Griefcat - When songwriters dive into romantasy, magic happens - Of Swords and Soulmates

Episode Transcript
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Ashley (00:00):
Views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the
participants.
The hosts make no claim to beliterary experts, and their
opinions are exactly thatopinions.

Annie (00:06):
All creative works discussed or reviewed are the
intellectual property of thecreators of said stories and is
being used under the Fair UseDoctrine.

Mari (00:32):
Hello and welcome to Of Swords and Soulmates, a podcast
where we read, watch and discussromancy stories and
romancy-adjacent things.
I'm one of your hosts, mari,and with me I have Kelly.

Kelly (00:39):
Hey everyone, it's Kelly and of course, we have Ashley.

Ashley (00:42):
Hey guys, it's Ashley.
We also have Jonathan.

Jonathan (00:45):
What's good everybody.
It's Ashley.
We also have Jonathan.
What's good everybody?
It's JP.
I'm on the keto.
I got all the keto side effectstoo.
I got the keto flu.
I got the keto rash.
I didn't know it was a rash.
It's a rash, it's a thing.
Ashley had to look it up, itmeans I got something wrong.
Too much bacon.

Mari (01:00):
I had like carb, keto taco things for dinner that we just
had earlier.
They were real gross and I waslike you know what, we can toss
those, trying something new.
No, thank you, denied, yeah,yeah, not good.
So today we're going to behaving a discussion with Grief

(01:23):
Cat, the musical duo responsiblefor, amongst other jams,
fairies, fucking, which is a bitof an ode to many of the
romantic fantasy, monsterromance, sci-fi romance stories,
whatever you want to put inthere, and so, with us today,
you may have heard some extragiggles and extra laughs.
We have Annie say hey, Hello,and Louisa Hello, excited to be
here.

(01:43):
So, before we get into talkingto them, we're going to do our
normal thing and we're going toget into a little bit of news.
We don't have a ton, but we dohave two things.
First thing is AK Caggiano, whowe read Thrown in the Dark a
few episodes back and talkedabout it, released the covers
for the book.
That's not going to betraditionally published.

(02:04):
It's going to be releasednovember 5th of this year, 2025,
and it looks very similar tothe the cover that was on it
when we read it, but it's it's.
It's definitely redone likeit's got similar color scheme
and whatnot, but it's a littlebit different.
I like it.
It's pretty it pretty.

Jonathan (02:22):
It's like permission to buy a new book.

Mari (02:25):
Yes, I basically only read the e-version because I figured
I wanted to read them allbefore I buy any of them and I
haven't gotten to the sequel yet.
But now I'm like, oh, maybeI'll just buy the new ones
because they look pretty, it ispretty.

Jonathan (02:39):
Yeah, I like to judge my books by the covers.

Mari (02:47):
Amen, I like that the little fire imp dude is on it.

Jonathan (02:49):
He was my favorite.
Yeah, he wasn't on the originalcover.
I'm walking here.
That's like get out of my way.
You can't see you.
What you got a problem?
It's broad.
Yeah, look at this broad.

Mari (03:00):
So we listened to the audio of this book.
Well, no, you listened to theaudio I.
So we listened to the audio ofthis, but well, no, you listened
to the audio.
I don't think I listened to theaudio.
But Jonathan, you did, and thatcharacter, just that one
character.
Nobody else had like thisBrooklyn accent going on.

Jonathan (03:14):
Everyone else speaks the King's English, except for
this one dude.
Forget about it.
You know what I'm saying.
I mean, you're just cruisingalong through life.
All of a sudden you're one ofhell's demons.
It's Spitfire.
All of a sudden you're out ofhere.
You're serving a blood mage andhe's got some fancy broad with
him.
Fuck out of here.
And then everyone else is justlike it's time for high tea.

Ashley (03:34):
You do that so well.

Jonathan (03:36):
I practice in the mirror.

Mari (03:37):
Usually like six, seven inches away from the mirror,
then I cry.
Do you practice crying?

Jonathan (03:45):
I cry.
Do you practice crying?
I cry in a shower.
I don't know if you can see me.
It's like rain, and showers arelike camouflage for my emotions
100%, 100%.

Mari (03:52):
Has anybody read the sequels?
Any of the sequels?

Jonathan (03:55):
No, no Me either how old fans we are.
We haven't even gone on thebook two yet.

Mari (03:59):
Me either Like I want to, I enjoyed book one.
I either, like I want to, Ienjoyed book one.
I just also have a billionother books I want to read and
there's like book cons andthings coming up, so I'm like I
want to read the authors thatare going to be at the events
I'm going to be going to.

Ashley (04:13):
So gotta prioritize that tbr somehow.
It's only may.

Jonathan (04:15):
We've got time, it's may yeah yeah, this isn't even
gonna be released.
May 8th today's may 1st dude qq1 is over.
I'm screwed, I missed it Imissed q1 by a month by a whole
month you're you're behind herewhere am I?

Mari (04:34):
alternate dimensions.
The other news tidbit I had wassimilar, but it's carissa
broadbent.
Her war of lost Hearts seriesis going to be released
traditionally published as well,and she released the covers for
that.
I have not read that series,but she was the one who wrote
the Six Scorched Roses, theCrowns of Niaxia series.

Jonathan (04:55):
I have been struggling with book two in that one.

Ashley (04:59):
I didn't think you were going to read book two.

Jonathan (05:01):
I read, well, we read, we did like 1.5, and then I
went back and did one, and nowI'm like slowly slugging through
.

Ashley (05:10):
That's interesting, mari , and I devoured that one.
Yeah, that was like apost-fourth wing read.
That's what got us out of theslump?

Annie (05:19):
It is a perfect post-fourth wing.

Ashley (05:21):
Yes, I think it's a little bit more serious, though
Jonathan tends to like moremodern tones, a little bit more
quippy.

Jonathan (05:29):
Quippy Bantery.

Ashley (05:30):
Bantery, yeah, yeah.

Annie (05:33):
The Zodiac Academy is what you're listening, what
you're looking for.

Ashley (05:36):
Oh, I don't know about that girl.

Jonathan (05:38):
What is it?
What am I supposed to belooking for?
We'll talk about that welooking for.

Annie (05:41):
We'll talk about that.
Was there a first fight?

Ashley (05:43):
No, no no, I've known you five, since we're already
fighting, I just I think thatone's a little salacious for him
.
I think he's going to judge me.

Jonathan (05:50):
Mommy, daddy, no.

Ashley (05:51):
What's his like you read it.
Do we own it?
We do not.

Jonathan (05:55):
What's the name of that one called?

Ashley (06:00):
Zod, though right, it's a billion.

Annie (06:02):
It's a slog, it is a commitment.
It is the world of Solaria andit is smutty and it's like
smutty CW.

Mari (06:11):
Is it a?

Jonathan (06:12):
one-handed read.

Ashley (06:14):
I mean, yeah, can confirm, but when?

Mari (06:18):
you listen to them, aren't they all one-handed?
You just made them blush.

Jonathan (06:24):
I got that mag safe charger for my phone, I ain't
going to hang on to nothing.
Hands free over here.

Mari (06:30):
I can say nothing.
This weekend that this comesout, Monsterotica will be
happening.
So as it leads up toMonsterotica, I am overdosing on
all the monster romance I canpossibly inhale before then.

Ashley (06:47):
That sounds like so much fun Monsterotica.
I want all the pictures, sendhelp.

Jonathan (06:54):
Send financial support .

Mari (06:56):
I'm excited.
But the covers for War of LostHearts.
I've not read the series.
I want to read the series.
I've heard good things about it.
The covers look cool.
It's got kind of.
They kind of look like marblestatues come to life.

Ashley (07:10):
Statues.
Yeah, I see the vision.
I like it.

Annie (07:13):
Those books are lovely Like I absolutely loved reading
that series.

Mari (07:17):
I've heard really, really good things about that series.
It's on the TBR the neverending super long.

Annie (07:22):
TBR, tbr, the never-ending super long tbr to
be retired.
Yeah, no, it's.
It's a great series, like themale main character in that is
he's everything so lovely sogrumpy and perfect and sweet
maybe we ought to read that forthe uh podcast.

Mari (07:37):
Sometime read the first one I would recommend it.

Annie (07:39):
I would recommend it.
I think it's a.
It's a great series.
I devoured it.

Mari (07:43):
I mean, I also have a problem.
Yeah, I like her style.
I like her writing style.
I've read I think I'm like onebook behind on the Crowns of
Niaxia, but I did read, like thenovellas, the Slaying, the
Empire, Conqueror, and then forthe podcast we read Six Scorched
Roses.

Jonathan (08:01):
How many books are in Crowns of Niaxia?
I thought it was like two and ahalf.

Mari (08:06):
I think it's three duologies.
Isn't that what it's going tobe?

Jonathan (08:09):
Was that like six?
I think so.

Ashley (08:13):
So my initial reaction was six, but I thought that was
also inclusive of the novellas.
Oh, I don't know.
Yeah, I don't remember.

