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Eugenio Derbes
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Zibby Owens
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Eugenio Derbes
Race the rudders. Race the sails. Race the sails. Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching.
Charlotte McConaughey
Over.
Eugenio Derbes
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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.
Charlotte McConaughey
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.
Zibby Owens
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 zibbemedia.com and follow me on Instagram. Ibioens.
Charlotte McConaughey
Charlotte McConaughey is the author of Wild Dark Shore, a novel. By the way, I am obsessed with this book. Charlotte is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Wild Dark Once There Were Wolves and Migrations, which are being translated into more than 20 languages. She is based in Sydney, Australia. Welcome, Charlotte. So excited to talk to you about Wild Dark Shore. Congratulations.
Unknown Speaker
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Charlotte McConaughey
I loved this book so much I could not put it down. I was on a flight, we landed, I was reading it in the aisle. I was reading it walking out to the car. I was reading it in the car. I could not put it down. Oh, my gosh. Especially, like. Not especially, but those final, like, 50 to 100 pages. I don't even know. Like, whoa, they're killer.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Charlotte McConaughey
Yeah, they're a killer. I was gasping, I was crying. I was. I had every emotion. It was a roller coaster.
Unknown Speaker
Oh, that's really nice to hear.
Charlotte McConaughey
Okay, tell listeners what the book is about, please.
Unknown Speaker
Sure. So Wild Duckshore is the story of Dominic Salt and his three children, who are the caretakers of a very small, remote, rugged island down near Antarctica. And they're the last inhabitants on this island. Because the sea levels are rising, it's very dangerous, until, during a really terrible storm, a woman washes ashore, and she's bringing with her a whole lot of secrets. And she also discovers that the family have lots of things hidden as well. So it's. It's a. It's a bit of a gothic mystery. It's very romantic, and it's. I think it's ultimately an exploration of what we do for the people we love, raising children in a. In a dying world. The interconnectedness of all living things.
Charlotte McConaughey
Well, it was meaningful and poignant on just so many levels. Oh, my gosh. Let's talk about the environmental piece first, because that is a huge, I feel, a huge part of the book, the animal life. Do you have a scene with a humpback whale and her cub? Which, like, broke my heart. It was so beautiful. And just the idea that, like, there is that much empathy among species, which you talk about in reference to other species, like, putting their butts out to, like, cover the ground.
Unknown Speaker
The wombats.
Charlotte McConaughey
Yeah, the wombats. Thank you. All of the things you taught the reader and showed the reader about animals and. And ecology and environmental everything. Just tell me a little bit about that. Because at times it felt desperate and sad. Right. And at times it felt incredibly uplifting. So where do you come out on all of this?
Unknown Speaker
Well, that's really good to know that it feels like that, because I guess that's what I'm going for. You know, I just try to write about. I feel like it's so easy to forget about all the extraordinary things that are in this world. And, you know, we get kind of insular in our lives, and we sort of forget to. To look out into the natural world and. And just really treasure these extraordinary things. So. So I like to include kind of beautiful, true moments that really do exist in the natural world and so, yeah, like, you, like, you kind of referenced, I tell the story of a humpback whale and her calf and how, you know, there's a moment in the book where she launches out water and is falling down on two of the characters and, you know, maybe, just maybe she's able to kind of turn herself when she sees them, to save them. There's been so many recorded sightings of humpback whales showing incredible empathy to other creatures not of their species, which just is kind of so beautiful and amazing and really reminds you that animals are capable of so much empathy and compassion and love and in ways that we sort of don't often remember. And, and, and as you referenced also, you know, wombats are so beautiful. They're these gorgeous Australian creatures and they dig burrows and often in bushfires, they. They will shelter other animals down in their burrows to keep them safe. And they put their. But they put their little bums up to stop the fire from coming down. So beautiful. So, you know, there's so many stories of, of courage and kindness like this in the animal kingdom. I just really like to try and always include them to show that. That connection, you know, between everything and the beauty.
Charlotte McConaughey
Wow. And even the whales on the beach. I won't even go into the whole thing, but just, I know beach whales.
