Totally Booked with Zibby – Laura Dickerman, HOT DESK: A Novel

Episode date: September 10, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Laura Dickerman

Overview:

In this lively episode, Zibby Owens interviews Laura Dickerman, author of Hot Desk: A Novel, about her witty debut set in the world of New York publishing. The conversation explores Laura’s path to writing later in life, the role her publishing-savvy brother played in sparking her novel's concept, and the real-life inspirations behind her insider publishing satire. Laura and Zibby dive into the process of crafting dual timelines, the nuances of office culture post-pandemic, fun literary influences, and the joy (and challenge) of launching a book as a debut author in her 60s.

Main Discussion & Key Insights

1. The Story Behind Hot Desk

[04:15] Laura Dickerman:

• The novel centers on “two young editors, ambitious and at rival publishing imprints,” forced to share a “hot desk” (a shared desk on different days) in their publishing house.
• Rivalry escalates over a coveted, lost manuscript from a famous author’s estate; the narrative deepens when secrets involving one protagonist’s mother emerge from the manuscript itself.
• Dual timeline: Modern New York publishing world interwoven with early 1980s Manhattan, following the mother's youthful internship at a literary magazine inspired by real places.
• “Hijinks ensue,” with the novel alternating perspectives and poking fun at contemporary office life and literary culture.

2. Inspirations & Real-Life Roots

[06:02] Laura Dickerman:

• Laura hadn’t worked in a modern office since the 1990s; she credits her brother Colin, a publishing professional, with the “hot desk” idea and keeping her office details up to date.
• Their collaboration included brainstorming Zoom call mishaps:
  • “He was like, oh, people's cats are on Zoom... so that was... we were good collaborators at the beginning there, especially for sort of office things.” [06:54]
• Laura’s own background: once an intern at the Paris Review, English teacher, book club leader, and a YA novelist “with a book in a drawer.”

3. Late Blooming & Letting Go of Perfection

[07:58 & 11:09] Laura Dickerman:

• Laura reflects on her winding journey: “I was a writer who then became a teacher, and then I was a teacher who wrote. Then I was just a teacher, then I was a mom. And then just life happened.”
• She admits her academic training made her writing feel “very literary,” and perfectionism often got in the way. The light, playful tone of Hot Desk “really freed me up... Everything felt really fun and easy about this book.”
• Notable quote:
  • “I think this really freed me up... and it was so fun to write... It feels like it happened overnight, but of course... it’s been a long time coming.” [10:45]

4. Office & Publishing Culture—Then & Now

[16:52 & 19:53] Laura Dickerman:

• Laura draws on her memories of the Paris Review, with “everyone smoking and typewriting... glamorous” scenes, and explains inventing a fictional “East River Review” inspired by the real place but with imagined drama (“None of the drama that happened in my book happened” [16:52]).
• She found the evolution to “hot desking,” Zoom meetings, and changing technology fascinating—often through her brother’s guidance and her own pandemic Zoom experiences.
• On the changing face of publishing:
  • Phones are nearly obsolete in office communication.
  • Workplace dynamics reimagined post-pandemic—“how do we optimize space?... have people at home and this and that” [19:53]

5. Capturing the Tone—Genre, Humor, and Expectations

[22:35 & 24:25] Laura Dickerman:

• Laura resists labeling Hot Desk as simply a rom-com:
  • “It is what’s... a very, very slow burn, as they say. Right. So it’s an enemies to lovers trope. It’s a slow burn. But they don’t even lay eyes on each other until 2/3 of the way through.”
  • Importance of giving each character “very fully formed lives, work, friends, family before they fell for each other.”
• Literary comedic influences:
  • “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” by Maria Semple, “The Wedding People” by Allison S. Scott, “The Plot” and “The Sequel” by Jean Hanff Korelitz: “If I may be so bold, I wish... my book was funny in that way.” [24:25]
• On resisting comparison: “When you start to write and you think, oh, someone else did this better... that can be very crippling. At least for me...” [22:35]

6. Experiencing Publishing as a Debut Author at 62

[25:20] Laura Dickerman:

• “I really am surprised by just how many people are involved in getting a book out there.”
• Laura expresses deep gratitude for the community: “There are just so many moving parts... To be reacquainted with or to sort of be on this side of that world and those people has been really beautiful and exciting.”
• “This is the most exciting thing that’s happened. I’m just enjoying so much everything and really trying to really just trying to enjoy every moment.” [26:40]

7. On Aging, Embracing “Crone” Status & What’s Next

[27:29 & 30:11]

• Zibby is surprised by Laura’s age: “You don’t look 62, FYI. No, really? That’s a shock....”
• Laura proudly claims “crone” status, determined to “reclaim it” as “a good thing.”
• Inspiration from Laura Ingalls Wilder, who published her first “Little House” book at 65.
• What’s next? Laura feels free to write the kinds of books she loves:
  • Current idea: “It starts with a dead body, so there’s a little mystery... and it’s also got this sort of romantic trope... I think they call it second chance love.” [28:45]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On inspiration, family, and assignments:
  • “I love an assignment... Like, that one sentence, I was like, Yes, the whole book came to me.” (Laura Dickerman, 08:38)
• On late blooming:
  • “I’ve been Googling late bloomers... Laura Ingalls Wilder published Little House on the Prairie when she was 65. So yep, got in right under there.” (Laura Dickerman, 28:22)
• On embracing age and wisdom:
  • “That is one thing about being a crone... I love a crone. I think crone is a good thing. I’m excited to be a crone... this is just like a bonus dream come true for me.” (Laura Dickerman, 30:11)
• On the foundational importance of fiction:
  • “I really do think that we are better people for reading, particularly fiction. I’m gonna say it.” (Laura Dickerman, 25:53)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:15 | Laura explains Hot Desk: the plot, structure, and characters | | 06:02 | Laura discusses her brother's role in sparking and advising the novel | | 07:58 | Laura on her career journey, struggles with perfectionism, and writing challenges | | 11:09 | The joy and ease of writing Hot Desk compared to previous projects | | 16:52 | Memories from the Paris Review and how they inspired the East River Review timeline | | 19:53 | Zoom and hot desking; post-pandemic office culture | | 22:35 | On genre—resisting comparison and fitting in; slow burn vs rom-com | | 24:25 | Literary influences in humor and structure | | 25:20 | Insights into the machinery of publishing as a debut author | | 27:29 | Zibby and Laura discuss age, gray hair, and late blooming authors | | 28:45 | Laura’s plans for her next book—mystery, romance, and second chance love | | 30:11 | Laura embraces “crone” status and reflects on living her dream |

Tone & Style

The discussion is warm, witty, and honest—much like Laura’s novel—with both host and guest relishing the humor and absurdities of the publishing world and midlife reinvention. Zibby’s admiration for Laura’s “snarky, but in a good way” observational humor infuses the episode with laughter, camaraderie, and inspiration for writers and readers alike.

Takeaways for New Listeners

• Hot Desk is a clever, funny, and surprisingly tender exploration of publishing culture, intergenerational secrets, and the power of second acts.
• Laura Dickerman’s journey—embraced with humor, humility, and resilience—is a reminder that it’s never too late to write, and that fiction’s greatest freedoms come when you let go of other people’s expectations.
• Fans of sharp workplace fiction—or anyone needing a laugh about office life—will find much to savor in this episode and the novel itself.