Annie (08:22):
I don't think that includes the novellas.
I think the novellas are goingto be like standalones.
I think it is going to be sixand there's three out so far, so
you're halfway there.
Yeah, I'm 63% sure of all ofthis.
You can trust me.
That's enough, it's one of mythings.
Fake it till you make it.

Ashley (08:39):
Yes, I like those odds.
I'm in.

Annie (08:42):
Yeah, it's over 50%.
It's like a high F if you werein school.

Mari (08:48):
We will take it.

Jonathan (08:49):
I'm going to teach you how to turn those F's into B's.

Ashley (08:52):
Well, technically a 63 is a D in South Florida.
I don't know about the rest ofthe world, nice, we're going to
graduate.

Annie (08:58):
Way to go team.

Ashley (08:59):
It counts Pass or fail.

Kelly (09:01):
right, I wouldn't be bragging about graduating from
Florida.
Pass or fail right, I wouldn'tbe bragging about graduating
from Florida, no I was going tosay.

Jonathan (09:07):
there's a whole thing in the news a couple weeks ago
where you can just buy yourdegree Anywho what were we?

Mari (09:12):
talking about the.

Jonathan (09:13):
Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk.

Mari (09:15):
Yeah, the Christopher Broadbent series.

Ashley (09:18):
Any other news tidbits?
I have news, but I don't knowthat it's considered romantic,
but I was very excited.
I sent it to you very late lastnight that they're releasing
volume three for the Book ofDust series by Philip Pullman.
And so while I don't, soarguably I've not read the

(09:39):
second one, but I have read thetrilogy of, like the Golden
Compass series, and so whilethat's not I don't think true
romantasy in any way shape orform, I don't think true
romanticism in any way shape orform.
It's definitely fantasy, butthere was a whole love story,
although they were quite young,but it was so innocent and so
powerful that it traumatized meand I never reread it.

(10:00):
So I am very excited for theBook of Dusk, volume 3.
I think it's called the RoseField.
I haven't been able to find iton Amazon but it is on Barnes
Noble pre-order.
So anyone that was part of thatcult.
I also believe that it was aseries on Max a few years ago.
It got a lot of acclaim but Inever got to.

(10:22):
I didn't get deep into it but Iwanted to.
I heard very, very, very goodthings kelly, did you read that
series?

Mari (10:29):
nope, okay, I thought you had.
I know we had a friend umcrystal.
We had a friend who reallyenjoyed that series.
It has been on my tbr for awhile but like I said it's a
never, never ending tbr.

Jonathan (10:42):
I would like to propose that we all enroll in
the Book it program.
Try to get ourselves somepersonal pan pizzas.

Ashley (10:51):
You can't have pizza right now.

Jonathan (10:52):
Jared by the time I finish reading.

Ashley (10:54):
we can get a button and A button.
You know how I feel aboutbuttons.

Jonathan (10:58):
It's the 40th anniversary of Book it this year
.

Annie (11:01):
Maybe they have cauliflower crust, who knows?
Maybe, Deep dish cauliflowercrust.
I knows Ooh, maybe Deep dishcauliflower crust.

Mari (11:09):
I don't know about that, that just sounds like you know
discomfort in my stomach, Like Idon't mind a cauliflower crust
if it's a thin crust and loadedwith cheese.

Jonathan (11:20):
I'm going to print off and I can send this to your
printer.
I'm going to print off thisbook it tracker.

Annie (11:24):
Yeah, you get to color it Book.
It is actually like they'rebringing Book it back.

Jonathan (11:28):
I don't think it went away.
I think we just stopped readingand eating that pizza Huh.
I mean we didn't stop eatingthe pizza.

Mari (11:37):
Yes, that, or it was either pizzas or growing up it
was either the pizzas or theblockbuster like video rentals
back in the day, depending wherewe live Cause army brat.
We moved all over so I remembersome of the places it was pizza
and some of the places what yougot was like movie rentals,
which was nice, interesting.

Annie (11:55):
Interesting.
I was a pizza kid, for sure.

Jonathan (11:58):
I was a pizza.
I think, if, if we stopordering pizza because of the
kettle, our pizza guy is goingto do it.

Mari (12:04):
He's going to want to check up on us.
He's going to make sure youguys are okay.

Jonathan (12:08):
Oh, yeah, he gets mad.

Annie (12:09):
He's single-handedly destroying the economy in your
area.

Jonathan (12:11):
Yeah, I feel bad.
I feel like we've got to givehim a break every now and again.

Mari (12:16):
The only other news tidbit I had.
I didn't put in here, but I didsee it's not a huge tidbit, but
Kelly Hart, who wroteQuicksilver, was teasing that
she's starting to write thethird book.

Ashley (12:28):
I just saw that, literally five minutes ago.

Annie (12:32):
Wait, when does the second one come out?

Mari (12:34):
This year?
Yeah, September, I believe.
I know it's this year.

Ashley (12:38):
Maybe November.
I could be conflating that yeah2025.

Annie (12:42):
I'm here for it.
That's a great book.

Ashley (12:44):
Yeah, that was a fun one this year 2025.

Annie (12:47):
I'm here for it.
That was a great book, yeah,yeah, that was a fun one this
year.
I have so much trouble waitingfor sequels and then like when
the next one comes out, I'm justlike not into it anymore.
I have forgotten why I caredyeah, yeah, exactly it's.
It's really hard.

Mari (12:56):
I'm a completed serious girl whenever I can be yeah, I
do like um, listening to, likei'll'll just, I'll download
random podcasts and like, oh,this book is coming out, so let
me just search that book andsome random person will have
done a podcast on it.
I'm like, oh, you're going tobe my review person, so good job

(13:16):
, that's a good life hack.
Yes, yeah, much quicker thanreading audiobook because I like
the fastest I can do like anaudiobook I can, I can read
faster than I can do theaudiobooks Audiobook the fastest
I can do like an audiobook Ican.
I can read faster than I can dothe audiobooks.
Audiobooks fastest I can do andlike actually understand
anything is maybe 1.5 if I'mcompletely uninterrupted.
So yeah, no, that takes toolong solid life hack 100 all

(13:38):
right.
Any other news bits from anybody?
Okay, all right.
So this is not our first timehaving guests we've had guests
before but this is our firsttime having musical talent.
And the reason we have a griefcat with us today is because I
fell in love with one of theirsongs on the Tiki Talk.
So I was scrolling at I don'tknow midnight on a random

(14:03):
weekday when I should have beenin bed or at the very least,
reading, scrolling TikTok andheard the song, and I was like
these people know me.
So, yes, would you guys like tomaybe introduce yourself, like,
describe your music, tell usabout yourself

Louisa (14:27):
I Louis

Annie (14:33):
We've been making music together since 2019.
We're working on a new albumthat's going to be coming out
later this year, which is reallyexciting, and the song that you
heard actually might be on thatalbum you know that it will be
on that album.

Louisa (14:48):
It wasn't originally on the on the list, but by popular
demand we think we have to getit.

Annie (14:53):
That song deserves to be printed on a vinyl record,
exactly yeah, put thousands ofdollars into this particular
song, like I don't know whatlike siren demon pact you signed
, but every time I hear it I amcompelled to share it.

Mari (15:07):
Everyone needs to hear this.

Annie (15:10):
Oh, I'm so glad, I'm so glad, yeah, so fairies fucking
are our biggest hit.
Honestly, yeah, we've beendoing this for five years and we
just had to, you know, write asong about fairies doing it.
Sometimes it takes a while tofind your people.
That's right, we found ourpeople.
We're so glad that we found youand we get to meet you in
person pretty soon too.

Mari (15:29):
Yeah, I'm super excited.
Yeah, we're going to be hangingout at Monsterotica Con.
So if anyone happens to havelistened to this, like the days
it comes out, which will be whenMonsterotica Con is happening,
and you happen to be there, likefind us, say hi.

Annie (15:44):
Absolutely like find us, say hi, absolutely.
We love new friends.
So grief cat, what's with thatname?
So we are a musical comedy duoand grief cat.
It sounds kind of sad and alsosilly, but it is based on the
german concept of kummerspeck,which means grief bacon or like
the weight that you gain fromemotional eating, you know,
perhaps at pizza hut, you neverknow, because you're very sad

(16:06):
about a book you just read.
But a grief cat is the cat thatyou get after a breakup.
It's like a made up concept,but I got a grief cat at one
point.
I told my dear friend Annieabout it and she was like that's
our band name and we became aband a couple of years later and
it's been really fun.
Yeah, it's definitely stillalive.
Which?

Ashley (16:23):
is great Good.

Annie (16:25):
Yeah, no, it's fun, it works for us.
It's like a little bit quirkybut enjoyable, and fluffy and
loud, just like us Is Grief Cat,the kitty we heard meowing
earlier.
That is the Grief Cat.
Yes, he's my fur son.

Mari (16:41):
We've been blessed by the Grief Cat.

Annie (16:43):
Yes, indeed.
Yeah, he's like a sweet, cuddlyand very loud black and grief
cat.
Yeah, he's a.
He's like a sweet, cuddly andvery loud black and white cat,
Very fluffy.

Louisa (16:51):
Very cute.

Annie (16:52):
Is that his?

