Bonus Content Sample - MORE AMA!

Summary

Reading Glasses Podcast Summary: Bonus Content Sample - MORE AMA! Release Date: March 19, 2025

In this special bonus episode of Reading Glasses, hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara delve deeper into their personal lives and creative journeys through an extended Ask Me Anything (AMA) session. Celebrating their 400th episode milestone with a whimsical nod to immortality, the duo engages with their most dedicated listeners, answering a series of thoughtful and revealing questions. This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and personal anecdotes shared during the episode.

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Introduction to the Bonus AMA

Brea Grant kicks off the episode by explaining the purpose of the AMA session, emphasizing that this content is exclusive to Maximum Fun members. She highlights their current fundraising drive and the goal to launch a Discord community, fostering closer interaction with their audience.

Brea Grant [00:00]: “If you are a true Glasser down to your bones, then maybe you want to hear more about me and Mallory, where we answer all sorts of questions for you.”

Mallory O’Meara introduces the context of the AMA, mentioning that they received an overwhelming number of questions (around 50) and have selected a subset of them for this session.

Mallory O’Meara [02:17]: “We got a ton of questions. I think we got 50 questions in total. We only did about 20 or something in the episode.”

Reflecting on Creative Journeys

The first question posed by Erica invites Brea and Mallory to share advice they would give to their younger selves regarding their creative paths.

Mallory's Insight on Authenticity

Mallory emphasizes the importance of staying true to one's unique creative vision, even when facing external pressures to conform.

Mallory O’Meara [03:14]: “The unique way that you are and the unique way that you make things is your greatest asset because no one else can do that.”

She recounts her experience with her book "Lady from the Black Lagoon", highlighting the challenges she faced in maintaining a memoir component despite editorial pressure to simplify it into a straightforward biography.

Mallory O’Meara [03:27]: “I stand by the way that I wrote that book as half memoir and now it's kind of like a buzzy, cool way to do memoirs.”

Brea's Journey in the Film Industry

Brea shares her struggle with industry expectations and her eventual embrace of authentic artistic expression. She reflects on the discouragement she faced when attempting to write, particularly as an actress, and how she found fulfillment in creating films with friends rather than adhering to traditional industry norms.

Brea Grant [05:21]: “I actually enjoy making stuff. Like, I actually enjoy the artistic aspect of things.”

Managing Professional Pressures

The next question from Beth D. explores advice that has significantly impacted Mallory’s professional life.

Mallory's Lesson on Email Management

Mallory recounts a piece of advice from Brea that transformed her approach to managing emails, reducing her anxiety and improving her mental health.

Mallory O’Meara [07:44]: “It was like, what's gonna happen if I don't answer this email in five minutes? Nothing. It's fine.”

Mallory O’Meara [08:15]: “It was just a little thing that was meant as a joke, but it really helped my mental health.”

Personal Preferences and Literary Affections

A whimsical question from Jess D. asks which book the hosts would like to date, blending personal tastes with literary affection.

Mallory's Heart for "The Last Werewolf"

Mallory expresses her admiration for Glenn Duncan’s "The Last Werewolf", praising its protagonist and the book's aesthetic appeal.

Mallory O’Meara [09:34]: “I love the way that he talks. Like, I love his viewpoint. That's one of the reasons why I love the book so much.”

She also shares a poignant personal connection, relating the book to a close friend who passed away, underscoring the emotional significance the book holds for her.

Conclusion and Community Engagement

While Brea briefly mentions her own answer to the dating-a-book question, she redirects listeners to become Maximum Fun members to access the full spectrum of responses and additional bonus content.

Brea Grant [10:34]: “You can get that information by going to maximumfun.org join and joining for as little as $5 a month to get all of the bonus content from this episode and all of our other episodes.”

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Key Takeaways:

• Authenticity in Creativity: Both hosts emphasize the importance of staying true to one's unique creative vision despite external pressures to conform.

• Mental Health Management: Practical advice, even in jest, can have profound impacts on managing professional stress and anxiety.

• Personal Connections to Literature: Books often hold deep personal significance, influencing not just professional choices but also emotional well-being.

• Community Building: The hosts actively seek to strengthen their community through platforms like Discord, enhancing listener engagement and support.

This bonus AMA episode offers a heartfelt glimpse into the personal lives and creative philosophies of Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara, enriching the Reading Glasses community with deeper connections and shared stories.

Transcript

[Brea Grant]

Hey there, Glassers, it's Brea. We wanted to drop some of our BOCO into the main feed, so in case you're not a Maximum Fun member, it's Maximum Fun Drive right now. Just so you know, if you're not a Maximum Fun member, you'll know what you're missing. So this year, what we decided to do for Reading Glasses is do an additional AMA with more personal questions, which we don't really usually get into. So if you are a true Glasser down to your bones, then maybe you want to hear more about me and Mallory, where we answer all sorts of questions for you. So I'm going to give you a little sample here, and if you want to hear the rest of it, you have to join Maximum Fun. Go to maximumfun.org join to get this bonus content. And hey, also to help us reach our goals. In case you don't know, Maximum Fun, we run a fun drive every year. Mallory and I always set our own goals. One thing we really want to do is start a Discord. And as of this recording, we are 30 members away from starting a discord, because some people like Discord better than Slack. And also, um, the problem with their slacks is it's almost full. So you're going. If you want to join, you want to get in on all these Glasser conversations, help us out and. And join, because you'll help us reach that discord goal. Other goals are to have another readathon to do more of our anticipated book episodes. We have all sorts of goals, including some very funny stretch goals. So help us get there. Go to maximfun.org join today and enjoy this little teaser of our AMA bonus episode.

[Mallory Almarrow]

You're listening to Reading Glasses, a show about book culture and literary life designed to help you read better. I'm author and book devourer Mallory Almarrow.

[Bria Grant]

And I'm Bria Grant, filmmaker and reader. And hey, this is our. It's a little bit of Boko. We just did our 400th anniversary. 400th anniversary. We're vampires.

[Mallory Almarrow]

We're Baba Yaga. We've been doing this podcast for centuries.

[Bria Grant]

Our 400th episode anniversary. And when we did it, we did an ama. Go back and listen to that episode if you haven't. And we did all the reading glasses related questions, but we had some other questions and we thought, hey, that would be fun for Maximum Fun. So we thought we'd sit here and answer some more AMAs. And also, I don't know what they are. So this is going to be A real surprise episode for me.

[Mallory Almarrow]

But we got a ton. So we got a ton of questions. I think we got 50 questions in total. We only did about 20 or something in the episode. So we're like, all right, well, we'll save. Save the rest of them for some. For some. Boco. We want to thank. If you were. This is your first Max Fun Drive. You just joined. Thank you so much. You've been around for a while. We fucking love you.

[Bria Grant]

We do. We really do. It means a lot to us. And, you know, we know we're annoying this time of year, but this is the time of the year that we are. We get to be annoying.

[Mallory Almarrow]

We get to be annoying because we pay our bills.

[Bria Grant]

It is, and it means a lot. We love doing stuff for maximum fun as much as we bitch. We like doing maximum fun Drive. It's fun. It's how we get to get to know you more. It's how we get to connect with you more.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Fun stuff.

[Bria Grant]

And it's how we're going to tell you more of our secrets.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Ready?

[Mallory Almarrow]

Yeah. Ready to reveal some secrets?

[Bria Grant]

Ready?

[Mallory Almarrow]

All right, first one. So Erica says if there was one piece of advice about your creative journeys and writing, filmmaking, or podcasting that you could give to your younger self, what would it be and why?

[Bria Grant]

Oh, my God. Do you have an answer?

[Mallory Almarrow]

Yeah, I think piece of advice about your creative journeys. Something that I think is really important, that it took me. Took me a whole Writing a whole book to learn, is that you always have an. Especially when you're starting out, you have an idea of the way that you're supposed to do things.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Like, this is something I always talk about with lady from the Black Lagoon. So we had a really hard time selling lady from the Black Lagoon because nobody wanted the way that. Nobody wanted the book the way that I wrote it. They wanted it just to be a straightforward biography. They did not want the memoir part of it at all. And I feel very happy that I held out because I really felt strongly that it should be in there. But I did waver quite a bit. Like, if it had gone on a few more months, I might have, like, caved in and been like, fine. Because we got a ton of interest from editors, and they were all like, if she cuts this part out, we will buy it. And I lucked out. And my editor, who I still work with almost a decade later, Peter Joseph at Hanover Square Press, was wanted the book the way that it was, and it ended up being really successful because of that. And people love that. Like, I mean, I still got a lot of reviews that were like, I don't like this part of it. It should have just been a biography. But to this day I stand by the way that I wrote that book as half memoir and now it's kind of like a buzzy, cool way to do memoirs.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory Almarrow]

So I, again, when you. I would go back to younger Mallory and be like, the weird way that you do things is you are your best asset. Nobody else can do things the way that you do. And I think when you start out, you. I mean, we all do. We look to other successful people to emulate them and follow their path. But the unique way that you are and the unique way that you make things is your greatest asset because no one else can do that.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's really good. I mean, I would say, actually, weirdly, something somewhat similar. When I first started in the film industry, I started as an actor and I spent a lot of time trying to fix myself into a box of like, what actor looks like? What does actor look like? Like, even when I was already on a show, I would, you know, end up in these situations where I was like, I guess this is what I do as an actor. Like, but because I have discovered it's. For me, it's always less about the product or what, even what people think about it, which I know is, you know, controversial. But for me it was like, I actually enjoy making stuff. Like, I actually enjoy the artistic aspect of things.

[Brea Grant]

And.

[Bria Grant]

And I wish I would have a started writing sooner or I did start writing, but I didn't show people for really long.

[Mallory Almarrow]

You are such a good writer.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, thanks.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Like, I've never read a Bria Grant script that is anything less than awesome.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, thanks. And. But I think that was really discouraged, especially like when I first started acting, which was like the early, like, what do you call arts, the early aughts, the mid aughts. Actors were not writing as much and I had a team that had discouraged me from doing that. I just felt like it was like, do acting. You are a young. You are a young woman. Why don't you just act? I think that. And then I think also just the same thing that you said is that, like, I kept thinking if I just did the things the way the industry wanted me to do things, it would work out better. Like, it was like, if you just get a movie through, like this proper connection way as a director, you go, you do everything this proper way. Whereas I actually find that, like, I. What I really like doing is making movies with My friends.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Yep.

[Bria Grant]

You know, like, that. Yeah. It's, like, maybe less lucrative and. But. But no one is coming to save you. No one is going to give you this big thing. And, like, what I really like doing is. Is making the thing. That's what I really like doing. So whatever.

[Mallory Almarrow]

The.

[Bria Grant]

All the other stuff, to me kind of feels like bullshit, but I think I spent a lot of time being like, well, this is the way you do this industry. And the industry has changed so much since I started. And, like, thank God. Like, I think in a. In a much better way.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory Almarrow]

And so piggybacking on that, Beth D. Says, what was a piece of advice that you got that worked for you and stuck with you and why?

[Bria Grant]

Mindy Kaling has this book called why Not Me and I. That phrase, like, kind of really stuck in my head because obviously, like, I moved to la, like, literally in my car, like, it's a very cliche story. In my car with my dog, after a breakup with, like, nowhere, into a back house I had never seen, and was like, I'm just going to do it. I'm just going to move. And the question kind of was like, well, why do you think you can come out here and do this? And Mindy Kaling was like, well, why not me? Like, and that sort of was really stuck with me, was like, why not me? Like, someone gets to do it. Like, someone gets to write movies, someone gets to direct movies, someone gets to be in the movies. Like, why not me versus somebody else? Like, yeah, maybe I'm probably not as talented. I'm sure. Like, I. At the end of the day, there's people who are more talented than me, better looking than me, have more connections than me, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't be me.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

So why not me? Like, thank you, Minnie Kaling. What about you?

[Mallory Almarrow]

Mine's actually from someone named Bria Grant.

[Bria Grant]

Oh.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Which is. I don't think you meant it as advice, but it was a while ago. You were just like, mallory, you don't have to answer an email the second you get it. And it's like. And it sounds.

