The Writer and The Critic

Ah, dear listeners. Due to the increasingly difficult demands of their increasingly busy lives, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond regretfully announce that this will be the final episode of The Writer and the Critic. Forever. Probably. Definitely, yes definitely. Alas. On this very last episode, your hosts begin with a quick recap of the infamous lost episode of March 2024, wherein they discussed two novels they both very much enjoyed, A Helping Hand by Celia Dale and Monsters by Emerald Fennell. There are no real spoilers in this brief discussion, although there is some moaning and gnashing of teeth in regards to technological mishaps. Not that they bear any grudges. Oh no, not at all. Your hosts then turn their attention the two novels they unsuspectingly selected as the very last to be discussed on this podcast. Ever. Probably. Definitely! The books up on the slab are The Glutton by A E Blakemore [15:00] and Days of Innocence and Wonder by Lucy Treloar [42:10]. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:10:25 for some final - FINAL! -remarks. Kirstyn and Ian would like to thank all their listeners over the years, both long term fans and those who dropped by from time to time to dip their toes. They would especially like to thank their wonderful Patreon patrons whose generosity covered all the bills - you are beloved!  The Writer and the Critic will remain archived at Podbean for the foreseeable future, and whenever this changes the details of its new digs will be posted here. Kirstyn and Ian would also like to recommend a handful of bookish podcasts you might like to check out, if you haven't already come across them: Backlisted The Garret Let the Cat In Bohemiana The Coode Street Podcast If you would like to keep in touch, you can find your miscreant hosts in various places online: Kirstyn McDermott https://kirstynmcdermott.com BlueSky: @fearofemeralds.bsky.social Ian Mond https://mondyboy.com/ BlueSky: @mondyboy74.bsky.social As a far wiser and funnier writer and critic once said, so long and thanks for all the fish!

Sadly, due to a catastrophic technical failure, we have no episode to bring you this month. Please listen to the message to find out more. Next episode, Kirstyn and Ian will be discussing the following the two books: The Glutton by A E Blakemore Days of Innocence and Wonder by Lucy Treloar  There will be an episode. They promise.

Happy new year! On this first episode of The Writer and the Critic for 2024, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, begin by with a very brief discussion of recent reads and whether writing a 'young' or an 'old' voice might be more ... ah ... challenging. The books up for dissection this month are The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson [5:10] and A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand [39:20]. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:02:00 for final remarks - including a surprise anecdote involving Evelyn Waugh! Next episode, the two books on the slab will be: A Helping Hand by Celia Dale Monsters by Emerald Fennell Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this last and somewhat longer episode of The Writer and the Critic for 2023, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, begin by discussing the television adaptation of Slow Horses as well as the new Mike Flanagan series, The Fall of the House of Usher. No prizes for guessing which one Kirstyn did not like and which one she adored. The books up for discussion this month are After the Forest by Kell Woods [13:35] and I am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moor [54:20]. This review by Parul Sehgal of I Am Homeless if This is Not My Home in The New Yorker is highly recommended if you are able to access it. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:21:55 for final remarks. Next episode will be February 2024 and the two books on the slab will be: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, begin with a brief celebration of Ian winning the William Atheling Jr. Award for his reviews in Locus that meanders into a discussion about the importance of criticism and the dangers of AI. Huzzah for Ian and criticism! Boo hiss for AI! The books up for discussion this month are The Broken Shore by Peter Temple [7:25] and Slow Horses by Mick Herron [33:30]. Mentioned in dispatches and highly recommended are the following television series: Deadloch (2023) The Sandbaggers (1978-1980) If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:04:25 for final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: After the Forest by Kell Woods I am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, begin by chatting about cardamon knobs, cygnets and the shenanigans of parkour cats. Seriously. The books up for discussion this month are The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan [5:05] and The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera [46:00]. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:14:10 for final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: The Broken Shore by Peter Temple Slow Horses by Mick Herron Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, ruminate briefly upon head colds, snoring and cats. Very briefly. The books up for discussion this month are The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig [3:30] and Conquest by Nina Allan [31:25]. Listeners may want to check out the following, as mentioned: Chuck Wendig's blog: Terrible Minds Nina Allan's website: The Spider's House Review of Conquest in Locus by Gary K. Wolfe If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 59:25 for final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekra Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, discuss such scintillating topics as football, the coronation, bus replacements and overcrowded trains. But not for long, they promise. The books up for discussion this month are The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca [7:05] and Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower [36:30]. Listeners may also wish to head over to Cinema Chords to watch the interview with Erica LaRocca mentioned in this episode. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:01:10 for final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig Conquest by Nina Allan Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!  

