‘Tis the season! We have our first holiday recommendation of the year, folks!
Kris and Tara react to the Devil Wears Prada 2 trailer, discuss family Dungeons and Dragons time, and talk about co-workers who wear four jerseys to work (yes, at the same time). It’s a short and sweet but stacked episode. Enjoy!
Editor’s Note: This episode has a couple of recommendations that revolve around heavy topics like people going through cancer treatment, loss and addiction. If that’s not where you’re at, feel free to skip this one. Take care of yourself.
Official Recommendations
From Kris: Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken
Kris’s official recommendation this week is Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken. This two-part docuseries came out in 2024 and follows Etheridge as she shares the stories of addiction and loss with the women incarcerated in the Topeka Correctional Facility.
From Tara: The Milkyway Hotel by Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud and Marguerite Grimaud
Tara’s official recommendation this week is The Milkyway Hotel by Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud and Marguerite Grimaud. In the midst of her life falling apart in Paris, Celeste inherits her great-aunt’s Milkyway Hotel in the French Alps. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s a sexy chocolatier there waiting to keep her company. Tara describes this as a slooooow burn, but when it gets there, it absolutely gets there.
Works/People Discussed
- Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)
- Caleb Hearon
- Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
- Scandal (ABC)
- The Long Walk (2025)
- The Long Walk by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
- RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, season 7 (BBC Three, BBC One)
- Lucky Girls by GinStan
- Come See Me in the Good Light (2025)
Support & Follow the Show
Transcript
>> Kris Bryant: Welcome to Queerly Recommended, the podcast where we recommend queer books, films, TV shows, and more. I’m Kris Bryant, a contemporary romance writer for Bold Strokes Books. And this week I’m recommending a docu series on Paramount Plus.
>> Tara Scott: I’m Tara Scott. I review Sapphic Fiction, the Lesbian Review, and Smart Bitches Trashy Books. And this week, I’m recommending a recently released holiday, Sapphic Romance. It’s that time of year. Tis the season.
>> Kris Bryant: I know. I can’t wait to hear your recommendation. I’m very excited about this.
>> Tara Scott: If you can believe it, this week, I. I have a bunch of things. So many things have been going on. First of which is the trailer dropped for Devil Wears Prada 2. And it’s funny because when I heard, you know, I’ve been seeing, of course, some of the photos from filming, and I’ve been hearing a little bit about it here and there, and I was like, I’m probably not going to watch it. I think I’ve said this before. I’m not actually a big fan of the first film, which feels sacrilegious given how much I read the fic.
>> Kris Bryant: I know, but it’s been so long.
>> Tara Scott: Since I’ve seen it, I’m almost afraid to go back. But now that I’ve seen this trailer, I have to go back and watch it again. Because this trailer, I thought was great. It’s very, very short. Have you seen it?
>> Kris Bryant: Is it the one where they go in the elevator?
>> Tara Scott: Yes, yes. Oh, my God. And it was so funny. I saw that and I was like, I wonder. I wonder if anybody’s writing fanfic.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, Hell, they sure are. Yeah, I found one. I figured. I figured that was going on. Yeah, I found one.
>> Tara Scott: It was so cute. And also, like, I don’t. Are they deliberately queer baiting? I don’t know. But, like, it’s.
>> Kris Bryant: There’s something they have to know.
>> Tara Scott: The chemistry is there. It’s working. So crossing all my fingers and toes that the second movie is going to be really good, I will go back and watch the first one in enough time that it’ll make sense. Because also if I do it now and then, I’ll probably forget. But what’s happening by the time I go to watch the second movie when it comes out? And in addition to all the people that people will remember and love from the first movie, they also have. Caleb Herron is in it, who is a standup Comedian from Kansas City, Missouri, who I absolutely adore. He’s wonderful. And he’s gay and he’s in that movie.
>> Kris Bryant: So all gay, wonderful things that come out of Kansas City.
>> Tara Scott: I mean, I love it. so that’s one thing.
Another is kind of fun on the family front. But we’re starting our first full all four of Us Dungeons and Dragons campaign.
>> Kris Bryant: I love this. I love this so much.
>> Tara Scott: M. We created our character sheets. Neil’s going to be the dungeon master. He’s going to be the guy guiding the story. And we each made our characters yesterday. I am going to be a wizard who has no to give and doesn’t like people. So that should be fun.
>> Kris Bryant: Sounds like me at work.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. One of my kids is playing a monk, I think, and the other one is definitely that my sneaky kid is playing a rogue.
>> Kris Bryant: So that feels, of course, yeah.
>> Tara Scott: Perfect. Yeah, it feels perfect for them. So that’s going to be fun. And then the other thing I did, because at, my company, they give us a professional development budget, which is nice if you want to go take a course or go to a conference or whatever. I used it to hire a leadership coach who specializes in working with neuro spices. And so I was like, hey, can you help me harness this ADHD for the power of good in productivity?
>> Kris Bryant: Yay.