Unknown Speaker
Are a real, like, thing for me. It's so heartbreaking. I feel like I, I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I also just want, okay, they're okay. I don't want to read books about whales dying on beaches, so I'll give that spoiler away. They live.
Charlotte McConaughey
But the kids who are sort of helping in that effort, there's a moment where, you know, should they continue to help? What are they giving up if they, if they continue on? But then there's this, you know, the dad's like, well, they would have to live with not helping. And that's something too heavy to live with, which I feel like is another message. You know, it does feel like that. Like, what are we giving up when we stop helping others? And it's not just an animal kingdom. It's like the state of our world is just so terrible. And, you know, can we live with ourselves when we don't help our neighbors?
Unknown Speaker
Absolutely, yeah, completely. That's a big part of this book is like, what are we willing to do? What are we willing to sacrifice? Because I think that that is what's going to start happening now. We are going to have to make some difficult choice what, how we live our lives. And yeah, it's, you know, they're not going to be potentially, I think, to correct this ship, we are not going to be able to live the exact perfect way that we want to live. We are going to have to make sacrifices, make some changes. And a lot of people don't want to hear that. They don't want to do that. But I think, yeah, we've got no choice anymore.
Charlotte McConaughey
I mean, there are a lot of things people don't want to hear. So I think. And honestly, the best way to spread any message is like one specific story that you completely relate to. I mean, that is more powerful than all the, like, save the environment posts. Like, you could look at a thousand posts and yet hear one story. This isn't even true. And it doesn't matter. It's like, okay, I got it now.
Zibby Owens
You know.
Charlotte McConaughey
You know, there are true things in it.
Unknown Speaker
There are true things. So, you know, like, a lot of that kind of wildlife stuff is from real stories, which I think makes it all the more kind of amazing.
Charlotte McConaughey
Well, I read in the note you said that the parts about the penguins and those canisters, oh, my gosh, that was all real. And just the brutality of people claiming space for themselves and how that happened with the. The penguins and the seals and just.
Unknown Speaker
Oh, my gosh, so tragic. The fur seals were wiped out on this island. Like, the whole population was gone from oil exploitation. Yeah. So we have a lot to answer for in our history. And I think, you know, the. The kind of slightly gothic haunted nature of this island is. Was my speaking to that and to what lingers on. You know, the things that we've done in the past, I think do need to be answered for. And that kind of blood spill doesn't ever just sort of disappear, even if it is just of animals, you know?
Charlotte McConaughey
Yeah. There's a. There's a scene in the book where you're able. I'm trying not to give stuff away either, but I don't think this is giving it away. But anyway, there's a. There's a scene where there's a certain chemical that can show blood underneath. Right. It's like a blue thing. I feel like that is the book, like you are the chemical bringing to life, like, a lot of the things that are under the surface that we're just not clearly seeing until we look more closely.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah, that's a really cool way of looking at it. Thanks. I just thought of that.
Charlotte McConaughey
There's a whole. Aside from this whole piece, there's love and loss and our need to protect our kids. And Dominic's story is that he's a widower on this island with his three children, and his older children are helping take care of his, well, previous baby, who's now not a baby anymore, and how he copes with the loss of his wife, who's. Whose words. Like she is a character in the movie. She'd have a part, right. She's whispering to him and, you know, guiding his thoughts. And it's something he only can find a way to sort of process towards the end of this whole thing. But all those feelings of remorse and wishing you could go back in time to change things or doubt or all of that. Like, that lost love. I mean, you did that so beautifully. It was so. I mean, it just like, it just really got me. Tell me about that and what you tapped into to write all of that.
