Unlikeable Female Characters

Kristen, Layne, and Wendy take on the mindf*ck minefield of women’s beauty standards, from fashion models to Disney witches to the Real Housewives of wherever. Check out the books discussed in this episode at the official Unlikeable Female Characters Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/episode-51-the-vain-woman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Con women, clones, serial killers, snowboarders, time-traveling lesbians - 2021’s slate of new reads has something for everyone! Buy your future self a present by preordering Kristen, Layne, and Wendy’s picks via the official Unlikeable Female Characters Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/lists/episode-50-2021-reading-preview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen, Layne, and Wendy ring in the new year with a celebration of pettiness, including their own pettiest deeds and petty confessions from listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2020 is almost over (thank f*ck), so it's time for the Unlikeable Female Characters Holiday Gift Guide! Whether you want to scandalize your prudish relatives, send a passive-aggressive message to a not-so-special guy in your life, or treat yourself to something fabulous, Kristen, Layne, and Wendy have you covered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Layne welcomes feminist noir author and friend of the show Halley Sutton back to celebrate the release of her debut novel THE LADY UPSTAIRS with a chat about sex scenes, murder buses, and destroying bad men for a living. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen, Layne, and Wendy fangirl about one of their all-time favorite unlikeable archetypes: the Femme Fatale. From Lady Macbeth to Megan Thee Stallion, these dangerous ladies break hearts, ruin lives, and shamelessly seize the narrative for their own nefarious purposes. We have no choice but to stan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tori Eldridge, author of the Lily Wong series and actual badass ninja, sits down with Wendy to share her best self-defense tips, her thoughts on violence and vengeance in crime fiction, and her favorite knives. Pick up Tori’s latest book The Ninja’s Blade wherever books are sold! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Spooky Season, one and all! This week, Kristen, Layne, and Wendy take on the archetype of the vengeful bitch - just in time for the release of Layne's new revenge-fueled female serial killer thriller THEY NEVER LEARN. Vengeance may be wrong, but who cares when it's this much fun? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen interviews author Alison Stine about her chilling Appalachian "climate chaos" thriller ROAD OUT OF WINTER (out now from MIRA Books!), the stranger-than-fiction dystopian nightmare we're all living in, and why we need more boring bisexual characters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Bisexual Awareness Week! Your favorite bi bitches Kristen, Layne, and Wendy are here to make you aware of all the different ways bisexuals can be "bad," from duplicity to depravity and beyond. (No wonder so many of us turn evil.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special bonus episode, Kristen, Layne, and Wendy share the things that are keeping them from screaming all day, from inspiring books to productivity tips to the perfect jumpsuit. Whether you want to get your Type A mojo back or give in and embrace the chaos, you'll find something here to help you cope during the neverending dumpster fire that is 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wendy interviews dark and twisty thriller queen Jennifer Hillier about her latest novel LITTLE SECRETS, her not-so-secret identity as The Murder Mom, and why women always seem to covet what we don’t have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen, Layne, and Wendy take on the much-maligned character of the mistress, from scheming best friends to psycho bunny boilers. When does the "other woman" get to be the main character, instead of just the villain in someone else’s story? (And more importantly: when will we stop blaming women for men’s mistakes?) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Layne interviews YA author Kylie Schachte about her killer debut novel YOU'RE NEXT, writing #ownvoices queer characters, and why badass teenage girls can (but shouldn't have to) save us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's wrong with "strong female characters?" Let Kristen, Layne, and Wendy explain. This week the unlikeable ladies tackle depictions of feminine strength from superheroes to single moms, and discuss why some men like strong women in fiction but not so much in real life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably have to stay inside all summer anyway, so why not lock yourself up with a whole stack of good books? Kristen, Layne, and Wendy share what they're most excited to read this summer, plus some exciting news about what's next for the Unlikeable Female Characters podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen interviews Cheryl A. Head, author of the Charlie Mack Motown Mystery series, about queer representation in crime fiction, why Black women are natural-born private investigators, and the people who should really shut up in the Year of Our Lord 2020. Pick up Cheryl’s new book FIND ME WHEN I’M LOST starting June 23rd, wherever books are sold! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen, Layne, and Wendy kick off Pride month by talking about the hot gay ladies you should watch out for, from ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK to KILLING EVE to the heroines of their own novels. (Please note: we recorded this episode prior to the murder of George Floyd and the widespread protests, but we are offering query/pitch critiques to anyone who donates $15 or more to local bail funds supporting the Black Lives Matter protestors. See our social media for further details, and stay safe out there!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wendy interviews author Mindy Mejia about her latest novel STRIKE ME DOWN, balancing motherhood and creativity, and the joys of being a "solid C+" mom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just in time for Mother's Day, Kristen, Layne, and Wendy discuss the worst moms of page and screen, from SHARP OBJECTS to SCHITT'S CREEK. Plus: cute pandemic pet stories! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Layne sits down with debut author Sara Sligar for a conversation ranging from Gothic romance to spreadsheets to Tiger King. Pick up Sara's buzzy literary thriller TAKE ME APART wherever books are (virtually) sold starting April 28th! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(or, The Vibrator Episode) What a crazy time to talk about hysteria, amirite?!? Listen as Kristen, Layne, and Wendy unpack what it means to be a hysterical woman, from wandering uteri to ugly crying, and why we could all use a good cathartic scream right about now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The best cure for existential dread is a good book, so on today's special bonus episode, we're recommending 15 great reads to distract you from everything that's going on in the real world. Escape to 1920s Egypt, the haunted Titanic, or even just the house of dysfunctional family that's not your own, all without leaving the safety of your sofa! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen interviews award-winning mystery author Lori Rader-Day about her latest novel THE LUCKY ONE, the fine line between intuition and obsession, and the importance of finding people who are weird just like you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode is for all the women who've been told to calm down, leave well enough alone, let it go - and responded with a resounding HELL NO. From Miss Marple to the Birds of Prey to Senator Elizabeth Warren, these badass bitches persisted, and we love them for it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Layne interviews author Hannah Capin about her new Shakespeare-inspired revenge thriller FOUL IS FAIR, her favorite fictional Mean Girls, and why violence is so much fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen, Layne, and Wendy discuss why they love to hate Mean Girls (but LOVE mean women) and share some of their favorite examples, from Regina George to Betty Draper to Taylor Swift. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back, bitches! Find out what we've been up to so far this year, from adventures in sunny Los Angeles to emails from helpful Internet men, plus get a sneak peek at our exciting podcast plans for 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen and Layne are joined by special guest Halley Sutton (author of the forthcoming feminist noir novel THE LADY UPSTAIRS) to discuss our favorite heartwarming Christmas movie about scamming strippers, the female gaze, and the foibles of capitalism: HUSTLERS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Layne, Kristen, and Wendy recommend the perfect holiday gifts for unlikeable ladies of all ages, including malicious candles, spooky children’s stories, and plenty of books about murder (with a special shout-out to THE KILL CLUB by our own Wendy Heard, available on December 17th - just in time for Christmas!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our one-year anniversary episode, and we're celebrating in a very Not Safe for Work way: mocking awful sex scenes by male authors! You'll laugh, you'll cringe, you'll wonder why the hell men are still allowed to write books anyway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wendy interviews audiobook narrator extraordinaire Imogen Church about sex positivity, Scientology, and scaring the shit out of people - plus a sneak preview of our very special one-year anniversary episode, coming just in time for Thanksgiving! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We wrap up our Halloween Spooktacular with a very special guest: bestselling poet, actual witch, and all-around badass Amanda Lovelace! Kristen, Layne, and Wendy chat with Amanda about angry feminist poetry, tarot, Twilight, and more. Happy Halloween to all our spooky bitches out there! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our second Halloween episode, Kristen and Layne discuss why the witch is an enduring feminist icon and share some favorite witchy literature, as well as tales of their own experiences dabbling in the dark arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the first episode of our October Spooktacular! Kristen, Layne, and Wendy celebrate the beginning of the best month with a chat about monstrous women, creepy children, and that problematic motherfucker Edgar Allan Poe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, your fave ambitious ladies talk about being unlikeable in real life, including their favorite productivity hacks, the search for the perfect handbag, and the life-changing magic of being a selfish bitch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen, Layne, and Wendy reunite at last to talk about their favorite unlikeable ladies of summer, including the movie BOOKSMART, the musical SIX, and enough amazing books to keep you antisocial well into the fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back, bitches! Wendy and Layne take a break from their way-too-busy summer schedules for a quick chat about the men you meet at writing conferences and why we should all be more like feminist icon J.T. Ellison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our first summer episode is a Pride extravaganza! Your fave bi bitches Kristen, Layne, and Wendy chat about everything from rainbow Listerine to bad bisexual stereotypes to the podcast's super gay origin story, plus recommend some queer books for your TBR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Layne chats with author Andrea Bartz about her twisty thriller THE LOST NIGHT, being an "unlikeable female character" in real life, and why men should be more appreciative that we don't slaughter them all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What better way to spend your summer than with toxic relationships, creepy islands, and lots of murder? This week on the podcast, Kristen, Wendy, and Layne share what’s at the top of their Summer 2019 TBRs, including new books by Laura Lippman, Kimberly S. Belle, Andrea Dunlop, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're joined by an author from the other side of the world: Rheea Mukherjee dials in from Bangalore to chat with Kristen and Layne about her debut novel THE BODY MYTH, crafting complicated love stories, and women who don't behave the way they're "supposed" to (our favorite kind!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen chats with Rachel Howzell Hall about her new novel THEY ALL FALL DOWN (which features not just one but SEVEN unlikeable characters!), why unlikeability is in the eye of the beholder, and what it's like to write unlikeable female characters as a woman of color. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen, Layne, and Wendy take a short break from discussing unlikeable female characters to take on some unlikeable real-life men in the publishing industry. Where's the line between having mediocre white man confidence and just being a dick? Unclear, but these dudes have definitely crossed it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wendy interviews #FASHIONVICTIM author Amina Akhtar (live and in person at the Mayfair Hotel in Los Angeles!) about celebrity sightings, how many calories serial killing burns, and meeting a shaman named Britney. Also: we're giving away copies of Amina's novel to 3 lucky listeners! Visit the podcast Twitter for info about how to enter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we chat with prolific and badass YA writer Mindy McGinnis (author of THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, THIS DARKNESS MINE, HEROINE, and many more) about being an unlikeable female character in small-town Ohio, writing realistically flawed teenage girls, and why you better watch out for band geeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just in time for the Oscars, Kristen and Layne chat about some of their favorite awards-season movies featuring unlikeable female characters, including THE WIFE, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, WIDOWS, MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, and (of course) THE FAVOURITE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Unlikeable Female Characters, Layne interviews Megan Collins (author of THE WINTER SISTER, out now from Atria Books!) about poetic prose, badass women of mythology, and the Margaret Atwood-related heist they may or may not be plotting together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Pitch Wars interview extravaganza! This week, we celebrate the amazing mentoring program that brought us all together. We're joined by Pitch Wars Managing Director Kellye Garrett as well as our mentees Halley Sutton, Nigar Alam, and Wanda Morris. Get a sneak preview of their manuscripts (all of which happen to feature unlikeable female characters!) before the Pitch Wars Agent Showcase starts on February 6th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you love her, hate her, or love to hate her, there's no doubt Amy Elliott Dunne is one of the greatest unlikeable female protagonists of all time. This week on the podcast Kristen, Layne, and Wendy do a deep dive into this fascinating and infuriating character. Are you #TeamAmy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices