This week on the podcast, Patrick and Tracy welcome Catriona Silvey, author of VERVAIN HOLLOW.
About VERVAIN HOLLOW: Two years ago, Laura was in a cult. But when the sprawling house in the hollow burned down with Vervain, their strikingly handsome and magnetic leader, trapped inside, Laura had nowhere to go but home. Brokenhearted, she finds herself longing for their lost leader—despite the trauma of that strange and terrifying year, she knows the power he promised her was real. But when her estranged friend, Aliyah, calls to tell her that Daniel, one of the other acolytes, has been lured back to the hollow by a message from Vervain, Laura only hears one thing: He’s still there. As Laura and Aliyah venture back to the house of their nightmares to find the truth, Laura soon realizes that not everything she remembers can be trusted—and that the darkness will do anything to get her back.
About Catriona Silvey: Catriona Silvey was born in Glasgow and grew up in Scotland and England. After collecting an unreasonable number of degrees from various universities in the UK and the US, she moved to Edinburgh where she lives with her husband and children. She is the author of Meet Me in Another Life (2021), Love and Other Paradoxes (2025), and Vervain Hollow (2026).
This week’s picks:
- Catriona: There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster?Who Profits and Who Pays the Price by Jessie Singer
- Catriona: Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)
- Tracy: Spider-Noir (Prime)
- Patrick: Solo Leveling (Crunchyroll)
Links:
- Catriona’s Newsletter
- Tracy Townsend on BluSky
- Patrick Hester on Instagram
- The Functional Nerds Patreon Page
© 2026 Patrick Hester
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