Totally Booked with Zibby

Latest Episodes:

Megan Angelo, FOLLOWERS Apr 05, 2020

Show notes

Megan Angelo is the debut author of Followers: A Novel. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, where she helped launch comedy coverage, The Wall Street Journal, Glamour, Elle, and many other publications. This debut novel takes place in two different time periods. One storyline centers around two girls who hatch a scheme to become famous in the year 2015. The other revolves around a futuristic celebrity who spends the majority of her time in front of a camera in the year 2051. Megan and I chatted about the journal entry that sparked her interest in this topic and the research she pulled from her background as a celebrity journalist. Megan discussed her relationship with social media and her interest in how the internet has become something we can't seem to walk away from. I particularly loved Megan's very candid discussion of motherhood and the realities of writing while caring for three kids under five!

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Therese Anne Fowler, A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD Apr 04, 2020

Show notes

Therese Anne Fowler is the New York Times best-selling author of novels Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, A Well-Behaved Woman, and her most recent novel A Good Neighborhood. This contemporary suburban drama centers on a conflict between two families, one black and one white, as they deal with a damaged historic oak tree in the black family's backyard. This book had such a twist of an ending but I won’t say a word. I enjoyed chatting with Therese about her personal connection to the material and why she felt writing this story was a call to activism in these troubled times. Therese and I discussed the research and homework that went into writing from the perspective of a different race and why she strayed from her historical fiction background. Be sure to catch Therese sharing the truly magical moment she knew she was a writer. Therese’s first book was a source of comfort during a critical time in my life and I had such a lovely full circle moment when we sat down to chat! You just never know where life will lead!

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Bess Kalb, NOBODY WILL TELL YOU THIS BUT ME Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

Bess Kalb is the debut author of Nobody Will Tell You This But Me. She is an Emmy-nominated writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live and wrote for the Emmy Awards in 2012 and 2016 and the Academy Awards in 2017 and 2018. She regularly writes for The New Yorker's Daily Shouts and received a WGA Award in 2016. Nobody Will Tell You This But Me is a beautiful memoir written from the voice of her beloved grandmother. Bess began writing from her grandmother's perspective as a way to feel closer to her and process grief after her death. Bess and I chatted about the authenticity of writing from a loved one's voice and why she felt it was the best way to honor what she calls her grandmother's superhero origin story. I loved hearing about Bess's first experience as a six-year-old writer, something her mother still sweetly reminds her of, and her challenge to all of us to write from the perspective of someone we love. Make sure you catch the fascinating story of the Twitter side project Bess started to distract herself from a soul-crushing job and how this led to a career as a comedy writer! I loved having her as the featured author at my recent book club. To join the book club, check out the link in bio!!

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Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt is the best-selling author of Rock What You've Got, the children's book Maverick and Me, and I Just Graduated ... Now What? Katherine is an animal advocate who serves as an ambassador for Best Friends Animal Society and the ASPCA. She is also married to actor Chris Pratt! Katherine's latest book, The Gift of Forgiveness: Inspiring Stories from Those Who Have Overcome the Unforgivable is a collection of twenty-two different interviews with inspiring people who have practiced and struggled with forgiveness in different ways. Katherine's goal is to inspire people to practice forgiveness and to see it not only as a way to move forward but as a gift to themselves. Katherine and I discussed several of the stories in the book and the personal experience that inspired this idea. I loved learning about the concept of practicing "conscious forgiveness" and the idea that forgiving is about giving yourself the gift of moving forward and taking back the power. This is such a timely listen as we all stay home, connect with loved ones and allow more space for personal reflection.

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Stephanie Danler, STRAY: A MEMOIR Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

I’m obsessed with Stephanie Danler’s brilliance. She's the author of the international bestseller Sweetbitter and the executive producer of the Sweetbitter series on Start (which Kyle and I started watching last weekend - so good!). Her latest book, Stray: A Memoir, is set to release in May of 2020 so you can pre-order it now. This forceful and emotional book explores Stephanie’s life as a child raised by an addicts and alcoholics, the damage she inherited, and the journey to move forward towards a different way of life. This book has gotten me out of my own head more than almost anything else lately because it’s just so immersive and beautifully written. Stephanie and I discussed her choice to start this book when her son was five months old, why she had to move several time zones away in order to find the focus to create, and the hardship of writing about such deeply rooted traumas. Stephanie shares her extremely stressful coronavirus experience and the idea that we are all grasping for the illusion of control at this moment in time. I loved Stephanie’s advice to just finish what you start and so much more. I couldn’t wait for her pub day to share this given all of our talk about what’s going on RIGHT NOW. I promise it will help you through.

