Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby is joined by award-winning author Lily King to discuss her first collection of short stories,  Five Tuesdays in Winter . Although this is Lily's first collection, she has been infatuated with the form since her teenage years and even studied short story fiction writing in college. Lily talks with Zibby about what inspired each of her stories, how writing on a typewriter impacted her cre...

Editor of the essay collection, Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed , Saraciea J. Fennell, and two of the anthology's contributors, Zakiya Jamal and Cristina Arreola, join Zibby to discuss their individual stories and the ties that connect them all. Saraciea explains the importance of curating a collection of deeply personal pieces on the lived Latinx experience which is not often represented in...

Chibundu Onuzo, author of the Reese's and Amazon Editor's Book Pick  Sankofa , joins Zibby to discuss her recent six-year journey to publication. Following a book deal at age nineteen and the release of her acclaimed debut,  The Spider King's Daughter , at twenty-one, Chibundu pivoted to complete her Masters and PhD degrees — a move that inadvertently inspired her latest novel....

Although Hazel Hayes is technically a debut novelist, she has been creating and sharing stories for her entire career: following her start at Google, Hazel became known for curating talent and producing content for YouTube. Now, Hazel joins Zibby to talk about her novel  Out of Love  which follows a relationship in reverse from its last day all the way back to the beginning. The two...

Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster joins Zibby to talk about her debut memoir,  Hooked . The book discusses Sutton's complicated relationship with her mother just as much as it does her incredible career and the love for crafting she has carried with her all through her life. Sutton tells Zibby about why she has often made decisions based on her strong intuition, some of the import...

Zibby is joined by Tracey Lange to talk about her debut novel, We are the Brennans , which was loosely inspired by her experience growing up in a large Irish Catholic family. Tracey shares her journey transitioning from lifelong reader to writer, why she's drawn to stories with messy relationships, and the process she went through to develop such a vivid yet wide-spanning cast of characters. Purch...

"Do we recognize when our prayers are being answered if it doesn't come in the form that we wanted?" Mitch Albom, bestselling author of  Tuesdays with Morrie  and  The Five People You Meet in Heaven , returns to talk with Zibby about his latest novel,  The Stranger in the Lifeboat,  and why he wanted a thriller about God lost at sea. The two also discuss the many lessons w...

Happy Pub Day to Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids , the new anthology edited by our own Zibby Owens!!!! To celebrate, Zibby reads one of her essays from the "Get Sick" section of the book. Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids features 53 essays from 49 authors, including 15  New York Times  bestsellers.  Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop. Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZqSqaf Bookshop: https:/...

"It's the deepest truth I know: life only gets harder if we're doing it right." Historian and  New York Times  bestselling author Kate Bowler joins Zibby to not only talk about the process of writing her new memoir,  No Cure for Being Human , but what her journey has been like living with stage four colon cancer at such a young age. The two discuss how they each wrestle with finitud...

Zibby is joined by bestselling author Amor Towles to discuss his latest novel, The Lincoln Highway . The two talk about the history behind the real Lincoln Highway, how Amor tries to capture universal experiences through very idiosyncratic stories and characters, and how writing, to him, often feels like magic. Amor also shares why he made the switch from the financial world to fiction and where h...

Dolly Alderton returns to talk about her debut novel, Ghosts , which is now an international bestseller. Dolly and Zibby discuss the book's snarky but heartening portrayal of mom friends, how they both always find themselves with short-term obsessions, and why those who are chronically late might be the most optimistic people in our lives. Dolly also shares what her experience has been like on set...

Christina Clancy joined Zibby for an Instagram Live to talk about her latest novel,  Shoulder Season . Christina shares how she felt an obligation to tell the personal stories of former Playboy Bunnies after conducting interviews with the women for another book, as well as how her research led to her opinions on the often controversial Playboy franchise becoming far more nuanced. The two also...

Zibby is joined by director and screenwriter Rodrigo García to talk about his debut memoir,  A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes . Rodrigo explains how the book began with notes he took in the immediate period after the death of his father, Gabriel García Márquez, but only truly took shape following the passing of his mother Mercedes in 2020. Rodrigo explains to Zibby that he intended for th...