Unknown Speaker
Well, I think, you know, this is. I really wanted this to be a beautiful, romantic love story between Dominique and Rowan. I'm a romantic at heart. I love love stories. I'm not necessarily saying this is a romance with a capital R, but it is definitely a big love story. And I think you can kind of, especially when you've got a character who's widowed, grieving, bereaved, you know, you can sort of forget that. That has a profound impact. And, you know, it's. It's kind of. You sort of want to brush that away and. And enable them to sort of embrace the new romance. But I think for Dominic, it's. He's really. He has so much unresolved trauma around the loss of his wife. You know, it's complex how she passed away. So, you know, in. I don't want to give that away, but it's. It's a. It's a complex, difficult thing that he's carrying, and he has a lot of guilt around it, as well as, you know, simple missing his wife. So that. I think that makes it really hard for him. That guilt makes it difficult for him to process it properly. And so he clings on to her as a means of survival. And. And wouldn't we all, you know, like, he's out on this kind of really remote, dangerous island trying to raise three children by himself. I mean, as a person with two kids, I can't even imagine that trying to do that. And there are many people in this world who do it. And I'm just staggered by the kind of strength and fortitude that would take. And so he's. He's coping with that. He's trying to kind of grapple with, you know, his own sort of shame around it. And so she manifests as this presence in his life as a way for him to sort of survive. But as we know, with a lot of kind of wounded characters, the coping mechanisms they use only work for so long. And so it actually. This becomes an albatross around his neck. It becomes a difficult thing for him to. It stops him from kind of opening himself up to love again. And I just. I don't know, I wanted Claire, who's the. Who's the late wife, to feel she's also a complicated presence on the island because I think. I think as a person alive, she was wonderful. And, you know, of course, Dom loved her very deeply, and the kids loved her very deeply. She was. She was an amazing mother. Kind of made the ultimate sacrifice. And. And yet it's the sort of darkness and bleakness of this island that's turned her into a sort of, you know, slightly frightening figure, especially for Rowan, who doesn't know this woman. And it's not until we kind of get through this story that she, you know, comes to terms with this woman actually being kind of a. A beautiful presence.
Charlotte McConaughey
Wow.
Zibby Owens
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Charlotte McConaughey
Before, but I wanted to share a.
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Charlotte McConaughey
Well, I mean, a lot of it sort of comes down in the book to Dominic's strength, right? His strength and ability, physically and emotionally, to deal with the kids, to deal with the island, the hazards of the island. And honestly, in, like, one of the final things, you know, it literally has to do with his strength and his ability to do stuff, to save himself and the people he loves. Right. It all. And I guess it's also a commentary on, like, after you've been wounded, maybe you never regain your full strength. Maybe you can't save everybody you want to save in the world and love everybody. And maybe it's just you have to accept your limitations and just try to navigate the scary world regardless.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I think absolutely. There's a big part of that, you know, we don't always completely heal from our wounds, but certainly having the courage to kind of open up again to new connections is a big part of healing. And I think that's sort of, you know, a big part of what this book is about. Sort of. It's about a lot of wounded people slowly realizing that they can kind of limp forward together.
Charlotte McConaughey
And you literally have a wound on Rowan that keeps opening, like, in case we didn't get it, that this is about healing, you know, and the. The slapstick, you know, he tries, right. And he tries twice. And, you know.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah, there's definitely a theme throughout about bodies, you know, about physical bodies and. And what they mean to us and what they're capable of. And Dom, as you say, is very. Is a very physically capable person, which is very much like my partner Morgan. I kind of modeled that a little bit on him. He's so clever at being able to just fix stuff and make stuff and do build things, you know, in a way that kind of. Yeah, it's amazing to me. And I wanted Rowan to also have. Have that. Like, I. I think with. With love stories, you tend to sort of go for the opposite thing, which is lovely. But I. For this one, I actually. I really wanted her to kind of have that same. Just practical, you know, she's. She can do stuff, too. She can do heaps of stuff. She's just as capable as he. As he is. And I had a lot of fun with that. I think in some ways there's a little bit of an inversion in this sort of gender stereotypes between them. In some ways, she's the masculine, in some ways, he's the feminine. So. Yeah, anyway.
Charlotte McConaughey
No, no, I loved it. When like, all of a sudden you're like, oh, yeah, and she can figure out this concrete issue and she can build homes and all. I was like, she what? She can.
Unknown Speaker
Okay, great.
