Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby is joined by the  New York Times  bestselling author of  The Jetsetters , Amanda Eyre Ward, to discuss her latest novel,  The Lifeguards . Amanda shares her unique style of drafting (which involves a number of colored index cards and a big board in her garden shed!) and reveals the illustrious group chat she belongs to. The two also talk about the epiphany Amanda had abou...

"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how old we are, we still all have that little child inside of us." Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, global explorer, activist, and founder of the non-profit Courageous Girls, joins Zibby to talk about her debut memoir,  In the Shadow of the Mountain , which was recently optioned for film by Selena Gomez. The two discuss how Silvia got to a place where she...

Zibby is joined by author Jennifer E. Smith to discuss her latest adult novel,  The Unsinkable Greta James , as well as her first picture book,  The Creature of Habit . Jennifer shares why she always tries to capture fleeting moments in her fiction and how the loss of her mentor helped her to better capture the grief of losing a loved one. The two also talk about where the inspiration fo...

Zibby is joined by journalist and author Tiffanie Drayton to talk about her first book,  Black American Refugee , which grew out of one of her popular  New York Times  articles. The two discuss how Tiffanie decided to portray the narcissistic abuse she endured from her ex-husband in the same way she portrayed the narcissistic abuse of living in America, as well as what it...

"Writing is ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration." Zibby is joined by bestselling novelist Monica Ali to discuss her first book in ten years,  Love Marriage . Monica shares how this book initially started as two separate stories that she ultimately intertwined, as well as the amount of research she conducted to make the medical elements of this novel seem as...

The  New York Times  bestselling author of  Three Women  and  Animal  Lisa Taddeo returns to talk with Zibby about her latest book,  Ghost Lover , a collection of short stories. The two discuss how they both use language to describe their grief to those who may have not experienced as much loss as they have, why Lisa wanted these stories to all focus on women and...

"This whole experience has taught me that my people are all over the place." In a special episode, Zibby is interviewed by  New York Times  bestseller and friend Allison Pataki to celebrate the release of Zibby's debut memoir,  Bookends !!! Zibby shares why she likes to be so open about her emotions both online and in this book, what she has taken away from losing multiple loved one...

Editorial Director of Amazon Books, Sarah Gelman, returns to share the Amazon Book Review's top ten books of the year so far. Sarah explains that the team of expert editors doesn't pick these books based on sales data but rather, they assemble a list of books they all love and want to share with Amazon customers who may not find them anywhere else. Sarah also tells Zibby about her new book cl...

"I'm a firm believer that the issue isn't whether or not your opportunities come. The issue is whether you're ready when your opportunity comes." CNN anchor Zain Asher joins Zibby to talk about her memoir,  Where the Children Take Us , which documents her family's tragedy and triumphs. The two discuss why Zain wrote this book to honor her mother who raised her and her three siblings after her...

Zibby is joined by  New York Times  bestselling author and co-creator of  Friends & Fiction  Patti Callahan to talk about her two novels,  Surviving Savannah  and  Once Upon a Wardrobe . The two discuss how  Once Upon a Wardrobe  grew out of the research Patti conducted for her 2018 book,  Becoming Mrs. Lewis , why her books read so visually, a...

National Book Award nominee Johanna Kaplan joins Zibby to discuss her latest collection of short stories,  Loss of Memory Is Only Temporary . Johanna shares how she's continued to write while she taught for the past thirty-five years, what is the number one thing she looks for both in the books she reads and her own writing, and when she knew she wanted to become a writer. Johanna also tells...

We're re-releasing Zibby's interview with Delia Owens just in time for the movie premiere of  Where the Crawdads Sing  on July 15th!! Delia is the coauthor of three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist. A winner of the John Burroughs Award for nature writing, Delia has been published in  Nature ,  The African Journal of E...