Actress, activist, and author Alyssa Milano joins Zibby to talk about her latest book, Sorry Not Sorry , which she hopes will serve as a timestamp when people reflect on this period in history. Alyssa also shares how she wrote all of the essays to rhythm, the ways in which her mental health over the course of the pandemic inspired a sizable amount of the book, and what changes she wants to see in...

"People want the real you. They want your stumbling answers, they want the true intention and reason why you wrote this book." Zibby is joined by broadcast journalist, talk show host, and now author Tamron Hall to talk about her debut novel,  As the Wicked Watch . Tamron shares how the book was inspired by two cases she covered as a reporter in 1997 which have stuck with her, as well as how t...

"I'm so glad that I found my way in because it's the thing that makes me feel the most myself." Eileen Garvin joins Zibby to discuss her debut novel,  The Music of Bees , and the serendipitous experiences that inspired it. Eileen shares how her hobby of beekeeping was the best way for her to connect with her late father, why it took her so long to discover she was meant to be a writer, a...

Tabitha Forney joined Zibby for an IG Live to talk about her debut novel, Paper Airplanes,  which follows one woman's journey to recovery after losing her husband on 9/11. The story was inspired by those of Tabitha's own husband and his co-workers who fortunately escaped the North Tower safely, as well as the  what-if s that Tabitha and so many others were left to process after that...

"I believe there's a bigger plan for all of us at play. We're just not always in tune with the seasons of life." When actress Asha Bromfield noticed a lack of projects that told stories like her own, she realized it was her responsibility to create them. Asha tells Zibby about how she was able to write her debut novel, Hurricane Summer , which parts of her own womanhood she wanted the story t...

Lawyer, professor, and writer Savala Nolan joins Zibby to discuss her debut essay collection, Don’t Let It Get You Down , which covers the topics of race, gender, and our bodies. Savala reflects on the different iterations her relationship with her mother has gone through and shares where they are today. The two also talk about how Savala began writing as a way to find her place in a world where s...

Speaker, activist, and founder of the women's empowerment organization, (B), Keele Burgin joins Zibby to discuss her bestselling memoir,  Wholly Unraveled , and share how she ended up at this current moment in her life. Keele tells Zibby about the methods and experiences that helped her overcome the trauma she endured growing up in a religious cult, and the generational wounds she tries to he...

"Everything was alive in the moment, which was an interesting process because I could see how my voice was changed by the experience." Alena Dillon returns to talk about her latest non-fiction book,  My Body Is a Big Fat Temple , which chronicles her pregnancy and looks at the parts of motherhood that often get brushed aside. Alena and Zibby also discuss how although the reward of pregna...

Poet Sabrina Benaim joins Zibby to talk about her second collection  I Love You, Call Me Back , which is out today. Sabrina shares that while she had the bones of these poems pre-Covid, the pandemic helped shape the stories they ultimately told. The two also talk about the way health scares have impacted Sabrina's family's lives, from her mother's aneurysm diagnosis last year to the...

Zibby is joined by Meg Cabot — author of over  fifty  novels — to talk about her latest book,  No Words . The two talk about how the story and many of its characters were inspired by Meg's own experiences at book festivals and by many of her friends and colleagues who she has missed during the pandemic. Zibby also asks Meg about how she first got her start as a writer and what her h...

Jo Piazza and Christine Pride, co-authors of  We Are Not Like Them,  join Zibby to talk about their book, their relationship, and what is next for each of them. Jo and Christine share that although many people are focusing on the role race plays in their novel, they wanted to make sure their story addressed a number of the hot-button issues that affect modern friendships. The pair also t...

"It's so liberating to write for children that I'm in heaven and don't think I'll ever stop." Zibby is joined by the iconic illustrator Maira Kalman to discuss her latest picture book,  Darling Baby . Maira shares how she started keeping a diary soon after her first grandchild was born and decided to add drawings to the notes she took. Maira also tells Zibby about her incredible life and fami...