Charlotte McConaughey
By the way, I would argue that you can fix and build things quite powerfully with this book. It might not be, you know, planks of wood, but to build a world like this yourself out of your fingertips, really. That's pretty amazing.
Unknown Speaker
Oh, thank you. That's a really nice way to. Way to see it. Yeah, I guess it is creating a novel, isn't it? Creating a world and characters. Okay, well, I'll tell him that next time.
Charlotte McConaughey
Yeah, I mean, you can. You know, who needs nails, right? We have. We have word and whatever else did you like? As I mentioned, there was a scene in which I was crying and I was just feeling so physically moved by the book. When you were writing it, did you have all of those? I mean, it's such an immersive, experiential type of thing with the water and the salt and you're like wading through here and on the boats in the wind, swimming, and I'm freezing all the time. Reading this book, you know, did you find yourself. Yeah, tactile. That's a better word. Thank you. Did you find yourself, you know, in it and emotionally as you. As you went, or were you able to keep a distance?
Unknown Speaker
No, no, of course I'm. So I. You have to be in it to write it, otherwise nobody. If I don't feel it, you're not going to feel it. So I. Yeah, I went deep. I went really deep. There were. It was hard, actually. Writing this novel was really hard. Probably the hardest one I've. I've done to date. I mean, they're all pretty rugged. I don't know why I choose these incredibly sort of challenging things, but anyway, they do challenge me and. And. But I. I think I come out the other side better for it. It's definitely me grappling with a lot of things that I feel about the world and lots of tears. You know, I had to go to Macquarie to kind of feel all the. All the sensory things there and to get that right, because I started writing the book a long time before it was due and it just wasn't working. I was feeling really disconnected. I couldn't get the point of view right. I couldn't get, like, basic decision making. I was sort of struggling with. I didn't know whose story it was or how to tell it. I just was. Yeah, I was just disconnected. And it took me realizing I have to go to this island. I have to get there before it can feel real to me. And so we did, we, we, me and my partner and my baby at the time, headed off on this insane sort of wild voyage down to Macquarie island, which is the island I base shear water on. And yeah, it was just kind of a life changing trip. Just, just an unbelievable otherworldly place. And I, I realized, you know, there was, there was textures and colors and sound. The soundscape was un. I had, there was no way I could have imagined that soundscape. You step off the boat onto the beach and it's like a wall of sound from these animals, from birds and seals and penguins. It's just amazing. So yeah, all those kind of rich details I was able to then bring to the novel. And yeah, I'm very glad that it's kind of allowed it to feel immersive because that's the main thing really.
Charlotte McConaughey
Oh my gosh. Well, I don't know. I mean you said it could be a lot obviously being a single parent or whatever, but bringing a baby onto an island like this, oh my gosh, I can barely like get my kid into it. Never do this again.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah, I know I'd never do this again. It was, was really hard, but it was amazing. And thankfully nothing went wrong. Like honestly, what was I thinking? Like before we went away, I started to really panic and I, you know, what, what have I done? Because there's no, there's no hospitals, obviously you can't. If something goes wrong, you're in serious trouble. There's. A helicopter can maybe come. But you know, we would have to get to an island for it to be able to land and find us. And it's just like a lot of kind of, of scary scenarios were going through my head in the lead up to this and even just like seasickness. We didn't know if he would, if he would cope with wild ocean and you can't medicate a baby and, and day two, we were out on the, the like the deep, the deep sea and it got really rough and I, I'm shocking. I was sick to my stomach. I couldn't stand up. I was sort of, you know, like very close to vomiting, very sick and Fin did huge vomit all over the couch of this room. And I had this moment of thinking, I have to get him off this boat. What have I done? We're not gonna, I can't have a baby who's sick to his stomach for two weeks without being able to help him. This is like I've made a terrible mistake. So I'm sitting in this shower with both of us swaying, like, washing the vomit off him, and. And amazingly, he was completely fine. Like, he. I don't know what that was. It was just a weird anomaly. He recovered completely. He wasn't sick for the entire. For a single second of the rest of the trip. What a profound relief that was. I cannot tell you the terror that went through my mind in that moment.