Zibby is joined by Jane Pek to talk about her debut novel,  The Verifiers . Jane shares her whirlwind success story, from how she pushed herself to get an MFA to landing an agent, a book deal, and a  New York Times  book review. Zibby and Jane also discuss how Jane's career as a lawyer and early love for mystery books both found their way into this novel, why she felt the world of o...

Career development coach, public speaker, and CEO of Manifest Yourself Kimberly Brown joins Zibby to discuss her first book,  Next Move, Best Move , which compiles her best professional advice for all types of readers. The two talk about what makes a good leader in the workplace, the effects of Corporate PTSD (as well as an instance in which Kimberly experienced it herself), and what ins...

Zibby is joined by author and columnist Annabel Monaghan to discuss her debut adult novel,  Nora Goes Off Script , which is one of Zibby's current favorite books. The two talk about how Annabel always knew she wanted to write but didn't start her career until her late thirties, why she became so inspired by Hallmark Channel movies, and what each reader believes this story's love interest look...

Zibby is joined by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn to discuss her debut novel,  Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? , which grew out of a short story she once posted on her blog. The two talk about how the pandemic helped Lizzie settle into a post-commuter lifestyle enough to write this story, the enviable relationship she has with her former editor, and what her mom thought of the finished boo...

"That's the fun part about writing fiction. You get to imagine yourself into these roles that you never ever would do on your own."  New York Times  bestseller Julie Clark joins Zibby to talk about her latest thriller,  The Lies I Tell , which was inspired by Julie's belief that women make better con artists. The two discuss what they think about the people sitting next to them...

#1  New York Times  bestselling author of  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking  Susan Cain joins Zibby to talk about her latest book,  Bittersweet . The two discuss the power and prevalence of experiencing feelings of bittersweetness, the effect the pandemic had on some of the people involved in Susan's research, and when she felt bitters...

"I think that to be antiracist and even to raise a child to be antiracist is not a static sort of thing. It is indeed a journey. It's a process. It's a behavior." #1  New York Times  bestselling author, professor, and activist Dr. Ibram X. Kendi joins Zibby to talk about his new book,  How To Raise An Antiracist , which combines research with parenting advice and pieces of Ibra...

"We have these predestined moments in life that shape us. They determine the whole trajectory of what we will achieve." Zibby is joined by lifelong librarian and children's book author Alice Faye Duncan to talk about her latest book,  Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free , which shares the story of the grandmother of Juneteenth. The two discuss the main lesson Alice wants to teach young...

Zibby is joined by author Jeff Hoffmann to talk about his debut novel,  Other People's Children , which is now out in paperback. The two discuss Jeff's essay about who can tell which kinds of stories which he wrote in response to people's surprise that he was not a woman, as well as how his own experiences with adoption inspired the core of the novel. Jeff shares why he made the decision...

Natural wine journalist, founder of  Pipette Magazine , and winemaker Rachel Signer joins Zibby to discuss her memoir, You Had Me at Pét-Nat. The two talk about how and why Rachel made the leap into writing about natural wine at a time when many had no idea what that was and the experience she had that inspired her to share her stories in  Pipette . Rachel also shares how to fi...

Zibby is joined by broadcast journalist, correspondent, and MSNBC anchor Katy Tur to discuss her latest memoir,  Rough Draft . While Katy's first book — a  New York Times  bestseller — focused on her time covering Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, her new project takes readers into her life growing up as the daughter of two journalists as she worked to make her own name in...

Bestselling author of  The Beauty of What Remains  Rabbi Steve Leder returns to talk with Zibby about his latest book,  For You When I'm Gone,  which offers examples of how to write a will that encapsulates your whole life's story. The two discuss the impact Rabbi Leder's father's death had on him, as well as the significance of leaving words (which share a Hebrew term wit...

Writer, spiritual counselor, and founder of Rising Woman Sheleana Aiyana joins Zibby to talk about her first book,  Becoming the One , which takes readers through one of her self-discovery programs. The two discuss some of the traumas Sheleana faced early on and how she managed to work through them, as well as when she knew she was destined to help other women find themselves. Sheleana a...