Brisa Carleton, LAST CALL AT THE SAVOY

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Totally Booked with Zibby

Guest: Brisa Carleton

Episode: Last Call at the Savoy

Date: November 26, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Zibby Owens interviews Brisa Carleton about her debut novel, Last Call at the Savoy. The conversation journeys through the inspiration behind the book, the real-life historical figures that influenced the story, themes of sibling dynamics and personal growth, Brisa's multifaceted career in Broadway and philanthropy, her book-themed vodka company, and practical advice for aspiring writers. The episode is lively, personal, and peppered with both literary and mixology insights.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Story and Its Origins

[04:27]

• Brisa describes Last Call at the Savoy as centered on Cinnamon, a New York party girl, who travels to London to support her pregnant sister on bed rest at the Savoy Hotel.
• While at the famous American Bar, Cinnamon learns about Ada Coleman, the first celebrity female mixologist from 1903, who was almost erased from history.
• Quote, Brisa Carleton (04:27):

  "There was a little footnote in the cocktail menu about Ada Coleman, this bartender from 1903... I started Googling it, looking her up, and there was almost nothing. There's one surviving photo of her, and there's just little footnotes about her everywhere."

2. Themes of Sibling Relationships and Personal Growth

[06:06–08:12]

• The sisters, Cinnamon and Rosemary, cope with the loss of their parents; Rosemary takes on a parental role while Cinnamon loses herself in partying.
• A pivotal moment comes when Cinnamon realizes her sister truly needs her support—prompting her to mature.
• Fashion is a lighter thread, offering a bonding point between the sisters beyond grief.
• Quote, Brisa Carleton (08:12):

  "It never occurred to her that her sister would even think she'd be reliable. And that means a lot to her."

3. Romance and the Savoy’s History

[09:10–11:39]

• Cinnamon meets Kit, an attractive historian researching the Savoy. Their flirtation serves as a mechanism to unearth the hotel's secrets and explore overlooked histories—especially Ada Coleman's.
• The book explores the idea of history as defined not only by what's recorded but also by who gets left out.
• Quote, Brisa Carleton (11:18):

  "Maybe it's not what's written, it's the holes... It's where she's been left out. And, you know, that blows [Kit's] mind."

4. Brisa’s Background: Theater, Monaco, and Martinis

[12:01–14:44, 18:06–21:05]

• Brisa was a theater kid from the Pacific Northwest, who became a Broadway producer (Hamilton, Moulin Rouge, Beautiful).
• Her strategy for breaking into producing centered on building relationships at Sardis, a legendary theater bar, often over a martini.
• Quote, Brisa Carleton (14:19):

  "By showing up and sort of being at the party all the time, I was able to build those relationships really quickly."

• Later, she ran the Princess Grace Foundation in Monaco, supporting the arts, especially during the COVID shutdowns. The experience inspired her to start writing fiction as a creative escape.

5. Entrepreneurship: Literati Spirits

[21:05–22:09]

• Inspired during COVID, Brisa founded Literati Spirits—a premium vodka brand for book lovers.
• Her motivation: combine her love of books and cocktails, seeing it as a “fun creative outlet”—a business with a win-win outcome.

6. Becoming a Writer: The Novelry and the Publishing Path

[22:09–24:42]

• Brisa took a 90-day online writing course ("The Novelry"), which structured her creative process.
• Her first novel got her agented (though not published); her second, Last Call at the Savoy, quickly landed a Big Five deal.

7. Writing Advice and Process

[28:09–29:28]

• Brisa credits her reading habit for her ability to write and emphasizes discipline: writing an hour a day.
• Quote, Brisa Carleton (28:24):

  "Anybody who's a reader, and... can do the discipline part, can get their book to a point that it can be publishable."

• She encourages readers and aspiring writers to stick to the process, even when it becomes challenging and less immediately gratifying.

8. Next Project & Adaptations

[26:04–27:43]

• Upcoming book: centers on champagne, set in the Champagne region of France, weaving in themes of family roots and the labor behind moments of joy.
• Discussion about possibly adapting Last Call at the Savoy for stage—Brisa is enthusiastic but open to collaborators.

