With the recent rerelease of the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award-winning Night of the Mannequins, I sat down to chat with Stephen Graham Jones once again. I'm not shy about admitting that Stephen is the reason I started reading prose again, because I felt like I could really hear the voices of his narrators. It made me fall in love with reading in ways I hadn't felt since childhood. We get into his unique voice in his work, which makes it sing in a different way than anything else.

But with that unique voice, we also spend a lot of the conversation talking about the power of audiobooks and how his in particular always has the tone perfect for the Texas air that lingers in the text. Texas is also a hot topic of conversation and, in itself, a character in many of Stephen Graham Jones' novels. There are also comparisons made between the leads of Night of the Mannequins and I Was a Teenage Slasher, with tinges of unreliability in the narrators.

We also get into the power of the novella and how Tor Nightfire has been a major factor in making the horror novella front and center.

The novella is available wherever you buy books now!

About Night of the Mannequins

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones, comes a slasher story where a teen prank goes very wrong and all hell breaks loose in a small town. Winner of both the 2020 Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Awards!

We thought we'd play a fun prank on her, and now most of us are dead.

As summer winds down and his friends are growing up, Sawyer has a plan for one last prank to spook his buddy working at a nearby movie theater. Smuggling in a mannequin and seating it in the middle row is just harmless fun - until it wakes up, walks out, and starts killing. Luckily, Sawyer devises a plan to save as many people as possible. But in order to be the hero, sometimes you have to become a monster first. NIGHT OF THE MANNEQUINS asks "questions about the nature of change and friendship" (NYT) between its blood-spattered pages that will leave readers reeling.

You read that title right, GateCrashers does sports again! Come join Patrick, Dan, and newcomer Kate McGowan as they dive into the Olympic Games, just in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy! The Olympics are probably the most prestigious sporting event, uniting the world every 4 years for international competition across a wide variety of sports.

Patrick, Dan, and Kate talk about the history of the Olympics and their personal relationships with the Games (like how Patrick watches every single medal event at each Olympics!) before diving into what to expect at this year's Winter Games. Patrick eagerly talks about the absolutely wild new sport of Ski Mountaineering, and Dan talks about his love of all things Curling. Patrick and Kate give an overview of the broader Olympic program, including sore spots like the lack of women's Nordic Combined and the absence of most Russian and Belarusian athletes. They also talk about what to expect at this year's Olympic ice hockey tournament, with the return of NHL players for the first time since 2014 (and some very direct comments on how, if you want to support queer people in ice hockey after watching Heated Rivalry, women's ice hockey might be for you).

Kate then gives us a deep dive into the marquee event of any Winter Olympic Games: the Figure Skating program. She gives us an overview of the differences in the figure skating events (which include men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dancing), as well as a very brief explanation of different jumps that constitute the sport, including the recently unbanned backflip. Patrick and Kate then preview who the medal contenders are this year, including who is representing Team USA. They also teach Dan about the unprecedented athletic feat that is Ilia Malinin and his quadruple axle.

We hope that you enjoy this episode and join us for 19 days of incredible international sports at the 2026 Winter Olympics!

Yo Gabba Gabba has always had a special place in my heart. I watched the series with my sister and fell in love with Brobee, the green monster. The show featured many musicians I loved while still being whimsical and fun. It also introduced me to one of my favorite bands, The Aquabats. So getting the chance to interview the co-creators of the original and the new series, Yo Gabba Gabbaland, was an honor. I spoke with them about their philosophy for creating children's entertainment, what guides their musical guests, and the staying power of monsters. The show's second season premieres on January 30th on Apple TV, and the first season is streaming now! Be sure to check it out after listening to or watching our interview!

ABOUT "YO GABBA GABBALAND!" SEASON TWO:

Inspired by the original "Yo Gabba Gabba!," the vibrant new ten-episode season is led by rising star Kamryn Smith as Kammy Kam and features the original performers: Brobee (Amos Watene), Foofa (Emma Penrose), Muno (Adam Deibert), Toodee (Erin Pearce) and Plex (Christian Jacobs). Season two brings this group together with a new roster of musical guests to create dynamic performances and original songs to help kids and families uncover life lessons through music, movement and joyful discovery.

Created by Emmy Award-nominated Scott Schultz and Christian Jacobs (co-creators of "Yo Gabba Gabba!"), "Yo Gabba GabbaLand" is produced in partnership and collaboration with WildBrain and Yo Gabba Gabba, LLC, co-owners of the brand. Schultz and Jacobs also serve as executive producers for Yo Gabba Gabba LLC, alongside Stephanie Betts and Josh Scherba for WildBrain. Season one of "Yo Gabba GabbaLand!" was recently nominated for a 2026 Children's & Family Emmy Award.

The 'Super Music Friends' and special guests feature an all-star mix of acclaimed and Grammy winning artists including Santigold, Ziggy Marley, Sharon Van Etten, Sleigh Bells, Yola, Still Woozy, Silversun Pickups, Chicano Batman, The Aquabats! and Hemlocke Springs. Viewers will also hear fresh jingles from Freedom Fry, Turnpike Troubadours, Ginger Root, CHVRCHES, King Tuff, Mates of State, Hatchie, Sylvan Esso and Chai. In addition, the new season features returning fan favorites and new guest stars including Billy Eichner ("Bros"), Tiffany Haddish ("Girls Trip"), David Arquette ("Scream"), Brendan Hunt ("Ted Lasso"), Jaime Camil ("Jane the Virgin") and more.