Welcome to LAST NIGHT AT THE MALL, a Millennial nostalgia series that follows 4 best friends who, in the present day, return to their hometown to attend the funeral of the first of them to pass away. 

Forced to confront their own mortality, they flash back to that last unforgettable night in 2006, 20 years earlier, when they all still felt invincible: a night that culminates in a little love, a lot of stupidity, the most juvenile heist of all time, a medium-speed car chase, and a decades-long mystery about what really happened. 

If you grew up in the late '90s and early 2000s, this is your story. 

Low stakes, low expectations. Casualties of society after all. 

We're not okay, we promise.

Where to Listen

YouTube

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Music

On the Web

Patreon

Substack

How to Support The Show

Buy Me a Coffee - Toss a coin in the mall fountain

Patreon - Reserve your parking space in the back lot

About the Creator

Corey McCullough is an author, ghostwriter, and editor. He lives in western Pennsylvania with his wife Vanessa and their four children. His favorite pastimes are reading, writing, spending time with his best friend (Vanessa), and, most of all, being a dad.

The Unofficial Soundtrack

Check out the unofficial Last Night at the Mall soundtrack playlist on Spotify, a collection of 2000s emo, pop punk, rock, and Millennial Y2K nostalgia.

Episode 1: Fat Lip/All Downhill from Here

Last Night at the Mall is a Millennial nostalgia fiction podcast about four best friends, one unforgettable night at the mall in 2006, and a mystery that follows them for the next twenty years.

Decades after an unforgettable Friday night at the mall, Cody Miller returns home for the funeral of one of his closest friends. Standing in the parking lot where they spent countless evenings together as teenagers, he's forced to confront just how much time has passed, and a mystery that has bothered him ever since.

As the past comes rushing back, we return to the summer of 2006, when four friends gathered for what they thought would be one last ordinary night before they went their separate ways. None of them could have imagined how that night would shape the rest of their lives.

Episode 1: Fat Lip / All Downhill From Here begins the story of the night that changed everything in this serialized audio drama celebrating Millennial nostalgia, friendship, and growing up.

Subscribe now and join us every Wednesday for a new episode.

Help Support the Parkinson’s Foundation

I didn’t set out to become a podcaster. I really had no interest in it at all, honestly. But I figured, if I’m going to do this and end up with some free ad space, I’m going to talk about something that is important to me.

Nearly 10 million people worldwide, and 1 million people in the United States, are living with Parkinson's disease. Millions more are family members, friends, and caregivers who are supporting them every day. The Parkinson's Foundation is dedicated to improving care and advancing research toward better treatments and, ultimately, someday, we hope, a cure.

If this podcast has brought you a little entertainment or comfort, consider taking a moment to support an organization that's making a real difference in people's lives. Whether it's through a donation, participating in the yearly Moving Day Walk for Parkinson’s, or simply learning more about this disease, every action helps.

Real quick disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with the Parkinson’s Foundation, they are not a sponsor of this show. I just think you should check out some of the work they’re doing and support them, if you can.

Go check out parkinson.org.

Episode 2: The Future Freaks Me Out

The countdown to college has begun, and one last night at the mall feels like the end of an era.

Cody, Jordan, Tyler, and Wes spend their final Friday night together in the place that raised them: the arcade, the food court, and the familiar stores of the Venango Galleria. Between arcade battles, questionable pranks, burned-out mall employees, and debates about whether college is the key to the future or a massive scam, the guys begin confronting the reality that everything is about to change.

As old friends return, relationships are tested, and the last days of high school slip away, Jordan wonders if leaving behind the people and places that shaped him is really the right choice.

Meanwhile, Tyler’s unexpected encounter with his younger brother Shane hints that there may be more happening beneath the surface of this ordinary night at the mall.

Help Support People with Reading Barriers

Today, I want to take a moment and point you toward an organization that is doing some great work.

I first encountered Bookshare a couple of years ago, when I attended the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. as a networking event, and I ended up donating several of my books to their library.

