Latest / Besties Do Verticals / Episode 26 - Interview with L.L. Mason
Transcript
- Aleta: Hello and welcome to Besties Do Verticals with your besties, Alita and Lucy. And today we have a special guest. Hi, I'm Alita. Lucy: And I'm Lucy. Leah M: And I'm Leah Lucy: As you know, the aim of our podcast is to promote and support queer verticals, actors, and all the other creatives that go into producing the projects we love. We are so thrilled to have our ninth interview guest with us today, first time author Leah Mason. Aleta: Besties, today we Leah M: Yeah. Aleta: continue our celebration of all things straight until he kissed me with a very special guest. She's a fan, she's a friend, and she's the author of Toying with Magic, which was inspired by Straight Until He Kissed Me. Leah, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself? Leah M: I am a native Oregonian. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: I am a museum professional. I've worked in museums for twelve years. I've done a lot of different things. museums are are something I fell into and really enjoy and I'm married. I do not have kids, but I a house full of people and cats. Aleta: Mm. Lucy: I love it. All right. Well, Leah, something we do with our guests and we are hoping you might be interested in doing with us is an icebreaker. We like to do would you rather? And yes, you have not heard of these questions, so it'll be a surprise. But are you up for it? Leah M: Hmm. Yes. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: Here we go. Okay, we'll all play. Leah, would you rather travel back to solve a famous historical mystery or travel forward to see how humanity ends? Leah M: I am very fascinated with the Jack the Ripper. Have always I I will read anything that comes across my desk from about Jack the Ripper and I would love to go back to eighteen eighty eight Whitehall and see i just see and experience that, although I know I would not enjoy it. it would be it would be really Whitehall was not Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: the place to be. but I I think if I had a choice I would go back. I'm a little afraid, honestly, of where we're going in the future. I'm I'm hoping it looks a little Star Treky, but that's the trekky in me. So Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: Totally fair. What about you, Alita? Aleta: Yeah, same. I'll again, I don't think I would like it there, but I would like to solve the mystery of the princes in the tower and whether Richard Leah M: Mm-hmm. Aleta: III really killed them or not, or had them done away with. So that Leah M: Mm-hmm. Aleta: is mine. Lucy: man. I don't know what I'd want to do. I I mean, I guess maybe travel forward to see how humanity ends. The mystery that I was always interested in is and I feel like, you know, we can all we probably all have an idea of what happened. And I'm probably gonna butcher the word. But Croatin, right? Did I say it right? So Leah M: yeah. Mm-hmm. Lucy: it's Yeah, okay, I did say it right. Okay. So, Alita, it's American history, but it was Aleta: Okay. Lucy: a it was a colony that had come over Leah M: Mm. Lucy: from obviously England to settle. And Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: the and I was just, you know, I used to homeschool my kids, so we talked a lot about this and it was really always been interesting to me, even when I was a kid. But the whole town disappeared, like the whole little colon colony. It's like Aleta: Mm. Lucy: nobody knows what happened to them. My opinion is they were taken away by Native Americans for whatever nonsense, you know what I mean? The nonsense going on at that time, but there was still no trace and Aleta: Hm. Lucy: you know it's like a big thing, but everyone talks about it and I think it's an episode in Supernatural too. But yeah, it's kinda cool. But did I say that right, Leah? Leah M: there's some new information. Yeah. Yeah. The there's some new information actually that they that Lucy: Really? Tell me. Leah M: is coming out. I haven't looked at it really closely yet. but there is some new information that they think and they think that your theory is is what happened is is they actually integrated with one of the local tribes and and just assimilated with the tribe and That was why they disappeared. Lucy: okay. Aleta: Assimilation is better than being wiped out, but I don't know, lots of Lucy: Yeah. But it was just such a Aleta: people s might feel like lots of people might feel that colonizers deserve to be wiped out, so Lucy: Right. Very complicated Leah M: There you go. Lucy: discussion, but that is Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: cool. That is cool to know. Okay. I love it. Look, see, we're digging into history here. This is this is Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: already gonna be different than what we've we've Leah M: Ha Lucy: done before. All right. Leah, would you rather sneeze glitter or cry rainbow tears? Leah M: well. Probably sneeze glitter. I I I don't know why those two are weird choices, but lately I I been crying a lot and so I think sneezing glitter would probably happen less. I don't know. Lucy: Ha ha ha. You Alita? Aleta: Cry rainbow tears because glitter is impossible to get rid of. And Leah M: Ha ha Lucy: So true. So true. Aleta: I have allergies, so there's a lot of sneezing sometimes. Spring would be just a nightmare. Leah M: Right? Lucy: You know what? I wanna Leah M: Exactly. Lucy: cry rainbo rainbow tears because I would just look beautiful when I cry. You know? Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: Like it would just look gorgeous every time, Leah M: There is that, yes. Lucy: but I would be in pain, but I'd be like, it looks so pretty. Aleta: Ha ha ha ha. Lucy: That's right, that's right. Okay. Leah, would you rather live under the sea or in space? Leah M: Under the sea, I think Aleta: Mm. Leah M: there's so much Lucy: Ooh. Leah M: under there to explore. It is a a great universe that we have not even hardly touched. And I think that it would be fascinating to be under there and and see that. And I you know, our favorite guy showed us a lot of fun sea stuff recently, so I think I think it would be fun to do some exploration of that. Lucy: Okay. Alita, what about you? Aleta: Probably space, assuming that it's like a I don't know, one of the good futuristic expercomes. But yeah. There's a lot of scary stuff under the sea. I don't know. I'm not I think I think space would be interesting, but Lucy: Got the damn song in my head. Under the sea. Da da da. Under Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: the sea. Down where it's wetter. Yes it is better. Take it from me. See what Aleta: Mm. Lucy: happens when we have a friend on. It's like way too comfortable. okay, so anyway. For me, I think I'd be in s I want to be in space too, probably. I don't know. I like change my opinion the older I get. And I'm very claustrophobic and it just sounds claustrophobic Aleta: Hm. Lucy: to me, but you're right. There's so much that's undiscovered and it'd be very interesting to learn, that's for sure. All right, Leah, would you rather be eleven feet tall or nine inches tall? Leah M: How do you choose that? Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: Probably probably eleven feet tall. I think as somebody who is under five five being able to have access to places reach would be kinda neat. Mm. Lucy: Okay. Yeah, no that's good. What about you, Alina? Aleta: I don't know, you wouldn't fit in your house. My ceilings are only Lucy: Possibly. Aleta: eight feet high. yeah, I don't know. I guess it's a lot more dangerous to be only nine inches tall tall. But when I was a kid I was always I loved the book the borrowers and how they lived in the house and y used all the all the human people's things. I don't know. Lucy: Ha ha ha. Aleta: I can't imagine being tall. I've you know, I'm five three, so Lucy: So you're gonna be nine inches? Aleta: I guess. I don't know. It's i there I don't think there's a good answer to that one. Lucy: That's what he said. Ta Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: was my drums. Anyway. Now you got it. Okay, thank you. I was like, shit, that was a really bad jump. Nobody got it. Aleta: Ha Lucy: my god. Okay. Yeah, I think I want to be eleven feet tall. I am also short. And I do have tall ceilings where I live, so I just have to I would hate to duck. Through doors, but yeah, it'd be nice to Aleta: Mm. Lucy: tower over people. Okay, last one. This one will be interesting. Would you rather live in a barnyard of animals? wait, hold on, hold on. I'm s I'm silly, no it is correct. Would you rather live in a barnyard of animals in your house, so these barnyard animals are in your house, or live in the barn with the animals? Leah M: a goat when I was a kid we had a goat that thought he was a dog and he would come in the house like a dog. and we had chickens and we had all kinds of stuff. And so I I would probably want to live I I would be fine with the animals coming in the house. I I would rather do that than the barn. The barn is drafty and and yeah. Lucy: Okay. What about you, Alita? Aleta: I mean either way I'm dying of allergies, so there really there's no there's no option Lucy: Fair. Aleta: where I can actually breathe. So Lucy: shit. Aleta: I I don't have a an answer for that one because I would Lucy: snap. Aleta: just be dead. Lucy: god. mine is, yeah, probably in my house, but it would still be hard. I'm such a princess, you know what I mean? Like I don't like to rough it anymore. I was okay with it as a kid, but as an adult, I'm like, no. And I do love animals. It would just depend, Aleta: Hm. Lucy: I guess. Okay, well, we Aleta: Right. Lucy: got ourselves We stumped Leah, so we appreciate you playing that with us. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: And we are gonna jump into the questions, besties. So let's learn a little bit about Leah Mason. Leah, we have so many questions for you. But before we get into the book, what got you into the fandom in the first place? Leah M: So I am one of those who of course watched he did robbery. and of the algorithm, social media algorithm started showing me commercials, the ads for the verticals. I had not I don't think I'd ever seen them before. If I did I hadn't been paying attention. And so some of the verticals started coming up and one of them was straight until you kissed me. And it finally got my attention enough that I I checked it out. and Succum was one of the first ones I watched and I got addicted really quickly. it there were Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: days I watched three times. I and you know, then of course you get sucked into other ones and I always went back to succumb. So Lucy: We totally understand that. And you know what? Why don't you tell the story? How did we meet you? Leah M: I started exploring, I started following Greg and Evan and accidentally hit subscribe. I didn't know what that was. I've never done that before. I didn't know what it was and so I accidentally hit it and I was like, what is this? And I I pushed the button and then it was like, you get you you get to come into this chat. I'm like, okay, that's interesting. And so I started following along and I don't remember which one I was in first, if I was at Greg's or Evan's, but I probably ghosted for a little while. I probably just watched for a little while and kind of got sucked in to probably Rachel probably pulled me in, to be completely honest. but then you know, we Aleta: Ha ha. Leah M: started talking about Greg and Evan and And it was I kind of said, Hey, you know, I've got I've I've got the story that's running around in my head and that was I started writing in February and I think I I hit the subscribe button in March. Sometime in March. so yeah, it was it was I I've been I've been a twenty four seven since. Aleta: Ha ha ha ha. Lucy: You're not the only one. Leah M: Right. Lucy: Brilliant. Okay. I it's yeah. All right, Leah. Now one that we always ask, what made you want to become a writer? Leah M: I have always written h for as long as I can remember, I you know wrote short stories, I wrote poetry, really bad poetry when I was a kid. I started writing this big long epic fantasy in high school and then wrote some more bad poetry along the way and I've written some other short stories. I wrote one in college that I really, really love. It's called Sweet Sympathy. and it's an allegory. I I actually have two shorts that are allegories. And then I've always been one of those people that have walked into a bookstore and been like, someday my book's gonna be on the shelf. I'm one of you know, the the millions of people who want to write the great American novel and now fortunately I'm one of the one percent that actually actually finished one and published it. Lucy: Yes, you did. Dang it. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: It's beautiful. Aleta: What is your writing routine? Leah M: So I have a full time job. And, you know, of course, like I said, I'm married and I have a house and I have other obligations. So my routine has been to sneak riding in wherever I can. which means my housework gets ignored, the laundry sits in the dryer a long time. the garden looks really bad this year. but Aleta: Mm. Lucy: Ha ha. Leah M: I'm I I'm also one of those that really dumps really fast. You know there's there's people who take years to write a book and this one literally was written in four months. And on top of that I'm writing the other two in between working on this one. And so I I just kinda one of those people where it just kinda comes out all at once and then I get to go back and edit and and do the harder parts that take longer, honestly, than the actual writing for me. But it it also involves lots of MMs. There are lots of MMs. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: Mm Well why Yeah. Aleta: Fueled by MMs. Leah M: Yes. Yes, totally. Lucy: You just do Ms while you write, it fuels you? Leah M: Yes. Lucy: Huh. Okay. Very cool. Aleta: My husband got through writing his PhD thesis with like those giant tubs of gummy candies on his desk 'cause he doesn't drink coffee or anything. He just kept kept eating the candy. Another book question, what n do you have particular methods that you use for character creation and development? Aside from being inspired by Leah M: Not necessarily right, I'm inspired by not necessarily I I the characters come to me almost fully developed. they tell me I'm just a stenographer honestly. I see scenes in my head, Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: it's almost like a movie in my head and I have to write it down. And so I kinda learn along with the story. I'm I'm learning the story as I'm writing it. this this experience has been really interesting because there are so many there's so many things happening. I've had to do more note taking and more l planning than I normally would in anything else I've ever worked on before. But it's been really interesting to to take what I've learned through my nonprofit world and and and work that into how to f so Toy with magic it really is it centers around this event that's ha that's taking place. And so having to plan that out, it was like, okay, these things happen in this timeline. And when you write grants, you have to do that. You have to do timelines. You have to plan the future, you have to plan the you know what's gonna happen. And so I really figured out that all of my nonprofit experience for the last twenty years has really helped me with with my writing. And that was that was an interesting epiphany in the middle of all of this. Aleta: Mm. Lucy: That's really cool. Ooh. That makes sense. How do you maintain a flow of creativity day day? Leah M: That has been more of a struggle recently because of everything that's going on in my life. I changed jobs and lots of other things happening. But again, I kind of I don't I don't know how to explain it other than that it just sort of comes to me and it is I have lots of creative pursuits that I do. I I I also crochet and I've done lots of other art projects and I also like to bake and I like to garden and and so there's a lot of creativity in my life and sometimes going and doing something else creative can can give my brain a break from the books and allow the characters to kinda talk to me in the background. And then it's like, okay, that's where I'm going with that. Lucy: Love it. Aleta: Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration for the book? Leah M: So of course it's succumb. but it it isn't just succumb. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: It you know, it it is, you know, tutoring my rival boy, well, yeah, and and Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: Callboy and some of the other even some of the straight ones, in that there's always this really rich person and this not so rich person and they come together and and there's a lot of things happening and So one little tidbit of trivia is that there are actually more museums than there are McDonald's. And it has always surprised me how little museums are represented in our pop culture. And so I got to thinking about what would happen if something like succumb happened in a museum and what would that look like. And so I that kind of stirred the pot a little bit with that. And and then of course, you know, I love antiques, I love vintage stuff and and antique stuff and history and There's always so much interesting happening and I love bits of trivia, obviously. And so being able to kind of put that into a story like this was so much fun. Kind kinda taking all of the things that I love and and shoving it into Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: one little one little paper thing like that. Was interesting. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Lucy: Ha ha ha. I can't believe I I'm shocked. So there's mu more museums than McDonald's? Leah M: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Lucy: Wow That shocks me Aleta: Yeah. Lucy: That shocks me. I guess I'm out of the loop on museums. Leah M: Ha ha. Lucy: It's amazing. Aleta: Trying to think we've got a few little ones around, but one of them's just been closed. but we definitely have more and we're like considered to be sort of a historical Anglophile part of Canada, but we d we definitely have more McDonald's than museums, unfortunately. But the ones we have Lucy: I wouldn't Aleta: are really good. Leah M: In yeah, and you know, the thing about Lucy: Yeah. Wow. That's amazing. Leah M: museums is they tend to be exist in in places that people don't quite expect sometimes. So zoos are considered a type of museum and aquariums are considered a type of museum. And there are Lucy: Wow. Leah M: so you kind of have to expand your your definition of what a museum is. the and so that kind of changes the it a little bit. and then sometimes there are museums that are just in somebody's private collection that they they sort of it's sort of a a a type of of museum. there's a woman here in in Oregon that has a hat n the National Hat Museum and it's just in her home. And she talks about hats Lucy: Wow. Leah M: and the history of hats and And you know, she loans them out to movie people and and things like that. But it you know, there's there's there's museums all over and and a lot of most people don't even recognise that are there. Lucy: Learning so many fun facts. This is cool. I love it. Aleta: love museums. I I'm planning on going to an exhibit. Our local museum has another Egyptian exhibit, so Leah M: Mm. Aleta: traveling exhibit. I l I love Egyptian Egyptology. Leah M: Mm. I went to see Aleta: What similarities do the characters oop sorry. Leah M: Yeah. Aleta: No, go ahead. Lucy: Go ahead. ahead. Go ahead. Leah M: I I went to see a few years ago I went to see the Tutankhamun exhibit at a a museum in Portland and it was amazing. Aleta: Hm. Yeah. Lucy: Very cool. Aleta: So Leah, what similarities do your characters actually have to Miles and Hunter, other than their looks? Leah M: So Hunter is Hunter he he just a little bit more filled out. The thing that frustrated me, speaking of character development with with Hunter, with the book, the thing that frustrated me with Succum was you didn't have any of Hunter's backstory. You didn't have, you know, where were her where was his parents? Where, you know, where did he come from? Did he just magically appear one day as this this Aleta: Mm. Leah M: millionaire? And and so I sort of took that and went, okay, what would Hunter look like? What what is his backstory? Why is he so closed off? Why is he so, you know, this this kind of person that he is that he comes off as. And so I ran with that a little bit. and then Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: Miles and and Micah are very similar in that it's it's this sort of slightly shyer, very intellectual type person who who really just is very passionate about what they do. You know, in in Miles' case it's it's about being a doctor and you know very driven about wanting to be a doctor. And in Micah's case it's his, you know, his historian and research and and history and so they're very similar in that kind of aspect. But you know, they weren't meant to be replicas per se. You know, I wasn't trying to steal from suckham per se. It was more Aleta: No no. Leah M: of it was more of a okay, so you know, let's plop them in this different universe and and and fill them out a bit and and figure out who they could be in this different life. Aleta: I think most of Lucy: Absolutely. Aleta: us have done that with Succum, like I mean I have a whole backstory written in my head for for Miles and Hunter that I was really hoping we'd get to see more of in a in a season two, but we never did. Lucy: Okay, without giving too much away, can you tell us a little bit about the story of Toying with Magic? Leah M: Micah is a historian. He his specialty is toys, in particular the how they interact with the youth you know, the how how youth's lives changed. and and so he kind of he has a particular time period right around the late early eighteen hundreds. into the nineteen hundreds that he kind of sp specializes in. And Hunter is the executive director and he is kind of this aloof kind of executive and he he came in and to sort of save the museum because it was about to close. a lot of museums right after the pandemic really struggled financially and that that's kind of the case of of the village museum is it was struggling and he kinda came in and saved it. And so you're kinda catching them at this moment where Mike is starting this this his first job after grad school and Hunter's been at the museum a couple of years and and so they they c they they literally collide. and Then you you bring in this artifact and there's there's chaos that happens with the artifact. and of course there's a happily ever after, so that's Lucy: Mm-hmm. Leah M: what happens. Aleta: Mm-hmm. We love a happily ever after. Lucy: That's right, yes we do. Leah M: Of course. Aleta: So Leah, you I mean you I think you still are working in a different museum, aren't you? But at the time Leah M: Mm-hmm. Aleta: that you wrote the novel you were working in a museum, did the collection of that museum, the Shelton McMurphy Johnson House, play into the inspiration for the mystery, like in terms of the toys? Or not. Leah M: w SMJ does have a lot of dolls. Has a lot of has a lot of toys and dolls. Aleta: Hm. Leah M: the girls' room actually I think I've never actually counted how many dolls there are in the girls' room. There's close to fifteen, I think, right now. And so dolls are always a a big part of of the the story. the some my summer camp kids call the g girls' room the the creepy doll room. And we two we have two very large doll houses in Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: the house. And so that plays a big part of it. But no it's interesting because when I first started writing it I I did a little bit very early on sort of imagine it in a house museum. But the way the story c evolved, it didn't it didn't fit into a house museum. It fit more into a what we think of as a traditional community museum, sort of a history museum slash art museum, slash, you know, kind of a little bit of everything, which is very common in in in a in a smaller suburb, smaller community, which is what River Village is supposed to be. It's a it's takes place in a in a suburb of Chicago. which is about an hour hour ninety minutes outside of downtown Chicago. So it's not like downtown, but it's not out in the sticks. but it's it's sort of that that catch all place that that history kinda those little history museums t tend to take. And that that was what it kind of evolved from. As far as as you know, the inst the collection at SMJ, not necessarily the collection, but a lot of a lot of the work, the collection work that that Micah talks about and some of those conversations, like the conversation that Hunter has with Mrs. Williams about we can't just take anything. I I have had that conversation so many times. I'm so sorry. We Aleta: Mm. Leah M: cannot take your aunt great aunts, blah, blah, blah, because we just Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: don't have room for everything. And so a lot of that experience Lucy: Ha ha Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: that I've had really does play into into that. and you know, the the the demands that people make on the museum, the expectations that people make on the museum, those are are it's more about my experience than the collection itself. Lucy: Okay. Wow, that's so cool. Aleta: Makes sense. Lucy: Toying with Magic is the first book in a series. So how many books will be in the series and what can we expect to see in the rest of the stories? Leah M: So right now there are two, Banking on Magic and Magic on the Green. I was working on Banking on the Magic today today. Banking on Magic is Micah's sister. It's her story. And it takes place in a bank because Lucy Aleta: okay. Leah M: is a works at a bank, just down the street, actually from from Village Museum. And then this the third book is a character that you actually meet in book two. it's Lucy's ex-boyfriend and his love interest is actually named in Twing very, very briefly in a conversation. And so that that story takes place then with with them and it it I've I've toyed around with the idea of going back and telling Victoria's story. which is Hunter's fake fiance. but Aleta: Mm. Leah M: I'm not I it I would have to tell I would have to tell Hunter and Ben's story at the same time. And I don't sure I wanna do that. So yeah, I I'm still toying around with that idea. But I You never do. Lucy: Okay. So book two is a lesbian storyline. Leah M: Mm-hmm. Lucy: And then book three is another gay storyline, correct? Boy love. Leah M: Yes. Yes. Lucy: Okay. Very cool. Aleta: When you get a chance, if you ever have any time, to read for pleasure, what Leah M: Okay. Aleta: is your favorite genre? Leah M: I will read just about anything. Yes, Aleta: You can see that I love reading. Leah M: yes. Yeah. my books are sort of hidden around here. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: I will read just about anything. I have all I everything from biographies to fantasy to sci fi to you name it. I I the just about the only thing I won't read is a Western. And I don't like country music either. So, you know, that kind of goes together. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: Ha ha ha ha. Leah M: I go through phases. I will pick up just about anything that has a dragon in it. So you put a dragon book in front of me. you know, talking cats. Aleta: Mm. Leah M: I will I love talking cat books. Lucy: Ha ha. Leah M: Some of my favorite books are have talking cats in them. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: talking dragons. But yeah, I you know, I I I go through weird little phases of of what I'm interested in. And you know, I went through in in junior high I went through a phase where all I read was Nancy Drew until I ran out of Nancy Drew. And then I was like, okay, you know, and then I read every horse book that I ever wanted you know, could ever find and you know, Nancy Lucy: Ha ha ha. Aleta: I love Nancy Drew. Leah M: Drew is amazing. so you know, it it's just kind of one of those things where it depends on what Aleta: Yeah. Leah M: mood I'm in, it depends on what I'm going through in my life. Like, you know, it's just stuff. So yeah, but I usually have a book handy somewhere, either by audio or on my nightstand or I've done a lot of reading for work. I've had a couple book clubs through work. and so I've done a lot of of that too. And that's always really interesting. to you can you can see what exhibit I've worked on. When you look at my Goodreads or my my, you know, interests, book interest you can see it was like, I was working on that exhibit. So Lucy: So if you love dragons, did you read the fourth wing? Leah M: I have not yet. it got it blew up really hardcore when I started Toying with Magic. The one thing about this experience has been that I I am one of those people that does not start finish books. I can count probably on one hand how many books I have not finished in my life. I'm just one of those people that loves to finish them, no matter how much I can't stand them. Aleta: Even if they're terrible? Leah M: But recently no Lucy: Wow. Leah M: it it I I so recently I've been struggling with reading because my characters are taking so much of my attention and I've been feeling really bad because I've not finished three Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: books recently. And the books were great. They just were not what my brain wanted and that's been really, really hard. So I have not started Fourth wing because I have not wanted to struggle. I wanna enjoy it. Lucy: Yeah. Well, when you do get time, jump into that one and then I always recommend this on the podcast, but Zodiac Academy has dragons. It's just very long and arduous. Alita's laughing because Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: the minute we started the podcast, we stopped reading. I am listening to it in increments though. I'm gonna make my way, damn it. Aleta: I have like forty-three forty-two or forty-three books on my TBR at the moment. And I just Lucy: So many. Aleta: never get to any of them. We did. Lucy: We made ourselves busy. It is what it is. All Leah M: Yeah, I my Lucy: right. Leah M: my my TBR on Goodreads is insane. Lucy: what Aleta: I I mean I'm talking books that I have here that I haven't gotten to. Yeah, it's