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Dr. Madeline Levine, READY OR NOT Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

New episode - and so needed right now! Madeline Levine, Ph.D., is a psychologist and the author of the New York Times best-selling books The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well. Dr. Levine’s most recent book Ready Or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World could not be more timely or helpful given the current environment.

She explores how today’s parenting techniques and our educational system are failing to prepare children for their uncertain future, and what we can do to ensure our kids' adaptability, resilience, health, and happiness. (I know I need this during this current coronavirus time of uncertainty and panic.)

Dr. Levine is a wealth of knowledge on parenting. We chatted about her efforts to overcome the idea that a woman can’t beat the boys, how people behave in situations of uncertainty and the concept that to build self-esteem in your child you must let them learn to master things without breathing down their necks. We discussed how pressure, uncertainty, and social media have led to a rise in anxiety and how our 24-hour news cycle can leave us feeling like trauma victims. Dr. Levine explores concrete solutions and coping mechanisms we can use to correct that behavior. I think we could all use these strategies today.

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Kathleen West, MINOR DRAMAS & OTHER CATASTROPHES Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

Kathleen West is the debut author of Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes. Kathleen uses her experience as both a parent and school teacher to write a pretty perfect novel for today's moms and dads! Kathleen’s story involves a helicopter theater mom who has lost her sense of boundaries, a progressive English teacher who comes under fire for her curriculum, and a social media scandal that ensnares them both. This conversation was the perfect mix of parenting wisdom, writing advice and encouragement! Kathleen and I chatted about the lessons she’s learned by walking the line between parent and teacher and the writing workshops she held with her students while editing the novel. Kathleen started writing this book as a new year's resolution and as a way to reclaim her writing identity. I really appreciated her advice to let yourself to write something terrible! (I’ve definitely taken it - ha!)

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Special Re-Release: Carla Naumburg, HOW TO STOP LOSING YOUR SH*T WITH YOUR KIDS Mar 29, 2020

Show notes

Re-Release! Now is the time to listen to How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids author Carla Naumburg, Ph.D. share her tips! Is anyone else going a little bit nuts despite how much you love your kids, your parents, your loved ones?! Carla shares so many helpful strategies for dealing with yourself when you’re stressed out and how you manage your relationships better. While this is geared towards kids, it can apply to parents and spouses just as easily. One message?! Self-forgiveness, especially now! You can watch our interview from this week on IGTV (@zibbyowens) too as she discusses specific strategies for getting through the coronavirus without losing your sh*t at everyone in your home!!!

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Special Re-Release: Courtney Maum, TOUCH Mar 28, 2020

Show notes

Re-Release! Courtney Maum’s novel, TOUCH, is so timely that I just had to rerelease for you this weekend. This one was of my first podcasts ever so please forgive my beginner skills! Courtney and I discussed her novel which discusses a life without touch, similar to what we’re all going through on a macro level now. She interviewed professional huggers, imagined touch-free body suits and had a couple struggle in the midst of a world in which physical touch between humans becomes a commodity. Am I the only one who misses hugging people?! Courtney has since written a gorgeous, slim novel called Costalegr and a guide to book publishing called Before and After the Book Deal. And she has used her newsletter to assemble all the resources the literary community is assembling during this time (including mine - thanks, Courtney!!). Listen in or our prophetic conversation. It kind of makes you think, right???

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Eilene Zimmerman, SMACKED Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

Eilene Zimmerman is the author of the memoir, Smacked: A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction, and Tragedy. Eilene has been a journalist for three decades including a six-year stint as a columnist for The New York Times Sunday Business Section. This memoir is Eilene’s exploration of her ex-husband’s secret drug addiction/overdose, her own culpability, and an analysis of what's going on in the white-collar professional world in terms of unhappiness, depression, anxiety, and substance use. Eilene and I discussed the feeling of powerlessness when sharing children with an ex-spouse, what it is like to examine a relationship once you learn the whole truth, and the idea that we often try to fix problems in our childhood with our own marriages. I was so impressed by the amount of research Eileen put into this book! From traveling around the country talking to addiction psychologists and therapists, to posing questions about mental health, stress, and happiness on several online forums for lawyers to answer anonymously, this woman covered it all. Please listen!

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