Ep 453 | Coffee, Tacos, Pirates, and an encounter with the one and only Mitch Pileggi

·45 min·4 clips

Cheryl Pena describes flirting with X-Files star Mitch Pileggi while security tried to hurry her along.

It starts with drinks. Nick Savage brings on Cheryl Pena, mentions The City That Disappeared and the upcoming Void Pirates, then goes straight to the show's ritual question. Cheryl keeps it practical. She meant to make chamomile, ends up with hibiscus ginger orange tea, and makes it sound like the kind of choice you grab from whatever is nearby. Nick goes cheaper and fizzier with Sam's Club zero-calorie soda, which sets the room nicely: friendly, a little silly, and willing to correct itself mid-thought. Four Horsemen Publications gets the sponsor thank-you, then the chat moves on because the book questions are already waiting. Cheryl starts with the title. The City That Disappeared goes back to her early twenties, when she had the title before she knew what it meant. Then the clip takes the fun detour. A convention autograph line puts her in front of Mitch Pileggi, who turns out warmer than she expected. She remembers him asking where they came from, noticing the long drive, and staying with the conversation while security nudged her along. That is the fun little mismatch. Nick points out that Pileggi's intense X-Files presence makes his real-life kindness hit harder for a fan. Cheryl admits the awkward part too. She does not usually flirt like that, but he keeps talking and, really, she is not leaving first. Nick broadens it from there, drawing on his own convention experience: some guests want the real exchange, while handlers and managers mostly need the line to move. The episode closes with thanks to Cheryl, the audience, and the sponsor, plus a pointer to Void Pirates, expected in May if everything goes properly. After the books, drinks, and celebrity-line chaos, the takeaway lands plainly enough: kindness still costs nothing.

As heard by us

A Cheryl Pena interview links The City That Disappeared with a lively Mitch Pileggi convention story.

Drinking With Authors frames Cheryl Pena's The City That Disappeared through the relaxed rhythm of a convention-floor conversation. She explains that the title stayed with her for years before the idea found its shape: an Earth city rebuilt on a foreign planet.

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Why you'd press play

You get science-fiction worldbuilding, a convention flirtation, and Nick Savage sipping bargain soda while Cheryl Pena talks books.

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