In this episode I'm joined by the incredibly talented Viggy Parr Hampton, author of multiple horror novels, for a deliciously dark conversation about literature, female rage, morally questionable characters, and the beautifully disturbing world of "weird girl horror."

We dive into the psychology behind her unforgettable characters, the uncomfortable truths lurking beneath their stories, and why we're so fascinated by women who are messy, complicated, and unapologetically difficult to love.

From obsession and power dynamics to societal expectations, taboo subjects, and the darker corners of the female experience, we explore what makes transgressive literature so compelling, and why sometimes the most unsettling stories are the ones that reveal something about ourselves.

If you love literary fiction that pushes boundaries, morally ambiguous women, psychological darkness, and books that leave you questioning everything, this conversation is for you. After you listen to this epsiode, make sure you head over to Viggy's podcast, Horror Humor Hunger, on all podcast platforms.

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New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Hillier joins me for a conversation about her newest thriller, Heart of Glass, the darkness behind her stories, and what it really takes to write characters who are capable of terrible things.

Jennifer talks about returning to the world of Wonderland, writing morally complicated women, our fascination with true crime, and the uncomfortable question at the center of so many great thrillers: how well can we ever really know another person?

We talk twists, creating believable villains, the evolution of her career, the pressure of keeping readers guessing, and what it felt like to become a New York Times bestseller.

Dark, psychological, a little unhinged, and full of behind-the-scenes insight into the mind of one of thriller fiction’s most compelling authors.

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In this episode of The Literary Spiral, I’m joined by author Sara Cooper to talk about her dark, hilarious, and deeply uncomfortable novel Ravenous: a biting satire of influencer culture, consumerism, body image, performative femininity, and motherhood in the age of social media.

We dive into the psychology behind Breigh, an unboxing influencer whose carefully curated online existence begins to unravel after she becomes pregnant. Sara and I talk about Breigh’s desperate need for validation, the strange and unsettling relationship she develops with her unborn baby, the pressure placed on women’s bodies during pregnancy, and what happens when motherhood itself becomes content.

We also get into the absurdity of influencer culture, #LiveBirth, eating makeup, capitalism, parasocial relationships, the ethics of family content, and the surprisingly lonely reality underneath Breigh’s increasingly unhinged behavior.

If you love weird-girl literature, complicated female protagonists, social horror, literary satire, female rage, and books that make you laugh before making you deeply uncomfortable, this conversation is for you.

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