The Maison Gaton Podcast

Chortler on a Train, No. 1 is live on Substack today. This episode is the companion to it.
Madame J notices what people wear because what people wear is information. She was a spy. That kind of attention doesn't retire just because the war ended.
This week I talk about:
What Madame J sees when she opens that curtain and looks at the dead man across the aisle
Why I built her eye for style into the character from the very beginning
What we all do every day without realizing it
What your style is actually saying right now whether you intend it or not
And the research rabbit hole that gave me a better detail than I imagined
Connect: Instagram @judithgaton | Substack for weekly essays

She's Here. Almost. 
This episode is about what a story can do that an essay cannot. I have spent years writing essays about formidable women. About refusing smallness. About taking up space without apology. I meant every word of every one of them
I have been sitting on this long enough.
Madame J arrives Tuesday June 2nd on Substack. Five installments. Every Tuesday. Free to read.
Connect: Instagram @judithgaton | Substack for weekly essays

Where Do You Want to Be?
This week I talk about the very human experience of looking for your reflection in someone else's record of the night, what I actually found when I looked, and the distinction that changed everything for me: I wasn't missing from the night. I was missing from the record of the night. Those are two different things.
This week I talk about:
The event, the Instagram carousel, and the very human pang that followed
Why I looked anyway even though I told myself not to
What I actually found in those videos
The difference between being missing from the action and being missing from the record
Where you actually want to be this season (not where you think you should be)
Your mission should you choose to accept it: intentionally get in the photo record when it feels good to you. And move toward where you actually want to be. My hope is that this episode helps move you to the dance floor.
Where do you want to be this season? Come tell me in the comments on Substack.
Connect: Instagram @judithgaton | Substack for weekly essays

This week I want to introduce you to a woman you haven't met yet. And before I tell you about Madame J, I have to tell you about Elle.
Elle was my imaginary friend when I was eight. A 1920s movie star with a jet black bob, cupid bow lips, and apartments in Paris, Hollywood, and New York City. Whenever I opened the imaginary door to her apartment I never knew which city I'd land in. Sometimes I held up a bottle of Palmolive soap and accepted awards alongside her while I did the dishes. She was the fun place to go.
Madame J is not Elle. But there are qualities to her that remind me of Elle, as if these were real women who simply knew each other.
This week I talk about:
The childhood imaginary cast: Berg, Peter, Betty, and Elle
What this season of life made possible that my eight-year-old imagination couldn't
Why I wanted to write women I'd actually want to spend time with. She's not nice, but she's kind.
The short story serial tradition: Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Beatrix Potter
Bringing Madame J to life with illustrator Gemini.H
My 26 girl cousins, the matriarchy, and the women we surround ourselves with
Madame J arrives June 2nd on Substack. Five installments. Every Tuesday. Free to read.
Connect: Instagram @judithgaton | Substack for weekly essays
Gemini.H's work