>> Tara Scott: I love that it turns out. Yes. Yes, she can. So the first thing we did was she’s like, what do you want to work on first? And I was like, my nervous system. Because also the world is horrible. Ah. And how do we keep that in check? And she gave me a couple of techniques, and I think for. I could probably work for anybody, but definitely if you have adhd, that were super helpful. So the first thing she told me was in the morning, first thing, do this thing called Morning Pages. It’s from a book called the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. But the idea is you just get up and before you do anything else, just write for, like 15, 20 minutes. You’re free writing. You’re not trying to focus on anything. You’re not trying to process anything. But because overnight, while we’re sleeping, we’re processing what happened the day before. You can wake up with a lot of mental clutter. So the idea is, like, get the.
>> Kris Bryant: Mental clutter out of the way.
>> Tara Scott: Surprisingly helpful. And then she said, if you have adhd, you just have more thoughts than people who don’t in general, which means you also have more negative thoughts than other people. And so you have to work really hard to build Positive pathways in your mind. And so gratitude journaling is really important. Oh, nice. So I’ve been doing that. I follow the framework from the book Burnout by Amelia Nagoski and Emily Nagoski, like their sisters. And I regret to m. Inform you this shit works. Like it just. It’s really helpful. So yeah, just a couple of tips for people.
>> Kris Bryant: I’m the kid because I’m such a night owl. Like I still feel like I’m the kid that your parents have to like, wake up. Come on, Kris, wake up. Time to get up. Like I get up at the last possible second, jump in the shower, put on some clothes and go to work. Like I throw my hair in a bun and I’m at work. Like I get up, I’m at work from the, from the second I jump out of bed to the time I’m at my desk is one hour.
>> Tara Scott: That’s pretty good.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, so I mean, yeah, I, I’m not. I wish that I could journal in the morning, like have 15 minutes, but that would require me to get up earlier and I’m not that person. I’m not a morning person unless I go to work and journal and tell everybody shut the fuck up. While I journal for like 15 minutes. I could do that.
>> Tara Scott: Well consider this. If you do that, then you get to tell everybody to shut the fuck up. Which, hey, what could be better?
>> Kris Bryant: I can kind of do that now. But yes, I like that. Now that’s a good idea. I should probably do something like that.
>> Tara Scott: I mean, I’ve been. I’m also, I’m. I’m not a morning person in the sense that like, just don’t talk to me. Leave me alone, Neil.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, you can talk to me. Yes you are. I just don’t like to get up early.
>> Tara Scott: I think the difference too is. Well, what time are. What time are you at your desk?
>> Kris Bryant: 7:20.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, see, I can get up at 7 and I can journal and I can work out and be at. And shower and be at my desk because I work out at home for 9 o’.
>> Kris Bryant: Clock.
>> Tara Scott: Because I also work in my home. Like, lucky, if I had to be at work the same time you did, I would also find it difficult to do anything else before then. There’s no way in hell.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, like I am lucky to finish half a cup of coffee on my way. Like, I will sit. Here’s, here’s what I do. So I sit and drink a half a cup of coffee and Debbie and I do wordle and see who can beat each other at wordle. And then I’m like, oh, I gotta go to work.
I’m not a spontaneous person at night because I love planning ahead
And then I go to work.
>> Tara Scott: It works.
>> Kris Bryant: I mean, yeah, I guess so. And then when I get, home, you know, it’s like, I’m done. I don’t want to, you know, I don’t want to do anything. I get home and I’m like, I’m thinking, is there anything going on? Nope. Okay. Time to put on my house pants and time. Take out the bra and get comfortable and do what I’m going to be doing for the night. So I have to know, like, I’m not a spontaneous person at night because I love, especially now that it’s getting colder. Like, I have to know, like 24 hours in advance if there’s something planned for that evening. Like, don’t do this. At least do not spring it on me because I am m a. No.
>> Tara Scott: Huh? I completely agree with you. It’s. I’m sorry, you want me to be where at 8 o’? Clock? Absolutely not.
>> Kris Bryant: And like in, in a day, like the same. No, the same day. Forget it. Do you want to go see the baby? And I’m like, no, I. No, I. I, do, but I don’t. Like, I need my time, my downtime on the weekends. For sure.
>> Tara Scott: Yes.
>> Kris Bryant: And it was just. It was a lot. This week was a lot or this last week was a lot. And so I didn’t get to see the baby this weekend. But, it’s all right. I’ll see him this coming weekend, I’m sure.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: And FaceTime always works too. Like it’s always bath time and a FaceTime bath time. FaceTime is how that works. Oh, I know, I know.
>> Tara Scott: Cute.
>> Kris Bryant: Stop it.
>> Tara Scott: Love it.
All right, well, what have you been reading or watching? I think you’re in a watching phase more than a reading phase.
>> Kris Bryant: I have always been. Yes. So right now, I still can’t get enough of Scandal. Still. I’m in season five now.
>> Tara Scott: Whoa, you’re boogieing.
>> Kris Bryant: I am. Like, and they are some long seasons. We’re talking like 22, 25 episodes a season. Like this was back when they did tb. Like tv. Like it was a soap opera. Ish. Basically. So like I said, this is my second time around. So some parts I remember, but 90% of it I don’t. So it’s like a brand new series. And I will say that I. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that they do have a few queer relationships.
