Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center to discuss Hello Stranger, a hopelessly romantic and irresistibly fun story about a talented portrait artist who gets a neurological condition called face blindness just as she is getting a big career break (and falling in love with two men at once!). Katherine talks about her path to writing, her fascinating research on prosopagnosia, and the themes she loved exploring in this novel: resilience, loss, and love. She also expla...
Sep 06, 2023•31 min•Season 18Ep. 34
Zibby speaks to award-winning short story writer Ann Beattie about Onlookers, a brilliant collection of stories set in Charlottesville, Virginia, all linked by contentious monuments in a moment of unrest. Ann shares the inspiration behind this collection, her nontraditional path into this career, her fascinating writing process, the best books she’s read recently, and how her stunning cover came to be. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/45RHWxq Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow...
Sep 05, 2023•21 min•Season 18Ep. 33
Zibby interviews Thurber Prize-winning author Harrison Scott Key about How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told , a hilarious and heartbreaking memoir about the hellscape of marriage and the mysteries of mercy. Harrison describes the moment his marriage exploded (when his wife revealed she was in love with his friend!) and the difficult path their relationship took thereafter. He also shares his views on marriage (we all marry the wrong people!), stories from his childhood in ru...
Sep 04, 2023•32 min•Season 18Ep. 32
Zibby is joined by Washington Post sportswriter and New York Times bestselling author Sally Jenkins to discuss The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Work and Life, a love letter to the extraordinary coaches and athletes she has interviewed and the actionable principles of excellence they embody. Sally discusses what it takes to be a star athlete (it’s a combination of talent, discipline, preparation, resources, and lots of self-care!) and reveals the qualities of the best coaches. She also ...
Sep 03, 2023•30 min•Season 18Ep. 31
Zibby interviews accomplished entrepreneur, business strategist, author, Zibby Retreat headliner, and repeat MDHTTRB guest Tina Wells about The Elevation Approach, a powerful and innovative guide for achieving work-life harmony. Tina describes the tools she designed to help her friends (and now the world) integrate their personal and professional goals and values–from holding yourself accountable to resting to knowing which friends to keep around. She also shares what she is focusing on now: fam...
Sep 02, 2023•22 min•Season 18Ep. 30
Zibby speaks to hospice nurse, passionate end-of-life care advocate, TikTok star, and New York Times bestselling author Hadley Vlahos about her extraordinary, heartrending memoir, The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments. Hadley talks about her unexpected rise to fame on TikTok and her decision to put her experiences on paper. She also shares her views on death and some of her favorite hospice memories. Finally, she describes the trajectory of her own life, from unexp...
Sep 01, 2023•21 min•Season 18Ep. 29
Zibby interviews master comedian and long-time touring partner of Jerry Seinfeld, Mark Schiff, about his hilarious and brilliantly honest collection of essays, Why Not?: Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah . Mark shares the details of his life story, including his weight loss journey, the trauma he survived as a child, and finding a home in the Jewish community. He also talks about his career in comedy (from bombing his first show at 18 to touring internationally with Jerry Seinfeld) and sh...
Aug 31, 2023•27 min•Season 18Ep. 28
Debut author Kate Flannery joins Zibby to discuss Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millenial Los Angeles, a brave, racy, and devourable memoir about her time working for American Apparel as a recent college grad in the mid-2000s and toeing the line between sexual empowerment and sexual exploitation. Kate talks about the cult-y environment of the provocative, controversial company; the inappropriate behavior of its CEO; and her decision to write a book at the end of it all. She also describes her current ...
Aug 30, 2023•26 min•Season 18Ep. 27
Zibby Books author alert!!! Zibby interviews debut author Patty Lin about End Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood, a funny, fresh, and eye-opening memoir about her ten-year TV writing career–which was not what she had dreamed it to be. Patty shares what it was like to endure such a crushing work culture, manage her immigrant parents’ expectations, date a workaholic, and ultimately, walk away from the industry. She also shares what life has been like since breaking up with Hollywood (it involv...
Aug 29, 2023•28 min•Season 18Ep. 26
Zibby interviews literary agent and New York Times bestselling author Lara Love Hardin about her heartbreaking, tender, and hilarious memoir, The Many Lives of Mama Love. Lara shares her jaw-dropping story–from suburban soccer mom to heroin addict to prisoner to successful literary agent and ghostwriter. She explains how her Vicodin addiction started, what it was like to lose everything (including her children) and go to jail, and how she rebuilt her life after hitting rock bottom. Purchase on B...
