November 10, 2023 • 43 mins
It's time for Stacy and Liz to hear Amy talk about The Blooded Labyrinth by S.J. Sanders. If we had a podcast bingo card, then referencing Sanders would get a guaranteed box.
This book first appeared in the first volume of the Monsters in Love Anthologies. It is also part of a universe of stories Sanders has been publishing. So yes, we’re going down a rabbit hole. And we’re taking you with us!
Books Mentioned:
- The Blooded Labyrinth by S.J. Sanders: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62193829-blooded-labyrinth
- The second volume of the Monsters in Love Anthology: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59604311-monsters-in-love-vol-1
- His Darkest Craving by Tiffany Roberts: https://www.authortiffanyroberts.com/thecursedones
- The Unicorn’s Mare by S.J. Sanders: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57474977-the-unicorn-s-mare
- Exodus 20:3 by Freydís Moon: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/755738c6-05f0-40d7-be2a-85873e7db586
- Forest of Spirits by S.J. Sanders: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53928501-forest-of-spirits
- Havoc of Souls by S.J. Sanders: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50875611-havoc-of-souls
- The Fall of the Orc by Finley Fenn: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197125145-the-fall-of-the-orc
- The Scarecrow's Queen by Naomi Lucas and Mel Braxton: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75278248-the-scarecrow-s-queen
Other Stuff Mentioned:
The Scream Queenz Podcast: https://www.screamqueenz.com/
Music is called "Undead Bride" by Pagefire https://soundcloud.com/nerdymetalhead202/undead-bride
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amy (00:01):
My book.
My story is actually from thefirst Monsters in Love
anthology, which was lost in theLabyrinth.
And
EJ (00:10):
Oh, that was a good one.
Such a good theme.
Amy (00:13):
Quite a few of the stories did deal with Minur.
There were not, there were somedifferent beings in there as
well.
Yeah.
Including other hornedcreatures, which I'll talk about
that later.
Anyways, so the one that I choseis Blooded Labyrinth by SG
Sanders.
Love it.
Woo.
And I am not, I, all of us arenot new to SJ Sanders.
(00:36):
She is a fan favorite on, onthis
Stacy (00:38):
podcast.
She's,
Amy (00:40):
If she's listening, I hope you realize how much we do love
your work.
Stacy (00:44):
Sj.
Oh, fuck yes.
Oh hell yeah.
Just how ent it.
I love a writer who lovesHalloween, and every October she
releases a couple of loveletters to Halloween, and it's
just Ugh, bless
EJ (00:55):
you.
Thank you.
Mhm.
Mhm.
Stacy (00:58):
And her offering for the latest Monsters in Love is
really fucking good.
I
Amy (01:04):
can't wait to read it.
No spoilers, Stacey.
Stacy (01:09):
It selkie.
Oh.
It turns out he's a Kelpie.
Sorry, I ruined that.
Oh, Kelpie.
EJ (01:14):
Whatever.
Anyway.
He's not a
Stacy (01:16):
Kelpie.
I'm kidding.
It's a callback to how I ruinedthe other story for her.
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
I'm still gonna read it anyway,
EJ (01:23):
Stacey, so it's not a big deal.
It's part of the journey.
Yes.
Anyway, bloodied labyrinth.
Stacy (01:28):
Bloodied, bloodied, not bloodied.
Sorry, bloodied.
Even though, yes, it isbloodied.
It is
EJ (01:33):
bloody in there.
No.
And this was something I feellike I kept on creating typos
whenever I'd be writing it.
Bloodied.
Stacy (01:40):
I don't know, bloodied labyrinth.
I'd read that.
It sounds like an alternatestory for Naomi Lucas's Minotaur
series that, Naomi, come on,man, you've only released two.
You've got three other brothers,or was it seven?
I think it's five brothers, butit might be seven.
Come on, Naomi I love thesnakes, I love the cyborgs, give
me some Minotaur dick.
Amy (02:01):
Basically, this is S.
G.
Sanders take on the originallabyrinth from Greek mythology
involving
Stacy (02:10):
Asarian,
Amy (02:13):
the Minotaur, because he actually had a name.
Despite what some myth,whatever, myth writers say, he
had a name, but Astarion, andit, you also get anyways,
Stacy (02:25):
he's the Minoan queen's son.
Yes.
With the what, the, somethingbull.
It's not the, it's not theStygian bull, it's the.
No, it's the, yeah.
It was a white bull.
The Parnassus bull?
It was a great white bull.
Yeah, it was a white bull.
Yeah.
It was I can't remember.
It was, it was a curse againstthe king.
Yeah.
EJ (02:41):
That's what it was.
That's the real point.
Amy (02:43):
Yes.
Yes.
A curse against the king, so hecursed his wife.
Yeah.
His
Stacy (02:47):
wife was cursed.
Was it Zeus turned himself intoa bull?
Or was it another god who justsent the belt bull and inspired
the lust?
It
Amy (02:54):
inspired the lust.
Yeah.
And then of course Daedalus
Stacy (02:57):
built the the cow armature.
Amy (03:01):
The queen could be there.
Pasiphae, excuse me.
Yes, Pasiphae is another.
Anyways in this labyrinth, it'sit's actually, what's funny
about this story is that it'salso part of a greater universe
that S.
J.
has created.
Stacy (03:17):
Yes, collided realms, or collided worlds.
Amy (03:19):
Collided worlds.
This The Dark It's called Thisone is part of the Dangerous
Monsters series, but it's a spinoff of the Dark Spirits world,
which, of course, is in theCollided Realms.
Stacy (03:31):
Which, it also spreads across cause she's also got the,
what is it, Demonica Dragos?
And those books are actuallypart they're spun off from this
as well, but they're like Xamount of generations into the
future after the world collided.
Amy (03:48):
I gotcha.
But it starts with the raveningthat happens in Havoc of Souls.
Basically where this, there wasa rip in time that brought this
other realm.
Yeah, it's like I said, collidedrealms, the realms clashed, and
yeah, and basically Asterion hasbeen in this labyrinth for
(04:10):
centuries.
Millennia.
It has been driving his hungerfor blood and, hunting and
whatnot.
So anyone who was foolish enoughto fall into the labyrinth, and
either, either those that werefoolish enough to get into the
labyrinth, or those that wereactually there to pursue him He
would go after them and whatnotcause that's just how it was.
Stacy (04:32):
But.
And the labyrinth itself hungersfor blood.
Amy (04:35):
Yes.
The labyrinth in this instanceis an entity unto itself.
It was not built by Daedalus.
This was just a realm itself,and I think because he, because
Astarion was cast into it, theLabyrinth chose to turn its back
on humanity, and that's when itwhy there's, why, yes, why it is
so dark and why it does, itlongs
Stacy (04:58):
for human, human's blood.
Because originally it could bebecause Ariadne would visit him,
right?
Yes.
Correct.
And it was safe for her to do soat that point.
Amy (05:06):
Yes.
But then she left with Theseus,and that was just great.
Stacy (05:11):
Yeah.
But anyways.
She did end up married toBacchus, so at least there was,
or not Bacchus Dionysus.
Yeah, Bacchus, Dionysus,
Amy (05:18):
Same.
Stacy (05:19):
Same dude, different
Amy (05:21):
aliases.
Pretty much.
But anyways, so we have our maincharacter, Vicky, who, Has been
living the life of a wanderer.
She's been wandering aroundtrying to, and shelter, and this
is a land that's overrun bymonsters and ever changing
forests, and so she's trying tofigure out what to
Stacy (05:41):
do next, and then and strangers aren't exactly
welcome.
Precisely.
Because of
Amy (05:46):
that.
Yes.
And she gets trapped in thelabyrinth, and When she first
enters, when she first fallsinto it, she's, like trying to
figure her way out, and then shehears a cluster of chatter from
satyrs, because a flock ofsatyrs has been trapped in the
labyrinth as well, and thesatyrs are even worse with their
(06:08):
hungers than Asterion
Stacy (06:10):
is, thank goodness.
Amy (06:11):
With one exception, but I'll talk about him later.
But anyways so Asterion ends upsaving her from the satyrs,
and...
But, it's not for one topossibly, slaking his bloodlust,
but perhaps some other
Stacy (06:25):
bloodlust.
But he's also lonely.
Yes, he is very
Amy (06:30):
lonely.
And he does long forcompanionship because he hasn't
had anyone to really talk to,aside from his sister.
Millennia ago.
And that was many centuries agothat she abandoned him, and so
basically it's just them bondingslowly but surely, but there is
that element of terror at firstbecause obviously he is very
(06:53):
fearsome and I love the coverthat she has for the book
itself.
Stacy (06:56):
But anyways.
For real.
Amy (06:58):
I'm not sure if I'm making myself clear
Stacy (07:00):
here, but it was, it's.
No, you're fine.
Amy (07:03):
But it ends up being that they have to get out of the
labyrinth because the labyrinthitself starts to crumble because
it wants
Stacy (07:12):
her blood.
Yeah.
It wants her dead.
And so even though.
And it's turning againstAstarian too.
Yes.
Because Astarian is standingbetween her and the labyrinth.
Amy (07:20):
Correct.
He has claimed her as his and islike saying.
It's it will accept theofferings that I give it, which
will, of course, be our fluid,our combined fluids once we're,
able to get Cardinal and allthat fun stuff.
Stacy (07:31):
Yeah.
But and the other thing, too, isshe can't leave his rooms.
Amy (07:34):
Yes, because there's a barrier set in place to where
only his blood can get throughthat barrier into the
EJ (07:41):
Labyrinth.
Yeah, and so as I recall, therest of the story is really them
like, how the hell do we get outof this labyrinth?
How do you fight the labyrinth?
And it trying, because it's in aAssyrian's brain is trying to
fight like, no, you are a bloodlusty individual, not just a
lusty individual, you're notgoing to abandon me.
(08:01):
And it, I think for me, where Iget both scared and horny is
they've got like this, sweetlittle place where they're
getting to know each other.
It's in the, this sanctuarywithin the labyrinth, just
outside of it.
It's waiting.
It's wanting
Stacy (08:17):
Yeah.
And it's the kind of thing toowhere like you're talking about
like it's this lovely sweetplace that they have, but you
can't live your whole life No.
In this.
Handful of rooms with a threatoutside the door.
Basically,
EJ (08:30):
Yeah, the threat is
Stacy (08:31):
all around you.
EJ (08:32):
Exactly.
So I want to hear Amy going intomy questions.
What was the first time.
Can you tell us about you knowyour first encounter with the
monsters in love?
anthology, that first volume.
Also, why did this story stickout?
Why does it merit yourattention?
Amy (08:54):
Okay, so the first time I was really excited to hear about
the Monsters in Love anthology.
And when I figured, when I heardthat it was going to be a series
of anthologies, that made meeven happier.
Because, hey, lots of differentmonster stories and lots of
different monsters to encounter.
Why not?
So I was just thrilled withthat.
(09:14):
So of course I pre ordered thisone.
This story in particular drew mebecause one, I love Greek
mythology.
I am a massive Greek mythologyfan.
And if there's one thing thatI've learned is I have figured
out how much of a monster loverI am is how much the monsters in
Greek mythology were takenadvantage of in a horrible way.