9. Signature Cocktails & Mantras

[29:29–30:48]

• Brisa’s martini preferences are seasonal—creative and rooted in cocktail history (currently “the hanky panky,” an Ada Coleman creation).
• Zibby’s favorites: champagne, Aperol spritz in summer, tequila on the rocks, and her mantra:

  "Never turn down a glass of champagne." (30:36)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Zibby Owens on Brisa’s journey:

  "That's amazing. Well, I love the whole packaging and literary characters and Jane Eyre, the whole. I mean, just so cool." (21:59)

• Brisa Carleton on breaking into producing:

  "Martinis were really a key part of my career development and to being a Broadway producer." (14:19)

• On Ada Coleman's erasure:

  "There wasn't really anything written about her. And it's like, okay, but we know she worked there for 25 years... it doesn't take a lot to connect the dots that she was part of all of that." (10:00–11:39)

• Brisa on writing and reading:

  "The best training for being a writer is being a reader." (25:21)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [04:27] Book’s premise and Ada Coleman inspiration
• [06:06] Sibling relationships and Cinnamon’s growth
• [09:10] Introduction of Kit, the historian/love interest
• [12:01] Brisa’s background, theater and career ascent
• [18:20] Monaco, Princess Grace Foundation, and writing inspiration
• [21:05] Founding Literati Spirits
• [22:09] The Novelry and building a writing habit
• [26:04] Preview of next book, adaptation discussion
• [28:09] Writing advice for aspiring authors
• [29:29] Favorite martinis and signature drinks

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Tone & Style

The conversation is witty, warm, and informal. Both Zibby and Brisa lean into humorous asides—about martinis as networking tools, the sexiness of historians, and the relatable struggle of exercising versus writing. The episode remains engaging and aspirational for book lovers, aspiring writers, and anyone interested in how passion for storytelling can infuse entrepreneurial ventures.

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers more than book promotion; it’s a spirited (pun intended) look at channeling diverse experiences—whether in theater, philanthropy, or business—into storytelling. Brisa Carleton’s journey shows how personal curiosity and deliberate discipline can revive forgotten voices from history and blend creative pursuits in unexpected, joyful ways.

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Transcript

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[Zibby Owens]

Hi, this is Zibby Owens and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby. Formerly Moms don't have time to read books. In my daily show, I interview today's latest best selling, buzziest or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't have to stay in the know, get insider insights and connect with guests like I do every single day. For more information, go to zibbedia.com and follow me on Instagram. Ibyoens.

[Interviewer]

Brisa Carlton is the author of Last Call at the Savoy.

[Zibby Owens]

Breeza grew up in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Midtown Manhattan to turn her passion for musicals and flair for the dramatic into an award winning career as a Broadway producer. Three Tonys later, she has worked on numerous productions including Hamilton Beautiful and Moulin Rouge. In 2019, at the request of HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, Briza joined his foundation to lead philanthropy efforts in theater, dance and film on behalf of his mother, Princess Grace Kelly. Most recently, she turned her entrepreneurial spirit to actual spirits, launching Literati Spirits, a premium vodka created by book lovers for for book lovers.

[Interviewer]

By the way, this vodka is actually delicious. You should totally check it out. Literati Spirits. She now spends her days traveling to.

[Zibby Owens]

Literary destinations with a martini in one hand and a manuscript in the other.

[Interviewer]

Collecting stories with her husband Mark and.

[Zibby Owens]

Her long haired Chihuahua, Mr. Big.

[Interviewer]

Welcome Briza, thank you so much for coming on Totally Booked to talk about Last Call at the Savoy Hotel.

[Brisa Carlton]

Thanks Sibi. So good to see you.

[Interviewer]

Good to see you too. Loved a little introduction to this book as we had our Greenwich retreat recently and you got to talk all about it with a sort characters. But now we can do a deeper dive. So tell everybody what your book is about.