[Bria Grant]

You actually never have to answer it if you want real advice.

[Mallory Almarrow]

And it sounds so silly, but, like, it was one of those things that, like, dropped into my brain like a stone because I'm the kind of person, like, I dropped out of high school, I dropped out of college. Like, everything that I have done in. In the. In the creative industry, I've pulled straight out of my own ass. And. But because of that I feel like, I still feel like it's going to be taken away from me at any point.

[Bria Grant]

Right, right, right. You have to prove that you belong there.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Yes. So even though, like, I am a bestselling, award winning author, like, still I'll get an email from my public and be like, if I don't answer her in 15 minutes, she's going to hate me. And like, I. And it took you saying that, like it was, it like changed everything in my brain where I finally was like, what's gonna happen if I don't answer this email in five minutes? Nothing. It's fine. And it like that.

[Bria Grant]

In fact, people will just send you a follow up if you don't answer and they really need an answer.

[Mallory Almarrow]

And like, so it was just like a little thing that meant, was meant as a joke, but it really, like, helped my mental health.

[Bria Grant]

That's good.

[Mallory Almarrow]

I'm glad.

[Bria Grant]

Good for you.

[Mallory Almarrow]

I mean, you know, like, I am too. And it's. I am too. Or people don't, like, you know this better than anybody else, but I am too organized to the point where, like, I am too rigid about things.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory Almarrow]

And it's not a good thing.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory Almarrow]

And it's, it's good to push back on that. And now I'm like, oh, okay. Like, now I'm at the point where I can be like, oh, I have an email from my editor. I'm running errands right now. I can go. I'll look at that later. As before, I would be like, I have to sit in the parking lot and answer emails right now.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's a. I mean, at that point, it's almost like an anxiety disorder.

[Mallory Almarrow]

Yeah. So. But it's, it's, it's really helped me. So thank you.

[Bria Grant]

No problem.

[Mallory Almarrow]

The next one is by Jess D. Who says, inspired by Mallory's recent frustrations with the dating pool, if you could date a certain book, which one and why?

[Bria Grant]

Go ahead.

[Mallory Almarrow]

I would date the Last Werewolf by Glenn Duncan. Oh, cute. If you listen to the show for a long time, you know that it's one of my favorite books. It's my favorite werewolf book, which is saying a lot. But I. Besides the fact that it's a very sexy werewolf protagonist, you know, I love a hairy man. If you listen to Reading Smut, you know, I, I love a hairy guy, but it's, I love the way that he talks. Like, I love his viewpoint. That's one of the reasons why I love the book so much. It's also like, it's become a really important book because you know, my, my very close friend that died last year. It was one of. I made him read it and it was one of our favorite books, but we both fell in love and I wanted him to read it because of this protagonist. And I love this protagonist so much. I just love. He has this like very sort of nihilistic view in the world. But like in a good way. It's just, it's hard to describe if you haven't read it. But yeah, and it's like, it's also a sexy book. Like the, it's got like a so blue it's almost black slip cover and the, it's got burgundy spreadges sprayed edges. It's just a gorgeous book.

[Brea Grant]

So do you want to know what I said? Glassers at Home. Which book do I want to date? Hey, you can get that information by going to maxmonthon.org join and joining for as little as $5 a month to get all of the bonus content from this episode and all of our other episodes. And also reading smut if you're checking that one out. We covered Vera Valentine's squeak. We did an entire book club episode. So check it out. MaximumFun.org join thanks for sticking with us. Thanks for being a part. If you're just listening to this and.

[Bria Grant]

You'Re like, I've already joined a long time ago.

[Brea Grant]

Thank you so much. We really appreciate it. We couldn't do it without you. So check it out. Oh, and join us tomorrow night live on Instagram 6pm PST. We're gonna be testing out some snacks, seeing what snacks leave bookcrumbs trails on our I'll call them bookcrumbs crumbs on our books. And on Friday we're doing more book recommendations for new members. So if you are considering it, you're. You're on the fence about it. Hey, go join. We'll do, we'll do a book recommendation for you. A personalized book recommendation. You just have to send your receipt to reading glasses podcastmail.com Thanks.