On today’s Complicated Conversations we welcome back Becky Chalsen to discuss her new novel, Serendipity, a big-hearted, page-turner that delves deep into a complicated friend group as they navigate one messy yet magical midtwenties summer in a Fire Island share house. 

We had so much fun chatting with Becky about how she turned her lifelong love of reading into the unimaginable dream of published author; the personal (sisterly) inspiration for her two main characters; the dynamics of friendship; the importance of living life to gather material for future books; the unpredictability of the future, and the value of observation and openness. Such incredible wisdom!

Serendipity is out now. Buy it, read it, share it, and listen to our spoiler-free chat with Becky wherever you get your podcasts. 

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In today’s Complicated Conversations we welcome back Annabel Monaghan to discuss her new novel, Summer Romance, a story about a professional organizer, Ali Morris, who finds herself living with the literal and physical weight of things left not tended to. As a recently separated mother of three, Ali embarks on a summer romance to get unstuck in her life. 

We chat with Annabel about the relatability of Ali’s journey to return to herself and find her voice; how Annabel had to convince people that a skateboarder could be a hot romantic lead; our mutual obsession with (human) mirrors and the ways we all exist in relation to each other; how complicated it is to be a daughter and a person; grief and the ways we stay connected with those who have passed; tricking herself into maintaining joy while writing and what candles and angel cards have to do with it!

Summer Romance is out now! Buy it, read it, share it, and listen to spoiler-free chat with Annabel wherever you get your podcasts. Like a real life summer romance, you will read this book and it will end, but it will be so fun and totally worth it! 

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On this episode of Debut Discussions we’re chatting with Jaclyn Westlake about her debut novel, Dear Dotty, which follows the chaotic year in the life of Rosie Benson, a 24-year-old whose life unravels after the sudden passing of her free-spirited great aunt, Dotty. In a bid to feel close to Dotty again, Rosie reaches out to all of Dotty’s contacts via email and starts learning about her life through the eyes of her many friends, while also finding out who she really wants to be herself. 

Jaclyn chats with us about Rosie’s journey of self-discovery, sibling dynamics, the writing process, finding an agent, the career advice she gave to herself, and a preview of book two!

Listen now to Jaclyn’s story wherever you get your podcasts. Dear Dotty 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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In today’s recap we discuss Episodes 4-8 of Under The Bridge on Hulu. This true crime limited series is excellent from beginning to end. The series is based on a book by Rebecca Godfrey about a real life murder, but it infuses this factual underpinning with such humanity, complexity and nuance that in the end we are left with the best kind of questions about justice, nature vs nurture, forgiveness, and the shades of darkness inside so many of us.

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On this episode of Debut Discussions we’re chatting with Paula Gleeson about her debut thriller, Original Twin, a story about how one young woman must follow the invisible thread that connects her to her missing twin before someone else can sever it for good.

Paula tells us about her long road from reader to published author, how her characters' voices live in her head and direct the narrative, her fascination with twins, and how she learned to pivot without ever losing sight of her end goals (there may have been some tears, wine and pizza involved along the way)!

Listen now to Paula’s story wherever you get your podcasts. Original Twin 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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On this episode of Debut Discussions, we’re chatting with Nishita Parekh about her debut novel, Night of the Storm, a locked room thriller about a multigenerational Indian American family marooned in a house with a murderer during Hurricane Harvey.

Nishita shares how her love for reading mysteries as a child led her to follow her writing dreams; how the idea for this novel first came to her while being stuck in an apartment during a hurricane; and why she wanted to write about motherhood (specifically the challenges of being a single mother), the influence of patriarchy in Indian culture, the clash of values faced by immigrants, and the complexities of family dynamics all within the structure of a locked room thriller!

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CHAOS reigns as we record this Friday Preview episode in an NYC storm on a Thursday.

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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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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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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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