[Brisa Carlton]

So Last Call at the Savoy is about a New York party girl named Cinnamon who rushes off to London to help her very pregnant sister who's on bed rest at the Savoy Hotel. And while her sister is resting, Cinnamon whiles away the hours in the Savoy Hotel's iconic American bar. And while she's there, she learns the history of this real life the first celebrity female mixologist who created many of the amazing cocktails that we still have heard of now and was responsible for a lot of the cocktails in the famous Savoy cocktail book. But history has nearly forgotten her. And I learned about this woman, Ada Coleman from sitting at the Savoy at the American Bar myself. Write what you know, I guess and I There was a little footnote in the cocktail menu about Ada Coleman, this bartender from 1903 who was a mixologist before women were even allowed in cocktail bars. And I was intrigued and so immediately I started Googling it, looking her up, and there was almost nothing. There's one surviving photo of her, and there's just little footnotes about her everywhere. And, I mean, I guess I shouldn't say I was shocked that this woman from 1903 was written out of history, but I was determined to learn more about her story. But since I'm not a historian, I thought this would be a fun setting for a setting for a novel, but also a through line for a novel to have my main character going on this journey that I was going on as well, to learn more about this woman and hopefully reintroduce her to at least cocktail history.

[Interviewer]

Well, even though Ada plays a huge role in the book, I would argue it's also about sibling relationships. Coming of age, seeing what happens when your sister's, like, not treated very well, necessarily by her husband, sort of stepping in where we need to for our family. The loss. I mean, they've lost their parents early on, so maybe talk a little about her and her sister and what it meant for you to dive into that relationship.

[Brisa Carlton]

So Cinnamon has her older sister is Rosemary. And it's because in the book, their parents owned a very famous bakery. And so Cinnamon and Rosemary, and they get teased a lot about that, but Cinnamon's always been the sort of wilder younger sister. When the parents pass away, Rosemary really kind of steps into a parenting role, even though they're not that far apart in age. And Cinnamon kind of goes off the rails and buries her grief in drinking and partying and, you know, friends that aren't really pushing her to live up to her potential. She's kind of coasting, whereas Rosemary has really just had to fill in. You know, she has a great job, you know, is starting her own family. And so what it was. What it was fun to think about was Cinnamon comes over. She's there to help her sister, but also, I think she thinks her sister just kind of wants to keep an eye on her. And it's a big awakening and coming of age for Cinnamon to realize, oh, no, this sister who's always been there for her actually genuinely needs her. She's not just there to keep her company and make her laugh. Actually, her sister is going through a health crisis on bed rest with twins, is having issues in her own marriage that Cinnamon didn't know anything about. And Cinnamon suddenly realizes, oh, my gosh, it's my turn to step up. And that really starts to change things for her.

[Zibby Owens]

So true.

[Interviewer]

There's a moment when her sister goes to the hospital right when she's landing. It's very early on, but all of a sudden, she's like, wait, wait, wait. Something could actually happen to my sister. Like, then what?

[Brisa Carlton]

Wait.

[Interviewer]

I'm in charge? And I feel like that moment of growing up is something that often happens, but we don't necessarily mark the moment the way you did. But I feel for her, that was, like, a big turning point.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yeah. Suddenly she's like, oh, my gosh. Like, and. And that her sister counts on her. Like, that's also important to her, that she never. It never occurred to her that her sister would even think she'd be reliable. And that means a lot to her.

[Interviewer]

But meanwhile, her sister's on bed rest, and so as a younger sister, she gets to raid her closet and wear whatever she wants, which is, like, such a dream for her. That's super fun, too. Are you into fashion? Like, tell me about that.

[Brisa Carlton]

I am. I mean, I'm not a fashionista, but I spent a lot of time working in philanthropy in Monaco, and so I got exposed to all the amazing designers and the fashion world, and I think it's a fun art form, and I thought it would be a fun way to just give the sisters something that wasn't grief and wasn't bedrest to talk about, and that that would be something fun that they could bond over. And also something fun for readers just to kind of think about some of these beautiful things that they were sharing. Something sisters can bond over. Yes.

[Interviewer]

And then, of course, you have a man making an appearance. You got some flirtation going. You made him a historian.

[Zibby Owens]

Right.

[Interviewer]

Which is so perfect for. As a tool for unmasked, you know, unearthing all this information about the hotel and bartending and everything. Talk a little bit about that relationship and how you can craft sort of that little flirtation and tension in the writing.

