Weekly Q&A:
Q: How do you know if something is worth writing about?
A: I love this question. The answer depends a bit on the medium (for instance, if I’m writing a freelance article, I’ll need to think about whether the subject is timely enough, or the right tonal fit for the target publication, whereas if I’m choosing a book topic, it will need to be bigger and more evergreen). But overall, the process of pursuing a topic starts with tapping into some intuitive question or curiosity, and then asking myself the following three question: Why does this subject need to be memorialized in a piece of writing (as opposed to, say, a podcast, or something less formal, like a personal journal entry or newsletter post)? Then, why am I the right person to write about this (in other words, what about my expertise and writing style makes me uniquely qualified to write this)? And last, why does this story need to be told right now (aka, why is this subject matter urgent and important)? If I can come up with some semblance of a cogent answer to each of these questions, and I feel passionate about the subject, then I know for sure it’s worth pursuing!
Use this discount code to get 10% tickets to my Brooklyn event!! CULTMAGIC at checkout
New York residents! My book tour stop at The Strand is sold out, but I’m doing an incredibly magical event the very next day in Brooklyn feat. drag burlesque, “overthinker” merch, a special guest appearance by the hosts of the Petty Crimes podcast, and more. Your ticket include a copy of my new book, and I just learned there’s a discount code!! Apply CULTMAGIC at checkout for 10% off :)
Publisher’s Weekly interviewed my book team about how The Age of Magical Overthinking came to be.
While I do wonder why trade magazines’ websites always look like they haven’t been redesigned since 2003 lol, I am legitimately honored that PW profiled The Age of Magical Overthinking for their “End Notes” column, interviewing me, my literary agent, book cover designer, and more about the process :)
This week’s Sounds Like A Cult episode is a little dark (in a good way).
It's a cult of one dynamic almost too frightful for this show. When your very own caregiver poisons, manipulates, exploits, and lies to you for personal gain... it's the cult of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, a nightmare phenomenon made internationally famous by the notorious (iconic?) Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a victim of child medical abuse, who played a role in the murder of her cult leader of one, aka, her very own mother. To explore the many culty angles of this week's unique subject, I’m joined by novelist and investigative podcaster Andrea Dunlop, whose show Nobody Should Believe Me was inspired by her very close personal connection to the "cult" of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. The episode drops at 2am PST/5am EST—I’m fascinated to know if you agree with the verdict!
The Age of Magical Overthinking is an April 2024 Indie Next pick!
It basically means that indie booksellers around the country recommend the book 🥹 The cool thing is that nonfiction books usually aren’t picked! So I feel extra excited and humbled. My publisher sent me a doc full of booksellers’ endorsements for why they picked it, and I got choked up. One of my favorites came from Mallory, a bookseller at Bookpeople in Austin, who said, “Montell thrives when she writes about her own life & experiences, which is why this book is perfect. Exploring our current culture of overthinking, and the language surrounding it, these essays are fascinating and enlightening. Peppered with anecdotes and self-evaluation, this is the book Montell was meant to write.”
A weekly roundup of books, podcasts, TV shows, tchotchkes, and anything else I’m currently “cult following.”
TV: LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM
I’ve seen every season of both the Aussie and USA versions of this show at least twice, including the season that just dropped the other week. This show brings me so much joy and solace, it’s actually hard for me to understand the extent of my own emotional reaction to it. Anyone else???
BOOK: ONE IN A MILLENNIAL
My buddy, the absolutely GENIUS Kate Kennedy, released her first essay collection this year, and it became an INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!!! I am so fucking proud to know this exceedingly impressive gal, whom you might recognize as the host of the Be There In Five podcast (she also guested on the first season of Sounds Like A Cult for our “cult of Tony Robbins” episode). I was honored to blurb the book, and it actually made it onto the cover! This is what I said, and I mean every work: “Deliciously nostalgic and brain-tinglingly astute. Kate Kennedy has a Gilmore Girls-snappy voice, Taylor Swift-style emotional relatability, and a witty wisdom all her own. Thanks to this book, I’m actually proud to be in my millennial cringe era.”
SHORT READ: IS THE MEDIA PREPARED FOR AN EXTINCTION-LEVEL EVENT?
A fascinating, if existentially threatening, analysis of the mass media industry’s failure to keep up with the lightning-fast pace of technological change/consumer behavior… and what that could mean for both journalists and broader society. Looks like The New York Times, which is shrewdly no longer just a newspaper but a whole “lifestyle brand,” might end up the last one standing. I found the following point especially interesting: “The decline of local news was, many theorized, part of the reason that Trump, with his misinformation-strewn campaign, could gain purchase to begin with. (Some evidence suggests that, as consumers rely on national outlets, their political polarization increases.)” This piece was written by Clare Malone for The New Yorker.
COFFEE: OBET + DEL COFFEE BEANS
This is Casey’s and my favorite coffee shop in LA, and now they make their own line of beans! If you enjoy sipping specialty coffee and supporting Black-owned businesses, you won’t find a better brand to patronize.