Podcast appearances and mentions of Stephen King

It's Labor Day Weekend and The Summer of The Stand comes to a close as the Losers finally review The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand.

This week, we're taking a deep dive into the very haunted history of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina—a small Southern town with more ghost stories per square mile than Salem, Savannah, or Charleston combined. Joined by local authors and tour guides Liz Z Pardue and Kelly Prestipino (also possibly haunted), we explore paranormal encounters, unsolved murders, witch lore, haunted cemeteries, and ghostly legends that make this town feel like a Southern-fried Stephen King theme park:•Stinky Pete: a spirit who alternates between smelling like cigars or B.O. (so basically your uncle at Thanksgiving).•Pauline: the mayor's widow who smuggled saplings out of the Biltmore Estate in coffee cans, built the best garden in town, and is now haunting people until someone finally gives her a damn plaque.•The Willow Spring Axe Murders: a dude kills his pregnant wife and kids, hides them under a cow, and then nopes out of town like it's a Scooby-Doo episode from hell.•Shadow people, deer with human eyes, and hitchhiking 90s mall kids who refuse your umbrella offer before disappearing into the void because that's normalWe also reminisce about the true horror of growing up in the 80s and 90s: getting handed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in elementary school libraries, staying up all weekend with USA slasher marathons, and learning that yes, Jaws is technically about local politics with bonus shark attacks.If you've ever thought, “Wow, Appalachia feels weird, but maybe it's just the trees,” this episode proves that nope—everything's haunted. The houses, the roads, the woods, even the damn drinking water is haunted. EXTRA GHOST CHAOS •Axe murders, witch lore & haunted history of Fuquay-Varina•Paranormal encounters with cigar-smoking ghosts & perfumed spirits•Appalachian weirdness, shadow people & why the woods suck•Parenting tips: why Monster Squad is fine for kids, but Gremlins will ruin Christmas foreverSo grab your flashlight, leave your umbrella at home (the ghosts don't want it), and join us for haunted history, true crime, and lots of looking over our shoulder cause it's probably haunted.CREEP-O-RAMA is:Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, Legends & Lore: https://a.co/d/atvkmUZStore: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREEP-O-RAMA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@creep-o-rama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Josh:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@joshblevesque⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Artwork: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bargainbinblasphemy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@imfigure⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Audio:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stranjlove

This week on Explore Weekly, we dive into a genre-rich roundup of the biggest stories in entertainment—from supernatural satire to superhero synergy. Michael Sheen teases the ineffable return of Good Omens, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein prepares to electrify Venice, and Stephen King's The Institute gets a chilling season two renewal. Plus, we unpack the cultural phenomenon of KPop Demon Hunters, explore the viral screen test that crowned David Corenswet as Superman, and decode the latest DC Studios crossover buzz between Batman and the Man of Steel. We also spotlight the evolution of Peacemaker in season two, with fresh Easter eggs and canon shifts, and offer a heartfelt review of Upload season four—Prime Video's digital afterlife comedy that ends with a surprisingly emotional punch. Start Your Free One Year Trial on Sci-Fi Talk Plus, Today

The Lawnmower Man himself finally makes an appearance on The Kingcast. Jeff Fahey's career is impressive just by itself, but doubly impressive for us Stephen King nerds when you realize he's something of King royalty, popping up in adaptations of The Institute, Under the Dome, and, yes, The Lawnmower Man. We discuss all three, plus talk about his latest film, The Final Run, out in select theaters and on demand right now.

This Salem's Lot episode is actually one of our exclusive Patreon episodes, but since we were unable to record a new episode this past week, We are letting you all take a peek under the cape to check out the goods we offer to our wonderful Patrons over at Patreon.com/forevermidnight. We have 90 exclusive episodes available to check out starting at the $5 level and other content as well! This episode was originally uploaded to our Patreon feed in June of 2021, we hope you enjoy us talking about this classic vampire TV mini-series adapted from a story by Stephen King and directed by the one and only Tobe Hooper! We will be back next week with a brand new episode ready to delight your earholes!  Peace, Love and Scary movies!

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This week, Leo and Steven trauma dump on Parker from Dissect That Film as they cover the classic horror anthology Creepshow! They talk about the charm of Tom Atkins, props held up by brooms, incredible performances by Leslie Neilson and Adrienne Barbeau, oversharing family secrets, the history of EC Comics, capturing the feeling of comic books, the connectivity of Creepshow and what happens when Stephen King and George Romero come to make a film that delivers on it's promise: It's the most fun you'll have being SCARED!There's some weird audio in this one. Not sure what happened. It's probably Parkers fault. Watch the trailer here - CreepshowDon't forget to Show The Fuck Up for The Toxic Avenger!Check out Dissect That FilmLike the show? Rate us on Apple or Spotify!Bisexual Lighting is Real!Snake in a Box is real too - Snake in a BoxFollow us on Instagram Follow us on TwitterLike the Ads? Check out our friends at...Give Me Back My Action & Horror Movies100 HorrorsDark AdaptationHorror HouseA Cut Above: Horror ReviewGood Beer Bad Movie NightBucket of Chum PodcastDissect that FilmThe CinemigosNext Week Midsommer (Part 1)Hassle us via text during the show!

There have been a number of big summer movies like "F1: The Movie," "Superman" and "Jurrassic World: Rebirth." But these popcorn movies are not likely destined for big awards. Studios like to hold back the Oscar contenders for the fall, so in this week's episode we dive into which movies to watch for this fall and into the winter. You can also review a full list of notable films below. August releases “Honey Don’t!” – Ethan Coen continues his Margaret Qualley-a-thon with this comedy about a private investigator who looks into a series of deaths tied to a church. Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans co-star. “Splitsville” – Divorce makes strange bedfellows, particularly when the ex discovers his best friends have an open marriage. Dakota Johnson, Kyle Marvin star. “Eden” – Looking for a better life, a group of people head to the Galapagos and realize what they’re up against. Jude Law and Ana de Armas star in this based-in-fact drama directed by Ron Howard. “Relay” – Payoffs between corporations brings a broker into the line of fire. Riz Ahmed, Lily James and Sam Worthington star. “Hollywood Grit” – A private investigator has to find out what happened to his daughter. Tyrese, Max Martini star. “Lurker” – How strange is the world of stardom? A worker finds out as he gets closer to a music star. Alex Russell wrote and directed this drama starring Theodore Pellerin and Archie Madekwe. “The Thursday Murder Club” – Friends in a retirement home solve mysteries. Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley are in the home. “The Roses” – An updated look at “War of the Roses” lets Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman square off. Jay Roach directs. “Caught Stealing” – Austin Butler gets the Darren Aronofsky treatment as a baseball player caught in the underbelly of New York City. Bad Bunny is along for the ride. “The Toxic Avenger”—When a janitor is the victim of a toxic accident, a new crimefighter emerges. Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige star. “Jaws” – The first summer blockbuster returns to the big screen after months on television. Now, you can see what audiences were scared of in 1975. “Love, Brooklyn” – Friends navigate the pitfalls of life in Brooklyn. September releases “Megadoc” – Mike Figgis looks at the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.” “The Conjuring: Last Rites” – Those creepy paranormal investigators say they’re taking on one last case (sure) to settle their own lives. Patric Wilson and Vera Farmiga return. “The Threesome” – A threesome leads to problems, particularly since life’s not always fantasies. Zoey Deutch and Jonah Hauer-King star. “Twinless” – Two men bond in a support group. Dylan O’Brien, Lauren Graham and Arkira Chantaratananond star. “Hamilton” – Celebrating its “ten-cennial,” the Broadway hit brings its performance capture version (which ran on Disney+) to the big screen. Updates about the performers make this more than a night out. “The Baltimorons” – Sobriety leads to a dental emergency which leads to a romance with the dentist. Jay Duplass directs; Michael Strassner co-writes and stars. “The Long Walk” —You thought the Hunger Games were bad, how about this: Teenage boys compete in a walking contest. If they don’t keep up, they’re shot. Based on a Stephen King story, it’s one of the year’s most harrowing. “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” – Those Smell the Glove guys reunite after a 15-year hiatus for one last concert. Rob Reiner directs; the original actors return. “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” – The Crawleys face scandal, financial ruin and social disgrace. To get out of it, they look to a younger generation. Expect all but Maggie Smith to be back. “The History of Sound” – Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor embark on a World War I project that brings them close to their country and each other. “Code 3” – One last shift for a paramedic who has to train his replacement. What could go wrong? Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howery star. “Him” – What a guy won’t do to be a football star. Here, one goes to a compound where anything can happen. Tyriq Withers, Marlon Wayans and Julia Fox star. “American Sweatshop – Yup, it’s the world of social media. An insider discovers just how dark the world is (like we didn’t know). “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” – Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie bond in a unique journey (which, of course, says nothing but suggests there’s more to this than two big stars). “The Summer Book” – A girl and her grandmother become closer in Finland. Emily Matthews and Glenn Close star. (Could this be the one that finally wins Close an Oscar?) “Xeno” – Ready for another E.T.? This one finds a teenager relating to the alien. Josh Cooke, Lulu Wilson star. “Waltzing with Brando” – When Marlon Brando wants an ecologically perfect retreat in Tahiti, he calls on a Los Angeles architect. Tia Carrere, Richard Dreyfuss and Jon Heder star. “Eleanor the Great” – Scarlett Johansson directs June Squibb in this drama about a 94-year-old who has plenty of stories to tell. “One Battle After Another” – Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this dark comedy about a group of revolutionaries reuniting to save one of their group’s daughter. Paul Thomas Anderson directs; Benicio Del Toro (who starred in a Wes Anderson film earlier this year) and Sean Penn co-star. October releases “The Smashing Machine” – Dwayne Johnson tries his hand at mixed-martial arts as UFC champion Mark Kerr. The makeup may be a stretch, but Benny Safdie directs, Emily Blunt disappears in an unlikely role. “Tron: Ares” – Jared Leto gets to run the race. Jeff Bridges is here, too, but this is about a new program (Ares) that’s about to embark on a dangerous mission. “Roofman” – A robber evades authorities by hanging out in a toy store. Channing Tatum plays the thief, Peter Dinklage and Kirsten Dunst swirl around him. “Anemone” – Daniel Day-Lewis comes out of retirement for this film directed by his son, Ronan. The plot? Good question, but it will have that DD-L prestige. “Kiss of the Spider Woman” – Jennifer Lopez stars in the Tony winner fans have been asking for. The big question: Were they looking for Lopez to star in it? Bill Conden directs. “If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You” – Rose Byrne gets the Oscar buzz as a woman trying to juggle multiple traumas, including a sick child and an absent husband. “Soul on Fire” – This is the story of a St. Louis native who survived burns which covered his body. Joel Courtney plays John O’Leary. William H. Macy and John Corbett co-star. “Good Fortune” – An angel meddles in the lives of a venture capitalist and a gig worker. Seth Rogen, Azizi Ansari and Keke Palmer star in this comedy written and directed by Ansari. Black Phone 2 – More trouble ensues when the phone rings. Sequel to a better-than-average horror film. “After the Hunt” – Julia Roberts plays a college professor who wonders what could happen when a student levels an accusation against a colleague. Ayo Edebiri co-stars. The Mastermind – A family man leads a double life in the 1970s. Josh O’Connor and Alana Haim star. “Pets on a Train” – Animated animals get caught up in a train heist. Hedda” – “Hedda Gabler” gets the big-screen treatment with Tessa Thompson in the title role. Blue Moon – The life of Lorenz Hart is told by Richard Linklater with Ethan Hawke as Hart. Andrew Scott plays Richard Rodgers. “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” -- Bruce Springsteen gets the Bob Dylan treatment with Jeremy Allen White in the title role. This, however, only covers the creation of the “Nebraska” album. “Regretting You” – Family issues emerge after the death of a husband and father. Based on Colleen Hoover’s best-seller, it stars Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace. “The Watchers” – M. Night Shayamalan’s daughter Ishana makes her directorial debut with this thriller about an artist who gets trapped in an Irish forest. “Anniversary” – A good cast (Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Zoey Deutch) in a thriller directed by Polish filmmaker Jan Komasa. “Bugonia” – Emma Stone continues her run with Yorgos Lanthimos. The film is a remake of a South Korean effort about two men kidnapping an executive, convinced she’s an alien bent on destroying Earth. “Nouvelle Vague” – Richard Linklater has another entry this year. This one’s a look at Jean-Luc Godard and actress Jean Seberg. Guillaume Marbeck and Zoey Deutch start. November releases When We Pray – Jamie Foxx directs the story of brothers who become pastors at divergent churches. Predator: Badlands – While “Alien: Earth” takes over TV screens, the “other” scary creature takes on a remote planet. The Running Man” – Glen Powell steps into Arnold Schwarzenegger’s shoes as a contestant in a game show which features killers all around the world. Nuremberg – Set during the Nuremberg trials, a psychiatrist interviews Nazi prisoners to determine if they are fit to stand trial. Rami Malek and Russell Crowe square off. Peter Hujar’s Day – What was New York’s art world like in 1974? Rebecca Hall and Ben Whishaw play two who know. Ira Sachs directs. “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” – The Four Horsemen get help from newbies hoping to use illusions to get away with big cash. Jay Kelly – It’s an ensemble film but it stars George Clooney as a George Clooney-level star who reflects on life with his manager (played by Adam Sandler). Noah Baumbach directs. Indecipherable – A boy, home alone, gets shaken by the things that go bump in the night. Wicked: For Good – At long last, we find out what happened to Glinda and Elphaba. Expect at least one new song and bigger roles for the men in their lives. No place like home? That’s included, too. Cynthia Orivo and Ariana Grande could double up on the Oscar nominations. Rental Family – Oscar winner Brendan Fraser plays an American actor who plays roles in other people’s lives. STZ – Zombies result when a trio of scientists launch a bio-attack on a bus filled with women. (No kidding.) Zootopia 2 – Residents of Zootopia return for more adventure and product placement. Judy and Nick are on the trail of a new resident, a snake. About the show Streamed & Screened is a podcast about movies and TV hosted by Bruce Miller, a longtime entertainment reporter who is now the editor of the Sioux City Journal in Iowa and Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer for Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin. The show was named Best Podcast in the 2025 Iowa Better Newspaper Contest. Theme music Thunder City by Lunareh, used under license from Soundstripe. YouTube clearance: FV694ULMCJQDG0IY