(09:39):
Oh, yeah.
And how they were never giventheir own.
Their own license or
EJ (09:46):
agency.
Stacy (09:47):
Agency, thank you.
Amy (09:49):
And to see that with Asteria, anytime that I see that
sort of thing, because PCCastdid it with Goddess of the Rose.
She also had Asterius, I believeis who she named.
But he was the original Minotauras well.
Anytime I see that kind of, Mythretelling, because, granted, the
most common mythologicalretelling we're going to hear
(10:11):
from Greek mythology is what,say it with me now, Hades and
Persephone.
Stacy (10:16):
Which, there's nothing wrong I love me a good Hades,
Persephone retelling.
Yeah,
EJ (10:20):
you're Lore Olympus fan over here.
I've got every single goddamnvolume
Stacy (10:27):
of the hard covers.
EJ (10:31):
Yeah, it's good stuff.
But yeah, it's, it is supercommon.
So whenever someone goes outsideof that, I admit the myth nerd
in me is okay.
Stacy (10:39):
And part of it too is it's like Hades and Persephone
is one of the only myths thathave a sort of happy ending.
Depending on how you skew it, ifyou look at anybody who
interacted with Zeus.
Tragedy.
Granted that the kids might goon to be heroes, but half of
those heroes had a tragic death,or were pricks, like when
Theseus abandoned Ariadne.
And And so Hades and Persephoneis the only one, especially
(11:01):
because if you look at it preHellenic, when the myth was that
Persephone ran away with Hadesthen, it really is a suite, and
it's, she has much more, don'tget me wrong, I love the dark,
like the abduction dragged downto the underworld, but there's
also, a beauty in someone, agirl being allowed to make her
own choice, even if the choiceis potentially a dangerous one.
(11:23):
And so I can
EJ (11:25):
see that.
That whole theme of, young womanbreaking free, choosing her own
path.
It speaks so hard to, I think,the female experience right now.
So
Stacy (11:38):
there was me, I saw not like years ago that it was a
it's like Persephone sitting ina cafe with Apollo or something
like that.
And the phone rings.
This is daddy.
And he goes, Oh, you still callyour dad, daddy.
And she answers it.
And she goes, Hey, Hades, what'sup, babe?
We're making like eye contact.
Yes, I
EJ (11:58):
love it.
Absolutely.
That's really
Amy (12:02):
the main thing.
I also
Stacy (12:04):
It's also the least rapey of the gods, oh yeah.
Definitely.
But
Amy (12:09):
When they choose to explore one of the monster myths, that,
that really gets to me.
Medusa has actually received afew retellings, basically, to
where she has
Stacy (12:20):
elaborated her story.
Yeah, just as for Medusa.
And I saw a really greatperspective that somebody had
where it was like, maybe Medusawasn't being cursed by Artemis.
Athena?
Maybe.
No, Athena.
Too many a names.
I know.
She wasn't being cursed byAthena, she was being protected
by Athena.
Oh yeah.
That isn't a concept there.
EJ (12:41):
Yeah.
Yeah, and I appreciate how inthe tattoo community to that's
her face has been taken on assomething that sometimes women
will get tattooed on them as asymbol of they are rape
survivor,
Stacy (12:57):
and they will that's because Friday.
In Greece the face of Medusa wasused as a place of basically a
safe place for women.
So like women who were fleeingsomething abusive, there were
temples that would put up theface of Medusa and women were
safe there.
I actually have a Medusa bathrelief on my wall.
(13:19):
It's one of the few wallhangings I had that survived the
fire.
I need
EJ (13:22):
to look that up.
That sounds like such aninteresting thing.
Yeah, there we go.
Oh yeah, she was.
Stacy (13:27):
Hell yeah.
Hell yeah, she was.
Amy (13:28):
I have seen some comics that go into they're short
comics that go into Medusa,just, Oh my goodness, just
trying to find a friend andwhatnot, and I'm like, oh,
Stacy (13:38):
I don't know who you Medusa is such a heartbreaking
story.
Yes.
She didn't do anything wrong.
Amy (13:44):
No, she didn't.
EJ (13:45):
I'm looking at some of my other questions, I'm like How
does this story fit in with thetheme of the anthology?
I'm like, it's a freakinglabyrinth.
It's about a labyrinth.
I feel so silly.
And we're already talking.
Everybody's in a labyrinth.
Yes, everyone is in a labyrinth.
It's one of the reasons Iactually love that anthology,
because it was a very specificsort of theme, and yet everyone
fucking delivered in a unique,artistic way.
(14:08):
I loved that.
Stacy (14:10):
And another thing that's really great about, especially
S.
J.
Sanders rendition is, in thehands of a lesser audience,
Writer, it could have just beenlike, Oh, we're in a labyrinth.
Oh, we got out.
We get to live happily everafter.
But she really put the researchinto it.
I love his visits from Ariadne.
Them doing, her teaching him thesteps to the crane dance.
She really invested in it.
(14:32):
Astarion is more than just amonster who needs to be saved by
a human.
EJ (14:37):
Once again, we had a internal, emotional journey,
both the female main characterand especially Asterion.
Asterion, I was so proud ofAsterion.
And
Stacy (14:47):
both of them, because both of them are dealing with
the theme of abandonment.
Yeah.
And the labyrinth has beenabandoned and it's driven the
labyrinth insane.
Asterion was able to hold on tohis sanity and what's Vicky?
Vicky, yeah.
Vicky was finally able to find asafe spot.
EJ (15:04):
Yeah, how beautiful is that?
What's from the outside is likea sexy thriller is like really a
story of I Thriving beyond thetrauma of abandonment.
Stacy (15:17):
Exactly.
Exactly.
Surviving your trauma.
You go on to be happy despiteit.
EJ (15:23):
Shit, this is one of the reasons why I love this book
world.
Amy (15:26):
Yeah.
It is weird because the mainantagonist really is the
Labyrinth itself, but you alsohave a tiny, teeny tiny
secondary antagonist, and I'mcalling him an antagonist
because he's not an enemy.
He's just antagonizing
Stacy (15:40):
our hero and heroine.
It's what they do.
That would be Barbassa.
That's
Amy (15:44):
true actually.
He is the leader of the satyrflock.
Now, the great thing aboutBarbassa is that he gets his
story in the third Monsters in
Stacy (15:57):
Love.
Yeah, I don't, I need that one.
Which S.
J.
has said she will be
Amy (16:01):
expanding it
Stacy (16:02):
and of course, God bless you S.
J.
Sanders.
For real.
And the other thing, too, that Ithought was interesting about
the Satyrs is the Satyrs weredangerous.
Vicky definitely couldn't bearound the Satyrs, but the
Satyrs themselves wanted out ofthe
EJ (16:15):
fucking labyrinth, too.
Oh, yeah.
And they were, there was somedark shit happening with the
Satyrs, because on one hand,you're scared of them.
On the other hand, one of thethings that makes them scary is
not that they themselves aredangerous, but because they are
being actively targeted anddestroyed by the labyrinth.
Such.
It is such a freaky detail,especially once I realized as a
(16:36):
reader, Oh, the labyrinth issentient.
Oh, it's driving these satyrsmad.
Once you had that layer, it was,that was fun.
I got freaked out.
I
Stacy (16:47):
loved that.
Because if you, yeah, the satyrswere scary in this book.
But the other thing too, is thatcause if you look at the origin
of the satyrs, satyrs are likepyramid head.
Where it's like, they are theultimate male.
There is no female psyche inthem.
They're always erect.
They're always looking to fuck.
And yeah, granted a satyr likesa good time, but a satyr's good
time might be at your expense.
(17:07):
Yeah.
And so that's something thatmakes them compelling, but it
also makes them fuckingterrifying.
You can also talk about the factthat Even though the Satyrs and
Astarion himself are monstersthey are potential, they have
tasted the flesh of man, they'realso victims.
They're not they don't possesstheir own agency, let alone the
(17:28):
agency of the female, so itdoesn't have to be just that.
The male has all of the power,the female has none of the
power, and the world is a bloodlabyrinth.
Nobody has power, and even thelabyrinth itself doesn't have
the power that it wants.
Amy (17:42):
Yeah.
Which is not the power that itused to have.
Stacy (17:45):
It can't bend Asterian to its will.
It can't seem to catch all ofthe Satyrs.
It can't seem to get to Vicky.
So really, it's about a bunch ofbeings that have no power trying
to escape from other beings thathave no power but want to take
what limited control you have
EJ (18:03):
away from you.
It feels like a bucket, like acrab bucket, yeah.
Allegory.
But a labyrinth.
Stacy (18:10):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Amy (18:11):
It started with Astarion being thrown into the labyrinth,
because obviously he waspurposefully thrown in there.
And I want to say that probablyeveryone else, at least those
that are, have survived, barelystumbled into the labyrinth.
And of course it just would notlet them go.
I don't know if there were othervictims that were thrown in
(18:32):
there, but anyways, like thesatyrs, they stumbled into the
labyrinth.
And, they just went bonkers safefor Barbasa and then Vicky
stumbled in there and it's just,
Stacy (18:44):
yeah,
Amy (18:44):
It all started with a starion being imprisoned
Stacy (18:48):
there, right for crimes for he of everyone in the
labyrinth.
He's the only true innocent.
Which is why
Amy (18:57):
it's getting sent there.
Stacy (18:59):
Favorite son.
EJ (19:01):
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Favorite son.
Yeah, because Yeah, it justlikes it.
Stacy (19:07):
And there's almost a The Labyrinth almost has a scorned
lover vibe.
They
EJ (19:11):
do.
Yeah, as far as, Uniqueness inthis genre, it is somehow S.
J.
Sanders gave some real life to aAn inanimate object.
A place, yeah.
A place, a thing.
And usually it's like VeraValentine who's doing it because
it's fun.
Because someone fucked the door.
(19:31):
And I would love that for her,by the way.
Oh, hell yes.
In this particular case, S.
J.
Sanders is yes, that, but let'smake it very serious.
Stacy (19:40):
Very
Amy (19:40):
serious and very scary.
Stacy (19:42):
Yes.
And it's one of those thingswhere it's the longer you think
about it, it's just is thelabyrinth like the mother
figure.
And so this is like literallythe mother of all.
Oh, yeah.
The labyrinth wishes.
That's To assume a human figureand wants to become like a lover
of a starion.
You know what I mean?
Like you could really.
Oh, man.
Or shit, maybe it's bull.
(20:02):
Maybe it's some kind of fuckedup like the mother lover kind of
thing that astarion is mine.
Astarion has always been mine.
And then this interloper comesin and is trying to take my son
slash love from me.
Oh, crap.
EJ (20:14):
Yeah.
That makes perfect sense.
I want SJ Sanders to give somethoughts on this I feel like we
just came across like a lightbulb moment, but I want to hear
from her are we anywhere close?
Stacy (20:26):
That's right.
But the other thing too, is it'sso the labyrinth loves Asterion,
but the labyrinth has Asteriontrapped.
The labyrinth thinks thateverything is perfect, and a
starian has been fooled intothinking that everything is as
it should be, never knowing.
It's like a baby who's been kepttrapped in an attic their entire
(20:47):
life.