>> Tara Scott: I don’t think you did.
>> Kris Bryant: Okay, so I have Never felt less chemistry or gay acting in my life before. Ever. Like, worse than that Christmas movie that we despise? Yes.
>> Tara Scott: Yes.
>> Kris Bryant: Worse than that, I guess. So bad. It is so bad. So it’s like the, What is Cyrus? His name is Cyrus and his role is White House Chief of staff. And so his fiance slash husband is James. And he’s like white. Pre. White. Ah. House secret or not. He’s. Hello. He is a White House journalist. He’s does something. he’s some sort of journalist and he’s trying to get into the White House. And like, their chemistry is terrible. It’s absolutely horrible. It’s not even there. It’s. They couldn’t. You can’t fake that. It’s terrible. It’s absolutely horrible. But the chemistry with Olivia and Fitz is magnificent. Still, you know, Chef’s Kiss. I still approve. never mind. The people they’ve killed. they don’t approve. Yeah. Other than that. I mean, the fact that they kill a bunch of people, like, still, you know, you can overlook that for love. Right, Right.
>> Tara Scott: I don’t know. I was just saying that is not. To any future police. That was a joke. That. That was not real.
>> Kris Bryant: Because Scandal isn’t real. But it kind of sort of is.
Anyway, I. I watched the Stephen King movie that just came out. it’s called the Long Walk. And I read the book a long time ago. It was one of the first books he’s ever written. A long time.
>> Tara Scott: I’m trying to remember if I’ve read that one. I mean, I haven’t read any Stephen King in.
>> Kris Bryant: It’s been like 20 something years. Right. Because I went through this whole Stephen King thing where I read everything I could get my hands on.
>> Tara Scott: I did not. Because I am still a sweet baby who has no interest in reading.
>> Kris Bryant: Right.
>> Tara Scott: Not anymore.
>> Kris Bryant: No.
>> Tara Scott: But I did read. I read the Dark Tower series.
>> Kris Bryant: That was good.
>> Tara Scott: And the Standard and some of the. Was it a novella? Because I read some of the novellas.
>> Kris Bryant: I don’t think so. Like Skeleton Crew had all the little novellas in it. It had the Mist. It had, the one.
>> Tara Scott: So I read the one that the Shawshank Redemption was based on. I read a couple of the books in that.
>> Tara Scott: Maybe I didn’t read this one. Okay, what’s it about? Tell me all about it.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, I wasn’t even going to go into that.
>> Tara Scott: I was just telling you that,
>> Kris Bryant: Well, it’s just. Basically, it’s kind of interesting because these kids, when you’re 18. You can sign up for this lottery. I think it’s like, one kid from every state, a boy from every state, and they just walk. They walk and they walk forever. They walk until they can’t walk anymore. And then if they. They get warnings. If they slow down, they have to walk, like, 3.2 miles, per hour. That’s the speed they have to maintain. And if it goes below that, then they get a warning. Or if they stop to tie their shoe or whatever, they get a warning. And if they get three warnings, then they get murdered. Jesus Christ. Last one standing gets all the money. So I’m watching this movie, and I’m like, oh, yeah, okay. But the movie ends differently than the book. And I was kind of mad about that. Oh, yeah. I don’t remember it that way. So I even had to Google it because I’m like. Because the whole time I’m like, oh, yeah, this person’s gonna win. Blah, blah, blah. And I’m like, what? Like, that did not happen. So I had to Google it and like, yeah, no, it’s not the same as the book.
>> Tara Scott: Like, m. Oh, that’s a choice. I wonder why.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, so I didn’t get into that. I was mad. And also, football, like, my team sucks. My team went from super bowl bound to. I don’t think we’re going to make the playoffs. So that’s a hard pill to swallow after doing so well since 2018. We’ve gone to the playoffs. We’re terrible the entire season, and I just don’t think that we’re gonna. We’re gonna do it. So I’m very sad about that because you know how much I love football.
>> Tara Scott: You really do. I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have a backup team that you’re cheering for?
>> Kris Bryant: No, not really. Okay. Really? I mean, yeah. I can’t even tell you. Obnoxious to people. I have one person I work with, and she, is a Broncos fan. I. Let m. Me tell you. Let me tell you. I’m gonna tell this for everybody. So this is what I had to deal with. She wore four jerseys on top of one another. She came in with a Broncos flag that she wore as a cape. She had a windbreaker, a Denver Broncos windbreaker. And then she had Crocs that had the. The Denver, Broncos, logo. And so she would take off a, Every so often, she would just take off one of her jerseys. I mean, she’s, like, super thin, so she had. She can put a bunch of jerseys on her.
>> Tara Scott: Sure. But, like, that’s weird.
>> Kris Bryant: It’s. It’s obnoxious.
>> Tara Scott: You could just bring four and do costume changes all day rather than layers.
>> Kris Bryant: Right? She layered them all and then she brought orange donuts for everybody.
