Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome back to Spill the Tea Unfiltered.
[00:00:02] Speaker B: Hey, guys.
[00:00:03] Speaker A: And today we have a very special guest. We have Leah Bronwyn with us. She wrote a lie. So pretty and poisonous. And let me just say, Leah, that I loved your book.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:00:17] Speaker A: I gobbled it up to the point that I was just like, where's the next one? And I think I messaged you. And I was like, book two. Where's book two?
[00:00:27] Speaker B: You are not the only one that messaged me like, it's ready, right?
[00:00:32] Speaker A: You're like, no, it's not. We're all like, but we have to wait.
It is now in the top two of books I've read this year. You and Daggermouth, to me, are the two top books for the year for me, because I was just like the story itself, the female main character, the way you wrote her, and thank God she's all our age, like, you know, so nice.
[00:00:58] Speaker B: But yeah.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: So do you want to tell. Let's tell the listeners a little bit about your book.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Sure. Oh, God. I, I. You're hyping me up to be like, hm, wolf. And I am not her.
[00:01:09] Speaker A: Yes, you are. We're putting that out there. Yes.
[00:01:13] Speaker B: She's incredible.
My book is a dark romantasy, and it has political intrigue, it has magic, it has demigods.
But I think their real focus is the protagonist who is a mother.
And I had not seen a mother as a protagonist in a dark romantasy or a romantasy in general.
I think that a lot of the times mothers were allocated to secondary characters, to evil queens, to catalysts, like their death would be the catalyst for the hero to go on their adventure or something like that. And so it just didn't sit right with me.
So I was like, I want to see me in this character. I want to see a mother with a kid who's rolling her eyes at her and in danger and somebody with a fully functional brain capacity that is at a different stage in their life who has to navigate this kind of same things that a 19, 20, 21 year old protagonist would.
And who better to take down tyrants and gods and things like that than a, than a mom? Because mom rage is a whole different kind of rage, right?
And the stakes in a, in a book. So when you're writing a book, the stakes, stakes, you have to keep upping the stakes. And what higher stakes is there then to keep this person alive, this tiny human that you have to keep alive on top of yourself?
So to me, that was far more interesting and relatable than the 19 year old assassin with magic. Right.
And don't get me wrong, those books are fantastic and I still will be consuming them.
But I wanted to give women a different perspective and. And a different person to cheer for and root for because they could see themselves in this person.
So she basically, she's outrunning her past. She ends up at the mercy of demigods in which she shouldn't be there. She should be scared of them. She is scared of them. And she has to navigate this intricate political system with weaponized religious beliefs on top of trying to make sure that she's safe, her child is safe. She has no magic. She's just a human. And there is love interest in there who is emotionally intelligent. He's very morally gray. He is a demigod because swoon.
And.
And. But there's. There's a lot of intricate working parts in this book. And the first book is a lot of world building and set up for what is to come in subsequent books.
[00:04:15] Speaker A: Yeah, perfect. Yeah, it really hit home for me too, I think. So what's. What's crazy is I'm child free by choice, but I'm in my mid-30s. But I still really loved that part of it. The mom. Because I was like. Because I have a mother. I have friends who are mothers. Sure. And like you said, like, even if you yourself, you know, decide you don't want children one day and that's perfectly acceptable and fine.
It was refreshing to actually see that in a character because like you said, it's always a secondary character. Almost like society.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: Right?
Exactly. We're always pushed to the back burner. We're always made to be like, we're just a mom. You're. You're the mom. You're just the mom. You're over here.
And that it doesn't sit right with me. And. And like you say, you're child free by choice. You don't have to be a mother to relate to this book, to like this book.
I have several other arc readers who are child free and they love this book.
It's just that she's a mom and very relatable. And I want to preface this with maybe not preface this, because I'm already into it. I want to kind of side note this as she's a mother and that's the most relatable thing about her. But it's not the most interesting thing about her because I think we also just stronghold women into this role of motherhood. She's just a mom. Okay. Well, she's also a love interest and she's also a sexual being and she's also a badass and she's an herbalist and she's intelligent and she's funny. And so yes, she's a mom, but she's so much more than that. And I think that's also important to show through a character is that it's just not motherhood. It's, it's womanhood. And her being a mother is just a small portion of her, of her womanhood.