They don't understand thatthere's a whole fucking world
out there full of experiencesand pleasures and pains that,
they have
EJ (20:56):
no, no
Stacy (20:57):
notion of.
And granted this like womb likeexistence that the labyrinth has
him trapped in is thecomfortable one for him.
But at the same time, it's stilla place of
EJ (21:07):
denial and it's still huge.
Stacy (21:10):
It's a cage.
Yeah cages.
So if granted the labyrinthloves a staring on but it's a
selfish possessive destructivelove, because it doesn't care
what a staring on wants.
EJ (21:22):
It cares what it wants.
And that's
Stacy (21:24):
the only thing.
It's interested in filling
EJ (21:26):
the niche for and this is so like heavy actually makes sense
because as I'm thinking of thecover for the blooded labyrinth
it is I wonder if they got thesame illustrator to do the
blooded labyrinths book as themonsters and love anthology
series because the art stylesare very much the same if not
the same it's definitely
Stacy (21:46):
possible it would not surprise me if well good and
she's because she's done otherbooks That have a, cause the
Toadstools and Vampire Kisseshas a similar cover, and so does
the Frog Prince, and I know thatthere are others.
I'm not sure if the secondDerwent Witches cover is like
(22:08):
that or not, but she has a bunchthat are that sort of 3D
rendered.
Dragon
Amy (22:12):
Treasure is that way, isn't it?
Stacy (22:14):
No, Dragon's Treasure, it's an Italian artist.
It's the same guy that did thecover of the first with Charlie
and...
Darville.
The first Darville
EJ (22:23):
Tarongal.
I'm going to ask you oneparticular question that is just
for this book, and then I'mgoing to expand it a little bit
more.
Emmy, if you had the opportunityto discuss The Blooded Labyrinth
with S.
J.
Sanders?
What would you like to ask her?
Stacy (22:42):
Ooh, that's a tough question,
Amy (22:45):
because I would ask her
Stacy (22:46):
a lot of
EJ (22:47):
questions.
I'm over here I could have askedAshley Bennett many other
questions.
My number one question is like,what are the dark shit you got
in your brain there?
Amy (22:56):
My thing is, I would actually want to know what other
areas in mythology she wouldlike to explore monster wise,
because Greek mythology is fullof...
EJ (23:08):
The possibilities many
Amy (23:10):
different monsters.
Yeah, I've been in a kid and
Stacy (23:12):
that we're very
EJ (23:12):
busy.
Oh, yeah.
Stacy (23:14):
It's yeah, there's a reason why she's called the
mother of monsters, but it'sjust you literally have
generations of culture.
EJ (23:21):
But yeah, she's, the point is, there's a whole freaking
huge world, if you even wantedto stay in the Greek world I
know she, Because, she hasdabbled with orcs and goblins, I
would also be absolutely finewith her going into further
north in Europe.
So many options.
Stacy (23:40):
Yeah, but the cool thing is she doesn't stick with just
one pantheon, because the firstthing I ever read by her was the
first...
Dark Spirits book, which isHavoc of Souls.
And that's Etruscan.
Perfect.
And that's Etruscan.
And she went into the Etruscanunderworld because the main
(24:03):
character, the main malecharacter, him, he is the
gatekeeper, he's the lanternkeeper, who is the keeper of the
gate into the underworld.
So he's not Hades, he's moreCharon.
The ferryman in the mythology.
And so he's weighed against thelantern light.
And if you're like, if yourlight is pure, you pass into the
underworld.
If your light is dark, you'resucked into the lantern,
(24:24):
basically.
And they and there are thesecreatures from the Etruscan
underworld.
It starts with W, I can'tremember the word now, and they
are, they were essentially likeeaters of the dead.
Like they were carrion eaters, Ithink is what it was, and they
served a necessary purpose, butthey escaped from the underworld
(24:44):
and went insane in our world,basically, and started stealing
the bodies of people and pushingtheir souls out, and that was
how they figured was their waythat they could stay in our
world.
And that's what started thewhole downfall with the that
(25:05):
leads into what we have in theBlooded Labyrinth and all of
that.
So you have multiple pantheonsthat are touched on.
Because in Matchsticks, which isone of her retold fairy tales,
that is also in this world, andit was actually, I have to give
her credit because Apollo islike my least favorite god.
Apollo and Zeus are like neckand neck for who I think is the
(25:26):
rapiest.
That's fair.
That's fair.
Apollo is actually a veryinteresting character in
Matchsticks, who is guiding thestory, and he doesn't end up
raping anybody that we're awareof in the story.
And Aquilos the god of the northwinds, is like a servant of
Apollo's, basically.
(25:48):
And she's, basically, it'swhatever catches her attention,
like, all worlds are welcomehere, basically is the...
The rundown and there wassomething about I know at one
point there was.
I think in the second book, theLocomo, who were essentially
like, I call them forest lords,because that's what Tiffany
(26:11):
Roberts called it, the samething in His Darkest Kiss, or
His Darkest Graving where it'sthe, they're like satyrs, but
they have the elf branches, soSir Nudos, in Celtic mythology
kind of thing, and I believe theLocomo are part of Artemis, or
under Artemis Thanks forwatching.
I'll see you next time.
EJ (26:30):
watch.
Oh yeah.
If I'm remembering correctly.
And like I had been, I've beenslowly getting more and more
into Pennsylvania, Dutchfolklore.
And there is also a, yeah, thereis actually a character just
like that that's just like thegreen men who are essentially
Stacy (26:45):
like the green men covered the green man.
EJ (26:47):
Yeah.
The, I love because
Stacy (26:48):
that's what Cruz is in.
Tiffany Roberts is, and that'sanother great Halloween read if
anybody's looking for one.
Is his darkest cravingdefinitely a good book?
EJ (26:56):
Oh yeah.
The, oh, that's
Stacy (26:57):
such a good book.
They're working on the secondone.
Yeah.
Cover looks awesome.
It's gonna be a goblin.
EJ (27:04):
Yes.
I love the Pennsylvania Dutchword for it.
I gotta just share it with you.
Yeah.
He's called a bush mops.
Of
Stacy (27:12):
Bushmops?
Yeah! With an S?
I like that.
Bushmops.
I'm
EJ (27:15):
dead serious! I'm like, that sounds so cute! And, yeah.
And It's a cute name for
Stacy (27:22):
such
Amy (27:22):
a possibly
Stacy (27:22):
deadly being.
Oh, yeah.
I was gonna say, right?
Super cute as he's banging yourknees into the ground
EJ (27:27):
by your ears.
Pretty much.
Every single time you getBushmops in, There's like
serious shit that's about tohappen.
Shit that's gonna
Stacy (27:37):
arrive.
EJ (27:37):
Most powerful Fae has arrived.
You be afraid.
Stacy (27:42):
That's the cool thing about Cruz in the Tiffany
Roberts story.
He fucking, he's under a curseand he fucking eats a bunch of
hunters and it's like, allright, that happened.
Amy (27:52):
That regard, though, for questions, I would be curious to
know what other pantheon shewould want to
Stacy (27:58):
explore.
Oh, that's a good question.
She dabbles in vampires, we gotdragons, we got, it's really
whatever is thrown at the walland sticks is basically, and I
love that.
Amy (28:09):
unicorn.
She has a unicorn.
Stacy (28:10):
Yep.
The unicorn's mare.
Yep.
Yeah.
It's really good.
EJ (28:14):
I do have at least one more question for you, Aimee, and
that is in relation to theanthology at large.
Beside, so in that volume one ofMonsters and Lepisides Blooded
Labyrinth, would you have anyother favorite stories?
Certainly.
I
Amy (28:31):
actually just brought this up on StoryGraph because I need,
I have my, I have to have mylist.
All right, so in Lost in theLabyrinth, I, there were two
others that really stood out tome among my little cluster of
stories.
The first one is actually myfirst foray into Cleo Evans
(28:54):
writing, and that would be
Stacy (28:55):
Curse of the Cyclops.
Oh, that was a good one.
I read that one.
Which one?
That one was great.
It was
Amy (29:01):
all I don't think I read that one.
Stacey, if, Stacey, if youdon't, if you got Lost in the
Labyrinth, right?
The first one?
Yeah.
Yeah.
It was the second story.
It was the second story.
But the great thing about Curseof the Cyclops is that one,
There's actually two main malecharacters who are also involved
together.
They're both Cyclopses.
(29:21):
And the labyrinth that they'retrapped in is a library.
EJ (29:26):
Oh, that's cool.
Stacy (29:27):
Yup.
Yeah! At least she wouldn't bebored.
For real.
What would the plural of Cyclopsbe?
Cyclopides?
Amy (29:36):
I don't know, I think Cyclopsies?
Stacy (29:39):
Cyclopsies?
Oh, that makes sense.
Cyclopsies.
I think that's what it is.
I know the plural of clitoris isclitorides,
Amy (29:46):
ha! Anyways, what this story is they actually have to
confront their monstrous side inorder to finally escape the
labyrinth.
And also, of course, have theirfemale be confronted by said...
Monstrous side.
Yeah, but yeah.
Stacy (30:07):
They do transform into much bigger
EJ (30:11):
Cyclops.
Yeah, they have a sort of BruceBanner moment.
Because they're like sweet nerdsand they're like, but, you
would, yeah, they have a kindof, you would like me when I'm
angry.
Amy (30:28):
But anyways so yeah, that was my first foray into Cleo
Evans writing and I'm like, thisis an author I should give a
chance to and I did.
Stacy (30:36):
I did this year.
I'm sure I've read stuff by herbecause I definitely recognize
her name.
Amy (30:40):
Oh and Demons was great.
But anyways, moving on.
We're going to talk about thatlater, much, much later.
Whenever you guys finally readit or not because it is.
Stacy (30:48):
It's R E H, yeah, it's a reverse harem.
It's more of a polycule.
Yeah, but I don't like polyculeseither.
Amy (30:55):
I know, Stacey.
Anyways.
Stacy (30:57):
Anyways.
Anyway! I can hang the triad asfar as I can go.
Yes.
That's fair.
Amy (31:04):
Stalking Temera by Nova Blake was another great one, and
that one also features a satyr.
EJ (31:12):
Ooh, yummy.
Yeah!
Stacy (31:14):
With a
Amy (31:15):
morning
Stacy (31:15):
star of all things perhaps.
With a morning star?
Like a as in a mace?
Amy (31:20):
But that was a really good one too.
So I recommend that one because,yeah, the title really belies
the story.
I'm like, yes, yeah, it's prettymuch an overt yes, he is.
ish stalking her, but more orless that's mostly because he's
Oh, have the humans come tochallenge me again?
No, it's a woman.
Cool.
Let's
Stacy (31:39):
do this.
Oh, I got it.
I got it.
I got a different stick for you.
Yeah, pretty much.
Pretty much.
Yes.
But he has to save her, ofcourse, because she's stumped.
Amy (31:49):
The thing is, this labyrinth is actually on the
compound of A wellness camp,which
Stacy (31:56):
she's at with her work group or whatever.
Okay, that
Amy (31:59):
whole area.
Stacy (32:04):
Yeah, I'm just like, this is bizarre.
