Jeniffer is joined via Warwick’s Books by prolific writer Alice Hoffman. Hoffman is most known for her book, Practical Magic , which was made into a film of the same name. The Invisible Hour is her latest novel and she talks about how it came about. You’ll learn how her own past has informed the stories she tells, and how that shapes the women that populate her fiction. You’ll also learn a little bit of history and discover how it can repeat itself.
Nov 07, 2023•39 min•Ep. 82
The guests so nice, we had them twice! Because their last episode was one our most listened to, Dan and Sandy from Smith Publicity are back. They share inside information on the publishing world and discuss the new tools and processes that have come about in the changing digital landscape of the industry. Learn more about Smith Publicity here .
Oct 31, 2023•55 min•Ep. 81
Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel, The Water Cure , was nominated for the 2018 Man Booker Prize. Now, her latest novel, Cursed Bread , inspired by a mass poisoning that actually happened, has been nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She’s a writer who uses similar themes, and she’s realized she has a style. In this episode she talks with Jeniffer via Warwick’s Books about that, her process in writing Cursed Bread, and more. https://www.warwicks.com/book/9780385548304...
Jun 22, 2023•43 min•Ep. 80
Shelby Stanger is another podcaster, author, and big adventurer. Truly. She adventures for a living pretty much. And she inspires others to find their own adventure through her journalism, podcasting, and now her book! Will to Wild was just released on June 6th and she came to talk about it with Jeniffer and Chad. Get ready to be inspired to be a little more fearless and maybe get adventurous! Find out more about Shelby and buy her book below. https://shelbystanger.com/ https://shelbystanger.com...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 79
Words are KishaLynn Elliot’s superpower. She uses that superpower to tell stories, educate, and inspire. She’s an author, speaker and Vice President of Operations and Evaluation at The Monarch School . She’s also a 2023 TEDxSanDiego speaker on Education. She talks with Jeniffer and Chad about her work and her mission to educate and empower unhoused youth and more. You can see her speak virtually(in-person tickets are sold out) at TEDxSanDiego on June 11th, 2023 . https://www.childishthebook.com/...
Jun 02, 2023•58 min•Ep. 78
Jesse Leon is a San Diegan, TED X speaker, Harvard graduate, consultant and survivor. Jeniffer speaks to him about his memoir, I’m Not Broken, and the story of his past that it covers. Jesse is the embodiment of resilience and living proof that you can come out on the other side not just unbroken but thriving. https://www.jesseleon-author.com/
May 18, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 77
Gina Simmons Schneider, PhD, is a Psychotherapist and expert in coping skills. And she used this expertise to write a book about dealing with the common anxieties and stressors we all face in the modern world. Listen to her speak with Jeniffer and Chad about Frazzlebrain and maybe learn a thing or two. https://frazzlebrain.com/ https://www.warwicks.com/book/9781949481624
May 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 76
This episode comes to you via Warwick’s Books. Jeniffer speaks with the author of Wandering Souls, Cecile Pin. Her much praised debut novel was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023, and she’s been compared to Joan Didion by Kirkus Review. Wandering Souls tells a story, inspired by Cecile’s own family’s experiences, of the struggles of immigrating to the UK in the aftermath of the Vietnam war. Cecile talks about her writing process, the personal parts of her novel coming together, an...
May 04, 2023•43 min•Ep. 75
San Diego author, social justice activist, and Pushcart nominee Madhushree Gosh is today’s guest. She talks with Jeniffer and Chad not only about her book, Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family , but food and the politics around it, and politics in general. You may come away believing that we need less talking and more eating if we want to solve the world’s problems. https://www.warwicks.com/book/9781609388232
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 74
For all you Gen X folks out there, this week's guest doesn't really need an introduction. Because she's Susanna Hoffs! But did you know Susanna is also an author? Jeniffer talks to Susanna about her book, This Bird Has Flown, via Warwick's Books. Buy Now
Apr 13, 2023•51 min•Ep. 73
Walter Green is a man on a mission. He’s the author of, This Is The Moment , a mentor, lecturer and is involved in many nonprofits. He’s all about gratitude. His philosophy is that if you have something to say, why wait? Say it NOW. Listen to Walter explain what that means and how he came about this idea and its subsequent movement. You’re in for an inspiring and illuminating story. https://www.justsayitnow.org/
Apr 06, 2023•50 min•Ep. 72
In this episode Jeniffer and Chad are joined by guest Deborah Larkin. Deborah is the author of A Lovely Girl. The novel is part true crime drama, part memoir. Because Deborah was there at the time the crime and subsequent trial took place, seeing it all through the eyes of a ten year old. Oh, and her father was the court reporter! She tells Jeniffer about her writing process, the details of the ripped-from-the-headlines story, and how this unique book all came together.
