Episode 55: Surviving Thrillers as a Black Woman w/ Rachel Howzell Hall

There's been a lot of discourse surrounding our latest pick. Everything's Fine by Cecelia Rabess has been fodder for a think piece by The New York Times, an interview in The CUT and hundreds of hot takes on Twitter. Was the book worth all that chatter? Not really. Listen in as we discuss the "controversy" surrounding the book's marketing, what we think the author was trying to achieve and the authenticity of fake hair. We also love it when you rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening!

Hi, readers! We've got another fun interview for you this month. We chatted with author and self-proclaimed L.A. stan Rachel Howzell Hall about her new book, What Never Happened, and what it's like to be a Black woman in the thriller space — whether that be as an author or a main character. Learn more about the plotting process and character development of thriller characters, Rachel's philosophy on plot twists and which of her books she thinks she'd survive. (Interview begins at 12:48) Rachel Howzell Hall is the New York Times bestselling author of We Lie Here; These Toxic Things; And Now She's Gone; They All Fall Down; and, with James Patterson, The Good Sister, which was included in Patterson's collection The Family Lawyer. A Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist as well as an Anthony, International Thriller Writers, and Lefty Award nominee, Rachel is also the author of Land of Shadows, Skies of Ash, Trail of Echoes, and City of Saviors in the Detective Elouise Norton series. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. Find her on Twitter and Instagram. As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons: Bryonna, Claire, Erica, Frank, I Found This Great Podcast, Jennifer, Kat, Martel, Montara and Noelia. If you like what you hear, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listeni

Hi, readers! It's June and Black Chick Lit is celebrating Pride month! Given all the mess happening in the news, the government and even at Target, we wanted to do a special episode to talk about what's going on and how it impacts Black women. We spoke with author and speaker Kianna Alexander on what Pride means to her, her journey to finding her identity and how all of that impacts her writing and reading. Kianna is the author of more than 40 books and her latest, Can't Let Her Go, will be released on June 20. This follow-up to her previous book, Can't Resist Her, follows Peaches and Jamie, two professional Black women, as they “push past the boundaries of friendship into something deeper.” Find her at Twitter at @KiannaWrites and Instagram at kiannaalexanderwrites. As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons: Bryonna, Claire, Erica, Frank, I Found This Great Podcast, Jennifer, Kat, Martel, Montara and Noelia. If you like what you hear, be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening!

Happy new year, readers! We're kicking off 2023 as we do every year with mess and hijinks. It's Urban Fic Month, and this year, we read Everybody Ain't Your Friend, by Tanisha Stewart. This isn't a lesson we needed to learn, but our main character, Mia, was in desperate need of some education. How did she have so many unstable people in her life and not notice it? Why didn't she block anyone on Facebook? Why did she spell Tyreke with an "I"? So much to learn. As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons! If you want to be among our favorite people in the world, support us over on Pateron. We also love it when you rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening!

Hey readers! We're still getting hyped for FX's new series, Kindred. Last time, we gave you a refresher (or possibly an introduction) to Octavia Butler and her work. In this episode, we invited an awesome panel of sci-fi fans and creators to chat about Butler, her legacy and what we hope to see in future adaptations of her work. Our awesome panelists are: Isis Asare is the founder and CEO of Sistah Scifi, the first Black owned bookstore focused on science fiction and fantasy in the United States. Damian Duffy is a cartoonist, scholar, writer, curator, lecturer, teacher and award-winning bestselling graphic novelist. John Jennings is a professor, author, graphic novelist, curator, Harvard Fellow and all-around champion of Black culture. Nova Sparks is a writer who grew up watching and reading science fiction, horror, and fantasy and quickly became a fanatic. They share how they discovered her work, what science fiction and fantasy mean to Black readers and their hopes for future works. Duffy and Jennings previously worked on Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, which we chatted about before. Listen in and get nerdy. Thanks to our sponsor FX for supporting this episode. Kindred is streaming now only on Hulu.  And as always, thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

