Totally Booked with Zibby

Episode: Alyson Richman, THE MISSING PAGES
Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Alison Richman

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode of Totally Booked with Zibby, host Zibby Owens interviews bestselling author Alison Richman about her latest historical novel, The Missing Pages. The conversation explores the inspiration and history behind the book, its soulful, book-loving themes, personal stories of loss and connection, and the craft of writing historical fiction. Both Zibby and Alison share personal anecdotes, making this episode resonate emotionally, especially for readers who find magic and solace in books.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Inspiration Behind The Missing Pages

• Alison shares that her novel is inspired by the real-life legend of Harry Elkins Widener, a 27-year-old book collector who perished on the Titanic. His mother built Harvard’s Widener Library in his memory, with fresh flowers placed daily on his desk to keep his presence alive.
  • [05:54] Alison Richman:

    “…there is this special memorial room for him in which his 3,000 volume book collection is there, his original desk and chairs…his mother…had in her behest that fresh flowers were to be put on his desk in order to conjure up the sensation that at any moment he might walk in, take a book from his shelf and sit down to read.”

• The novel gives Harry a ghostly presence—he narrates parts of the book from inside the library, eager to communicate untold truths, while a modern-day Harvard student, Violet, senses his attempts to reach out.
  • [05:54] Alison Richman:

    “So I take this legend and I have him tell in his own words, as a ghost inside the library that his mother built in his honor what really happened in those last moments on the Titanic…”

Not Your Typical Ghost Story

• Zibby and Alison discuss how the novel employs the supernatural in a soulful, moving way rather than a spooky or frightening manner.
  • [08:03] Alison Richman:

    “What I wanted to do with creating a voice that is one of a ghost is give him the opportunity…to impart this soulfulness, this sense of how do we see people we love grieve after we die?...to show them signs after we die that we're still around?”

Signs, Loss, and the Spirit World

• Alison opens up about the personal experiences of loss that informed her writing, including a moving story of a white sparrow after her son’s birthday—interpreted as a sign from her late grandmother.
  • [09:58] Alison Richman:

    “…I noticed on his windowsill there was this white sparrow…It made me stare... And I said to him, oh, look at that beautiful bird, Zachary. And…the bird didn't go away…And I just sort of paused and I said, zachary, I really think this is your Grandma Zelda coming to say happy birthday…”

• Alison intentionally wove such moments into the novel, notably in scenes where Harry’s mother encounters miraculous gatherings of birds while grieving.
  • [11:59] Alison Richman:

    “…she can barely get out of bed. The maid pulls the blinds, and on the lawn she sees…all these different birds…she knows in her heart that this is so strange. It has to be her son…he summons the birds and he has this power to do it.”

The Power and Magic of Books

• Zibby and Alison bond over their childhood passion for reading:
  • [14:37] Alison Richman:

    “…every time I was naughty and my mother sent me to my room, I was, like, delighted because then I just had time to sort of, you know, read books…”

  • [15:00] Zibby Owens:

    “I was like, wait, that's…my punishment. That's what I would have chosen to do anyway.”

• Alison describes her childhood as an outsider—books were her solace and even inspired her to play librarian at home. She reflects:
  • [17:00] Alison Richman:

    “I always felt a little bit like an outsider. And when I found a book that I loved...it gave me sustenance.”

• The character of Harry becomes enamored with book collecting and falls in love with Ada Lippenhold, a fictionalized version of a real Gilded Age woman bookseller, celebrating female book lovers and bibliophiles.

Character Development and Research

• Alison shares how she delved into archival letters and real-life history to build out Harry’s world, blending fact and fiction.
• Ada Lippenhold, Harry's love interest, is inspired by historical figures—particularly Charlotte Quaritch, an early female bookseller.

The Writer’s Mindset and Process

• Both discuss feeling like “outsiders,” a common thread among writers.
  • [21:37] Alison Richman:

    “I kind of feel like I’m always the outsider…when I went to high school, I went spent part of my high school in Japan. And so here I was this like five foot nine, red haired, like giant walking through the streets of Japan…”

• They agree that anxiety and observation fuel the writing life.
  • [24:38] Zibby Owens:

    “I think the most common characteristic of authors is anxiety.”