Charlotte McConaughey
But it was really.
Unknown Speaker
It was actually kind of an amazing way to get into Dom's headspace. I mean, I know it's not the same having a, like a seasick baby and having children on a, you know, a sinking island, but it was a really kind of good way to start thinking about, okay, well, how do you protect your children, you know, when you're. You've kind of brought them somewhere that's quite dangerous. And, and, and yeah, it was a really good way kind of into his mindset.
Charlotte McConaughey
Well, we felt the terror, I mean, in worrying about the kids and all these different scenarios. Like, I wasn't even sure who to worry about the most. Yeah. But I have a new relationship now with the punching bag my son never uses. Do we use it? Do we not use it? Is it a good coping mechanism or not? I don't know. Amazing. And then you have books themselves in the book, like the role of Jane Eyre in the book and trying to keep our stories from going down, essentially. How do we keep our stories in one piece and retain our memories and all of that? I feel like that's. That's like the last layer on top of this whole canopy bed of ideas.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think that's kind of a natural state for people who are missing someone. You know, I know for myself, when I miss people for a long time, they start to fade from my memory and I've got a shocking memory, actually. Like, it's a. It's a real thing for me. I, I don't have a lot of memories from my childhood. And so, yeah, that notion of how do we hold on to things, do we need these kind of. These pieces of someone to. To keep them alive, or are we able to kind of let those things go and still hold them within us? It's. I. I'm not sure what the answer to that is, but the, you know, Dom and fan are both have quite different feelings around that. And there's. That's the main source of kind of, you know, issue between them in the novel. It's how do we grieve In a healthy way. That's not kind of, I suppose, harming us even more.
Charlotte McConaughey
Have you read Broken country by.
Unknown Speaker
No, I haven't.
Charlotte McConaughey
Oh my gosh. You two have to meet. You have to meet her. There are a lot of similarities, actually, even though the plots are totally different and they're both coming out really soon. And I have to put the two of you in touch.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah, I'd love that.
Charlotte McConaughey
I think you'll really. There's a lot of anyway in my head, I'm like, you have to sell them together or something. Anyway. Well, Charlotte, thank you so much for this fabulous read. And I was just talking in my office to someone who was like, oh my gosh, you're interviewing her. My friend Diana. And it was like, she's like, I couldn't put it down. I was like, I couldn't put it down either. So you have lots of fans already. So congratulations.
Unknown Speaker
Thank you so much.
Charlotte McConaughey
All right, thanks for everything.
Unknown Speaker
Thanks, Zibby. Nice to see you again.
Charlotte McConaughey
Okay, bye. Bye.
Unknown Speaker
Bye.
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 Iby Owens and Spread the word. Thanks so much. Oh, and buy the books.
Eugenio Derbes
Race the rudders. Race the sails. Race the sails. Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching.
Unknown Speaker
Over.
Eugenio Derbes
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Podcast: Totally Booked with Zibby
Episode Title: Charlotte McConaghy, WILD DARK SHORE: A Novel
Release Date: March 24, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Charlotte McConaghy, New York Times Bestselling Author
In this captivating episode of Totally Booked with Zibby, host Zibby Owens welcomes acclaimed author Charlotte McConaghy to discuss her latest novel, "Wild Dark Shore." Charlotte, known for her bestselling works Wild Dark and Migrations, brings her storytelling expertise to this new gothic mystery set against the backdrop of a remote island near Antarctica.
Zibby Owens expresses her enthusiasm for "Wild Dark Shore," noting, “I was on a flight, we landed, I was reading it in the aisle. I was reading it walking out to the car. I was reading it in the car. I could not put it down” (03:02). Charlotte elaborates on the novel's plot, highlighting its rich narrative and emotional depth.
Charlotte McConaghy provides a synopsis: "Wild Dark Shore" follows Dominic Salt and his three children, the last inhabitants of a small, rugged island threatened by rising sea levels. The arrival of a mysterious woman during a storm unravels buried secrets, leading to a story that intertwines gothic mystery, romance, and environmental themes.
