Yr girls are fresh from the cliffs and ready to slay some fey. This week, Morgan and Isabeau are back at the Ball with another selection from The Monster Ball Year 2; Assassin’s Match by Everly Frost. Our heroine Tanzanina (yikes) is a born-witch whose power and love have been stripped from her by an evil curse. But when her only hope of lifting the curse, a special spellbook, is stolen, our heroine must put herself in danger for a night of thrills and passion at the Monster Ball. Are magic-at birth-narratives ultimately trojan horses for eugenics? Is Paradise Lost just Bible fan fiction? How do we cope when our love is not reciprocated? All that, plus musings on birth order, gargoyles, and the perfect hot buttered rum. Happy spooky season y’all.
To keep this spooky train rolling, we’re chugging on up to Auld Reekie for the supernatural event of the season. This week, Morgan and Isabeau crash a party with a selection from The Monster Ball Year 2, an anthology of works imagining that self same soiree, titled “Turning The Tides” by Wendy Higgins. In this telling, a malevolent beast known as the Magpie is throwing the Ball, and this once who’s who of the otherworldly has taken a sinister turn. Our heroine is Ada, a selkie (for brevity: shapeshifting seal people of yore), who in order to return to the sea, must retrieve her pelt from among the patchwork monstrosity adorning the Magpie. But with a little help from a dryad and a conniving necromancer, Ada just might get her wish. What makes for a memorable party? Is good sex just attentive sex? How young is too young for necromancy? Dust off your best frocks y’all - it’s game time.
The dour, windswept moors. A precocious, homely child. The intellectual and implied sexual education of said child. But more importantly, a tentpole Romance of the highest order. We’re of course talking about Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel, Jane Eyre. And what better way to explore this mother root of the genre than by reading it cover to cover. This week, yr girls Morgan and Isabeau preview a new project, and break off a piece of chapter one with the aim of answering one of Romance’s ever-looming questions: Darcy, or Rochester?
We'll be releasing chapters every Sunday beginning THIS SUNDAY (10/4) and beyond as seasonal depression and pending societal collapse allow. Tune in and get moody y'all.
When we say Jude Deveraux, you probably think: lioness in her field, titan of titillation. Both are true. But that’s only part of the story. This week, yr girl Morgan walks yr girl Isabeau through a truly bananas true crime story starring none other than Jude Deveraux. We’re talking psychics, heartbreaks, movie stars, and war criminals. Buckle up for a true crime side quest that’ll have you hooking up your fax machine.
We don't know about y'all, but this summer had us spending way more time indoors than usual. This week, Morgan and Isabeau share some of what's been keeping them afloat and joyful in these trying times.
As promised, Part Two of yr girls’ conversation with the illustrious Scarlett Peckham, and a deeper dive into Judith McNaught’s canonical debut novel Whitney, My Love. Sexiest parts, weirdest parts, and all the parts in between.
CW: sexual assault, intimate partner violence
If you experienced sexual assault and need or would like help, visit centers.rainn.com for resources in your area, or call 800-656-HOPE (4673) for confidential support.