Totally Booked with Zibby

Abby Sher is a performer and author of many books including her latest, Miss You Love You Hate You Bye. She even wrote a “Modern Love” essay in the New York Times that was adapted into an episode of the Modern Love television series. Abby’s young adult novel tackles the tough subjects of eating disorders, self-harm, and finding the courage to help a friend who can't stop hurting herself. During this extremely personal and emotional conversation, Abby and I discussed her hesitation to write about this topic and the reason she finally gave in. Abby opened up about her own struggles with anorexia, OCD, personal loss, rehab and the intervention that was "disguised" as her 30th birthday party. Make sure to tune in to hear Abby's unique story, which begins with journaling as a form of therapy and eventually leads to her professional writing career which includes these books: Kissing Snowflakes, All the Ways the World Can End, Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery, Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying, and her latest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Bohjalian is the New York Times best-selling author of 21 books including The Flight Attendant, The Guest Room, and Midwives, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller and a selection of Oprah's Book Club. Midwives, along with Secrets of Eden and Past the Bleachers, have been made into movies and The Flight Attendant is in development as a limited series. Chris’s most recent novel, The Red Lotus, is a ticking clock thriller about a New York City ER doctor whose boyfriend disappears while they are biking through Vietnam, leaving her with unanswered questions and danger at every turn. It was truly amazing talking to Chris about his latest book which now seems more timely than ever. I couldn’t believe the amount of research, interviewing, and homework that Chris does before he even starts to write. We chatted about his deep dive into the world of ER doctors (again, particularly timely now), his confession that he does his best thinking while biking, and that his favorite voice-over artist for his audiobooks is his daughter! I loved Chris's advice that life is short and precious and we should approach it that way. We need his thought leadership now more than ever. Thanks, Chris!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm Hansen is the winner of the BCALA (Black Caucus American Library Association) Literary Award for a first novelist and was nominated for a 2019 NAACP Image Award. His debut novel They Come In All Colors is a mea culpa style story of a 15-year-old boy who poisons his friend and then explains the circumstances leading up to his choices. Malcom and I spoke about his using writing as a form of therapy, how growing up overseas and being raised by an interracial activist couple shaped his view of the world including being adopted. We even spoke delicately about his relationship with his birth mother. I really enjoyed talking to Malcom about the idea that fiction puts the reader in another person's shoes, plus I won’t ever forget Malcolm’s story of a typewriter, a motorcycle and his dusty road to Ecuador. It's so inspiring! And just a heads up, this episode does include some adult language. Be inspired by Malcolm Hansen like I was!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephanie Wrobel is the author of debut novel Darling Rose Gold, a mother-daughter story of obsession, reconciliation, and revenge. It was fascinating to chat with Stephanie about her research into Munchausen by proxy, her advice to authors to treat the business side of publishing as part of their job, her choice to apply to grad school that changed everything, the idea that an author needs life experience to tackle tricky subjects and how Stephanie's struggle to find her footing in a new city gave her the guts to quit her job and write a novel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anne Bogel is the famous podcast host of "What Should I Read Next?" and "One Great Book.” She’s also the creator of the blog Modern Mrs. Darcy and the author of Reading People and I'd Rather Be Reading. Her latest book, Don't Overthink It, is already a bestseller!!! Her book is part memoir/part guide to stop second-guessing yourself and make decisions that bring joy to your life. Anne and I have so many things in common from our passion for connecting books with readers to having a house full of 4 kids. I honestly could have kept talking with her for hours! Anne and I chatted about her being a recovering perfectionist, how she visualizes her workload as a Ferris wheel, the concept of giving decisions the amount of energy they deserve and the idea that loving books is like sharing a common language. Be sure to catch Anne's hilarious dinner party story that will keep you laughing!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone! In this super short episode, I talk briefly about my thoughts and feelings about this crazy time of life and how the coronavirus has affected the book world - and me.I discuss the live Instagram and live Facebook I'll be doing today (Sunday, March 15th) at 2:00 pm EST with giveaways, author chats, book suggestions and other ways you can help the literary community. Please watch! If you haven't already, please check out my storefront on bookshop.org of 150 books coming out in March and April that are affected by the coronavirus -- the authors' tours are cancelled and publicity is harder to come by. Help them out!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jenny Lee is a TV writer, producer and author of the YA novel Anna K: A Love Story, a modern-day adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. HBO Max acquired the rights for Anna K and Jenny Lee will be adapting and writing this story for the screen. How cool is that?! Jenny and I chatted about the year she took dating off the table and how it changed her productivity, her strict Korean upbringing, the sweet tribute to her husband and their relationship throughout the book, and the crazy experience of being in a Hollywood bidding war! This interview was such a full-circle moment for me and you'll just have to listen to hear why!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cécile David-Weill is a French-American and the author of two novels Crush (under the name Cecile De La Baume) and The Suitors. She studied literature at La Sorbonne in Paris and was a regular contributor to the French magazine Le Point with a column entitled "Letters From New York."Cécile latest book, Parents Under the Influence: Words of Wisdom from a Former Bad Mother, is part memoir and part researched guide to parenting. Cécile and I discussed the personal parenting struggles that led her to tackle this material, the idea that often we parent with our childhood suffering in the forefront of our minds instead of our children, the cheat sheets she includes at the end of the book to give parents a quick peek at the basic principles, and the idea that there is no one perfect way to parent. I really enjoyed speaking with Cécile whose delightful French accent made me feel like I was strolling with a friend down the Seine. Not that I’ve actually done that, but a girl can dream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan Eliasberg is the award-winning screenwriter, director and debut author of Hannah's War. This literary spy thriller follows a female Jewish physicist and her work on the atomic bomb during WWII. Jan referred to writing this book as the best creative experience of her life and I can see why! I loved chatting with Jan about the historic New York Times article that sparked her imagination, the exciting task of exploring a male-dominated world from a woman’s point of view, her personal family connection to the source material and her deep need to write a novel after experiencing success in film and television. Jan has written and directed dramatic pilots for CBS, NBC, and ABC and directed episodes of Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, 13 Reasons Why, Parenthood, Blue Bloods, NCIS: Los Angeles, and many others. As a screenwriter, Jan has written films driven by strong female leads including Fly Girls with Nicole Kidman @nicolekidman and Cameron Diaz @camerondiaz and she was the first woman to direct Miami Vice. Her debut feature film was Past Midnight starring Paul Giamatti and the late Natasha Richardson. Jan graduated from Wesleyan University and has two MFAs, one from the Yale School of Drama and Directing, and one from Warren Wilson in fiction. We did an event this week together about women geniuses with Janice Kaplan and Shoshanna Gruss which was fantastic!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Elizabeth Russell is the debut author of My Dark Vanessa, the story of a young woman coming to terms with the sexual relationship she had with her teacher and the consequences of it that she continues to face in her adult life. Kate started writing this haunting novel in her teens as a way of making sense of our culture's sexualization of teenage girls. Kate discussed her novel coinciding with the @metoomvmt, her views on rewriting the narrative of victimhood and consent, her book giving a voice to victims that feel hesitant to share their story, and the importance of creating fiction that allows room for engagement and disagreement. This woman is so eloquent! Kate earned an MFA from Indiana University and a PhD from the University of Kansas. Her fiction and nonfiction has appeared in Necessary Fiction, Quarterly West, Mid-American Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, and other journals. You’ll never forget these characters!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.