<description>&lt;p&gt;Netflix's summer blockbuster series &lt;em&gt;The Hunting Wives&lt;/em&gt; has captivated audiences on screen but its roots are on the page.  May Cobb, bestselling author of sultry suspense novels including &lt;em&gt;The Hunting Wives, A Likeable Woman &lt;/em&gt;and&lt;em&gt; The Hollywood Assistant, &lt;/em&gt;joins us to talk about writing sexy, complicated, and morally questionable women - whether we like them, or not.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Description highlights:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;The Netflix adaptation of &lt;em&gt;The Hunting Wives&lt;/em&gt; and what it's like to see her book come to life on screen.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Voyeurism, blurred friendships, and bicuriosity as recurring themes in Cobb's work.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;The controversy around "unlikeable women" in fiction and why Cobb insists on writing flawed, messy heroines.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Why infidelity remains one of romance's biggest taboos—and how Cobb resisted editorial pressure to "justify" her characters' choices.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Reflections on East Texas, obsession, and the intoxicating danger of "bad for you" relationships.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Alongside the interview, listeners hear a dramatic reading from &lt;em&gt;The Hunting Wives&lt;/em&gt;, a playful performance experiment with narrator &lt;strong&gt;Gideon Frost&lt;/strong&gt;, and a poignant &lt;strong&gt;Dear Allie&lt;/strong&gt; listener letter about reckless love and lasting devotion.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Notable Quotes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;em&gt;"I will die on the hill of defending my unlikeable female characters and their messy decisions—because we're all messy."&lt;/em&gt; — May Cobb&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;em&gt;"Sometimes the relationships that light you on fire, even if they burn, are the ones that help you know yourself better."&lt;/em&gt; — Allie Martina&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;em&gt;"We all understand that magnetic draw—that chemistry you can't explain."&lt;/em&gt; — Allie Martina&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Books &amp; Links Mentioned&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="p4"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;📚&lt;/span&gt; &lt;strong&gt;By May Cobb&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Hunting Wives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/46cmuWO"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Kindle&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href= "https://amzn.to/4n6JVXi"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt;Audiobook&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/41sb8eO"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Print&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Likeable Woman&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/4fYzKl8"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Kindle&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href= "https://amzn.to/4g9G4qg"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt;Audiobook&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/3HB5xfv"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Print&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My Summer Darlings&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/4oZTM2T"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Kindle&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href= "https://amzn.to/3UTvsBV"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt;Audiobook&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/4lUerTo"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Print&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Big Woods&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/4g0NQmf"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Audiobook&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p4"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;🔖&lt;/span&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Recommended by May&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Till Death Do Us Part&lt;/strong&gt; by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/3JD0bRs"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Kindle&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href= "https://amzn.to/3JD0bRs"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt;Audiobook&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/47lUUaO"&gt;&lt;span class= "s2"&gt;Print&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p3"&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Time-Coded Themes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;00:00 – Opening Quote&lt;/strong&gt;: Erica Jong on feminism, desire, and "bad women."&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;01:00 – Reading from&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Hunting Wives&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;: A charged scene of temptation, infidelity, and longing.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;05:00 – Allie's Reflection&lt;/strong&gt;: Why infidelity is nearly forbidden in romance novels, yet resonates in Cobb's fiction.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;06:30 – Interview Begins&lt;/strong&gt;: Allie and May reminisce about 20+ years of friendship and celebrate the Netflix adaptation.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;09:00 – Voyeurism as Theme&lt;/strong&gt;: From Hitchcock to East Texas backyards.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11:00 – Friendships, intimacy, and bicuriosity&lt;/strong&gt;: How blurred boundaries fuel Cobb's stories.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;15:00 – Lust vs. Motivation&lt;/strong&gt;: Why women characters shouldn't need an "excuse" to desire.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;17:00 – The "Unlikeable Woman" Debate&lt;/strong&gt;: Cobb defends her messy female characters.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;23:00 – Infidelity in Fiction&lt;/strong&gt;: Publishing pushback and Cobb's resistance to sanitizing her characters.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;27:00 – Genre &amp; Marketing&lt;/strong&gt;: Why Cobb's "sultry suspense" straddles thriller and romance categories.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;29:00 – From Victorian literature to now&lt;/strong&gt;: How repression, erotic tension, and female sexuality evolved on the page.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;31:00 – Romance stigma fading&lt;/strong&gt;: Why genre barriers are breaking down.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;33:00 – Book Recs&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;em&gt;Till Death Do Us Part&lt;/em&gt; by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;35:00 – Gideon Frost Performance&lt;/strong&gt;: Playful riff on "irresistible but toxic" relationships.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;38:00 – Dear Allie Letter&lt;/strong&gt;: Reckless love that turned into 20 years of partnership.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;40:00 – Closing &amp; Credits&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guest Bio: May Cobb&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="p2"&gt;May Cobb is the award-winning author of sultry suspense thrillers set against the backdrop of East Texas. Her novels, including &lt;em&gt;The Hunting Wives&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;A Likeable Woman&lt;/em&gt;, explore obsession, power dynamics, and the lives of unapologetically flawed women. Cobb's work has been praised for its page-turning suspense, messy characters, and fearless explorations of female desire. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her family and is a frequent contributor to literary discussions about thrillers, women in fiction, and the blurred lines between morality and lust.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="p2"&gt;Follow May Cobb:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Website: &lt;a href="http://maycobb.com"&gt;&lt;span class= "s3"&gt;maycobb.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Instagram: &lt;a href= "https://www.instagram.com/may_cobb?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt; @may_cobb&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Production Credits&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Host &amp; Producer&lt;/strong&gt;: Allie Martina&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Series Producer&lt;/strong&gt;: Jill Ruby&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Special Contributor&lt;/strong&gt;: Gideon Frost&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Creative Design&lt;/strong&gt;: Dana Christopherson&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Support the Show&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Subscribe to &lt;em&gt;Zipless&lt;/em&gt; wherever you listen to podcasts.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Leave us a review and tell us what resonated with you.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Follow us on Instagram: &lt;a href= "https://instagram.com/ziplesspodcast?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt; @ziplesspodcast&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li2"&gt;Visit ziplesspodcast.com for show notes, transcripts, and extras.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p2"&gt;&lt;span class="s4"&gt;✨&lt;/span&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Affiliate Disclaimer&lt;/strong&gt;: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases of books mentioned in this episode (at no additional cost to you).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="p2"&gt;Show notes created by Descript.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Zipless

