Tales from the Trunk

Tales from the Trunk
undefined
Jul 1, 2022 • 30min

Book Tour 18: Ruthanna Emrys - A Half-Built Garden

This time around, it’s my pleasure to welcome Ruthanna Emrys (@R_Emrys), who joins us to talk about her new novel, A Half-Built Garden, which comes out on July 26th from Tor Dot Com publishing. We talk about ecological sci-fi, the things that got left on the cutting-room floor, and Ruthanna’s current reads.   Things we mention in this episode: Winter Tide, by Ruthanna Emrys David Bowie The Innsmouth Legacy series, by Ruthanna Emrys Seanan McGuire Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota, by Amelia Gorman Light From Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki Ruthana’s Patreon Reading the Weird on Tor.com Anne M. Pillsworth The City We Became, by N.K. Jemisin   Tune in next time, when my guest will be Miri Baker!
undefined
Jun 17, 2022 • 1h 8min

Episode 40: Amanda Cook - ”Snow Day”

This time around, it’s my delight to be the first podcast out there to host up-and-coming author Amanda Cook (@AmandaCook627)! Amanda reads her trunked story, “Snow Day,” which leads us into a delightful conversation about cozy fiction, early-career writing, cosplay, and patience! This episode’s reading carries content notices for some brief mentions of guns and other weapons, along with a mention of nuclear war.   Things we mention in this episode: Book Tour 17: Sarah Gailey - Just Like Home Dealing with Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse,” by Rae Carson John Wiswell Wyngraf Tales & Feathers Magazine Augur 4th Street Fantasy “Ruby’s Delivery,” by Amanda Cook The Submission Grinder Etherea Magazine NaNoWriMo The Golden Orb, by Amanda Cook Tor When We Were Forgotten, by Amanda Cook Moiraine Damodred (from The Wheel of Time, not GoT) Frozen Once Upon a Time Gen Con Crowley David Tennant “Weaving Serenity,” by Amanda Cook “Lily and Ink,” by Amanda Cook Apparition Lit Our Flag Means Death The Kids in the Hall Hell’s Library series, by A.J. Hackwith Sweep of Stars, by Maurice Broaddus Black Panther The Expanse Amanda’s insta, Facebook, and blog   Tune in next month, when my guests will be Ruthana Emrys and Miri Baker!
undefined
Jun 3, 2022 • 45min

Book Tour 17: Sarah Gailey - Just Like Home

This episode carries content warnings for mentions of parental death, terminal illness, serial killers, and feelings of powerlessness. Additionally, the reading from this episode contains an overall sense of tension and dread. If you would like to skip the reading, you can skip forward 18 minutes from the beginning of the reading to bypass it. This time around, we’re joined once again by the incomparable Sarah Gailey (@gaileyfrey) to talk about their incredible (and incredibly terrifying) new book, Just Like Home, available July 19th wherever fine books are sold! Sarah tells us about the staggering number of rewrites that this book went through and what was learned along the way.   Things we mention this episode: The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling The Southern Reach Trilogy, by Jeff VanderMeer Flowers for the Sea, by Zin E. Rocklyn Queen Amidala Magic for Liars, by Sarah Gailey And then a skeleton popped out The Death of Jane Lawrence, by Caitlin Starling NetGalley Eat the Rich, by Sarah Gailey and Pius Bak The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey “The Foundations of Decay,” by My Chemical Romance The Great (TV) Veep (TV) Number One Fan, by Meg Elison Misery Empire of the Wild, by Cherie Dimaline Sarah’s website and Insta Stone Soup newsletter Kompromat   Join us in two weeks, when my guest will be Amanda Cook!
undefined
May 20, 2022 • 1h 26min

Episode 39: Michael R. Underwood - The Broken Summit

Update: I've fixed some issues with the audio mixing for this episode that should make it easier to listen to now. This time around, it’s my absolute joy to welcome Michael R. Underwood (@MikeRUnderwood) to the show! Mike reads from his trunked novel, The Broken Summit before (and after) we have a conversation about the intersection of writing and tabletop roleplaying, the life of a content creator, and some excellent advice about shaping your career goals.   This episode’s reading is 17 minutes long and carries content warnings for themes of war and imperialism.   Things we mention on this episode: Friends at the Table The Adventure Zone The Quiet Year The McElroys Thirsty Sword Lesbians Tom Clancy Angry Robot Books Penguin Random House Hot Wheels boosters Chilling Effect, bu Valeria Vlades Yoon Ha Lee River of Teeth, Taste of Marrow, and Magic for Liars, by Sarah Gailey Sarah’s Star Wars tweets Genrenauts series, by Michael R. Underwood Monster of the Week Tortall setting (Tamora Pierce) Blue Rose (RPG) 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons Shadowrun 3rd Edition Sorcerer Dogs in the Vineyard Apocalypse World Blades in the Dark GenCon Indie Press Revolution DriveThruRPG Creative Commons Game Jam Open Game License Powered by the Apocalypse Speculate! Fagin  NaNoWriMo Anamnesis Mage: The Ascension White Wolf Publishing The Game Master’s Apprentice ConFusion Friends Journal Quaker Spec-Fic issue Clapcast Clarion West Cassie Alexander Better-Faster Academy Dear Writer, You Need to Quit, by Becca Syme The Nebula Awards George R. R. Martin Twitch Elden Ring TikTok Maya MacGregor’s TikTok The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, by Maya MacGregor Hank Green Celebromancy series, by Michael R. Underwood Citizen Sleeper Dungeons and Dating series, by Katherine McIntyre Mike’s Twitch  Val’s Twitch Hades Karen Osborne’s Twitch   Join us again next month, when my guests will be Sarah Gailey and Amanda Cook!
undefined
May 6, 2022 • 33min