Jonathan (16:52):
name?
Is his name grief cat?

Annie (16:54):
No, his name is Marvin.

Jonathan (16:56):
Marvin, okay, yeah, it's very formal.
I mean it's perfect, so, marvin.
So if anyone wants to knowtheir login for Spotify, instead
of an I, it's an explanationpoint.

Annie (17:10):
I have not utilized him in any passwords, otherwise I
would not be missed opportunity.

Kelly (17:16):
Missed opportunity.
Where did you guys say you wentto school?

Annie (17:19):
yeah, yeah, funny enough, we actually have a song about
that.
Yeah, we have a song called.

Louisa (17:24):
I just want to get inside your bank account and
that is the whole song aboutthat.
We have a song called I JustWant to Get Inside your Bank
Account.
The whole song is just going ona date with somebody and asking
really, really specificquestions.

Kelly (17:34):
I think that was the song that I thought was the best of
the ones that Maury played.
Yeah, thank you.

Mari (17:40):
We went out of town earlier this week and we're
driving home and I was like,listen, this is not a long trip.
We're going to listen to all oftheir songs on this album and
that's the one that for sure hadus laughing, because otherwise
I've subjected Kelly way toomany times to fairies fucking
over and over this.
If I had to pick two songs thatwere my theme songs of the year

(18:02):
so far, it is fairies fuckingand we're in the middle of a
hostile government takeover.

Annie (18:07):
Oh, I mean, what a classic.
Yes, that is my year.
Such a good song, yeah.

Mari (18:16):
So what got you guys into music in general, like even
before you guys met and gottogether as Grave Cat?

Annie (18:21):
I think for me I just always loved to sing and I was
never like in a band or anythinglike that.
And many, many years ago I waslike you know what, I don't want
to depend on anybody, I justwant to play music.
So I learned how to playukulele and that was kind of my
vehicle for songwriting andperforming.
And then I met Annie, but itwas a kind of a later in life

(18:42):
journey for me.
Annie, what about you?

Louisa (18:43):
I think I feel like I grew up in a family that wasn't
very.
I love my family but we're notvery, like, emotionally
vulnerable and so but like,growing up, obviously I had
feelings and I wanted to saythem.
So I think I picked up theguitar as sort of the place to
express feelings that maybe Ididn't feel comfortable

(19:04):
expressing elsewhere.
And then as I got older, Irealized that I guess I'm kind
of funny sometimes too, andwhat's combining music and
comedy is just delightful.
So I ended up going that route.
But I think definitely I gotinto music, first as a place of

(19:26):
self-expression, and now I writeabout butts.
So yeah.

Annie (19:30):
Yeah, neither of us really started on like the
comedy angle.
It was always music focused andthen the comedy kind of came
later.

Jonathan (19:35):
Yeah, you write about taught, but so right, like, like
dragging all butts all I.

Louisa (19:40):
I don't discriminate.
All butts all three cheeks.
I don't like that you wroteactually.

Jonathan (19:45):
I don't like that.
You wrote it Actually.
I don't know if you know this,but this is where I learned to
poop at work.

Annie (19:50):
Yeah, yeah, classic.

Jonathan (19:54):
Very classic From the vault.

Annie (19:55):
Join the revolution.

Jonathan (19:59):
The vault is what I call my butt, where I keep all
my most precious items.

Annie (20:06):
Tighter than Fort Knox.

Ashley (20:10):
Let's go.
I have no quips, so how I wasnot ready.

Mari (20:20):
See, this is the downside.
I can picture Ash's face asthat happened.
But like I need, I need.

Ashley (20:25):
I was.
I was like digging deep, I waslike digging into the brain
lobes, I had nothing.

Jonathan (20:29):
Listen, if you keep giving me one line that's like
digging deep, I can kick it up anotch.
We can keep this going for asolid 15 minutes.
We talk about whistling andeverything all sorts of stuff.

Annie (20:41):
So many options, so many options.

Jonathan (20:48):
I'd like to learn about the ukulele.
My nephew has a ukulele and Ilike it's.
What's interesting to me hereis uh, until you said it, it
didn't really strike me as amature instrument, although I
know it is in the back of mymind, mostly because, like I
think my nephew has one and he'slike nearly two.
So like 90 of the time hisukulele is set to hammer mode
and it just puts things back andputs things back in place with

(21:08):
force.
I don't imagine you use yourslike that.
I'm curious.
Now I have questions about yourukulele Be less curious.
Be less.
I'm sorry, I'll go back to mybox.
No, you can ask her.

Ashley (21:18):
You can ask them about the ukulele.
You're not allowed to bring theukulele.
Here Are there.

Jonathan (21:21):
Premium ukuleles are there, like are there like what?

Annie (21:24):
makes ukuleles uh, like you can get really fancy ones
like a, like a, you know, likeany sort of guitar like you can.
There's such a wide range oflike different, like woods and
things like that that can bemade of most of my ukuleles I've
got like gosh, I had like fiveat this point, maybe more.
I had more at one point, butthere's so many different types
like there's multiple sizes likeyou can get like a teeny tiny,

(21:45):
like pocket ukulele, sopranoukuleles concert.
I usually play a tenor ukulelewhich is a much larger ukulele.
If you want to go like for abigger, deeper sound, you can go
to a baritone which is two morelike a guitar but it only has
four strings.
But yeah, I mean there's areally really wide range and
there's some really incrediblelike ukuleles out there making
really great music.
Like jake shimbukuro is is onethat's pretty famous.

(22:07):
But you can do crazy stuff withukulele.
I can't.
I probably have a similar skilllevel to your uh, two-year-old
family member, but you can.
You can do a lot of cool thingsthat's pretty rad, I like yeah
for me it's more of a vehiclefor songwriting do you name them
?

Jonathan (22:21):
you name your ukuleles I should.
That's a good idea I think,yeah, I think I I thought it was
a great idea.

Annie (22:27):
I don't know why, yeah yeah, it really shot you down
there.
Yeah, I'm just gonna say thatmy new ukulele is called dolores
.
Done, there she is.
She seems like a dolores, myfavorite you.
She's got a low g on it, she's.
She's got a nice rich sound.

Jonathan (22:43):
That's a dolores, she's a dolores, she's a dolores
I think like if if you tookdolores out to eat, where would
you take her out to eat?

Annie (22:50):
like what's the restaurant dolores would choose
oh gosh, uh, I feel like doloresdelore.
If we're talking like chainrestaurants, maybe like a I mean
dolores might go to, like Idon't know magianosiano's.
It's family style, it'scomfortable, but it's like a
little more upscale than theOlive Garden.

Jonathan (23:10):
Okay, I got you Like you know, Bucca di Beppo.

Annie (23:14):
Yeah, yeah, I think she's a.
Dolores loves a Bucca di Beppo.
You know, bringing the cheeseshe can you know you can dress
her up, you can dress her down.
You've got options.
I've got another ukulele I'mgoing to say is called Carla.
Carla's kind of my day-to-daythat I perform with and she's
Carla's like a little lowerbudget, Like she's very loud.
I think Carla would really likechilies.

Ashley (23:38):
I love a chili or a TGI Friday.

Jonathan (23:40):
That's so comforting Chicken tenders.
Gal, I'm picking up what you'reputting down, smelling what
you're stepping in.

Annie (23:48):
Yeah, I think she'd be into the mozzarella sticks,
maybe potato skins.

Jonathan (23:53):
Do they have the flat mozzarella sticks there?

Annie (23:56):
Yeah, I have no idea the big cheese pull.

Mari (23:59):
A good cheese pull Good cheese, pull All the cheese, all
the potatoes.

Jonathan (24:03):
I like a dame that appreciates cheese pull.
Hey, annie, the cheese all thepotatoes I like a dame that
appreciates cheese bowl.

Ashley (24:14):
Hey, annie, I got a quick question for you.
Annie, sure I totally forgot it.
Such a look on his face, youguys, it was like fingers on his
lips.
So epic you're just gonna haveto imagine the most epic
question possible I don't know,dude, how do you top which
restaurant would your ukulelelike I want to know about ann.

Annie (24:26):
How do you top which restaurant would your ukulele,
like I want to know aboutAnnie's guitar.
What restaurant would theseagull go?

Louisa (24:31):
to.
Let's see.
Well, she's Canadian, so Iguess Tim Horton Is that right.

Jonathan (24:40):
Ken only has that one restaurant.
She has a name.

Annie (24:42):
Let's get some coffee girl.
Let's get some coolers, let'sgo.

Louisa (24:49):
She does not have a name .
Let's see.
If Louisa has Dolores, I'll gowith Diane, why not be?

Annie (24:56):
Double D's.
We are tenacious, double D's.

Mari (24:59):
Perfect.
Oh which, if you guys ever goto the Asheville area, there's
an amazing double-decker bus indowntown Asheville that has
coffee and hot chocolate andthey're open like super late and
it's in a giant double-deckerold British bus and it's called
Double D's.

Annie (25:16):
We absolutely have to go.
We love Asheville.
Yeah, asheville's cool.

Mari (25:20):
Yeah, love it.