Break out the red balloons and psychic powers—this week on Bloody Essentials, Ethan, Jamie, and Nina head to the eerie corners of Castle Rock (and beyond) to talk all things Stephen King adaptations. From the bone-chilling brilliance of The Shining to the blood-soaked prom of Carrie, the crew dives into the adaptations that made them fall in love with the Master of Horror on screen.  Hosts: Ethan Noyes, Jamie Verwys, and Nina Yarrington  Producer: Jeremy Noyes  Gain access to all our unhinged content by supporting our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/BloodyEssentialsPodcast  Stay up to date on all the creepy things we are up to by following us on our social media platforms! https://linktr.ee/bloodyessentials  If you want to let us know how much we are on your mind, feel free to buy us a coffee! We will give you a shoutout on our next episode! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bloodyessentials  Bloody Essentials Logo by: Greg Stark   Intro/Outro Music: Sweet Little Nightmare by Darren Curtis   Video Footage in Intro Courtesy of: Suspiria 1977 (20th Century Fox), Halloween 1978 (Compass International Pictures & Trancas International Films), and Scream 1996 (Paramount Pictures)

Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the modern marvel that is video chat. In the news, Perplexity is using undeclared crawlers to scrape content, Samsung has a crazy Micro LED TV, real life ad block is possible, and Trump is forming the American SS.The next GeekNights Book Club book will be The Running Man, by Richard Backman, who you may know better as Stephen King.Related LinksForum ThreadVideo Chat and TeleconferencingDiscord ChatVideo Chat and TeleconferencingBluesky PostVideo Chat and TeleconferencingThings of the DayRym - Survival food - dandelion seedsScott - blahaj goes to waffle house at 3am

In the forty-ninth episode of Season 11: The Son of Cult Flicks, Kyle is joined by screenwriter Katy Baldwin and director Michael Willer to discuss the wide cult acclaim of Frank Darabont's earnest and soulful adaptation of a Stephen King short story that reflects on being imprisoned by fear and the road to emancipation through a parable of hope in one of the most beloved films of all time, The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

Jim discusses an adaption of one of his favorite Stephen King books -"Cat's Eye," based on two short stories in "Nightshift" and starring Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Robert Hayes, Kenneth McMillian, Mary D'Arcy, Candy Clark, James Naughton, Mike Starr, Charles S. Dutton, and directed by Lewis Teague. The three tales that surround the wanderings of a tabby cat are "Quitters Inc" involving a man's attempt to stop smoking, "The Ledge," dealing with a serious wager and "General" focusing on a little girl's fear of a monster in her bedroom. Find out more on MONSTER ATTACK!, The Podcast Dedicated To Old Monster Movies.

Matt is in a realm of light and beauty, so Shane and Mikey shout at each other about what's been good lately.Great FallsAge of FearCheck out our Patreon for bonus shows and more!Musical Attribution:Licensed through NEOSounds.“5 O'Clock Shadow,” “America On the Move,” “Baby You Miss Me,” “Big Fat Gypsy,” “Bubble Up,” “C'est Chaud,” “East River Blues,” “The Gold Rush,” “Gypsy Fiddle Jazz,” “Here Comes That Jazz,” “I Wish I Could Charleston,” “I Told You,” “It Feels Like Love To Me,” “Little Tramp,” “Mornington Crescent,” “No Takeaways.”

This week on The Watchers, Andrea and Jodie are snowed in with Stephen King's Misery, Rob Reiner's chilling two-hander adaptation that won Kathy Bates her Oscar and taught us to fear typewriters, sledgehammers, and devoted fans bearing soup. We talk about King's real-life inspiration for the story, the long and winding road to casting Paul Sheldon, and why this movie manages to be terrifying, funny, and oddly cozy all at once.Next week, we're moving from one devoted nurse with a questionable bedside manner to another, trading Annie Wilkes for Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review.Recommended Reading:"Retrospective: 30 years later, ‘Misery' still loves company" - Eddie Mouradian Follow:The Watchers on Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)Andrea on Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)Jodie on Instagram (@jodie_mim)Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Jim discusses an adaption of one of his favorite Stephen King books -“Cat’s Eye,” based on two short stories in “Nightshift” and starring Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Robert Hayes, Kenneth McMillian, Mary D’Arcy, Candy Clark, James Naughton, Mike Starr, Charles S. Dutton, and directed by Lewis Teague. The three tales that surround the […] The post Cat’s Eye | Episode 478 appeared first on The ESO Network.

In one of those bumper-sized guest-filled jamborees in which we specialise, this week's Empire Podcast sees John Nugent sit down on Zoom to interview Eddington star, Joaquin Phoenix... or does Joaquin Phoenix interview John Nugent? All will be revealed. [18:52 - 35:59 approx] Elsewhere, Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat about The Life of Chuck with co-stars Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor, in which they try desperately not to give anything away about Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation; [59:45 - 1:18:06 approx] and he also has a chaotic Zoom with the stars of the excellent Eenie Meanie, Samara Weaving and Karl Glusman. [1:45:11 - 1:56:04 approx] Either side of that little lot, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and Harry Stainer to talk about the movies that bring them joy in times of darkness; discuss the week's movie news, in which they say a sad but fond farewell to the legendary Terence Stamp; and review Eddington, The Life Of Chuck, Eenie Meanie, and Sorry, Baby. Oh, and Harry comes up with a novel use for custard. Enjoy.

