Loading summary
Transcript83 lines
- [00:00]
Zibby Owens
Instacart is on a mission to have.
- [00:02]
Jennifer Weiner
You not leave the couch this basketball.
- [00:04]
Thrive Market Representative
Season because between the pre game rituals and the post game interviews, it can be difficult to find time for everything else. So let Instacart take care of your game day snacks or weekly restocks and get delivery in as fast as 30 minutes because we hear it's bad luck to be hungry on game day. So download the Instacart app today and enjoy. $0 delivery fees on your first 3 orders. Service fees apply for 3 orders in 14 days.
- [00:29]
Zibby Owens
Excludes restaurants BetterHelp Online Therapy bought this 30 second ad to remind you right now, wherever you are, to unclench your jaw, relax your shoulders, take a deep breath in and out. Feels better, right? That's 15 seconds of self care. Imagine what you could do with more visit betterhelp.com randompodcast for 10% off your first month of therapy. No pressure, just help. But for now, just relax.
- [01:11]
Thrive Market Representative
Worried about what ingredients are hiding in your groceries? Let us take the guesswork out. We're Thrive Market, the online grocery store with the highest quality standards in the industry. We restrict 1000 plus ingredients so you can trust that you'll only find the best high quality, organic and sustainable brands, all free of the junk. With savings up to 30% off and fast carbon neutral shipping, you get top trusted groceries at your door and you can stop worrying about what your kids get their hands on. Start shopping@thrivemarket.com podcast for 30% off your first order and a free gift.
- [01:45]
Zibby Owens
Hi, this is Zibby Owens and you're.
- [01:48]
Listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly.
- [01:51]
Moms don't have Time to Read Books.
- [01:53]
In my daily show, I interview today's latest best selling, buzziest or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think.
- [02:01]
Is worth your time.
- [02:02]
As a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look.
- [02:08]
At everything that's coming out and spend.
- [02:11]
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 ibbyoens Jennifer Weiner is the author of the Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits. This is, I don't know, maybe her third, fourth time on this podcast. Jen is the number one New York Times best selling author of 19 books, including that Summer, Big Summer, Mrs. Everything in Her Shoes, Good in Bed, and a memoir on essays, Hungry Heart. She has appeared on many national television programs including the Today show and Good Morning America. And her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, among other newspapers and magazines. Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. This is part of our series at the Temple Emanuel Stryker center and was originally an in person event there, which is now being broadcast as a podcast. Next time, come see us in person.
- [03:12]
Hi, everybody. How excited are we to be here with Jen Weiner today? Oh, my gosh. So awesome. This is so great. Cause the book is sort of all about fame and audiences and performances. And here we are on St. So I'm just gonna pretend that we're the Griffin sisters. What do you think?
- [03:29]
Jennifer Weiner
I won't ask who's which one.
- [03:30]
Zibby Owens
Okay, don't ask me to sing. Can you sing?
- [03:33]
Jennifer Weiner
Very Like, I have like a three note range. I sound good from like middle C to like D. And that's kind of it.
- [03:40]
Zibby Owens
You want to try it now?
- [03:41]
Jennifer Weiner
No, nobody wants that.
- [03:45]
Zibby Owens
Oh, my gosh. Okay, so Griffin Sister's Greatest hits came out April 8th. Tell everybody. Has anyone read it yet? It just came out. Okay, I'm impressed. I'm impressed. What's this book about?
- [03:56]
Jennifer Weiner
So the Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits is the story of two sisters, Cassie and Zoe Grossberg, as they start things and they're, you know, go through the name change. They are pop stars in the early aughts. So we get to revisit that. Wonderful time is it for me. It's okay. You know, the wonderful era of Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson and Wilson Phillips and, you know, the not so great ways that women were treated back in the day. And then we encounter the Griffin Sisters in the present day where we know that something terrible has happened. The band has imploded. One of the sisters is living in Alaska, kind of off the grid. The other one is a housewife in Haddonfield, New Jersey. She's a mom, and her daughter is trying to break into the industry. So her daughter goes looking for fame and fortune and for answers as to whatever happened to the Griffin Sisters.
