What happens after we die—and is someone guiding us while we’re here?

In this fascinating and deeply personal episode of Life in Jest, cousin besties Selene Castrovilla and Pascale Laforest welcome EMT, mother, and lifelong medium Samantha Difronzo for a conversation about mediumship, spirit guides, angels, soul tribes, reincarnation, grief, surrender, and the mysteries of the afterlife.

Samantha shares how she has communicated with spirits since childhood, what it feels like when spirits come through, and why she sees her work as a responsibility—not to “prove” her abilities, but to help both the living and the dead feel heard. Selene and Pascale ask the questions so many people wonder about: Are spirit guides assigned to us? Can loved ones become guides after death? Do angels walk among us? What are signs from the other side? And if we have guides, why do terrible things still happen?

The conversation moves from funny and curious to raw and profound, as Selene speaks openly about communicating with her son Casey after his death and wrestles with anger, faith, surrender, and the painful search for meaning after unimaginable loss. Samantha offers a compassionate perspective on grief, energy, love, and the idea that death may not be an ending, but a transition we still don’t fully understand.

Part spiritual deep dive, part grief conversation, part classic Life in Jest banter, this episode explores the biggest questions of all: Where do we go? Who stays with us? And is love the thing that carries us through every world?

You can find Samantha Difronzo on Instagram:

@itsjustme2389

Join her Facebook Community:

A Wish is Granted

You can email her at Awishisgranted4@gmail.com

You can reach her by phone: (516) 776-3324

In this episode of Life in Jest, Selene Castrovilla and Pascale Laforest are joined by librarian and Drinks in the Library host Gigi Howard for a funny, sharp, and surprisingly deep conversation about books, storytelling, and the strange state of modern reading culture.

The discussion spirals everywhere—in the best possible way:

• Why readers are becoming obsessed with dark romance
• Whether genres help readers… or trap writers
• Why romance novels are expected to guarantee happy endings
• The psychological appeal of horror, gothic fiction, and emotionally dark stories
• BookTok’s massive influence on publishing and reading trends
• Why some books become cultural phenomena while others disappear
• Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Carrie, Wuthering Heights, Fifty Shades of Grey, and the chaos of trying to categorize literature at all

Along the way, the episode dives into censorship and book banning, literary snobbery, trauma and storytelling, women’s fiction vs. romance, and why modern audiences seem increasingly drawn to darker, more emotionally extreme fiction.

Funny, unfiltered, literary, chaotic, and unexpectedly poignant—this episode is what happens when three book lovers’ passions catch fire.

After you listen to this episode, head over to Gigi's podcast, where Selene is her guest, and they discuss Erica Jong's novel How To Save Your Own Life (the sequel to Fear of Flying).

Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1TNhFpkAz79oV7bv55gNAz?si=2e78d98cbd6c4bc2

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-save-your-own-life-by-erica-jong-with-selene/id1731887273?i=1000768524513

About Gigi Howard & Drinks in the Library:

Gigi Howard is a librarian and the creator/host of the podcast Drinks in the Library, a conversational literary podcast where guests discuss favorite books while sharing themed drinks in a relaxed, intimate setting. The show blends literary analysis, personal storytelling, and book culture with the warmth of a real-life conversation among readers. The podcast has featured discussions on everything from romantasy and horror to literary fiction and classic novels.

You can find Drinks in the Library on major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow Gigi online through the podcast’s social channels and podcast directories.

Instagram, Threads, TikTok & Facebook: @drinksinthelibrary

Website: drinksinthelibrary.com

email: drinkspod@gmail.com

Messenger: Drinks in the Library

Thank you, Gigi! We had so much fun!!

Extra information:

Here's a follow-up on things mentioned in this episode:

The sequel to the book Primal Fear is Show of Evil.

The Philip Margolin book title that Selene couldn't remember is Heartstone.

This is the blog post about dark romance that Selene mentions:

https://briarblack.com/everything-about-dark-romance-books/

You'll never look at Sleeping Beauty the same Way after listening to this episode!

In this week's solo Life in Jest, Selene Castrovilla dives into the deeply disturbing origins of classic fairy tales—and the original stories are far more horrifying than most people realize.

Long before Disney softened them into palatable stories with happy endings, fairy tales were filled with:

• cannibalism
• murder
• mutilation
• sexual violence
• revenge
• death
• and genuinely terrifying punishments

Selene explores the original versions of:

• Sleeping Beauty
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Cinderella
• Snow White
• Hansel and Gretel
• Rapunzel
• Rumpelstiltskin
• and more

Including the shocking details that modern retellings removed:

Sleeping Beauty waking up after assault, Cinderella’s stepsisters mutilating their own feet, Snow White’s horrifying revenge ending, and Little Red Riding Hood stories that become pure nightmare fuel.

The episode also explores:

• why these stories existed in the first place
• what they reveal about fear, survival, and human nature
• how folklore evolved across cultures and centuries
• and why disturbing stories continue to fascinate us today

In true Life in Jest fashion, the episode moves between dark history, cultural commentary, humor, and personal storytelling as Selene explores the unsettling truths behind stories that have nothing to do with gentle fairies.