I myself am strange and unusual

Hi, I'm Jen Eastwood. I'm a writer, reader, and host of the Sick Sad Lit podcast based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa (New Zealand).

This is a home for the strange and unusual: dark and unhinged book recommendations, cultural commentary, and personal essays.

On the Sick Sad Lit podcast, I interview authors whose work pushes boundaries - blending genres, breaking rules, and exploring the beautiful and brutal sides of human nature.

Guests have included literary horror icons like Mariana Enriquez, speculative fiction innovators like Sarah Rose Etter, and cult-favourite novelists from around the world. Each season is a deep dive into the unsettling, the unclassifiable, and the unreliable (narrator).

Also featuring: Molly, my small Cavoodle co-host, who contributes nothing to the discourse but will charm your socks off regardless.

I’m currently working on my first novel so much of my musings here are on the experience of writing, how to get over yourself and how to unlock creative freedom.