>> Tara Scott: Like, I would eat the donut regardless.
>> Kris Bryant: So I. I don’t like orange flavored stuff unless it’s like, a drink. But I don’t like orange pastries. I don’t like chocolate covered oranges.
>> Tara Scott: Is it actually orange flavored or is it just food coloring?
>> Kris Bryant: No, it’s orange flavored. You could smell it.
>> Tara Scott: Ew. On a donut.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, see, that’s wrong. So I’m like, that’s weird. Yeah, so I had to deal with that. But, anyway, yeah, so. But, you know, I mean, Kansas City, we’re strong. Football. Football strong. So it’s, it’s, it’s hard. It’s hard this year. But, you know.
>> Tara Scott: Okay, this is Taylor Swift’s fault, isn’t it?
>> Kris Bryant: No. That’s what everybody says, and I get angry about that. I’m just kidding. I know. Like, everybody says it on online and stuff. It’s like people just can’t, like, you know, I don’t know. It’s just.
>> Tara Scott: As the great Latrice Royale said in season four, a group calls Drag Race. Good God, girl, get a grip. Right?
>> Kris Bryant: I know, I know, I know. But anyway. Yes. So that, that’s what. That’s what’s been keeping me busy the last two weeks since we last spoke.
>> Tara Scott: Mm.
>> Kris Bryant: What about you? What have you been watching and reading? Because I know you do both.
>> Tara Scott: I do both.
So. Okay. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season seven continues. And we are officially. I gotta say, I’m usually pretty good at picking at least a couple of people gonna make it into the final four. There’s probably. They’re down to five queens, so there’s probably two to four episodes left, depending on how they drag things out or whatever. If I had a bet going, I would have been completely wrong. All, four of the people I thought would make it to the top did not. None of the people. There were a couple people that I thought would be long gone still there. I could not have called this worse if I tried.
>> Kris Bryant: That’s.
>> Tara Scott: Which is really interesting. Like.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, because you’re always good, right?
>> Tara Scott: Like, the quirky look. Queen, gone. The person who won, the biggest comedy challenge of all, gone. The dancing queen. Like, what is happening? I don’t know. But there is one who’s still in it, who is incredible. And last week they did the makeover challenge. And the makeover challenge is always my favorite because that’s when you really see. Because, like, some queens are good at doing their makeup, but they’re not as good as at doing other people’s makeup. M. And so they brought in, I would say, like, minor celebrities, if you will, not to, like, put a knock on any of these people, but, like, one of them was a woman who used to be on Coronation Street. And I don’t know who some of these other people were, but one of them, I was like, wait, who? That name sounds familiar. Do you remember Charlotte Church?
>> Kris Bryant: Yes. Yes.
>> Tara Scott: She was on it.
>> Kris Bryant: She got made over kid, right?
>> Tara Scott: Yes. But she’s not anymore. Whoa.
>> Kris Bryant: it’s been a long time. Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: So she was on, and she got paired with a queen named Bones, who is very good. Like, very, very good. But their looks were incredible. Like, absolutely incredible. It was so cool. So I am enjoying it. It just feels, like, off kilter, because I’ve gotten everything wrong so far. And then the Devil Wears Prada fanfic continues. It’s been a little busy and stressful lately. So as I tend to do, I turned to some fanfic, and I, realized I have read a series, like, a fanfic series by this particular author, but I hadn’t read this particular story. So it’s called Lucky Girls, and it’s by Jen Stan, and they did the. I think it’s called the, like series. There’s, like, four stories in there, and they all. I think they all start with the word like. And I remembered enjoying it, so I read this one. I’ve really enjoyed it. It takes place a year after the events of, the first movie. Andrea is. I don’t know, she’s, like, out driving in the country for something. It’s the winter her car hits a tree. It happens to be at, like, the home out in the country of Miranda Priestly, who takes her in. The kids love her. Things go from there. So I enjoyed it. It was. I found it was, like. It was pretty cozy. It was a really nice read. I had a great time with it. And then I watched a documentary yesterday, and it’s one that I’ve kept an eye out for because I’ve been seeing Tig Notaro promote it on podcasts. I heard it, like, in a couple places, but one of them was. She was on Conan o’ Brien’s podcast recently, and it’s called Come See Me in the Good Light. And it’s. So the producer list on this is unreal. The producers include, basically, it’s like, who are the most famous lesbians? Well, not all of them, but we have taken Ataro, and I can’t remember if her wife is on there too. I wouldn’t be surprised. Surprised as she were. Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach.
>> Kris Bryant: Wow.
>> Tara Scott: Brandi Carlisle and Sarah Bareilles. I have no idea if I said her last name correctly. Yes. I also don’t know if she’s a lesbian. It doesn’t matter.
>> Kris Bryant: I don’t think so.
>> Tara Scott: There are more producers than that. But it’s so. It’s called Come See Me in the Good Light. It’s about Andrea Gibson, who’s a queer poet who died this summer from ovarian cancer. And when this was all filmed, it was before they passed. It won at Sundance. Like, it wasn’t best documentary at Sundance. It was the film that won all the things. And it gets into, you know, growing up as this kid in Maine, and, you know, what it was like coming out and then coming to grips with their relationship with their gender, how they came through the poetry scene, because they really came up in the slam poetry scene. Oh.