Bookshare is a platform that offers a more accessible reading experience for people with reading barriers. They make it easier for people, including students with learning disabilities, to read through the use of assistive reading tools.

With over 1 million titles in accessible formats (including large text, human-narrated audiobooks, braille, and karaoke-style word highlighting), Bookshare makes reading easier for individuals with visual impairment, dyslexia, language-based learning disability, cerebral palsy, etc. They offer a host of customizable reading settings for their huge online library, and there are no due dates. Plus, best part, it's completely free for those who qualify.

To be clear, I am not a partner of Bookshare, and they are not paying me. I just think it's a program worth spreading the word about. So, if you know someone who could benefit from assistive reading tools that help make books more accessible, check out Bookshare.org.

Stuff for Millennials Who Miss See-Through Tech

I have a very important question for everyone who’s listening right now. Did anyone else have that see-through, landline telephone that Melissa Joan Hart had in her room on Clarissa Explains it All? Because I did. I had that phone! In my bedroom!

There was something about late-90s/early 2000s technology that just demanded that it be transparent. I don’t mean that metaphorically, I mean you could literally see through it, see its insides, all the little wires and circuit boards and… electrodes? I don’t know what they were. But you could see them. They were in there, doing something.

If you could use a bit more transparency in your life, check out the list of see-through tech I’ve put together. If you still have Clarissa’s phone, you’re one of the lucky ones. For the rest of us, maybe we can recapture some of her spirit.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Episode 3: The Boys of Summer

Last Night at the Mall is a Millennial nostalgia fiction podcast about four best friends, one unforgettable night at the mall in 2006, and a mystery that follows them for the next twenty years.

Before the night’s biggest surprises begin, Cody, Jordan, Tyler, and Wes settle into the rhythms of a typical night together: stories, girls, awkward conversations, and the steady realization that everything they know is about to change.

A battle erupts in the parking lot. Old memories resurface inside the mall. Familiar faces unexpectedly reappear. And as the future approaches faster than any of them are ready for, Cody begins to wonder how one decision can create an entirely new life while leaving countless other possibilities behind. Sometimes, the hardest part of growing up is saying goodbye to everything that could have been.

Preorder Bundle Now Available

The LAST NIGHT AT THE MALL Preorder Bundle is an exclusive package that comes with the following:

• Signed paperback copy of Last Night at the Mall - Launch Edition (comes numbered 1-100 for this limited run)

• Podcast’s full theme song single on a custom burned CD

• Arcade token (No cash value metal coin)

• Printed mall map

• Audiobook version of the book as an MP3 that you download and own forever

• Ebook version of the book for phone, e-reader, or computer

• Last Night at the Mall stickers

• Yearbook signatures page featuring characters from the story

*Please note the product image is a placeholder - the look of the final book cover may vary

**Images of the rest of the contents of the bundle are coming soon

***Release date is not yet finalized but should be early December, 2026

20 Albums You Won’t Believe Are OVer 20 Years Old

When was the last time you looked up one of your favorite albums from high school... and regretted it, because you realized how long ago it was released? Somehow, a bunch of the CDs that I remember picking up from the store, some of them the day they came out, the ones we loaded onto our first iPods, and blasted on our car stereos driving home from the mall... are now over twenty years old. Some of them are turning twenty-five this year.

Ouch, right?

Despite the pain it brought me, I put together a list of 20 Albums You Won't Believe Are Over 20 Years Old. It's a trip back to a time when buying a CD was an event. Not just because of the struggle of trying to peel open the plastic wrap with your teeth, but reading the lyrics on the little fold-out booklet, and checking out the album liner notes, while you listened to it in your room and were supposed to be doing your homework.

To tell you the truth, I really miss that experience.

This list will be a fun trip down memory lane for most of us, but, fair warning, it may also make you realize that 20 years goes super fast.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Episode 4: Every Time I Look For You

In the present day, 38-year-old Cody Miller has arrived at the mall. He expects to meet up with old high school buddies before heading to their friend’s funeral. Instead, he is about to have an unexpected (and unusual) encounter in the parking lot.