Jess here! A while back, Sarina and KJ talked about how much they enjoyed Tess Gerritsen's novel, The Spy Coast, and Sarina reassured KJ she'd enjoy book two of the series even more. I had never read a Tess Gerritsen novel, and while I'd heard her name before and vaguely understood she wrote thrillers, I was starting from square one when I downloaded the audio version of The Spy Coast. Now, I'm not an international spy thriller kind of gal. In the abstract, I understand the allure of books like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or Six Days of the Condor. Spies! Intrigue! International [almost exclusively men] of mystery! But they have never really floated my proverbial boat. That said, I loved Tess Gerritsen's spies and the world they inhabit. There's a sense of place - nay, a downright LOVE of place - and a retiring, rural New England domesticity that spoke to this retiring, rural New England reader. Book two, The Summer Guests, is even more rooted in Maine, on its history and the social dynamics of its natives and its summer people. Once I tore through those first two books, I went back to Gerritsen's first book, The Surgeon, one of Time Magazine's top 100 thriller/mystery books of all time and the first in the Rizzoli & Isles series, consequently made into a long-running television series. Gerritsen has a fascinating career trajectory, lots to talk about regarding pantsing and plotting, where the ideas come from, and lots of other geeky details about the writing life. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Find Tess at Tessgerritsen.com, or on Bluesky, @TessGerritsen Transcript below!EPISODE 462 - TRANSCRIPTJennie NashHey everyone, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, the company I started more than 10 years ago to lead the emerging book coaching industry. In October, we'll be enrolling a new cohort of certification students who will be going through programs in either fiction, nonfiction, or memoir, and learning the editorial, emotional, and entrepreneurial skills that you need to be a successful book coach. If you've been curious about book coaching and thinking that it might be something you want to do for your next career move, I'd love to teach you more about it, you can go to bookcoaches.com/waitlist to check out the free training I have—that's bookcoaches.com/waitlist. The training is all about how to make money, meaning, and joy out of serving writers. Fall is always a great time to start something new. So if you're feeling called to do this, go check out our training and see if this might be right for you. We'd love to have you join us.Multiple SpeakersIs it recording? Now it's recording, yay. Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. I don't remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay, now—one, two, three.Jess LaheyHey, this is Jess Lahey, and this is the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast. This is the podcast about writing all the things—short things, long things, poetry, prose, narrative nonfiction, fiction, creative nonfiction, queries, proposals. This is the podcast about writing all the things. More than anything else, this is the podcast about the writing life and about getting the work done. I am Jess Lahey. I'm the author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation. And you can find my journalism at The Atlantic and The Washington Post, and my bi-weekly (formerly bi-weekly) column at The New York Times, The Parent-Teacher Conference, ran for about three years I am joined today by Sarina Bowen, who has written 50-odd books. She has written lots and lots of romance, and her most recent addition to the world of publishing has been her thrillers, Dying to Meet You and The Five Year Lie. And she has a book coming out this fall called Thrown for a Loop. The reason I am recording this intro on my own—which, as you may know if you've been listening, is highly unusual for us—is because I know myself. And I know when I'm really excited to talk to someone on the podcast; I'm going to flub the intro. I'm going to forget something. I'm going to forget to introduce them altogether. So today, I'm doing that first, so I don't mess it up. A while ago on the podcast, you may have heard Sarina and KJ read some books by an author named Tess Gerritsen. I had heard of Tess Gerritsen, but I had never read any of her books. I just hadn't yet. I haven't read Nora Roberts yet. I haven't read—there are lots of authors I haven't read yet. And sometimes you don't even know where to start. So when Sarina and KJ recommended Tess Gerritsen's new series set in Maine—the first one being The Spy Coast and the second one being The Summer Guests—I figured I had a good place to start. And you know, as a New Englander, I love a good book about New England, and that was the start of my interest in Tess Gerritsen's work. I have gone back to the beginning and started with her book The Surgeon, which was her first book in the series that became the Rizzoli and Isles Series, as well as a television show. Tess Gerritsen has a—she's written through 33 books at this point. And as I now know, she has also directed a documentary called Magnificent Beast about pigs, which I listened to this morning while I was vacuuming the house. I loved it. She also—she has a lot to say about genre, about publishing, about second careers, about a writing place, and about process. So let's just jump right into it. I am so excited to introduce to you today, Tess Gerritsen. So from the perspective of what our listeners love—this podcast, the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast —is super geek. People who love the nuts and bolts and the dorky details of the writing life. Sarina has a past life in finance, and so she tends to be, like, our “no, but let's talk about the numbers” kind of person. I'm just the research super dork, which is why I spent my morning watching your documentary about pigs.Tess GerritsenOh my god! (Laughing)Jess LaheyMagnificent Beast. I—I've joked in the past that if I could, I would probably just research things in—in, you know, maybe there'll be a book out there, maybe there won't, but I would research things and—and just learn as much as I could. And so I loved—loved—your Magnificent Beast documentary. I thought it was fantastic. But one of the reasons that we wanted to talk to you, just from the very beginning, is that we feel like you do some pretty incredible world-building and relationship-building with your places and your characters. And so I just—I would love to start there, mainly with the idea of starting with the real nuts and bolts stuff, which is, like, what does an average writing day look like for you? And how do you, sort of—how do you set that up? What does it look like, if you have an average writing day? Maybe you don't.Tess GerritsenWell, it's hard to describe an average writing day, because every day is—there are days when you sit at your desk and you just, you know, pull your hair. And there are days when you get distracted by the news. And there are many days when I just do not want to write. But when I'm writing, the good days are when my characters are alive and talking to me. And it's—it's—you talked about world-building and character-building. That is really key to me. What are they saying to me? Can I hear their voices? And it sounds a little—a little crazy, because I am hearing voices. But it's those voices that really make characters come alive.Jess LaheyI—You have said in other interviews that you are very much—sorry to those of you who hate the terms—that you are very much a pantser. And you are sitting on this interview with a consummate plotter. Sarina is our consummate plotter. So could you talk a little bit about how those character—how those voices—influence, you know, the pantsing of the—of the book, and—and how that works for you?Tess GerritsenWell, I mean, it is weird that I am a pantser. And it's funny—I think that people who are plotters tend to be people who are in finance or in law, because they're used to having their ducks lined up, you know. They—they want everything set up ahead of time, and it makes them feel comfortable. And I think a large part of becoming a pantser is learning to be comfortable with unpredictability. Learning to just let things happen, and know you're going to take wrong turns, know you're going to end up in blind alleys—and yet just keep on forging ahead and change direction. So I suppose that what helps me become a pantser, as I said, is hearing a character's voice. If, for instance, when I wrote The Spy Coast, the first thing I heard about that book was Maggie Bird's voice. And she just said, “I'm not the woman I used to be.” And that's an opening there, right? Because you want to find out, Maggie, who did you used to be? And why do you sound so sad? So a lot of it was just—just getting into her head and letting her talk about what a day-to-day life is, which is, you know, raising chickens and collecting eggs and becoming—and being—a farmer. And then she does something surprising in that very first chapter. There's a fox that's killing her chickens, so she grabs her rifle and kills it with one shot. And that opens up another thing, like—how are you, a 62-year-old woman, able to take out a rifle and kill a fox with one shot? So it's—it's those things. It's those revelations of character. When they come out and they tell you something, or they show you they—they have a skill that you weren't aware of, you want to dig deeper and find out, you know, where did they get that skill?Sarina BowenAnd that is a really fun way to show it. I mean, you're talking today with two people who have also kept chickens.Multiple Speakers(All laughing)Jess LaheyAnd had foxes take their chickens, actually.Sarina BowenOh yes, because the two go together.Tess GerritsenYes.Sarina BowenBut yes, I admit I have never shot a fox, and maybe wouldn't.Jess LaheyI have yelled very loudly at a fox, and he actually—I have to say—really mad respect for the fox, because he took one look at me—he did drop the chicken that I was yelling at him for grabbing—and then he went across the street, around the neighbor's house, around the back of the other neighbor's house, and came at the exact same chicken from the other side of the house, where I couldn't see him out the window.Tess GerritsenOh, they are so smart. They are so smart.Jess LaheySo smart. Sarina, it sounded like you had something— you had something you wanted to add, and I interrupted you when we were talking about pantsing and we were talking about world-building and characters speaking to you.Sarina BowenWell, I just had thought that it was a lovely moment to explain why I was so excited to read this book after I heard Tess speak at Thriller Fest 2024, in a packed room where there was nowhere to sit except on the floor. You told the audience a little bit of a story from your real life that—that made you want to write that book. And I wonder if you could tell us what that was, because for me—I mean, we were only five minutes into your talk, and I'm like, oh, I'm—I'm going to download that tonight.Tess GerritsenWell, yes, it was. A lot of my books come from ideas that I've been stewing over for years. I have a folder called the ideas folder. It's an actual physical manila folder. And if I see something in an article or a newspaper or a magazine, I'll just rip it out and stick it in there, and it sometimes takes a long time before I know how to turn this into a book. So the idea for The Spy Coast is a little bit of obscure knowledge that I learned 35 years ago, when I first moved to Maine. My husband is a medical doctor. He opened up a practice, and when he would bring in new patients, he would always get an occupational history. And he used to get this answer—this very strange answer—from his new patients. They would say, “I used to work for the government, but I can't talk about it.” And after he heard that three times, he thought, what town did we land in? And who are these people? And we later found out that on our very short street, on one side of us was a retired OSS person, and on the other side was retired CIA. A realtor told us that our town was full of CIA retirees. So, I mean, of course you want to ask, why did they get here? What are they doing here? What are their lives like? I knew there was a book in there, but I didn't know what that book was. I needed 35 years to come up with the idea. And what I really needed to do was become old and—and realize that as you get older, especially women, we become invisible. People don't pay attention to us. We are over the hill. You know, everybody looks at the young, pretty chicks, but once you start getting gray hair, you fade into the background. And with that experience myself; I began to think more and more about what it's like to be retired. What is it like to be retired from a job that was maybe dangerous, or exciting, or something that you really risked your life to—to achieve? So that was—that was the beginning of The Spy Coast. What happens to CIA retirees—especially women—who are now invisible? But that makes them the best spies of all.Jess LaheyYeah, and we have—we did this really cool thing, this really fun thing for us on the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast. It's like a supporter-only thing, where we call First Pages, where very brave authors—very brave writers—submit their first page to us, and we talk about it and decide whether or not we'd want to turn the page. And you have an incredible skill on your first pages. You're very, very good at first pages. And I was thinking about The Summer Guests, that you had this wonderful line that I'm going to read now:Purity, Maine, 1972. On the last day of his life, Purity police officer Randy Pelletier ordered a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee at the Marigold Café,Which immediately reminded me of my very, very favorite line from all of literature—my very favorite first line—which is Irving's first line from A Prayer for Owen Meany, in which he ruins the story for you right there in the first line:I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God.There is this incredible power to first lines. And I'm sort of wondering where—how first lines happen for you. Do they happen first? Do they happen last? Do they happen along the way?Tess GerritsenFirst lines usually happen last. I—it's—I will write the whole book, and I'll think, something's missing in that first chapter. How do I open this up? And, you know, there are things that make lines immediately hypnotic, and one of those things is an inherent contradiction—something that makes you think, wait, okay, you start off this way, but then all of a sudden, the meaning of that line switches. So, yeah, it starts off with, you know, this guy's going to die. But on that last day of his life, he does something very ordinary. He just orders coffee at the local café. So I think it's that contradiction that makes us want to read more. It's also a way to end chapters. I think that—that if you leave your reader with a sense of unease—something is about to go wrong, but they don't know what it is yet—or leave them with an unanswered question, or leave them with, as I said, a contradiction—that is what's page-turning. I think that a lot of thriller writers in particular mistake action for—for being—for being interesting. A car chase on the page is really very boring. But what's interesting is something that—you could feel that tension building, but you don't know why.Sarina BowenI have joked sometimes that when I get stuck on a plot, sometimes I will talk at my husband and—and say, “you know, I'm stuck here.” And he always says, “And then a giant squid attacked.” And it—of course I don't write books that take place where this is possible, so—but it never fails to remind me that, like, external action can sometimes be just, you know, totally pointless. And that if you're stuck, it's because one of your dominoes isn't leaning, you know, in the right spot. So...Tess GerritsenYeah, it's—it's not as much fun seeing that domino fall as seeing it go slowly tilting over. You know, I really learned this when I was watching a James Bond movie. And it starts off—you know, the usual James Bonds have their cold open to those action and chasing and death-defying acts. I found that—I find that really, in that movie anyway—I was like, Ho hum. Can we get to the story? And I found the time when I was leaning forward in my theater seat, watching every moment, was really a very quiet conversation aboard a train between him and this woman who was going to become his lover. That was fascinating to me. So I think that that transfers to book writing as well. Action is boring.Jess LaheyYou and Sarina do something that I feel, as a writer; I would probably not be very good at, which is creating that unease. I—Sarina in particular does this thing... I've read every one of Sarina's books, as a good friend is supposed to do. And I text her, and I say, Why don't they just talk about it and just deal? Get it out in the open! And she's like, you know, we just got to make these people uncomfortable. And you both have this incredible talent for helping—keeping the reader, uh, along with you, simply because there is this sense of unease. We're slightly off-kilter the whole time. And yet in me, as a people pleaser, that makes me very uncomfortable. I want people to be happy with each other. So how do you—if you get to a place where you feel like maybe things aren't off-kilter enough, or things aren't off-balance enough—how do you introduce a little bit of unease into your—into your story?Tess GerritsenWell, I think it comes down to very small points of conflict—little bits of tension. Like, we call it micro-tension. And I think those occur in everyday life all the time. For instance, you know, things that happen that really don't have any big consequence, but are still irritating. We will stew about those for—for a while. And, you know, I used to write romance as well, so I understand entirely what Sarina is doing, because romance is really about courtship and conflict. And it's the conflict that makes us keep reading. We just—we know this is the courtship. So there's always that sense of it's not quite there, because once the characters are happy, the story is over, right?Sarina BowenYeah.Multiple Speakers(All laughing)Sarina BowenAlso, writing the ends of romance novels is the least interesting part. Like, what...? Once the conflict is resolved, like, I cannot wait to get out of there.Tess GerritsenRight, exactly. You know, I—I pay attention to my feelings when I'm reading a book, and I've noticed that the books that I remember are not the books with happy endings, because happiness is so fleeting. You know, you can be happy one second, and then something terrible will happen. You'll be unhappy. What lasts for us is sadness, or the sense of bittersweet. So when I read a book that ends with a bittersweet ending—such as, you know, Larry McMurtry Lonesome Dove—I ended up crying at the end of that book, and I have never forgotten that ending. Now, if everybody had been happy and there had been nobody to drag all those miles at the end, I would have forgotten that book very quickly. So I think—I try—I always try to leave the end of the book either bittersweet—I mean, you want to resolve all the major plot points—but also leave that sense of unease, because people remember that. And it also helps you, if you have a sequel.Sarina BowenThat's so interesting you've just brought up a couple of really interesting points, because there is a thriller—I actually write suspense now—and one of the books that so captured my attention about five years ago was killing it on the charts. And I thought it was actually a terrible book, but it nailed the bittersweet ending. Like, the premise was solid, and then the bittersweet ending was perfect, and the everything between the first chapter and the last chapter was a hot mess, but—but—um, that ending really stuck with me. And I remember carrying it around with me, like, Wow, they really nailed that ending. You know, and—and maybe that has, like, legs in terms of, like, talking about it. And, you know, if it—if—if it's irritating enough, like, the tension is still there—enough to, like, make people talk about it—it could actually affect the performance of that book. But also, um, one thing that I really love about this series—you have—what is the series title for the...?Tess GerritsenMartini—The Martini Club.Sarina BowenThe Martini Club, right? So The Martini Club is two books now. I inhaled the first one last summer, and I inhaled the second one this summer. And The Martini Club refers to this group of friends—these retired spies. And of course, there are two completely different mysteries in book one and book two. And I noticed a couple of things about the difference between those mysteries that was really fun. So in the first case—or in one of the two cases, let's see—in one of them, the thing that happens in their town is actually, like, related to them. And in the other one, it's kind of not. So to me, that felt like a boundary expansion of your world and your system. But also, I just love the way you leaned into the relationship of these people and their town in such a way. And how did you know to do that? Like, how—what does your toolbox say about how to get that expansiveness in your character set? Like, you know, to—to find all the limits of it?Tess GerritsenThat—you know, so much is like—it's like asking a pole-vaulter how they do it. They just—they have just—I guess its muscle memory. You don't really know how you're doing it, but what I did know was—with age, and because I love these characters so much—it really became about them and about what is going to deepen their friendship? What kind of a challenge is going to make them lean into each other—lean on each other? That's really what I was writing about, I think, was this circle of friends, and—and what you will do, how much you will sacrifice, to make sure your friends are safe. No, you're right—the second book is much more of a classic mystery. Yeah—a girl disappears. I mean, there was—there were—there were CIA undertones in that, because that becomes an important part of the book. But I think that what people are—when people say they love this book—they really talk about the characters and that friendship. And we all want friends like this, where we can go and—and—and have martinis together, and then if we—one of us needs to—we'll go help them bury a body.Multiple Speakers(All laughing)Tess GerritsenThat's—they all have shovels, and they're willing to do it. That's the kind of friendship—friends—we want.Jess LaheyWell, and that's funny you mention that—I had an entire question—it wasn't even a question, it was a statement—in here about friendships and being grateful to you for the reminder about the importance of relationships. And this entire podcast was born out of the fact that we were talking writing all the time, and we just wanted an official way to sit down once a week and actually talk about the work. And your work is suffused with just these incredible relationships—whether that's the Rizzoli and Isles—you know, in your first—in the one of your other series—and I'm just—I'm very grateful for that, because we—especially—I think I re—I really crave books about female relationships, especially about older female relationships. And I have been loving your books, and I've—like, as I may have mentioned to you in my initial email—I had—I'm so sorry—never read your books before. And I admitted in the introduction that there are lots of very, very famous authors whose books I have never read. And it's always so exciting to me to dive into someone's series and realize, oh, this person really touches on themes that mean a lot to me, and I can already tell that I'm going to be enjoying a lot of their books to come forward. So thank you for all of the great descriptions of relationships and how we do rely on each other for various aspects of just how we get through all of this stuff.Tess GerritsenYeah—get through life. But you know what's funny about it is that it didn't start that way. For instance, let's go back to Rizzoli and Isles. The very first time they both appear in a book is in The Apprentice. And they don't start off being friends. They start off being—they're so different. As the TV producer once said, “you've really written about Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock.” That's okay—they are—in the books. They are not natural friends. But like real-life friendships, sometimes—just kind of develop slowly, and—and they have their ups and downs. So there are times when—when Jane and Maura are barely speaking to each other because of conflicts they have. But by the time book twelve comes around—or maybe book seven comes around—you know that they would risk their lives for each other. So I think that if you're writing a series like Rizzoli and Isles, or like The Martini Club, it really helps to develop the friendship on the fly and see how they react to certain stresses. The next book, which I just turned in, called The Shadow Friends—it even put—pushes them even further, and it really—it really strains a marriage, because it's—it's more about Ingrid, and an old lover comes back into her life. She used to—they were both spies—and he is, like, hot, hot, hot—Antonio Banderas kind of guy. And here's Ingrid, married to Lloyd, you know, who's just a sweet analyst who cooks dinner for her every night. And I—when I was coming up with that story, I thought, I want to write a book about their marriage. So it wasn't—the plot wasn't about, oh, you know, international assassinations, even though that does occur in the book. It's really about the story of a marriage.Jess LaheyAnd it gives you, it gives you added unease. You know, if you have your two characters not speaking to each other, and you know your readers love those characters and crave those characters to be getting along at some point, then that's just another reason that we're following along. I was just thinking about, uh, Michael Connelly, uh, book the other day, because I really, really like the series he did with Renée Ballard and her relationship with the Bosch character, and how that series is totally about crime, but yet it's also very much about the relationship. And I think I follow—I continue to read those because of the relationship between those two human beings, and less so because of the murder mystery sort of stuff.Tess GerritsenI think it really becomes important if you're dealing also with Hollywood television series. I still remember what the producer first said when he called me up about Rizzoli and Isles. He said, "I love your girls, and I think they belong on TV.” He didn't say, I love your plots. He didn't say, I love your mysteries, you know, all your intricate ups and downs. It was really about the girls. So if you hope to sell to a television series, really, it's about characters again.Jess LaheyAbsolutely.Sarina BowenI was going to ask about longevity, because you have so many books, and you're so obviously still invigorated by the process, or there wouldn't be a book three that you just turned in. So how have you been able to avoid just being sick to death of—of writing suspense novel after suspense novel?Tess GerritsenI refused. That's what it is. You know, I—I don't—I guess I could say that I have a little bit of ADHD when it comes to—to the books I write. I cannot—after 13 books of Rizzoli and Isles, I just had a different idea. And it takes—it takes a certain amount of backbone to say no to your publisher, to your editor, to people who are going, well, when's the next one in this series coming out? And to be able to say, I need a break. I need to do something completely different. So over—how many years I've been a writer—almost 40 now—I've written science fiction and historicals and a ghost story and romantic suspense and spy novels and medical thrillers and crime novels. I've been all over the place, but each one of those books that took me out of what I was expected to do was so invigorating. It was a book that I needed to write. As an example, I wrote a book called Playing with Fire. Nobody wanted that book. Nobody expected that book. It was a historical about World War II, and about music—about the power of music—and having to do with the death camps. I remember my publisher going, "What are you doing?" And, you know, it's—it's true—they're—they—they are marketers, and they understood that that book would not sell as well, and it didn't. But it still remains one of my favorite books. And when you want to write a book, you need to write that book. That's all—even—even if nobody wants it.Jess LaheyI actually was—I'm so pleased that this came up, because that was actually going to be my question, because both you and Sarina have done this—done, you know, 90 degrees—whether it's out of, you know, one genre into another—and that, to me, requires an enormous amount of courage. Because you know you have people expecting things from you. And you in particular, Tess, have people saying, "No, I want the next one. I love this relationship. I want the next one." And—and dealing—you're not just dealing with the disappointment of whether it's an agent or an editor, but the disappointment of fans. And that's a pressure as well. So when I used to do journalism, I remember a question I asked of another journalist was, "How do you continue to write without fear of the comment section?" And essentially, for us, that's our—you know, those are our readers. So how do you find that thing within yourself to say, no, this really is the thing that I need to be writing now?Tess GerritsenWell, that is a really—it's a really tough decision to buck the trend or buck what everybody's expecting, because there's a thing in publishing called the death spiral. And if your book does not sell well, they will print fewer copies for the next one. And then that won't sell well. So you start—your career starts to go down the drain. And that is a danger every time you step out of your tried and true series and do something out of—you know, completely out of the ordinary. I think the reason I did it was that I really didn't give a damn. It was—it was like, Okay, maybe this will kill my career, but I've got to write this book. And it was always with the idea that if my publisher did not want that, I would just self-publish. I would just, you know, find another way to get it out there. And I—I was warned, rightly so, that your sales will not be good for this book, and that will—it will hurt the next contract. And I understood that. But it was the only way I could keep my career going. Once you get bored, and you're—you're trapped in a drawer, I think it shows up in your writing.Jess LaheyI had this very conversation with my agent. The—my first book did well. And so then, you know, the expectation is, I'll write like part two of that, or I'll write something for that exact same audience again. And when I told my agent—I said, "You know, this book on substance use prevention and kids—I—it's—I have to write it. And I'm going to write it even, you know, if I have to go out there and sell it out of the trunk of my car." And she said, "Okay, then I guess we're doing this." And yes...Tess Gerritsen(Laughing) They had their best wishes at heart.Jess LaheyAnd honestly, I love—I loved my book that did well. But The Addiction Inoculation is the book I'm most proud of. And, you know, that's—yeah, that's been very important to me.Tess GerritsenI often hear from writers that the book that sold the fewest copies was one that was—were their favorites. Those are the ones that they took a risk on, that they—I mean, they put their heart and soul into it. And maybe those hurt their careers, but those are the ones that we end up being proud of.Jess LaheyI like to remind Sarina of that, because I do remember we text each other constantly. We have a little group, the three of us, a little group text all day long. And there was—I remember when she first wrote a male-male romance, she was scared. She was really scared that this was going to be too different for her readers. And it ended up being, I think, my favorite book that she's ever written, and also a very important book for her in terms of her career development and growth, and what she loves about the work that she does. And so I like to remind her every once in a while, remember when you said that really scared you and you weren't sure how your readers were going to handle it?Sarina BowenRight? Well, I also did that in the middle of a series, and I went looking for confirmation that that is a thing that people did sometimes, and it was not findable. You know, that was...Jess LaheyWhat? Change things up in terms of—change things up in the middle of a series?Sarina BowenIn the middle of a series. And anyway, that book still sells.Tess GerritsenThat is a great act of courage, but it's also an act of confidence in yourself as a writer. There are ways to do it. I think some writers will just adopt a different pen name for something that's way out there.Jess LaheyIt's funny you should say... it's funny you should say that.Sarina BowenWell, no, and I never have done that, but, um—but anyway, yeah, that's hard. I, uh...Jess LaheyYeah.Sarina BowenIt's hard to know. Sometimes...Jess LaheyWe entertain it all the time. We do talk about that as an option all the time. Shouldn't we just pick up and do something completely different? One of the things that I also—I mentioned at the top of the podcast about, you know, you went off—not only have you done lots of different things in terms of your writing—but you went off and you did an entire documentary about pigs. I have—I have to ask you where on earth that came from and why. And it is a total delight, as I mentioned, and I have already recommended it to two people that I know also love the topic. But, you know, to go off—and especially when you usually, as some of us have experienced—our agents saying, so when am I going to see more pages? or when am I going to see the next book? And you say, I'm really sorry, but I have to go off and film this documentary about pigs.Tess GerritsenYes. Well, you know, I was an anthropology major in college, and I've always been interested in the pig taboo. You know, back then, everybody just assumed it was because, yeah, it was disease or they're dirty animals—that's why they're forbidden food. It never quite convinced me, because I'm Chinese-American. Asia—you know, Asia loves pork. Why aren't they worried about all that? So I was in Istanbul for a book tour once, and I remember I really wanted bacon, and, you know, I couldn't get bacon. And then I thought, okay, I really need to find out why pork is forbidden. This is a—this is a cultural and historical mystery that never made sense to me. The explanations just never made sense to me. It cannot be trichinosis. So I told my son that—my son is—he does—he's a filmmaker as well. And he just said, "Well, let's do it. Let's—we will pose it as a mystery," because it is a mystery. So it took us probably two years to go and—you know, we interviewed anthropologists and pet pig owners and archaeologists, actually, just to find out, what do they say? What is the answer to this? And to us, the answer really just came down to this cultural desire for every—every tribe—to define us versus them. You know, they eat pigs. They're not us, so therefore they're the enemy. And it was fascinating because we—we ended up finding out more about pigs than I was expecting, and also finding out that people who have pet pigs can sometimes be a little unusual.Jess LaheyAnd the people who purchase the clothes for the pigs are also crazy.Tess GerritsenYes. Sew outfits for their pigs and sleep with their pigs. And there was—there was one woman who had—she slept on the second floor of her house, so she had an elevator for her pig who couldn't make it up the stairs, and, you know, ramps to get up onto the bed because they've gotten so fat—they've been overfed. But it was—for me, at the heart of it was a mystery.Jess LaheyAs a nonfiction author whose whole entire reason for being is, "I don't know—let's find out," I think that's just the most delightful thing. And I loved your framing as, "I don't know, we have this question, let's go out there and just ask people about it and find the experts." And that's—oh, I could just live on that stuff. So...Tess GerritsenSo could I. You know, research is so enticing. It's enticing. It is—it can get you into trouble because you never write your book. Some of us just love to do the research.Jess LaheySarina actually has taken skating lessons, done glass blowing—what else have you done? Yoga classes and all—all kinds of things in the pursuit of knowledge for her characters. And I think that's a delight.Sarina BowenYes. If you can sign up for a class as part of your research, like, that is just the best day. Like, you know, oh, I must take these ice skating lessons twice a day for five months, because—yeah—or twice a week, but still.Tess GerritsenYou must be a good ice skater then.Sarina BowenI'm getting better.Tess GerritsenSo you never gave them up, I see.Jess LaheyWell, it's fun because she usually writes about hockey, but she has a figure skater coming up in this book that's coming out this fall. And she's like, "Well, I guess I'm just going to have to learn how to figure skate."Tess GerritsenYeah.Sarina BowenI also—one time I went to see Rebecca Skloot speak about her big nonfiction The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.Tess GerritsenOh, okay.Sarina BowenAnd she said that all her best ideas had come from moments in her life when she went, "Wait, what?!"Tess GerritsenYes. Yep.Sarina BowenIncluding for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Like, she learned about the cells in high school—she was in high school biology class—and the teacher said, like, "This woman died in the '60s, but we're still using her cells," and she said, "Wait, what?!" And that's—that's what you made me think of with the pigs. Like, I think...Jess LaheyWell, and also your folder of ideas. I mean, I immediately texted Sarina after listening to a podcast where I heard an ad, and the ad made me go, "Oh that could be creepy." And then I'm like, "Okay, this is—this is a plot. This is going in the folder somewhere." And so you have to just think about how those things could unfold over time. And I love the idea of—and even in journalism—there are articles that I've written where I said, this just isn't their time. And then, like, five years later, I'll hear something out there, and I'm like, okay, finally, it's the time for this thing. And there's a reason you put that article in your idea—in your paper—manila folder of ideas.Tess GerritsenWell, I think writers are—we have to be curious. We have to be engaged in what's going on around us, because the ideas are everywhere. And I have this—I like to say I have a formula. It's called "two plus two equals five." And what that means is, sometimes you'll have a—you'll have a piece of information that, you know, there's a book here, but you haven't figured out what to do with it. And you wait for another piece of information from some completely different source, and you put them together, and they end up being like nuclear fusion—bigger than the…Sarina BowenYes!Jess LaheyYes!Tess GerritsenSome of the parts.Sarina BowenMost every book I've ever written works like that. Like, I have one idea that I drag around for, like, five years, and then I have this other idea, and one day I'm like, oh, those two things go together.Tess GerritsenYep.Jess LaheyYeah, absolutely. I think Stephen King mentioned that about Carrie. I think it was like, telekinesis, and that usually starts about the time of menstruation, and it was like, boom, there was Carrie. You know, those two things came together. I love that so much. So you mentioned that you have just handed in your next book, and we don't—we do not, as a rule, ask about what's next for an author, because I find that to be an incredibly intimidating and horrifying question to be asked. But I would love to hear; you know, is this—is this series one that you hope to continue working on? The main series, mainly because we have quite fallen in love with your little town in Maine—in Purity, Maine. Fantastic name for your town, by the way. It's really lovely. It creates such a nice dichotomy for these people who have seen and heard things during their careers that maybe are quite dark, and then they retire to a place called Purity. Is this a place where we can hopefully spend a little bit of time?Tess GerritsenWell, I am thinking about book number four now. I have an idea. You know, it always starts with—it starts with an idea and doodling around and trying to figure out what—you know, you start with this horrible situation, and then you have to explain it. So that's where I am now. I have this horrible situation, I have to explain it. So, yeah, I'm thinking about book four. I don't know how—you never know how long a series is going to go. It's a little tough because I have my characters who are internationally based—I mean, they've been around the world—but then I can't leave behind my local cop who is also a part of this group as well. So I have to keep an eye out on Maine being the center of most of the action.Sarina BowenRight, because how many international plots can you give Purity, Maine?Tess GerritsenThat's right, exactly. Well, luckily…Jess LaheyLook, Murder, She Wrote—how many things happened to that woman in that small town?Tess GerritsenExactly, exactly. Well, luckily, because I have so many CIA retirees up here, the international world comes to us. Like the next book, The Shadow Friends, is about a global security conference where one of the speakers gets murdered. And it turns out we have a global security conference right here in our town that was started by CIA 40 years ago. So I'm just—I'm just piggybacking on reality here. And—not that the spies up here think that's very amusing.Sarina BowenThat is fantastic, because, you know, the essential problem of writing a suspense novel is that you have to ground it in a reality that everyone is super familiar with, and you have to bring in this explosive bit of action that is unlikely to happen near any of us. And those two things have to fit together correctly. So by, um, by putting your retired spies in this tiny town, you have sort of, like, gifted yourself with that, you know, precise problem solver.Tess GerritsenYeah, reminding us.Sarina BowenYeah.Tess GerritsenBut there's only so far I can take that. I'm not sure what the limits... I think book four is going to take them all overseas, because my local cop, Jo, she's never been out of the country—except for Canada—and it's time for her dad to drag her over to Italy and say, "Your dead mom wanted to come to Italy, so I'm taking you." And, of course, things go wrong in Italy for Jo.Jess LaheyOf course, of course. Well, we're going to keep just banging on about how much we love these books. I think we've already mentioned it in three podcast episodes so far in our “What have you been reading lately that you've really loved?” So we're—we're big fans. And thank you so much for sitting down to talk with us and to—you know, one of the whole points of our podcast is to flatten the learning curve for other authors, so we hope that that's done a little bit of that for our listeners. And again, thank you so much. Where can people find you and your work if they want to learn a little bit more about Tess Gerritsen—her work?Tess GerritsenYou can go to TessGerritsen.com, and I try to post as much information there as I can. But I'm also at Bluesky, @TessGerritsen, and what is now called “X”—a legacy person on X—@TessGerritsen, yes.Jess LaheyThank you so, so much again. And for everyone out there listening, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game.The Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perella. Our intro music—aptly titled Unemployed Monday—was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