Jonathan (25:27):
So the Tenacious Double D's.
Do you draw inspiration fromthat, from from tenacious d?
Is that because they're alittle bit more on the fun side?

Louisa (25:31):
yeah, like I was having trouble we're pretty boring, but
we uh, we like, no, we do Ididn't say, I didn't say that
that was those were your ownwords, I did not say that shows

(26:02):
and the times people compare usto tenacious d's, because when
they see us live we are kind ofjumping around and being I don't
know kind of ruckus and yeah soand of course you know,
tenacious double d's because ofthe obvious reason I don't know
I got.

Kelly (26:19):
I got more of a uh paul and storm vibe oh love paul and
storm.

Annie (26:25):
Yeah, we do love.
Do love pollen storm.
I think they're also from likethe I love that.

Mari (26:29):
So how'd you guys come up with the idea?

Annie (26:31):
the inspir, inspiration for the fairy's fucking song I
feel like that one just kind oflike fell out of us.
Annie introduced me toromanticy, like a little over a
year ago I think it.
It was like last February wewere we were in Seattle to play
a show and I needed something toread and Annie recommended A

(26:51):
Court of Thorns and Roses and Istarted reading it and then I
started going hard on books,like I think I read another
convoy to the, to the cult.
Yeah, I've read over 125 booksalready this year.
Nice it's.
I've gotten like reallyaggressive, I don't sleep

(27:13):
anymore and it's wild Cause likeI've got like a day job, I've
got like grief cat, like I'm avery busy person, I maintain a
social life, but I'm still justlike reading like crazy.

Mari (27:28):
How many books have you read, mari?
I don't know.
You have my phone.
Whatever Goodreads says, I meanI think it's not.
I don't think I've read ahundred yet.
I think I'm like a 90 something.

Kelly (27:33):
Those are rookie numbers, Mari.

Mari (27:35):
I know.

Jonathan (27:37):
Three, four times a day before lunch.

Mari (27:42):
I cannot compete because I'm trying to get through Opal
Rain and her books are like 600pages, so I will read what I
read.
Are you doing?

Annie (27:52):
like Dustwalker Brides right now.

Mari (27:54):
Yes, I'm on the fourth one .
Which one is the fourth one?
They're very good.
Kelly's got my brain on myphone.
I've got the book.
Oh, the fourth one is the elf,chickie chicky, who comes.
Hold on, let me get, okay I'llbe back anyways.

Annie (28:10):
Those are great.
So, uh, I will.
I'll quickly explain fairiesfucking.
So basically, I feel like youkind of get your inputs from
your environment and then.
So we were just kind of hangingout making music and we start
making things up and we justkind of started singing fairies
fucking and it the song reallyjust kind of like wrote itself.
It was just a silly moment inrehearsal.
It's so catchy and it took alife of its own.

(28:32):
It was never meant to be like asong that we released or didn't
thing with.
It was just kind of a sillything and people loved it.
So we ended up recording itprofessionally and releasing it.

Ashley (28:43):
Got to give the people what they want.

Annie (28:44):
Got to give the people what they want.
Gotta give the people what theywant, exactly Okay.

Mari (28:47):
So the fourth one is Assault a Guide, the one where
you have the Dust Walker, andyou have the Dust Walker with
the damaged skull, I believe,and then you have the chickie
from, like, the demon realm.
Got it Okay?
Yeah, I'm with you, yeah, I'm.
I was hoping to finish thesebefore Monsterotica Con.
That ain't going to happen.
How?

Ashley (29:07):
many are there.

Mari (29:07):
But it's fine.

Annie (29:08):
Six eight, oh eight, oh, my God, seven.
I can't remember which one's myfavorite, but there's like some
really good banter and and funstuff.
You're going to love it.
It's great.
I can't wait to talk about allthe stuff in person.

Mari (29:20):
Yes, yes, hundred.
Yes, yes, 100%, which we cantalk about it here, like this is
romantic-y, but like we talkabout whatever Honestly,
whatever generally book-related,we'll talk about it.
So we're not super strict.

Annie (29:35):
Yeah, I will say.
Going back to the song reallyquickly, I almost feel like we
need to do like an updatedversion or we need to do like a
different song, because wedidn't include anything about
monsters, we didn't includeanything about aliens.
We didn't include anythingabout werewolves, so like
there's still.

Mari (29:51):
I think that's a whole album.
You just, you just said foursongs in a whole album.
You got to do a whole album,absolutely, and you also
mentioned your Goodreads and,like I, you got to do a whole
absolutely and you alsomentioned your goodreads and,
like, I stopped updating mygoodreads because I didn't want
anyone I know to know what I'mreading the power of shame.
My viewpoint is if you'relooking, you you fuck around,
find out.
Yeah, better be prepared forwhat you see.

(30:15):
Yeah, just like.
If you ask me what I'm reading,I'm gonna tell you yeah, I got
it, I'll be nice about it andI'm not gonna go into it.
If you ask me what I'm reading,I'm going to tell you I'll be
nice about it and I'm not goingto go into it if you're not
interested.
But I'm going to tell you whatI'm reading because whatever
it's reading, it's fine.

Jonathan (30:30):
I like to throw that grenade in teams meetings at
work.
At the end of a meeting, hey,what's up are you reading and I
just sit quietly and watch yourfaces.
Is this the same space?
Can I?
Is this a safe space?

Annie (30:39):
Can I tell you the truth and then, that's how you
discover it, so yeah, so much,so much fun.
It depends on the audience, inthat in that meeting I would
talk about it with somecoworkers, but other ones no way
yeah.

Louisa (31:01):
Please don't look at my Goodreads is kind kind of.
Isn't it kind of interestingthat people are, it feels like
more forthcoming about whatthey're watching on tv or like
movies they're interested in,but like books are really more
personal and maybe the subjectmatter of a lot of books these
days is just a lot more intensethan stuff that we watch on tv.

Ashley (31:16):
I don't know, I was gonna say what's what's
salacious on tv right now.

Kelly (31:20):
Game of Thrones is over.
How dare you read that smut?
I've got to go watch House ofDragon right quick.

Annie (31:29):
I just remember when Bridgerton first came out and
everyone was like oh my god, Iwatched Bridgerton, I'm so
obsessed.
Blah, blah, blah, and I waslike I know what you just
watched?

Ashley (31:37):
Right right Dirty ho you just watched.

Mari (31:43):
Yeah, right, right, dirty hoe.
So, yeah, funny story.
Because I saw that show.
I did not know what bridgetonwas about.
When I watched the first uh,when I got excited about the
first uh, uh season whatever, Ididn't know, I hadn't read it,
didn't know anything about it Iwas just like, oh, there's the
way netflix marketed the firstseason.
Okay, the first that came out,they were like it felt very
period piece kind of thing.
I was like, oh, some like JaneAusten type stuff.

(32:05):
I like Jane Austen, that'll befun to watch.
When I'm like in betweenwatching Pride and Prejudice or
whatever, sure, cool wolf, I amso glad I watched that solo
because it took me a minute torejigger my brain.

Ashley (32:18):
I'm like, oh, okay, this is what this is you got caught
in the shonda shonda rhymes web,like you didn't know that bitch
was coming you didn't know shewas behind the scenes and I
think the show is actuallybetter than the books.
Don't don't, you don't need tothe.
The show is great.

(32:39):
The show I thought was verywell done.
Uh, very true to the books.
I have not read all 12 books,did you?

Jonathan (32:48):
just advocate for somebody to not read books I
don't think the.

Ashley (32:52):
I think the books.
Who did I?
I thought I think the books arefar more like hoity-toity
sounding than the show was.
I thought the show was very.

Jonathan (33:01):
What is this about?

Ashley (33:02):
They know I don't know.
Bridgerton.

Mari (33:06):
It's Regency era.
Go back to your corner, jane.

Ashley (33:08):
Austen era, yeah.

Mari (33:09):
Bridgerton.

Ashley (33:10):
We can watch Bridgerton, baby, if you want to.
I think you're going to be alittle nervous.

Jonathan (33:14):
What is it?
I'm nervous, I am not a rookie.

Mari (33:18):
It's historical romance.

Jonathan (33:19):
It's historical romance, not contemporary.

Ashley (33:23):
I know.

Annie (33:24):
The music is contemporary kind of.
It's still kind ofcontemporary-ish.

Ashley (33:31):
Oh, you know how you listen to the classical music,
but it's like Taylor Swift songsyour study music.

Jonathan (33:37):
My study music right now is Kiwi Lewis.
That's who I've been listeningto.

Ashley (33:39):
You're not paying attention to the words I'm
saying.

Jonathan (33:40):
Your study music.
My study music Right now isinstrumental stuff.
Huey Lewis, that's who I'mlistening to.

Ashley (33:42):
You're not paying attention to the words I'm
saying.

Annie (33:44):
Huey Lewis, actually did all of Bridgerton, so I think
you'll be in good shape Really.

Jonathan (33:49):
I haven't been to him.

Ashley (33:52):
I'm excited so much, so much.

Jonathan (33:56):
Sat straight up for that.