She just hauls it.
Thinking you're going to bedoing some shitty ropes course
thing on building trust, andinstead you're being chased
around by a satyr with Hedoesn't chase her.
Amy (32:12):
He actually ends up saving her from something that was in
the labyrinth, but yes, it wasgreat.
I wish I remembered his name andher na her name is Tamara.
Stacy (32:20):
But I don't remember his name.
I'm like, what the frig is yourname, dude was it Woody?
No.
It should have been.
Was it Hezekiah?
Nope.
Sorry.
No Hezekiah.
Huck.
When in doubt, drive it into theground.
Amy (32:36):
Kavi, either Kavi or Kavi, it's spelled K A V I.
Stacy (32:42):
I'd say Kavi.
I would say copy.
Sounds cute.
I like it.
No, that's volume two.
Where the fuck is volume
EJ (32:48):
one,
Stacy (32:49):
Please say you have volume one.
Oh, God, yes, I do.
Okay.
Okay, wait, I'm seeing two withthe same
EJ (32:55):
volume one, Lost in the Labyrinth, and what the hell is
Stacy (32:58):
that one?
Monsters in Love.
Wicked Tales and Monsters EverAfters.
Curse of the Cyclops is also inthat one.
EJ (33:07):
Gotcha.
Stacy (33:08):
S.
J.
Sanders.
Ashley Bennett.
Evangeline Priest.
Nova Blake.
Oh yeah, this was for a no killanimal shelter organization.
Was this just a spin off of thefirst one?
Or...
Amy (33:23):
Hmmmm...
The Wicked...
Cause it's not
Stacy (33:25):
book two.
No...
The Wicked Tales and MonstersEver Afters, was that just a
spin off of the first one?
I don't think so
Amy (33:33):
I...
That's the thing, I'm not surewhat that one was.
Because there's stuff, there'soriginal stuff in there that was
not released in previous ones,but then there's also Yeah,
because
Stacy (33:41):
This is a full I must not have read this one, because
there's a CM Naskovstein herethat I know I haven't read yet.
I must have just gotten thisone, and Mastered by the
Gladiator by L.
B.
Lane, I haven't read that.
The monsters mistaken bride.
There's another Cleo.
That's the curse.
That's the one that curse of theCyclops is in.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm trying to see if there's anyVera Valentine, Eden Ember,
(34:05):
Katie,
EJ (34:05):
who's hit or miss for me, but whatever.
YD LaMere, Cassie
Stacy (34:09):
Alexander, trying to see a Carol Wilde, Ashley Bennett, a
Briar Glen Halloween.
EJ (34:19):
I don't know what
Stacy (34:20):
Devil's Night is, but that sounds fun.
Krista Luna.
Of course.
Angeline Graves, The Stone andthe Star.
Yeah, I must not have read thisone.
I read the first one because Iread The Blooded Labyrinth, but,
let's see, and what the hellstory am I on here?
Apparently I stopped in themiddle of a story too.
I
EJ (34:39):
hate when I do that.
Fallen, Fall Harvest.
Stacy (34:44):
Damn.
Isabelle Du Nord.
I need to put the stories that Ilike best in the first.
Isabelle Dufresne.
Isabelle So this is another D.
J.
Holmes story that I apparentlystopped in the middle of,
Belfry.
Ah yes,
Amy (34:54):
Belfry was pretty good, I liked that one.
Stacy (34:56):
I liked that one on the list.
I need to come back and
EJ (34:59):
really go through this again.
Finding Her Minotaur.
Not, who's that by?
Stacy (35:07):
Shit, this one doesn't have the, in the...
That one is Evangeline Priest.
Yep.
Okay, Evangeline
EJ (35:11):
Priest.
Dark Heart is by Vivian Hart.
Stacy (35:16):
Thank you for skipping back to the cover, which isn't
what I wanted
EJ (35:19):
you to do, you dickbag.
Stacy (35:22):
The Den is by...
EJ (35:25):
Atlas Rose.
Yeah, I had to skip that one.
Not for you.
No, not
Stacy (35:30):
for me.
I think I've read some AtlasRose and I liked it, but I can't
think of anything.
Blooded Labyrinth,
EJ (35:35):
I definitely read that one.
I read dispelled bruise.
I don't think so.
That doesn't sound familiar.
No, because it's for her hair.
Stacy (35:42):
I'm sure this makes for
EJ (35:43):
fucking great listening.
The beautiful thing, once again,about not doing it live is that
we can edit later.
Stacy (35:52):
That's true.
Yeah.
Stalking Tamara is in that.
So I definitely need to readthat.
My Veiled Pursuer by OpalFairchild.
In the
Amy (35:59):
second one, there's Another one that takes place in that
same world, which I at first gotconfused by.
I'm like, wait a minute.
Is this the same?
No, it's not the same story.
It's a different story.
Stacy (36:09):
Okay, cool.
Which one?
In which one?
Amy (36:12):
Oh, in, in Lost in the Dark, there was another one by
Nova Blake that took place inthe same wellness
Stacy (36:17):
camp.
Oh gotcha.
Because I think I have Lost
EJ (36:20):
in the Dark too, where was the one I was on?
Stacy (36:24):
Fuck, what was the one that I was Belfry, right?
That's the one that
Amy (36:28):
Yeah, that one was I thought that one
Stacy (36:30):
was great, too.
Okay, I'm gonna stay on that onethen so I can come back and read
that,
EJ (36:34):
because Yeah, Belfry was fun.
I actually Unsurprisingly, wehave There is a Venn diagram of
all of us liking certain books,quite a Venn diagram.
I love it.
I like to think it's because wejust have really good taste.
We do.
Amy (36:55):
Yeah, the last time I read five that really stuck out to me
and Yeah, Blooded Labyrinth was,of course, number one, really.
EJ (37:03):
Oh, yeah.
That one, I was super glad
Stacy (37:05):
that SJ did a standalone of that.
In fact,
EJ (37:08):
I will say too, I think it's worth mentioning that when we
were, like, hashing out onDiscord which
Stacy (37:14):
books we were going to do, Blooded Labyrinth ended up
on Everyone's
EJ (37:19):
list.
Yeah.
Blood Labyrinth is really good.
Amy (37:22):
I'm really looking forward to after reading Satyr's Wood.
and figuring out who anadditional side character that
was not revealed in there butdefinitely was present in some
regard that one is going toprobably feature in her story in
the fifth anthology which isLost in the Fire.
Stacy (37:44):
Is that the one with the orc?
No.
Which, there was one that we, Iwas just, we were just talking
about a couple days ago and Iwas like, oh shit, he was the
secondary character in Forest ofSpirits.
Amy (37:58):
No.
No, the one you're thinking ofis the troll the Carnival of
Monsters.
That one's coming out this yearseparately.
Yes.
Gotcha,
Stacy (38:05):
gotcha.
I can't wait for
Amy (38:05):
that.
I actually put Forest of Spiritson my, I actually specifically
asked a friend of mine to get methat one because I asked her
what she wanted for her birthdaybecause her birthday is a week
exactly after mine, and shewants Exodus 20, colon, 3.
With an actual biblical accurateangel.
Stacy (38:25):
Oh, creepy.
I love it.
Very creepy.
I read a book.
There's a book.
I can't remember the author offto find it.
She has really short, verysteamy, like holiday shorts and
she didn't for Valentine's Day.
And he was half cupid, halfbiblically accurate angel.
And he turned into his angelicside and it was the full thing
with the wings
EJ (38:43):
with eyes and it was pretty cool.
Stacy (38:46):
Also,
Amy (38:47):
I don't think this is the right edition.
Where's the one that she'slooking at?
Ah, here we go.
Okay, let me send you guys alink, because this is the cover
that she wants, and I'mdefinitely getting her the cover
she wants.
Yeah.
I would never deprive her.
It's on story graph, so youshould be able to see
Stacy (39:04):
it.
Hang on
EJ (39:04):
just a second.
I'm trying to look something up.
Just super quick.
My, oh,
Stacy (39:09):
that's hot,
EJ (39:10):
isn't it though?
What am I looking for?
God dammit.
Where's it at?
I loved that combo.
Religious eroticism and queeremancipation.
Amy (39:20):
Yes.
EJ (39:20):
I found it.
Okay.
Oh, that is so
Stacy (39:24):
cool.
Oh, that is really beautiful.
Oh, yeah.
That that cover is
EJ (39:29):
gorgeous art.
Yeah, don't worry.
I'm, I'll put it in the shownotes.
So listeners don't have to belike, What's so pretty?!
Amy (39:39):
So yes, that's what I'll be getting my friend for her
birthday, which is a week aftermine.
And she's going to be getting meForest of Spirits by S.
J.
Sanders because I need it in mylife.
Stacy (39:49):
That's a good that's a really
EJ (39:51):
good book
Stacy (39:51):
and he's a very interesting character in, he's a
secondary character in Karos'sstory in the first book.
In Havoc of Souls?
Yep.
He is he is they're the entitiesin these are all on their own
side, but he is a sometimes allyof Karos.
Interesting.
That should be a possible lead.
(40:11):
Yeah.
Interesting.
It's really interesting becauseyou see one side of him in the
first book, and then you see whohe truly is in the second book,
and it's an entirely differentanimal.
See, this is why I want tofinish this into the villain,
Amy (40:28):
so I can read The Fall of the Orc,
Stacy (40:30):
and then I can read Havoc of Souls.
October is
Amy (40:34):
really a distracting month for
Stacy (40:36):
me.
October for me is almostHalloween's month.
Because I'm currently readingthe latest Naomi, Lucas, Mel
Braxton, the Scarecrow one.
Yeah.
Yes, it's really hot.
EJ (40:49):
I'm
Stacy (40:49):
like three, I think I'm like a third of the way into it
now.
And then I know SJ Sanders has acouple of books planned that
she's going to release thismonth that it's just no,
EJ (40:58):
I'm reading those.
Thank you and good day.
I think one of the things Ireally love about the direction
we decided to go with theanthology stuff is Ashley
Bennett, SJ Sanders.
And I assume we will be talkingabout Alexis B.
Osborne.
These are all really fuckinggood authors.
I've been appreciating how it'sjust been one big simp fest so
(41:22):
far.
Fuck yeah.
For
Stacy (41:23):
all of these authors.
I just don't see unless we'regonna get mean, which we're not.
I don't much see the point inreading, you're talking about
stories that nobody enjoyed,basically.
EJ (41:35):
There are other podcasts that can do that.
We're here to talk about how welove stuff.
We're
Stacy (41:42):
talking up stuff rather than talking down stuff.
Yeah.
Because like my friend Patrickhas, he has a very popular movie
review podcast called ScreamQueens with Z.
And he's gay, so it's a lot ofthrough the gay perspective and
stuff like that.
And Patrick can go bitch likenobody else.
Patrick has a fucking skill whenit comes to eviscerating people,
(42:02):
because Patrick was also bornand raised in New York City.
And he likes to have me andCindy on to watch something
horrible.
Because he thinks it's funnywhen we start foaming at the
mouth, basically.
And, mercifully, the last moviehe had us on for was good, but
the previous three have beenshitshows.
(42:25):
Oh dear.
