In Bed With Books

Melissa
  • 4.8 (5)
  • Books
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A bookish podcast for bookish babes. Hosted by Melissa, a former academic and long-time lover of fantasy, romance, and literature. Join me every Monday for new episodes! Where to find the pod >> Instagram: https://instagram.com/inbedwithbookspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod Email: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

  1. 22h ago

    A New Take on Fantasy Worldbuilding | Interview with Author David Ly

    Join me and author David Ly to talk about his recent release, Not All Dragons. After waking up on the shores of Lanilia, with no memory of who he is, Rhys sets off on a journey through this unfamiliar land to figure out his identity, aided by his fast friend, Delia. Their journey starts as a quest to figure out who he was, but as their troubles unfold, Rhys’ focus changes to who he might become. Ly and I start our chat with the question of identity, as Rhys himself tries to answer the questions of his past and what even defines one’s self-concept. As Rhys journeys through an unfamiliar world, Ly introduces us to Lanilia, a place full of magic and color rarely seen in fantasy novels today. Our conversation turned to Ly’s use of water imagery to explore the fluid space that Rhys finds himself in, and the way this influences other creatures in the land of Lanilia. Finally, Ly and I talk about the process he took in creating Rhys’ story, from a single image in a poem written years ago, to the main character in Ly’s first novel. Buy Not All Dragons now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781998408429 Learn more about David Ly here: https://davidlywrites.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/davidlywrites/ Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email! Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51 Where else to find me: IG: @inbedwithbookspod YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

    A New Take on Fantasy Worldbuilding | Interview with Author David Ly

  2. Oct 13

    Playing with Form in Horror Storytelling | Interview with Author Jonathan Edward Durham

    Join me and author Jonathan Edward Durham for a conversation about his novel Winterset Hollow. Rereleased on October 6, Winterset Hollow follows Eamon and his friends on a pilgrimage to the home of their favorite author. Their trip takes a dark turn when they discover that not only are the animals from their favorite book real, but they really hate the book and its fans. Durham and I talked about the creation of the novel, as well as his decision to rerelease the book as a traditionally published work after a few years as a self-published work. We talked at length about his experience with different forms, which was primarily focused on scriptwriting until he wrote Winterset Hollow. In writing Winterset Hollow, Durham also tested his hand at poetry (you can find passages of the book-within-the-book throughout the novel!). His ability to toggle between forms made for a suspenseful and at times heartbreaking story of the cost of nostalgia. Buy Winterset Hollow now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781454965329 Learn more about Jonathan Edward Durham here: https://www.jonathanedwarddurham.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thisone0verhere https://substack.com/@jonathanedwarddurham?r=4obieu&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile&shareImageVariant=light https://www.threads.com/@thisone0verhere?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email! Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51 Where else to find me: IG: @inbedwithbookspod YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

    Playing with Form in Horror Storytelling | Interview with Author Jonathan Edward Durham

  3. Oct 2

    Fighting Fate and Learning to Love in Witch Daughter | Interview with Author Tanaz Bhathena

    Join me and author Tanaz Bhathena to talk about her recent adult fantasy, Witch Daughter. A modern retelling of part of Ferdowsi’s epic, The Shahnameh, this book follows the princess Tahmineh and her relationship to fate. First, as she runs towards it and her marriage to Rostam, a famed warrior who she hopes can provide the protection she needs as a suspected witch. And later, after the birth of her son, as she desperately tries to avoid a prophecy where her son and his father fight each other on the battlefield. Bhathena explores classic prejudices and patriarchy through the main character, Tahmineh, and the suspicions around her lineage. She explores what lengths a person will go to in order to secure their own safety, and then how that changes when those concerns have to include someone other than yourself. In all of her attempts to secure her safety, and then her son’s, Tahmineh also unknowingly works through the tensions she has around love, first through passion, and then through a slow burn and earned trust. Bhathena and I also discuss the research that went into writing this story. Tahmineh’s journey as a literary figure has shifted over the centuries, with suspected origins as demon or a witch, and was potentially sanitized for reader consumption. What does it mean to give this power back to her? Buy Witch Daughter now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781538780862 Learn more about Tanaz Bhathena here: https://tanazbhathena.com/ Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email! Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51 Where else to find me: IG: @inbedwithbookspod YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

    Fighting Fate and Learning to Love in Witch Daughter | Interview with Author Tanaz Bhathena

  4. Sep 29

    Liminal Spaces and Influencer Culture in "Night of Madness" | Interview with Author Ryan Douglass

    Join me and author Ryan Douglass to talk about his latest release, Night of Madness. When Jack Stanley, famed horror movie maker announces a competition with a $100k prize at the end, Mara knows that could be her ticket out of poverty. But once she makes it to the show, she fears that $100k may not be worth the cost. Douglass and I discuss the theme of influencer culture, especially how it skews our ability to cope with trauma and our understanding of class. Mara’s main motivation is the cash prize promised to the winner, but that’s not the case for all of the contestants of Jack’s haunted asylum. We look at how Mara’s upbringing - living with her grandparents, abandoned by her father, less fortunate than those closest to her - become driving forces for her, even after the asylum becomes a true case of life or death. Using classic slasher tropes, Jack plays out his fantasies with a cast and a crew held hostage to the promise of money and begs the question, how far would you go? Buy Night of Madness now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781665983044 Learn more about Ryan Douglass here: www.instagram.com/ryan_souflee Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email! Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51 Where else to find me: IG: @inbedwithbookspod YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