Hey, readers, We're doing something special this episode! In preparation of FX's new series Kindred, which will stream on Hulu beginning Dec. 13, we've decided to study up and learn more about the book and its genius author, Octavia Butler. Join us as we share some cool info about Ms. Butler, including what she had to say about her ability to write the future with eerie accurateness. Fun fact: The people at NASA are some real sci-fi nerds. Our girl Octavia has not one but two(!) astronomical features named after her. Then, we dig into Kindred, Butler's most iconic title. We've discussed a Kindred adaptation before, but this time we really get into Dana's struggle. Not only does she have to deal with one ancestor who's a racist slaveowner and another who hates her, she also has to put up with her husband's shit! Listen in and get ready for the first-ever TV adaptation of Kindred! Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Thanks to our sponsor FX for supporting us with this episode. And as always, thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

Hey, readers! We're continue our celebration of Black Chick Lit with the second part of our discussion of the Black girl classic, The Color Purple by Alice Walker. We read the book and watched Steven Spielburg's 1986 film, made famous by Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and, the Queen of the Nineties herself, Oprah! Be cure to check out the first part of our conversation if you missed it. We finish up by discussing the tragic story of Sophia, that time Celie got a bit murder-y and the redemption of ol' down dirty Mr. _____. Don't forget: In celebration of our pod-iversary, we're giving away four $30 gift cards to Amazon! Treat yourself to some books or a few months of Kindle Unlimited! All you need to do is follow us on Twitter at @blackchicklit and quote tweet us sharing your favorite moment from The Color Purple. If you want to be among our favorite people in the world, support us over on Pateron.  As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons: Ali, Andrea, Bryonna, Catherine, Claire, Ellen, Erica, Frank, Heather, I Found This Great Book, Jennifer, Kat, Martel, Montara, Noella, Ruth, Therese and Whitney. We also love it when you rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening!

Hey, readers! We're celebrating six years of Black Chick Lit with a discussion of the Black girl classic, The Color Purple by Alice Walker. We read the book and watched Steven Spielburg's 1986 film, made famous by Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and, the Queen of the Nineties herself, Oprah! You know what this book is about. So, join us as we talk about Ms. Celie, THE Shug Avery, and that low-down dirty dog Mr. ______. We'll finish up the conversation in two weeks, so be sure to join us then, too! Don't forget: In celebration of our pod-iversary, we're giving away four $30 gift cards to Amazon! Treat yourself to some books or a few months of Kindle Unlimited! Listen in for more details. If you want to be among our favorite people in the world, support us over on Pateron. Rewards include a shout-out on every episode of the podcast and exclusive audio/chats. As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons: Ali, Andrea, Bryonna, Catherine, Claire, Ellen, Erica, Frank, Heather, I Found This Great Book, Jennifer, Kat, Martel, Montara, Noella, Ruth, Therese and Whitney. We also love it when you rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening!

This winter, we got cozy with the podcast's first cozy mystery. We read A Glimmer of Death by Valerie Wilson Wesley, the first in the Odessa Jones series. We loved the characters in this book — and there are a bunch of them. There's Charlie, Dessa's asshole boss/murder victim; Harley, her co-worker, whose innocence Dessa is tasked with proving; and Lennox, a former cop turned BBQ pit master who thinks Dessa is in way over her head. We gossip about all of them and their mess. We also chat about new trucks, black women and fiber arts, and planes versus trains. If you want to be among our favorite people in the world, support us over on Pateron. Rewards include a shout-out on every episode of the podcast and exclusive audio/chats. As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons: Ali, Andrea, Bryonna, Catherine, Claire, Ellen, Erica, Frank, Heather, I Found This Great Book, Jennifer, Kat, Martel, Montara, Noella, Ruth, Therese and Whitney. We also love it when you rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening!

We wanted to learn more about the female half of Ashley and JaQuavis, so for this year's Urban Fic Month, we read Butterfly by Ashley Antoinette. Did we know what was going on? Barely. This series is a spin-off of a spin-off that started with her title Moth to a Flame. Did that stop us from judging the hell out of it? Absolutely not. Is Morgan a Bad Bitch or a spoiled one? Why the hell does everyone in this book hate rich, popular, caring family-man Bash? Why are women in these books constantly putting fruit up their vaginas?? We don't find the answers to any of these questions, but we had fun asking them. If you want to be among our favorite people in the world, support us over on Pateron. Rewards include a shout-out on every episode of the podcast and exclusive audio/chats. As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons: Ali, Andrea, Bryonna, Catherine, Claire, Ellen, Erica, Frank, Heather, I Found This Great Book, Jennifer, Kat, Martel, Montara, Noella, Ruth, Therese and Whitney. We also love it when you rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening!