Award-winning journalist Carley Fortune joins Zibby to discuss her debut novel, Every Summer After, which is already a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Canadian national bestseller. The two talk about how the novel was inspired in part by Carley's love for the tiny town of Barry's Bay as well as her time growing up there. Carley also shares how finding her diaries from adolescence informed the story and how writing this book during Covid helped her reclaim her creativity.
Zibby is joined by Dr. Katie Takayasu to discuss her book, Plants First: A Physician's Guide to Wellness Through a Plant-Forward Diet, which was inspired by her own food journey. The two talk about how Dr. Katie's experiences in college, medical school, and her residency led her to a plant-forward diet, and how her family approaches food in their home. Dr. Katie also shares why she advises avoiding foods that cause inflammation, her takeaways from dealing with insomnia, and where listeners can find her and more of her recipes.
Nutritional therapist Sumner Brooks and dietitian nutritionist Amee Severson join Zibby to talk about their book, How to Raise an Intuitive Eater. The three dive into conversations about dismantling diet culture, their favorite methods of implementing intuitive eating habits in their own homes, and what to do if you think your child may be veering into an eating disorder. Sumner and Amee also share the importance of parenting yourself and trusting that your children will know what is best for their bodies.
Zibby is joined by wellness consultant and childhood friend Julie Wilcox to talk about her new book, The Win-Win Diet. Julie shares how her experience as an Olympic-aspiring gymnast led her down the path of nutrition studies and creating recipes that offer more than just basic sustenance. The two also discuss how to create a sustainable plant-based diet, Julie's experience writing this book during Covid, and some of her creative self-marketing strategies.
Harvard-trained psychiatrist and professional chef Dr. Uma Naidoo joins Zibby to talk about her book, This Is Your Brain on Food, which offers a way to approach food as medicine. Uma shares what she's doing to grow the field of nutritional psychiatry and why she's against telling patients to restrict themselves in their diets. The two also discuss how the awareness around the gut-brain connection has been around since the days of Hippocrates, as well as which food facts have blown her mind.
Ann Leary, New York Times bestselling author of The Good House, joins Zibby to talk about her latest novel, The Foundling, which was inspired in part by her own family's story. Ann shares what she learned about eugenics in order to write the book, as well as how moving around a lot as a young girl has helped her as a writer. The two also discuss the story's metaphorical suitcase, the history of asylums and who resided in them, and who Ann fashioned each of her three protagonists after.
Zibby is joined by author and professor Grant Ginder to discuss his latest novel, Let's Not Do That Again. Grant explains how his experiences in politics have shaped how he approaches storytelling, as well as which four books he brought on a three-day vacation. The two also talk about their similar writing habits, what Grant has enjoyed the most throughout the ten years he has taught expository writing, and what project he's in the early stages of working on next.
Award-winning journalist and author of Summer Darlings Brooke Lea Foster joins Zibby to talk about her latest novel, On Gin Lane. The two discuss the real historical event that inspired this novel, what Brooke finds so magical about the summertime, and why she's so excited about her next book. Find more details about Brooke's summer writing contest on the new Moms Don't Have Time To site. Enter by August 15th for a chance to win a lunch with Brooke and Zibby in the Hamptons and more!
Former editor of Motherlode and author of the instant New York Times bestseller and Reese's Book Club Pick, The Chicken Sisters, KJ Dell'Antonia returns to discuss her latest novel, In Her Boots. KJ and Zibby talk about the exciting new episodes coming up on her #AmWriting podcast, the effect her book How to be a Happier Parent has had on her own parenting, and what she finds hardest about writing. KJ also shares how she is prepping for an upcoming speech on the importance of reading whatever you like and when she's currently reading (besides a book on how to give a speech).
Zibby is joined by editor and author Liz Scheier to discuss her debut memoir, Never Simple, which details the complex relationship she had with her mother. The two talk about the steps Liz took to paint as full of a picture of her mother as she could, when she found the time to write while raising two kids under two, and how her experience as an editor helped her as a writer. Liz also shares what she's learned about parent-child relationships overall, her thoughts on elder care after arranging as much security as she could for her mother towards the end of her life, and which parts of her story she decided not to share in the book.
