Debut novelist Hanna Halperin joins Zibby to discuss how the writing she produced during her MFA intersected with her role as a domestic abuse counselor to lead her to her book, Something Wild. Hanna shares how she immersed herself in the story so much that her characters surprised her, the research she conducted to accurately portray a nearby neighborhood as the backdrop for the plot, and what conversations she hopes her novel will spark.
With the publication of her tenth novel, Count the Ways, Joyce Maynard feels she has said everything she wanted to about falling in love and the dream of making a family. The journalist, author, and teacher joined Zibby to discuss why she's drawn to stories that aren't being told, the ways in which fiction writing has allowed her to explore her real-life relationships, and what she tells the women who attend her memoir workshops to help them feel empowered in telling their stories.
Coming from a family of writers and editors, Miranda Cowley Heller's time as the Head of Drama at HBO was less expected than the release of her debut novel, The Paper Palace. Miranda joins to talk about the book, which Zibby could not put down, as well as how her literary upbringing has influenced all phases of her professional life and where she plans to go next. (Hint: it's back to HBO for a bit.) Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books has teamed up with Katie Couric Media and Random House to give away 100 copies of Sarah Sentilles’ book, Stranger Care! Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jdKctA
"If you want to have a long-term career as a writer, you have to be constantly questioning and challenging yourself.” J. Michael Straczynski may be well known for his film, television, and comic work, but he's always looking to find something new to do next. Joe joins Zibby to talk about why he wanted his latest novel, Together We Will Go, to be told through letters and how experiencing the loss of multiple friends to suicide inspired him to write this story. Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books has teamed up with Katie Couric Media and Random House to give away 100 copies of Sarah Sentilles’ book, Stranger Care! Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jdKctA
"Your wine can never escape its place of origin. As people, neither can we. We can reinvent ourselves over and over again, but we can never change where we began." Zibby and Jamie Brenner reconnected for a special BookHampton event celebrating Jamie's latest novel, Blush. The two talked about the research Jamie conducted before setting her story at a Long Island winery, the benefits and detriments of writing books for specific demographics, and the inspiration she took from the dishy female writers of the 1980s. Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books has teamed up with Katie Couric Media and Random House to give away 100 copies of Sarah Sentilles’s book, Stranger Care! Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jdKctA
Alexandra Andrews joins Zibby for an impromptu therapy session and conversation about her debut novel, Who is Maud Dixon? The two joke about how many drafts of the story Alexandra wrote before reaching publication, why she hates when other writers say they hate writing, and what it's like being married to another author.
Elyssa: The first book, it was weird. I really didn't feel like I had a job because I would write it but there was no guarantee it was going to sell. When people were like, “Do you work?” I would just say, “No. I'm a stay-at-home mom.” They'd have to drag it out of me that I was working on a book. Until I had a contract, it didn't feel real to me.