>> Tara Scott: And ended up being, like. It was really cool, because they got a manager and, like, would sell out theaters. People would come to see them.
>> Kris Bryant: Wow.
>> Tara Scott: Just like such this incredible following. And here’s. Here’s a fun thing about me. I have two degrees in literature, and I would never characterize myself as somebody who liked poetry, but I came away from this saying, man, maybe I should buy one or two of their books. one of the things I loved, because it shows kind of like a lot of the last year of their. Of their life, because when the. When it begins, they’re in stage four ovarian cancer, and talks about how there were a couple of periods of going through chemo, and it took care of it, and then it was back, and then more chemo, and then it was back. And so it never kind of really goes away after this point. But their wife, Megan Fowley, is also a poet, and they edit each other. And there’s these great scenes, like, they joke about how Andrea only knows five words. So there’s this, you know, because the language is so simple, because they want it to be really accessible. And they make fun of. Of Meg for using words that are too long. And Meg’s like, you only know five. No, I think they said. It was an editor who said to them once, all these poems have the same words. And they joke about how, like, you only know five words. And they say, well, but look What I can do with those five words, isn’t that more impressive? And the thing that I love, one of the things they said is, why write a poem that goes over somebody’s head, let alone somebody’s heart?
>> Kris Bryant: Heart.
>> Tara Scott: So this idea of accessibility and it just, it’s really, really beautifully done. this would be my recommendation, but I sobbed through that whole movie. So that’s not a reason not to watch it. It’s a reason to not get into the level of depth for an official recommendation. Because I can feel myself choking up like, m. It’s so good. I’m going to drink water. Okay. Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: And that hits home with me too. So I don’t think I could watch it. If I do, I don’t think I could talk about it.
>> Tara Scott: Well, and I think it’s one that like, I’m glad that I watched it on a Sunday morning.
>> Kris Bryant: Right.
>> Tara Scott: I didn’t have anything else planned that day. like one of my mom’s, one of my mom’s sisters did pass from ovarian cancer a couple of years ago. And like, we weren’t close, but seeing kind of this like up close view into this person’s experience. And it was also really interesting to see them talk about how they had experienced depression and suicidality and all that before. And then as soon as they got diagnosed there was this like, I want to live.
>> Kris Bryant: Right?
>> Tara Scott: And so I had started following them. One of my friends recommended, hey, you might want to check out this Instagram account. And it was kind of in this cancer journey. And like, I just remember the post being so beautiful and inspirational and yeah, highly, highly recommend. It’s called Come See Me in the Good Light. It’s really wonderful. But block your day off. Make sure you are in a place where you can take it in because it is worthwhile.
So Kris, what is your official recommendation this week?
>> Kris Bryant: So my official recommendation is a two part docu series, Melissa E. I’m Not Broken. And it centers around the Grammy Award winning rock star and activist penning an original song inspired by letters sent from incarcerated women in her Kansas hometown. It’s not really her hometown. That’s just like the blurb because it’s Topeka and she’s actually from Lawrence and they are about an hour apart from. Okay, like, I don’t even know where to begin with this. Like, there’s a lot of history here that we need to go through to, to understand why she did this. So, let’s start off by saying that Melissa is definitely pro cannabis. it helped her get through? Yeah, of course it helped her get through chemotherapy when she was fighting cancer. M. That was a big thing for her and she’s always been a strong supporter of it. So Kansas is a state where it is fully illegal to have marijuana in your possession. So during this documentary she met with like high power legislative in Kansas people. She met with some lawmakers in Kansas and really she said she had a really good talk. I mean she didn’t say what the outcome was, but I mean she was obviously very supportive of legalizing cannabis in Kansas. I mean it is in Missouri, finally.
>> Tara Scott: Yes.
>> Kris Bryant: You know, and that’s what we were doing when my mom is going through all of her stuff. It was not legal at the time and we were like getting everything we could. My sister’s like, let’s drive to Colorado, let’s go get some gummies. Let’s do stuff like that. And so it took a while before we were able to actually before Missouri passed medicinal marijuana and then it became recreational. So now, I mean, God, we can have drugs and guns all the time.
>> Tara Scott: No, I just think it’s ridiculous. It’s a ridiculous one though. Like, I’m sorry, who is doing crime while on marijuana?
>> Kris Bryant: I don’t know. You don’t move when you’re on marijuana. Right? You don’t like I’m a part of the couch.
>> Tara Scott: Like a, crime against Doritos.
>> Kris Bryant: Chocolate is gone in the house. Too bad. Exactly. So she thought about doing like a concert at this Topeka, correctional facility I think is what it’s called. And she reached out to the jail and shared her ideas and she doesn’t like that there’s so many women in jail for drug possession. So it’s ridiculous. I know. So the reason why she’s so passionate about this is because her son Beckett died from an opioid addiction. M. So. So she’s like, there’s so much going on right there. Like. So she actually started the Melissa Etheridge foundation to find ways to help people overcome addiction with like scientific research and new plant medicine and also psychedelic treatments. Oh wow. Like to help people overcome that whole entire process of being addicted. Because she dealt with it firsthand from like watching her son. He actually got involved in like almost, I think it was like semi professional or Olympic skating or. I’m sorry, skiing.
>> Kris Bryant: He was skiing with a bunch of professionals and broke his ankle and the doctor prescribed for him some like oxycodone or something. So that’s how it started. And he could never get out of that cycle. And it just, I think he ended up, passing from fentanyl. I’m not 100% sure, but I think that’s true. So basically she knows that it’s really difficult to break the cycle. So she goes to this prison to talk to five inmates who are in it because of drug use, addiction and so forth. She has asked them, she asked them to write their stories, write her letters of their life and experiences. And because it’s different like you when you tell the story and you actually write it out, so much more comes to the page and comes forward because you’re telling your story. Yeah. So then she has a sit down meeting with them to get to know them better. Because what she wants to do is put a concert on for them and write a song just for them that’s specific to their journey. And some of their stories are terrible. Like their addictions stemmed from abuse when they were just toddlers. I mean, ah, terrible, you know, and of course everything becomes a cycle. They’re like, I don’t want to feel pain and alcohol and drugs erase or at the very least dull the memories. So, you know, they continue to drink and do drugs and it’s just a cycle because they don’t have the means to deal with grief or whatever their problems are. This one girl. A girl? I’m sorry, this one woman, I think she’s in her 50s. She was talking about how she and her little sister would try to hide from their dad. And the place they would go is this outhouse that wasn’t, really in use, but it was full of spiders and it smelled like roses and kerosene and like, boom. Melissa’s like roses and kerosene. Like that is such a distinctive smell. So she was like talking about this whole thing takes place over like a year. Like she spends several months trying to figure out what the song’s gonna sound like, trying to make their stories into this song so they can relate and understand that, there are people who still care, who want them to succeed, who validate them, who understand what they’re going through. And so that’s what this whole docu series is, you know, she wants to make a difference, treat them like, like people and not just inmates, not a number. And she also wants to give them a fun concert, you know, just to put on just so they can like, I mean, Melissa Athrums concert for, you know, 60 people. Yeah, of course, I’m in, you know.
>> Tara Scott: Of course, yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: So, you know, she tells Them about all the stuff that she’s gone through. she talks about how she got arrested because she was crossing Canada through like North Dakota and you can’t cross the line. Country line. But what am I saying? I don’t even know what I’m trying to say. Thank you. Yeah. The border.
>> Kris Bryant: Even though North Dakota allows drugs and Canada, or you know, weed in Canada allows weed, you still can’t do it. It’s still legal. So, she got arrested. She got arrested for it.
>> Tara Scott: So I wonder if it’s because.
You know what? Let’s not get into how the cannabis industry works.
>> Kris Bryant: Right.
>> Tara Scott: I’m going to guess it’s because it was not a Health Canada approved product.
>> Kris Bryant: Right. What I thought was kind of cool was that I did not know this. The mayor of Leavenworth was in jail for three years.
>> Tara Scott: Really?
>> Kris Bryant: Right. He was in jail when. Yes, when he was a young man. He was jailed for, I think, possession. Yeah. And so now he’s running the city of Leavenworth and she’s friends with him.
>> Tara Scott: Hm.
>> Kris Bryant: I know, it’s. It was fascinating. Yeah, that part was really fascinating. So, you know, she, she. It’s kind of funny because she talks about how her kids are just now or at the time were just starting to listen to her music.
>> Tara Scott: And they’re.
>> Kris Bryant: Like, mom, you were a stalker. And so I’m like, let me tell you something. If you were in the 90s or late 80s and you listened to Melissa Etheridge, you felt that pain, you felt the I Want to Come over song, you felt all of that. And that was just how things were done. It was terrible. We had no way of getting like, now you can Google, you can go on all social media and do a deep dive into people if you want to. But back then you had nothing but a car and you drove by their house.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: And if you knew their number, you would call them to see if they would answer. At least I don’t think I did. But she talks about it just to hear you breathing. I called, you know, I called you just to hear your breathing. So now, yes, it would be considered stalking. Ish. You know, it’s not very good. Like her music didn’t age well, but still, she is, mother Melissa Y. And I’ve loved her forever. And she was one of the first gay musicians that I knew about that was openly, I mean, and it took a while for her to be open, but I was about that time I was coming up when she came out, so. Hm. Fantastic. I just, I, I’ve always loved her music, so of course I was going to watch it. Yeah. So I’m a fan and she grew up right here, like right across state line. So.
>> Tara Scott: Cool.
>> Kris Bryant: So she was really instrumental in helping a lot of queers around my age come out at the time. I mean, she’s done so much and she’s allowed me and others to come out and accept ourselves and you know, kudos to her and she will always be mother Melissa.
