Contemporary Fiction Episodes

Jayne and I discuss her unusual and ultimately rewarding publishing journey, her new role at Zibby Books, how her background involves working in industries at a time of significant upheaval, her trilogy, and much more.

Jane and I discuss The Sweetest Remedy, writing in the third person, being selected for Book of the Month (twice), setting a book in Nigeria, crafting her second novel, and much more.

Jo and I discuss Three Rooms, how she decided to write this story, whether working as an editor helped her when crafting this book, her writing process, why she doesn’t use speech marks, and much more.

Eden and I discuss The Bennet Women, retelling Pride & Prejudice on a contemporary college campus, how she formed her writing group and decided to tell this story, her publishing journey, writing from multiple points of view, and much more.

Charlotte and I discuss Once There Were Wolves, how she decided to write about wolves and rewilding the Scottish Highlands, her research, mirror touch synasthesia, crafting Inti’s strong character, and much more.

Suzanne and I discuss So We Meet Again, the male-dominated investment banking industry, her stint as an entrepreneur, wrapping in the craziness of 2020, her favorite character to write, and much more.

Jason and I discuss Hell of a Book, the autobiographical nature of this book, his writing process, being selected as the July "Read with Jenna" book club selection, how the book is designed to start conversations about race and identity, …

Meg and I discuss her new book The Runaway Heiress, how it took her a while to realize she was a writer, her inspiration for the character Mick, reconciling her past so she could move forward with her future, writing …

Jamie and I discuss Blush, paying homage to the books that have stayed with her for decades, what Jackie Collins’ daughter thought about Blush, the unfortunate push to categorize books by women and how men’s books are not treated the …

Lyn and I discuss The Tiger Mom’s Tale, what she wants readers to take away from her book, bringing Taiwanese culture and food to life, how her Instagram blooper Reels came about, her unusual publishing journey, and much more.

Chantel and I discuss Instamom, the world of Instagram influencers and how individuals now make careers of out being influencers, the term childfree and how it better reflects not having children, her book recommendations, and much more.

Amy and I discuss Lady Sunshine, how Woody Guthrie and Fleetwood Mac inspired her book, crafting the lyrics for the songs included in Lady Sunshine, taking someone’s art and finishing it, her unique Covid writing spot, and much more.

Saumya and I discuss What a Happy Family, wanting to focus on mental health and the ways we do and do not talk about it, how memories are filtered through our own experiences, the origins of the title, balancing two …

Kristan and I discuss Pack Up the Moon, how reading books about other people’s grief provides a safe way to cry over the things in your own life, why she chose to incorporate letters into her book, providing a story …

Jeff and I discuss Attachments, crafting a story about relationships, his personal connection to the novel, how watching soap operas helped him write this novel, creating Sleepless in Seattle and behind-the-scenes details about its development, and much more.