Back in 2006, Jordan, trapped in a prison of casual dining, realizes he has made his life much more difficult by committing to a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend Steph. Meanwhile, Tyler leads his younger half-brother, Shane, on a quest into the shadows of an abandoned department store. A rite of passage? Or a huge mistake?

Grab Your Limited Edition Preorder Bundle While Supplies Last

Get 3 Audiobooks for free

Okay, look. Full disclosure, I’m not a professional voice actor or narrator. As you can probably tell. It’s, uh, actually taking a STACK of vocal effect filters just to get my voice sounding tolerable on this podcast.

Fortunately for everyone’s ears, I did NOT do my own audiobooks for my fiction novels, which are currently available on basically every platform and are narrated and produced by professional voice actors.

Side note: I should probably specify that they are fully HUMAN voice actors, real people with real talent, who did real work, no AI, no robots. It’s a shame that I even have to specify that, but this is the world we live in now.

Another side note: There I give 3 of my audiobooks away for FREE to anyone who wants them. They’re available on YouTube, or you can download and keep them forever, for precisely zero dollars. No streaming necessary. No monthly payment to get an audio credit. You download them, and they’re yours to do with what you like. Heck, you can burn them on a CD, if people still do that.

Click the link below or check out the embedded videos to start your next great listen!

1990s Scholastic Book Fair

Do you remember getting those little paper flyers they sent home and circling all the ones you wanted? Bringing an envelope of cash to school and trying to figure out how to stretch fifteen bucks into five books and a poster?

Goosebumps, Animorphs, joke books, the Guinness Book of World Records, plus the bookmarks and little junk items that Mom will definitely be annoyed that you bought instead of books. Yeah. It’ll all be there.

For me, the school book fair was where I bought Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone… WHEN IT WAS A NEW RELEASE. Excuse me while my bones turn to dust and I disintegrate on the wind.

Just for fun, I’ve put together a 90s Scholastic Book Fair Collection that I dare you to look at and not feel like you’re 9 years old with an envelope of cash in your jeans pocket. These books, posters, and other nostalgic finds will take you back to 1997. And it’s not just the bestsellers. I went with some deep cuts. Some weird stuff that was cool back in the day. Maybe you’ll even find something you wouldn’t mind reading to your kids.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Episode 5: Where Is Your Boy

Inside an abandoned department store, a missing ladder foils Tyler’s plan to show his younger half-brother Shane the mall roof — and instead leads them straight into the path of mall security.

Meanwhile, Cody, K.C., and Wes encounter some faces from the past: the Smokers, including Cody's former best friend Joel. What starts as an awkward reunion takes an unexpected turn when, for some reason, the group becomes very interested in Cody's red Jeep.

As the night rolls on, old friendships, new tensions, and questionable decisions continue to collide.

Grab Your Limited Edition Preorder Bundle While Supplies Last

Burning the Perfect Mix CD

Pop quiz, hot shot. It’s the mid-2000s, your MP3 library is open on the family computer, and you’ve only got 700 MB to work with to create the most perfect mix CD of all time.

What songs make the cut?

Maybe it’s a mix for your own enjoyment. Maybe it’s a gift for that special someone. In any case, after much deliberation, you assemble your dream team. You drag the songs in, creating your curated playlist. No skippable tracks, no wasted disk space. All bangers. But the order matters, too, so you rearrange them to match the story you mean to tell. And then, when everything is perfect, you hit the magic button: “Burn, baby, burn.”

Now all you need is a sharpie to label that bad boy… assuming it doesn’t mess up at 89%.

Just for fun, I put together a Burning the Perfect Mix CD Collection: some retro CD burning equipment, blank discs, jewel cases, printable labels, markers, CD binders, and some early-2000s audio accessories to take you back to that most ancient of rituals, the building your own perfect, custom-made soundtrack, by hand.

Episode 6: I’d Do Anything

Jordan Caldwell is supposed to be spending his last Friday night in town with his friends. Instead, he’s sitting at Pappan’s, waiting for Steph to finish work — and trying not to think about what might happen if she catches him talking to K.C.