terrible. I'm dying to read this that Andrew recommended, Hamnet. It's been sitting on my desk ever since my birthday when I bought it. Has not been cracked. Leah M: I've been seeing that one a lot, recommended, and I've not gotten I have not Lucy: It's hard. It's hard. Leah M: gotten to that one either. Aleta: Mm. Lucy: We gotta stop making ourselves so busy, ladies. I guess that's that's Leah M: Right. Lucy: what we need to do. Alrighty. Right. in the book, Micah is a fan of Greg Duffy's music. I think it's fair to say that for a lot of succum fans, Greg's music has monopolized our playlist since we discovered it. More than friends seems to be Micah's favorite song. What is yours, Leah? Leah M: My favorite song is I'm done making excuses for you. It came out actually while I was writing, Toying with Magic. And it it isn't what this the song h what he is saying, you know, he's he's talking about a a relationship. for me it represents not I'm done making excuses for myself. I'm I'm done Giving myself not letting myself move forward with what I want with my life. And it it has been really emotional for me to to experience this this dream that coming true, this bucket list thing, this, you know, whatever this is. And that song coming out right as I was making the decision to to go forward with this project, r it and treat it as an actual project going forward instead of just another a story that I started writing and left on a computer. it it really means a lot to me. so when he put out the merch I I the first thing I did was was buy the t shirt because and the sticker is on Aleta: Mm. Leah M: my computer that I look at every day while I'm writing because I I needed that reminder. And I wore this shirt so much that it's faded. The the you can barely see Greg's Aleta: No. Leah M: name now. because I've washed it so much. 'Cause I Aleta: No Leah M: wash I wore it so much while I was writing because it was Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: it made such an impact on me while I was while I was working on this project. Lucy: Yeah. Wow. my goodness. We're gonna have to get another one. So Leah M: Right. Yeah. Lucy: where can people buy your book? Leah M: so all the usual places. it's on Amazon. It's on Bookstop. I would prefer it if people went through Bookshop if you're gonna buy the the Kindle version. just because you know the big A is is who they are. so if you e you do ebooks, then I would prefer it if you went through Bookshop. you can go to my website and and I have the link to the bookshop. I have the ability you have the ability to buy a signed copy from me. And Yeah. So and then pretty you know, pretty soon hopefully it'll be in other places. Lucy: Love to hear it. Aleta: Awesome. Well, we talked about this a little bit, I guess. we wanted to talk about Straight Until He Kiss Me since we are celebrating the anniversary soon. you f said you first got drawn into the into the second web fairly recently, hey? I mean, by comparison. Leah M: Mm-hmm. Aleta: Yeah. Leah M: Mm-hmm. Lucy: That means the ads were still rolling around. That's cool. Leah M: Yes. Yeah, it was January. Aleta: Yeah. The ads are still going around. Wow. Leah M: Yeah. Yeah. Lucy: It's impressive. Aleta: They really put a lot of budget into that and then Never did anything more. Lucy: Stuff. Yep. And then stuff we won't say. Aleta: Yeah. So, ladies, what's your favorite scene in Straight Until He Kissed Me? Lucy: yeah, Leia, tell us. Leah M: I don't know that I can pick one scene, but I love how Miles always is putting himself in front of Hunter. He, you know, he's like, you know, leave Hunter out of this, you know, or you know, don't hurt him, or, you know, Hunter run. You know, kind of that that I'm gonna I'm gonna stand in front of this guy and you know, and then Hunter kind of shoves. But, you know, I love that kind of I'm Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the one in front. and you know, very ambitious about that and I I love that that kind of I live that about miles a lot. Aleta: They really are both trying to protect the other. Lucy: Yeah Leah M: Mm-hmm. Lucy: that's so true. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: What about you, Alita? Aleta: Probably the when Miles climbs up on the desk. Leah M: Mm, yes. Lucy: yes. Aleta: I I love that scene and I know it's just a sound effect, it's not actually, but there's like a look that Hunter gives and there's like a little Leah M: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Aleta: lion Lucy: Knew it's coming. Aleta: roar sound effect. I love that. What? Lucy: And no, it's fucking coming. Leah M: Mm-hmm. Lucy: The stories I can tell besties that I won't, but Aleta: You cannot tell any stories. Lucy: I can tell I we I could, but I'm not going to. But I'm just saying Aleta: You cannot tell any stories. Lucy: that there is some joy with growling. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: I'll just leave it at that. We'll just we'll just go there. I actually have several favorite scenes. I'm only gonna mention one here. I don't know why, but I enjoy it when I edit too. It's I so Evan is such a a physical comedic actor, and he's to me he's one of the best I've ever seen. And there's the scene where his ex girlfriend comes out. and of course, like I can't I I Not remembering the character's name, but remember Andrew's name who plays him. And you know, she shoves him or he sh shoves Aleta: Is it Josh? Lucy: it's probably Josh. Yeah, that sounds about right. Josh. But I remember I follow Andrew, the actor, and so I know him. Aleta: Mm. Yeah, yeah. Lucy: I I love him. And anyway, yeah, I haven't watched Suckham in a while because Stable Boy took that over. So I rewatched Stable Boy a lot. Leah M: Ha ha ha. Lucy: But yeah, so they shove Miles. And Hunter catches him and then when they're Leah M: Mm-hmm. Lucy: kind of bantering back and forth, Miles I think he has his shirt and he's like, have at it, you know what mean? And it's so fun Leah M: The handkerchief. Lucy: to use in edits because his eyes just bug out and he just yeah, he just is perfect Aleta: Yeah. Lucy: little anyway, so I've got other favorite scenes, but that one, it's just a joy. Leah M: I wanna ask Greg if he was gonna break in that scene. 