Book Tour 16: Marion Deeds - Comeuppance Served Cold

This time around, we're joined by author Marion Deeds (@mariond_d) to talk about her new novella, Comeuppance Served Cold, a wonderful alternate-history fantasy-noir out now from Tor.com publishing. Marion talks about baking versus cooking when working on books, and we muse on the current golden age of SFFH novellas.   Things we mention this episode: Story Hour Laura Blackwell Helen Crawford-White Tor Dot Com Queen of Swords Press Neon Hemlock Hugo ballot Premee Mohamed The Poppy War, by R.F. Kuang Victories Greater Than Death and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, by Charlie Jane Anders Our Opinions Are Correct Be The Serpent Marion’s Facebook and Blog Fantasy Literature dot com Falstaff Press Aluminum Leaves, Copper Road, and Golden Rifts, by Marion Deeds Kat Hooper Kate Lechler Alix E. Harrow
undefined
Apr 15, 2022 • 57min

Episode 38: Andi C. Buchanan - Invented Wings

This time around, we're joined by Andi C. Buchanan! Andi reads from their trunked YA steampunk novel, which leads us into a great discussion about steampunk, accessibility, well-intentioned white people (like us), and their brand new book, Sanctuary, which came out earlier this week from Robot Dinosaur Press! Show notes coming soon!
undefined
Apr 1, 2022 • 56min

Book Tour 15: Maya MacGregor - The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester

This time around, it's my absolute delight to welcome Maya MacGregor (@Maigheach) to the show to talk about their brand new book, The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, which releases this May!   Things we mention in this episode: Jennifer (Macey) Mace's appearance on this very show Look to the Sun, by Emmie Mears The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Dune, by Frank Herbert Dune (2021 film) The Death of Jane Lawrence, by Caitlin Starling Pine, by Francine Toon The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben Pretty Little Liars  The Books of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin Charles Vess  Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy, by Gabriella Coleman Anonymous  This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends, by Nicole Perlroth Nina Niskanen  Animal Crossing: New Horizons  The Forgetting River, by Doreen Carvajal Conversos  Maya's Insta and TikTok  And of course, Maya's cats, Tara: And Willow:   Stick around next time, when I'll be joined by Andi C. Buchanan!
undefined
Mar 18, 2022 • 1h 13min

Episode 37: Lillian Boyd - ”Inside Job”

It's my absolute delight, this time around, to welcome our very own composer, Lillian Boyd (@herelieslill), onto the show. Lillian reads her short-story-that-should-be-a-novella, "Inside Job" (cw: gore, skip forward 10:15 to avoid) before we just go off on an extended tangent about horror movies, noir, pulp, and being as thoroughly on our bullshit as is possible.   Things we mention in this episode: Rank and Vile Tetsuo the Iron Man 28 Days Later My appearance on Rank and Vile The Reinvented Detective, edited by Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo (2023) Raymond Chandler Guy Noir: Private Eye A Prairie Home Companion Nick Danger The Firesign Theater Clive Barker Nightmare Alley Guillermo del Toro Magic for Liars, by Sarah Gailey Nick and Nora Humphrey Bogart Farewell, My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler H. P. Lovecraft (notable racist) Scrip Neuromancer, by William Gibson Blade Runner The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde "Panama," by Van Halen Terry Pratchett Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman The Discworld The Bromeliad Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett The Long Goodbye, by Raymond Chandler Chandler's cat letters Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett Neil Gaiman Ichabod Crane Michael Kane Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Sandman, by Neil Gaiman "The Book Job," The Simpsons season 23, episode 6 "Falafelosophy," Arthur season 14, episode 4a "Neil Gaiman! What are you doing in my falafel?" Alanis Morisette Amanda Palmer Tori Amos Fiona Apple "Silent All These Years," by Tori Amos Where's Neil When You Need Him? The Crüxshadows Mirrormask "Mr. Sandman," by The Chordettes "Enter Sandman," by Metallica Hot Topic "Cry Little Sister," by Gerard McMann The Lost Boys Voltaire Ego Likeness The Velocipastor "Toasty" Siouxsie and the Banshees Daybreakers Placebo "Running Up That Hill," by Placebo "Running Up That Hill," by Kate Bush Velvet Goldmine "20th Century Boy," by Placebo "20th Century Boy," by T. Rex Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Queen of the Damned Twilight Failure to Adapt The baseball scene from Twilight Underworld Blade 3: Trinity Triple-H House of Wax Friends at the Table: Sangfielle The VVitch Sarah Gailey's appearance on Episode 1 of this very show Hailey Piper Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, by Hailey Piper Trouble and Her Friends, by Melissa Scott The Mountain Goats Alien Vs. Predator Fireside Quarterly, June-July 2021 The Rank and Vile list Bride of Frankenstein And Now the Screaming Starts! Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh The Crow: Wicked Prayer Brainscan Videodrome Audition Lillian's Twitch Hair Metal "Dream Warriors," by Dokken Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The Books of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin Charles Vess The Farthest Shore, A Wizard of Earthsea, and The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin Keebio's Iris keyboard Pictured above: my personal Iris keyboard (rev 2b, Kailh speed copper switches, Matt3o DSA Nerd keycaps) Bán Dénes, mrzealot Ergogen Ghost in the Shell Data Hako Royal True switches Hellraiser Lillian's website, soundcloud, and reedsy   Join us next month, when my guests will be Maya MacGregor and Andi C. Buchanan!
undefined
Mar 4, 2022 • 37min