No full treatment of The Stand would be complete without a look at Mick Garris' landmark television adaptation. In 1994 he put together an adjacent epic, transforming 1300 pages into 8 hours of prime-time viewing.   It was my introduction to Stephen King. It is one of my fondest memories with my dad.   So it's a true honour to get Mick on the show to talk about how it all came together. The scriptwriting with King, the killer cast, the Hollywood gossip, and the traffic-stopping shoot.   Plus, we talk about how Mick's creative life has been entwined with King's – for better or for worse.   Enjoy   Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we're diving under the hood with Christine (1983), John Carpenter's cult horror classic based on Stephen King's novel! From killer cars to high school obsession, we break down what makes Christine such a unique entry in Carpenter's filmography and how it stacks up against King's original story.Join us as we discuss:* How faithful is the adaptation to the novel?* Carpenter's direction and eerie atmosphere* The performances that bring Arnie and Christine to life* Why Christine has become a horror favorite over the yearsIf you're a fan of Stephen King, John Carpenter, or just love a good supernatural horror flick, this review is for you!Follow Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/video_villa_entertainment TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@videovillaentmt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086204155260&mibextid=LQQJ4d Website: https://www.videovillaentertainment.com

On this episode, Aaron and Derek discuss 1995's haunted machine film "The Mangler" directed by Tobe Hooper and based off the 1972 Stephen King short story. They talk about how Hooper combined his humorous horror sensibilities with King's insane creative energy and adding more to what is an otherwise direct adaptation of the short story. They also get into Hooper's use of lighting and set dressing, the not so subtle exploration of capitalism and lack of oversight consuming everything, and how Hooper as a director always "goes for it." Derek is doing a little dance! Aaron has a little bit of that machine in him. We are on PodBean, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Goodpods, Amazon Music, Spotify, iHeartRadio and CastBox. Please rate, review, subscribe, and share our show. Also, check out our Spotify Music playlist, links on our Twitter and Podbean page. Our socials are on Bluesky and Facebook and Twitter @WatchIfYouDare

