The Fresh Fiction Podcast

Film & TV Ep. 10 | 'The Watchers' (feat. Ishana Shyamalan), 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' & 'The Acolyte'

Fresh Fiction's Preston Barta and James Cole Clay and special guest Bryan Kluger (of High Def Digest & Boomstick Comics) discuss the latest happenings in entertainment.

This week's episode features talks about:

FILM

• Alamo Drafthouse Theaters Close in Dallas-Fort Worth (0:00-15:15)
• BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE (15:15-26:49)
• THE WATCHERS (26:49-35:02)
• ALIEN: ROMULUS Trailer (35:02-39:45)

TV

• THE ACOLYTE (39:45-49:06)

INTERVIEWS

• THE WATCHERS director/writer Ishana Shyamalan (49:55-56:11)

Film & TV Ep. 9 | 'The Dead Don't Hurt' (feat. Viggo Mortensen) and 'In a Violent Nature' (feat. Lauren-Marie Taylor)

Fresh Fiction's Preston Barta and James Cole Clay discuss the latest happenings in entertainment.

This week's episode features talks about:

FILM

• THE DEAD DON'T HURT
• IN A VIOLENT NATURE
• WHAT YOU WISH FOR
• SUMMER CAMP

TV

• LOOT Season Two Finale (Apple TV+)
• VANDERPUMP RULES

INTERVIEWS

• THE DEAD DON'T HURT director/writer/star Viggo Mortensen
• IN A VIOLENT NATURE & FRIDAY THE 13TH: PART 2 star Lauren-Marie Taylor

Film & TV Ep. 8 | 'Furiosa' (Extended Review), 'Hit Man' & 'Trying' Season 4 (feat. Rafe Spall & Esther Smith)

Fresh Fiction's Preston Barta and James Cole Clay and Dan Moran (of the Fear & Loathing in Cinema Podcast) discuss the latest in entertainment, including what's happening at the cinema and on television.

This week's episode features talks about:

FILM

• FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (Extended Review)
• THE GARFIELD MOVIE
• HIT MAN

TV

• TRYING Season 4 (Apple TV+)

INTERVIEWS

• TRYING stars Rafe Spall & Esther Smith

Meet Jeff Zentner | Author of 'Colton Gentry's Third Act'

We're chatting with Jeff Zentner, author of COLTON GENTRY'S THIRD ACT. Join this lively conversation about his work!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeff Zentner is the author of New York Times Notable Book The Serpent King, Goodbye Days, and Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee. He has won the William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award, the International Literacy Association Award, and the Westchester Fiction Award. He’s a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist, been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and UKLA, and was a finalist for the Indies Choice Award. He was selected as a Publishers Weekly Flying Start and an Indies Introduce pick. His books have been translated into fifteen languages. Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

He came to writing through music, starting his creative life as a guitarist and eventually becoming a songwriter. He’s released five albums and appeared on recordings with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Thurston Moore, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, and Lydia Lunch, among others.

He became interested in writing for young adults after volunteering at the Tennessee Teen Rock Camp and Southern Girls Rock Camp. As a kid, his parents would take him to the library and drop him off, where he would read until closing time. He worked at various bookstores through high school and college.

He speaks fluent Portuguese, having lived in the Amazon region of Brazil for two years.

Film & TV Ep. 7 | 'IF', 'Babes', 'The Strangers: Chapter 1' & 'The Big Cigar' (feat. cast and showrunners)

Fresh Fiction's Preston Barta, James Cole Clay and Courtney Howard discuss the latest in entertainment, including what's happening at the cinema and on television.

This week's episode features talks about:

FILM

• IF
• BABES
• THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1
• BACK IN BLACK
• FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
• ORPHAN (Scream Factory Blu-ray release)
• Various film screenings on 35mm

TV

• THE BIG CIGAR (Limited Series on Apple TV+)

INTERVIEWS

• THE BIG CIGAR showrunners Janine Sherman Barrois & Jim Hecht and stars Alessandro Nivola, P.J. Byrne & Tiffany Boone

Meet Susan C. Shea | Author of 'Murder and the Missing Dog'

We're chatting with Susan C. Shea, author of MURDER AND THE MISSING DOG. Join us for a lively conversation about her work!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan C. Shea loves fine art, interesting food, all things France, the beauty of the San Francisco Bay Area she lives in, and her two orange tabby cats. She writes three mystery series that arise out of her likes: a French village mystery series that debuted in May 2017; the Château in Burgundy series that launched in 2023; and the Dani O'Rourke mysteries set in San Francisco. All of her series have collected high praise from reviewers. She's a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She blogs with 7Criminal Minds and speaks frequently at book events. 

Film & TV Ep. 6 | 'The Last Stop in Yuma County' (feat. director Francis Galluppi), 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' and 'The Dry' Films

Fresh Fiction's Preston Barta and James Cole Clay are here to bring you the latest updates on what's happening in the world of cinema and television. So, sit back, relax, and tune in!

This week's happenings include:

A discussion on the state of the film/theater industry.

FILM

• THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY
• KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• I SAW THE TV GLOW
• THE DRY 
• FORCE OF NATURE
• EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
• POOLMAN

INTERVIEWS

• THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY director Francis Galluppi

Let's Chat about "Bad Reputations" with Xio Axelrod

We're chatting with Xio Axelrod, author of GIRLS WITH BAD REPUTATIONS. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Xio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author of award-winning contemporary romance, romantic fiction, and what she likes to call strange, twisted tales.

Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn't writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, not-so-secret name).

She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats.

Meet Joanna Davidson Politano | Author of 'The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple'

We're chatting with Joanna Davidson Politano, author of THE ELUSIVE TRUTH OF LILY TEMPLE. Join us for a lively conversation about her work!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joanna Davidson Politano freelances for a small nonfiction publisher but spends much of her time spinning tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives. Her manuscript for Lady Jayne Disappears was a finalist for several contests, including the 2016 Genesis Award from ACFW, and won the OCW Cascade Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is always on the hunt for random acts of kindness, people willing to share their deepest secrets with a stranger, and hidden stashes of sweets. She lives with her husband and their two babies in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan.

Meet Lisa Gardner | Author of 'Still See You Everywhere'

We're chatting with Lisa Gardner, author of STILL SEE YOU EVERYWHERE. Join us for a lively conversation about her work!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Gardner, a No. 1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist, began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. 

Lisa’s books have received awards from across the globe. Her novel, THE NEIGHBOR, won Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers, while also receiving the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle in France. She was also recognized with the Daphne du Maurier Award in 2000 for THE OTHER DAUGHTER. Finally, Lisa received the Silver Bullet Award from the International Thriller Writers in 2017 for her work on behalf of at-risk children and the Humane Society.