Allie Martina

Ep. 13: The Hunting Wives: One-on-One with Author May Cobb

SEP 2, 202540 MIN
Zipless

Ep. 13: The Hunting Wives: One-on-One with Author May Cobb

SEP 2, 202540 MIN

Description

Netflix's summer blockbuster series The Hunting Wives has captivated audiences on screen but its roots are on the page. May Cobb, bestselling author of sultry suspense novels including The Hunting Wives, A Likeable Woman and The Hollywood Assistant, joins us to talk about writing sexy, complicated, and morally questionable women - whether we like them, or not.

Description highlights:

  • The Netflix adaptation of The Hunting Wives and what it's like to see her book come to life on screen.
  • Voyeurism, blurred friendships, and bicuriosity as recurring themes in Cobb's work.
  • The controversy around "unlikeable women" in fiction and why Cobb insists on writing flawed, messy heroines.
  • Why infidelity remains one of romance's biggest taboos—and how Cobb resisted editorial pressure to "justify" her characters' choices.
  • Reflections on East Texas, obsession, and the intoxicating danger of "bad for you" relationships.
  • Alongside the interview, listeners hear a dramatic reading from The Hunting Wives, a playful performance experiment with narrator Gideon Frost, and a poignant Dear Allie listener letter about reckless love and lasting devotion.

Notable Quotes

  • "I will die on the hill of defending my unlikeable female characters and their messy decisions—because we're all messy." — May Cobb
  • "Sometimes the relationships that light you on fire, even if they burn, are the ones that help you know yourself better." — Allie Martina
  • "We all understand that magnetic draw—that chemistry you can't explain." — Allie Martina

Books & Links Mentioned

📚 By May Cobb

🔖 Recommended by May

Time-Coded Themes

  • 00:00 – Opening Quote: Erica Jong on feminism, desire, and "bad women."
  • 01:00 – Reading from The Hunting Wives: A charged scene of temptation, infidelity, and longing.
  • 05:00 – Allie's Reflection: Why infidelity is nearly forbidden in romance novels, yet resonates in Cobb's fiction.
  • 06:30 – Interview Begins: Allie and May reminisce about 20+ years of friendship and celebrate the Netflix adaptation.
  • 09:00 – Voyeurism as Theme: From Hitchcock to East Texas backyards.
  • 11:00 – Friendships, intimacy, and bicuriosity: How blurred boundaries fuel Cobb's stories.
  • 15:00 – Lust vs. Motivation: Why women characters shouldn't need an "excuse" to desire.
  • 17:00 – The "Unlikeable Woman" Debate: Cobb defends her messy female characters.
  • 23:00 – Infidelity in Fiction: Publishing pushback and Cobb's resistance to sanitizing her characters.
  • 27:00 – Genre & Marketing: Why Cobb's "sultry suspense" straddles thriller and romance categories.
  • 29:00 – From Victorian literature to now: How repression, erotic tension, and female sexuality evolved on the page.
  • 31:00 – Romance stigma fading: Why genre barriers are breaking down.
  • 33:00 – Book Recs: Till Death Do Us Part by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn.
  • 35:00 – Gideon Frost Performance: Playful riff on "irresistible but toxic" relationships.
  • 38:00 – Dear Allie Letter: Reckless love that turned into 20 years of partnership.
  • 40:00 – Closing & Credits.

Guest Bio: May Cobb

May Cobb is the award-winning author of sultry suspense thrillers set against the backdrop of East Texas. Her novels, including The Hunting Wives and A Likeable Woman, explore obsession, power dynamics, and the lives of unapologetically flawed women. Cobb's work has been praised for its page-turning suspense, messy characters, and fearless explorations of female desire. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her family and is a frequent contributor to literary discussions about thrillers, women in fiction, and the blurred lines between morality and lust.

Follow May Cobb:

Production Credits

  • Host & Producer: Allie Martina
  • Series Producer: Jill Ruby
  • Special Contributor: Gideon Frost
  • Creative Design: Dana Christopherson

How to Support the Show

  • Subscribe to Zipless wherever you listen to podcasts.
  • Leave us a review and tell us what resonated with you.
  • Follow us on Instagram: @ziplesspodcast
  • Visit ziplesspodcast.com for show notes, transcripts, and extras.

✨ Affiliate Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases of books mentioned in this episode (at no additional cost to you).

Show notes created by Descript.