Cody Miller has other plans. He wants one last adventure before everyone goes their separate ways and hopes Jordan will give in to the kind of impulsive decision-making that has gotten him into trouble before. Meanwhile, Wes Stefanko has spotted an opportunity of his own. When he finds Jessie Saeger alone outside the mall, he decides it’s finally time to make his move.

Grab Your Limited Edition Preorder Bundle While Supplies Last

The Fallen Odyssey

Pro tip for would-be heroes: Make sure the princess you're rescuing is KIDNAPPED, not under arrest for murder

Seventeen-year-old Justin Holmes thought storming out of the house on Christmas Eve would be the worst decision of his life. He was wrong.

One step out the door, and he wakes up in a world of swords, monsters, and magic — where he’s recruited to rescue a kidnapped princess.

Standard fantasy quest, right?

Except the princess wasn't kidnapped. She was under arrest for murdering her entire family. And now, Justin’s an accomplice.

Hunted by soldiers and hounded by prophecy, Justin’s allies insist his arrival makes him the Chosen One: the hero destined to defeat a Dark Lord and his demon army. But back on Earth, Justin could barely survive high school, let alone save a world.

With no powers, no skills, and a past he can’t outrun, Justin has one question left:

Can a broken kid from small-town America become the hero this world needs?

I hope all that sounded compelling to you, because I paid a copywriter to write it instead of using generative AI. Look at me, being a real pro.

The Fallen Odyssey is Book 1 of the 5-Book COMPLETE Fallen Odyssey Series.

That’s right - complete. I didn’t do that fantasy-author thing where they keep you waiting for years and years and maybe never finish the series at all. The story is done. And the readers who have finished the series have had nothing but good things to say about it, as far as you know.

You can get a signed copy of The Fallen Odyssey at the shop at coreymccullough.com. It’s also available on Amazon and the usual book-buying places, and there’s an audiobook available to listen to FOR FREE on YouTube.

Side note: You get access to the full ebook version of the Fallen Odyssey when you become a supporter on Patreon. It’s a couple of bucks a month, but honestly, you could just sign up, download The Fallen Odyssey, and downgrade to the free version if you want. I give you permission. It’s rough out there, and we can’t get mad at each other just for trying to save a buck or two.

Check it out, and get lost in a fantastic adventure.

Mall Directory

Links to the products featured and mentioned on Last Night at the Mall.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Stuff for Millennials Who Miss See-Through Tech

MYDASH Desktop CD Player for Home - https://link.amazon/B0aVZHpOD

Wireless Pro Controller for Switch - https://link.amazon/B008lNdiw

HyperX Clutch Gladiate RGB - https://link.amazon/B0dq3Qp8F

ASRVA Wireless Controller for PS5 - https://link.amazon/B07M9g5lK

Swhmc DIY Bluetooth Speaker Kit - https://link.amazon/B07Li4M3n

KEDIERS ATX Mid-Tower PC Case - https://link.amazon/B0iKphU5D

JAYINE Cassette Portable Bluetooth Speaker - https://link.amazon/B007qWzqr

Beats Studio Buds + - https://link.amazon/B0fKLCYpg

20 Albums You Won’t Believe Are OVer 20 Years Old

Britney Spears - Oops I Did It Again - https://link.amazon/B05XjXffH 

Backstreet Boys - Millennium - https://link.amazon/B0altrxyz

NSYNC - No Strings Attached - https://link.amazon/B0d45q4hO

50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin' - https://link.amazon/B0947H8t9

blink-182 - Take Off Your Pants And Jacket - https://link.amazon/B0eImPPk9

Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree - https://link.amazon/B0ix9woG1

Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness - https://link.amazon/B0608458W

Linkin Park - Meteora - https://link.amazon/B00mfhtQW

My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - https://link.amazon/B09Fivphx

New Found Glory - Sticks And Stones - https://link.amazon/B09DceAHb

Panic at the Disco -  A Fever You Can't Sweat Out - https://link.amazon/B0fzC7Esm

