Totally Booked with Zibby

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 s...

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 exposi...

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 Ha...

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 par...

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 share...

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...

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 h...

#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 f...

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 f...

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 g...

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 Just...

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 l...

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 med...

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...

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 sun...

Zibby is joined by the former deputy editor of  Vanity Fair  Dana Brown to talk about his debut memoir,  Dilettante . The two discuss what they miss about the heyday of print magazines, the crazy true story of how Dana got his start at Condé Nast, and how working for the magazine helped him find where he belonged. Dana and Zibby also connect over the summer their times at  VF&n...

New York Times  bestselling author Lauren Layne joins Zibby to talk about her latest romance novel,  Made in Manhattan . The two discuss how Lauren began her writing career by finding time to write steamy novels while working at her corporate job, when she decided to weave New York City into her stories, and her best advice for authors when building their websites. Lauren also tells Zibb...

"I gave myself permission through the book to explore the questions I would've been terrified to ask in real life. I think that's the gift of writing." Zibby is joined by Lauren McBrayer to discuss her first adult novel,  Like a House on Fire,  which was already a Belletrist Book Club pick. The two also talk about how Lauren's initial desire to write a memoir metamorphosed into her...

Zibby is joined by award-winning author Judy Goldman to talk about her latest memoir,  Child , which she didn't feel ready to write until her eighties. Judy shares how she processed and portrayed the sensitive nature of her personal history growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South, as well as why she felt called to write this memoir in the first place. The two discuss the benefit...

New York Times  bestselling author Christina Geist returns to talk with Zibby about her latest picture book,  Buddy's New Buddy . The two discuss the story of how Christina first began writing books for children, how long she wants to follow Buddy and Lady, and where her illustrator leaves Easter eggs for sharp-eyed readers throughout all three books. Christina also shares the two r...

Zibby is joined by author and illustrator Mike White (along with two other special guests) to discuss his  Mellybean  series. Mike shares the story of how he adopted his real-life dog, Melly, and how she inspires him to be more optimistic and outgoing every day. The four also talk about the person who inspired Mike to get into illustration and storytelling, how working on the series help...

Bestselling author Lian Dolan returns to talk with Zibby about her latest novel,  Lost and Found in Paris , which she has been working on-and-off on for nine years. The two discuss the undercurrents of grief in the story, which was inspired by the loss of Lian's own parents, as well as which major plot twist really happened to one of Lian's friends. Lian also shares what the last twenty years...

Zibby is joined by author and editor Meghan O'Rourke to discuss her latest book,  The Invisible Kingdom , which took her nearly a decade to write. The two talk about the three major problems with medicine that have made it so hard to diagnose chronic illnesses, particularly in women, as well as how Meghan wanted to portray her own invisible illness journey as hopeful without sugarcoating...

Author of  Eliza Starts a Rumor  Jane L. Rosen returns to the podcast to talk with Zibby about her latest novel,  A Shoe Story . The two discuss which elements of the story were inspired by real moments from Jane's own family history, what her personal relationship with shoes is like, and how her neighbor inspired one of the book's characters. Jane also shares which project she's wo...

Journalist, co-founder of the Iceland Writers Retreat, and First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid joins Zibby to discuss her book,  Secrets of the Sprakkar , and all of the outstanding women who have inspired it. Eliza shares some of the commendable Icelandic policies that have advanced gender equality in the nation, as well as how she approaches her own role as First Lady as a feminist and an...