Andrea Yaryura Clark joins Zibby to talk about her debut novel, On a Night of a Thousand Stars, which focuses on the history of Argentina's Dirty War. The two discuss how the book grew out of a fascination with the children of those who had been disappeared in the 1970s and 80s, as well as how the project originally began as a documentary about those she interviewed. Andrea also shares why she wrote the two timelines as two separate books, who she would cast to play her protagonist in a movie, and what her children think of her work.
Zibby is joined by Syed Masood to talk about his debut adult novel, Bad Muslim Discount. Syed shares how he used to craft long email letters to his now-wife and how her support was what inspired him to pursue writing seriously. The two also discuss how the idea for this novel grew from the aftermath of the 2016 election, what Syed found terrifying about his arranged marriage, and why his writing style might not be the most efficient.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Ruta Sepetys joins Zibby to discuss her latest novel, I Must Betray You. Ruta explains why she was drawn to tell Romania's under-discussed history, what she found as she began to conduct her research, and how she carries on with her daily life while writing about such heavy subjects. The two also talk about how to write good historical fiction and what Ruta is working on next.
Zibby is joined by author Gina Sorell to talk about her second novel, The Wise Women, which was named a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. The two discuss how listening to Zibby's podcast helped her feel more connected to her writing during the pandemic, why she made the shift from acting to writing, and the ways in which her experience with this book differs from her first. Gina also shares how she hopes readers will connect with all of the book's protagonists and whether or not she'll continue on with them in the future.
Zibby is joined by writer, director, and professor Julia May Jonas to discuss her debut novel, Vladimir. The two talk about how the pandemic shifted Julia's trajectory from theater to fiction, as well as the conversation about aging and female desire that lit the spark in her to write this story. Julia also shares how observing her husband write novels helped her craft hers, the gendered power structures and expectations she tries to push back against, and how her next book will differ from this project.
Editor-in-chief and CEO of Moment Magazine Nadine Epstein joins Zibby to discuss her new book, RBG's Brave & Brilliant Women, and the special relationship she had with the late Supreme Court justice. The two talk about how Nadine and Justice Ginsburg crafted a list of over 150 inspiring women which was whittled down to the 33 present in the book, why it was important to Justice Ginsburg that the book be targeted to all readers, and how Justice Ginsburg shaped Nadine's personal life. Nadine also shares the story of why she ultimately bought Moment Magazine and tells Zibby about the various projects she's working on.
Zibby is joined by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz to talk about his latest two novels, Quicksilver and The Big Dark Sky. The two discuss why Dean decided to leave his publisher (as well as why he doesn't think the publishing industry should continue to vilify Amazon) and what many imprints misunderstand about their readers. Dean also shares why he likes to challenge himself more at this stage of his career than he did before, his deep fascination with coincidences, and which projects he is working on next.
Zibby is joined by the Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other Bernardine Evaristo to talk about her first non-fiction book, Manifesto: On Never Giving Up. The two discuss why Bernardine didn't want to write another novel after the runaway success with Girl, Woman, Other, why she's written in various genres at the different stages of her life, and which medium she plans to return to with her next project.
Poet and publicist Kim Dower joins Zibby to discuss her fifth book of poems, I Wore This Dress Today for You, Mom, which helped her grapple with her mother's dementia and passing. The two talk about Kim's journeys as both a writer and a book publicist—as well as how the two roles inform each other—and what the catalyst was for her to return to poetry after nearly twenty years. Kim also shares some of her favorite poets and what inspired her to write a number of the poems in this collection.
Creator of the blog and Facebook group Finding Cooper's Voice, Kate Swenson, joins Zibby to talk about her first book, Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy. The two discuss why Kate felt comfortable sharing more personal information in this book than she does on her blog, how her family dynamic has evolved over the last eleven years, and how she manages to keep such a sunny disposition. Kate also shares how Covid impacted Cooper and his treatment, as well as her favorite parts of the Facebook community she has created.