And part of it is because hispatrons get to vote.
Okay.
And the patrons are gonna chooseviolence every fucking time, the
little bastards.
Of course they will.
Of course they will.
And, which I can't blame them.
I'd do the same damn thing if Iwas in their position.
So there is, it can be fun tojust like rage flip a table and
scream about something that youhated.
(42:47):
But at the same time with amovie is different than a book
because a movie you're out what,an hour and a half, maybe two?
Yeah.
A book you can be out like asignificant chunk of time.
EJ (42:58):
A movie.
So yeah.
Yep.
I am.
And I'm certainly not immune toit.
I've I could go on.
I won't.
Instead I will be like let'swrap this section up and I, and
rev up Stacy to talk about herchoice.
Yeah.
After I take a bathroom
Stacy (43:17):
break.
My book.
My story is actually from thefirst Monsters in Love
anthology, which was lost in theLabyrinth.
And
EJ (00:10):
Oh, that was a good one.
Such a good theme.
Amy (00:13):
Quite a few of the stories did deal with Minur.
There were not, there were somedifferent beings in there as
well.
Yeah.
Including other hornedcreatures, which I'll talk about
that later.
Anyways, so the one that I choseis Blooded Labyrinth by SG
Sanders.
Love it.
Woo.
And I am not, I, all of us arenot new to SJ Sanders.
(00:36):
She is a fan favorite on, onthis
Stacy (00:38):
podcast.
She's,
Amy (00:40):
If she's listening, I hope you realize how much we do love
your work.
Stacy (00:44):
Sj.
Oh, fuck yes.
Oh hell yeah.
Just how ent it.
I love a writer who lovesHalloween, and every October she
releases a couple of loveletters to Halloween, and it's
just Ugh, bless
EJ (00:55):
you.
Thank you.
Mhm.
Mhm.
Stacy (00:58):
And her offering for the latest Monsters in Love is
really fucking good.
I
Amy (01:04):
can't wait to read it.
No spoilers, Stacey.
Stacy (01:09):
It selkie.
Oh.
It turns out he's a Kelpie.
Sorry, I ruined that.
Oh, Kelpie.
EJ (01:14):
Whatever.
Anyway.
He's not a
Stacy (01:16):
Kelpie.
I'm kidding.
It's a callback to how I ruinedthe other story for her.
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
I'm still gonna read it anyway,
EJ (01:23):
Stacey, so it's not a big deal.
It's part of the journey.
Yes.
Anyway, bloodied labyrinth.
Stacy (01:28):
Bloodied, bloodied, not bloodied.
Sorry, bloodied.
Even though, yes, it isbloodied.
It is
EJ (01:33):
bloody in there.
No.
And this was something I feellike I kept on creating typos
whenever I'd be writing it.
Bloodied.
Stacy (01:40):
I don't know, bloodied labyrinth.
I'd read that.
It sounds like an alternatestory for Naomi Lucas's Minotaur
series that, Naomi, come on,man, you've only released two.
You've got three other brothers,or was it seven?
I think it's five brothers, butit might be seven.
Come on, Naomi I love thesnakes, I love the cyborgs, give
me some Minotaur dick.
Amy (02:01):
Basically, this is S.
G.
Sanders take on the originallabyrinth from Greek mythology
involving
Stacy (02:10):
Asarian,
Amy (02:13):
the Minotaur, because he actually had a name.
Despite what some myth,whatever, myth writers say, he
had a name, but Astarion, andit, you also get anyways,
Stacy (02:25):
he's the Minoan queen's son.
Yes.
With the what, the, somethingbull.
It's not the, it's not theStygian bull, it's the.
No, it's the, yeah.
It was a white bull.
The Parnassus bull?
It was a great white bull.
Yeah, it was a white bull.
Yeah.
It was I can't remember.
It was, it was a curse againstthe king.
Yeah.
EJ (02:41):
That's what it was.
That's the real point.
Amy (02:43):
Yes.
Yes.
A curse against the king, so hecursed his wife.
Yeah.
His
Stacy (02:47):
wife was cursed.
Was it Zeus turned himself intoa bull?
Or was it another god who justsent the belt bull and inspired
the lust?
It
Amy (02:54):
inspired the lust.
Yeah.
And then of course Daedalus
Stacy (02:57):
built the the cow armature.
Amy (03:01):
The queen could be there.
Pasiphae, excuse me.
Yes, Pasiphae is another.
Anyways in this labyrinth, it'sit's actually, what's funny
about this story is that it'salso part of a greater universe
that S.
J.
has created.
Stacy (03:17):
Yes, collided realms, or collided worlds.
Amy (03:19):
Collided worlds.
This The Dark It's called Thisone is part of the Dangerous
Monsters series, but it's a spinoff of the Dark Spirits world,
which, of course, is in theCollided Realms.
Stacy (03:31):
Which, it also spreads across cause she's also got the,
what is it, Demonica Dragos?
And those books are actuallypart they're spun off from this
as well, but they're like Xamount of generations into the
future after the world collided.
Amy (03:48):
I gotcha.
But it starts with the raveningthat happens in Havoc of Souls.
Basically where this, there wasa rip in time that brought this
other realm.
Yeah, it's like I said, collidedrealms, the realms clashed, and
yeah, and basically Asterion hasbeen in this labyrinth for
(04:10):
centuries.
Millennia.
It has been driving his hungerfor blood and, hunting and
whatnot.
So anyone who was foolish enoughto fall into the labyrinth, and
either, either those that werefoolish enough to get into the
labyrinth, or those that wereactually there to pursue him He
would go after them and whatnotcause that's just how it was.
Stacy (04:32):
But.
And the labyrinth itself hungersfor blood.
Amy (04:35):
Yes.
The labyrinth in this instanceis an entity unto itself.
It was not built by Daedalus.
This was just a realm itself,and I think because he, because
Astarion was cast into it, theLabyrinth chose to turn its back
on humanity, and that's when itwhy there's, why, yes, why it is
so dark and why it does, itlongs
Stacy (04:58):
for human, human's blood.
Because originally it could bebecause Ariadne would visit him,
right?
Yes.
Correct.
And it was safe for her to do soat that point.
Amy (05:06):
Yes.
But then she left with Theseus,and that was just great.
Stacy (05:11):
Yeah.
But anyways.
She did end up married toBacchus, so at least there was,
or not Bacchus Dionysus.
Yeah, Bacchus, Dionysus,
Amy (05:18):
Same.
Stacy (05:19):
Same dude, different
Amy (05:21):
aliases.
Pretty much.
But anyways, so we have our maincharacter, Vicky, who, Has been
living the life of a wanderer.
She's been wandering aroundtrying to, and shelter, and this
is a land that's overrun bymonsters and ever changing
forests, and so she's trying tofigure out what to
Stacy (05:41):
do next, and then and strangers aren't exactly
welcome.
Precisely.
Because of
Amy (05:46):
that.
Yes.
And she gets trapped in thelabyrinth, and When she first
enters, when she first fallsinto it, she's, like trying to
figure her way out, and then shehears a cluster of chatter from
satyrs, because a flock ofsatyrs has been trapped in the
labyrinth as well, and thesatyrs are even worse with their
(06:08):
hungers than Asterion
Stacy (06:10):
is, thank goodness.
Amy (06:11):
With one exception, but I'll talk about him later.
But anyways so Asterion ends upsaving her from the satyrs,
and...
But, it's not for one topossibly, slaking his bloodlust,
but perhaps some other
Stacy (06:25):
bloodlust.
But he's also lonely.
Yes, he is very
Amy (06:30):
lonely.
And he does long forcompanionship because he hasn't
had anyone to really talk to,aside from his sister.
Millennia ago.
And that was many centuries agothat she abandoned him, and so
basically it's just them bondingslowly but surely, but there is
that element of terror at firstbecause obviously he is very
(06:53):
fearsome and I love the coverthat she has for the book
itself.
Stacy (06:56):
But anyways.
For real.
Amy (06:58):
I'm not sure if I'm making myself clear
Stacy (07:00):
here, but it was, it's.
No, you're fine.
Amy (07:03):
But it ends up being that they have to get out of the
labyrinth because the labyrinthitself starts to crumble because
it wants
Stacy (07:12):
her blood.
Yeah.
It wants her dead.
And so even though.
And it's turning againstAstarian too.
Yes.
Because Astarian is standingbetween her and the labyrinth.
Amy (07:20):
Correct.
He has claimed her as his and islike saying.
It's it will accept theofferings that I give it, which
will, of course, be our fluid,our combined fluids once we're,
able to get Cardinal and allthat fun stuff.
Stacy (07:31):
Yeah.
But and the other thing, too, isshe can't leave his rooms.
Amy (07:34):
Yes, because there's a barrier set in place to where
only his blood can get throughthat barrier into the
EJ (07:41):
Labyrinth.
Yeah, and so as I recall, therest of the story is really them
like, how the hell do we get outof this labyrinth?
How do you fight the labyrinth?
And it trying, because it's in aAssyrian's brain is trying to
fight like, no, you are a bloodlusty individual, not just a
lusty individual, you're notgoing to abandon me.
(08:01):
And it, I think for me, where Iget both scared and horny is
they've got like this, sweetlittle place where they're
getting to know each other.
It's in the, this sanctuarywithin the labyrinth, just
outside of it.
It's waiting.
It's wanting
Stacy (08:17):
Yeah.
And it's the kind of thing toowhere like you're talking about
like it's this lovely sweetplace that they have, but you
can't live your whole life No.
In this.
Handful of rooms with a threatoutside the door.
Basically,
EJ (08:30):
Yeah, the threat is
Stacy (08:31):
all around you.
EJ (08:32):
Exactly.
So I want to hear Amy going intomy questions.
What was the first time.
Can you tell us about you knowyour first encounter with the
monsters in love?
anthology, that first volume.
Also, why did this story stickout?
Why does it merit yourattention?
Amy (08:54):
Okay, so the first time I was really excited to hear about
the Monsters in Love anthology.
And when I figured, when I heardthat it was going to be a series
of anthologies, that made meeven happier.
Because, hey, lots of differentmonster stories and lots of
different monsters to encounter.
Why not?
So I was just thrilled withthat.
(09:14):
So of course I pre ordered thisone.
This story in particular drew mebecause one, I love Greek
mythology.
I am a massive Greek mythologyfan.
And if there's one thing thatI've learned is I have figured
out how much of a monster loverI am is how much the monsters in
Greek mythology were takenadvantage of in a horrible way.
(09:39):
Oh, yeah.
And how they were never giventheir own.
Their own license or
EJ (09:46):
agency.
Stacy (09:47):
Agency, thank you.
Amy (09:49):
And to see that with Asteria, anytime that I see that
sort of thing, because PCCastdid it with Goddess of the Rose.
She also had Asterius, I believeis who she named.
But he was the original Minotauras well.
Anytime I see that kind of, Mythretelling, because, granted, the
most common mythologicalretelling we're going to hear
(10:11):
from Greek mythology is what,say it with me now, Hades and
Persephone.
Stacy (10:16):
Which, there's nothing wrong I love me a good Hades,
Persephone retelling.
Yeah,
EJ (10:20):
you're Lore Olympus fan over here.
I've got every single goddamnvolume
Stacy (10:27):
of the hard covers.
EJ (10:31):
Yeah, it's good stuff.
But yeah, it's, it is supercommon.
So whenever someone goes outsideof that, I admit the myth nerd
in me is okay.
Stacy (10:39):
And part of it too is it's like Hades and Persephone
is one of the only myths thathave a sort of happy ending.
Depending on how you skew it, ifyou look at anybody who
interacted with Zeus.
Tragedy.
Granted that the kids might goon to be heroes, but half of
those heroes had a tragic death,or were pricks, like when
Theseus abandoned Ariadne.
And And so Hades and Persephoneis the only one, especially
(11:01):
because if you look at it preHellenic, when the myth was that
Persephone ran away with Hadesthen, it really is a suite, and
it's, she has much more, don'tget me wrong, I love the dark,
like the abduction dragged downto the underworld, but there's
also, a beauty in someone, agirl being allowed to make her
own choice, even if the choiceis potentially a dangerous one.
(11:23):
And so I can
EJ (11:25):
see that.
That whole theme of, young womanbreaking free, choosing her own
path.
It speaks so hard to, I think,the female experience right now.
So
Stacy (11:38):
there was me, I saw not like years ago that it was a
it's like Persephone sitting ina cafe with Apollo or something
like that.
And the phone rings.
This is daddy.
And he goes, Oh, you still callyour dad, daddy.
And she answers it.
And she goes, Hey, Hades, what'sup, babe?
We're making like eye contact.
Yes, I
EJ (11:58):
love it.
Absolutely.
That's really
Amy (12:02):
the main thing.
I also
Stacy (12:04):
It's also the least rapey of the gods, oh yeah.
Definitely.
But
Amy (12:09):
When they choose to explore one of the monster myths, that,
that really gets to me.
Medusa has actually received afew retellings, basically, to
where she has
Stacy (12:20):
elaborated her story.
Yeah, just as for Medusa.
And I saw a really greatperspective that somebody had
where it was like, maybe Medusawasn't being cursed by Artemis.
Athena?
Maybe.
No, Athena.
Too many a names.
I know.
She wasn't being cursed byAthena, she was being protected
by Athena.
Oh yeah.
That isn't a concept there.
EJ (12:41):
Yeah.
Yeah, and I appreciate how inthe tattoo community to that's
her face has been taken on assomething that sometimes women
will get tattooed on them as asymbol of they are rape
survivor,
Stacy (12:57):
and they will that's because Friday.
In Greece the face of Medusa wasused as a place of basically a
safe place for women.
So like women who were fleeingsomething abusive, there were
temples that would put up theface of Medusa and women were
safe there.
I actually have a Medusa bathrelief on my wall.
(13:19):
It's one of the few wallhangings I had that survived the
fire.
I need
EJ (13:22):
to look that up.
That sounds like such aninteresting thing.
Yeah, there we go.
Oh yeah, she was.
Stacy (13:27):
Hell yeah.
Hell yeah, she was.
Amy (13:28):
I have seen some comics that go into they're short
comics that go into Medusa,just, Oh my goodness, just
trying to find a friend andwhatnot, and I'm like, oh,
Stacy (13:38):
I don't know who you Medusa is such a heartbreaking
story.
Yes.
She didn't do anything wrong.
Amy (13:44):
No, she didn't.
EJ (13:45):
I'm looking at some of my other questions, I'm like How
does this story fit in with thetheme of the anthology?
I'm like, it's a freakinglabyrinth.
It's about a labyrinth.
I feel so silly.
And we're already talking.
Everybody's in a labyrinth.
Yes, everyone is in a labyrinth.
It's one of the reasons Iactually love that anthology,
because it was a very specificsort of theme, and yet everyone
fucking delivered in a unique,artistic way.
(14:08):
I loved that.
Stacy (14:10):
And another thing that's really great about, especially
S.
J.
Sanders rendition is, in thehands of a lesser audience,
Writer, it could have just beenlike, Oh, we're in a labyrinth.
Oh, we got out.
We get to live happily everafter.
But she really put the researchinto it.
I love his visits from Ariadne.
Them doing, her teaching him thesteps to the crane dance.
She really invested in it.
(14:32):
Astarion is more than just amonster who needs to be saved by
a human.
EJ (14:37):
Once again, we had a internal, emotional journey,
both the female main characterand especially Asterion.
Asterion, I was so proud ofAsterion.
And
Stacy (14:47):
both of them, because both of them are dealing with
the theme of abandonment.
Yeah.
And the labyrinth has beenabandoned and it's driven the
labyrinth insane.
Asterion was able to hold on tohis sanity and what's Vicky?
Vicky, yeah.
Vicky was finally able to find asafe spot.
EJ (15:04):
Yeah, how beautiful is that?
What's from the outside is likea sexy thriller is like really a
story of I Thriving beyond thetrauma of abandonment.
Stacy (15:17):
Exactly.
Exactly.
Surviving your trauma.
You go on to be happy despiteit.
EJ (15:23):
Shit, this is one of the reasons why I love this book
world.
Amy (15:26):
Yeah.
It is weird because the mainantagonist really is the
Labyrinth itself, but you alsohave a tiny, teeny tiny
secondary antagonist, and I'mcalling him an antagonist
because he's not an enemy.
He's just antagonizing
Stacy (15:40):
our hero and heroine.
It's what they do.
That would be Barbassa.
That's
Amy (15:44):
true actually.
He is the leader of the satyrflock.
Now, the great thing aboutBarbassa is that he gets his
story in the third Monsters in
Stacy (15:57):
Love.
Yeah, I don't, I need that one.
Which S.
J.
has said she will be
Amy (16:01):
expanding it
Stacy (16:02):
and of course, God bless you S.
J.
Sanders.
For real.
And the other thing, too, that Ithought was interesting about
the Satyrs is the Satyrs weredangerous.
Vicky definitely couldn't bearound the Satyrs, but the
Satyrs themselves wanted out ofthe
EJ (16:15):
fucking labyrinth, too.
Oh, yeah.
And they were, there was somedark shit happening with the
Satyrs, because on one hand,you're scared of them.
On the other hand, one of thethings that makes them scary is
not that they themselves aredangerous, but because they are
being actively targeted anddestroyed by the labyrinth.
Such.
It is such a freaky detail,especially once I realized as a
(16:36):
reader, Oh, the labyrinth issentient.
Oh, it's driving these satyrsmad.
Once you had that layer, it was,that was fun.
I got freaked out.
I
Stacy (16:47):
loved that.
Because if you, yeah, the satyrswere scary in this book.
But the other thing too, is thatcause if you look at the origin
of the satyrs, satyrs are likepyramid head.
Where it's like, they are theultimate male.
There is no female psyche inthem.
They're always erect.
They're always looking to fuck.
And yeah, granted a satyr likesa good time, but a satyr's good
time might be at your expense.
(17:07):
Yeah.
And so that's something thatmakes them compelling, but it
also makes them fuckingterrifying.
You can also talk about the factthat Even though the Satyrs and
Astarion himself are monstersthey are potential, they have
tasted the flesh of man, they'realso victims.
They're not they don't possesstheir own agency, let alone the
(17:28):
agency of the female, so itdoesn't have to be just that.
The male has all of the power,the female has none of the
power, and the world is a bloodlabyrinth.
Nobody has power, and even thelabyrinth itself doesn't have
the power that it wants.
Amy (17:42):
Yeah.
Which is not the power that itused to have.
Stacy (17:45):
It can't bend Asterian to its will.
It can't seem to catch all ofthe Satyrs.
It can't seem to get to Vicky.
So really, it's about a bunch ofbeings that have no power trying
to escape from other beings thathave no power but want to take
what limited control you have
EJ (18:03):
away from you.
It feels like a bucket, like acrab bucket, yeah.
Allegory.
But a labyrinth.
Stacy (18:10):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Amy (18:11):
It started with Astarion being thrown into the labyrinth,
because obviously he waspurposefully thrown in there.
And I want to say that probablyeveryone else, at least those
that are, have survived, barelystumbled into the labyrinth.
And of course it just would notlet them go.
I don't know if there were othervictims that were thrown in
(18:32):
there, but anyways, like thesatyrs, they stumbled into the
labyrinth.
And, they just went bonkers safefor Barbasa and then Vicky
stumbled in there and it's just,
Stacy (18:44):
yeah,
Amy (18:44):
It all started with a starion being imprisoned
Stacy (18:48):
there, right for crimes for he of everyone in the
labyrinth.
He's the only true innocent.
Which is why
Amy (18:57):
it's getting sent there.
Stacy (18:59):
Favorite son.
EJ (19:01):
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Favorite son.
Yeah, because Yeah, it justlikes it.
Stacy (19:07):
And there's almost a The Labyrinth almost has a scorned
lover vibe.
They
EJ (19:11):
do.
Yeah, as far as, Uniqueness inthis genre, it is somehow S.
J.
Sanders gave some real life to aAn inanimate object.
A place, yeah.
A place, a thing.
And usually it's like VeraValentine who's doing it because
it's fun.
Because someone fucked the door.
(19:31):
And I would love that for her,by the way.
Oh, hell yes.
In this particular case, S.
J.
Sanders is yes, that, but let'smake it very serious.
Stacy (19:40):
Very
Amy (19:40):
serious and very scary.
Stacy (19:42):
Yes.
And it's one of those thingswhere it's the longer you think
about it, it's just is thelabyrinth like the mother
figure.
And so this is like literallythe mother of all.
Oh, yeah.
The labyrinth wishes.
That's To assume a human figureand wants to become like a lover
of a starion.
You know what I mean?
Like you could really.
Oh, man.
Or shit, maybe it's bull.
(20:02):
Maybe it's some kind of fuckedup like the mother lover kind of
thing that astarion is mine.
Astarion has always been mine.
And then this interloper comesin and is trying to take my son
slash love from me.
Oh, crap.
EJ (20:14):
Yeah.
That makes perfect sense.
I want SJ Sanders to give somethoughts on this I feel like we
just came across like a lightbulb moment, but I want to hear
from her are we anywhere close?
Stacy (20:26):
That's right.
But the other thing too, is it'sso the labyrinth loves Asterion,
but the labyrinth has Asteriontrapped.
The labyrinth thinks thateverything is perfect, and a
starian has been fooled intothinking that everything is as
it should be, never knowing.
It's like a baby who's been kepttrapped in an attic their entire
(20:47):
life.
They don't understand thatthere's a whole fucking world
out there full of experiencesand pleasures and pains that,
they have
EJ (20:56):
no, no
Stacy (20:57):
notion of.
And granted this like womb likeexistence that the labyrinth has
him trapped in is thecomfortable one for him.
But at the same time, it's stilla place of
EJ (21:07):
denial and it's still huge.
Stacy (21:10):
It's a cage.
Yeah cages.
So if granted the labyrinthloves a staring on but it's a
selfish possessive destructivelove, because it doesn't care
what a staring on wants.
EJ (21:22):
It cares what it wants.
And that's
Stacy (21:24):
the only thing.
