Totally Booked with Zibby

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 memorable. She also shares how her own experience as a stepmother influenced her protagonist and what twisting story she plans to write next.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xc4IPBBookshop: https://bit.ly/3duKDw0** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 chances life can offer.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hpBZ2WBookshop: https://bit.ly/3h41Iiy** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 strategies to help moms learn to take some pressure off of themselves and make small changes that result in big outcomes rather than telling moms what they're doing is wrong. Ilyse shows the power of acceptance and commitment therapy, as well as the power moms have inside themselves. Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3yaSOFEBookshop: https://bit.ly/3A8QYqR** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 relationships, Gina shows readers all of the joy that defined her year and how they too can begin their own note writing project.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/360MHaTBookshop: https://bit.ly/36amLJX** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jyLZd1Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3du2yDe** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 company.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3j4ZJfdBookshop: https://bit.ly/3zQFOXkMoms Don’t Have Time to Read Books has teamed up with Katie Couric Media and Random House to give away 100 copies of Sarah Sentilles’ book, Stranger Care! Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jdKctA** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 common struggles humans face but lack the language to discuss, as well as some fun crafts that readers can try themselves.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jqpoPTBookshop: https://bit.ly/2UKTqDyMoms Don’t Have Time to Read Books has teamed up with Katie Couric Media and Random House to give away 100 copies of Sarah Sentilles’ book, Stranger Care! Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jdKctA** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for a bit).Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wc2H4CBookshop: https://bit.ly/3x9Gyp0Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books has teamed up with Katie Couric Media and Random House to give away 100 copies of Sarah Sentilles’ book, Stranger Care! Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jdKctA** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 experiencing the loss of multiple friends to suicide inspired him to write this story. Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jqVRFKBookshop: https://bit.ly/3qIXss3Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books has teamed up with Katie Couric Media and Random House to give away 100 copies of Sarah Sentilles’ book, Stranger Care! Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jdKctA** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 (yes) even working out.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AiCViCBookshop: https://bit.ly/3qOeSUpMoms Don’t Have Time to Read Books has teamed up with Katie Couric Media and Random House to give away 100 copies of Sarah Sentilles' book, Stranger Care! Enter the giveaway by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3jdKctA** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.