Tricia Cooke is having her moment, and it's been a long time coming. Together with partner Ethan Coen, she's made last years DRIVE AWAY DOLLS and the new HONEY DON'T from scripts written long ago. And in some ways, the seed for these very gay, very fun movies was planted by a modern classic of fun gay cinema: Jamie Babbit's BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER. Tricia and Jordan talk about that film, the new one, and the weird juxtaposition of being free to make this once-"uncommercial" cinema in a time when queer freedoms feel so tenuous.Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the forthcoming Stephen King adaptation, THE LONG WALK. Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.Need more Feeling Seen? Keep up with the show on Instagram and Bluesky.

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don't already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you'll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you. And if you're already a Vanguardista, we salute you.  Supersub Ben Bailey Smith joins Mark this week for reviews of the freshest cinema releases. We've got the Good Doctor's verdicts on ‘Eddington', Ari Aster's much-discussed western starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone. Plus, indie black comedy ‘Sorry, Baby', and ‘The Life of Chuck', whose stars Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor are our very special guests this week.   We recorded this one with them a while back with Simon, so it's him you'll be hearing sit down with the two of them to unpack it. It's a Stephen King adaptation following one man's ordinary life and the multitudes it contains, and we can't say too much more than that without giving it away. Best leave it to Tom and Chiwetel...   All the usual silliness and profundity to be found too as usual in another top Take. Don't miss it!     Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free):  Eddington Review: 07:58  BO10ish: 15:28   Tom Hiddleston & Chiwetel Ejiofor: 28:53  Life of Chuck Review: 42:20  Sorry, Baby Review: 52:22    You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo  Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey   EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!  A Sony Music Entertainment production.      Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts    To advertise on this show contact: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Reel Insights episode, Sean Tajipour, the Mayor of Nerdtropolis, chats with Simone Miller (“Kalisha”), Joe Freeman (“Luke Ellis”), and Fionn Laird (“Nick”) about The Institute, the gripping new MGM+ series based on Stephen King's acclaimed novel.The trio dives into what it was like stepping onto set for the very first time, the emotional goodbyes on their final day of filming, and how quickly they bonded behind the scenes. From movie nights in Halifax to unexpected laughs while tackling heavy material, they share the moments that made this production unforgettable.Simone, Joe, and Fionn also reveal which supernatural ability from the show they'd choose in real life — and how they'd actually use it. Plus, they discuss the responsibility of bringing such a beloved King story to the screen and what they hope fans take away from this chilling adaptation.With heartfelt stories, fun behind-the-scenes memories, and plenty of Stephen King love, this interview is a must-watch for fans eager to go deeper into The Institute.Visit Nerdtropolis.comFacebookInstagramTwitter

Hey movies that don't suckers! In this episode, Chris and Neil talk about movies that maybe flew under the radar for you. First, after an intro, they talk about the newest Stephen King adaptation (and King approved)- The Life of Chuck starring Tom Hiddleston, Chitwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Mark Hamill. Then, after a robust news segment, they talk about Neon's newest horror offer- Together starring real life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie. Should your take of your crown and hail The Life of the Chuck? Will you want to separate yourself from the seat if you watch Together? They answer all that and more. Neil talks about hairy toe knuckles at some point. Chris mutters things you can't quite make out at times. It's fun. Oh yeah , if you want a 100% free sticker (we even pay postage) send us a message! www.moviesthatdontsuck.net https://w2mnet.com/category/podcasts/movies-that-dont-suck-and-some-that-do www.patreon.com/moviesthatdontsuck https://www.bonfire.com/movies-that-dont-suck-and-some-that-do-logo/ FB: facebook.com/moviesthatdontsuckpodcast Bluesky: @moviesthatdontsuck.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/@moviesthatdontsuckpodcast

Episode 94: We dive back into the world of Stephen King with our review of Children of the Corn released in 1984!

Our main feature is Sweet Revenge. We're also reviewing Strange Harvest, Shin Godzilla, The Monster (I Don't Want to be Born), Brightwood, The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson, and Never Flinch by Stephen King.

How can leaders navigate the messy middle of management, especially when it comes to delivering difficult news without damaging relationships or morale? In this episode, Kevin talks with Mahesh Guruswamy about the real-world challenges leaders face when communicating unwelcome information, from missed deadlines to ethical violations. Mahesh shares a thoughtful approach to raising the temperature of conversations gradually and when situations call for urgent, high-stakes responses. They also discuss the difference between technical and adaptive feedback, the importance of intentional communication, and the human side of letting team members go. Listen For 00:00 Introduction 02:02 Meet Mahesh Guruswamy 06:03 The Messy Middle of Leadership 06:24 When Should Leaders Deliver Bad News 07:17 Listening to Your Intuition as a Leader 08:06 Raising the Temperature Slowly 10:24 When to Start at a Higher Temperature 12:04 When Urgency or Ethics Demand Immediate Action 13:04 Communicating the Stakes with Your Team 13:46 Writing as a Tool for Delivering Difficult News 14:51 Lessons from Amazon on Written Communication 16:06 Documenting Over Slide Decks for Clarity 17:17 Reviewing Recordings to Improve Communication 18:45 The Power of Leadership Language 21:11 Balancing Policy and Humanity in Difficult Conversations 22:09 Helping Team Members Find Better Fit Elsewhere 22:58 Avoiding Emotional Delivery of Feedback 23:59 Two Types of Feedback Technical and Adaptive 25:42 Giving Feedback to Your Boss 26:56 Should You Be a Manager Key Questions to Ask 28:28 Can You Succeed Without External Validation 28:55 Giving Credit to the Team Not Yourself 30:31 Mahesh's Personal Interests 32:51 Final Thoughts and Call to Action Mahesh's Story: Mahesh Guruswamy is the author of How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away with It: A Manager's Guide. He is a seasoned product development executive who has been in the software development space for over twenty years and has managed teams of varying sizes for over a decade. He is currently the chief product and technology officer at Kickstarter. Before that, he ran product development teams at Mosaic, Kajabi, and Smartsheet. Mahesh caught the writing bug from his favorite author, Stephen King. He started out writing short stories and eventually discovered that long-form writing was a great medium to share information with product development teams. Mahesh is passionate about mentoring others, especially folks who are interested in becoming a people manager and newer managers who are just getting going. This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader's guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away With It: A Manager's Guide by Mahesh Guruswamy Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky Never Flinch by Stephen King Like this? Communicate Like a Leader with Dianna Booher Leadership, Communication and Credibility with Jack Modzelewski How to Communicate Effectively with Anyone, Anywhere with Raúl Sánchez and Dan Bullock How to Communicate More Effectively and Lead a Better Life with Michael Hoeppner Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we'd be thrilled if you'd let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here's a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP  

The Summer of The Stand continues!   We may have reached the final pages of the novel, but the power of its story expands ever outwards. Now we turn to the brand-new anthology of stories set in King's plague-shocked world   In The End of the World as We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand, editors Brian Keene and Christopher Golden have pulled together 36 of the biggest and brightest names in horror, and charged them with expanding Captain Trips and the good-versus-evil battle to new frontiers.   With so many contributors to consider, no single roundtable could ever suffice. So I've done something a little different, and a little more befitting of this mammoth project. It's a lot of conversation, about a lot of very different stories.   Enjoy!   Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Hiddleston on becoming a dancing accountant in new Stephen King inspired film, The Life of Chuck. Sir Anish Kapoor on making a protest artwork in the North Sea with Greenpeace. A report from Bradford as artist Luke Jerram works with local communities to create a giant ball of yarn for new work, A Good Yarn, which celebrates the region's textile heritage. Michael Frayn's play Noises Off is a landmark of British theatre which relies on showing the two sides - on stage and off stage - of a theatre production for its powerful comedic punch. Artistic director Paul Robinson discusses the challenge of presenting the play in the round at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