[00:06:20] Speaker A: Absolutely. I, I, I think that is the perfect way to say it. And one of the reasons why I loved her so much. And she's, she is, she's so funny, which I loved. Like again, you just don't, a lot of times you just don't see it in books. And I think that it was, she's so well rounded and so well portrayed that it like keeps your interest. And you're like, you're gonna cheer for her. Right. Like you're like, I'm cheering for this woman to succeed and all the things that she's trying to do in this book.
Another part of that hit home for me is the weaponized religion because I grew up Southern Baptist in a very, like, I'm talking Southern Baptist. Like, you know, some people today will be like, oh, Baptist isn't bad. I'm like, yeah, I grew up very Southern Baptist. And I, and I Now, I took 19 years away from, from a church because of my upbringing. Like I was married to God in seventh grade in front of the, like a ceremony where they put a purity ring on my finger and everything. Like just creepy things.
A very homophobic church, a very racist church, a very misogynistic church.
So I took a very long time away from, from any religion because of it.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:07:38] Speaker A: I, I now came back to a church, but non denominational and just it's, I like it a lot better and I don't feel less than for being a woman, less than for being single, less than for not being a mom, all those things. So it's very different. But I'm also not like trying to be overly involved either because I'm like, I don't, I have a bad taste in my mouth from all that.
[00:08:02] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:08:03] Speaker A: But it's real interesting to read because it's similar. It's so close to what we're going through today.
[00:08:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: With religion and politics.
[00:08:12] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:08:12] Speaker A: And the intertwine of how it's supposed to be separation of church and state. But we're not seeing that people are using religion as A way to control women's bodies.
And that's something that, like, when I was reading this, I was just like, whoo, this hits real close, real close to home. And it's gonna piss some people off. And my thing is, I'm like, if it pisses you off, then you probably need to look inward.
[00:08:38] Speaker B: And I fully expect that there will be people who read this, even though there are trigger warnings of, hey, there's weaponized religious. There's religious abuse in this that a lot of people cannot reflect deep, like, oh, that won't apply to me because my religion isn't like that. And then they may see some breadcrumbs of what they're in. They may be mad at that. I fully expect that because as an author, though, like, I can't play it safe and try to please everyone. Right.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: Right.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: I. I wrote this for women who have deconstructed, for women who have gone through things like you have, and even things maybe that they're currently going through and they're questioning or they didn't really see it in that perspective. And maybe this will help bring it a little bit to light.
It's okay that not everybody likes this book. It's okay that not everybody understands.
But I wasn't going to be like, oh, I don't wanna. I don't wanna offend anybody. I don't wanna put, you know, there's nothing in there that's like, religion is bad because I don't necessarily believe that. I just don't like the abuse of power, which is systemic.
It cross all denominations. There. There is abuse of religion in every religion. This is not specific to any particular religion. It can be broad.
But I write what I know, and I came from a Catholic upbringing.
And again, that's not inherently a bad thing. It's just that this was my experience in that particular church. And. And I know that's an experience that many people have. So I wanted to kind of shed some light. I don't think it's down your throat through the whole book. It's just there.
It's just a normalized part of their society.
The. The villain will often be like, oh, I prayed to themis to bring you. Bring a woman to me, blah, blah, blah, that kind of thing. And it's like those. That those conversations happen. People say that kind of stuff.
And I think that it was important for me to put in. And like, like I said, I write what I know. I don't. I don't try to branch off into things that I have no Experience with no, no understanding of.
And I did not want to play it safe and pitter patter around people's religious beliefs when this is my experience. This is experience for many.
[00:11:22] Speaker A: Absolutely. And you're not going to make everybody happy anyway. No, that's just how society is correct. And especially the trolls behind their laptops, you know, and leave comments and everything, which is something we talked about offline was, you know, you get a lot of, you get a lot of hate comments that have been happening. We get them all the time on our podcast.
Usually we get them from men and women.
Majority, majority are men. But you every once in a while get the woman too. And that. Actually those make me more mad.
[00:11:53] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's more that it's like they're carrying the water for the patriarchy. Right. And they don't realize they could drown in it. So because they want their proximity to this power and they think by cutting down others that's going to elevate them. And that's unfortunate.
But yeah, like I, most of the hate comments is like I say something like, hey, men should read romance books because it helps you with empathy and knowing what women like and understanding them. And then it's just like an onslaught of anger.
I don't say anything bad, it's just, here, you should try this.