  • [25:05] Alison Richman:

    “Like a sense of also that catastrophe is imminent. So writing a book about Titanic…it just was perfect for me...”

Upcoming Projects

• Alison teases her next novel about Edith Wharton’s humanitarian work in Paris during WWI, focusing on saving Belgian children and the journey to recover Wharton’s book collection.
  • [25:41] Alison Richman:

    “Right now I’m working on a book about Edith Wharton’s time in Paris during World War I, where she basically was responsible for a transport of several thousand Belgian children…”

Sensory Writing and Literary Influences

• Alison describes her passion for “painting with words”—using her background in art history and painting to evoke rich, sensory detail in her prose.
  • [28:00] Alison Richman:

    “I love…to make it very sensory rich that you can feel, that you can smell everything that’s wafting through the…that I’m describing…That, to me, is a way of painting with words that I love to do.”

• Currently, she's immersed in Lucy Steeds’ The Artist and the Feast, praising its vivid, beautiful writing.

Advice for Aspiring Authors

• Alison offers encouragement to writers: focus on small, consistent steps and don’t be daunted by perfection.
  • [30:24] Alison Richman:

    “…don’t make writing daunting. Don’t make it, you know, your first book, be Mount Everest… I think for people who are starting out, the most important thing is actually consistency…Make it something that you think you actually can achieve…”

Legacy, Memory, and the Power of Writing

• Zibby asks Alison what space she’d want created in her honor; Alison dreams of a family library that holds her written works, family books, and notes—an emotional, living memory.
  • [32:16] Alison Richman:

    “…I would love my children to…have a room that was a library that has not only books that their mother wrote, but all of the children’s books that I’ve ever read to them…my beating heart, my soul, was still part of this house… books are a reflection of who we are. And inside those pages, we do put a bit of our soul…”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [07:20] Zibby Owens:

  “First of all, the plot is amazing. The pacing, the suspense, like I was flipping madly to figure out what happened…”

• [09:18] Zibby Owens, quoting the book:

  “The dead do not die. They simply shift from body to spirit. But the spirit lives and breathes.”

• [13:29] Alison Richman:

  “I get ladybugs in my house every time right before it becomes spring… I think, I’m going to be a ladybug for my children.”

• [13:55] Zibby Owens & Alison Richman (in laughter):

  “Books. Books falling off the shelves.”
  “Books falling off the shelf. Okay, yeah, that'll wake them up…”

• [18:18] Zibby Owens:

  “What made you feel like an outsider?”

• [23:29] Alison Richman:

  “How do you build a world from the first sentence to the last, that it’s your world that you created and that you have control over it…that is such a gift…”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:33] Introduction to Alison Richman & The Missing Pages
• [05:54] The Harry Elkins Widener story and the genesis of the novel
• [07:20] Ghosts, grief, and love—how the novel redefines the ghost story
• [09:58] Alison’s personal loss, signs from loved ones, and integrating them into fiction
• [14:37] Alison’s childhood, books as solace, and ‘playing librarian’
• [18:18] Feeling like an outsider and how that shapes writers
• [21:37] Adulthood, community, and the writer’s “one foot in, one foot out”
• [25:41] New book on Edith Wharton, WWI, and literary legacy
• [28:00] Alison’s visual approach to prose—“painting with words”
• [30:24] Advice for aspiring authors: consistency over daunting goals
• [32:16] Imagining a personal literary legacy—a library of the heart

Tone & Language

This episode is warm, deeply personal, and infused with the mutual enthusiasm of two lovers of literature. Zibby’s conversational, open-hearted interviewing draws out Alison’s reflective, painterly storytelling. The discussion is intimate yet relatable—ideal for book lovers, writers, and anyone fascinated by how personal experiences weave into fiction.

Summary

This episode is a heartfelt meditation on the enduring magic of books—how literature connects generations, comforts outsiders, and gives voice to the lost. Alison Richman’s The Missing Pages not only revives a fascinating real-life story, but also serves as a tribute to the soulful power of storytelling itself.