New online store is now up with the Mushroominati Watcher Coffee! https://occultsymbolism.comOn today's episode of the Occult Symbolism and Pop Culture with Isaac Weishaupt podcast we wrap our decoding of Kubrick's The Shining! In Part 3 we'll decode the entire film: Stephen King, America, Illuminati bloodlines, Eyes Wide Shut elitist parties, Epstein connections, Skull and Bones, Key Club, occult symbolism, portals, Cut-Up Method, labyrinths, MKULTRA, Nazis, NASA and the fake moon landing, Project MONARCH, pedo incest theory, Jack's shadow, blood sacrifices to the gods, 42's kabbalah meaning of God, Devouring Father theory, Crowley's ritual, blood for crossing the Abyss and more!Links:The Shining Decoded Pt 1: Conspiracies, Illuminati, MKULTRA & Project Monarch! https://illuminatiwatcher.com/the-shining-decoded-pt-1-conspiracies-illuminati-mkultra-project-monarch/The Shining Decoded Pt 2: Room 237, Grady Twins, Labyrinths & Epstein Parties! https://illuminatiwatcher.com/the-shining-decoded-pt-2-room-237-grady-twins-labyrinths-epstein-parties/The Shining Decoded Pt 3: Kubrick's Code—Illuminati Bloodlines, MKULTRA, Eyes Wide Shut, Portals, Saturn & the Moon Landing Lie https://illuminatiwatcher.com/the-shining-decoded-pt-3-kubricks-code-illuminati-bloodlines-mkultra-eyes-wide-shut-portals-saturn-the-moon-landing-lie/Kenneth Grant: Atomic Bombs, UFO Portals, Alien Gateways & Twin Peaks! TP44 https://illuminatiwatcher.com/kenneth-grant-atomic-bombs-ufo-portals-alien-gateways-twin-peaks-tp44/Portals Pt 1: Magick Gateways, Jungian Symbols & Pop Culture Portals EXPLAINED! https://illuminatiwatcher.com/portals-pt-1-magick-gateways-jungian-symbols-pop-culture-portals-explained/Fake Moon Landing: Occult Symbolism of NASA and the Apollo Mission https://www.illuminatiwatcher.com/fake-moon-landing-occult-symbolism-of-nasa-and-the-apollo-missionKubrick's Code book (and 2+ hour video): https://illuminatiwatcher.com/kubricks-code-analysis-of-2001-a-clockwork-orange-the-shining-and-eyes-wide-shut/Eyes Wide Shut: Decoding Hidden Symbolism of Stanley Kubrick- Episode Index https://www.illuminatiwatcher.com/eyes-wide-shut-decoding-hidden-symbolism-of-stanley-kubrick-episode-indexShow sponsors- Get discounts while you support the show and do a little self improvement!*CopyMyCrypto.com/Isaac is where you can copy James McMahon's crypto holdings- listeners get access for just $1 WANT MORE?... Check out my UNCENSORED show with my wife, Breaking Social Norms: https://breakingsocialnorms.com/GRIFTER ALLEY- get bonus content AND go commercial free + other perks:*PATREON.com/IlluminatiWatcher : ad free, HUNDREDS of bonus shows, early access AND TWO OF MY BOOKS! (The Dark Path and Kubrick's Code); you can join the conversations with hundreds of other show supporters here: Patreon.com/IlluminatiWatcher (*Patreon is also NOW enabled to connect with Spotify! https://rb.gy/hcq13)*VIP SECTION: Due to the threat of censorship, I set up a Patreon-type system through MY OWN website! IIt's even setup the same: FREE ebooks, Kubrick's Code video! Sign up at: https://illuminatiwatcher.com/members-section/*APPLE PREMIUM: If you're on the Apple Podcasts app- just click the Premium button and you're in! NO more ads, Early Access, EVERY BONUS EPISODE More from Isaac- links and special offers:*BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS podcast, Index of EVERY episode (back to 2014), Signed paperbacks, shirts, & other merch, Substack, YouTube links, appearances & more: https://allmylinks.com/isaacw *STATEMENT: This show is full of Isaac's useless opinions and presented for entertainment purposes. Audio clips used in Fair Use and taken from YouTube videos.

Ka is a wheel and the Losers are once again walking through Stephen King's The Stand as part of their event series, The Summer of the Stand. The final Twinner book episode dedicated to the apocalyptic epic finds the gang revisiting Book III: "The Stand". Join Losers Jenn Adams, Rachel Reeves, Ashley Casseday, and Justin Gerber as they offer new perspectives on an old favorite. Then stay tuned for our coverage surrounding the new short story collection, The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand.

Our latest guests on Soundtracking are Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who join us ahead of the release of the quite wonderful The Life Of Chuck. Based on a short story by Stephen King, it tells the story of 'everyman' Chuck Krantz, charting his life in reverse order, chronicling a death that coincides with the end of the universe to his formative years.

Dreamcatcher is a 2003 American science fiction horror film based on Stephen King's 2001 novel of the same name. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan and co-written by Kasdan and screenwriter William Goldman, the film stars Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, and Timothy Olyphant as four friends who encounter an invasion of parasitic aliens. It also features Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore, and Donnie Wahlberg.  The film's score was composed by James Newton Howard. If you have anything to add to the discussion, please don't hesitate to do so by reaching out to us on social media @TheFilmFlamers, or call our hotline and leave us a message at 972-666-7733!    Out this Month: Dreamcatcher (2003) War of the Worlds (2005) Patreon: Hot Take - Weapons      Get in Touch:  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheFilmFlamers  Visit our Store: https://the-film-flamers.printify.me/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilmflamers  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFilmFlamers/ Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/thefilmflamers/  (NEW!) SCANS Movie Rating Calculator: https://scans.glide.page/  Our Website: https://www.filmflamers.com  Call our Hotline: 972-666-7733     Our Patrons:    Alex M Andrew Bower Anthony Criswell Ashlie Thornbury BattleBurrito Benjamin Gonzalez Bennett Hunter BreakfastChainsawMassacre Brittany Bellgardt Call me Lestat. Canadianmatt3 Christopher Nelson Dan Alvarez Dirty Birdy eliza mc Gia Gillian Murtagh GlazedDonut Grace GWilliamNYC Irwan Iskak James Aumann Jessica E Joanne Ellison Joe Criswell Josh Young Karl Haikara Kimberly McGuirk Kitty Kelly Kyle Kavanagh Laura O'Malley Lisa Libby Lisa Söderberg Livi Loch Hightower M Hussman Matt Walsh Matthew McHenry Nicole McDaniel Nikki Niko Allred Nimble Wembley Pablo the Rhino Penelope Nelson random dude Richard Best Robert Eppers Rosieredleader Ryan King SHADOW OF THE DEAD SWANN Sharon Sinesthero Thomas Jane's gun Walstrich William Skinner   Sweet dreams...      "Welcome to Horrorland" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Includes music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Send us a textOur neighbor, Guest: Eric Driscoll (Mr. D Likes Movies), from the Yada Yada Podcast barges through the door with his choice “Maximum Overdrive” (d. King 1986). Starring: Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, and Laura Harrington. In a movie with the most confusing rules on the pod since “Gremlins,” we spend this entire episode questioning the motivations, the hows, the whens, the whys, that this movie asks us all. Forgive the ad. It's a bit Over the Top. 8/19!**All episodes contain explicit language**Artwork - Ben McFaddenReview Review Intro/Outro Theme - Jamie Henwood"What Are We Watching" & "Whatcha been up to?" Themes - Matthew Fosket"Fun Facts" Theme - Chris Olds/Paul RootLead-Ins Edited/Conceptualized by - Ben McFaddenProduced by - Ben McFadden & Paul RootConcept - Paul Root

Greetings from the graveyard! You may or may not have heard on a recent episode of Death By DVD that your favorite show will unfortunately be taking a break to move. The bad news is there will not be new episodes for a while but the good news is that Death By DVD studios is getting an upgrade so we can bring you bigger and better shows. Hear this new episode updating you on what's going on with Death By DVD as well as some shout outs to friends of the show that have sent us some wonderful supportive messages. DEATH BY DVD WILL B.R.B! BE RIGHT BACK!!!Follow Mr D's Movies on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/mrdsmovies/Watch AND NOW FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT hosted by John Horgan here : https://www.youtube.com/@johnhorgan1713If you're reading this I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. Death By DVD has almost existed for 2 solid decades, please consider supporting Death By DVD directly on Patreon to secure the future of this very show. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ Thank you for choosing Death. DEATH BY DVD FOREVER. FOREVER DEATH BY DVD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ Don't forget, Death By DVD has its very own all original audio drama voiced almost entirely by Death By DVD!DEATH BY DVD PRESENTS : WHO SHOT HANK?The first of its kind, (On this show, at least) an all original narrative audio drama exploring the murder of this shows very host, HANK THE WORLDS GREATEST! Explore WHO SHOT HANK, starting with the MURDER! A Death By DVD New Year Mystery WHO SHOT HANK : PART ONE WHO SHOT HANK : PART TWO WHO SHOT HANK : PART THREE WHO SHOT HANK : PART FOUR WHO SHOT HANK PART 5 : THE BEGINNING OF THE ENDWHO SHOT HANK PART 6 THE FINALE : EXEUNT OMNES 

The Ghouls are celebrating episode 250 with a little Q&A to start the show. They get personal and talk about their fears, their hopes for the future, and the Ghouls they have become over the last 9 years of the show. Then they jump back into The (Inconsistent) Year of Mike Flannagan with his adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep. The sequel to The Shining is in very good hands and the Ghouls gush about everything from the actors, to the homages, to the visuals and writing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Radio Labyrinth, we're celebrating a little recognition—we made the list! That's right, we're officially #57 on Million Podcast's list of the 100 Best TV Show Podcasts! Big thanks to everyone who listens, watches, shares, and supports the show. We're also digging into the endgame for The Boys as filming wraps for the final season. What does that mean for the future of Vought, Butcher, and the Supes? We break down where things left off for both The Boys and Gen V — including Butcher's virus, Starlight on the run, and Homelander embracing full dictator mode. PLUS:

In this uplifting and insightful episode of The Mel K Show, I welcome back my friend Frank, the voice and heart behind the popular show Quite Frankly. During the most challenging days of the global shutdowns, Frank was one of the people who kept me going. Every night, no matter how chaotic things became, his show delivered truth, perspective, and the kind of humor that reminded us all to keep living our best lives. Frank has always been more than a commentator. He is a community builder. Throughout those years, he encouraged people to step away from the noise and focus on what truly matters. He reminded us that feeding the chaos only gives it more power, and instead, we could choose to create something positive, enlightening, and meaningful in our own lives. In this conversation, we explore how Quite Frankly has evolved into something truly unique. Frank has built an interactive community centered around the joy of shared learning and entertainment. One of the most popular features of his show is the Book Club, which began in 2022 and has already covered nearly 20 titles. Frank intentionally focuses on fiction, believing that powerful truths can often be found in stories rather than in endless cycles of nonfiction analysis. Recent selections include The Body by Stephen King, the inspiration for the film Stand By Me, and works by literary greats like Mark Twain. The Book Club is not just reading for reading's sake. It is a fully immersive experience where listeners contribute through official discussion threads, voicemails, and call-ins. Special guests often join to bring new perspectives to each title, creating a shared sense of discovery and connection. In 2025, Frank expanded the concept with the launch of a Film Club. Now, alongside the literature, his community comes together to watch and discuss films, adding another layer of creativity and cultural appreciation. This is not about escapism, but about engaging deeply with art and ideas that feed the soul. What you will learn in this episode: How Quite Frankly evolved from a nightly talk show into a thriving, interactive community Why Frank focuses on fiction to uncover deeper truths about life How shared storytelling through books and films creates connection and resilience The importance of cultivating joy, curiosity, and creativity even in uncertain times Practical ways you can step away from the noise and invest in what truly enriches your life Please follow Quite Frankly: https://www.quitefrankly.tv https://rumble.com/c/QuiteFrankly https://x.com/QuiteFranklyTV

In this thirty-eighth installment of fictional horror written and narrated by Dan Cummins.... we meet Samael Orcas. Is he a man? A monster? Both? Lizzie Chavez is determined to find out exactly who he is, why he keeps killing, and how to stop him. For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Scared to Death ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