Aug 28, 2023•31 min•Season 18Ep. 25
Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling author (and poker player!) Helen Ellis to discuss her surprising, sexy, and hilariously frank collection of essays, Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge: Intimate Confessions from a Happy Marriage. Helen talks about the real-life coral lounge – a joyful room in her New York City apartment that Zibby has been to! The two discuss happy marriages, viagra, snoring husbands, plants, back-alley Botox, sexy books from the 80s, and last first kisses. Helen also descr...
Aug 27, 2023•27 min•Season 18Ep. 24
Guest host Julie Chavez interviews podcaster, keynote speaker, and author Suzanne Falter about her profound and heart-opening memoir, Free Spirited: How My Daughter Healed Me from the Afterlife . Suzanne shares beautiful stories of her daughter, Teal, who died unexpectedly at twenty-two from an unexplainable cardiac arrest. She also shares what it took to heal (years of self-care and connecting with her daughter, particularly through dreams) and what life has been like since. Purchase on Booksho...
Aug 26, 2023•34 min•Season 18Ep. 23
Zibby interviews award-winning TV writer Laura Belgray about her hilarious and wise collection of stories, Tough Titties: On Living Your Best Life When You’re the F-ing Worst. Laura shares parts of her life story, from eating disorders, all-girls school, and hookups with bartenders to finally finding her passion (and her husband!). She also describes her career in writing (from TV promos to marketing emails) and shares her best advice for aspiring writers. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3s...
Aug 25, 2023•26 min•Season 18Ep. 22
Zibby chats with debut author Breanne Mc Ivor about The God of Good Looks, a riveting, sharp-witted, and transportive summer read about a young Trinidadian woman who has been publicly disgraced and has to work for the only person who will hire her–a brilliant but temperamental makeup artist. Breanne reveals the inspiration behind this story and why the alternating perspectives are so important. She also shares her thoughts on beauty standards, anecdotes from her first career as a makeup artist, ...
Aug 24, 2023•26 min•Season 18Ep. 21
Guest host Julie Chavez chats with New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry about The Secret Book of Flora Lea, an enchanting and refreshingly original novel about a woman who discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, including long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during WWII. Patti talks about her spectacular audiobook (narrated by actress Cynthia Erivo!) and then reveals how this story came to be. She also d...
Aug 23, 2023•32 min•Season 18Ep. 20
Zibby speaks to professor, historian, and author Drew Gilpin Faust about Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury, a brave and poignant memoir about Drew's privileged childhood in the segregated South and the birth of her questioning spirit. Drew describes instances of the “necessary trouble” she created growing up (like writing a strongly worded letter to Eisenhower in support of school integration at age 9). She also talks about her career in higher education, particularly what she achieved...
Aug 22, 2023•30 min•Season 18Ep. 19
Zibby interviews bestselling author Adam Gopnik about The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery, a spirited and profound collection of self-help essays that investigate how we learn and master a new skill–from boxing to drawing nude bodies. Adam discusses the bliss of accomplishment: pursuing a new hobby without needing to do it perfectly. He also reveals what he’d like to master next and his best advice for aspiring authors. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3YGkqRI Share, rate, & review ...
Aug 21, 2023•29 min•Season 18Ep. 18
Zibby interviews debut author Cecilia Rabess about Everything’s Fine, a sharp and intimate novel about two young people–a liberal Black woman and a conservative white man–who fall reluctantly, complicatedly, and deeply in love with each other during the Obama and Trump administrations. Cecilia shares the origins of this story, her long journey to getting an agent (and very short journey to selling the manuscript), and her pub day jitters. She also reveals she is working on her next book and shar...
Aug 20, 2023•26 min
Guest host Julie Chavez is joined by New York Times bestselling author Kristin Harmel to discuss The Paris Daughter, a gripping and gut-wrenching historical novel about two mothers who must make unthinkable choices in the face of Nazi occupation. Kristin talks about the power of WWII books (and the lessons that still resonate today); the themes of motherhood, fear, and sacrifice in her novel; balancing writing, motherhood, and Friends & Fiction; and her recent breast cancer diagnosis. Purcha...
Aug 19, 2023•32 min
Guest host Julie Chavez interviews debut author Elysha Chang about A Quitter’s Paradise, a darkly humorous and compulsively readable book (and the first one from Sarah Jessica Parker’s SJP Lit!) about a young woman who tries to ignore her mother’s death even as unearthed family secrets become increasingly inextricable from her own. Elysha talks about her job teaching creative writing to university students, her frustrations with her own protagonist and book (it took her six years to write!), and...