[Brisa Carlton]

So while Cinnamon is there at the hotel, the whole book really takes place inside the hotel because Cinnamon can't leave because her sister needs her. And so, at the same time, this character, Kit, who is a sexy historian, he's academic picture.

[Interviewer]

He's the one. He's the one sexy historian.

[Brisa Carlton]

No one sexy historian. I'm kidding.

[Zibby Owens]

I'm kidding.

[Brisa Carlton]

Sorry.

[Interviewer]

To other historians. I'm sure you're sexy, too.

[Zibby Owens]

No, I'm kidding.

[Interviewer]

Go on.

[Brisa Carlton]

So he is doing a history of the Savoy, and so he's lurking around the halls as well. And so what's great about it is I'm so fascinated with the Savoy history. My background is in theater, and actually the Savoy Hotel was built actually because of the Savoy Theater that is now part of the hotel. It was built because patrons of the theater would come in and they needed a place to stay. And that's also why the bar was built. And so it, like all this history and it's so tied to theater and Gilbert and Sullivan and Pirates at Penzance and, like, all these things. And so that's. I wanted to get some of that into the book. And so great to be able to have Kit talking, discovering these things and talking to Cinnamon about them and getting her excited about some of these incredible wild parties that used to happen there and crazy things and famous people and all of that. But then when Cinnamon starts discovering the history of Ada Coleman, the female mixologist who worked there for 25 years, Kit says, oh, I haven't found anything about her. And that's so much of what we find in history is like, oh, well, there wasn't really anything written about her. And it's like, okay, but we know she worked there for 25 years during this period where we know who was at the hotel, what was going on. It doesn't take a lot to connect the dots that she was part of all of that. She wasn't mentioned. It's not that her history wasn't completely interwoven in all that. And for Kit, that's kind of. He's like, oh, you know, cinema's like, maybe it's not what's written, it's the holes. Like, it's like negative picture. It's where she's been left out. And, you know, that blows his mind.

[Ad Voice]

So.

[Interviewer]

Wait, Breeza. So we met because of your fabulous vodka business, Literati Spirits, which is literary vodka, which is just the coolest melding of all the great things, which I absolutely love. But you've had quite a career path, so can you take me back? Like, where are you even from?

[Zibby Owens]

How did we.

[Interviewer]

How did we even get here? What is your story in general?

[Brisa Carlton]

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, okay. And was a voracious reader, but really was a theater kid. Like, I was like, if I have encyclopedic knowledge of show tunes. So if anybody wants to do a sing along, or if anybody ends up at my house, generally, there will be show tunes involved.

[Interviewer]

Okay, Good to know.

[Brisa Carlton]

That was really my path. And then I came to New York and realized being on stage was absolutely not my highest and best use. So I got into the producing side of theater and got really involved in that and was fortunate to be involved in shows like Hamilton, Moulin Rouge, Beautiful, the Carol Kimi's, like a bunch of those shows, and just loved becoming part of the New York theater community. But then you helped.

[Interviewer]

You were one of the producers on all of those shows.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yeah.

[Zibby Owens]

That's amazing.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yeah. I mean, I'm so fortunate that I got to be part of it, but it's a hard business. Broadway is a hard business to break into, particularly for producing, because, you know, in acting or things like that, you go to an audition and they find you. But for producing, you really, you kind of have to find other producers and build relationships. And so I started one night one of the. I knew nobody in New York, but one of the few people that I did know took me to the iconic theater bar Sardis. And on the second floor of Sardis, it's right in the heart of the theater, so you can see out to all of the shows. That's where I learned that's where, like, the producers and the theater owners and the kind of people that I needed to be meeting were hanging out. And so I thought, okay, this is great. So I started going there pre theater. It's like the five to seven or six to eight window every night for, like, months. And I would sit there and I would order my martini and watch the ecosystem and try to meet people. And a couple weeks in, the bartenders who have worked there for decades finally were like, who are you? What are you trying to do? You're here a lot. Do you know anybody? And I said, I'm, you know, from the Pacific Northwest. I'm trying to be a producer. And they said, let us help you. And they started bringing people over to me and said, this is Brisa. You know, she's have a martini with her. She is trying to learn about the business. And from that moment, within three months, I went from, who's this girl who's sitting there knowing no one? To, oh, yeah, that's Brisa. She knows everybody.

