Totally Booked with Zibby

Marian Keyes is one of the most successful Irish novelists of all time. She has written fourteen novels that have all been bestsellers with 30 million books sold in 33 languages around the world. I loved talking to her about the impetus for transitioning to a career in writing at thirty, addiction and recovery, the self we present to the world versus what's really going on beneath the surface, and creating nuanced and layered characters readers can identify with. Her latest book, Grown Ups, touches on all the issues and more!    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kara Kinney Cartwright is the author of Just Don't Be an Assh*le: A Surprisingly Necessary Guide to Being a Good Guy, which is a frank and very funny guidebook designed to help teach younger men how to have positive interactions, make good decisions, and recognize when they're "being jerkfaces.” This book was Kara's way of sending her kids out into the world to navigate school, friends, and family without being a you-know-what. I think this should be required reading for teenagers ... and maybe some adults who missed the memo! (I may be giving a few anonymously as gifts!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angela DiTerlizzi is the author of The Magical Yet. She is a mom, wife, and author who delights in writing rhythmic, charming picture books to be enjoyed and shared by both parents and children alike - including my family! Your "yet" is something that's always with you when you're down about the things you can't do or dreams that haven't come true to cheerlead you through those moments and remind you to shift from the mindset of "I don't know how to do this" to "I don't know how to do this yet." My seven-year-old thinks the book is inspiring, as do I. It's a timely reminder about a timeless mindset to help us keep going! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zaina Arafat is the debut author of You Exist Too Much: A Novel, an anticipated book for June 2020 by O, The Oprah Magazine, Elle, Lit Hub and so many others. She is a Palestinian American writer, teacher, and editor whose stories and essays have appeared in a number of top publications. It was fantastic to interview Zaina through the Center for Fiction during part of their Inside and Out 2020 Pride event series. Her writing is beautiful, and I had an amazing time talking with her about the autobiographical reflections in her novel, identity, challenging stereotypes, family approval, and love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samantha Harvey is an acclaimed novelist whose most recent book, a genre-bending memoir called The Shapeless Unease: A Year of Not Sleeping, just came out to rave reviews. For anyone who has ever experienced a sleepless night (perhaps all of us these days), this book mirrors the emotions that surface in the dead of night. The form followed the content as Samantha navigated her issues, delving into losses and traumas from her past. We talked about her thoughts about writing, not sleeping, and the writing process itself: that it's like dreaming, and also an expression of love that requires you to open your heart.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had such a nice talk with author Mia Birdsong, who wrote How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community. Mia is a pathfinder, community curator, and storyteller who steadily engages the leadership and wisdom of people experiencing injustice to chart new visions of American life. In her work on guaranteed income as senior fellow at the Economic Security Project, she tapped into the voices and visions of low-income people to reimagine the American social contract, which she focused on in her TED talk. Mia and I talked about her work around social justice, the human need for interdependence, and what exclusion from practicing the American dream looks like. How We Show Up is powerful, as is our conversation, and I hope you take away as much from it as I did.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Munson is the author of Willa's Grove, her debut novel. She's also the author of This Is Not the Story You Think It Is...: A Season of Unlikely Happiness, which is a memoir based on her New York Times Modern Love essay which was so popular it actually crashed The New York Times website. We talked about coming to crossroads moments in life and how her characters in Willa's Grove react to them, the nuances of female friendship, her writer's retreat and foundation, and the importance of perseverance for writers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had the chance to interview Liz Moore over Zoom and Instagram Live to discuss Long Bright River, which is Liz's best-selling novel and a GMA Book Club pick. It's the story of two sisters who grow up adjacent to Kensington in Philadelphia which is a neighborhood that's been particularly hard hit by the opioid crisis. As adults, they become estranged: the older sister is a police officer and the younger sister is suffering from opioid addiction. Liz and I talked about how her book was inspired by her own family history, genetic predisposition, and systemic failures in our country that have contributed to the insidiousness of addiction.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode is a bit of a departure from my typical author interviews. I'm talking to two of the most important people at Goodreads, which many of you fellow book lovers already know about. It's a giant site for book recommendations where you can follow your friends' picks. Danny Feekes is the editorial director at Goodreads and Suzanne Skyvara is the VP of marketing and editorial. They're both terrific, entertaining, and have the inside scoop about what is popular on Goodreads for this summer — and what their own picks are, and more! You’ll have to listen to hear how we ended up discussing naked yoga. Who knew?!   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had the best conversation with Natalie Jenner who is a debut author of The Jane Austen Society. Her historical fiction depicts eight extremely different people at the end of World War II who are all dealing with trauma and loss in different ways, and bond over an unknown shared love of Jane Austen. It’s based on an account of the actual formation of the first Jane Austen Society during World War II. Her book is transportive, and you can feel how inspired she was writing it. Plus, her own life story about opening a bookstore with her husband before finding out he was sick gives a unique perspective on hope.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.