

Bad On Paper
Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Join Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter every Wednesday for a dose of books and banter, along with interviews with women who inspire us.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 17, 2025 • 51min
Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham on Their New Mother/Daughter Book Collab
We are SO excited to chat with Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, about their new book, The Academy! We ask how their collaborative writing process worked, about Shelby’s boarding school experience that inspired the book, and Elin’s feelings on venturing into a new world outside Nantucket. We also have adaptation updates and some exclusive behind the scenes gossip! These days, Shelby is reading A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley, and Elin is reading Dominion by Addie E. Citchens. Obsessions Olivia - Bedroom candles Becca - Sezane miniskirt What we read this week Becca - The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham Olivia - Culpability by Bruce Holsinger This Month’s Book Club Pick - Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Ritual - Get 25% off your first month, only at Ritual.com/BADONPAPER. Better Help - get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Preorder Olivia’s Book, Little One, and order Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Sep 10, 2025 • 1h 21min
September 2025 Three Things
What do we want? Things! When do we want them? Now! It’s time to talk about big pop culture moments, focus tools, and what we’re excited about for fall. Olivia’s Things Taylor Swift getting engaged What’s on our Q4 Radar Our Fall TBR (Olivia’s are The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild, What a Time to Be Alive by Jade Chang, Becca’s are The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy, Boom Town by Nic Stone, Bread of Angels by Patti Smith, Brimstone by Callie Hart) Becca’s Things Focus Friend The coverage of Elizabeth Gilbert’s new memoir All the Way to the River Obsessions: Olivia - The Shooting The Shit episode of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Podcast Becca - Day Use What we read this week Becca - Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand, The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham Olivia - Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan This Month’s Book Club Pick - Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Wayfair - Find decor for less at Wayfair.com. Cozy Earth - head to Cozyearth.com and use code BOP for 40% off! Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Preorder Olivia’s Book, Little One, and order Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Sep 3, 2025 • 1h 11min
How A Book Cover Gets Made with Molly von Borstel
People who judge books by their covers, this ep is for you! This week, we brought on Art Director and Book Cover Designer Molly von Borstel to talk about how book covers come to life. She shares how she got into book design, the surprising parts of the job, how she deals with feedback, cover trends, and more! Obsessions Olivia - Sorel Roam’n Clogs Becca - Travel mahjong set from Oh My Mahjong What we read this week Becca - Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand Olivia - The Break-In By Katherine Faulkner, The Safekeep by Yael Van der Wouden, Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler This Month’s Book Club Pick - Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Cozy Earth - Go to cozyearth.com and use code BOP for 40% off. Caraway - Visit Carawayhome.com/BOP for an additional 10% off your next purchase. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Preorder Olivia’s Book, Little One, and order Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Aug 27, 2025 • 1h 1min
The Knight & The Moth Book Club
It’s Book Club day! We’re excited to chat about The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig. We discuss the book’s setting and world-building, the main characters (and their romance), how this fits into the romantacy genre overall, and more! Obsessions Olivia - Night Moves by Bob Seger Becca - J.Crew yellow suede bucket bag This Month’s Book Club Pick - STAY TUNED! (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Cozy Earth - go to cozyearth.com and use code BOP for 40% off Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Preorder Olivia’s Book, Little One, and order Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Aug 20, 2025 • 56min
E. Jean Carroll on writing, grabbing joy, and beating Donald Trump in court
We are SO excited for this week’s conversation with journalist E. Jean Carroll! We chat with her about why she decided to write her book about her experience in court against Donald Trump, her 30-year tenure as an advice columnist, and more! E. Jean Carroll is the author of five books, including a biography of Hunter S. Thompson, and the New York Times bestselling book NOT MY TYPE: One Woman vs. a President. Obsessions Becca - U Beauty Proem perfume What we read this week Becca - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Olivia - Writers & Lovers by Lily King, NOT MY TYPE: One Woman vs. a President This Month’s Book Club Pick - The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Better Help - Get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER Ritual - Get 25% off your first month, only at ritual.com/BADONPAPER Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Preorder Olivia’s Book, Little One, and order Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Aug 13, 2025 • 1h 24min
