It's the very first episode of Pets, Plots & Poisons — and mystery authors Matt Cost and BJ Magnani are kicking things off with the gossip on how they met (a New England Crime Bake conference, if you're wondering), what they're each writing now, and a few surprises about how they got here.

Watch the episode below or download/listen to the podcast on Podbean:

BJ shares the latest in her Dr. Lily Robinson suspense thriller series, We'll Always Have Poisons, which sends her poison-toting protagonist to Cape Town, Sydney, and Brussels. Matt talks through EveryThing vs. Max Creed, the second book in his Modern-Day Chronicles of Max Creed thriller series — and reveals that he and BJ have already crossed universes once before, co-writing a novella with Curt Wendelboe called Death on Out to Sea Island, where Lily Robinson meets one of Matt's own characters.

The conversation moves into the craft side of things too: Matt breaks down his plotting formula (a major turn every 12.5% of the book), while BJ explains why she plots in thirds and calls herself a "pantser." Both hosts trace their love of mystery back to childhood — Black Stallion, Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden — and talk about why pets end up as such rich material for crime writers, from cadaver dogs to serial killers' pets.

And of course, BJ delivers the first-ever Poison of the Month: aconitine, a cardiac toxin from the monkshood (wolfsbane) plant that can kill within minutes — so wear your gloves if it's growing in your garden.

Next month, Matt and BJ welcome screenwriter-turned-mystery-author Jule Selbo, creator of the 10 Days series.

Learn more about the hosts:
- BJ Magnani's Big Blend Expert Page
- Matt Cost's Big Blend Expert Page

Have a Question for Matt & BJ? Ask us on our Contact Page.