'Cause there's a point where he when when Miles says he says, Are you gonna are you asking to get are you asking to die? And Miles says no, yes, no. And and Greg kinda looks down like and it was like he was You know, it was like, Are you gonna break? Is that what's happening right there? I just I love that kind of I love that Aleta: Mm. Leah M: that look on his face. Lucy: I you know, he he said to us, and I think it was in his podcast, he had said that it was hard through Succum because Evan improved so much that like he didn't Leah M: Mm-hmm. Lucy: know it was coming and so many of his reactions were so natural. I thought that was brilliant. It's I want them together again so damn bad because they're Leah M: Yeah. Lucy: just they're magic. And as I was Reading your book, it just brought back all the fuzzy memories and and reasons for why I love Straight Until He Kissed Me so much. And Straight Until He Kissed Me would not have been what it was without Greg and Evan. Period. Leah M: Right. Lucy: Just end of frickin' story. Like when I think about it, like if anyone else had been in one of those roles, it would not have worked. And I'm a very visual person when I read. And so of course I was completely putting Hunter and Miles like visually in that. And Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: it just it was like almost like rewatching the vertical, right? And so Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: I'm just sitting here like getting emotional because I'm so attached to those characters. And it was beautiful. And yeah, I just it just would not have been the same whatsoever. But speaking of favourite Leah M: No, I Lucy: parts, we talked about straight until he kissed me. No, go ahead. Go ahead. Leah M: I whenever anybody asks me, you know, would Lucy: I think it's a late. Leah M: you ever want the book made into a movie? And I said only if I always say if only if Greg and and Evan could could be Miles and Hunt Micah and Hunter because I don't see it any other way. There is the it couldn't exist otherwise. Aleta: Mm. Lucy: Right? They're perfect. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: So we talked about our favorite scenes in Straight Until He Kissed Me, but we wanted to get a little cute and talk about some of our favorite parts of toying with magic. I personally think we should read some of our favorite parts. That's my opinion. I have one picked out and I'm going to read it. I don't know about Alita, but I was going to ask. Leah, if up to you if you wanted to kick us off, or if you just want us to tell you or read to you what our favorite parts are. Up to you. Or you can just tell us what your favorite part is. Leah M: have a scene my my favorite part is I I have so many, honestly. I I love the interactions between Micah and his sister Lucy. and so quite often the one my go to is is the karaoke scene and where he comes in and he wants to she wants him to to Aleta: Ha ha ha ha. Leah M: choose a karaoke song and the that dynamic between the two of them. it was so much fun to write. it reminds me of my brother and I a lot. I'm the older sister and and so you know I that's that's actually the one I did at my book launch. that's the one I re read at that one. but I would love to hear what your guys' favorite is. Lucy: Okay. Do you want me to go first, Alita? Yes. Aleta: Yeah, sure. Lucy: Okay. Here's my copy. Toying with magic. I did I did dog dog ear one page here. I did one. Only one. I Leah M: You're allowed. Lucy: know. Defiling here. Okay, so I don't know how long this'll be, but I'm I'm allowed. Like it's my personal copy. Okay. Mm mm mm mm mm. This is my favorite scene. I'll just I won't even tell you what it is. You'll Listeners will just have to guess. Hunter watched the younger man move around the space, his movements self assured. It was nice to see him in his element. So often he was shy and a bit clumsy. Here he moved with a confidence that did something to Hunter's heart rate. Womp womp womp. He shuffled his feet, searching for a reason to linger. How's your head? Micah self consciously rubbed the top of his head. The look on Hunter's face as they had crouched on the floor, faces only inches apart, flashed in Micah's mind and morphed into some of the very graphic fantasies he'd been having ever since. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: He tried to ignore the creeping blush making its way up his neck. Fine. It's all good. Thanks for asking. He stood in front of the filing cabinet, staring at the open drawer as if he forgot why he was there. Micah. Micah froze. Hunter's voice was a whisper in his ear. He hadn't heard the taller man move across the room. Micah's heart was beating a million miles an hour. A hand came around and slowly pushed the drawer shut. Another hand moved around his waist, lightly brushing the front of his shirt before settling on his stomach, causing sparks like lightning throughout his body. I'm very visual, so I'm seeing this. Hunter wasn't sure what was happening to his self control. It was like Micah was a magnet pulling him in. He could see the blush that was adding color to Micah's face and wondered if it was because Micah was having the same thoughts he was having. The song's lyrics bounced around in his head. I want to be more than friends. He stuck his nose into Micah's hair and inhaled. I'm reading another part though, hold on. That made me squeal. Micah shuddered. Hunter. Slowly he turned in the other man's arms. Their eyes met. Hunter's hand travelled from his waist up his chest, finally cupping his Micah's face. His thumb grazed over Micah's lower lip. Micah realized he wanted to taste that thumb as he watched we're an explicit podcast, guys, so this is okay. To taste that thumb as he watched Hunter lower his head closer and closer until his eyes drifted close. It was a soft, sweet kiss, just a brush of lips between soft breaths. I messed up that part. That sounded like breasts. That's okay. You know what I meant. Aleta: Huh. Lucy: They were breathing. Micah opened his mouth on a gasp when Hunter's tongue traced his bottom lip. I don't know if I should go further. I'm gonna go further. Let's do it all. Someone moaned when their tongues touched, and Hunter leaned into him harder, making the handles of the filing cabinet dig into Michael's lower back. Without warning, Hunter jumped back when Micah squirmed against him. fuck. Hunter backed into the wall on the other side of the room, his eyes wide, I'm sorry, Micah, I don't know what's happening right now, and I'll stop there. But Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: Yeah. Lucy: I was so thrilled when they finally got their first kiss. And that is the Leah M: Ha ha. Lucy: first kiss scene. And there was just this delightfully sweet, thinly veiled tension that I just I really appreciated. So, anyway, that's a little taste of some of the spice. Just saying. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: That's my favorite. Aleta: Call HR. Leah M: Right. Lucy: Right? He does go Aleta: got little sticky tabs in mind rather than dog earing. Lucy: Okay. I only did one page. Just that one. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Well, I had I had chosen the bit where he re where he sings as well. I guess more the more him doing the karaoke rather than the bit with Lucy though. So we want me to read Okay. Turning to leave, Hunter was surprised to hear a song that sounded vaguely familiar. He had been trying to tune out the party sounds from the far side of the venue, but this song lured him towards the music. An obviously nervous voice was just audible over the music. There was a crowd standing in front of the raised ice in the corner, where a man was standing, mic clutched in his hand, singing with his eyes closed tight. The crowd was cheering him on, a woman wearing a paper crown directly in front of him, grinning widely. Hunter's heart kicked hard against his ribcage when he realized that the man on the stage was actually Micah. The song was the one he had been singing minutes before Hunter had kissed him. I want to be more than friends. The crowd sang the chorus loudly. He stood frozen in place, The dual images of Micah on stage and the look on his face just before they kissed, making it hard for Hunter to breathe. He willed his feet to move, but then it was too late because the song ended. Micah's expression was one of relief until he found himself looking straight into Hunter's eyes. The shock Hunter felt was mirrored on Micah's face. The woman that Hunter now recognized as his sister Lucy pulled him off the dais and threw her arms around her brother laughing. Lucy: Aww I'm telling you if the pot if verticals ever die, Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: our podcast is gonna be Alita reading to us because I just love listening to her Aleta: Whatever. Lucy: read. We'll just we'll just read Leah M: You both did amazing. Lucy: spicy scenes from books. Yeah, we we we we we really like we really like this material. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: Ha ha ha Lucy: Alright, besties. We are gonna we we are gonna start wrapping up. We actually have one final question for you, Leah. So I think we all appreciated the references to the fan community in the novel. Micah is one of us in the Greg Duffy subscriber chat. What has joining this community meant to you? Leah M: I can't imagine my life without it anymore. This book would not exist without this fandom. the Rachel and Laura and and the rest of them, Tosh, really their feedback, their the impact that they had on just my confidence in in putting this out, and just the amount of fun and and just craziness that we get up to. and Aleta: Ha ha ha. Leah M: i it honestly, you know, getting to know Greg and and Evan, the the way that we have gotten to a i as part of the fandom. has really impacted me. and you know, recently we we we've been doing the the you know celebrate celebrate queer verticals in in lots of different directions and I have really have had this impact of how much how much queer pop culture impacts, you know, the the thing about Succum that that drew me in and Succum and and Tutorum My Rival Boy and Call Boy and there's another one that I for objective objection I'm not gay. all four of those, the reason that I those are my favorites, those are my top four, is they know who they are. They are confident in who they are. They move forward in their life the way they are. And that that you don't see that as much in in queer ver in in queer pop culture. heated rivalry. It you know, it's all about how they're you know, they know who they are, but they're so scared of of what the world is gonna re how the world is gonna react and and and all of that. And And it it's just it's so beautiful to see the confidence in this is who I am and this is w what's going on with my life and the rest of you can just suck it. And I I really appreciate that. And so being around other people that really appreciate that as well really has me given me more confidence as a queer person in my life and in hoping that I can have an impact with my stories the way that these queer verticals have had on on the community. and that's that's really my goal. You know, if nothing else, if somebody sees themselves in the stories, then then I've done my job. You know, I'm not in this to get rich. I'm not in this to to, you know, I it is a dream, but I've I've succeeded. I've I've published a book. My book is right here, I can hold it, I can touch it. And I do quite a bit actually. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Leah M: but yeah, that that's really what the impact is for me. Aleta: Ha ha. Lucy: Beautiful. Great answer. I love it. We do have such a great fandom. We really do. Aleta: Right So besties we are so glad that Leah agreed to join us today and we have really enjoyed reading her debut novel. Leah M: Yeah. Aleta: If you're a fan of Straight Until He Kissed Me and or Mystery and Romance, why not celebrate the anniversary by treating yourself to a new book? And join us next week when we have another anniversary episode. Bye Besties! Lucy: Bye, besties. Leah M: Bye besties.