Mar 30, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 71
Tom Rob Smith speaks with Jeniffer via Warwick’s books about his latest novel, Cold People . Tom is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and creator of the Child 44 trilogy. In this episode they discuss how he crafted the world of Cold People and blurring the lines of what constitutes Science Fiction. There’s talk of made up food and drink, love at first sight, and the characters that inhabit the world of the book and situations they face within it. There’s also a Q&A at the end, so stic...
Mar 23, 2023•55 min•Ep. 70
Laura Cathcart Robbins is back! Laura has been on The Premise before to talk about her own podcast, The Only One in the Room . You can check it out here . In this episode she’s here to talk about her memoir, Stash: My Life in Hiding . Laura talks with Jeniffer and Chad about her writing process, and how she got published. She also talks about the events in the book and reads a passage. She's got that part down, because she also read for the audio version of her own book! Fun Fact: Laura an Advis...
Mar 16, 2023•54 min•Ep. 69
Mark is an expert on the wacky world of conspiracies and bunk science, but his background is in theater, which is apropos since today’s conspiracies are absolutely theater! He tells Jeniffer how his interest in conspiracy theories all started with Art Bell’s late night radio show and just grew from there. They do a deep dive into the QAnon conspiracy, what it’s all about, where it started, the true believers that support and promote it, and just how dangerous this absolutely bats**t crazy conspi...
Sep 27, 2022•56 min•Ep. 68
Suzanne is another writer who was working in an entirely different field before she decided to take a chance and try her hand at something she’d always wanted to do. She shares the story of that journey with Jeniffer and Chad, and offers some good advice for aspiring writers. She’s living proof that with talent and perseverance it’s totally possible to write successful novels and do big things like breaking into the world of screenwriting—and having your script optioned for a movie!
Sep 20, 2022•55 min•Ep. 67
Although there’s an obvious nod to Shakespeare in All’s Well, the protagonist of Awad’s latest novel was inspired by her own experience with pain and her feelings about being ignored and not taken seriously. She talks with Jeniffer about how that experience informed her latest novel, the characters she created, and how and why she chose the setting for this particular story. And of course, there’s discussion of the author’s writing process and how it all came together to create the full story....
Sep 13, 2022•48 min•Ep. 66
Eve and Rosie both get a chance to discuss their writing processes, note the similarities and differences, and realize there’s really no wrong way to write. There are also similarities between their books. They’re both about family and relationships, the settings loom large, and they both question how well we really know those close to us. If you’re a fan of peeking into the writer’s process and love details on the genesis of ideas, and how stories are shaped, you’re going to love this episode. ...
Aug 17, 2022•53 min•Ep. 65
Anastasia Zadeik is a writer, editor, and storyteller. Dedicated to helping writers bring their stories to the page, stage, and screen. She serves as Director of Operations for the San Diego Writers Festival and sits on the board of the literary non-profit So Say We All. She regularly performs in narrative non-fiction showcases, and her work has appeared in The San Diego Decameron Project, The Literary Vine Review, and Shaking the Tree: Brazen. Short. Memoir. She lives in San Diego with her husb...
Aug 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 64
In this episode Jeniffer and Chad talk with Jane Friedman about how she got started doing what she does. And she does a lot! Mostly, she’s an expert on the publishing industry and a guide for helping authors understand it. You’ll learn a lot of valuable information in this one. And because this podcast is actually pretty fun, you’ll also get to hear their opinions on fonts, artistry, Amazon and where the industry is headed. Jeniffer also gets Jane to open up a bit about weird jobs and bourbon pr...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 63
On Wednesday, May 18th at 7:30pm Warwick's hosted Laura L. Engel as she discussed her new book, You'll Forget This Ever Happened: Secrets, Shame, and Adoption in the 1960s. Laura L. Engel is originally hails from Biloxi, Mississippi but moved to San Diego, California over fifty years ago. In 2015 she retired from a thirty-five-year career in the corporate world with plans to quietly catch up on hobbies and travel with her husband, Gene. Within a year an unexpected miracle took: her firstborn son...