- [04:52]
Zibby Owens
Interesting. So where did this come from? Were you really curious about music or you just wanted to be on American Idol?
- [04:59]
Jennifer Weiner
Well, yes and yes. But our story begins in Alaska. My husband and I went on vacation about three years. It'll be three years ago this summer and I'd always wanted to go. And if you haven't been to Alaska, 10 out of 10 recommend. It's beautiful.
- [05:16]
Zibby Owens
Who here has been to Alaska? Oh, my gosh.
- [05:19]
Jennifer Weiner
Did you all go together? Was there a cruise that I missed? I wanted to do a cruise. I Had to list, right. I wanted to do a cruise, but my husband is like anti cruise. And so he set up this lake. We went to Seward and we went to Homer and, you know, we did all of the things. We kayaked in the glacial lakes and we hiked up icebergs and saw all the sites and, you know, and then of course, I'm eavesdropping, which is what novelists do. And what I'm realizing is that a great many people in Alaska seem to have left some prior version of themselves behind. I don't know how many of you guys remember this, but there was very briefly a dating show set in Alaska. It was called Bachelorettes in Looking for Love. And they took a bunch of young women from the big city and shipped them to Alaska, where there are many, many more men than women. And the thing kept saying on the show to these women was the odds are good, but the goods are odd. And, you know, as I'm listening to people talk, I'm like, huh? So I started to think about a woman who ends up in Alaska. And I could picture her in like this oversized parka kind of trudging around carrying cleaning supplies. And I started to think, okay, who is she? How did she end up here? Like, what is she running from? Who did she used to be? And then it was the. You know, I've always wanted to write about the music industry. I've always wanted to write about American Idol and shows like that. And so that's the off to the races.
- [06:57]
Zibby Owens
And how did you do your research? I saw that you read a lot of books by former pop stars.
- [07:03]
Jennifer Weiner
Yes. Many, many pop star memoirs. Many, many episodes of Total request live on YouTube. They're all there. I think my tips, like, frosted themselves. I watched so much.
- [07:15]
Zibby Owens
This was all one big excuse for you to watch all this?
- [07:18]
Jennifer Weiner
Pretty much. Pretty much, yeah. Carson Daly, boy, you know, And I got a chance to revisit Jessica and Nick Lachey's reality show. And the great question that has plagued our times, is chicken of the sea chicken or fish?
- [07:32]
Zibby Owens
Yes, indeed.
- [07:33]
Jennifer Weiner
We all remember that.
- [07:35]
Zibby Owens
Got applause. That's great.
- [07:36]
Jennifer Weiner
Yes. And one of my sister in laws works for a record label, so I got to sort of pick her brain about, like, how you would break out a star in the early aughts. And I'm like, so? So they would just like, you know, they would cut a single and it would be released and you'd send it to radio stations. And she's like, oh, my sweet summer child, that is not how it happened. And how it happened was you would get some young label executive to drive the artists from radio station to radio station. When terrestrial radio was a thing, they would go to the stations, they would do like a tiny desk concert, and then they would get back in the car and go to the next radio station. And my sister in law was the one who did this with Sara Bareilles back in the day. So she had Sara Bareilles in her car. And I got to hear all about that. And then I reached out to Diana Degarmo, who was one of the OG American Idol, like, got very far in the competition. And I asked her about the audition process and the process of getting on the show and then being on the show. And she told me that when they have those huge cattle calls in each city where like 10,000 people show up, they edit it to make it look like it happens over one day. But in reality, it takes like three or four days for them to get who they want to go on to the next round. And the contestants are told they have to wear the exact same clothes for three or four days in a row, you know, for continuity. So I'm asking Diana Degaramo, like, what did you do? And she's like, Well, I was 16, so I was with my parents. They had rented apartment and we had laundry facilities. I'm like, what did everybody else do? And she's like, they stunk. So. Lovely research.