Yeah, here's a book.
You should read one. But they, they get very defensive, they get very angry and then, you know, it spirals into threats of bodily harm and, and that kind of thing. So it's unfortunate, but it also proves the point.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: Yes.
Drives me nuts is I'm like, it literally you're proving everything that we're saying. And so if you didn't want to, you know, I'm glad there are men out there who are standing up in, in these things being like, you know, you are proving a point to all the women out there that are, that think like this because you are the problem.
And so it's nice that there are men out there that are standing up, but unfortunately the loudest are the ones who of course. Yeah.
[00:13:29] Speaker B: And that's the case across all kind of trolling is it's always the loudest, most obnoxious ones that get the, you know.
[00:13:36] Speaker A: Well, and as you said, like, it's sad because a lot of these we, when we were talking earlier was that they have kids and they have daughters.
And I'm like, I feel so bad that their daughters are going to be brought up in this same, you know, mindset that men rule everything that we need to Bow down to men. And I mean, that's the problem I had with a lot of religion was that it was obey, obey, do this, bow down, all this stuff. And that, like you said, it is used as a weapon to keep women in line, to keep women down and as a way of control.
[00:14:12] Speaker B: Correct.
And, and I think that, you know, not putting it in there would be a disservice to the women that I am trying to reach in this book.
It's not like it's, it's not all men, it's not all religious beliefs. Right.
But it's, it's a lot and it's more than it should be.
There are some phenomenal, wonderful, lovely people who run religious sex and I think shout out to them for trying to break from the, you know, patriarchal, toxic environments.
But I am seeing a shift, especially like women our age who have been brought up in these toxic cultures that they, they're totally disillusioned by it now and they, they understand some of the deep rooted harm that it can cause because it just helps solidify the, the patriarchy in general. Right. It's just a tool used.
So that's why I wanted that as part of the book is that it's a tool. It's a tool used to keep not just women, but the masses in general. Right. It helps to control, it helps to manipulate it. It's, you know, society is easy to control when they're scared of punishment, they're scared of damnation, they're scared of things like that. So taking those kinds of toxic thoughts and beliefs and implementing them in a book with feminine rage just seemed normal and natural to me. Just seemed like it should be part of the conversation.
[00:16:01] Speaker A: And I think that's why so many of us ARC readers that are in your group related well to this book is because we're all in the same age. We went through the same things growing up, a lot of us. And you know, we've also, many of us have been betrayed by men.
And so, you know, that's a huge part of feminine rage too, is the betrayal. Whether it's betrayal from a family member or a intimate partner, whoever the betrayal was, a lot of us have been betrayed. Which I think in the book also plays a role is the betrayal of men in her feminine rage for different and different betrayals too. So it encompasses like, without giving anything away, it encompasses several different types of betrayal.
[00:16:48] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:16:49] Speaker A: Which will make you scream and be like, leah, where's the next book?
[00:16:54] Speaker B: Exactly.
And I think that's there's. There's a lot of relatable components in there, too. Like her mother in the beginning is. Is very relatable in a way that, you know, she is. She's betrayed her daughter in a way. Right. By forcing her into this upbringing she doesn't want to be a part of. So it's. There's so many twists and turns and parts of the wheel that are. Are trying to connect that. Yes, there is a lot of betrayal. There is.
It's a. I've always said nobody is who you think they are in this book. The only person that you think is who they are is Rory.
Everybody else is free game. Sometimes they are who they are, sometimes they aren't. So it's hard to know who to trust.
[00:17:49] Speaker A: And that's real life.
[00:17:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:17:52] Speaker B: Absolutely.
So what was one of the most difficult chapters for you to write?
I think chapter 19.
That was a hard chapter. That is when she goes in the woods.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:18:09] Speaker B: To clean off her hands.
That there is a. There is. This isn't the trigger warnings. There is an attempt of a sexual assault.
It is not completed. She is very fortunate. And it doesn't fully happen, but there's still trauma that lingers from that. Right.
And that was a hard scene to write just because it was very emotional and I had to balance.
I don't like when people. You don't necessarily have to be super graphic in details of what is happening during those types of scenes. There is a balance between knowing this is happening, knowing what is happening, and not being graphic about it, because I don't want to treat it as, like, a shock value. It's just. I put this in here because this is something that happens to a lot of women.
