Totally Booked with Zibby

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...

Former CIA spies Christina and Ryan Hillsberg realized that parenting was a lot like their agency training: remove yourself from danger as quickly as possible, stay focused on the task at hand, and pay attention to lessons that become more self-sufficient. The Hillsbergs have passed this knowledge on to their children and want to help other parents incorporate it into their lives, too. With p...

Cartoonist and author Terri Libenson joins Zibby to discuss her latest middle-grade novel,  Just Jaime , which was selected for  The Washington Post  KidsPost Summer Book Club. Terri and Zibby talk about their experiences of excluding and being excluded by friends in middle school, as well as how our painful and embarrassing childhood memories are actually important to dis...

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 th...

Zibby is joined by Sunjeev Sahota to discuss his latest novel,  China Room . Inspired by a family legend, Sunjeev wove together two different books he had been working on to tell distinct but intricately connected parallel stories. Sunjeev shares the winding journey he went on to write this book, what he thinks of the gendered power dynamics that shape the story, and how dads also d...

Kate White always knew she wanted to write suspenseful thrillers, even while she was serving as the Editor-in-Chief of  Cosmo  for fourteen years, but it took her time to find the right writer's cocktail. Kate tells Zibby why she wanted such a large ensemble cast for her latest whodunit novel,  The Fiancée , as well as how she managed to make so many characters each so memorabl...

"It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to write a book." When Diana Kupershmit's daughter Emma was born with physical and mental disabilities, she did not believe she could be the mother Emma needed. But during the brief 18 years Emma was alive, she offered Diana countless lessons on how to find her voice, her strength, and her ability to take full advantage of the second cha...

"My hope with this book was to let empathy ooze out of it, to let moms know that we recognize how hard this is and how much is going on and how much is changing." Dr. Ilyse DiMarco sees a lot of moms through her practice as a psychologist and, as a mom herself, understands how overwhelming the emotions of motherhood often are. That's why her new book,  Mom Brain , focuses on offering str...

In January 2018, Gina Hamadey Bergman decided to write thank-you notes during her commute instead of checking off other tasks on her to-do list. What resulted from a simple choice was an entire year spent conveying gratitude through handwritten notes as Gina decided to write a thank-you note per day to someone or something new in her life. Reflecting on her childhood and studying her relation...

Erin French, owner and chef of the illustrious Maine restaurant The Lost Kitchen, has had a winding road to success and she's sharing it all in her new memoir,  Finding Freedom . Erin recounts the highs and lows of her life so far and tells Zibby that while reliving it all was incredibly hard, she knows that if her story helps just one person then it would have all been worth it. Purchase on...

Zibby is joined by Naoise Dolan to discuss her debut novel,  Exciting Times , and all of the success that has come with it. Naoise shares why she wanted to create characters who piqued her own curiosity, how she learned to cope with her overnight popularity, and what her experience has been like so far working on the book's TV adaptation with Zibby's brother's production compan...

Although Kelly Williams Brown coined the term "adulting" with her first book nearly ten years ago, she realized soon after that she had a lot more to learn from life. After what can be described as a very bad two years, Kelly found that crafts helped her visualize her potential and start putting her life back together each day. Her new memoir,  Easy Crafts for the Insane , sheds a light on co...

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 fo...

"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 expe...

Zibby is joined by Amanda Kloots — dancer, fitness instructor, and one of the newest co-hosts on The Talk — to discuss her new memoir,  Live Your Life.  The two bonded over the unique and traumatic experience of losing a loved one to COVID-19 but focused more on the joy that comes when you live your life: from spending time with your kids and putting effort into your dream business to (y...

While fans of the Food Network may easily recognize Guy Fieri, they actually have journalist David Page to thank for the iconic show,  Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives . After fighting his way into the world of food journalism — and pitching this show on a whim — David is still eating his way across the country with his new book,  Food Americana , a collection of stories about how America’s...

Poet, artist, and entrepreneur Jasmine Mans joins Zibby to discuss her debut book of poetry,  Black Girl, Call Home . She shares the journey she took through her writing history to compile this collection, the power a simple but strong message can hold, and how she realized the only thing holding her back from being a writer was herself. Buy on Amazon or Bookshop. Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TWR...

The Dad Advice Project  grew out of Craig Kessler's simple request for letters of advice from his fellow father friends to fill in the gaps his own father left behind. Over the last two and a half years, the project grew to feature fathers from all walks of life: CIA directors, professional golfers, and next-door neighbors, each willing to share what they've learned — and what they still...

Zibby is joined by Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen, the two creators of Slumberkins, as well as one of her sons and all of  his  Slumberkins. Kelly and Callie talk with Zibby about how they apply their backgrounds in education and family therapy to create products that help teach important lessons in a fun and friendly way. They also share how they came up with the idea for...

Although Alex Aster has known that she wanted to be a writer since she was twelve, she had no idea she would also become a viral TikTok creator. Alex recently joined Zibby to discuss her book,  Emblem Island: Curse of the Night Witch , a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick, as well as her journey in publishing, why she wants to make reading more fun for kids, and a handful of tips for Zibb...

"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 det...

Steven Rowley joined Zibby for an IG Live Happy Hour to talk about his new book,  The Guncle . The two caught up on what has happened since Steven was last on the podcast, namely two book releases, an engagement, and, of course, a global pandemic. Steven shared the event that inspired him to think about what life might be like for a child who lost a parent at a young age, and how his role as...

Breena Clarke, co-editor of  Chicken Soup for the Soul: I'm Speaking Now,  recently joined Zibby for an Instagram Live. Their conversation, released here as an episode, covers how Breena and her team selected 101 stories and poems from over 2,000 submissions, why it was essential to feature a diverse range of Black female voices, and the loss of Breena's child.  Purchase on Amazon o...

Behavioral scientist and author Jon Levy joins Zibby to talk about his famous Influencers Dinner, and reveals some secrets about the exclusive dining experience (hint: you'll never guess what they always make for dinner). Jon also shares the science behind his new book,  You're Invited , and how the desire to make changes in his life years ago inspired his life's work.  Purchase on Amazo...

MSNBC and NBC news anchor Richard Lui talks to Zibby — but not about himself. Richard shares why he wanted to write a self-help book on how to be less selfish after he became a family caretaker following his father's Alzheimer's diagnosis, how working in journalism inspired him to form a team of 10 creatives to help write  Enough About Me,  and how he hopes this book will reach its inten...