- [09:19]
Zibby Owens
So the trappings of the novel are very fun, right? The music industry and fame and all this. But the book is about some deeper themes and some darker moments. We have loyalty and betrayal and mother, daughter, fractured relationships and just all the stuff of life. Tell me a little bit about how you went there.
- [09:41]
Jennifer Weiner
Always interested in relationships between women, whether it's mothers and daughters, sisters, friendships. And it just seems like when you start reading pop star memoirs or even just talking to your friends, like, it's never easy. It's never smooth sailing the whole way through, you know. And that sister relationship, I think is particularly fraught. So I'm the daughter of a mother who had one sister. I myself have one sister. And I am now the mother of two daughters. And I remember my mom would always say, when my second child, my daughter Phoebe came along, Phoebe is going to be Lucy's best friend for Lucy's entire life. Like, Lucy will never have a friend like Phoebe. And so far it's been true, even though it hasn't always been easy for the two of them. I remember when Phoebe was like 8 years old, I looked at her computer. And I looked at her, like, Google History. And it was all like, how to tell if sister is bullying. Am being bullied by sister. What to do. Sister is big bully. And I was just like, I'm not seeing any of this. So evidently I missed a couple things. But, you know, never easy.
- [10:56]
Zibby Owens
Wow. Do you mind if I read a little bit?
- [10:58]
Jennifer Weiner
Go for it.
- [10:59]
Zibby Owens
It's just a section I found so interesting. And as I'm reading, it's all about what music does for us and how it's really answering a conversation. And I feel like you could substitute music with books. So think about that. It's really quick. Don't worry, I won't take up too much time. Let's see. So Russell, who is one of the leading characters in the book, says, I think popular songs get popular because they're saying something true, something that feels real, that resonates, even if it's just a song about partying and having fun. And the best ones combine that with music that strikes a chord, so to speak. And Zoe says, so, where do we start? And Russell says, well, what do you two want to talk about? When you sing, what do you want to say? Zoe asks. You mean like a message? Not exactly a message, Russell said. More like a conversation with the audience, with give and take. Zoe frowns. But we're performing and they're listening, she said, so how is it a conversation? I'm condensing all this. Cassie spoke up. People have questions. Songs are the answer.
- [12:02]
Jennifer Weiner
Yeah. Poor Zoe is just so far out of her league with this. She thinks that, you know, she wants to be famous. Right. So Cassie is a prodigy. Cassie is incredibly talented, has all of this ability, but does not know how to deal with other people. And Zoe has very little talent, but she's beautiful. And she has this, like, will to power. Like, she wants to be famous more than anyone has ever wanted anything. And she imagines that, you know, this guy Russell, who's gonna be the band's songwriter, is just gonna, like, show up and give them a song, and they're gonna sing it and it's gonna be a hit. And she doesn't understand that there's, like, a process to it.
- [12:50]
Zibby Owens
So if the question that Cassie ends up answering, which is, how do you deal with loneliness? How do we get through the world and deal with love? What is the question you're asking and answering with this novel?
- [13:04]
Jennifer Weiner
I think it's a question. I mean, there's lots of questions, but I think it's like, what is the price of having a gift? I Think that's one of the big ones that the people in this book are wrestling with. Because Cassie has, like I said, she has all of this talent, and when we meet her, she's like, run off to Alaska. She's not performing. She's not writing music. She's left that world behind. And the question that she struggles with is, what is the obligation that this gift has given me? You know, like, if I have a gift, do I have a responsibility to use it? So I think that's one of the questions. I think it's how do we heal generational trauma, right? Like, there's mothers and daughters and mothers and daughters, and everybody's screwing up in a variety of interesting ways. And it's like, how do we fix it? How do we move past it? How do we stay connected to the people that we love? You know? And how do you work through the balance of love and envy that is a sister relationship? Sometimes.
