On this episode of Complicated Conversations we welcome bestselling author Kirstin Chen to discuss Counterfeit, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, a Roxane Gay book club pick, and a New York Times Editors’ Choice.

 

We talk with Kirstin about the model minority myth and why she wanted to explore it in this novel; the different ways we each related to her protagonist, Ava; what would push such an otherwise controlled woman to partake in a counterfeit handbag scheme; the ways in which her co-conspirator, Winnie, is a counterpoint to Ava; the structure of the novel; and how, in a way, Kirstin has been researching this particular novel her entire life. 

Counterfeit is out now in paperback! Buy it, read it, share it and listen to our spoiler-free interview wherever you get your podcasts.
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Kirstin Chen & 'Counterfeit': Complicated Conversations Series

In Pop Fiction Women we deep-dive into the complicated women of books, movies and TV shows, along with the women that bring them to life behind the scenes. Think Fleabag and Phoebe Waller Bridge, Normal People and Sally Rooney, and so much more. In each episode you can expect us to: * Break down the protagonist as we ask what makes her complicated? * Identify the best scenes, which can mean sweetest, funniest, or most badass. Anything we love. * Recount the cringiest scenes. The ones that make you squirm. Sometimes it’s self-sabotage, sometimes it’s growth, but it’s always part of the process of becoming our complicated selves. * Play arm-chair therapist in What’s Your Damage, Heather? An homage to the iconic line in Winona Ryder’s Heathers, we discuss how these characters got to be the way they are. * “What She Said” - the segment where we scour every essay and interview with the women behind the scenes and share some of our favorite first person quotes. Real life is as interesting as fiction here. * Look into our crystal ball and ponder where these characters are six months later and five years later. Typically, Kate gets very real and Carinn gets buck wild. * Provide a takeaway, aka that part in the podcast where we try to sound deep. We leave you with some parting wisdom, challenge each other with thought-provoking questions inspired by the work, and urge you to “stay complicated.”

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After Shows

CHAOS reigns as we record this Friday Preview episode in an NYC storm on a Thursday.
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Friday Preview May 24: What We're Reading, Watching, Listening To and Discussing This Gemini Season

In today’s episode of Complicated Conversations we welcome Joy Sullivan to discuss her bestselling, transformative debut collection of poetry, Instructions For Traveling West, which explores what’s possible when we heed our instincts and honor our intuition.
Joy reads from her collection and chats with us about so many themes we love that her poems speak to: choosing change, celebrating the messy parts of transition, embracing desire and appetite in a world where women are expecting to suppress those wants, writing from the body, and becoming more curious about astrology. 
Instructions For Traveling West is out now. Buy it, read it, share it, and listen to our conversation so you too can be transformed by @joysullivanpoet’s beautiful perspective!

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Joy Sullivan & 'Instructions for Traveling West'

On today’s episode we’re chatting about The Idea Of You, Amazon Prime’s hit romcom directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jennifer Westfeldt, based on the novel of the same name by Robinne Lee. Starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, it chronicles the love affair between a single mother and the lead singer of a popular boy band. Based on the number of viewers in its first two weeks on Prime Video it has become Amazon MGM’s No. 1 romantic-comedy debut of all time! So the hype is certainly there, but we have some real questions, especially as readers of the book…a book that explored ageism, sexism and female agency. As always, we have a lot of feelings on this adaptation!
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The Idea of You: Amazon Prime adaptation

On this episode of Debut Discussions, we’re chatting with Jessie Rosen about her debut novel, The Heirloom, a story about a woman who lives by the rule that you should never ever accept a marriage proposal that comes with an heirloom ring. When her boyfriend proposes with one she sets out on a globe-trotting mission to ensure the ring contains forever energy.
Jessie shares her the personal inspiration behind the main character Shay's superstition about vintage engagement rings; the significance of the locations featured in the book, including Italy, Portugal, Boston, New York, and LA; and why she wanted to explore the themes of grief, personal growth, superstition, and the limitations of control. The conversation also includes a sneak peak of Jessie’s next novel, which deals with astrology and we obviously cannot wait for that one!

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Jessie Rosen & 'The Heirloom': Debut Discussions

On this episode of Debut Discussions we're chatting with Charlee Dyroff about her debut, Loneliness & Company, a story set in a near future New York that follows a quirky young woman who gets involved in a secret government project to build an AI to befriend lonely people.
Charlee shares her journey from being an avid reader to pursuing writing as a passion and then writing a novel “on the side”, which ultimately became her debut! We discuss her protagonist Lee and her need for external validation, the blurred lines between human connection and technology, how taking risks and embracing failure can lead to greater success, and the process she went through to find the agent and editor of her dreams. 
Listen now to Charlee’s story wherever you get your podcasts. Loneliness & Company is out now -- buy it, read it, and share it (in other words, make a debut author’s dreams come true!).
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Kirstin Chen & 'Counterfeit': Complicated Conversations Series

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