Ashley (33:57):
Yeah, no, I much Sat straight up for that.
I don't think you'll care, butI thought the show was very
exquisitely done and it wascatchy and I thought the actors
were just sublime, shonda.

Jonathan (34:10):
Rhimes knows what she's doing.
I'm going to bing it real quick.

Annie (34:13):
It's soapy.
It's soapy and delicious and alittle sexy, but it sounds like
the books are less so and I'mgoing to skip that.
It was a little sexy, but itsounds like the books are less
so and I'm gonna skip that alittle more boring yeah yeah, I
read.

Mari (34:24):
I only read one of the the books and I didn't like it and
I was like you know what?
I like the show and I don'tlike the books, and it's okay
for them to be different.
Yeah, some people like both,some people like one better the
other.
The other books may bedifferent, but I really I'm not
that huge of a historicalromance, historical sexy books.
Anyways, I tend to like fantasyor monsters or like a romantic

(34:45):
comedy kind of vibe.
If I'm gonna do like, have youguys read outlander?
I started to.
I tried.
I have a real hard time I thinkthat's like I feel like I want
to like it, but I do.

Ashley (34:57):
I think it's another one where the show is just better.

Annie (35:00):
I didn't love the show either.
So I read the first two booksand I feel like the show, the
dialogue, I don't know it.
Just I feel like some of theacting isn't quite what I want.
Um, especially like the girlthat plays, like the daughter
I'm, I'm sure she's lovely, butI just, I don't know, I just
don't, I don't buy it.

Kelly (35:17):
And the show gets a little bit like.

Annie (35:20):
It just feels like a little bit like Is it torture
porn that I'm thinking of?

Ashley (35:23):
Or like oh yeah, season one is rough, season one was
rough, for that, absolutely.

Annie (35:31):
I wanted to like it more.

Mari (35:33):
Same and I was like you know this just Once again, may
just not be my thing.
There are certain things I knowI like and certain things I
don't like.
I like, I like historicalromances that are like, written
old-timey I guess they'reclassics, more like.
I like jane austen, you know Ilike, you know some of those,
those older ones, but I don'tnecessarily like a lot of the

(35:54):
modern books that are written ina in an older time period.

Ashley (35:59):
Well, you just blew my mind with torture porn.
Jesus, what is wrong with me?

Jonathan (36:04):
what are you talking about?
It's such a crazy concept.

Ashley (36:09):
I've never labeled it before jesus yeah, it's good.

Annie (36:16):
It's good.
I I it's not my favorite.
I think that there's otherthings.
Like you know, the setting isgreat, like it's sexy, it's fun,
like it was an enjoyable read,but it's not something I'm going
back to reread and I didn'tmake it past, like book two for
me.

Mari (36:35):
I tried to read it.
I was like, let me give anotherone a shot because it's so
popular.
I must be missing something,and I was.
I gave up after the second book.
I'm like all right.

Annie (36:48):
I'll move on to something else.

Louisa (36:49):
Yeah, and you know I'm an aggressive reader from our,
you know, 30 minutes of knowingeach other.
For me to hang it up, but Iwill say I love a Scotland
moment like the Wolf King.

Annie (36:58):
That series is really fun so far.
Really enjoy that.
I'm here for more Scottishreads.

Mari (37:03):
I just read a book earlier this year.
Oh gosh, I hope I get the titleright.
I think it's called Lock andKey.

Annie (37:08):
Oh, I've seen this.
Have you read this one?
I want to read it.
It's on my list.

Mari (37:12):
It's the fun silly standalone like rom-com-y style
monster romance like LaurenBlakely or something like that.
Who's the author?
Yes, I think so.
I think is it a romance or aLoch Ness Monster?
It's.
It's a Loch Ness Monstershifter romance.
Cool, let's, let's go inScotland.
I mean it's not like the bestthing ever, but I'm like this

(37:33):
was a fun read.
It was fun for what?

Annie (37:35):
exactly what it was you know, that's like a good like in
between, like in between, likedark mafia.
I love a dark romance.
Another romance trilogy.

Mari (37:47):
Yeah, when you're reading like eight books, I'm like let
me just go into another world,right now give me a minute to go
elsewhere and I lovedisassociating and just reading
about shifters.

Annie (37:59):
They get me out of this world, thank you.

Mari (38:03):
Yeah, so what are you're both readers?
What are some of your favoritegenres?
Favorite genres, favorite books?

Louisa (38:10):
So I'm definitely less of a reader than Louisa.
I think I'm on my seventh bookthis year.

Kelly (38:17):
That's pretty awesome I definitely love.

Louisa (38:20):
I mean, I I love romantasy.
I'm not.
I actually read daughter of noworlds.
That was the most recent book Ifinished.
I was, I don't know, I justwasn't feeling it.
So maybe I need to take a pausefrom romantasy or just find a
different kind of world ofRomantici other than like, maybe

(38:41):
, fae.
But I do love Romantici andalso, oh, I love retellings of
stories, so like Circe Song ofAchilles, although at the same
time I'm currently reading AThousand Ships, which is a
retelling of, like the trojanwar from the women's perspective
, and I'm not into that.

(39:02):
I wish I was, but I thinkthere's just like too many
characters kelly, didn't you?

Mari (39:07):
didn't you read that one recently?
Uh, the thousand ships, thefrom the woman's perspective.
Isn't that the one you weretrying to read recently?

Kelly (39:13):
I did, I read it what'd you?
Think it wasn't too bad yeah,it was, it was an.
It was an interesting take onit.
I think the concept was good.
I think there was just somestructural problems with the way
the story flows.

Louisa (39:27):
Yeah, that's kind of my problem with it too is that
we're bouncing as soon as Istart getting invested in I
don't know, the Trojan womenthat are now being held as
slaves.
Now we've gone to like penelopeodysseus's wife perspective.
I'm like wait, but I was just,I wanted what, and there's just
a lot of bouncing around.
But I do like that genre.

(39:49):
I think I might like the platedprisoner series because it's
like oh, I just finished thefirst one in that it's like king
midas, right, uh-huh, I thinkso.

Mari (39:59):
Ash has read more than I have.
I've just finished the firstone in that series.
It's like King Midas right,uh-huh, I think so.
Ash has read more than.

Louisa (40:03):
I have.

Mari (40:03):
I've just finished the first one.
I liked it.

Louisa (40:05):
I'm going to read the second one.
Yeah, I feel like that might bea good combination of
romanticity but also a storythat I'm familiar with.
And then I also I do love myfavorite author is W Somerset
Maugham.
He wrote human bondage, whichis, like you know, a stuffy
British novel.
I do love, like a very stuffy,snooty British, highbrow British

(40:27):
literature, if I have thepatience to, like you know, this
is some really small font and,uh, a penguin classic.
I have to be really in the mood,but um, when they're great, I
mean you know there's a reason.
They're, you know, beloved byyou know so like universally.
So.
So yeah, but you know, I dolove romanticy.

(40:49):
I I really loved a court ofthorns and roses.
That's why we're here after allthese years and and so I'm
always going to gravitatetowards those books and watch
TikToks of people reviewingbooks.
Whether or not I read themisn't really you know, I'm just
I like, I like the culturearound them and yeah.

Mari (41:12):
I think that's fun have you heard of the katie roberts
neon gods series?
No, so it's.
It's like greek inspiration.
So you have, like the very.
It's a series called neon godshercules no, that's jasmine
monis no fucking love her.
She's great yeah katie robertsis k-a-t-e-e roberts, it's.

(41:33):
It's like a modern, it's amodern day vibe.
It almost feels like mafiastyle setup.
But they're the greek storiesand so, like the first story is
so, there's no magic in it.
The power comes from them beinglike powerful families or rich
people in this world, and sothere's like Hades and
Persephone is the first one, ofcourse.

Jonathan (41:50):
Like all, of everything.

Mari (41:53):
But there's also like the second one is Cupid, was it
Psyche?
And Eros.
There's Hephaestus andAphrodite one, the one that's.
I believe the series isfinishing up this year and it's
going to finish with the Heraand Zeus one, but there's been
like it does a really she does areally interesting job.
They're very spicy, they'remodern.

(42:14):
So if you want something kindof light in between heavy or
reading, they're not very bigbut you get a little bit of like
that Greek storytelling vibewithout much heft or like weight
to it, and it really humanizessome of the stories, I think.

Annie (42:27):
This is the same author that did Court of the Vampire
Queen and.

Mari (42:31):
Draft yes.

Annie (42:32):
Ride right, okay, straight spot yes.
Yes, yeah, I actually justadded Neon Gods to my.
I just put a hold on it on onlibby last night, oh no, when I
was doing my research for forfuture books.
I'm very curious to hear whatyou think about the plated
prisoner series.
I have thoughts on that one,okay, so I'm excited to, I'm

(42:52):
excited for you to read that,and then we'll we'll talk gotcha
.
It took me a minute to get intoit.

Louisa (42:57):
I, it's so funny, I.
So I've been on this likeromanticist kick.
I also had read like a BrandonSanderson book, so less smut,
but like still in the fantasyrealm.
And then I read in February.
I read a Toni Morrison book, Iread Beloved, and my brain was
like broke.
Oh my gosh, like this writingis incredible and I'm, I'm not,

(43:23):
I can't it's it's, it'sbeautiful and so heavy and
thought-provoking and it's likebut what?
I just want some kissing, youknow.