[Zibby Owens]

Interesting.

[Brisa Carlton]

So martinis were really a key part of my career development and to being a Broadway producer, because if I had just reached out and gone to these people's offices or tried to get informational interviews, which are all, like, totally legit ways to get into Broadway, I don't know that I would have formed the relationships in that dynamic. And by showing up and sort of being at the party all the time, I was able to build those relationships really quickly.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Brisa Carlton]

Still, you know, any given night, you'll find me at Sardis Pre show.

[Zibby Owens]

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[Interviewer]

Thank you Aura Frames for bringing meaning.

[Zibby Owens]

Into my life and joy into so many others.

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[Interviewer]

Oh, my gosh. Okay, so you produced those shows and you're still producing and do you still do it?

[Brisa Carlton]

Yep. So I'm still involved. I'm also very involved in the organization that does the Tony Awards. And so for that, I get to go see every show and work sort of industry wide as opposed to just on individual shows, which is pretty cool.

[Ad Voice]

Wow.

[Brisa Carlton]

So from there I got a call from an organization called the Princess Grace foundation, which is the philanthropic organization for the Prince of Monaco in the south of France. Mother was Grace Kelly, Princess Grace. And during her lifetime, she was really supportive of theater, dance and film artists. And so I got a call asking if I wanted to run that organization. Princess Grace had been dead for 40 years, and how do we really usher her legacy into a new. To a new generation, to a new era? And I thought that sounded like quite an adventure. So I went over to Monaco and went to the palace and interviewed with the Prince and all these things that I'm like, I think I'm in a Hallmark movie right now. And so I did that for five years. And it was a really incredible opportunity, not just to get to know sort of the wider global philanthropic community, but also the foundation supports the arts. And I was there during COVID and it became, as we all know, like, absolutely critical for artists to be receiving support, especially theater, dance and film artists, when all those industries were completely shut down. So it was. It felt, I felt very fortunate to be in a role where I could do something to help, do even a little bit to help these artists. And so while at the same time spending a lot of time in Monaco going to incredible galas and oh my gosh. So it was an interesting time. And then that job was incredible. But as you can imagine, working for royalty and flying all over the world all the time was stressful, very high pressure. And I thought, what can I do that just will take me out? Like something I can just do by myself, that when I'm sitting in an airport or sitting on an airplane where I can just sort of escape from, you know, my crazy, fabulous reality. And so I found an online novel writing course, a 90 day novel writing course. And I just said, oh, I'm just going to start writing. And I found that to be amazing. Like, it was a perfect escape. Like, I was totally into it. It felt like I was having this, like, affair with my imagination because I would open my computer and even when things were going on around me and just start writing about these characters and lurking around the Savoy. And so that's how I started writing. And I had no expectation about being published or anything like that. It really was just a way to be able to escape into my imagination and also sort of pull from all these amazing life experiences I was having and use them in a creative way.

[Interviewer]

But then. And when did the vodka business come into everything?

[Brisa Carlton]

Right. So the vodka business came up because right around the same time I was doing the Monica thing because I wanted a way to be able to. I was doing a ton of reading during COVID and also a lot of martini drinking. And I thought, again, I wanted a creative outlet. I want something fun. And I thought, what are my favorite things? Well, I love cocktails with friends and I love reading and talking about books. And so I thought, oh, how perfect. I can combine the two. Make vodka themed on books. And I really looked at it as an entrepreneur and said, okay, if I'm going to invest in this, best case, I end up with a great, successful vodka company. Worst case, I end up with 20,000 bottles of vodka. So not a huge downside.

[Interviewer]

That's amazing. Well, I love the whole packaging and literary characters and Jane Eyre, the whole. I mean, just so cool.

[Zibby Owens]

Wow.

[Interviewer]

So you just wrote the book through the 90 day writing course. What is that? If people want to do it, they're.

