Episode Details

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What if your perimenopause symptoms weren't just symptoms — what if you were turning into a werewolf? Author Sam Beckbessinger joins us to talk about her debut adult novel Femme Feral, and it might be the most cathartic book you read this year.

Sam and I dive deep into why the medical industry has failed women at midlife, the reality of millennial burnout, and why female rage horror is having such a deserved moment. If you're a woman in your 30s, 40s, or beyond who has ever been dismissed by a doctor, told to "just lose some weight," or felt the crushing weight of doing 200% while getting zero credit — this episode is going to feel like a long exhale. We also get into Sam's reading life: from the buzzy Dungeon Crawler Carl series to feminist short story collections you need to know about.

📚 BOOKS MENTIONED

Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger — Buy on Amazon | Horror / Women's Fiction | Audio ✅

Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman — Buy on Amazon | Sci-Fi / LitRPG / Adventure | KU ✅ | Audio ✅

She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark — Buy on Amazon | Dark Fiction / Short Stories / Horror

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado — Buy on Amazon | Literary Horror / Short Stories | KU ✅ | Audio ✅

Gods of Want by K-Ming Chang — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction / Short Stories / Queer Fiction

Stag Dance by Torrey Peters — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction / Historical / Queer Fiction | Audio ✅

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Welcome & introduction — Sam Beckbessinger joins the show

[00:45] Why female rage and perimenopause inspired Femme Feral

[02:00] How the medical industry gasligths women at midlife

[03:00] The history of women being excluded from medical trials

[04:30] The book's premise — Ellie, the werewolf, and repressed rage

[06:30] What Femme Feral is (and isn't) — horror content notes

[08:00] Millennial burnout, the "you can have it all" generation, and reckoning

[10:00] Funny and dark: luring toxic bosses into alleyways

[11:00] Generational work culture — Gen Z vs. Millennial vs. Gen X bosses

[12:00] Writing Femme Feral as personal excavation and self-discovery

[13:30] Healthcare, for-profit medicine, and the gynecologist problem

[15:00] Laura's story: taking a demotion and finding freedom

[16:00] The chapter headings — perimenopause symptoms as a buffet (and a doctor's checklist)

[17:00] Sam's reading life — what genres she loves and why

[18:00] Deep dive on Dungeon Crawler Carl — what it is and why you should read it

[20:30] Horror short story recommendations: She's Always Hungry & Gods of Want

[22:30] The indie bookshop trick: ask for the hidden gem that nobody buys

[24:30] Stag Dance by Torrey Peters — a bridge book for historical fiction fans

[25:30] Where to find Sam online + wrap-up

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