Annie (43:33):
Yeah, uh, so kind of a well-balanced guy exactly oh man
, I'm just reading trash butit's fun yeah, on my side I've
been reading so a lot ofromanticy for sure.
I've like started to, like youknow, dip my toes a little bit

(43:56):
into monster stuff with likemonster erotica con.
I can't say that word monstererotica monster, monster erotica
, monster erotica, yeah sorry.

Mari (44:06):
Anyways, I've typed it so many times that my phone will
automatically spell it out, butI can't say yes, so um, I I've
read a little bit of monsterromance to prepare me for that
environment.

Annie (44:18):
um, including all of Duskwalker Brides, which was
great, really fun series.
I liked that a lot more than Ithought I would, because that
was like the most like puremonster stuff that I've ever
read.
Like the Duskwalkers arebasically a combination of like
all the different animals andlike humans that they've eaten.

Mari (44:34):
Yeah, they're straight up monsters.

Annie (44:35):
They're straight up monsters, like their heads are
skulls.
So it's like romance with likea human and this like skull
creature Whoa.

Mari (44:44):
And they straight up eat people.
And they straight up eat people.
I mean, they're straight upmonsters.

Annie (44:48):
To eat humanity.
It is wild and it was a reallycool and really heartwarming
ride.

Mari (44:55):
honestly, I really enjoyed it.
Did you know that it's basedoff of that?
You know it's based off ananime, right?

Annie (44:59):
I think you told me that I actually didn't know that I
didn't know that, but it's areally cool series.

Mari (45:05):
Yes, yeah, so it's based off of the Ancient Magus Bride,
which is a very prolific manga,and I think there's one season
anime.
I think the second one may beout.
I'm not sure I'm behind on allthat because I was just like
once I saw they were like Idon't know 30 something mangas.
I'm like I will never finishthat.
I'll go back to reading regularold books.

Annie (45:26):
I'd love to check that out.
I've like never gotten intomanga at all.
I think it's really cool.
So I think other stuff I'vebeen reading I really love.
Like I've been on a big darkromance kick but I also really
love anything that's like alittle bit.
I like it when it's dark andfunny.
So like going back to Imentioned Zodiac Academy, I
think, earlier like I loveanything that those authors have

(45:46):
done because like it's alwayskind of like dark and messed up
but they always have these likewildly funny characters and like
wildly funny banter.
A lot of people find it cringyand like kind of high school-y,
but I just think it it's fun,it's delicious, it's great.
I love like Jasmine Moss whodid Blood of Hercules, and like
the Psycho Shifter series.
Those are all really really fun.
I think you would really likeBlood of Hercules.

(46:08):
Do not read the back.
I feel like the back, like theblur, ruins it, just like dive
in, yeah, just dive in.
It's better if you don't knowwhat's going on.
It's got like this likewonderfully kooky, unreliable
narrator and it's just like areally fun wild ride.
And then same thing with, likeher Psycho Shifter series, which
is like gosh.
I think it's like six books oflike reverse harem and it's like

(46:30):
kind of split into like three.
There's three books in thefirst part, three books in the
second.
Also a really fun ride and Ithink those worlds actually
cross over a little.
And yeah, again with like thedarkly funny like.
I think one of my favoritebooks that I've read, which kind
of surprised me when I pickedit up because I'm not like into
masks, is Lights Out, becauseit's just so charming.

Mari (46:49):
I've read that one.
It's so charming.

Annie (46:51):
The audiobook is just so fun and it's one I've actually
gone back to like listen to asecond time, which is kind of
rare.
Have you read Butcher andBlackbird.
Yeah, we actually listened tothat one together on tour.
Yeah, we listened to.
We listened to smuttyaudiobooks together when we tour
.
We also did Nocticadia, whichis another one that I love.
Butcher and Blackbird is great.

Mari (47:08):
I read Butcher and Blackbird first and then Lights
Out, and I was like, all right,I've got my, my, my kind of
crazy.
Well, like modern, modernkiller vibe out of my system, so
I went on to other books.

Annie (47:21):
Yeah, they're really fun, but anything.
I will read pretty muchanything these days, but I
definitely want like a romanceelement because I just think
it's fun.
Yeah, and vampires are whatstarted it all.
I mean love, vampires.

Mari (47:34):
So what was, what were some of your early vampire books
that got you into vampires?

Annie (47:39):
I think I read Interview with the Vampire for the first
time when I was like in fifthgrade.
And that was probably my startinto like.
Oh, and also, my favorite moviegrowing up was the Lost Boys,
which I don't know if you'veseen.
It's like that fantastic 80sfilm.
So I think that is probablykind of what started me on like
vampires as a kid and then like,of course, like later on
definitely like read TwilightFre on like vampires as a kid

(48:06):
and then like, of course, likelater on, definitely like read
twilight.
Freaking loved it.
I recognize that it's nothighbrow literature, but I will
always forever love twilightvampire diaries.
It's a fun all that stuff.
And yeah, I need to.
I haven't read as much vampirestuff recently, so I need to get
back into my roots and readmore vampire stuff so I'm
currently reading amongst the 5000 books I stuff, so I'm
currently reading amongst the5,000 books I'm currently
reading.

Mari (48:22):
I'm currently reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series
I just downloaded.

Annie (48:26):
I just got one from Libby last night.
Book one go ahead, it's aremember.

Mari (48:30):
It's like a 20 year old book.
That's my only thing I'll sayis give it some some, some grace
with it being not a new book,but I really enjoyed it.
And they're making I don't Idon't remember which channel it
is it's like passion flicks orsomething is making a series or
movie series.
I think it's a series of thatfirst book, but I enjoyed it.
I think I'm on like book threenow.
I'm waiting for book three onLibby it's.

(48:51):
It's a it's a good vampire rompkind of um, yeah, a little bit,
how would I describe it?
It's modern.
It's got a little bit of KimHarrison kind of style to it.

Annie (49:05):
It's like an urban, modern vampire kind of vibe, all
right, like almost like a TrueBlood kind of situation.

Mari (49:12):
Yes, I'd say, yeah, I'd say True Blood, but with like a
little bit more, a little bitmore romance, okay.

Annie (49:18):
Yeah, oh, all right, but it's a fun time.
I'm excited to check it out.
Yeah, I downloaded it, but Ihaven't started it yet.
Brilliant Books are the best.
Books are great and I lovehaving a Kindle so nobody can
tell what I'm reading.
That's the key.
I wouldn't read as much if Ididn't have my Kindle.
Same.

Mari (49:33):
Same.
I've got my emotional support.
Kelly teases me all the time.
I everywhere.
Even if there's no chance I'mgoing to pull it out and do
anything with it, I still haveit with me at all times.
So what are some of the thingsyou guys would like to see more
of in current storytelling,whether that's books, movies,

(49:53):
music, TV, whatever.

Louisa (49:56):
Two things.
One and I don't know if thisexists, but you know the trope
in a lot of books is like girlwith beast of a man, like Beauty
and the Beast.
I want to see stories wherethat's reversed, where the
conventionally attractive man isinto this like monster woman

(50:16):
and falls for the woman inmonster form and maybe she turns
out to be a hottie afterwards.
Turns out to be a hottieafterwards, but like I want the
romance to, or like the realrelationship to form between
like an ugly monster woman andhot man I don't think.
I don't think, I don't know ifreverse beauty of the beast
exists.
But I want to see that story.
Do you know?

Mari (50:35):
of anything, I have a book recommendation okay this is a
five-star read for me so we metthis author at RomanticyCon last
year in Orlando.
Dj Russo, R-U-S-S-O is her name.
She's got a series I think it'scalled the Femme Fatale series,
but in that series they're allwhere the monsters are the
female characters and I believeall the other love interests are

(50:58):
.
I know they're all humans.
I believe they're all men.
I'm trying to remember.
I think they're all male.

Jonathan (51:02):
Is that no sugarcoating it?

Mari (51:04):
Yes, that's one of them, but the one that I, that was my
favorite.
I don't know if it's justbecause I'm.
I'm in a Gilman creature of theBlack Lagoon mode right now,
but she's got one called Sink orSwim, where it's a female
creature of the Black Lagoon,and then this male like mafia

(51:27):
dude who was like dumped in herwaters because they like thought
he was dead, he was sleep withthe fishes, kind of situation
and it goes from there.
All right, it's fun, it's short, it's spicy.

Annie (51:33):
I enjoyed it I thought it was a really really good I
already found it, it's adding itto the tbr looks like that is
two of the series.

Ashley (51:42):
The first one is yeah, they're not coding it.

Mari (51:44):
yeah, they're not.
It's the most vague,interrelated.
Like there might be onecrossover sentence of one
character from like a prior book, so you don't have to read them
in any special way.

Louisa (51:53):
Good to know.
I'm very intrigued.

Jonathan (51:56):
I would say, though, that the beastly side of like no
Sugar Coating it, it's like asuccubus right.

Annie (52:08):
But she's fucking smoking hot.
Yeah, she's a buxom beauty withraven hair and the most
incredible rack he's ever seenokay

Mari (52:13):
see, that's what she's got I was gonna say yeah, I was
gonna say yeah, that's whatthat's what I'm saying.

Jonathan (52:22):
So there was one that was a little bit fluffier.
It was a little bit fluffier,but it was monsters, so it was
lacking.
I feel like we're halfway there.
So we got like hot femme, butmonster right.
And what it was?
It was like every pre-teensdevilish dream was no,

(52:45):
sugarcoating it right.
Every pre-teen boys and someothers like their, their dream
like oh, your tail is a cockring, I'll take it right, and
then.
And then you have what are yougonna do with that?
what are you gonna do with thatnext thing and then and then
like what?
But the other side of the thingwas that like uh, there was
this like very.
It was like monster on monster,but like the, the dude monster

(53:09):
was way more passable, so it waslike it's like it's like 25
there.
I think we need a blend of thatkind of thing.

Annie (53:17):
Well, I'm looking at sink or swim right now and I think
that this line gives me hope forannie, um.
So basically, this mafia guygets dumped in Buna, the sea
monster or whatever's backyardand left for dead.
He's repulsed by her, of course, but she's nothing if not
determined to make a new friendafter a lifetime of loneliness.

Louisa (53:34):
Oh my gosh, I love that.
That's what I want.

Annie (53:37):
He's repulsed, of course.

Louisa (53:38):
Yes.

Annie (53:38):
That's what we want.
So not want.

Louisa (53:45):
Yeah, so not enemies to lovers, repulsion to lovers,
yeah, repulsion to lovers, uh,the moment yeah like I said she
like even in, even in shrek, thedragon in shrek is still a sexy
dragon.
Like can't we just have aregular dragon, not a hot dragon
?
Yeah, but can the girl monsterbe just a monster who happens to
be a girl and they fall in loveanyway?

(54:06):
Care for it.

Annie (54:07):
Yeah.

Louisa (54:07):
Anyways, so I'm definitely interested in that
recommendation.
That sounds interesting.
My other thing that I wouldlike to see more of personally,
you know, like the trope of the,I'm a girl and I have to go to
court and I don't want to wearthis gown, even though it fits
me perfectly.

(54:28):
I want to wear my fightingleathers and I hate that I have
to wear makeup.
I want to see more books wherethe girl is powerful but she's
powerful because of her softnessand of her femininity and that,
and like we don't have we don'talways have to lead it into

(54:48):
like a masculine fiery, you know, like the yang kind of energy.
There's nothing wrong with that.
I just feel like I don't know,like like I'm a strong woman and
I can fight and do stuff and Iwant to wear a pretty dress and
like there's nothing.
There's nothing, uh, that takesaway from one's power just

(55:12):
because they have, you know,feminine energy and feminine
qualities.
I think my archetype for thisis like in throne of glass.
I had a really hard time withailyn.
I kind of I don't know becauseyou know, like the, the typical,
like feisty fighter girl, but Ireally liked irene, who in the

(55:33):
who's like the healer, that is,like the main love interest in
tower of dawn yeah and not onlybecause she has curly hair and I
have curly hair and that'simportant representation.
But uh, but like she's a lotlike softer, but like you need a
healer and you know she's just.
She's powerful, but not becauseshe wants to fight and kill
people.

(55:54):
I think there's a time andplace for that, but I want to
see more female characters whoare powerful because they lean
into a softer energy rather thanneeding to yeah, there's more
ways to contribute to the party.

Mari (56:07):
It doesn't.
Everyone doesn't have to be afighter.
Like Kelly and I played D and Dand we were literally just
having this conversation.
Like the healers are veryimportant.

Louisa (56:15):
Yeah, you don't, you don't, yeah, You're not going
out without, without healers.
Uh, every you know like, uh, uh, everyone is welcome to the
party, but I want to see morerepresentation where people are
powerful because of theirsoftness.

Mari (56:29):
That book we just talked about in the beginning, the
Throne in the Dark by AKCaggiano.
I think she fits that.

Jonathan (56:35):
I like Bull Moon Rising as well.
It's like she's got a muchsofter approach.

Mari (56:42):
Oh yeah, that's another good one Does that Ruby Dixon.
Yeah, so it's spicy, but itdoes fit that vibe for sure.

Louisa (56:48):
I mean we're not getting rid of the spicy.
You can be.

Annie (56:53):
You can be soft without clothes.

Mari (56:56):
Yeah, she.
If I had to pick a person thatshe reminded me of, it was Evie
from 1999, the Mummy it was thatcharacter.

Jonathan (57:04):
She's evil, evil, evie's evil.

Mari (57:06):
I love evie.

Jonathan (57:07):
I love evie so much you, you like a good villain
there's pansexual awakeningmovie period love it.

Mari (57:15):
Um, back real quick to the the monster.
There is a book, uh calledsomeone you can Build a Nest In.
In, in, in, yes, and it's asapphic monster story.
What kind of story is thisBasically the monster falls in
love with a human and themonster wants to lay eggs in the

(57:38):
human, but the way the monsterprocreates is like the eggs eat
their way out like you know,alien style, whatever.
So she's like I love you, but Idon't want to kill you, but I
want to smash you, but there'snot a lot of spice, it's it's
very, very low spice, but it's areally interesting story.
Yeah, I I read it, notexpecting a lot from it, and I

(58:00):
ended up very much enjoying itand ending up ended up like
buying the hardcover for my, mybookcase.
Okay, it was really interestingstorytelling gotcha.

Annie (58:08):
Sometimes I wonder if I should become an author instead
of a songwriter.
I mean, why not both?
That's true, that's true allright.

Mari (58:16):
Who needs even what little sleeping you're doing now?
Who needs it?
You?

Annie (58:19):
know I could these more hobbies, why not?

Louisa (58:24):
Oh, what would you like to see, Louisa?

Annie (58:28):
I really like where you're going with this.
I agree with both those thingsand I would like to see them as
well.
I think that I would like tosee maybe more books with people
who are not 17.
Or like oh, this girl's 18 andthis silver fox is 35.
A silver fox is over 50.

(58:51):
I'm sorry, that is somethingI'm firm about.

Mari (58:54):
Yeah, it's fine, you know, because I understand the lore
of the author to write a youngcharacter, because then you can
have them grow up and learn.
They're almost a blank slate.
So like I understand why ithappens.
But that's one of the reasons Ilove, love, love T Kingfisher.
She writes fantasy and horrorand fairy tale retellings, but

(59:15):
she's got a series called theSaints of Steel series.
The majority of her maincharacters are, I'd say, in
their thirties.
Nice, yeah, t Kingfisher islike.
She's got a really good kind ofdark humor, very pragmatic, and
she's got a really interestingworld building and like magic
and like lore system that Idon't feel came from anybody

(59:37):
else.
It feels very original to herworld.
I am like so, um, the nightthat I started talking to you
guys that same night it wasprobably like midnight, I think
I also found out that TKingfisher is going to be at
Dragon Con in Atlanta that I goto every year.
Oh, nice, I screamed so loud, Iwas so excited.

(59:58):
It's a good thing.
Kelly was working, but I stilltexted him at like midnight and
I was like oh, oh, my God, thishappened.
So, yes, t Kingfisher, highlyrecommend her stuff.

Annie (01:00:11):
I have been eyeing some of her work, but I haven't
picked any of it up yet, soyou're giving me inspiration
that I need, maybe after I getthrough all 700 of the Black
Dagger Brotherhood.

Mari (01:00:20):
Oh my, God, I think the 25th Black Dagger Brotherhood
book is coming out this year,like 23rd 25th, something like
that.
Yeah, Wow, I'm on book three,so incredible.

Annie (01:00:30):
I have a question because this bothers me sometimes when
I read books that are like 20years old.
Do they describe like theclothes a lot Are people wearing
, like peplum tops and likecapris?

Mari (01:00:38):
No, no Well you know it's not described a lot.
However, the vampires are veryMatrix.
It has a very Matrix vibe.
Everyone's wearing blackleather and I'm just like sure
you are Sure you're wearing yourblack leather in the middle of
this New York City summer.

Jonathan (01:00:55):
It worked for me.

Annie (01:00:57):
I mean, that sounds like every Motorcycle Club book as
well.
Yeah, it worked for.

Wesley Snipes.

Annie (01:01:03):
It did.
Yeah, it did as well.
Yeah, it worked for wesleysnipes.

Mari (01:01:05):
It did, yeah, it did.
I mean I guess you have to be avampire, half vampire, to pull
it off, because I'm just like no, no, that shit is peeling off
of you.

Annie (01:01:12):
No, well, their skin would burn the light, so I guess
they need to cover it withanother hair of skin.

Mari (01:01:19):
I don't know what is something people often get wrong
about you.