>> Kris Bryant: So if you like music and you like Melissa Etheridge and you want to know more about her foundation and what she does, you should watch this. It’s only a two part docu series. It’s only like two hours.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, cool.
>> Kris Bryant: It’s not very long. There’s a lot of information packed in there. And I thought it was really interesting, her take on her son and grieving. So that is something that, like, that’s a tough one. Like that grieving, you know, is different for everybody. And she’s like, it serves no purpose to grieve anymore, you know, and like the whole take on it. Yeah, it was a whole thing. Like even though her son isn’t here in this world, he’s up here in this world. And when she feels sad, she thinks about him being up in this world and being near her and stuff. So the way she deals with her grief that she doesn’t even acknowledge his grief anymore, it’s just very interesting. I’ve never heard that take before.
>> Tara Scott: No.
>> Kris Bryant: So it was also, you know, I mean, everybody is different, you know, and we’ve all had some grief. Especially the older we get, more people we know are, are passing. And yeah, it, it, it hit me differently for sure. So anyway, well, and it’s.
>> Tara Scott: How are you supposed to grieve when it’s your right child?
>> Kris Bryant: I have, I’ve never experienced that. I’ve only lost a parent I’ve lost, not lost a child. I don’t know what that’s like. I can’t imagine. So here’s the thing. I don’t know if I should say this. Feel free to cut it out if you want to, but my whole thing in my life was I never, I never wanted to die before my parents, especially my mom, because I knew it would destroy my mom. I knew that. And when my mother passed, I didn’t. I don’t fear dying anymore.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: So just because I knew that that was, that was gonna like destroy her for sure.
>> Tara Scott: So I think, honestly I think, I think that makes a lot of sense. I mean, when I think about It. For me, it’s mostly about how do I just make sure my kids are old enough? I mean, I don’t. Obviously, I wouldn’t want to devastate my parents, but, like, my kids are 10 and 14, so it’s like, what’s old enough for them now? My health is actually really good. I’m really healthy.
>> Kris Bryant: You’re doing really well. You’re doing great.
>> Tara Scott: But it’s also.
>> Kris Bryant: I don’t know, it’s easy to go.
>> Tara Scott: To those dark places sometimes.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, it is. But, like, even, like. Because I. I’ve always hated to fly, but even I’m like, okay, you know, if there’s turbulence, I don’t like it. But at the same time, like, I’ll have. I have that. A different type of peace, a different type of approach to it. So it is different for me now. Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: Makes sense. Well, that sounds really good.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah. like I said, it’s. It. It’s maybe a total of two. A little over two hours, so. And they break it up into two different parts, and they’re both available right now on Paramount Plus. So it was. It was a docu series made in 2024. So I missed the concert. But I’m also not in jail, so. Hey.
Okay, so that is my official recommendation. Tara, what is your official recommendation?
>> Tara Scott: So I. Pretty excited about this one.
>> Kris Bryant: Same.
>> Tara Scott: First of all, it’s a married couple that wrote it. I think that’s really cool.
>> Kris Bryant: Yes.
>> Tara Scott: But one of them is one of our own from our Sapphic fiction community, a known reviewer. And so it’s, the Milky Way Hotel by Jude Silberfeld Grimaud and their wife. I’m so sorry, my French accent is not good. I’m a terrible French Canadian. But we’re gonna try anyway. Marguerite Grimaud. I don’t think that was a good accent. But listen, you know what is good? This book.
>> Kris Bryant: Yay.
>> Tara Scott: That’s the more important part. It starts from the perspective of Celeste, and she’s let go from her job, and then she gets home and she’s kind of upset about it, and there’s a letter, and she’s being evicted. And it’s just like, what is happening? What am I supposed to do? And then she finds out, all on the same day, that her dad’s aunt, who lives in this, like, teeny, weeny, tiny place in The Alps, like 200 people live there. I looked it up, and it’s small. That’s smaller than a town. I believe it’s a hamlet at that point, when there’s only 200 people. but her, her great aunt left her the Milky Way Hotel in this town in the mountains. And she hasn’t been there since she was a child. There was an incident that happened that just left her very like, I don’t want to go back. Nothing bad happened to her.
>> Kris Bryant: Okay.
>> Tara Scott: She helped save somebody from like from a thing. But when she was 8 and was just like, nope, I’m not going back, I’m not going to do it. But she needs to go check this out. Because it was left to her and her dad. Her parents are in Canada and she’s like, I guess I’m going to the town. So she goes there now when she gets there, she finds out that there’s, you know, maybe someone kind of good looking, maybe someone who has a pretty cool job. So Rose lives there in town and her main job is she is a chocolatier.
>> Kris Bryant: Ah.
>> Tara Scott: she has like a handcrafted chocolate shop there in the town called Mondouille. And she also has a side gig working at the observatory, talking to people about like stars and the planets and galaxies and all this kind of stuff. So like she’s really, really cool and really sweet and it kind of goes like ass over tea kettle for Celeste right away because she’s like, oh, okay. So this woman is like beautiful and smart and I can’t talk when I’m around her. And so Celeste has to make a decision. Does she want to take this inheritance? Because it’s not just the hotel, it’s also her granddad’s home. Like basically like, do you want to move, John, to move to the mountains or do you not? And she doesn’t have a job and isn’t going to have a place to live soon.
>> Kris Bryant: Right.
>> Tara Scott: Paris, I guess. because she rightly decides to, you know, let’s just try it. The universe seems to be telling her something. You know, going from being a paralegal to like now you need to know how to run a hotel. And they keep running into each other in town and it’s just this book, it’s so lovely. And like I said, Jude, I’m so, I’m so excited for them because I’ve been seeing their reviewing for years. I met them at GCLS last year. Jude’s just so freaking cool. And I love that they wrote this book with their wife. And so their wife is already a published author. Her books are in French and so this book, they wrote it in French and English at the same time, which I think is very cool.
>> Kris Bryant: So. But two different Books or in the same book?
>> Tara Scott: I believe it was the same book, but, rather than the same route. Yeah. So rather than writing. And my guess, because it says this, like in. On the blurb on Amazon, so I’m guessing what happened. And I suppose if you happen to listen to this, Jude, and feel inclined to follow up and let us know how this worked, I believe it means that rather than writing the whole thing and then translating it or rewriting it, they were each, like, writing it all at the same time.
>> Kris Bryant: So there’s no French in this. It’s all English.
>> Tara Scott: No. Unless it’s little. Like.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, little catch things like Jettem and things like that.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, not even that. Like, little, you know, like little French phrases that make their way over to English sometimes, right?
>> Kris Bryant: Yes.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, then it might. But no, it’s not. Although I am. My. My French is very, very bad. But I’m still tempted to buy it in French and see how much I could follow now that I know what happens.
So this is very much like a city mouse, country mouse story. But also I think why this worked so well, especially for me, because I’ve read stories like that before and they’re fine. But what I loved about this one was it was like the whole town was so welcoming. So it wasn’t really, to me, it didn’t read as a fish out of water story as much as a coming home when you didn’t know that you had a home there. Ah.
>> Kris Bryant: yeah, I like that.
>> Tara Scott: Right? Like, the people, they remember how she helped that time when she was a kid. They have these really fond memories of her. Her great aunt, I guess, you know, continue to talk about her. The. I will say for the romance itself, this is a slow burn. Like. No, a for real slow burn. Like a slow burn. And in fact, there are. There. There are just certain sections where they don’t spend that much time together on the page because Celeste has to go back and forth between Molly and Paris because she has to, like, close off her life. Like, she goes to check out the hotel and then she decides to, like, try it out for a little while and it’s like, okay, I gotta get, like, I gotta pack up all my stuff. And so they do spend, like, they spend quite a bit of time apart. But I will say that when they get together, the thing that I love, like, it’s on. It is on when they get together and it works. The other thing that’s really fun is there’s like, as can happen in a slow burn. Neither of them is really sure. If the other one is like. Like, are they into me? Are they even available? Like, all this and their friends are all like.
>> Kris Bryant: Get it together.
>> Tara Scott: Like, you two need to be together. Yes. So it’s one of those. Like, everybody else sees it even before they fully understand it or see it. I really liked also that the location itself, like, Molly, feels like a character. I love stories where it just feels like its own. You can. You can see it. You feel like you’re there. You can imagine the layout of the town. And I think it does a really good job of. In this, like, vivid detail. And, you know, they go snowshoeing out in the area around them. Like, it’s just. Kris, this book is really, really, really cute.
>> Kris Bryant: it sounds like it.
>> Tara Scott: Like, it’s really cute. And also, do you like cheese? Yes. Do you like chocolate?
>> Kris Bryant: I just ate some before the podcast.
>> Tara Scott: I have great news for you about this book then. Because if you like cheese or chocolate or wine or any of these things. Oh, man. This is one of those books where you want to have snacks close by, because it is going to make you want to have snacks. Yummy. It did it for me. And then finally, I think we might see more books set in this world. I certainly hope so. It was set up in such a way that there are people who could maybe find partners. It’s just. It’s such an inviting, welcoming place, and it takes place over the holidays. And so, like, it’s. I love that it was set in winter so we could get that whole, like, full holiday vibe.
>> Kris Bryant: Right.
>> Tara Scott: I’m kind of hoping we get a summer book here, too. Like, I would love to see this location in all the seasons, so that’s.
>> Kris Bryant: Such a good idea. The Four Seasons. I know.
>> Tara Scott: I hope. I hope they run with it. I. I think that would be really fun. So it’s called the Milky Way Hotel. I definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a fun Christmas set romance this year. Congrats. M. Jude, congratulations. So happy for you. So fun. And I mean, to your wife as well. This is so cool that you do this together. That’s all for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. If you think somebody should watch or listen to whatever we were talking about today, please make sure to send it to them or tell them to check it out. if you want to support us, we have a link in our show Notes to our KO Fi.
>> Kris Bryant: Or if you want to connect with us on your favorite social media sites, we have links in the show notes there as well. Goodbye, everyone. Goodbye.