It's interested in filling
EJ (21:26):
the niche for and this is so like heavy actually makes sense
because as I'm thinking of thecover for the blooded labyrinth
it is I wonder if they got thesame illustrator to do the
blooded labyrinths book as themonsters and love anthology
series because the art stylesare very much the same if not
the same it's definitely
Stacy (21:46):
possible it would not surprise me if well good and
she's because she's done otherbooks That have a, cause the
Toadstools and Vampire Kisseshas a similar cover, and so does
the Frog Prince, and I know thatthere are others.
I'm not sure if the secondDerwent Witches cover is like
(22:08):
that or not, but she has a bunchthat are that sort of 3D
rendered.
Dragon
Amy (22:12):
Treasure is that way, isn't it?
Stacy (22:14):
No, Dragon's Treasure, it's an Italian artist.
It's the same guy that did thecover of the first with Charlie
and...
Darville.
The first Darville
EJ (22:23):
Tarongal.
I'm going to ask you oneparticular question that is just
for this book, and then I'mgoing to expand it a little bit
more.
Emmy, if you had the opportunityto discuss The Blooded Labyrinth
with S.
J.
Sanders?
What would you like to ask her?
Stacy (22:42):
Ooh, that's a tough question,
Amy (22:45):
because I would ask her
Stacy (22:46):
a lot of
EJ (22:47):
questions.
I'm over here I could have askedAshley Bennett many other
questions.
My number one question is like,what are the dark shit you got
in your brain there?
Amy (22:56):
My thing is, I would actually want to know what other
areas in mythology she wouldlike to explore monster wise,
because Greek mythology is fullof...
EJ (23:08):
The possibilities many
Amy (23:10):
different monsters.
Yeah, I've been in a kid and
Stacy (23:12):
that we're very
EJ (23:12):
busy.
Oh, yeah.
Stacy (23:14):
It's yeah, there's a reason why she's called the
mother of monsters, but it'sjust you literally have
generations of culture.
EJ (23:21):
But yeah, she's, the point is, there's a whole freaking
huge world, if you even wantedto stay in the Greek world I
know she, Because, she hasdabbled with orcs and goblins, I
would also be absolutely finewith her going into further
north in Europe.
So many options.
Stacy (23:40):
Yeah, but the cool thing is she doesn't stick with just
one pantheon, because the firstthing I ever read by her was the
first...
Dark Spirits book, which isHavoc of Souls.
And that's Etruscan.
Perfect.
And that's Etruscan.
And she went into the Etruscanunderworld because the main
(24:03):
character, the main malecharacter, him, he is the
gatekeeper, he's the lanternkeeper, who is the keeper of the
gate into the underworld.
So he's not Hades, he's moreCharon.
The ferryman in the mythology.
And so he's weighed against thelantern light.
And if you're like, if yourlight is pure, you pass into the
underworld.
If your light is dark, you'resucked into the lantern,
(24:24):
basically.
And they and there are thesecreatures from the Etruscan
underworld.
It starts with W, I can'tremember the word now, and they
are, they were essentially likeeaters of the dead.
Like they were carrion eaters, Ithink is what it was, and they
served a necessary purpose, butthey escaped from the underworld
(24:44):
and went insane in our world,basically, and started stealing
the bodies of people and pushingtheir souls out, and that was
how they figured was their waythat they could stay in our
world.
And that's what started thewhole downfall with the that
(25:05):
leads into what we have in theBlooded Labyrinth and all of
that.
So you have multiple pantheonsthat are touched on.
Because in Matchsticks, which isone of her retold fairy tales,
that is also in this world, andit was actually, I have to give
her credit because Apollo islike my least favorite god.
Apollo and Zeus are like neckand neck for who I think is the
(25:26):
rapiest.
That's fair.
That's fair.
Apollo is actually a veryinteresting character in
Matchsticks, who is guiding thestory, and he doesn't end up
raping anybody that we're awareof in the story.
And Aquilos the god of the northwinds, is like a servant of
Apollo's, basically.
(25:48):
And she's, basically, it'swhatever catches her attention,
like, all worlds are welcomehere, basically is the...
The rundown and there wassomething about I know at one
point there was.
I think in the second book, theLocomo, who were essentially
like, I call them forest lords,because that's what Tiffany
(26:11):
Roberts called it, the samething in His Darkest Kiss, or
His Darkest Graving where it'sthe, they're like satyrs, but
they have the elf branches, soSir Nudos, in Celtic mythology
kind of thing, and I believe theLocomo are part of Artemis, or
under Artemis Thanks forwatching.
I'll see you next time.
EJ (26:30):
watch.
Oh yeah.
If I'm remembering correctly.
And like I had been, I've beenslowly getting more and more
into Pennsylvania, Dutchfolklore.
And there is also a, yeah, thereis actually a character just
like that that's just like thegreen men who are essentially
Stacy (26:45):
like the green men covered the green man.
EJ (26:47):
Yeah.
The, I love because
Stacy (26:48):
that's what Cruz is in.
Tiffany Roberts is, and that'sanother great Halloween read if
anybody's looking for one.
Is his darkest cravingdefinitely a good book?
EJ (26:56):
Oh yeah.
The, oh, that's
Stacy (26:57):
such a good book.
They're working on the secondone.
Yeah.
Cover looks awesome.
It's gonna be a goblin.
EJ (27:04):
Yes.
I love the Pennsylvania Dutchword for it.
I gotta just share it with you.
Yeah.
He's called a bush mops.
Of
Stacy (27:12):
Bushmops?
Yeah! With an S?
I like that.
Bushmops.
I'm
EJ (27:15):
dead serious! I'm like, that sounds so cute! And, yeah.
And It's a cute name for
Stacy (27:22):
such
Amy (27:22):
a possibly
Stacy (27:22):
deadly being.
Oh, yeah.
I was gonna say, right?
Super cute as he's banging yourknees into the ground
EJ (27:27):
by your ears.
Pretty much.
Every single time you getBushmops in, There's like
serious shit that's about tohappen.
Shit that's gonna
Stacy (27:37):
arrive.
EJ (27:37):
Most powerful Fae has arrived.
You be afraid.
Stacy (27:42):
That's the cool thing about Cruz in the Tiffany
Roberts story.
He fucking, he's under a curseand he fucking eats a bunch of
hunters and it's like, allright, that happened.
Amy (27:52):
That regard, though, for questions, I would be curious to
know what other pantheon shewould want to
Stacy (27:58):
explore.
Oh, that's a good question.
She dabbles in vampires, we gotdragons, we got, it's really
whatever is thrown at the walland sticks is basically, and I
love that.
Amy (28:09):
unicorn.
She has a unicorn.
Stacy (28:10):
Yep.
The unicorn's mare.
Yep.
Yeah.
It's really good.
EJ (28:14):
I do have at least one more question for you, Aimee, and
that is in relation to theanthology at large.
Beside, so in that volume one ofMonsters and Lepisides Blooded
Labyrinth, would you have anyother favorite stories?
Certainly.
I
Amy (28:31):
actually just brought this up on StoryGraph because I need,
I have my, I have to have mylist.
All right, so in Lost in theLabyrinth, I, there were two
others that really stood out tome among my little cluster of
stories.
The first one is actually myfirst foray into Cleo Evans
(28:54):
writing, and that would be
Stacy (28:55):
Curse of the Cyclops.
Oh, that was a good one.
I read that one.
Which one?
That one was great.
It was
Amy (29:01):
all I don't think I read that one.
Stacey, if, Stacey, if youdon't, if you got Lost in the
Labyrinth, right?
The first one?
Yeah.
Yeah.
It was the second story.
It was the second story.
But the great thing about Curseof the Cyclops is that one,
There's actually two main malecharacters who are also involved
together.
They're both Cyclopses.
(29:21):
And the labyrinth that they'retrapped in is a library.
EJ (29:26):
Oh, that's cool.
Stacy (29:27):
Yup.
Yeah! At least she wouldn't bebored.
For real.
What would the plural of Cyclopsbe?
Cyclopides?
Amy (29:36):
I don't know, I think Cyclopsies?
Stacy (29:39):
Cyclopsies?
Oh, that makes sense.
Cyclopsies.
I think that's what it is.
I know the plural of clitoris isclitorides,
Amy (29:46):
ha! Anyways, what this story is they actually have to
confront their monstrous side inorder to finally escape the
labyrinth.
And also, of course, have theirfemale be confronted by said...
Monstrous side.
Yeah, but yeah.
Stacy (30:07):
They do transform into much bigger
EJ (30:11):
Cyclops.
Yeah, they have a sort of BruceBanner moment.
Because they're like sweet nerdsand they're like, but, you
would, yeah, they have a kindof, you would like me when I'm
angry.
Amy (30:28):
But anyways so yeah, that was my first foray into Cleo
Evans writing and I'm like, thisis an author I should give a
chance to and I did.
Stacy (30:36):
I did this year.
I'm sure I've read stuff by herbecause I definitely recognize
her name.
Amy (30:40):
Oh and Demons was great.
But anyways, moving on.
We're going to talk about thatlater, much, much later.
Whenever you guys finally readit or not because it is.
Stacy (30:48):
It's R E H, yeah, it's a reverse harem.
It's more of a polycule.
Yeah, but I don't like polyculeseither.
Amy (30:55):
I know, Stacey.
Anyways.
Stacy (30:57):
Anyways.
Anyway! I can hang the triad asfar as I can go.
Yes.
That's fair.
Amy (31:04):
Stalking Temera by Nova Blake was another great one, and
that one also features a satyr.
EJ (31:12):
Ooh, yummy.
Yeah!
Stacy (31:14):
With a
Amy (31:15):
morning
Stacy (31:15):
star of all things perhaps.
With a morning star?
Like a as in a mace?
Amy (31:20):
But that was a really good one too.
So I recommend that one because,yeah, the title really belies
the story.
I'm like, yes, yeah, it's prettymuch an overt yes, he is.
ish stalking her, but more orless that's mostly because he's
Oh, have the humans come tochallenge me again?
No, it's a woman.
Cool.
Let's
Stacy (31:39):
do this.
Oh, I got it.
I got it.
I got a different stick for you.
Yeah, pretty much.
Pretty much.
Yes.
But he has to save her, ofcourse, because she's stumped.
Amy (31:49):
The thing is, this labyrinth is actually on the
compound of A wellness camp,which
Stacy (31:56):
she's at with her work group or whatever.
Okay, that
Amy (31:59):
whole area.
Stacy (32:04):
Yeah, I'm just like, this is bizarre.
She just hauls it.
Thinking you're going to bedoing some shitty ropes course
thing on building trust, andinstead you're being chased
around by a satyr with Hedoesn't chase her.
Amy (32:12):
He actually ends up saving her from something that was in
the labyrinth, but yes, it wasgreat.
I wish I remembered his name andher na her name is Tamara.
Stacy (32:20):
But I don't remember his name.
I'm like, what the frig is yourname, dude was it Woody?
No.
It should have been.
Was it Hezekiah?
Nope.
Sorry.
No Hezekiah.
Huck.
When in doubt, drive it into theground.
Amy (32:36):
Kavi, either Kavi or Kavi, it's spelled K A V I.
Stacy (32:42):
I'd say Kavi.
I would say copy.
Sounds cute.
I like it.