- [14:08]
Zibby Owens
So interesting. Oh, my gosh. So in the book, obviously, these are Jewish sisters, and here we are at the Stryker Center. Hope you all had a good Passover. Very excited. I'm like, I will never have more bread than I've had in the last, like, 20 couple hours. But anyway, in the book, you mention briefly that they changed the name at the advice of the manager from the Grossberg sisters to the Griffin sisters. And Cassie has all these reflections on her dinners with her aunt and the brisket and all of that. Tell me about how Judaism affected the story and were they always going to be Jewish? Tell me about that.
- [14:42]
Jennifer Weiner
So, first of all, I just would like to acknowledge that I dodged the terrible bullet of the Passover birthday. My birthday is March 28th. And so every once in a while, I'm faced with the sad reality of the matzo meal birthday cake. And there's nothing worse. There's nothing sadder than that. It just should not be so.
- [15:02]
Zibby Owens
Sorry.
- [15:02]
Jennifer Weiner
Right? It's just one of those things that, like, should not exist. But yet there it is. And it's got frosting, ice cream, cake. I don't know. I'm old. I'm old. I want cake. Okay, so Judaism. I don't think that the sisters were initially Jewish. I think my editor actually said, like, they should be Jewish. And I was like. And as soon as she said it, I was like, of course they should be Jewish. Because, you know, like I said, there is a grand tradition of Jewish artists who either, like, hide their Judaism or sort of downplay their Judaism or just pretend they're just New Yorkers instead of Being specifically Jewish New Yorkers, you know? And of course, Jews tell stories, right? And that's what the songs do, too. So it felt like a very natural thing, you know? And then it was just a question of, like, okay, you know, what holidays are they celebrating? What foods are they eating? Like, how are they moving through the world as Jewish women? Which is something with which I am intimately familiar.
- [16:01]
Zibby Owens
So in today's climate, in this post 10-7-world, to have two female Jewish protagonists is a statement in and of itself. How do you feel about that? How has it been? I know the book's just come out, but how did you feel launching these characters into this world?
- [16:17]
Jennifer Weiner
Yeah. Wow. The way that I sort of operate as an author is I really try to stay away from Goodreads and Amazon and any place that might have me on a list of, like, do not buy this author. She's a Zionist. Or whatever. Like, I just. People can say whatever they want. And I. The older I get, the more I realize that other people's opinions of me are, like, none of my business. Right. Like, I can't change them, so there's no point in having that information in my brain. Right. I mean, I. You're right, though. Like, having Jewish protagonists is a statement. And it probably would have saved me some grief maybe to have them not be Jewish. But, you know, I'm a Jewish woman. I've been open and outspoken about that for my entire career, ever since Good In Bed with Kenny Shapiro, who was very Jewish. And I feel like, you know, Jews tell stories. That's how we've survived as long as we have. You know, we are people of the book, and we are people who share our stories and our history. It was really important to me for them to be Jewish. And, I don't know. I mean, if it's cost me some sales, if it's earned me some grief, I think that's something I can live with. Okay.
- [17:40]
Zibby Owens
I mean, I feel like you're doing okay.
- [17:43]
Jennifer Weiner
You're too kind.
- [17:47]
Zibby Owens
So, interestingly, fame is part of the book, and you are a famous author. You've been doing this forever.
- [17:55]
Jennifer Weiner
Well, I mean, I think a famous author is like being a famous potter, you know, like. Cause you can go to the grocery store and, like, literally no one will bother me unless I've just had my hair done and I look like my author photo. Like, most of the time, I can move through the world, like, totally incognito, which is really, really nice. Every once in a while, somebody will be like, I love your book, and I'M like thanks. And you know, when my kids were little, they would be like, but I see you're with your children. You know, probably because Lucy was like giving them the stink eye. The scorching stink eye. Like leave my mom alone. But so fame. Yeah, I don't know.
- [18:28]
Zibby Owens
Potters, famous potters everywhere are celebrating. They're mentioned in this broadcast, right?
- [18:33]
Jennifer Weiner
Uh huh.
- [18:35]
Zibby Owens
But how do you feel? Because in the book, fame is not a good thing necessarily. It is a monster that they have to contend with and to your earlier point, a consequence of using your gift to its fullest. How have you wrestled with that? I know it's not the same as being a pop star, but it is. You do have a higher profile that you have to wrestle with.
- [18:58]
Today's episode has been sponsored by Wayfair. Oh my gosh, it is so nice outside today. It's one of the first spring days and it makes me so excited to just get outside and soak up the sunshine as the days get longer and warmer. And it makes me want to refresh my outdoor space and make it feel more mine. I don't know if you feel the same way, but with summer on the way, I have found so many great things on the Wayfarer site to spruce up my outdoors. There are these adorable throw pillows that I love that are blue and white. Blue is my favorite color and they have these fabulous outdoor games like Connect 4 and Croquet and things from my childhood that I am so excited for my kids to play with too. Delivery is always fast, free and hassle free, which makes life so easy. I can always trust Wayfair to deliver. So if you're looking for outdoor seating or outdoor structures and gazebos or something small like, I don't know, a patio cushion, Wayfair has everything. And it's everything your home needs. During the warm weather season too, Wayfair makes it easy to tackle all your home summer goals. So shop a huge selection of outdoor furniture online this summer. Get outside with Wayfair. Head to Wayfair.com right now. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair Every Style Every Home.
- [20:28]
BetterHelp Online Therapy bought this 30 second ad to remind you right now, wherever you are, to unclench your jaw, relax your shoulders, take a deep breath in and out. Feels better, right? That's 15 seconds of self care. Imagine what you could do with more visit betterhelp.com randompodcast for 10% off your first month of therapy. No pressure, just Help. But for now, just relax.
- [21:12]
Sara Gibson Tuttle
Hi. Who here loves when their nails are perfectly done? Me. I'm Sara Gibson Tuttle, and I started Olive in June because, let's be real, we all deserve to have gorgeous nails. But who wants to spend a fortune or half their day at the salon? And that's why I created the mani system. So you can have that salon perfect manicure right at home. And guess what? The best part, each mani only costs $2. Yep, you heard me. $2. No more. 30, 40, $50. Salon trips that eat up your day. Now you can paint your nails whenever you want, wherever you want. And trust me, you're going to be obsessed with your nails and is going to ask you, where did you get your nails done? And here's a little something extra. Head over to oliveandjune.com and get 20% off your first mani system with code perfectmanny20@oliveandjune.com perfectmanny20. That's code perfectmanny20 for 20% off at oliveandjune.com Perfectmanny20. You're all set for a nail glow up. Let's get those nails looking fabulous, shall we?
