workshops, and college courses, they ask the hard questions. Do classes help, or are they pigeonholing the entire industry? Should you take one? Do they exist to feed off of people’s desperation to become traditionally published? There’s a reason that CJ and Kait keep mentioning that they burned Save the Cat. 

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Wondering what to watch and/or read next? CJ and Kait sit down to discuss what content they’ve consumed over the past month. They’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to. We get into a lively discussion over Nothing but Blackened Teeth that might just be the thing to end our friendship. CJ discusses her enjoyment of the movie Lisa Frankenstein, while Kait tells you all the reasons you shouldn’t watch Bottoms. We...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. CJ goes deep with her current progress querying while talking about some other avenues she’s taking to spread her reach as a creative. Kait is happy to announce that she’s settled enough to write again and talks about redoing the writing schedule. All of which is mixed with some helpful insights on the creative process. We hope you can either relate to our ...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden. A couple decides to take the plunge and move to Italy to start a new future. Accepting one of the offers we’ve all seen floating around the internet, they buy their house for one euro with the agreement that they stay for five years. Luckily, Tom’s grandparents live in the town. Unlucky is his nona’s response when she visits their new ...

Being a creative takes a relentless toll are your heart and psyche. There’s the constant battle with the nay-sayers. The rejection. Thoughts that you aren’t good enough. And if the adage of those who stay in the game will eventually win is true, the solution is to try and stay sane through it all. CJ and Kait are here to share their top suggestions for staying sane, tested from the very trenches themselves. Don’t lose heart friends...

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? CJ and Kait sit down to discuss what content they’ve consumed over the past month. They’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to. This month CJ discusses how she still can’t get into The Discovery of Witches, while Kait recounts the ways she was scarred watching Saltburn. They’ll also be discussing The Fury, The Dead Take the A Train, Library of the Dead, and Totally Kill...

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been up to the last month. We discuss our experiences with the Gabby Bernstein 21-day manifesting challenge and why we’ve decided to subscribe to her app. CJ vents about her latest query reply, while Kait spills the beans on a new story idea. All of this is mixed in with some helpful insights on how we’re surviving the creative journey. So hop on in. We hope you can either relate to our ...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick Lone Women by Victor LaValle. After burning down her childhood home with her parents’ dead bodies inside, Adelaide flees California. Her sights are set on Montana, a place where she can homestead and become just like the women she read about in the railroad booklets. But she brings along a trunk that is so heavy, the horses can barely carry it. The trunk doesn’t seem to be filled wi...

Have you noticed the latest buzzwords popping up in the book world? Romantasy. Cozy horror. Cozy fantasy? Kait and CJ decide to tackle their thoughts on the topic of subgenres. What classifies a subgenre? Are they going to become the next best thing? Do they hurt or bolster new writers? But most importantly… how can we use them to our advantage?  

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Wondering what to watch and/or read next? CJ and Kait sit down to discuss what content they’ve consumed over the past month. They’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to. This month, they’ll be talking about Iron Flame, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Verity, Talk to Me, and recapping their favorite books and movies from 2023. So drop in, have a listen, and let us know your thoughts. 

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Happy Season 2 Friends!

It’s time to catch you all up on what we’ve been doing off-season. CJ finally gives an actual writing update while Kait fills everyone in on her move across the continent. They discuss their goals for the new year and give their one piece of advice for new creatives who might want to take the plunge into their art this year. And lastly, CJ talks about the manifesting challenge she forced Kait into (just...

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick Rouge by Mona Awad. Returning home for her mother’s funeral, Belle isn’t coping well. First, there’s the fact that her mother died falling off one of the surrounding ocean cliffs. Then there are all the debts. The fact that her mother sold her beloved dress shop. The shirtless window cleaner. And the enchanted, red shoes that lead Belle to a neighboring manor. Inside, Belle finds a ...

Are you in the midst of NaNoWriMo? Do you feel like it’s just not for you? Kait and CJ discuss their experiences with NaNoWriMo and if it’s worth the hype. Then they go on a rant about the artistic side of writing. How it’s about finding the right nugget of technique and throwing the rest out the window — including the Save the Cat book. Listen in on all the things that annoy them in the writing community. 

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