August 2025 Three Things
It’s time for the most August 2025 Three Things to Ever Three Things. From AI to face shapewear to Labubus, and more, there’s so much to discuss! Let’s get into it. Olivia’s Things DNF-ing Skims Face Shapewear Labubus Becca’s Things The articles “I Teach Creative Writing. This Is What A.I. Is Doing to Students” by Meghan O’Rourke [gift link] and ”The Force-Feeding of AI on an Unwilling Public” by Ted Gioia Mind Meld Game The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Obsessions Becca - Freakier Friday Olivia - Sorry, Baby What we read this week Becca - The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett This Month’s Book Club Pick - The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Wayfair - Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Caraway Home - Visit Carawayhome.com/BOP for an additional 10% off your next purchase. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Preorder Olivia’s Book, Little One, and order Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Aug 7, 2025 • 26min
Chelsea Bieker on Comparison & Competition in Publishing
As a bonus to our episode discussing comparison and competition, we invited Chelsea Bieker to continue the conversation, and how comparison and competition manifest for her, specifically within her publishing career and the strategies she’s learned to quiet these emotions. Read more from Chelsea in her newsletter Make Up Your Life, fountainpractice.com, and her latest book Madwoman is out now! This Month’s Book Club Pick - The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Aug 6, 2025 • 1h 18min
Chatting About Comparison & Competition
We’ve been trying to make an episode about comparison and competition (an Olivia Muenter favorite topic!) happen for a while, and it’s finally here! We’re discussing our personal histories with comparison and competition and how it manifests in our personal and professional lives. We’re even diving into whether we ever compare ourselves to each other. We’re talking about if we define ourselves as competitive people, topics that bring up jealousy, how comparison and competition manifests in our author lives, and even within the podcast. Obsessions B: Hues and Cues O: eBay (vintage hats, weird jewelry, old books) What we read this week O: Greenwich by Kate Broad B: This Month’s Book Club Pick - The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Cozy Earth - Go to cozyearth.com and use my code BOP for 40% off! Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping and three 365-day returns. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Jul 30, 2025 • 1h 13min
Atmosphere Book Club
It’s book club day! We’re so excited to talk about our listener-selected book club pick, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. There’s a lot to cover in this story set during the 1980s space race. We discuss our feelings about the main characters, the aspects of the book we gravitated towards, our favorite space songs, and more! Obsessions: Becca - Ruby lobster roll off watercolor painting Olivia - Alexander Skarsgard interview circuit Reading: Olivia - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown Becca - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Loved One by Aisha Muharrar (out 8/12) This Month’s Book Club Pick - The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Cozy Earth - go to cozyearth.com and use code BOP for 40% off best-selling temperature-regulating sheets, apparel, and more. Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Jul 23, 2025 • 1h 4min
Desert Island Picks - Part 2
Our last desert island episode was so popular, we hopped a quick trip back to the island for part 2. This time we’re talking all things clothing and travel. Jeans Becca - Frame Le Slim Palazzo Olivia - Gap Ultra Soft Barrel Leg Jeans Bra Becca & Olivia - Skims T-Shirt Bra Underwear Becca - Skims fits everybody thong Olivia - CUUP high waisted Shoe Becca - Onitsuka Tigre Mexico 66 Olivia - EVA Birkenstocks Obsessions Becca - BBQ Brawl What we read this week Becca - Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert, Happy All The Time by Laurie Colwin Olivia - Travel Essential Becca - Dagne Dover Duffel Bag Olvia - Bose Quiet Comfort Noise Cancelling Headphones This Month’s Book Club Pick - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Sponsors Avaline Wine - head to drinkavaline.com/badonpaper and use code BADONPAPER to get 15% off your order. Ritual - Get 25% off your first month at ritual.com/BADONPAPER. Better Help - Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/badonpaper. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.