- [22:15]
Jennifer Weiner
Huh? I mean, I guess. Okay, so this book is haunted by the spirit of Carney Wilson. Okay? Because I remember the video for hold on. And maybe you do too. And it was set on the beach. So Wilson Phillips. It's Carnie Wilson and Michelle Wilson and Chyna Phillips. Chyna and Michelle are sort of thin, you know, stereotypically, you know, beauty standard conforming. And they're on the beach in these, like, lovely, appropriate slip dresses. And Carney Wilson, who is. Was plus size, not. Not even like tremendously plus size, you know, just she was a bigger girl and she was on the beach in a pantsuit, which I would have found really shocking and upsetting even if I had not owned that exact same pantsuit. Like, I'm looking at this and I. And. And then, you know, in the course of this video, they are hiding her, like, behind a grand piano, like, also on the beach or behind, like, boulders or like they're doing these quick cutaways of like, just like this much of her face, as if we would experience terrible consequences if we actually saw a plus size woman. And I mean, authors, like, we're not expected generally to look any kind of way. Like we. I once heard the National Book Awards described as like the Oscars for the lumpy. And that really, like, spoke to my soul. Like, I'm in the right line of work, you know, because nobody expects Us to be especially attractive or especially polished. And you spend like 50 weeks out of the year in like pajama bottoms and ancient T shirts. Music's different, right? Like these young women have to fit a mold. They have to conform to a, a beauty standard. And in the aughts, that was a really hard thing to do. Like Jessica Simpson, you'll remember, got absolutely brutalized by the tabloid media for showing up in high waisted mom jeans on site. I mean, people acted like she'd like done something really terrible. And the terrible thing was like she'd gained a little weight since she played Daisy Duke in the Dukes of Hazzard movie, you know, and Britney Spears got bullied for like weight gain, weight loss, you know, and she was in the process of having a breakdown, like in slow motion right before our very eyes. And I remember just consuming that like it was gossip, you know, like, oh my God, she's attacking the tabloids with an umbrella, she's shaving her head. She's. She had a quickie marriage in Vegas. Like, what is going on with Britney not realizing that it wasn't performance, you know, that it wasn't for show and that the industry was really doing a number on her. So I wanted to talk about that and then I wanted to ask the question, like, have things gotten any better? And I would love to say that they have. I'm not sure that they actually have, but I think like, you know, the first time part of finding a solution is admitting that you have a problem. And so I think that maybe what this book will do is make some people think about the way we spoke about those women, the way we treated those women, the way journalists covered those women, and maybe try to do a little better for the next generation.
- [25:55]
Zibby Owens
You've written so much about body positivity and that is of course part of Cassie's character. How do you feel about today's pop stars who have lost a lot of weight, like Adele and Meghan Trainor and all that.
- [26:07]
Jennifer Weiner
So I know that what we're supposed to say is that any woman's decisions about her body are her own. Like, nobody signs a pledge of, you know, I will remain a certain size to be a role model for this group of people. By the same token though, like, when I saw Meghan Trainor, the woman who sang all about that bass, like showing up looking like one of the Barbie dolls, skinny bitches that she made fun of in that song, it sort of felt like seeing another one of my friends being swept off the decks of the Titanic. You know, it's like, oh, we lost another one. You know, there she goes. Lizzo. Lizzo has lost weight. You know, Adele has lost weight. Rebel Wilson has lost weight. I mean, and I get it. Like, I think it's really, really hard to exist as a high profile woman in a larger body and you become a target for like, everybody is projecting all of their own issues, their own craziness, their own desires, their own fears onto the screen that your body becomes when you are a famous woman. It's tough. And I do. I mean, part of me is looking at this new class of weight loss drugs and wondering, in 20 or 30 years, are we going to even have larger people anymore? Part of me remembers fen phen, though, which was the, the hot diet drug of the 90s that, you know, they thought that was the Ozempic of then until they realized that it was causing women to have heart attacks, right? And then the women didn't want to give it up. They were just like, I, I'll take my chances. I don't want to gain my weight back. And this, this world's messed up. That's all I got.
- [27:54]
Zibby Owens
I will say I'm on Manjaro. I'm very open about it. I've lost my 30 plus pounds. And the thing that is the best not to make this an ad is not anything about my body, but my brain that you stop thinking about food all the time.
- [28:08]
Jennifer Weiner
Did you see that Weight Watchers filed for bankruptcy?
- [28:11]
Zibby Owens
I saw that. I used to be a Weight Watchers leader. FYI, if any of you were ever.
