Standing in line for the meal, the man in front of you asks if you've read the latest book by Big Name Person -- you say no, you think of that author as an oathbreaker and scam artist -- and the man turns out to be the author.
Ouch! I've said Uncharitable Things about a Certain New Age Press in the presence of people who had published with it, but then, they all agree that said press has a tendency violate contract terms about royalties, even more than most publishers do. (And I bet you know the one I mean.)

Persephone in underground tunnels! That's so...authentically Eleusinian! That sounds like it would have been an amazing ritual, but it's hard to imagine getting back into the groove after a participant's heart attack. So, Mrs. Lincoln, aside from that, how was the play?

Ah, fire and water. Once upon a time, there was a coven that put floating candles in a backyard swimming pool. When they went indoors for feast (because what could go wrong with fire that's floating in a swimming pool?), the filter pump kicked on. The pool liner was made of some petroleum-based thing that could burn underwater. For some time afterwards, the pool repair company's voicemail greeting ended with, "Remember, only you can prevent swimming pool fires."