A significant portion of the discussion centers on the novel's environmental messages. Zibby points out, “Do you have a scene with a humpback whale and her cub? Which, like, broke my heart. It was so beautiful” (04:05). Charlotte explains her intention to emphasize the interconnectedness of all living beings:
"I like to include kind of beautiful, true moments that really do exist in the natural world... There's so many stories of courage and kindness like this in the animal kingdom." (05:03)
She recounts real-life examples that inspired her writing, such as humpback whales exhibiting empathy and wombats sheltering other animals during bushfires. These elements not only enhance the novel's realism but also underscore the resilience and compassion inherent in nature.
The novel delves into themes of love, loss, and the sacrifices made for loved ones. Zibby remarks on the poignant portrayal of Dominic as a widower grappling with grief:
"She is whispering to him and, you know, guiding his thoughts... feelings of remorse and wishing you could go back in time to change things or doubt or all of that." (10:23)
Charlotte discusses Dominic's internal struggle, emphasizing his unresolved trauma and guilt over his wife's death. This emotional complexity poses challenges for his capacity to open up to new love, illustrating the profound impact of loss on personal growth and relationships.
Charlotte shares her immersive approach to writing "Wild Dark Shore," revealing the lengths she went to capture the novel's authentic feel. She recounts a transformative trip to Macquarie Island, the very setting of her book:
"I had to realize I have to go to this island. I have to get there before it can feel real to me... the soundscape was unbelievable." (24:55)
This firsthand experience enriched her descriptions of the island's environment, from its vibrant wildlife to the relentless natural elements. Charlotte also opens up about the emotional challenges she faced during the writing process, including moments of profound difficulty and personal growth.
A recurring theme in "Wild Dark Shore" is the journey toward healing and the importance of human connections. Zibby highlights:
"They can kind of limp forward together." (19:57)
Charlotte elaborates on how characters navigate their past traumas and the significance of forming new bonds. She touches on the physical and emotional resilience required to survive in harsh environments, both literally on the island and metaphorically in their personal lives.
Charlotte candidly shares personal experiences that mirror the novel's themes, such as the terrifying ordeal of taking her family to a remote island. This vulnerability adds depth to her storytelling and fosters a strong connection with listeners:
"I had this moment of thinking, I have to get him off this boat. What have I done?" (25:09)
These anecdotes not only humanize the author but also provide real-life parallels to the struggles faced by her characters, making the novel's themes more relatable and impactful.
As the conversation draws to a close, Zibby commends Charlotte on her ability to create an immersive and emotionally charged narrative:
"You can fix and build things quite powerfully with this book. It might not be, you know, planks of wood, but to build a world like this yourself out of your fingertips, really. That's pretty amazing." (21:26)
Charlotte expresses gratitude for the opportunity to share her work and reflects on the profound journey of writing "Wild Dark Shore." The episode wraps up with heartfelt thanks and encouragement for listeners to explore Charlotte's compelling novel.
Zibby Owens:
“I could not put it down.” (03:02)
Charlotte McConaghy:
“There are so many stories of courage and kindness like this in the animal kingdom.” (05:03)
“I went deep. I went really deep. ... It was a really good way kind of into his mindset.” (22:38)
“Creating a novel isn't it? Creating a world and characters.” (21:41)
“It's about a lot of wounded people slowly realizing that they can kind of limp forward together.” (19:30)
Zibby Owens:
“You have to be in it to write it, otherwise nobody. If I don't feel it, you're not going to feel it.” (22:38)
“You have to realize I have to go to this island.” (24:55)
This episode of Totally Booked with Zibby offers an in-depth exploration of Charlotte McConaghy's "Wild Dark Shore," highlighting its intricate blend of environmentalism, emotional storytelling, and rich character development. Through engaging dialogue and personal insights, Zibby and Charlotte provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the novel's themes and the author's creative process, making it a must-listen for book enthusiasts and aspiring writers alike.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow Zibby Owens on Instagram @zibbyowens and visit zibbymedia.com for more insightful book discussions and interviews.