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, briefly discuss reading slumps and the likelihood that either of them will read the new novel by Bret Easton Ellis. The books up for discussion this month are The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz [5:00] and Sing, Nightingale by Marie Hélène Poitras [45:00]. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:13:00 for final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic, your hosts Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, get straight down to business with minimal waffle. You're welcome. The books up for discussion this month are LOTE by Shola Von Reinhold [3:25] and Animal Life by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir [44:38]. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz Sing, Nightingale by Marie Hélène Poitras Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Welcome to 2023! On this first episode for the year your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, chat briefly about the Locus Recommended Reading List in which Hard Places gets a mention. Huzzah! The books up for discussion this month are Every Version of You by Grace Chan [6:25] and The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings [39:05]. For listeners interested in spec fic dealing with the second generation immigrant experience, Ian also recommends Flux by Jinwoo Chong. And Kirstyn has found unbounded delight in a silly little browser add-on, Tabby Cat. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: LOTE by Shola Von Reinhold Animal Life by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this final episode of The Writer and the Critic for 2022 your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, spend a few minutes musing over the missing of podcasts, the breaking of awards, and the end of time as we know it. The books up for discussion this month are January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky [9:30] and Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen [39:00]. The interview with Samantha Allen that was mentioned in this episode can be read here. The fabulously sartorial Jules Mond can be found on Instagram @seemeswoon. And for listeners curious to know what Ian's beautiful William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review actually looks like, here it is complete with box: Kirstyn promises to mail it to him before the end of the year. Maybe. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 109:10 for final remarks. The first episode of 2023 will be uploaded in February 2023 and the two books on the slab will be: Every Version of You by Grace Chan The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!  

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, spend a few minutes discussing the work of Peter Straub, who sadly passed away this month. Listeners might like to revisit Episode 17 in which Kirstyn and Ian, along with special guest Rob Shearman, discuss Straub's marvelously unsettling collection, Houses Without Doors. The books up for discussion this month are Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum [10:25] and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield [34:00]. Kirstyn also highly recommends The Ghost Sequences by A.C. Wise from her new favourite small press, Undertow Publications. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 108:20 for final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, spend a few minutes discussing the aftermath of COVID-19 by which Kirstyn was unfortunately struck down last month. She is not happy about it. The books up for discussion this month are Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi Demeester [4:10] and Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett [29:25]. Ian also heartily recommends Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett and Berg by Ann Quin. Congratulations are due to Ian as well for his recent nomination for the William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review! And a gracious reminder that Kirstyn's new collection, Hard Places, is available now from Trepidatio Publishing. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 104:40 for final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, first take some time to shamelessly plug Kirstyn's forthcoming collection of short fiction, Hard Places, out soon through Trepidatio Publishing. The books up for discussion this month are Dance Move by Wendy Erskine [9:55] and Ariadne, I Love You by J. Ashley-Smith [36:05]. Listeners may also want to check out other books by the same authors, including Sweet Home by Erskine and The Attic Tragedy by Ashley-Smith. The two interviews with J. Ashley-Smith mentioned on the podcast can be found at Tomes and Tales and paulsemel.com. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 102:05 for final remarks, including an unexpected and possibly ill-advised foray into Top Gun. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi Demeester Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond,  quickly dispense with a (mostly) non-political intro and general discussion of post-apocalyptic narratives. The books up for discussion this month are Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin [5:25] and And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin [44:40]. This excellent review of Manhunt by Lee Mandelo was mentioned in the podcast, and these two by Liam McBain and Christ are also well worth a read. For listeners who would like to know what Lucy, the High-Flying Cat of Interruption, looks like, here she is in her bed atop the bookcase: If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 108:40 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: Dance Move by Wendy Erskine Ariadne, I Love You by J. Ashley-Smith Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond,  are tired and cranky but still manage to preamble only briefly in the murk of COVID-19 and bad segues before getting to the point of it all. They think. The books up for discussion this month are two novels: Devotion by Hannah Kent [5:20] and The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan [35:20]. The review of The School for Good Mothers that Kirstyn mentioned was this one by Ilana Masad in The Washington Post. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 109:30 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books on the slab will be: Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, dispense with lengthy preambles and get pretty much straight into it. The books being discussed this month are two collections of short fiction: I Would Haunt You if I Could by Seán Padraic Birnie [2:10] and Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby [28:50]. For those listeners who enjoyed the Seán Padraic Birnie collection, Kirstyn would also like to draw your attention to a recent short story of his, "Funny Faces" over at The Dark. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 48:50 for a minor rant about novels vs collection plus brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan Devotion by Hannah Kent Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, begin by discussing the state of the world, farts in jars and a possible niche side project involving uncontrollable sobbing. The books being flensed this month are The Wych Elm by Tana French [5:10] and My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley [37:15]. Ian would also like to make sure you know about the new short story that Kirstyn has had published in The Dark. You're welcome. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:04:25 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be: Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby I Would Haunt You if I Could by Seán Padraic Birnie Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this first episode of The Writer and the Critic for 2022, your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, begin with an exciting announcement: Kirstyn will have some actual books being published this year! She's a writer again! Huzzah! Ahem. The books up for discussion this month are When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut [6:08] and A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofal [52:35]. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:18:15 for final remarks including a discussion about just what we mean when we say "novel" and why we might need to find some new words to describe long-form fiction. Some helpful links for things mentioned in this episode: Burnt Sugar and the Never Afters series by Kirstyn McDermott available from Brain Jar Press You Tube: Doireann Ní Ghríofa introduces A Ghost in the Throat Next month, the two books up on the slab will be: The Wych Elm by Tana French My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!