With Tara tied up in theater chaos and no guest this week, AJ pulls a lost gem out of the Patreon vault: a previously unposted Briefing Room discussion that turned into a passionate, fascinating conversation about AI, art, fandom, and who we’re really mad at when technology changes the creative landscape.

AJ and Tara dig into the backlash against AI-generated images, including the controversy around Turn the Page Bookstore hopping on a ChatGPT trend and getting piled on for it. From fanfiction to Canva to 3D character renders to AI-generated romance novels flooding Amazon, this episode asks the big question: are people getting mad at the wrong people?

It’s a lively, opinionated, and very real discussion about creativity, adaptation, ethics, and the future of art in an AI world. And because this is still Podcast in Death, there’s also a fun little detour into Tara’s latest theater adventures, including Pride and Prejudice, too many lines, and the unexpected joys of playing Mrs. Bennet.

Also in this episode:
AJ teases next week’s 300th episode celebration, featuring favorite moments from the last 100 episodes, plus some clips listeners have never heard before.

Come for the AI debate, stay for the theater talk, and get ready for a big milestone next week.

AJ’s flying solo this week (Tara’s off doing theater heroics), but Listener Lisa Davis jumps in for a fun deep-dive that starts as transportation moments in the In Death series… and gleefully turns into a full-on fandom hangout.

We talk all the best cars/jet copters/elevators/glides scenes—the kind where characters are trapped together long enough for feelings, snark, and iconic dialogue to happen. Highlights include those quiet Eve/Roarke “soft moment in transit” scenes, plus elevator energy (because Eve + forced social interaction = comedy).

Then: the important stuff. Like In Death tech we want in real life, especially the legendary drying tube (wet towels? absolutely not). Also: Lisa’s fave books (Treachery in Death gets major love), fave non-Eve/Roarke character picks, and rapid-fire nonsense including Monopoly piece loyalty and the eternal question: is a hot dog a sandwich?

We’re also officially on the road to Episode 300, and AJ wants to do a Transportation Moments Part 2—so send your favorite scenes!

Email: show@podcastindeath.com
Voicemail/Text: (205) 476-2753 (“205-4-ROARKE”)

AJ and Tara do something wildly on-brand: they review the reviews of Connections in Death… and discover the internet has exactly two settings: “ghostwriter conspiracy” and “I am personally offended that other people enjoyed a book.”

If you’ve ever read a one-star rant and thought, “This person needs to log off and drink some water,” congratulations—this episode is your support group.

In this episode:

• The Great “Nora Didn’t Write This” Debate, featuring: people saying it with their whole chest (and zero proof).

• Tara’s escalating rage at reviews that treat opinions like courtroom evidence.

• A first-time reader who jumps into a long-running series and then complains it feels like… a long-running series.

• The “made-up slang” meltdown (go zoner, flop, scratch, link… aka: welcome to the future, bestie).

• AJ pulls out ChatGPT-style analysis to compare writing voice and basically says, “Sit down, Brenda.”

• Geography & realism arguments about NYC that ignore the whole “future + post-war world” part. Minor detail!

• The Exclamation Point Apocalypse: one reviewer burns through a lifetime supply of !!!!!!!

• Extremely specific outrage over a single phrase: “banged Roarke like a hammer” (we are not okay).

• A brief detour into why criminals are… not masterminds (true crime brain rot included).

• Unexpected bonding over "The Cult of Nora": if you must join a cult, at least pick one with cozy bookstores and baked goods.

Vibe check: hilarious, ranty, and deeply cathartic—like reading Goodreads with your funniest friend who will absolutely fight strangers in the comments (respectfully…-ish).

🎧 Listen if you love: bookish chaos, character loyalty, hot takes, and AJ & Tara being your unfiltered inner monologue.

(And yes… AJ did write a review. Can you spot it?)