[Brisa Carlton]

Like, it's called the novelry. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer]

I'm a judge. Yes, I'm a judge. In fact, I have to read all these things this week. So anyway, yes, thank you for the reminder.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yeah, yeah, you have. Okay. But it's amazing. And the Novelry is amazing because it's completely on. It's based in the uk and there was something appealing about that too, because you get online for. You're supposed to do an hour a day and they do a little lesson or a little pep talk and it's with the fabulous British voices. And I'm like, oh, this is just amazing. And it's just this great program because you don't. It just teaches you what you need to know. And it pulls from books that you've read and says, here's the structure and here's how it works. And so it felt really accessible. And they also aren't. They're like, write for whatever reason you want. Like it doesn't have to be to be published. It can be because you just want to express something, all of that. So unlike a formal MFA program or something like that, which seemed more than what I was looking for, I just needed help and structure to write a novel, and so it was really perfect for that. But actually, the first book that I wrote through that program got me an agent, which was amazing. I didn't even know how any of that process worked. I mean, I'm in theater, which is totally different world than publishing. But that book didn't get a deal. And so because I had loved writing and everything is very slow in publishing in these processes. So while I was submitting to agents and doing all of that, I had just kept writing. And so last call at the Savoy, I was actually. I was just still doing my hour a day. And so I finished the first book, then started writing the second one. So when the first book went on submission and didn't get. I wanted a big five deal. Didn't get a big five deal. And so I went to my agent and I said, I mean, I have another book. And she's like, what are you talking about? I was like, well, it's been a couple months through this process, so another 90 days. So here's another manuscript. And I felt better about the second one, obviously. Like, you know, I learned so much. And so we took that. Pretty much turned right around and took that on submission and pretty much immediately got a big five deal. So I. That was. I don't know. But the whole way, by the time we got that deal, I was already writing the third one. Like, I just was so enjoying the writing process that, you know, it's become kind of a. I don't know, it's become part of my daily routine. I wish I could go to the gym, to go to the gym, but somehow sitting down and writing, I've been able to keep up with my gosh.

[Interviewer]

Yesterday was Sunday, and I was home, like, all day. I only had to take the kids to all the activities, and otherwise I was home. And I was like, there was a time in my life where was I? I fit in an hour of exercise no matter what. I literally had the whole day. And I say this having not worked out in, like, months and months, like, I was. It just happened to be such a contrast. Like, there was literally nothing in my way. Like, I could have done it at any moment, and I still chose not to. So dangerous.

[Brisa Carlton]

People get hurt going to the gym. Oh, yeah, Injuries. Very dangerous.

[Interviewer]

Too many decisions.

[Zibby Owens]

What machine I don't know.

[Interviewer]

Aren't I supposed to be lifting? I bet. I guess I just shouldn't do anything at all. But anyway, an hour a day of writing seems fully in your control and.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yes. And part of what the novelry advises, which obviously makes sense. And I think why I was able to sort of jump into being a writer is the big. The best training for being a writer is being a reader. Because if you are writing the type of books you like to read, even if you don't recognize the structure and formatting and everything as you're reading them, it's very. You're. You're still ingrained in how they work and the emotional and character arcs and all of that. And so what I really love about having the vodka company and writing and writing books about cocktails is basically, I can. Anytime I'm reading or enjoying a cocktail, I can call it research.

[Zibby Owens]

There you go.

[Brisa Carlton]

Oh, yes. This is all part of my process.

[Interviewer]

So what is the next book?

[Brisa Carlton]

So the next book is all about champagne. So you can kind of tell I have a theme. So the first one's about cocktails. The second book takes place in champagne, and again about a girl from New York who ends up going over to a little tiny town in the Champagne region where she has family that she didn't know she had. And so it goes into how, as she's discovering her roots, she's also. You know, there's a metaphor in the roots of the champagne vines because these vines, for real champagne, are ancient, and they've been through, you know, centuries and wars and, you know, sort of thinking about her roots and her family, but also what these champagne vines have withstood and how hard it is to make champagne. And it lasts. You open the bottle and it's immediately gone, you know, like, the fizz disappears immediately. And just sort of how that's. You can work so hard for things, and it's okay if it's just a moment of joy. That's the nature of it.

[Interviewer]

That's amazing. Well, I'm sure you've already thought of this, but I do think that Last Call at the Savoy would be a good play.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Are you gonna adapt it?