SPOILER ALERT!!! AS WITH ALL SPECIAL EDITIONS WE HAVE A LOT TO SAY AND SAY IT ALLHorror movies have ramped up their marketing efforts in recent years. Weapons is the latest example. The movie created a website, released two hour security cam footage, along with traditional tactics like an awesome poster and excellent trailer. The end result? It exceeded box office expectations.Where does Zach Cregger stand among current horror directors? There is a very strong argument that he is the best at mixing horror and humor. And this includes the Winters and Osgood Perkins. Along with being satisfying, the ending of Weapons is one of the funniest of the year.The major twist comes well before the final moments. How much people enjoy the twist will also determine how much they like the film. More so than any other movie in recent memory. It will be the point of return for everyone who watches it. For some, Weapons will not be able to do any wrong; for others it will be a complete turnoff.Non-linear storytelling is very tricky to pull off. Not only can it disorient the audience, but it can open things up to plot holes. We talk about one possible issue with Weapons and another nitpick. We also debate how effectively Weapons told its story.Whatever a person's final opinion on Weapons, there is no denying the amazing performances. There has been a shift the past few years, but horror tends to get ignored around awards season. It may not end up getting nominated for anything, but it would be surprising if some names from Cregger's release are not thrown around. One character will definitely be an inspiration for Halloween.What does the success of another original movie IP mean for horror movies in the future? Obviously, franchises and Stephen King adaptations are not going to end; they are the lifeblood of the genre. But will studios be willing to take more risks on new properties? Adventures in Movies! is a part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcast Network. Morbidly Beautiful is your one stop shop for all your horror needs. From the latest news and reviews to interviews and old favorites, it can be found at Morbidly Beautiful.Adventures in Movies! is hosted by Nathaniel and Blake. You can find Nathaniel on Instagram at nathaninpoortaste. Blake can be found on Twitter @foureyedhorror and on Instagram at foureyedhorror. You can reach us personally or on Twitter @AdventuresinMo1.Music in the background from https://www.FesliyanStudios.com

Madison Iseman is making her play for horror icon status, starring in the fun and freaky forthcoming "cursed object" horror film WITCHBOARD. At the same time, she's embracing her "district attorney era" with a lead role in the new USA series THE RAINMAKER. And on this show, we can't leave out her credits playing twin sisters Lennon and Allison on the I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER tv series (though Madison might prefer we did). Through it all, another iconic horror performance with a complicated history served as Madison's North Star of performance: Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance in THE SHINING.After this long-awaited conversation, Jordan has one quick thing about the new film EAST OF WALL, which had its premiere at Sundance 2025. Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.Need more Feeling Seen? Keep up with the show on Instagram and Bluesky.

Send us a textThis week, we're talking about a word that gets a bad rap — failure. If you've ever been on your wellness journey and found yourself saying, “I've blown it” or “I can't do this,” this episode is for you. I'm sharing stories that have inspired me — from an ancient philosopher who lost it all, to a bestselling author who almost quit — along with my own story of one last try that changed everything. By the end of our time together, I hope you'll see “failure” in a whole new light — not as an ending, but as the most surprising kind of beginning. Quote of the week:"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." — Samuel Beckett References·      Beckett, S. (1983). Worstward Ho. New York: Grove Press.·      Pigliucci, M. (2017). How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life. Basic Books.·      King, S. (2000). On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner.·      Yao, S., et al. (2019). “Success is not the opposite of failure: The persistence of learning.” Nature, 575, 190–194.·      Stiller, B. (Director). (2022–2025). Severance [Television series]. Apple TV+.Let's go, let's get it done. Get more information at: http://projectweightloss.org

Since Laura Lippman's debut, she has been recognised as a distinctive voice in mystery fiction and named one of the "essential" crime writers of the last 100 years. Stephen King called her "special, even extraordinary," and Gillian Flynn wrote, "She is simply a brilliant novelist." Her books have won most of the major awards in her field and been translated into more than twenty-five languages. On this episode of Little Atoms, Laura talks to Neil Denny about her latest novel Murder Takes a Vacation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Life of Chuck is a Stephen King adaptation from writer-director Mike Flanagan, starring Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Karen Gillan I talk about the film on this podcast enjoy! 

Not only is Ben Barnes well-spoken, professional, and ridiculously good-looking, he's also the star of a currently running TV adaptation of Stephen King's The Institute. We talk about his process working on that show, what he took from King's writing, his history with genre (from playing Prince Caspian in the Narnia films to appearances in Westworld and Black Mirror), and share a laugh over cat buttholes. In short, this is just the nerdy conversation you need this week.

So, the circle closes… for now.   Here is the second and final part of our deep dive into Stephen King's The Stand – the first of many major diversions on our way to The Dark Tower.   Last time we introduced the plague and the all-American heroes who survive it; this time we meet some of the weirder folk from the fringes of this apocalypse.   And we finally tangle with Randall Flagg, the Dark Man, the Walking Dude – our link to Mid-World and the travails of Roland Deschain.   We are loving making this for you. We hope you're enjoying listening.   Pre-order Chris's Shitshow HERE   Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Bookshop.org, Read Dating, and Stephen King. Then, stick around for a chat with Karin Slaughter!Karin Slaughter is one of the world's most popular and acclaimed storytellers. She is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated Cop Town and standalone novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of Her. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette, and WILL TRENT, based on her Will Trent series, is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally). False Witness and The Good Daughter are in development for television. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

Time on Screen returns this week with an all new episode. In this episode, Zach Kazan and Kat Shoulders break down The Life of Chuck, the latest from Mike Flanagan, a favorite filmmaker among the Worn & Wound crew. The Life of Chuck is an adaptation of a Stephen King novella that is somewhat hard to describe. It follows the life of a single character through important stages of his life, with a story told in an extremely unconventional way, and is one of those movies that you'll want to discuss and dissect as soon as you get out of the theater. It's also a big left turn for Flanagan away from the horror genre, and feels like a much more personal statement. In this conversation, Zach and Kat break down the movie's structure and its key themes and scenes, and also rank their top three Mike Flanagan projects. They also talk about the importance of time as its portrayed in this movie, both in the way the story is told, and through a perfectly delivered Flanagan monologue that repurposes Carl Sagan's famous “Cosmic Calendar” principle. To stay on top of all new episodes, you can subscribe to The Worn & Wound Podcast on all major platforms including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and more. You can also find our RSS feed here.And if you like what you hear, then don't forget to leave us a review.If there's a question you want us to answer you can hit us up at info@wornandwound.com, and we'll put your question in the queue.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3695: James Altucher explores why chasing perfection is not only futile but also paralyzing. By embracing imperfection and consistently taking small, messy steps, we unlock creativity, reduce anxiety, and make meaningful progress. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://jamesaltucher.com/blog/achieve-perfection/ Quotes to ponder: "Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor." "You improve by doing, not by thinking." "Perfection is often just procrastination in disguise." Episode references: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott: https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016 On Writing by Stephen King: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Stephen-King/dp/1439156816 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New online store is now up with the Mushroominati Watcher Coffee! https://occultsymbolism.comOn today's episode of the Occult Symbolism and Pop Culture with Isaac Weishaupt podcast we begin our deep dive into The Shining! Part 1 will explore the cast members, like Jack Nicholson, the movie poster and the first half of the film! We'll touch on various messages and symbolism in the first half of the film: red VW bugs, David Lynch, Stephen King, Catcher in the Rye, America, MKULTRA, Project MONARCH, portal mirrors, cannibalism, Playgirl magazine, incest, Illuminati bloodlines, Calumet, Cult and Occult book, dream states and Bluebeard references to Room 237! Links:New online store is now up with the Mushroominati Watcher Coffee! https://occultsymbolism.comThe Shining 3-part series:The Shining Decoded Pt 1: Conspiracies, Illuminati, MKULTRA & Project Monarch!The Shining Decoded Pt 2: Room 237, Grady Twins, Labyrinths & Epstein Parties! COMING SOONThe Shining Decoded Pt 3: Kubrick's Code—Illuminati Bloodlines, MKULTRA, Eyes Wide Shut, Portals, Saturn & the Moon Landing Lie COMING SOONKubrick's Code book (and 2+ hour video): https://illuminatiwatcher.com/kubricks-code-analysis-of-2001-a-clockwork-orange-the-shining-and-eyes-wide-shut/Eyes Wide Shut: Decoding Hidden Symbolism of Stanley Kubrick- Episode Index https://www.illuminatiwatcher.com/eyes-wide-shut-decoding-hidden-symbolism-of-stanley-kubrick-episode-indexPATREON BONUS: A.I. Film Analysis- Kubricks FINAL Warning on Artificial Intelligence! https://www.illuminatiwatcher.com/patreon-bonus-a-i-film-analysis-kubricks-final-warning-on-artificial-intelligenceCatcher in the Rye Conspiracies Pt 1: MKULTRA Incel Abused Killer, Secret Societies & Luigi Mangione! https://illuminatiwatcher.com/catcher-in-the-rye-conspiracies-pt-1-mkultra-incel-abused-killer-secret-societies-luigi-mangione/ Portals Pt 1: Magick Gateways, Jungian Symbols & Pop Culture Portals EXPLAINED! https://illuminatiwatcher.com/portals-pt-1-magick-gateways-jungian-symbols-pop-culture-portals-explained/ PREVIEW: FRESH Film Analysis: Cannibalism Satanism & Illuminati Elites! https://www.illuminatiwatcher.com/preview-fresh-film-analysis-cannibalism-satanism-illuminati-elites Show sponsors- Get discounts while you support the show and do a little self improvement!*CopyMyCrypto.com/Isaac is where you can copy James McMahon's crypto holdings- listeners get access for just $1 WANT MORE?... Check out my UNCENSORED show with my wife, Breaking Social Norms: https://breakingsocialnorms.com/GRIFTER ALLEY- get bonus content AND go commercial free + other perks:*PATREON.com/IlluminatiWatcher : ad free, HUNDREDS of bonus shows, early access AND TWO OF MY BOOKS! (The Dark Path and Kubrick's Code); you can join the conversations with hundreds of other show supporters here: Patreon.com/IlluminatiWatcher (*Patreon is also NOW enabled to connect with Spotify! https://rb.gy/hcq13)*VIP SECTION: Due to the threat of censorship, I set up a Patreon-type system through MY OWN website! IIt's even setup the same: FREE ebooks, Kubrick's Code video! Sign up at: https://illuminatiwatcher.com/members-section/*APPLE PREMIUM: If you're on the Apple Podcasts app- just click the Premium button and you're in! NO more ads, Early Access, EVERY BONUS EPISODE More from Isaac- links and special offers:*BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS podcast, Index of EVERY episode (back to 2014), Signed paperbacks, shirts, & other merch, Substack, YouTube links, appearances & more: https://allmylinks.com/isaacw *STATEMENT: This show is full of Isaac's useless opinions and presented for entertainment purposes. Audio clips used in Fair Use and taken from YouTube videos.