And I wanted women to know that they are not alone, that other women have gone through this. They. That I understand them and I relate to them, and that this was a scene that was very, very emotional.
And to try to find that balance between, like, showing her emotions, showing her understanding of what's about to go down, and being very graphic, detailed about it is. Is a fine line. And so that was. That was the hardest chapter, I think, for me to write.
I think a lot of women really related to that scene, unfortunately, and it. But it is something that I think a lot of people in the industry don't put in their books because they are scared to also trigger people.
And that's why I say you please, please, please read the trigger warnings in the beginning, because don't read that if that's something that is going to hurt you emotionally and Mentally.
But I. I have yet to find somebody who. Yet to find somebody who is like, I couldn't read that.
But I have had readers say, you did that very respectfully and intently. There was a lot of intent going behind how I approach that.
[00:20:37] Speaker A: I would agree with that 100%. I.
I had a feeling that was going to be your answer to that question, because it was probably one of the most emotional scenes to read as a reader as well, because, as you know, when you have been assaulted or when you. When the hairs on the back of your neck stand up because you're like, something's about to happen. These guys are creeping me out, like, the way they're talking about me, like, I need to get out of wherever I currently am.
And that's something that a lot of men are never gonna understand.
[00:21:06] Speaker B: Right.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: You know, it's something that women have to deal with when we're walking home at night or, like, I'm a runner. So. And she. She runs now, too. So, like, she was out running on a trail this morning. Like, that's something you have to have in the back of your mind. You can only keep one earbud in because you need to be able to hear, you know, those. Those things. So I, I. And that's one of the reasons. Actually, that's one of the chapters why I was like, we need to have you come on the podcast was because our podcast is. That's the point is so that women won't feel alone. You know, these awful things happen to not just you. And there is a place for you to come and talk and work through your trauma. And, you know, we. We work with therapists, we work with domestic violence shelters, human trafficking groups and stuff. So it's like, if you need something, come to us, and I can. We can help you find a place.
So I, like, I, you know, thank you for writing that in there. And like you said, I think you did it in a very respectful way. I didn't feel grossed out reading it, like you were saying, like, a lot of times.
Some. There are several books I have read that I put down and was like, Like, I can't. The way it was handled. There's not.
[00:22:19] Speaker B: There's shock value.
I think that sometimes it's put into books as a shock value or to, like, get that reaction from readers, like, oh, my God, like, disgusting and. And it is disgusting.
But there's. There's a line there. You know, it. I don't like trauma corn, you know, where people put it in just for that kind of sake.
Some people may find that healing. I.
My book is not that level of. Of book. I think people sometimes see also, like, leading into like a dark romance versus dark Romantasy. They see dark Roman to see and they think it's dark romance with magic.
And that's not how that works.
[00:23:09] Speaker A: No. I read a lot of dark romance and your book is not at all
[00:23:15] Speaker B: like, like the, the romance is the safe part. Right?
The, the, the fantasy is the dark part. It's the, the world they're in, the people, the politics, the, the belief system. That's the dark part. The romance is more on this, the safer side. Right. That's the safety.
So I think people pick up dark Roman sometimes equate that to dark romance. That's not to say there can't be dark romance elements in a dark Roman, you know, some books, but it does not always equate. So for somebody to pick it up and be like, oh, this is a dark romance with magic and demigods and things like, that's not, that's not what's going to happen. You're not going to get that level of spiciness and, and that kind of thing.
And so for that particular chapter, it was again, me trying to find the balance between showing that this happens to a lot of women and doing it in a very respectful, mindful way that I get my point across without it going into a territory which is too much.
[00:24:32] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's part of it with the.
I love. That's what I loved about this book is you said it perfectly. The romance is more on the safe side. It's the world that's dark. And that's why, that's why we relate to it so well. Because of our current world.
[00:24:50] Speaker B: Right, exactly.
Pretty dark.
[00:24:54] Speaker A: So I think that's one of the reasons. And then the feminine rage you feel while reading this book, like, it just like builds and it builds and it builds because you're just like, you're seeing what she's going through. But then you can relate to all of it because you're like, I've also been through this. I'm seeing this on a daily basis on the Internet. I'm seeing all this, you know, how women are being treated and how religion's being weaponized and how politics are controlling you being, you know, trying to control women and everything else. And so you're just like, it's just, you know, it's, it was refreshing to read with it being the focus was not on sex.
[00:25:31] Speaker B: Right.