- [28:15]
Jennifer Weiner
In my groups, the last time I did Weight Watchers, it was the fiber that they were really pushing. You weren't supposed to count your calories and you could have extra points if you were eating really high fiber foods. So I found these brownies that were like, they had so much. They were like, you know, I mean, you would spend a day and a half on the toilet, but it didn't matter because the brownie tasted delicious and it could work in your plan. But I mean, that is the other thing I think about, right? Like almond moms, right? Who were the daughters of slim fast grandmas who gave birth to calorie deficit TikTok influencers, right? Are we losing like a language that women have been speaking to each other for years and years and years once? Because if Weight Watchers goes down, like, that's the last bastion of. This is all about self control and willpower, right? You know, like when Oprah talked about taking Ozempic, Oprah was A stakeholder in Weight Watchers, like, that was sort of the banner. Like, it's not just about willpower and it's not just about a moral failing. Like there's something like chemical going on in your brain. I mean, it's. We're living in interesting times. We really are. But. Yeah, you know, but with daughters in my house, like, I'm very aware of, like, I want my daughters to be happy in their own skin. No matter what their size, I want them to be happy, I want them to be healthy, I want them to feel beautiful. And I really do my best to kind of model as well as I can, like how I want them to be. So, you know, and some days are better than others.
- [30:04]
Zibby Owens
Absolutely. One other element of the story is Cassie when she was younger, had she lived now, might have been diagnosed as neurodiverse.
- [30:14]
Jennifer Weiner
Yes.
- [30:15]
Zibby Owens
And yet because of her age, she was not. And she's now coming out into the world again into an environment where that, that's completely acceptable. What would have happened had Cassie been born later? Like, what if she was a teenager now? What do you think the story would have been?
- [30:29]
Jennifer Weiner
I mean, I think that we're still a little slower to diagnose high functioning women than we are boys who like trains a whole lot. Like, you know, they just, it's like, there's your diagnosis. But a woman I think who's like on the spectrum somehow. But you know, you see sometimes on social media, like, where are all these autistic people coming from? We didn't have them when I was a kid. And it's like, well, yeah, you did. You just called them weirdos though. Like there wasn't this awareness of like what's really going on here. So, yeah, I mean, I do think that Cassie probably would have had some kind of diagnosis and probably would have gotten some kind of support more than what she got, which was basically her parents telling her sister that it was her job to help Cassie navigate humanity. Which really wasn't fair to either one of them when you think about it.
- [31:25]
Zibby Owens
True. Okay, so what is coming after this book? Can we have a sneak peek?
- [31:29]
Jennifer Weiner
Oh boy. Yes. So I am working on a book. So this book we sort of dealt with pop stardom in the early aughts. The next one, we have a character who was a supermodel of the 90s. Okay. And. And the book begins when our protagonist, whose name is Ellie, wakes up and her phone is blowing up. And like everyone in her life, her best friend, her 20 something year old daughter, people she hasn't heard from in decades are like, did you know about this? And she's like, did I know about what? And her friend, best friend is like, look at Instagram. She looks at Instagram and discovers that her ex husband is dating this former supermodel who was renowned as the most beautiful woman in the world. And she kind of doesn't know what to do with that information because on the one hand, she's been divorced from this guy for a long time. On the other hand, she finds herself feeling some kind of way about the two of them performing their romance on social media. So it's about the nature of love, it's about writing and stories because Ellie and her ex husband are both authors of very different kinds of books. It's about fame, it's about social media, it's about performance versus reality and what we portray versus how we really are all the things. And there's a really funny scene in a JCC changing room that I'm very proud of, where Ellie is accosted by somebody who's like, your ex husband. Did you see? And the woman is just. Ellie describes her as she's naked except for a few strategic puffs of talcum powder. And she's struggling to keep her eyes above the woman's neck as she's like, being interrogated. So I'm having fun.
- [33:16]
Zibby Owens
Oh, my gosh. And you often write for the New York Times. Do you have an op ed coming out soon?
