Totally Booked with Zibby

Nicholas Sparks returns to discuss his twenty-second novel, The Wish, which had been on his mind for nearly twenty years. Nicholas and Zibby also talk about the shape of contemporary American fiction, the influence his photography had on his latest novel, and why he will always draw from his own life experiences when writing.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CUrOwqBookshop: https://bit.ly/3zLx8k1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and author Helen Russell joins Zibby to discuss her latest book, How to Be Sad, and her research on how leaning into our sadness can actually lead to true happiness. Helen and Zibby talk about why we are often our most creative and grateful while upset, where there are still gaps in brain activity research, and ways to cultivate a healthy emotional environment with your kids. Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ugzPsEBookshop: https://bit.ly/3kL4jjl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, aka The Divorce Doctor, joins Zibby to discuss her book, Light on the Other Side of Divorce. Through her work as a clinical psychologist focused on helping those going through the end of their marriage, Dr. Cohen strives to take shame and suffering out of the process and directs her patients instead to think about how they can find their strength again. She offers some of her best tips and tricks for rebuilding yourself to Zibby and opens up about how her own experience with divorce helped shaped the approach she shares with others.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XZ2eIaBookshop: https://bit.ly/3m9Xp6W Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I think my work defines me. I feel as though if I'm not writing, who am I?" Mary Kay Andrews — bestselling author of 26 novels — joins Zibby to talk about her two latest books, The Newcomer and The Santa Suit. Mary Kay shares how the pandemic both changed her writing habits and inspired her and a few fellow writers to start "Friends and Fiction." The group livestreams their conversations and interviews to an audience that has grown to well over 50,000, and they encourage listeners to continue supporting independent bookstores. Mary Kay also tells Zibby what she learned during her career that has allowed her to remain such a prolific author.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3m2ED0XBookshop: https://bit.ly/2ZGrxPL Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by Mira Jacob to talk about her latest book, Good Talk, which was named one of the best books of 2019 by the New York Times Book Review. The graphic memoir was the result of Mira's attempts to answer her young son's questions about race in America while dealing with the political developments of 2016 — especially those that took place within her own family. Mira tells Zibby how she was able to assemble this book despite not being an illustrator or a memoirist and how her husband's family has received her side of their shared story.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3m10EgUBookshop: https://bit.ly/2ZDyXTJ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and poet Bethany Saltman didn't set out to write a memoir but when her research into the life and studies of Mary Ainsworth overlapped with her own childhood, she knew she had to delve into her past. Bethany tells Zibby about how Ainsworth's attachment theories apply to the often complicated relationship she had with her older brothers, in which ways her familial past has affected her connection to her own daughter, and what the dynamic with her mother is like today.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EQZ49XBookshop: https://bit.ly/3zK2eIQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by Phoebe Robinson — stand-up comedian, co-creator of 2 Dope Queens, and founder of Tiny Reparations Books — to talk about her latest essay collection, Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes. Phoebe shares what inspired her to write a series of essays about the pandemic that did not give readers a simple play-play-play of her quarantine life, why writing an essay about her decision not to have children felt so necessary, and how becoming a boss offered her a new level of empathy for others.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XUUYwwBookshop: https://bit.ly/3lYlMnQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Although Jayne Allen has been writing all of her life, it wasn't until 2016 when she adopted a pseudonym that she finally felt comfortable publishing her debut novel, Black Girls Must Die Exhausted. Now, Jaunique Sealey (the woman behind Jayne Allen) serves as Vice President of Strategy & Community for Zibby Books and her novel is Target's October Book Club pick. Jaunique and Zibby talk about the importance of creating complex characters, why they both like drafting individual scenes first and stitching them together after, and how Jaunique found time in her busy career to write such a beautiful and necessary story. Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3kpD7FnBookshop: https://bit.ly/3jlR34a Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After years spent writing within the world of her bestselling book, Wonder, R.J. Palacio's new novel Pony is a stunning change of pace. Set in the American frontier in the 1850s, the "quick epic," as R.J. calls it, grapples with big themes like life, death, and family. R.J. tells Zibby about how her own orphanhood inspired elements of the story, why she scrapped the first version of her manuscript after two years of work and began it from scratch, and the role music played in helping her complete the novel. Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3yhsoSlBookshop: https://bit.ly/2Wq5rzl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paula Hawkins, the bestselling author of The Girl on the Train, joins Zibby to discuss her latest novel, A Slow Fire Burning which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Paula shares how she found her way to thriller writing after working as a business journalist and a rom-com ghostwriter for years, as well as why she has always been drawn to darker stories. The two also talk about how Paula's writing process helps her create such intriguing characters, where she used to go pre-pandemic when she needed inspiration, and what she wants to do next that's not writing.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/38igPjaBookshop: https://bit.ly/2WspwoW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.