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Alaina Urquhart is an American podcaster, writer, and producer. She is best known for her podcast Morbid: A True Crime Podcast, which she co-hosts with her niece, Ash Kelley. Urquhart released her debut novel, The Butcher and the Wren, in fall 2022. She has degrees in criminal justice, psychology, and biology. She was an autopsy tech by trade.[1]
Career
editMorbid
editTen years apart and raised as sisters, Urquhart and Kelley contemplated starting a podcast in 2015 and began production of Morbid in 2018. They used the podcast as a means of bonding and getting closer, sharing stories, and spending time together.[2] Urquhart began working as an autopsy technician in 2016, where she started participating in research for a local pathologist.[2] Her career in pathology provides in-depth knowledge on the process in the morgues and decomposition in discussing cases.[3]
The podcast is an anthology series that tells stories on true crime, ghosts, hauntings, and anything scary.[2] They cover notorious killers, such as Jeffrey Dahmer, the BTK Killer, and Ted Bundy, but they also cover smaller and less reported cases. Urquhart in particular likes to cover cases from the 19th and 20th century: old unsolved cases that they can analyze and debate.[4]
The ReWatcher
editIn 2022, Urquhart and Kelley released The Rewatcher: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which they recap and discuss the supernatural television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Urquhart is a huge fan of the show and has been obsessed with it since her adolescence, while Kelley has never watched it.[5] The pair release a weekly show that recaps every episode and Kelley guesses what will happen next.[6]
Frozen Head
editIn 2023, Urquhart and Kelley released Frozen Head,[7] which tells the story of the death of a 90-year old Laurence Pilgeram and how it is linked to Mike Darwin's peculiar quest to cheat death via cryonics.[8] Darwin became one of the leading founders of the cryonics movement in the U. S. and was the president of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, that freezes human heads until they can defrost them and attach them to younger and healthier bodies. Frozen Head discusses the case of Darwin and Alcor, while also explaining the absurdity of people wanting to live forever by freezing their brains.[7]
Fiction writing
editAlaina Urquhart released her debut thriller novel, The Butcher and the Wren, in September 2022, which was published internationally in more than twenty languages. Set in New Orleans, the book follows Dr. Wren Muller, a forensic pathologist who is being terrorized by a serial killer called the Bayou Butcher, known for hunting down and dismembering his victims.
On September 17, 2024, Alaina Urquhart released "The Butcher Game: A Dr. Wren Muller Novel" which[9] hit number one in new releases on Amazon murder thriller novels.[10]
Urquhart provides a unique perspective on the thriller genre as she has experience in a morgue, working with experienced pathologists and dead bodies. She can realistically describe decomposition, anatomy, and the procedural process of autopsy. Her experience researching the motivations, backgrounds, and criminal behavior of killers gives her unique insight into the minds of serial killers.[3]
In 2022, New York Times bestsellerThe Butcher and the Wren was picked up to be set for a small screen adaption. It will be produced by Sister. Jennifer Yale will serve as showrunner, and it will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella.[1]
Personal life
editUrquhart lives in Boston with her husband, John White, and her three daughters. She gave birth to twin daughters in 2016, and another in 2019.[4]
Filmography
editPodcasts
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–present | Morbid: A True Crime Podcast | Producer, Co-Host | Hosted with Ash Kelley | [4] |
| 2022–present | The ReWatcher: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Producer, Co-Host | Hosted with Ash Kelley | [6] |
| 2023 | Frozen Head | Producer, Co-Host | Hosted with Ash Kelley | [8] |
References
edit- ^ a b White, Peter (2022-09-23). "The Butcher & The Wren' Set For Series Adaptation From Jennifer Yale, Sister & Radio Silence Trio". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ a b c PodBoard 100 (2021-05-17). "James Alexander Meets Ash & Alaina - Morbid A True Crime Podcast". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Hayden, Brett Nicole (2022-10-14). "I'm Calling It: This Is the Standout Thriller Book of 2022". The Everygirl. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ a b c Urquhart, Alaina; Kelley, Ash. "N/A". Morbid (Podcast). Wondery. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ Kelley, A. & Urquhart, A. (2022-present) The Rewatcher: Buffy the Vampire Slayer [audio podcast]. Wondery.
- ^ a b Spangler, Todd (2022-09-07). "'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Rewatch Podcast From Wondery Will Welcome You Back to the Hellmouth". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ a b Sturges, T (2023). "Frozen Head is an improbably jolly podcast about death and cryonics". The Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ a b Kelley, Ash; Urquhart, Alaina. "N/A". Frozen Head (Podcast). Wondery. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2022/09/22/morbid-podcaster-alaina-urquhart-best-selling-books-list/8073818001/
- ^ https://www.amazon.com/Butcher-Game-Wren-Muller-Novel/dp/1638931240