Jun 14, 2022•54 min•Ep. 62
Mark talks with Jeniffer and Chad about his long history in the publishing world, his point of view as a current agent for one of the top literary agencies, and how he’s facilitating transparency in the industry. He also gives some advice to Jeniffer about her own processes and a ton of tips on everything from pitching to your hook. Read his full bio below! BIO: Mark Gottlieb is a highly ranked literary agent, both in overall deals and other individual categories. Using that same initiative and ...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 61
Cynthia’s second novel, Good Company, had the misfortune of coming out in the midst of the pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped its success! It just delayed some interviews a bit. Like this one. In Good Company, she writes about family, marriage, and friendship and the nature of those relationships as they build over time. She tells Jeniffer about what inspired her characters, and how much of that inspiration came from her real life experiences living in both Los Angeles and New York. She also disc...
May 17, 2022•58 min•Ep. 60
Jeniffer and Chad chat with Warwick’s Director of Events, Julie Slavinsky and Book Buyer, Adrian Newell. They share insider knowledge and some fun anecdotes from their collective 45 years of experience in the industry. They uncover some long-held secrets of how books are chosen, how they end up in stores, and the role of book stores in an author's success. You’ll learn a bit of history on self-publishing, get a peek into the “Big Five” and other traditional publishing consortiums—And discover ho...
May 05, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 59
Joe Ide’s latest novel is a departure from his IQ series. The Goodbye Coast puts Raymond Chandler’s classic detective protagonist, Philip Marlowe, into our modern world. Which Dennis Lehane calls,”Not so much a reimagining of Chandler’s world but a reinvigorating”. Joe’s first novel in his IQ series has been optioned for a TV series, and he tells Jeniffer about that process, and why he decided to risk writing a novel using a beloved character invented by the godfather of crime fiction. He also t...
Apr 13, 2022•51 min•Ep. 58
Wild Game details Adrienne being brought into her mother’s secret adult world at the age of fourteen, and the years that followed as she took her place as her confidant and co-conspirator. Jeniffer and Chad talk with her about what it was like to bring her story to life, the struggles she encountered while doing so, and the insights she gained along the way. When telling a story of your life, and people you love and the ways they amaze and hurt you, it’s a delicate balance. Adrienne relied on a ...
Mar 29, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 57
Stevie Green is an organizing and decluttering guru whose own life is a total mess, which makes her relatable. And if her character seems very real, maybe it’s because Getting Clean With Stevie Green is the first novel Swan Huntley loosely based on her own experiences in La Jolla, California. Swan and Jeniffer talk about the process of writing her third novel, from the inspiration for the characters, and the humorous tone, to choosing to tell the story from several points of view, despite her re...
Mar 15, 2022•49 min•Ep. 56
In this episode Jeniffer and Chad speak with Rick about his book, Life Lived Wild, and how it’s more than just a memoir of his adventures. Rick explains how each memory is intentionally linked to not just his experience, but to the significance of our impact on our environment. There are fun and thrilling tales exchanged and also some serious talk about what we can do to change the course of our future and care for our planet.
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 55
As you may guess from the title, the delightful children's book Lee recently wrote is about holiday magic and the ways the holidays are celebrated. As per usual, Lee has focused Red and Green and Blue and White on youth and diversity. Jeniffer talks with Lee about this lovingly crafted picture book, his inspiration, and how he puts his personal experience into his writing. Lee also reads from his book, and if you catch the original video of their conversation you can catch a glimpse of it! Websi...
Nov 23, 2021•51 min•Ep. 54
It's not surprising that Peter Heller is able to bring elements of suspense to his latest thriller novel, The Guide. After all, he's quite the adventurer himself, with a whole bevy of stories and experiences to draw from. Though The Guide is fiction, it's setting is very real, and he's often asked if the characters he creates are modeled after himself. Peter shares some of his own real-life adventures with Jeniffer, and you'll learn how and why his thriller novel set within a nature adventure ca...
Sep 21, 2021•52 min•Ep. 53