[00:25:32] Speaker A: And it was nice for it to be like, actually about the world and what she actually going through from all these different situations as a woman. Do you think. Because I keep seeing that we are angrier today and I'm like, are we, are we just now more willing to talk about it than our ancestors were?
[00:25:53] Speaker B: I, I think that's the case that we are.
And it's not safe for all women all over the world to talk about this. Right.
That's not to say somebody who lives in a country where they are far more suppressed and oppressed than we are, doesn't have this rage. They just can't openly express that rage.
[00:26:23] Speaker A: Yeah, they'll be killed.
[00:26:25] Speaker B: Correct.
And I think that the rage component was something also that I did intentionally as well, because I think there are different types of rage that are portrayed in fantasy books. And mine is not this open, very expressive. She's out there wielding swords and killing and, and doing all of that because it's not safe for her.
So her rage is, you can see it's in her internal thoughts. Sometimes it slips out. She talks about she has to wear this mask, right. She has to wear this, this Persona of what is expected out of her. But the flames of her rage will like lick the mask and then she has to push it back down because it's not safe for her to do that. And it's not necessarily.
If she were there by herself, she may be a little more open with that.
But she has a child.
And I think we, as mothers, we have to also consider how we express our rage and how that affects our children, especially in the moment and out there in the open. So I didn't want her to be this dagger wielding, rage filled woman who is gonna just light everybody on fire. The fire is in her and it was building and it's hard and it's there. But in that first book especially, she can't just be very open with it. And I think that's pretty accurate for how a lot of women feel. Even in, in this society and country, it's not always safe for women to, to express that so openly. And I think that doesn't get portrayed enough in book.
You know, female rage is, is often expressed as very open, very in your face, very you know, wielding swords and, you know, burning down the system.
And that's not reality.
So what I want, unfortunately, but what I wanted to show is like a mother's rage has to be calculated and it cannot be so open all the time. It's there, it's valid, but she has to work within a system that is not always safe for her. So to try to fight against things, she has to be far more calculated and witty and smart about it, because it's not just her that's involved with this.
[00:29:10] Speaker A: Yeah. I think, too, it was because women, as mothers, have to be careful because it can be weaponized against you to take your children.
[00:29:19] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:29:20] Speaker A: And that's terrifying. So that's why a lot of women have trouble leaving relationships. And, you know, that's what we talk about all the time. They have trouble getting away because they can be weaponized. Your children, sadly, can be weaponized against you.
[00:29:34] Speaker B: Absolutely.
Yep.
[00:29:36] Speaker A: So how did you come up with the, like, names? I'm just curious, because.
[00:29:42] Speaker B: Oh, well, Derek's name is an Irish name. I just happen to like it.
The Rory.
I wanted a name because it's Aurora. Right.
[00:29:54] Speaker A: That's.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: Her actual name is Aurora.
And I wanted a name that would be like, oh, it sounds very noble, very regal, because that was her upbringing. Right. But I wanted it in a way that she could pick a nickname that felt more her. And I thought, Rory feels so much like her, but she has Aurora, which she hates being called. Right. Because it's. It's very regal, noble sounding, and that's just not her. Her jam.
And so it was funny because I picked that name. I wrote my manuscript, and then I read.
I read the Wolf King, and I was like, oh, my God, that's the same name. Okay. Crap. And then I thought, okay, let me. Let me change it. But nothing felt right like that name. That name just felt right. And I didn't. I. I just couldn't find anything that felt like her.
So I was like, whatever, whatever. It's not like Aurora is, you know, patented and copyrighted. It's. It's a name. People are named that. It's just. I was like, oh, my God, yeah,
[00:31:08] Speaker A: Gilmore Girls, they have a Rory.
[00:31:09] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So I was like, whatever.
But, yeah, the. The names from anything.
[00:31:17] Speaker A: Or just, like, again, a name you really liked.
[00:31:19] Speaker B: I just. I just thought it sounded regal. And then the name Rory to go with it.
[00:31:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:26] Speaker B: It just felt like it meshed very well.
I. I don't know. I kind of pulled some of them out of my ass. Honestly.
Cora is just. I don't know. I thought it was a cute name.
[00:31:38] Speaker A: It is cute.
[00:31:39] Speaker B: There's.
[00:31:40] Speaker A: She's a cute kid.