Book Tour 14: Hailey Piper - Your Mind is a Terrible Thing

Welcome to season 4! This time around, Hailey Piper (@HaileyPiperSays) is leading the way with an appearance in support of her forthcoming novella, Your Mind is a Terrible Thing, which comes out May 7th, 2022! Hailey brings us some fantastic words to live by as an artist, and I hope we can all hold on to this throughout the coming year and beyond: "be brave: let it be weird."   Things we mention in this episode: The 2021 Bram Stoker Award ballot  Star Wars  NaNoWriMo  Off Limits Press  Queen of Teeth, by Hailey Piper "Recitation of the First Feeding," by Hailey Piper in Unfortunate Elements of my Anatomy  The Shape of Water  Tales from the Hood  This Appearing House, by Ally Malinenko The Fervor, The Hunger, and The Deep, by Alma Katsu HMHS Britannic, sister ship to the Titanic RMS Lusitania, not the sister ship to the Titanic Wrath Goddess Sing, by Maya Deane Stokercon  No Gods for Drowning, by Hailey Piper Other Terrors, edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Rena Mason Stephen Graham Jones  S. A. Cosby  The Book of Queer Saints, edited by Mae Murray Eric LaRocca  Joe Koch  Hailey's website and insta  Laura Lockwood    Stick around next time, when my guest will be none other than our own composer, Lillian Boyd!
undefined
Feb 18, 2022 • 1h 8min

Episode 36: Ivy Noelle Weir - Archival Quality

For the final episode of our third season (wild, right?), I had the absolute delight of having Ivy Noelle Weir (@ivynoelle) on to record one of the most chaotic episodes, energy-wise, possibly ever in the history of this show! Ivy reads from The Archivist, the original title of the novel that became her and Steenz's graphic novel, Archival Quality, which leads us into a great conversation about how the transition from prose to comics came about, as well as Ivy's recently-released and forthcoming graphic adaptations of several works of classic children's literature.   Things we mention in this episode: R. K. Duncan  Magic: the Gathering  The Mütter Museum  The Clarion Workshop  The Death of Jane Lawrence, by Caitlin Starling "The Raven," by Edgar Allen Poe The First Unit  Eastern State Penitentiary  Gritty  The Phillie Phanatic  Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes  Steenz  Neil Gaiman  The Valkyries  Tini Howard  Vita Ayala  The Eisner Awards  Oni Press  Eat the Rich, by Sarah Gailey and Pius Bak Bountiful Garden, by Ivy Noelle Weir, Steenz, and Kelly Williams Rumiko Takahashi  Junji Ito  Hellboy, by Mike Mignola Molly Knox Ostertag  The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang The Magic Fish, by Trung Le Ngyuen Tidesong, by Wendy Xu Gotham Academy, by Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher Batman: The Animated Series  Nintendo Switch  Death Cab for Cutie  Looks at the camera like I'm on The Office  Broadchurch  The Fall  Maus, by Art Spiegelman Barefoot Gen, by Kaiji Nakazawa Anne of West Philly, by Ivy Noelle Weir and Myisha Haynes Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery The Secret Garden On 81st Street, by Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla The Secret Garden, by Francis Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden (1993)  Anne with an E  The Library of the Dead, by T. L. Huchu TikTok  My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh Eileen, by Ottessa Moshfegh Shirley Jackson  Witch Hat Atelier, by Kamome Shirahama Bravo  The Bachelor  Yellowjackets  John Waters  Ivy's TikTok and website 

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app