Simple Plan - No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls - https://link.amazon/B0aWmCZoe

Sum 41 - Chuck - https://link.amazon/B0bSxBqac

FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake - https://link.amazon/B0c63SCVJ

Continuum - John Mayer - https://link.amazon/B01uXaaNn

Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers - https://link.amazon/B0dqeYcEy

Paramore - All We Know is Falling - https://link.amazon/B06NLFOUo

Kayne West - The College Dropout - https://link.amazon/B01FZugQk

System of a Down - Toxicity - https://link.amazon/B08l7wHmI

Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory - https://link.amazon/B022cN7u8

Get 3 Audiobooks for free

Download your 3 free audiobooks - https://subscribepage.io/PQObYA

Listen on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@core.author

1990s Scholastic Book Fair

The Odyssey (Wishbone Classics #2) - https://amzn.to/3S5fPcS

Say Cheese and Die-Again! (Goosebumps) - https://amzn.to/3SuB9IV

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - https://amzn.to/4bI637f

Garfield's Pet Force #1 - https://amzn.to/4q64mWY

Space Jam - Classic Wall Poster - https://amzn.to/4qbbmlA

Guiness Book of World Records 1997 - https://amzn.to/4fR0ENF

Vintage Library Card Beaded Bookmark - https://amzn.to/4qfegG4

The Stranger (Animorphs, No. 7) - https://amzn.to/3TPY0iu

Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars) - https://amzn.to/4wvv50Y

The Sandlot (1993) - One Sheet Wall Poster - https://amzn.to/45j1zjS

Take a Hike: The Secret World of Alex Mack - https://amzn.to/3S19W0k

Help! I'm Trapped In My Teacher's Body - https://amzn.to/4z9t78V

Burning the Perfect Mix CD

Verbatim CD-R Blank Discs - https://amzn.to/4wDnihv

Standard Clear CD Jewel Case - https://amzn.to/3SyUZTr

Sharpie Permanent Markers - https://amzn.to/45ycUwt

CD Case, 48 Capacity - https://amzn.to/464towm

Amicool External DVD Drive - https://amzn.to/4x3TY4P

Avery Printable CD Labels - https://amzn.to/4znRBv2

Verbatim CD DVD Blu-Ray Disc Slim - https://amzn.to/4qnNB9W

UENTIP CD Case,96 Capacity - https://amzn.to/4gbtqqZ

 Supporters of the Show

The honor roll of legendary Millennial mall rats who have graciously supported Last Night at the Mall. Get your name on the list by becoming a paid subscriber, making a monthly pledge on Patreon, made a contribution on buymeacoffee.com, or reserved their Last Night at the Mall Preorder Bundle.

Hold Their Own lifetime parking Space in the Back Lot

Beta Readers, SUPERFAN Patrons, and Special Thanks.

Vanessa McCullough

Amanda McGinness

Mike Manderson

John McCullough

Leeann McCullough

Katrina Doucette

Cheryl Shoup

Madison Goodyear

Krista Joy Coleman

Ben Milliron

Stefanie Henne

Kyle McCullough

Michael Beckett

Liz Hamilton

Caleb Rice

Renee Miller

Nate Lasher

Dan Shingledecker

Moira Shingledecker

Shawn McCullough

Joyce Ellis

Chelsey Rhoads

Katie Shesko

Lisa McCray

Jenny Webster

Will McCullough

Stephanie White

Kimberly McElhatten

Dodged Mall Security and Snuck into an Abandoned Store

Supporters who pledge monthly as Patreon Patrons and paid subscribers.

Gisela Schmiedeskamp

Kara

Aly Pursell

Patricia Wheatley

Joseph Anderson

Brooke Brehm

Tossed A Coin in the Mall Fountain

Supporters who donated on buymeacoffee.com.

Jen M.

Climbed Up on the Mall Roof

People who reserved their Last Night at the Mall Preorder Bundle (limit: 100).

95/100 copies remaining

1. John McCullough

2. Mike Manderson

3. Moira Shingledecker

4. Katrina Doucette

5. Mary Ritts