[00:31:41] Speaker B: The way you describe her, she's a little sassy, she's funny. She rolls her eyes at her mom, which kids do.
She's a. She's a cute little thing. And.
And Gabriel. I wanted a biblical name.
[00:31:59] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. So I noticed that with him, as I was just like, huh, I see what you're doing there.
[00:32:06] Speaker B: An angel. Yes, yes, yes.
So, yeah, it was. So I.
I did that on purpose. I wanted a royal name that was biblical, and I just thought, well, that one sounds perfect.
Yeah, the. The. The rest of the names, I don't know, they just kind of come to me as I write. I think there was a couple that I like, was like, I had a name, and I was like, I didn't really love that, but they were like secondary characters. So I went back and switched it up. But the main characters, it was always. It was always Aurora and Rory, and then it was always Derek, and then it was always Gabriel and Korra. Those were always set.
[00:32:55] Speaker A: So, yeah, I. I liked them. I liked Derrick a lot because it's so unique.
[00:33:01] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:33:02] Speaker A: It's actually.
[00:33:03] Speaker B: It's an Irish name that actually is not very uncommon in Ireland. So.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: Yeah. But like, in a book, I just. I haven't read anything with that yet, and I thought. I thought it actually matches his character very well too, because of his situation within the book.
But, yeah, it's. I was just curious because I.
I always wonder that, like, when. When authors pick certain names.
[00:33:30] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:33:30] Speaker A: For certain characters, I'm always like, where did this. Like, it. Did it come from someone in your family or, you know, anything else? And you say you write from your personal experience. Did you pull anything else in from, like, any other experience, like your child's experiences or friends that you talk to or anything?
[00:33:47] Speaker B: The mother has is very narcissistic.
So I. You know, that is something that I experience, maybe not to the same level, but I'm familiar. And I think that is pretty familiar and common in our generation as well, is having a mother who you cut off, you don't want to be around.
You know, I have several friends that. They're like, oh, that mother is my mother.
And ARC readers were like, I've had ARC readers just message me randomly. It was like that mother hit home because that is my mother. And I think that is, like, we are seeing that more and more in the, you know, over 30 crowd. And.
And so I. I really wrote that from experience.
[00:34:41] Speaker A: The.
[00:34:42] Speaker B: The characters are all little pieces of me, and in my experience and just experiences for women in general, you know, I have so many women in my family and friends who have gone through the gamut, and so I have pulled from multiple.
Multiple sources, even, like, what is happening in society.
And that's just like There is a plethora of things to pull from in the world, sadly, but it's. It's reality. And I, you know, this is a fantasy. There is magic. There's, you know, things in there. That's not reality. But I did want to pull a lot from what real life is like and show that.
[00:35:35] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think that's one of the things, at least for me, that when men down, like, talk down about books like this that make me so much more angry is because they're like, well, it's exaggerating. That's not how society is. I'm like, literally, there's a movement right now that they're talking about taking away the 19th Amendment because if women can have postpartum depression or psychosis, then we shouldn't be able to vote.
[00:36:01] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:36:02] Speaker A: And I'm like.
[00:36:04] Speaker B: And then they're like, that'll never happen.
Okay. But it is like they're, you know, we didn't think, you know, Roe versus Way would be repealed, but it did. So, yeah, it, it is. It's a book that. It's going to piss people off.
There's. Any book can piss someone off. And I'm just not going to. I'm not going to try to walk on eggshells through my writing when people
[00:36:33] Speaker A: you're pissing off are the ones that need to be.
[00:36:36] Speaker B: Yeah, and there are. They were going to be pissed off regardless. They're. They wouldn't like me to begin with. Like, this book isn't for them. Right. This book is for women who need to understand they're not alone in this world, that this is something that's common, unfortunately, happening, and that they can see themselves in the characters and the society and, and then just, I guess, relate a mother, a woman.
And in all the moving parts, just like in this society, there's so much going on behind the scenes that we don't even know about. And much like in this book, there's a lot of things that you don't know what's happening yet and you'll see in subsequent books.
So. Yes.
[00:37:29] Speaker A: I'm so excited.
[00:37:30] Speaker B: I know there's a lot of cogs in the wheel, so there's. There's a lot of moving components. There's a lot of Easter eggs in this book where if you're looking, you start kind of seeing things a little bit more clearer in not all of it, but there are some things in there that if you're really paying attention, you're going to get some. You're going to understand what's about to happen.