[Brisa Carlton]

I'm not, because that. That seems. I don't know, too many hats to wear. But certainly if there are any theater producers or film producers listening that want to adapt it into a movie or a play, I would love that.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, I think a play would be.

[Zibby Owens]

Cool because there's just the one set.

[Interviewer]

Like, you don't need a hotel.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

You do like an upstairs and a downstairs, like one of those.

[Brisa Carlton]

Totally, totally. Yeah, exactly. It could be immersive. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Oh, it could do that too. Oh, maybe you could all feel like you're sitting in the bar.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yes, I would love that. That's cool. Yeah, let's do it.

[Ad Voice]

All right.

[Interviewer]

I mean, it sounds to me like you put your mind to something and you make it happen. So just put that in the world. And I'm sure that I will be having drinks at that, you know, like pop up show or whatever it is in just a little bit.

[Brisa Carlton]

I like it. I like it.

[Interviewer]

I like it too.

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah.

[Ad Voice]

Cheers.

[Interviewer]

Amazing. Okay, so this is such a success story for the novelry, for you, for everything. What advice then do you have? Do you feel like anybody can do this? Do you have to have talent? How much do you have to learn? How much practice do you have to get before you sell a book?

[Brisa Carlton]

I. I mean, I do think anybody can do it. I think anybody who is a reader can do it. I think if you're not a reader, I think being a writer that's kind of, you're just going to have a steeper learning curve. And so I think anybody who's a reader, and I think it really comes down to just that hour a day or whatever time you can find. But really sticking, it's discipline. Like, it's really fun, but also you have to just sit down and do it. And I think anybody that can do that part, can do the discipline part, can get their book to a point that it can be publishable. But so many people just, you know, it's hard. Like, first couple chapters are so fun and so easy. And then you're like, okay, wait, now this all has to fit together. And now, oh, how does it all wrap up? And then you start going to editing processes and they're like, this doesn't make any sense. And so you just have to be willing to go on that journey. And I think if you're somebody who enjoys that and enjoys putting words on a page and playing with them, then you absolutely can get a book to the point where it could be published. You know, I love it. So what do I know?

[Interviewer]

Okay, last question.

[Zibby Owens]

How do you take your martini?

[Brisa Carlton]

I go through phases seasonally.

[Interviewer]

Okay, like that.

[Brisa Carlton]

Yes. So in summertime I like, you know, a Cosmopolitan or something fruity or lemon citron, you know, that type of thing. In fall, I love a Manhattan. In spring, I like a dirty martini, so I mix it up. But right now I'm drinking the hanky panky. Which is from back in Ada's day, meant, you know, like magic. And it's. It's an amazing gin cocktail from 1903. And I've been. Really. Because I think of Aida when I drink it. That's. That's the drink that I've been ordering most recently.

[Zibby Owens]

Perfect.

[Brisa Carlton]

Love it. Do you have a preferred cocktail, Zibby?

[Interviewer]

You know, I've kind of stopped drinking lately. I don't know why. My favorite is champagne. I would say.

[Brisa Carlton]

Perfect.

[Interviewer]

Yes, champagne is my favorite. And in the summer, an aperol spritz.

[Brisa Carlton]

Lovely.

[Interviewer]

And that. And then like tequila on the rocks is really what I drink most. Probably because you don't feel it the next day or anything, even just a little bit, Right?

[Brisa Carlton]

Magic. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

But one of my sayings is never turn down a glass of champagne. So I try to always say yes when one crosses my path.

[Brisa Carlton]

I like that a lot. Good mantra. Yes.

[Interviewer]

All right, well, thank you so much for coming on and congratulations. I'm so excited for you.

[Brisa Carlton]

Thank you so much, Zibby. And again, I so appreciate all of your support. It's been incredible. It's my pleasure.

[Interviewer]

Okay, take care.

[Brisa Carlton]

Bye. Thank you.

[Zibby Owens]

Thank you for listening to Totally booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't have time to read books. If you loved the show, tell a friend, leave a review. Follow me on Instagram ibyowens and spread the word. Thanks so much. Oh, and buy the books.

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