No, that's volume two.
Where the fuck is volume
EJ (32:48):
one,
Stacy (32:49):
Please say you have volume one.
Oh, God, yes, I do.
Okay.
Okay, wait, I'm seeing two withthe same
EJ (32:55):
volume one, Lost in the Labyrinth, and what the hell is
Stacy (32:58):
that one?
Monsters in Love.
Wicked Tales and Monsters EverAfters.
Curse of the Cyclops is also inthat one.
EJ (33:07):
Gotcha.
Stacy (33:08):
S.
J.
Sanders.
Ashley Bennett.
Evangeline Priest.
Nova Blake.
Oh yeah, this was for a no killanimal shelter organization.
Was this just a spin off of thefirst one?
Or...
Amy (33:23):
Hmmmm...
The Wicked...
Cause it's not
Stacy (33:25):
book two.
No...
The Wicked Tales and MonstersEver Afters, was that just a
spin off of the first one?
I don't think so
Amy (33:33):
I...
That's the thing, I'm not surewhat that one was.
Because there's stuff, there'soriginal stuff in there that was
not released in previous ones,but then there's also Yeah,
because
Stacy (33:41):
This is a full I must not have read this one, because
there's a CM Naskovstein herethat I know I haven't read yet.
I must have just gotten thisone, and Mastered by the
Gladiator by L.
B.
Lane, I haven't read that.
The monsters mistaken bride.
There's another Cleo.
That's the curse.
That's the one that curse of theCyclops is in.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm trying to see if there's anyVera Valentine, Eden Ember,
(34:05):
Katie,
EJ (34:05):
who's hit or miss for me, but whatever.
YD LaMere, Cassie
Stacy (34:09):
Alexander, trying to see a Carol Wilde, Ashley Bennett, a
Briar Glen Halloween.
EJ (34:19):
I don't know what
Stacy (34:20):
Devil's Night is, but that sounds fun.
Krista Luna.
Of course.
Angeline Graves, The Stone andthe Star.
Yeah, I must not have read thisone.
I read the first one because Iread The Blooded Labyrinth, but,
let's see, and what the hellstory am I on here?
Apparently I stopped in themiddle of a story too.
I
EJ (34:39):
hate when I do that.
Fallen, Fall Harvest.
Stacy (34:44):
Damn.
Isabelle Du Nord.
I need to put the stories that Ilike best in the first.
Isabelle Dufresne.
Isabelle So this is another D.
J.
Holmes story that I apparentlystopped in the middle of,
Belfry.
Ah yes,
Amy (34:54):
Belfry was pretty good, I liked that one.
Stacy (34:56):
I liked that one on the list.
I need to come back and
EJ (34:59):
really go through this again.
Finding Her Minotaur.
Not, who's that by?
Stacy (35:07):
Shit, this one doesn't have the, in the...
That one is Evangeline Priest.
Yep.
Okay, Evangeline
EJ (35:11):
Priest.
Dark Heart is by Vivian Hart.
Stacy (35:16):
Thank you for skipping back to the cover, which isn't
what I wanted
EJ (35:19):
you to do, you dickbag.
Stacy (35:22):
The Den is by...
EJ (35:25):
Atlas Rose.
Yeah, I had to skip that one.
Not for you.
No, not
Stacy (35:30):
for me.
I think I've read some AtlasRose and I liked it, but I can't
think of anything.
Blooded Labyrinth,
EJ (35:35):
I definitely read that one.
I read dispelled bruise.
I don't think so.
That doesn't sound familiar.
No, because it's for her hair.
Stacy (35:42):
I'm sure this makes for
EJ (35:43):
fucking great listening.
The beautiful thing, once again,about not doing it live is that
we can edit later.
Stacy (35:52):
That's true.
Yeah.
Stalking Tamara is in that.
So I definitely need to readthat.
My Veiled Pursuer by OpalFairchild.
In the
Amy (35:59):
second one, there's Another one that takes place in that
same world, which I at first gotconfused by.
I'm like, wait a minute.
Is this the same?
No, it's not the same story.
It's a different story.
Stacy (36:09):
Okay, cool.
Which one?
In which one?
Amy (36:12):
Oh, in, in Lost in the Dark, there was another one by
Nova Blake that took place inthe same wellness
Stacy (36:17):
camp.
Oh gotcha.
Because I think I have Lost
EJ (36:20):
in the Dark too, where was the one I was on?
Stacy (36:24):
Fuck, what was the one that I was Belfry, right?
That's the one that
Amy (36:28):
Yeah, that one was I thought that one
Stacy (36:30):
was great, too.
Okay, I'm gonna stay on that onethen so I can come back and read
that,
EJ (36:34):
because Yeah, Belfry was fun.
I actually Unsurprisingly, wehave There is a Venn diagram of
all of us liking certain books,quite a Venn diagram.
I love it.
I like to think it's because wejust have really good taste.
We do.
Amy (36:55):
Yeah, the last time I read five that really stuck out to me
and Yeah, Blooded Labyrinth was,of course, number one, really.
EJ (37:03):
Oh, yeah.
That one, I was super glad
Stacy (37:05):
that SJ did a standalone of that.
In fact,
EJ (37:08):
I will say too, I think it's worth mentioning that when we
were, like, hashing out onDiscord which
Stacy (37:14):
books we were going to do, Blooded Labyrinth ended up
on Everyone's
EJ (37:19):
list.
Yeah.
Blood Labyrinth is really good.
Amy (37:22):
I'm really looking forward to after reading Satyr's Wood.
and figuring out who anadditional side character that
was not revealed in there butdefinitely was present in some
regard that one is going toprobably feature in her story in
the fifth anthology which isLost in the Fire.
Stacy (37:44):
Is that the one with the orc?
No.
Which, there was one that we, Iwas just, we were just talking
about a couple days ago and Iwas like, oh shit, he was the
secondary character in Forest ofSpirits.
Amy (37:58):
No.
No, the one you're thinking ofis the troll the Carnival of
Monsters.
That one's coming out this yearseparately.
Yes.
Gotcha,
Stacy (38:05):
gotcha.
I can't wait for
Amy (38:05):
that.
I actually put Forest of Spiritson my, I actually specifically
asked a friend of mine to get methat one because I asked her
what she wanted for her birthdaybecause her birthday is a week
exactly after mine, and shewants Exodus 20, colon, 3.
With an actual biblical accurateangel.
Stacy (38:25):
Oh, creepy.
I love it.
Very creepy.
I read a book.
There's a book.
I can't remember the author offto find it.
She has really short, verysteamy, like holiday shorts and
she didn't for Valentine's Day.
And he was half cupid, halfbiblically accurate angel.
And he turned into his angelicside and it was the full thing
with the wings
EJ (38:43):
with eyes and it was pretty cool.
Stacy (38:46):
Also,
Amy (38:47):
I don't think this is the right edition.
Where's the one that she'slooking at?
Ah, here we go.
Okay, let me send you guys alink, because this is the cover
that she wants, and I'mdefinitely getting her the cover
she wants.
Yeah.
I would never deprive her.
It's on story graph, so youshould be able to see
Stacy (39:04):
it.
Hang on
EJ (39:04):
just a second.
I'm trying to look something up.
Just super quick.
My, oh,
Stacy (39:09):
that's hot,
EJ (39:10):
isn't it though?
What am I looking for?
God dammit.
Where's it at?
I loved that combo.
Religious eroticism and queeremancipation.
Amy (39:20):
Yes.
EJ (39:20):
I found it.
Okay.
Oh, that is so
Stacy (39:24):
cool.
Oh, that is really beautiful.
Oh, yeah.
That that cover is
EJ (39:29):
gorgeous art.
Yeah, don't worry.
I'm, I'll put it in the shownotes.
So listeners don't have to belike, What's so pretty?!
Amy (39:39):
So yes, that's what I'll be getting my friend for her
birthday, which is a week aftermine.
And she's going to be getting meForest of Spirits by S.
J.
Sanders because I need it in mylife.
Stacy (39:49):
That's a good that's a really
EJ (39:51):
good book
Stacy (39:51):
and he's a very interesting character in, he's a
secondary character in Karos'sstory in the first book.
In Havoc of Souls?
Yep.
He is he is they're the entitiesin these are all on their own
side, but he is a sometimes allyof Karos.
Interesting.
That should be a possible lead.
(40:11):
Yeah.
Interesting.
It's really interesting becauseyou see one side of him in the
first book, and then you see whohe truly is in the second book,
and it's an entirely differentanimal.
See, this is why I want tofinish this into the villain,
Amy (40:28):
so I can read The Fall of the Orc,
Stacy (40:30):
and then I can read Havoc of Souls.
October is
Amy (40:34):
really a distracting month for
Stacy (40:36):
me.
October for me is almostHalloween's month.
Because I'm currently readingthe latest Naomi, Lucas, Mel
Braxton, the Scarecrow one.
Yeah.
Yes, it's really hot.
EJ (40:49):
I'm
Stacy (40:49):
like three, I think I'm like a third of the way into it
now.
And then I know SJ Sanders has acouple of books planned that
she's going to release thismonth that it's just no,
EJ (40:58):
I'm reading those.
Thank you and good day.
I think one of the things Ireally love about the direction
we decided to go with theanthology stuff is Ashley
Bennett, SJ Sanders.
And I assume we will be talkingabout Alexis B.
Osborne.
These are all really fuckinggood authors.
I've been appreciating how it'sjust been one big simp fest so
(41:22):
far.
Fuck yeah.
For
Stacy (41:23):
all of these authors.
I just don't see unless we'regonna get mean, which we're not.
I don't much see the point inreading, you're talking about
stories that nobody enjoyed,basically.
EJ (41:35):
There are other podcasts that can do that.
We're here to talk about how welove stuff.
We're
Stacy (41:42):
talking up stuff rather than talking down stuff.
Yeah.
Because like my friend Patrickhas, he has a very popular movie
review podcast called ScreamQueens with Z.
And he's gay, so it's a lot ofthrough the gay perspective and
stuff like that.
And Patrick can go bitch likenobody else.
Patrick has a fucking skill whenit comes to eviscerating people,
(42:02):
because Patrick was also bornand raised in New York City.
And he likes to have me andCindy on to watch something
horrible.
Because he thinks it's funnywhen we start foaming at the
mouth, basically.
And, mercifully, the last moviehe had us on for was good, but
the previous three have beenshitshows.
(42:25):
Oh dear.
And part of it is because hispatrons get to vote.
Okay.
And the patrons are gonna chooseviolence every fucking time, the
little bastards.
Of course they will.
Of course they will.
And, which I can't blame them.
I'd do the same damn thing if Iwas in their position.
So there is, it can be fun tojust like rage flip a table and
scream about something that youhated.
(42:47):
But at the same time with amovie is different than a book
because a movie you're out what,an hour and a half, maybe two?
Yeah.
A book you can be out like asignificant chunk of time.
EJ (42:58):
A movie.
So yeah.
Yep.
I am.
And I'm certainly not immune toit.
I've I could go on.
I won't.
Instead I will be like let'swrap this section up and I, and
rev up Stacy to talk about herchoice.
Yeah.
After I take a bathroom
Stacy (43:17):
break.
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