[00:37:55] Speaker A: See, I love that. That's very Taylor Swift. I love Easter Easter eggs.
[00:38:00] Speaker B: Fairytale Express Coded.
[00:38:02] Speaker A: I love the Easter eggs.
So tell everybody. So when did, when where they can get your books? When it comes out.
[00:38:11] Speaker B: So it comes out September 12th. So a week and a day. So close. I'm so excited. Slightly frazzled.
You can order, you can pre order on Amazon on Kindle, Barnes and Noble, also my website. And I have to also say that like I, I far surpassed my pre order goal. I did not intend to have this many pre orders. So I don't have any more books in stock. But you can still pre order. You're just not gonna get. You can't pre order from my website without waiting a little bit because I have to order from my distributor and, and it takes a while for them to print the books and send them to me. So probably about October time frame. Anybody orders from my website from here on out is going to be October timeframe. But you still can if you don't care if you get a signed copy. You can do Barnes and Noble, you can do Amazon, that kind of thing.
Unfortunately, I have to utilize Amazon.
[00:39:17] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. Well, sadly I don't love it, but
[00:39:20] Speaker B: it's part of the thing.
[00:39:22] Speaker A: Yeah, it is. And there's nothing that sadly authors, you guys can do about it. Like you have no choice at this point.
[00:39:27] Speaker B: It's one of those things. It's like a necessary evil at this point. So maybe in the future. But right now I kind of have to utilize Bezos.
[00:39:36] Speaker A: Yeah, I know, I know. And as an avid reader, I always try not to order through Amazon because I'm like, no, I will not give. But I have to order everything else through Amazon. But when it comes to books, I try to do like indie bookstores and all that as much as possible.
And I know you're currently working with some indie bookstores to get.
[00:39:56] Speaker B: I do. I have like nine or ten indie bookstores that are going to carry my book and they're fantastic. And I would rather my books go into indie bookstores than that. And if you want my book in your bookstore, you just go to your local bookstore, your indie bookstore and be like, hey, I would really like this book to be in, in the store. A lot of times they just order it from, from Ingram and have it in stock. Sometimes they reach out, sometimes they just order it.
But yeah, that's. It's coming up. It's close.
I'm. I'm slightly like.
But it's been amazing. And the women that have read the book so far, have been incredible and so thoughtful and kind and supportive and hyping me and I'm just in awe at the community, really.
[00:40:54] Speaker A: Well, it's. I'm telling you, it's worthy of all of it, so. And thank you for letting me be one of those arc readers. I absolutely devoured it and I'm so ready for book two. So I'll have to be patient.
[00:41:05] Speaker B: But until it's halfway written. It's halfway written.
[00:41:09] Speaker A: But until then, we'll just keep, you know, spreading the word of the book and get it out there for you.
[00:41:15] Speaker B: The good word.
[00:41:16] Speaker A: The good word. This is the word. This is the good word. This is the good word.
And it is. It's a great, great book. And like you said, I think that a lot of our listeners will relate to it. I think it will help them feel not alone. And the fantasy part of it is what makes it so cozy.
[00:41:35] Speaker B: Yeah, it's like this dark whimsy, right? There's this like dark forest and fog and. But there's like this whimsy element to it where it's.
They have like cinnamon buns and like. But there's also fighting bad things. And there's a romance and that is a slow burn romance. And he is yummy. And it makes you yearn. We love yearns. Hard. There's a lot of yearning, a lot of like, kicking your feet, like, oh, my God.
And so that there is this like whimsical element to it.
But then it's like, oh, by the way, here's this dark thing about to happen.
Take that away from you.
[00:42:27] Speaker A: But that's what makes it relatable.
[00:42:29] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:42:29] Speaker A: Well, thank you, Leah, so much for coming on and talking about your book again. It's called Eli. So pretty and poisonous. You can get it starting September 12th.
[00:42:40] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
[00:42:41] Speaker A: Highly recommend.
Definitely. As a female, everybody needs to read this book, so. But thanks for coming.
[00:42:48] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:42:51] Speaker A: This episode is proudly brought to you by the law firm Ryan and Rouse. If you or a loved one have been injured or need legal help for changing family circumstances, contact the personal injury and family law attorneys at Ryan and rouse today at 256-801-1000 or visit them online at www.alabamalaw.com. when your future is on the line, don't go at it alone.