Aug 18, 2023•31 min•Season 18Ep. 15
Amy Newmark, publisher and editor-in-chief of Chicken Soup for the Soul, joins Zibby to discuss the Chicken Soup series and the thirtieth-anniversary edition that Zibby wrote a bonus essay for! Amy describes how some of her favorite Chicken Soup stories–those on forgiveness, gratitude, and grief–have helped her navigate challenges in her own life, including her journey with cancer. She also talks about fear, letting go of toxic friends, and what it really means to forgive. Purchase on Bookshop: ...
Aug 17, 2023•30 min•Season 18Ep. 14
Zibby speaks to journalist and debut author Katie Bishop about The Girls of Summer, a mesmerizing, unsettling, and gripping dual-timeline story about a woman who, in her mid-thirties, cannot stop thinking about the summer she spent in Greece as a teenager and the affair she had with a much older man. Katie explains how the MeToo movement inspired this story and how she makes places, relationships, and feelings come to life in her writing. She also shares her writing and publishing journey, her b...
Aug 16, 2023•26 min•Season 18Ep. 13
Zibby interviews playwright, screenwriter, Emmy Award-winning journalist, and author Byron Lane about Big Gay Wedding, a hilarious, quirky, and unashamedly proud novel about a conservative mom (who runs a small-town rescue ranch for misfit animals) and her gay son (who wants to get married at the farm). Byron shares his coming out story (and how it inspired bits of this novel); his journey with testicular cancer; his experience working as actress Carrie Fischer’s assistant; and the perks of bein...
Aug 15, 2023•25 min•Season 18Ep. 12
Sara Shepard, the New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series, speaks to guest host Julie Chavez about Penny Draws a Best Friend, a humorous and heartfelt middle-grade series about Penny, a fifth grader who is navigating friendships, finding her people, and lots of worries. Sara reveals she was just like Penny growing up and shares stories of her anxiety, then and now. She also talks about her lifelong love of doodling, which her Pretty Little Liars editors noticed and en...
Aug 14, 2023•37 min•Season 18Ep. 14
In this special weekend re-release, Zibby speaks to New York Times bestselling author and literary legend Dave Eggers about We Became Jaguars, a breathtaking picture book about a child and a grandmother who transform into jaguars and journey into the undiscovered world of nature. Dave describes the ins and outs of the publishing process, how he began writing picture books, and the Young Editors Project, which allows young children to help workshop picture books before they’re published. Purchase...
Aug 13, 2023•33 min•Season 18Ep. 10
In this special weekend re-release, Zibby speaks to Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen about Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting , a bighearted book of wisdom, wit, and insight, celebrating the love and joy of being a grandmother. Anna Quindlen talks to Zibby about all the wonderful things grandmothers have time to do and shares the parts of grandmotherhood that often go unspoken. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3QB4heq Share, rate, &...
Aug 12, 2023•28 min•Season 18Ep. 9
Award-winning children’s book author Julia Cook joins Zibby to discuss Herman Jiggle, Just Be You, a heartwarming tale about overcoming insecurities and learning to accept and love oneself. Julia shares how she came to publish 140 books–it all started when she couldn’t quite figure out how to teach children! She also discusses her most memorable books; the mistakes she’s made in a couple of them; recent trends in anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation for children and adolescents; and her bes...
Aug 11, 2023•26 min•Season 18Ep. 8
Zibby speaks to debut author Emi Nietfeld about Acceptance, a gripping, page-turning, and darkly humorous memoir about a life that took her from homelessness and foster care to Harvard and Google. Emi describes the chaos that ensued after her parents’ divorce–from her mother’s compulsive hoarding to her own mental health crisis and hospitalization. She also shares what it was like when her father came out as trans in the early 2000s in a very religious family (Emi was a state bible champion!). F...
Aug 10, 2023•23 min•Season 18Ep. 7
Guest host Julie Chavez interviews comedy writing duo Alli Frank and Asha Youmans about The Better Half, a charming, laugh-out-loud funny book about a woman who has reached her personal and professional pinnacle and then… gets pregnant! Alli and Asha share their mission of exploring challenging subjects through a lens of humor and joy. They also talk about their partnership with Mindy’s Book Studio (Mindy Kaling’s new publishing house!) and their lovely writing support group, the Tall Poppy Writ...
Aug 09, 2023•33 min•Season 18Ep. 6
Zibby speaks to award-winning investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Clifford about The Farewell Tour, a shimmering and heartbreakingly authentic country-music saga about one woman achieving stardom in a world dominated by men. Stephanie describes her unforgettable protagonist (who was inspired by her grandmother!) and the fascinating research she conducted to get it all right – from studying a farmer’s journal from 1910 to speaking to several doctors about voca...
Aug 08, 2023•29 min•Season 18Ep. 5