    Liminal Spaces and Influencer Culture in "Night of Madness" | Interview with Author Ryan Douglass

  5. Sep 25

    Death, Love, and Doing the Work | Interview with Poet Isabelle Correa

    Join me and poet Isabelle Correa to talk about her recent release, “Portrait of a Person Who Pushes Love Away in Fear of Losing It.” The collection explores intergenerational trauma, religious myth, and pop culture in an intimate, cinematic interior life. Throughout the collection, Correa looks at the different ways we can corrupt our perceptions of love, and the power “no” has in healing that. During our conversation, we talk about how Correa establishes Love and Death as opposing universal forces, and how that becomes a foundation for peeling back the layers on how love and pain can become twisted. We take a couple of tangents, to talk about similar lessons we were taught as kids in church, and then later to talk about our joint interests in tarot and astrology. We also dive into a subject we lovingly called “The Work,” as in, the healing work that we are blessed to be able to do now that those who came before us could not. Buy Portrait of a Person Who Pushes Love Away in Fear of Losing It now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781968451110 Learn more about Isabelle Correa here: https://www.isabellecorrea.com/ https://isabellecorrea.substack.com/ https://www.instagram.com/isabellecorreawrites/ Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email! Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51 Where else to find me: IG: @inbedwithbookspod YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

    Death, Love, and Doing the Work | Interview with Poet Isabelle Correa

  6. Sep 17

    Hidden Themes in Cozy Fantasy | The Hocus Pocus Handbook by Ann Aguirre

    Join me and author Ann Aguirre to talk about her latest book, The Hocus Pocus Handbook. The book follows Thea, a human member of the Winter Court. After being replaced with a changeling as a baby, Thea has grown accustomed to the ways of faerie - their customs and rules, and the ways she can bend the rules for her own acts of “good trouble.” But when she takes things a little too far, she’s forced on a quest with the broodiest knight in the court. With the threat of being exiled back into the human world looming over her head, Thea must find her missing betrothed and try not to fall in love with someone else in the process. Aguirre and I had chatted about how she tied in heavier themes of classism, privilege, and The Other to her cozy fantasy. Afterall, who decides what’s cozy? We explored this theme of The Other through Thea, the main character, but also through Kerboros, the brooding enforcer for the Winter Court who’s trapped in servitude as punishment for his father’s crimes. The more they work together to find her betrothed, the more they start to understand each other, which threatens the very thin ice they’ve found themselves on. Buy The Hocus Pocus Handbook now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781464224119 Learn more about Ann Aguirre here: https://www.annaguirre.com/ Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email! Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51 Where else to find me: IG: @inbedwithbookspod YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

    Hidden Themes in Cozy Fantasy | The Hocus Pocus Handbook by Ann Aguirre

  7. Sep 2

    Interview with Bethan Croome: Outlawed Magic and Femme Power in Reign

    Bethan Croome joined me to chat about her debut novel, Reign. Reign follows Niamh as anti-magic laws force her out of the home she’s always known and into a war for the throne. Croome’s debut romantic fantasy novel features forbidden magic, deep yearning, and cinematic battle scenes. Croome and I discuss our joint love of fantasy, and the weight that comes with authoring stories in that space. Later in the episode, we talk about the influence for Niamh, the main character, and how her and other characters within the book confront misogyny. How does Niamh handle being her blacksmith father’s secret protege in a kingdom that won’t allow her to be his mentee? How does her best friend cope with the systemic patriarchy holding her in place? And how does a thwarted Queen fight for her stolen throne in a kingdom that cannot even accept a woman as a blacksmith? This is episode 105 of In Bed with Books. Buy Reign now: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781464280665 Learn more about Bethan Croome here: https://www.instagram.com/bethfiit/ Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email! Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51 Where else to find me: IG: @inbedwithbookspod YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

    Interview with Bethan Croome: Outlawed Magic and Femme Power in Reign

  8. Jun 26

    Writer vs Reader: The Role of Interactivity in Fiction Storytelling with Michael Pons

    This week I’m joined by my friend Dr Michael Pons. He recently received his PhD in English Literature, and I was lucky enough to sit in on his dissertation defense. The focus of his dissertation was on the role that interactivity plays in narrative, if there is one at all, focusing on video games. Michael and I dive into an hour long conversation connecting his findings on the limitations of interactivity to literature and television. Who are the participants involved? What is the role of the audience and the creator? What do they owe each other? Where does desire play into all of this? This is the first part of a 2-part conversation. You can find Michael on IG @mackerel_prawns If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email! Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51 Where else to find me: IG: @inbedwithbookspod YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod EM: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

    Writer vs Reader: The Role of Interactivity in Fiction Storytelling with Michael Pons
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About

A bookish podcast for bookish babes. Hosted by Melissa, a former academic and long-time lover of fantasy, romance, and literature. Join me every Monday for new episodes! Where to find the pod >> Instagram: https://instagram.com/inbedwithbookspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod Email: inbedwithbookspodcast@gmail.com

Information

  • Creator
    Melissa
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    115
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © In Bed with Books 2021
  • Show Website
    In Bed With Books