- [33:20]
Jennifer Weiner
You know, it's interesting, the weight stuff. Like, I want to talk about all of the formerly body positive women who have gotten very thin and what does it mean? And Weight Watchers sort of going down. And also the blue origin astronauts who were all very glam, which I'm going to give them a pass on because I feel like any woman who knows she's going to be photographed in newspapers is going to do some glam. But they were all, they all had. It looked like they all went to the same hair extension place and the same eyelash extension place and the same sculpted makeup face. Like, there seems to be a kind of flattening going on in terms of like, the kinds of bodies we're allowed to have and the kinds of faces we're allowed to have. And I'm really, really interested in that.
- [34:18]
Zibby Owens
Interesting.
- [34:19]
Jennifer Weiner
Yeah. So we'll see.
- [34:21]
Zibby Owens
What advice would you give to someone who's starting out a writing career today?
- [34:26]
Jennifer Weiner
Oh, that's a good question. For the longest, longest time, I would tell people I had this, like, pat answer. I'm like, get a job at A small newspaper in a part of the country where you've never lived before. I can't tell people that now because there are no more small newspapers in parts of countries where people haven't lived before. And I'm like, well, what am I supposed to do now? Like, tell them to go Write quizzes for BuzzFeed? I think if you want to be a writer, you're going to be a writer. Writers write and you do it whether you have an agent, whether you have a publishing deal, whether you have any of those things. Because if you have a story to tell and you're a writer, you are going to find a way to tell that story. And the advice I give to young people is just to read because I don't think you can be a writer unless you are a reader and you love words and you love stories and you love the whole process of creation. So I tell young people to read as much as they can and to write as much as they can. And I've got like 25 pages worth of more specific advice on my website, which is jenniferwiner.com because I'm really creative. But I'm also like, I'm running a fellowship in Philadelphia with like this local literary nonprofit where we chose six women who are all in the process of writing either their first novels or their first short story collections. And we gave them some money and I have office hours once a month where they can like, I come pick my brain, I read their work, I give them feedback, I talk to them about the process of like finding an agent and finding a publisher and how all that goes. So I really, you know, now that I am middle aged and mid career as they put it, if they're being nice about it, I do think a lot about the next generation of women writers and like how I can leave the door open for them and sort of leave things a little better than than how I found them and make it a little easier than it was for me back in the day.
- [36:25]
Zibby Owens
Amazing. Thank you, Jen.
- [36:26]
Jennifer Weiner
You're welcome.
- [36:28]
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 ibbyowens and spread the word. Thanks so much. Oh and buy the books.
- [36:50]
Thrive Market Representative
This Mother's Day. Show the moms in your life just how much they mean to you with a stunning bouquet from 1-800-flowers.com. for almost 50 years, 1-800-flowers has set the standard for high quality bouquets. Right now order early from 1-800-FLOWERS and save up to 40% on gorgeous bouquets and one of a kind arrangements guaranteed to make her day. Save up to 40% today at 1800-flowers.com acastra. That's 1-800-flowers.com acast, the official florist of Mother's Day weight loss. It needs to be fast and sustainable. Noom GLP1 starts at just $149 and ships to your door in seven days. Take it from Lauren, who lost 22 pounds on Noom.
- [37:30]
Zibby Owens
If I come off of the GLP1.
- [37:32]
It'S not going to automatically make my weight.
- [37:34]
Thrive Market Representative
Yo yo back $149 GLP1s now that's Noom smart. Get started@noom.com Real Noom user compensated to provide their story. Individual results may vary. Not all customers will medically qualify for prescription medications. Compounded medications are not reviewed by the FDA for safety, efficacy, or quality. Every idea starts with a problem. Warby Parker's was Glasses are too expensive, so they set out to change that. By designing glasses in house and selling directly to customers, they're able to offer prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Warby Parker glasses are made from premium materials like impact resistant polycarbonate and custom acetate, and they start at just $95, including prescription lenses. Get glasses made from the good stuff. Stop by a Warby Parker store near.