For thriller novelist Samantha Bailey, Jewish maternal anxiety is storytelling inspiration

In the weeks since her second thriller novel came out, Samantha Bailey has embarked on a virtual tour to promote her new book, speaking with book clubs and online author events every week. It’s a long way from a decade ago, when she was pitching her debut novel—a chick-lit story—to a small crowd at her father's synagogue.

Things changed in 2019, when Simon & Schuster published Bailey's breakout novel, Woman on the Edge, confronting issues of maternal anxiety and postpartum depression. Now, she's following it up with Watch Out for Her, another suspense novel that dives into similar territory, focusing on a mother who fled her home after learning something shocking about her babysitter.

The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner had the chance to sit down with Bailey while emceeing the Virtual JCC's storyteller program. Listen to hear Bailey discuss the anxieties of Jewish motherhood and what it was like writing a novel during the pandemic.

What we talked about:

• Buy Bailey's book at samanthambailey.ca
• Read about Samantha Bailey's debut thriller in her 2019 interview with The CJN
• Listen to The CJN Daily episode, "Hidden for 1,000 days: How 8 members of this Canadian family survived the Holocaust"
• Watch the ceremony awarding Righteous Among the Nations to the rescuers of Toronto’s Veffer family

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.