Louisa (01:01:24):
That we're successful, meaning, meaning, meaning, I
don't know.
Especially like in the DC area,I feel like we we run into a
lot of people who are like oh,you guys are really blowing up
because they see we have video acouple videos on Instagram that
go viral every once in a whileand like have like a decent

(01:01:45):
following comparatively, but uh,like I'm a dog walker yeah,
people are like we can't affordyou and I'm like, seriously,
just tell us we're cheap, don'tworry, we are very cheap.
Uh, we are not intimidating inthe slightest.
If anything, we're begging youto be our fan.

Annie (01:02:05):
Please like us buy tickets to our shows.

Louisa (01:02:07):
Yeah, I think that's the other thing is that we we do
have an internet presence and welove to make content and videos
and it's fun to connect withpeople all over the world and
stuff, but we really are liveperformers first and people
really do appreciate us evenmore after they come and see one
of our live shows.

(01:02:28):
That's kind of where we reallyblossom.
So I think people kind of maybeget wrong that we are just like
content creators yeah, contentcreators and it's like no, we're
actually really like realmusicians and we play gigs and
we go on tour and we would loveto see you live and meet you in
person, uh, and not just behinda screen there's like something

(01:02:51):
magical about live music oh yeahbuying music is is absolutely
fine.
Obviously buy music from theartist you like, but like going
to a show and listening to itlive and having that like shared
experience with other peoplewho are there who are also
enjoying it yes is its own magicyes, totally, whether, yeah,
whether you are the ones onstage or you are going, even

(01:03:11):
going to a show, just to be inthe crowd and feeling that
energy with people, you knowthat back and forth between the
audience and the performer, Imean, yeah, there's nothing, it
can't be replaced for sure.
So I think that's somethingpeople get wrong about us.

Annie (01:03:27):
Yeah, Great, it's the closest to magic in real life.
Yeah, outside of David Blaine.

Mari (01:03:34):
What's one piece of advice you'd like to pass along to
others?

That was poignant Silence yeah.

Annie (01:03:43):
Well done, poignant silence, I think.
For me the piece of advicethere's like a an old Ben fold
song called there's alwayssomeone cooler than you, which I
always really held on to, andit's like, yeah, somebody is
always going to be cool, or likelooking down their nose at you
but like fuck it.
Like, do what makes you happy,be yourself kind of follow,

(01:04:06):
follow what you are interestedin and that makes you live a
fulfilled and interesting life.
You know, you don't, you don'tneed to do something because,
like you think it's what otherpeople want you to do.
You know, march to the beat ofyour own drummer and you'll,
you'll only find joy from that,and you'll also find your
community and your people thatway too, I think.

Mari (01:04:26):
Yeah, hear, hear yeah.

Louisa (01:04:28):
I think for me and this is advice that I need to take
myself is worry about yourself,worry about what you're doing.
Maybe other people are findingsuccess earlier than you, or I
don't know.
Maybe you see them.
Maybe what you might considerselling out, or I don't know.

(01:04:49):
Just worry about yourself andremember that not all flowers
bloom at the same time, likeyour time is when your time is,
if success in in that way is thegoal.
But overall, just like worry,worry about yourself, don't
worry about what other peopleare doing and don't worry about
what other people are thinkingabout you.

(01:05:10):
And that's easier said thandone.
Certainly, yeah, jealousy ispart of the game, insecurity is
part of the game, but that'salso just means that there's
always something to work on andovercome, and it keeps things
interesting can I get more?

Annie (01:05:23):
more advice, cause I have more now, okay.
So I think, like people arealways going to, I actually
forgot the piece of advice thatI was going to give, so forget
that.
I've got another one.
I've got.
I've got knowledge of politicsdrop, okay.
So I read something this weekon Instagram I think an author

(01:05:44):
said it, but I don't know who itwas.
So this is very relevant.
But lately I've been strugglinga lot with being overwhelmed
because I have so many balls inthe air.
You know, you're juggling somany things constantly and this
concept that was brought up inthis post.
Yeah, there's so many balls.
The concept that was brought upin this particular post was
that some balls are glass andsome are plastic, and so, like,

(01:06:07):
you need to recognize thatsometimes balls are going to
drop.
Like, try to drop the plasticones first if you can, and
that's been something that'sreally been helping me out
mentally quite a bit.
But now I remember the otherpiece of advice, which is you
don't need to A you don't needto take advice from anybody.
You don't need to listen advicefrom anybody.
You don't need to listen toanybody, but don't listen or
take to heart feedback or liketalking shit from like somebody

(01:06:29):
that, like you, don't know orthat, like you, wouldn't care
about their opinion.
You know what I mean.
Like.
So we have people telling usonline all the time that, like
we're like fat ugly, no one'sgonna love us, whatever.
But like, but at the same time,like would I ever take advice
from this piece of shit?
Like, do I look at theirinstagram profile and think,
like wow, that's somebody thatlike is really inspirational?
No, so why would I?

(01:06:50):
Why would I put any stock intheir insults of me?
Like there's, you don't need to.

So that's the other piece there's a famous that
reminds me of a famous quote noteloquently.

Annie (01:06:58):
Yeah, no, there's some.

well, somebody said it eloquently once uh, theodore
roosevelt, the man in the arena,quote oh.
So and it's the credit belongedto the man who was actually in
the arena, whose face is marredby sweat and dust and blood, who
strives valiantly, who errs,who comes short again and again
because there is no effortwithout error and shortcoming,

(01:07:19):
and it goes on.
It's actually like heavily usedby Brene Brown, the concept
there is don't listen to thepeople in the cheap seats.
Look around, if you're going totake advice or direction or
criticism from somebody, theyshould be down in the shit with
you.

Louisa (01:07:36):
I love that.
That is a beautifulinspirational quote for us to
use when we post fairy spucking.
Yes, Well, the Spread thewisdom.
The fame and the glory belongto us as we fight in the arena
In our fighting leathers yeah.
Wearing sparkly rainbowjumpsuits and singing about

(01:08:01):
fairies doing it, you know.

Ashley (01:08:02):
Yeah, yeah.

Louisa (01:08:02):
No that's a great, that's a great, that's a great,
but also reminds me of the songhas been by william shatner.

Annie (01:08:09):
That's a worthwhile one to look up sometime.
Yeah, but people call him hasbeen, but like he's still out
there trying and like doing newthings, and that was 20 years
ago so all right.

Mari (01:08:21):
So where can people find you?
We are all over the internetwell, louisa's address mother's
maiden name.

Annie (01:08:31):
Yeah, so on instagram we are at grief cat party time
because grief cat was taken, soat grief cat party time.
We're also on tiktok as griefcat youtube.
Is grief cat on TikTok as GriefCat YouTube as Grief Cat,
spotify, apple Music everywhere.

Venmo.

Annie (01:08:47):
Venmo yeah, we do have a new album coming out.
We're going to have singlesdropping out, like I think
starting in June we're going tostart dropping some singles.
So it's going to be a prettyfun year and if you like Ferris
Buck and I think you'll like therest of the album as well, for
sure Exciting, yeah.
But yeah, come hang out with us, be our friend.
We're pretty responsive.

(01:09:09):
If you ever just send us a note, we'll always talk and say hi.

Mari (01:09:12):
They will.
And then I did my usual thingof like 50,000 balls in the air
and I was like, oh shit, I nevertexted them back.
I think it was like, oh shit, Inever texted them back.
I think it was like a week.
I'm ghosting you.
I'm so sorry.

Annie (01:09:28):
I'm real bad on TikTok yeah.

Mari (01:09:31):
I drop those all the time.
I'm so bad, so bad, all right.
Does anybody want to bringanything else?
Before I wrap it up?
This was so much fun, all right.
So that's going to wrap it up.
Thanks for listening to ofswords and soulmates.
Before we go, make sure tocheck the show notes, rate and
review us.
Subscribe to us on your podcastapp of choice.
It helps others to find us.

(01:09:52):
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(01:10:15):
chapter-by-chapter interactionon the Fable app at the Of
Swords and Soulmates book club,and we also have a Tome account
as of Swords and Soulmates.
Before we announce what we'llbe reading for the next episode,
we'd like to read a littlereview that someone left us on
Spotify.
This one was from Eloquent Museand, like I said before.
I've not been great aboutpulling these up.

(01:10:36):
I'm having issues pulling upthe whole image.
Can somebody Kelly Jonathan?

Ash read it.
It says love the part.
If you double click on it, itwill show what's hidden.

Mari (01:10:49):
Oh, you're just going to be tech support for me, Got it,
Got it Okay.
So love the part where Kellytalked about books on badass
women and minorities in history.
I haven't heard many any guysget excited about the hidden
stories of powerful historicwomen and no lie, I teared up at
work listening.
Also so many books to add fromeverybody on my TBR.
Happy New Year.

Happy New Year to you too.

Mari (01:11:09):
That tells you how old it was.
Yes, happy Beltane.
Okay, and last but not least,we hope you'll join us in two
weeks for our next episode, whenwe will be discussing Five
Broken Blades by Mai.

Cortland, I hope she kept the receipt.
Those blades are so cheapthey're just breaking.
That doesn't sound like abargain at all.
The dad jokes are not flappingtonight.
They're not hitting, not badyou.

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Griefcat - When songwriters dive into romantasy, magic happens

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Griefcat - When songwriters dive into romantasy, magic happens